USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1885 > Part 20
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*Caldwell tribune,
Christian leader,
Universalist Publishing House.
American Unitarian Association.
*College argus,
E. A. Welch.
Congressional record,
Le courier de Worcester,
Day star,
Donahoe's magazine,
Thomas J. Conaty.
Engineering,
Evesham journal,
Publishers.
Fitchburg weekly sentinel,
Good cheer,
Home missionary,
Index,
L'Independent,
Locomotive,
J. L. Smith.
Proprietors of the Spy.
Proprietors of the Spy.
Jessie E. Tyler.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Proprietors of the Spy. Publishers.
U. S. Patent Office.
Publishers.
George W. Childs, Proprietor.
Eliza Thayer.
Mrs. P. S. L. Canfield.
Sunday herald,
Le travailleur,
Tuftonian,
Universalist quarterly, Union signal,
Publishers.
G. Warren Dresser, Editor. Publishers.
Proprietors of the Spy. F. A. Gaskill. Charles H. Birbeck.
Publishers. Publishers.
Association.
Publishers.
Christian register,
W. W. Rice.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Sentinel Printing Co.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Publishers.
Maine farmer,
Massachusetts ploughman,
Mid-Weekly,
Missionary herald, Musical herald, Musical times,
New England farmer,
New England Staaten Zeitung, Official gazette of the U. S. Patent Office,
Our dumb animals,
Public ledger,
Signs of the times,
Southern workman,
Anonymous. Publishers.
Tufts College. S. D. Harding. James A. Norcross.
323
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Unitarian review,
Voice,
American Unitarian Association. Funk & Wagnalls. Publishers.
Watchman,
Worcester daily spy,
Publishers.
Worcester daily times,
Publishers.
Worcester evening gazette,
Publishers.
*Worcester home journal, World's crisis,
Publishers.
Publishers.
Zion's herald,
Anonymous.
*Discontinued.
REPORT
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON THE BUILDING.
To the Directors of the Free Public Library :
Our old boiler having proved inadequate to heat so much space as it has latterly been necessary to warm, it became im- portant that a new one should be procured. During last sum- mer a larger steel boiler has been substituted for the old one. A radiator has been placed in the front hall to heat a portion of the building that has been found very cold during recent winters.
Another room in the basement has been shelved during the year for the accommodation of the accumulation of the Circulat- ing Department. One more room is left which can be devoted to the storage of books in that department. Another year that room will be required and when it has been filled the capacity of the building for housing the books of the Circulating Depart- ment will be exhausted.
Certain repairs should have been made last year but it was necessary to put off making them, so much money was needed in renewing and improving the heating apparatus.
Four hundred dollars will be asked for with which to do this and other work. The estimates for coal, gas and water will be about the same as last year excepting that the amount to be spent for gas will have to be slightly increased to meet the con- sumption caused by the addition of a few new burners in the Circulating Department.
S. A. PORTER. SAM'L D. NYE.
.
REPORT
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE.
To the Directors of the Free Public Library : -
The Finance Committee herewith submit the financial state- ment of the Free Public Library and the Green Library Fund for the year ending November 30, 1885.
The result showing the present amount of the Green Library Fund to be $41,471.79, an increase from the previous year of $532.19.
·
The amount of the City appropriation last year was $12,000 and from dog-license money, fines, and miscellaneous receipts at the library, $3,482.13, making a total of resources $15,482.13, and the expenditures were $15,479.06, leaving a balance of $3.07. An examination of the details of the expenditures will show that they have been judiciously and economically made.
The Committee herewith present for your consideration their estimate of the necessary expenditures for the coming year.
Besides the ordinary expenditures, it is very desirable that an appropriation should be made sufficient for the purchase of a safe suitable for the preservation of valuable papers and records which in case of their loss could not be replaced.
The Committee desire to express their satisfaction with the accuracy with which the accounts of William S. Barton, Esq., the City Treasurer, are kept relative to the funds of the library.
