USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1883 > Part 28
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Nov. 30, 1883.
Notes secured by mortgage,
$27,776 00
$22,451 00
Bank stock, at par,
7,300 00
7,300 00
Deposits in savings banks,
1,309 32
10,653 99
Deposits in national banks,
3,500 00
$39,885 32
$40,404 99
STATEMENT OF BOOK ACCOUNT.
Balance on deposit December 1, 1882,
$1,599 94
Received from income of permanent fund,
1,559 01
Interest on deposits in bank,
32 27
Expended for books during the year,
929 34
Balance on deposit November 30, 1883,
$2,261 88
FRANCIS H. DEWEY, SAMUEL D. NYE,
Finance Committee.
JONAS G. CLARK,
$3,191 22
REPORT OF THE TREASURER
OF THE
READING ROOM FUND.
JAMES E. ESTABROOK, Treasurer, in account with the Reading Room Fund of the FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY :
1882. DR.
Balance of cash as per last report, $310 30
1883.
Dec. 1. To interest on City Bonds to date, 300 00
66 Mortgage notes, 260 00
66 66 U. S. bond, 20 00
66
66 66 Money in Savings Bank, 4 00
1883.
CR.
Dec. 1. By cash for subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals to date, $972 81
Stationery, postage and money orders,
6 03
$978 84
1883. Dec. 1. Balance due Treasurer,
84 54
The Reading Room Fund is invested as follows :
City of Worcester bonds,
$5,000 00
. Mortgage notes,
5,000 00
U. S. four per cent. bond,
500 00
Money in Worcester Savings Bank,
200 00
Total amount of fund, $10,700 00
Respectfully submitted. JAMES E. ESTABROOK.
Treasurer.
Examined and approved.
F. H. DEWEY, SAMUEL D. NYE, Finance Committee. JONAS G. CLARK,
$894 30
REPORT
OF THE
BOARD OF HEALTH.
To His Honor the Mayor, and Gentlemen of the City Council :-
The work of the Board of Health increases year by year. In 1881, the number of visits of inspection, upon complaints received at the office, was about fifteen hundred. In 1882 it was eighteen hundred, and in 1883 it has risen to more than two thousand. As most of this work is to be done in the warm season of the year, from June to October, it must be evident that the regularly appointed inspector of the Board cannot accomplish it. The Board, therefore, at this season, for the past two years, have employed an assistant inspector, for a limited time, and at no great expense to the City. The number of weeks he has been engaged this year was twelve.
If one inspection, and one notification in each case, were sufficient to accomplish the abatement of the nuisance, this step would, perhaps, be unnecessary. In a large number of cases, however, from two to five or six visits are required, before the case is disposed of to the satisfaction of the Board. This work is largely done by the assistant inspector. It is useful and necessary, in order to prevent frequent and irritating litigation, and also to leave the regular inspector free, to attend to new complaints, adjust differences, and give a certain number of hours each day to the work of the office, and the reception and filing of these complaints. It is his duty also, to direct the work of his assistant.
No form of contagious or epidemic disease has prevailed in the City for the past year. By close watching, and improved
27
424
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
sanitation, malaria has virtually disappeared. Zymotic diseases, like typhoid fever, diphtheria, erysipelas and the like, have been kept within the limit which naturally belongs to a city and a community like ours. They will always be present, but they must not be allowed to exceed that limit, and to this end a large part of the work of your Board is naturally directed.
The condition of tenement-houses in the city has, for the last two or three years, attracted the earnest attention of the Board. In the main, we believe that they are as good, and fit for occupancy, as can be found in most cities. In some districts they are wholly bad. No very urgent action has, however, hitherto been taken in regard to them, because of the scarcity of tenements to shelter the inhabitants. We believe now, that this plea cannot longer prevail. That large numbers of decent, clean, cheap houses, have been provided, and that the time has come to enforce the rules of the Board touching this important subject. After a thorough examination, those that are not found to be tenantable and healthy, will be vacated and closed up.
In March of last year the Board of Health effected a contract with Willard F. Pond, to remove night soil and the contents of cesspools, by the odorless process, in the day-time. This plan has been in operation nearly a year. It was a new departure, and a total change from the old method. It has caused some friction, and given rise to complaints. We expected it would. No such radical change could be introduced without it. For- merly individuals could drive hard bargains with the irresponsible men that did this work, and have it done for very cheap rates. Now the price is fixed by the Board. All are served alike, as nearly as possible, and the work is neatly, quietly and promptly done. We are satisfied that the present plan grows in favor with the public, and when the points of objection are knocked off, and smoothed over, no one, we think, will wish to go back to the old cart and bucket, odorous and filthy night plan. The work has been well done in the main, we are pretty sure of that. The trouble has been in the prices charged. But the Board have this entirely in their hands, and new and satisfactory arrange- ments have been or soon will be made. The prices for the work
425
REPORT OF BOARD OF HEALTH.
as they have ruled last year, are below those in any other city, where the same kind of work is done.