FRANCIS H. DEWEY,
JONAS G. CLARK, Finance
SAM'L D. NYE, Committee.
22
326
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
CITY APPROPRIATION.
Financial Statement for the year ending November 30, 1885.
RESOURCES.
City appropriation,
$12,000 00
Dog money,
2,878 50
Fines, sale of catalogues, etc.,
603 63
$15,482 13
EXPENDITURES.
Binding,
$958 75
Printing lists of additions,
139 66
Other printing and charging slips,
113 66
Freight, postage stamps, expressage, and minor running expenses,
314 77
Paper for covering books and stationery,
97 18
Postal cards for notices to delinquents,
65 00
Cards for cataloguing,
8 25
Repairs, furniture, brushes, etc.,
1,521 75
Coal and wood,
276 32
Gas,
801 20
Water,
98 31
Salaries of assistants,
3,124 66
Salary of Librarian,
2,500 00
Wages of janitor and messenger,
625 00
Additional library service,
1,216 17
Insurance,
25 00
Books,
3,243 38
Papers and periodicals (in addition to the amount of money spent from the income of the Reading- room Fund),
350 00
$15,479 06
Balance to sinking fund,
3 07
$15,482 13
FRANCIS H. DEWEY, JONAS G. CLARK, SAMUEL D. NYE,
Finance Committee.
327
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
GREEN LIBRARY FUND. Nov. 30, 1885.
The income for the year ending November 30, 1885, is as follows : Interest on notes secured by mortgage, $987 22
Dividends on bank stock, 398 50
Dividends on Savings Bank deposits,
617 26
Bank tax refunded,
116 87
Interest on National Bank deposits,
8 89
$2,128 74
Of this income, there has been added to the permanent fund one-fourth part, viz., $ 532 19
And to the book account three-fourths, viz., 1,596 55
$2,128 74
The following statements show the condition of the In- vestment and Book accounts as verified by the books and securities in the hands of the City Treasurer :
STATEMENT OF THE PERMANENT FUND.
Nov. 29, 1884.
Nov. 30, 1885.
Notes secured by mortgage,
$18,101 00
$16,751 00
Bank stock, par value,
7,300 00
7,300 00
Savings Bank deposits,
15,538 60
16,420 79
National Bank deposits,
1,000 00
Total,
$40,939 60
$41,471 79
STATEMENT OF BOOK ACCOUNT.
Balance December 1, 1884,
$2,665 46
Three-fourths of annual income of permanent fund, 1,596 55
Interest on bank deposits,
43 32
Total,
$4,305 33
Expended for books during the year,
1,752 51
Balance, November 30, 1885,
$2,552 82
SUMMARY.
Nov. 29, 1884. Nov. 30, 1885.
Investment balance,
$40,939 60
$41,471 79
Book account balance,
2,665 46
2,552 82
Total,
$43,605 06
$44,024 61
FRANCIS H. DEWEY, ) JONAS G. CLARK, Finance Committee. SAM'L D. NYE, S
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 : -
1885.
DR.
Balance of cash as per last report, $ 75 51
350 00
Dec. 1. Money received of City, Interest on City Bond,
150 00
" Mortgage notes, 200 00
' Money in Savings Banks, 44 85
$820 36
1885.
CR.
Dec. 1. By Cash for subscriptions to periodicals and newspapers to date, $836 93
Postage and stationery, 4 00
$840 93
1885. Dec. 1. Balance due Treasurer,
20 57
The Reading-room Fund is invested as follows :- Mortgage notes, · $3,500 00
Deposited in Savings Banks,
7,312 65
Total amount of fund, $10,812 65
Respectfully submitted. JAMES E. ESTABROOK,
Treasurer.
The within report examined and approved. FRANCIS H. DEWEY, JONAS G. CLARK, Finance Committee. SAM'L D. NYE,
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
COMMISSION
OF
PUBLIC GROUNDS,
AND
PARKS-COMMISSION.