The subject of privies, drains, and cesspools, still remains the most annoying and troublesome of any with which we have to deal. More complaints come to the office from it than from all other causes put together. Last year they numbered two hundred and forty. This year the number has increased to four hundred and forty, and is still on the rise. It seems at times, as if the whole time and force of the Board was expended upon this one source of nuisance and complaint. How shall we deal with it ? This year the Rule of the Board, requiring all owners of estates abutting on streets in which a public sewer has been established, to enter that sewer, has been firmly, but not rigidly, enforced. One hundred and twenty-one such entries have been made, by order of the Board, and one hundred and twelve privies in consequence have been definitely abolished. This is a good work, well begun. We hope at the end of the present year to report a very much larger number. Cesspools are as bad, or worse, than privies. They dispose of house drainage of all kinds, by soakage into the ground, they are not in most cases trapped, they give rise to nauseous odors, and poisonous gases, which work back through the drains into the houses, a prolific source of sickness and suffering. They infect the soil through which their contents pass, and thus render it unhealthy in their immediate vicinity, and also, in the premises of the neighbors on every side. They are covered up, and out of sight, doing their deadly work without a chance for examination or remedy. Often it is not until the surrounding soil has become choked with sediment, and refuses to receive more, and the foul contents overflow upon the surface, that their location is discovered and attention called to them.
The removal of house offal has been effected most thoroughly and satisfactorily, by the frequent visits of the teams to all parts of the City within their range. Last year your Board advised that several districts, not included, but which imperatively needed this service, be brought within their scope. This has been done this year, and has worked well, and now nearly every part of the
426
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
city, which requires it, is satisfactorily served. The manner in which this most important service is done meets our highest approval. We could not do it better if it was in our own hands, as it ought to be. The weekly visits are made with great regularity. The work is done quietly and neatly. The drivers are civil, steady, industrious men. The tanks are clean, making no nuisance in the streets, by odors or leakage, and even the horses seem to take an interest, and a seeming pride in the work. The removal of dust, ashes, and sweepings, remains where it was last year, in the hands of no one and subject to no control. It is matter for the most part not offensive, or dangerous to the public health. When however it includes decayed fruits and vegetables, and the sweepings of foul yards and cellars, it is, in a measure, both offensive and dangerous. If your Board could be anthorized to establish and maintain a dump, the deposits could be inspected and regulated, the offensive matter properly scattered and covered up, and the aggregate of the whole material serve some useful purpose in filling up waste and unhealthy places, instead of being deposited here and there, over the whole city, at the option of the drivers of carts and job wagons. Your Board would again call the atten- tion of the city authorities to this subject. It should be under the charge of some responsible department of the city work, or it will soon become dangerous to the public health.
Whatever subject touches the comfort, happiness and well- being of our citizens, interests the Board of Health, as well as the question of health. Cleanliness, it has been said, comes next to Godliness. There is no place yet provided where the people can bathe, in the hot dusty months of summer, without running a risk of trouble from violation of the city ordinances. This is not as it should be. Bathing in violation of law is neither joy- ous, healthy or sanitary. We may set it down as a rule, that the community will bathe, if not with law, then against it. But why subject them to this burdensome responsibility ? They may walk, or run, or drive, or ride, and even coast, and bicycle, with no one to molest. They are even assisted and protected in all these exercises of health and joy. Why should they not bathe and
427
REPORT OF BOARD OF HEALTH.
swim with equal freedom and under the same assistance and protection. What father is there among us who would not rather his boy should swim, with ease and strength and confi- dence, than to drive his clipped nag, with reckless pace, over the avenue, or, dressed up like a Guy, roll his dangerous bicycle through the streets of a crowded city ? The inland cities of the West are far ahead of us in this most important subject. Many of them have established free public baths, regulated by the au- thorities, under the superintendence of the officers of health, or the Board of Public Works, open at all proper hours, and en- joyed as we shall see below, by all classes of the citizens, both men and women.