To the Honorable City Council :
In Section 4, Chapter 163, of the acts of the General Court, A. D. 1885, it is declared that :-
" The Annual Report provided for in the Twelfth Section of Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-four of the Acts of Eighteen Hundred and Eighty-two, and in the Twenty-first Section of Chapter Five Hundred and Ninety-nine of the Acts of Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-six, shall be made in the month of March."
The old COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS continued in existence until May 1st, A, D. 1885, from which date the new PARKS-COM- MISSION assumed the functions of both bodies. The responsibili- ties of the fiscal as well as of the official year, were divided be- tween them in almost equal measures, and, as the later Com- mission is the supplement, as it were, and has become the legal successor of the other, there appears no sufficient reason why a consolidated report may not answer every requirement of custom or the Statute. Such is herewith submitted,-it being premised that the financial statement of the Commissions covers the munici- pal year that terminates on the 30th November ultimo, and the
330
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
" account of their acts and doings" is brought down to the date of the report :-
COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS AND PARKS-COMMISSION,
In account with CITY OF WORCESTER. Dr.
By Annual Appropriation,
$7,000 00
Revenue,
2 10
$7,002 10
Per Contra, Cr.
Human labor, regular employment,
$2,902 81
Hire of teams, with men, extra,
375 17
Shade-trees and plants,
1,016 52
Loam and manure,
392 00
Seeds,-grass, flower, etc.,
36 00
Printing reports, etc.,
60 02
Books, stationery and stamps,
24 11
Tools, repairs of same, hardware, etc.,
244 87
Lumber for tree-guards, and carpentry,
540 42
Stone for wall and stone steps,
57 26
Engineer's department, stakes for trees, etc.,
86 42
Repairs to settees,
55 00
Repairs to pump on Common,
11 89
Fuse and powder,
11 53
Plans of Elm Park,
52 00
Sewer boots (rubber),
10 00
Beach stone and paving,
255 24
Timothy F. Ryan (Deceased May 31), his estate, services,
39 60
New boat and transportation of boats,
43 50
Iron bridge and granite piers,
282 00
Permanent cases for wintering Cannas, and plants,
45 00
Lumber and building "Shelter" at Lake Park,
425 00
Express charges,
7 20
Fence wire for plant and tree-guards,
13 56
Police badge,
1 50
Blacksmithing,
8 16
$6,996 78
Saved and " sunk,"
$5 32
331
PUBLIC GROUNDS.
" PARKS-COMMISSION, Worcester, Massachusetts, December 19, A. D. 1885.
To HENRY GRIFFIN,
Auditor.
Dear Sir :
In response to your oral request for an estimate, by this COMMISSION, of the sum that will be needed for its legitimate work, during the ensuing municipal year, I have the honor to state that Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00) is absolutely required and ought to be cheerfully granted.
Of this amount $4,860.40 is necessary to pay for the skilled manual labor indispensable to keep the COMMON and ELM PARK in the condition wherein the people expect and insist that they shall be maintained.
At least Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) have been required, heretofore, to set out Shade- Trees, guard them properly, and secure and keep up an ade- quate supply of young stock. Public opinion exacts more, rather than less, for the future. ARBOR-DAY cannot be denied.
The contingent remainder will scarcely suffice for the hire of teams, the purchase of manure or of plants and seeds, with nothing left applicable towards the development of LAKE PARK but the bare pittance that strict fru- gality may scrimp from an appropriation rigidly restricted at the outset.
I remain-very respectfully, EDWARD WINSLOW LINCOLN,
Chairman."
"CITY OF WORCESTER,
In City Council, March 30, 1885.
Ordered :- That the necessary repairs to the Soldiers' Monument caused by the action of the elements upon the cement at the joints of the stones forming the foundation of the monument itself, be done under the direction of the Commission of Shade-Trees and Public Grounds. Estimated ex- pense Fifty Dollars, and to be charged to the appropriation of Incidental Expenses.
Approved, CHAS. G. REED, Mayor."
In compliance with the above vote of the City Council a con- tract was made with Col. David M. Woodward to do the work supposed to be requisite. That it was well done no one will need to be assured who knows him. That its cost exceeded the estimate may as well be told here as anywhere, since this COM- MISSION insisted that nothing should be omitted that was essential, Col. Woodward was not the man to scrimp a job for personal gain, and the City decided that a just claim should be paid. But the original " order " recites the " action of the elements" as rendering repairs imperative. The elements may be held inno-
332
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
cent. The fault was in man,-greedy of his time, short-sight- ed for the future, looking only to prospective municipal elections. The real trouble was in the foundation (beneath the pediment mis-named in the " order"), hurried together to anticipate an ar- bitrary date, the stones not built up in a solid and symmetrical mass, but piled one on another as you would lay a wall between farm fields, yet with less than half the sound farm sense. That sub-structure would have been condemned as insufficient for a country out-house. Yet there it was deposited or dumped, as you may choose, on land filled in since the school-house was re- moved. Had it not been for the excavation to make room for the concrete walk around it, whereby that structural weakness was disclosed, and a chance that was improved given to remedy it so far as possible ; the writer has no doubt that the entire monument would have been a ruin long since. It would not re- quire very many blocks of stone, weighing (35) thirty-five tons each, superimposed, to crush through or spread apart an outer periphery of dry rubble, reinforced by a solitary pier of pinners in the hollow centre. A copious injection of broken stone and cement was employed to countervail the downward forces of gravitation ; but whosoever would bring an indictment against the " elements," in this connection, may understand that it was a lateral thrust the whole time.
The Pool at the southwest corner of Elm Park, whereof the commencement was recorded in the last published Report of the COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS, was finished before the Vernal Equinox, A. D. 1885. It will now be possible, should it be thought wise, to establish a direct connection with the municipal system of sewerage. At present the water cannot be drawn down so as to admit of cleansing or repairs, of which, happily, neither have been found necessary, so far: and to effect which no attempt ever should be permitted, unless found to be indis- pensable. But the COMMISSION rely upon fish, vegetation, and motion, to preserve the purity of the water; knowing, by exact observation, that they can do so in a pond, perfectly ; as they could in the Blackstone if suffered and let alone. In appear- ance, no less than for its intended purpose, that Pool more than answers expectation. Already it meets with general approval,
333
PUBLIC GROUNDS.
which is certain to be extended and strengthened when the shrubbery around its banks attains even partial development. The COMMISSION claim to be judged by the results of their work, -not by the misconception of those who gulp inferences and jump at conclusions. A ready writer, who heralds our local news on the first day of the week, was pleased to intimate, in a notice of the latest Report of the COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS, that a particular reference might be toned with perhaps undue severity. But had he the slightest idea of the ceaseless verbal drizzle-drozzle wherewith that COMMISSION had been anonymously assailed for years ? Did he know of the undiluted venom that inspired those notes to Mayor Reed and each one of the Thirty- two Aldermen and Councilmen, begging and beseeching them to interfere and stop "the silly business and pond-hole foolish- ness of the Commissioner."
" Ibam forte Via Sacra, sicut meus est mos, * * * * Accurrit quidam,"-
Quidam had not been consulted, forsooth ! The work did not commend itself, in progress, to a mental inanity which had never dreamt of the latent possibilities in a landscape ; and took it for granted that, if buried, the talent of developing them should repose in the same napkin. It is just such dead wood that the world is cursed withal. You can't burn it: you can't build with it. But some shiftless tramp, strolling that way, sees at once how it will serve his purpose of clogging motion, or hin- dering further progress, if thrown under the wheels. The at- tempt failed, in this instance, as it usually does ; but none the less was it accompanied by the malicious action and the vile intent !