In the city of Milwaukee, report of 1880, from June 11th to September 15th, thirty-one thousand eight hundred and sixty- four bathers, of both sexes, enjoyed the delight and the fun and the health afforded by the free use of the public baths. No danger was incurred, no breach of decorum or of public order was noticed, and the authorities were unanimous in recommending their continuance and extension. Such a number clearly and forcibly indicates that free public baths are demanded by the people. In the heart-rending account of the loss of the steamer City of Columbus, we notice that those that could swim were saved, and that only those that could swim were instrumental in saving the lives of others, and we also notice that of all the suf- ferers not one woman was saved ! Had they been taught to swim, can any one doubt, that some of them at least would not have gone to the bottom? With a safe and properly secluded place provided, teachers of this most graceful and healthy ac- complishment would appear in numbers according to the demand, and classes of swimmers would be as popular as classes of bota- ny, or music, or dancing. On each side of our beautiful city, ponds of clear, sweet, healthy water are to be found, owned by proprietors liberal and public spirited. They are easy of ac- cess by public conveyances and are sufficiently retired from the public gaze to be available for this purpose. We would recom- mend that the experiment be tried, in a proper, but at first, inexpensive way, confident that in the end, permanent and even luxurious public baths will be demanded by our citizens.
428
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
The importance of public parks and gardens cannot be over estimated in a city like ours. It is built mostly in a valley. be- tween the hills. It has not that broad expanse of field and plain, that gives large exposure of air and sunshine. For this very reason it must have open free tracts of land, wherever they can be secured, for the breathing spaces of the pent-up public. We cannot have a Central Park, like New York, or a Prospect Park, like Brooklyn. We have not the ground or the millions of money to compass them. But we can have on every side the breathing spaces and the little lakes, and the groves, and flower-gardens which we need. Our little Elm Park is a model in its way. Under the guiding hand of one public spirited, enterprising man, it has grown already beyond the stage of a necessity, and has become a public luxury, a perfect oasis in the desert of crowded, dusty streets. One deficiency however it has. Let us see to it in time that the parks of the future have not the same defect. It has no play-ground for the children. Turn your eyes in whatever direction you choose, and where are the grounds, upon which the energetic, go-ahead boy, pent up in school through the whole week, is free to go, for his boisterous, rough but manly games and sports. If he tries them on private grounds or open lots, he is ordered off with threats of the law, garnished with forcible and damaged English. If he tries them in the streets or upon the public squares a portly official in blue coat and brass buttons, sternly orders him to move on ! Where then is he to go ? His play is his life, he must have it, he cannot develop into strength and beauty and well balanced manhood without it. The pale, slender, brain-developed.boy of the city stands but a poor chance in the race of life. In the survival of the fittest he is not one of the fit. The first touch of the frost, of disease, or adver- sity, withers him up and he passes away. He is an annual, not a perennial plant. Is it the school system, and the demands of so- ciety that kills off the girls by thousands ? Is it not in a great measure the want of a chance to run, and play, and scream, in their own sweet way, in places where they know they have the right to go and develop the rosy cheeks, the infinite grace, the rounded form, and perfect womanly beauty which by nature be- longs to them ?
429
REPORT OF BOARD OF HEALTH.
There is at present no fear for their minds. We are in the midst of a kind of educational craze, when or where it will end the wisest do not know.
The dangers to the public health from the defective plumbing and ventilation and drainage of houses, continues to interest the attention of your board. A code of regulations, touching these most important points has been made, but not yet adopted. These with a more thorough inspection of tenement-houses, will, we are confident, work out a better and safer condition of things.
The condition of the Pine Meadow swamp, Lincoln brook, the open sewer below Franklin street, and the Southbridge street nuisance has been brought to your attention in our former re- ports. We have nothing new to say about them. The proper authorities, we are pleased to notice, have them earnestly in hand. Much of the work this year, has been aimed toward their improvement and final abatement.
The rules and regulations of this board should be revised and re-printed. Many that have been adopted to meet the exigencies that continually arise, and others that have for the same reason been changed, do not stand in a public and tangible form. They therefore do not attract attention, and perhaps are not gen- erally understood. The work of the Board for the year is classi- fied as follows : Visits of inspection, upon complaints filed at the office, two thousand; nuisances abated, six hundred and fifty- five ; cases brought to court and punished by fine, five ; sewers entered by order of the board, one hundred and twenty-one ; privies abolished, one hundred and twelve; general filthiness, thirty-seven cases ; drainage on the surface of the ground, thirty- four; foul privies, three hundred and eighty ; foul cesspools, twenty-eight; foul drains, fourteen ; foul catch-basins, three ; burying night soil upon premises, thirteen ; foul barns, twenty-one; foul cellars, nineteen ; filthy courts, alleys and yards, twenty-eight ; bad and defective plumbing and drainage, fifty ; swine removed, sixteen ; sewer gas in houses, nine ; water in cellars, seven ; dead animals removed, four; over-crowded tenements, three.