Was not, then, the Chairman right in his diagnosis of the case ? Even now, what better can he do than to revive a quaint old tune to the accord of the subjoined lines :-
Air-" There was a Ram in Lincolnshire," &c., &c.
There loafed a dude, nae sae lang syne, who used his leisure time To daub and smear the Public Grounds with his superfluous slime : Writing to STODDARD, REED, Ald. Parker, likewise to all The Council,-notes replete with falsehood, and with gall. Come, and stop Lincoln ! ere he digs another absurd pool, . And I am proved, what now I'm called,-Worcester's especial fool ! Lest water should submerge the land, and I become, alas What he has term'd, and would fain brand, Elm Park's peculiar Ass !
334
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
The pretensions of certain writers for the newspapers to a knowledge of Forestry are sternly repelled by the Chairman of the PARKS-COMMISSION. Their affectation of familiarity with the genus Castanea, that has been a somewhat sickly feature, of late, when they would run a chaff-cutter in order to load a com- posing-stick, may deceive the elect, but fools no expert. Their acquaintance with trees is of the most superficial character, as they quickly betray by shouting " Chestnut ! " at each specimen they encounter-it matters not what. Possibly,-being early birds,-the worm misleads them; whether of the still, or that dieth not. For such cases there is no vermifuge. Just think of mistaking the wood from which a " gondola " was constructed for chestnut ! when any child could tell at once that it must be Irish Blackthorn, and an inferior quality at that.
Arbor-Day, that happy conceit from Nebraska, found ready acceptance in Massachusetts; to whose second city the planting of Shade-Trees along the Highways, and in the Public Grounds, had been an official and legal duty since A. D. 1863. It was never very difficult to get the work done in the central district. But, to the farmer standing in his orchard or looking around upon the Pines and Chestnuts that encompass his broad acres, it appeared almost a task of supererogation. Had it not been for the advent of the Grange, such doubt or inertia might have par- alyzed effort to this day. But that timely organization ; what- ever faults it may have in the eyes of some who, not pervaded by its spirit, cannot appreciate its aims ; has been productive of unmixed good, so far as concerns the landscape. Advocating clean and tasteful surroundings to all homes, it could but accord a glad welcome to the proposal of setting apart a day on which Arboriculture should be dignified both by practice and precept.
Could the COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS refuse cooperation, when it was asked ? The object was, in every way, commendable; and it looked as though one of the chief purposes, for which the Commission had been originally created, might easily re- ceive a decided and wholly beneficial impulse. Thus persuaded, there was no hesitation in extending to the local Grange assur-
335
PUBLIC GROUNDS.
ances of all the aid within the power of the COMMISSION. Upon the appointed day, well-nigh a thousand thrifty trees were dis- tributed, upon the requisition of the Grange officers, of which almost the entire number was allotted to the remoter suburbs. The season chanced to be quite propitious for planting, and, so far as the personal observation of the Chairman extends, those trees are mostly alive. But the abutters should care for them until they get well established, cutting off superfluous suckers, whether from root or branch, and bending the twig as the tree should incline. In the stock thus apportioned were eight hun- dred and seventy-nine Norway Maples, purchased at a nominal price some six or seven years previous ; which the Chairman had pruned with his own hand for years, and whereof he is not quite sure, now that none are left, that he was not too lavish. Another lot has been obtained and set out in nursery rows ; but years must elapse before they will be fit for permanent use. Yet, if they can but count with confidence upon the cooperation of their fellow-citizens, the COMMISSION will contrive that their stock of oil shall suffice, in future, for all probable lamps.
The Grange was so tickled with what it did, or rather expected to do (for it anticipated somewhat), that it spread its board and, going out into the highways, "compelled them to come in." Among other apologies was the following, which is inserted here for record ; and because it is part of the final gospel of Arbori- culture preached by the late COMMISSION OF SHADE-TREES : a gospel as to which there cannot be too earnest insistence, and yet one on which it is not always convenient to prepare a fresh sermon : -
COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS, Worcester, Mass., April 30, A. D. 1885.