The receipts and expenses of the board for the year may be found in the Auditor's report, in detail.
430
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
The number of deaths in the city for the year has been thir- teen hundred and eighty. This includes all that were found dead, and all the still-born. Certificates of the disease, age and locality in every case, have been made out and signed by the Board of Health, before the burial took place. Our death-rate still remains low-about two per cent.
We acknowledge with gratitude the kindness of the Mayor, and his valuable advice and assistance in the many perplexing cases, which must of necessity arise. To the Clerk of the Board of Overseers of the Poor and to the Superintendent of the City Farm, our thanks are due, for their valuable help on all occa- sions. And to the Police Department for their prompt and cheerful response to every call we have made upon them.
Respectfully submitted.
RUFUS WOODWARD, Board HENRY GRIFFIN, of
F. C. THAYER, Health.
REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
CITY OF WORCESTER, Jan. 10, 1884.
To the Honorable City Council:
GENTLEMEN-In compliance with Chap. 48, Sec. 3, of the City Ordinances, I have the honor to submit the following report.
NEW BUILDINGS.
New police sub-station, Lamartine street. Work upon this building was commenced in October, 1882, and was completed and dedicated February 26, 1883.
The cost of this building together with the cost of the new hose house, the cost of which is included in the amount charged to Police Department, is as follows :-
HOSE HOUSE, HOSE 7.
George S. Clough, contract,
$4,960 00
.. ..
Extra,
104 60
Curbing extra cellar window,
6 00
Grading,
73 95
Sewer,
00
Paving,
99 63
$5,334 18
New cell building and alterations and repairs of old building used by Hose No. 7.
CELL BUILDING.
P. L. Paquette, contract, mason work,
$1,155 00
Less cementing and plastering left off, 139 58
$1,015 42
432
CITY DOCUMENT .- No, 38.
CARPENTER WORK.
G. S. Clough, contract,
$250 00
Henry Mellen, cementing,
115 75
Sheathing in place of plastering, 54 88
C. H. Baldwin, contract, plumbing,
230 00
H. C. Fish, iron work, contract,
392 00
James Draper, sewer, contract,
80 00
John Kenney, painting, contract,
65 00
Thomas Smith, grading, &c.,
191 60
66 66 Digging foundations,
16 95
Gravel,
19 00
$2,430 60
REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS, OLD BUILDING.
Carpenter repairs, stock and labor,
$1,040 40
Plumbing
93 99
Mason
66
280 51
Fencing lot,
286 68
Painting fence,
83 00
Building,
122 61
Paving and concreting,
29 36
Heating apparatus, contract :
Worcester Steam and Gas Pipe Works,
$825 00
Extra brick work and hot water connections,
18 84
Repairs of water pipe,
15 48
H. C. Fish, iron grating windows,
60 75
Clark, Sawyer & Co., lamps, brackets, &c.,
40 12
" Paper hanging,
37 63
66
« Whitening,
20 25
C. S. Kendall & Co., speaking tubes,
20 23
Cleaning building,
17 88
Advertising,
7 75
Mats, &c.,
27 23
Coal,
122 48
Total repairs old building,
$3,150 19
Furniture and bedding,
$591 90
Cell building,
2,430 60
Hose house,
5,334 18
Total cost,
$11,506 87
A temporary police sub-station has been constructed at Lake Quinsigamond at a cost of $176.00.
433
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
WINSLOW STREET SCHOOL-HOUSE ADDITION.
By order of the City Council of March 5, 1883, an addition of six rooms has been built upon the Winslow street school- house, which was originally designed for an addition of four rooms, which would have given more yard room, which is now somewhat cramped, and I would recommend the putting in of a bank wall on the easterly side for the purpose of making additional yard room.
The estimated expense was $16,000.00, and the cost has been as follows :
Jeremiah Murphy, Contract,
$13,900 00
66
extra cost of foundations on ac- count of Lincoln Brook Sewer, and moving sewer, 215 73
Extra carpenter, stock and labor,
90 00
Extra mason work,
56 58
Plans and specifications,
300 00
School furniture, including seats, teachers' desks, clocks, chairs, &c.,
1,131 77
Heating apparatus, 3 Barstow Furnaces,
575 00
Engineering,
8 91
Advertising,
7 12
Insurance,
16 25
Gas piping,
31 62
Grading,
78 76
Hack hire,
2 00
Total,
$16,413 64
Note .- The sum of $1,800.00 paid for brick, Winslow street, and $3,046.40, Millbury street, ordered by the order of the City Council, and charged to con- tractor, appears as revenue upon the Auditor's books, increases the apparent cost of the Winslow street addition to $18,213.64, and the Millbury street house to $26,892.42, that amount ..
MILLBURY STREET SCHOOL-HOUSE.
In compliance with the order of the City Council of March 19, 1883, a school-house of eight rooms has been built upon land owned by the city on Millbury street, at the junction of Quin- sigamond avenue, Cambridge and Millbury streets. The esti- mated cost of $24,000.00, and the cost has been as follows :
Addison Palmer, contract, 66 fencing lot,
$19,343 00
260 00
Plans and specifications, 300 00
434
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
Grading, including rock excavation,
1,268 93
School furniture, including seats, teachers' desks, clocks, chairs, &c., 1,482 05
Heating apparatus, 4 No. 6 Barstow furnaces,
747 00
Sewer and connections, 325 40
Engineering,
48 31
Advertising,
11 75
Service pipe, Worcester Water Works,
28 10
Concreting,
17 50
Hack hire,
6 00
Insurance,
6 00
Trucking,
1 75
Total cost,
$23,845 79
Cost of brick and freight, as noted,
$4,846 40
Cost of land,
8,000 00
Total,
$12,846 40
Of which there has been taken and enclosed for school-house lot 52,664 feet, leaving a balance of 47,000 feet for other uses, or sale.
BUILDING FOR THE STORAGE OF GASOLINE, ON DEWEY STREET.
A building for the storage of gasoline has been built upon land purchased by the city on Dewey street, near Tufts street, and the barn upon the lot has been moved to the rear of the lot and fitted up as a repair shop, and for the storage of lanterns, &c.
The cost has been as follows :
J. D. Morton, contract,
$765 00
Grading lot,
150 05
Painting,
65 00
Eaves troughs,
14 95
Advertising,
2 50
Engineering,
8 50
Hitching posts,
2 00
Moving barn,
60 00
Re-laying foundation walls,
42 75
Carpenter's stock and labor,
98 12
Total cost of building,
$1,208 97
Cost of land,
825 00
Total
$2,033 97
435
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
ARMORY.
The Armory building, after having been condemned for drill purposes by a commission of experts, and by the Adjutant Gen- eral, is still being used to a limited extent for drill purposes for the want of other suitable accommodations, and I earnestly rec- ommend that early action be taken for providing suitable accom- modations for the two Infantry companies and Battery.
There has been expended :
For Repairs of all kinds,
$90 46
Janitor,
52 08
Gas,
185 61
Coal,
93 47
Water rates,
25 00
Removing ashes,
4 00
Total,
$450 52
CITY HALL.
The repairs needed upon the City Hall are the painting of the outside, a new floor upon the police office, in addition to the ordinary repairs.
The cost of repairs and other expenses have been as follows :
The plumbing having become a source of complaint
and annoyance, has been thoroughly renovated, at a cost of
$329 94
The court room and offices connected, have been put
in good condition, at a cost of
659 00
Expended for repairs of steam,
169 64
Miscellaneous repairs,
585 56
Making a total of
$1,665 34
For New carpets, Council Chambers and Ante rooms,
$597 80
Varnishing desks, rails and chairs,
34 50
4 new roll top desks,
275 00
Book case, Water office,
55 00
Miscellaneous repairs of furniture, &c.,
160 98
Janitor,
600 00
Coal,
542 25
Gas,
912 76
Brooms, mats, brushes, &c.,
74 22
Removing ashes,
34 00
Telephone service,
72 00
Ice,
9 72
Total,
$5,033 57
436
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 38.
CITY BARN AND STABLES.
By the removal of the small building formerly used by the Street Lighting Department for the storage of gasoline, the Highway Department will have better accommodations for stor- age, &c.
The amount expended for repairs upon stables has been, $10 68
CITY HOSPITAL.
All the City Hospital buildings are in good condition and require no extraordinary expenditures the coming year.
There has been expended for repairs of buildings and steam apparatus, the sum of $593 86
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