Gentlemen :-
The courteous invitation of the " Worcester Grange, Patrons of Husband- ry," asking the Chairman of the COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS to " coop- erate on the evening of Thursday, April 30, in a reunion of its members and others who have participated in the first public observance in this vicinity of ARBOR-DAY," was duly received. I regret my incapacity to attend. But a man must have ears to hear, when he is solicited to lay an offering upon the altar of the great American God-Gab,-were it only to catch the cue! Or if, remaining dumb himself, he would fitly appreciate that devout worship by others.
336
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
More than forty (40) years ago, it was my fortune to be riding upon a stage- coach through Morgan County, Illinois. That County might then, as now, well be named in the same day, and in no inferior comparison, with our own Worcester. After a while, the improved appearance of the farms by the road- side; the increasing excellence of the roads; the well-built and symmetrical walls abutting upon and restricting the highways, wherever there was suffi- cient stone; and, more than all else, superb rows of healthy and thriving Shade-Trees ; combined to attract and rivet the gaze of the roving Yankee who, theretofore, had nowhere beheld the like. The impression made upon my mind, young as I was then, by that first sight of the approaches to Jack- sonville, was never lost; and is vivid to this day. I have since beheld the later work of Rice, and the Hartshorns; of the Hadwens, and Hapgood-not forgetting some noteworthy achievement as you emerge from the bush be- tween Old Boylston and its western off-shoot. It has been said that " the evil that men do lives after them." But does not Arboriculture afford a clear demonstration of the survival of the fittest?
The Olympian Zeus found his congenial home among the oaks of Dodona. The groves of Britain sheltered the Druidical worship as it fled, affrighted, before the Roman legions. Ancient Germany rallied, with Arminius, under the arches of the Black Forest, in whose umbrageous aisles individual liberty preened itself for the sustained flight that has endured to our own day. Not until Lebanon had been stripped of its cedars, did the glory fade away from the City of God! Manhood and Godhood ! personal freedom and national devel- opment, alike trace their origin to the primeval forests, in whose dim recesses their infancy was nourished, and in whose falling foliage should be murmured their dying requiem.
*
* * * * * *
Individually, and for this COMMISSION whose official life is almost closed, I congratulate the Grange, and its associates in the work, upon the auspicious inauguration of ARBOR-DAY here in our own Massachusetts. "It is but the first step that costs." Your future efforts will be animated by the prestige of this present achievement; and will be rendered easier by memories of past success. Weary not in well-doing, from year to year ! but let the beneficent influence emanate from the Heart of the Commonwealth, until its vivifying current shall inspire and bless, not the Grange alone, but as well our common humanity.
Believe me, most sincerely,
EDWARD WINSLOW LINCOLN, Chairman. To JAMES DRAPER, Į
A. A. HIXON,
N. F. PERRY, H. J. ALLEN,
Committee.
E. SPRAGUE,
People ask and obtain Shade-Trees from this COMMISSION, or assume the cost of securing them, individually, without troubling
337
PUBLIC GROUNDS.
themselves to reflect upon their future fate. So long as they get planted, what else remains ? They have seen them set out in a hole in the ground, in good soil they are sure. So they go to work and get up a petition to the City Council for kerb-stone · and gutter, with the inevitable foot-walk that, likely or not, they will insist must be "concrete." This COMMISSION has hitherto vainly protested against what it deemed a violation of good taste and sound judgment. Possibly the impartial testimony of witnesses from beyond the ocean may gain better audience. Says the Gardeners' Chronicle (Eng.), under the caption, "Street Trees and Asphalte": "The Berlin municipal authorities, says the Illustration Horticole, have condemned the use of asphalted foot- paths in the city, by reason of the injury to the trees, the roots of which are deprived of air owing to the impermeability of the asphalte."
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