USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Town of Newton annual report 1887 > Part 18
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SECT. 6. All wires for the transmission of electricity for lighting and motive-power shall at all times be so insulated as to resist abrasion and heat, and be impervious to water. When placed
75
above the surface of the ground, such wires shall be suspended upon posts ; and, wherever in prox- imity to other wires, dead guard-wires must be placed so as to prevent any possibility of contact with foreign wires. This rule must apply to both arc and incandescent wires. When any such wire shall be broken, or its insulation become imper- fect, the electric current shall forthwith be dis- continued, and the wire not used until properly repaired and insulated.
SECT. 7. Wires for the transmission of electri- city for lighting and motive-power shall be secured to insulating fastenings of glass, hard rubber, or other approved insulating material. All tie-wires shall be insulated in the same manner as conduct- ing wires. All joints in wires shall be securely made, and where possible soldered, and wrapped with insulating material that will resist heat and abrasion, and be impervious to water. Continu- ous wires, without joints, shall be used as far as possible.
SECT. 8. Wires for the transmission of electri- city for lighting and motive-power, passing through the exterior walls of buildings, shall be firmly incased in substantial tubes of non-conducting material not liable to absorb moisture, and so placed as to prevent water from entering the build- ing along the wire. Outgoing and returning wires for arc-lights shall enter and leave buildings at points one foot at least from each other ; those for incandescent lights shall so enter and leave build-
76
ings at points at least three inches from each other. In running along outside walls, cornices, and the like, all such wires shall be rigidly fast- ened by non-conducting fastenings ; and where carried over or attached to buildings, must be at least seven feet above the highest point of flat roofs, and one and a half feet above pitch roofs, and placed so as to avoid ladders of Fire Depart- ment. They should not be run over or attached to buildings, other than those desiring light and power. In the interior of buildings, all such wires shall be so placed as not to come in contact with iron pipes, posts, nor girders, nor in any way so as to form other circuits or ground connections. In passing through floors or partitions or walls, they shall be surrounded by an insulating tube of sub- stantial material, to protect them from injury by rats and mice. All inside wires must be so placed, as to be easily and thoroughly inspected. When- ever such wires enter a building, a cut-out of simple form and construction shall be provided, and prop- erly attached as near as possible to such entrance.
SECT. 9. The frame and exposed parts of all arc-lamps shall be insulated from the circuit. All such lamps shall be provided with a separate hand- switch, and also with an automatic switch which will close the circuit whenever the carbons do not approach each other, or the resistance becomes excessive. Arc-lamps must be provided with some arrangement to prevent the lower carbon from falling out, in case the clamp does not hold them
77
securely. For inside use, the globes must rest in a tight stand, that no particles of melted copper or heated carbon can escape. Converters on alter- nating circuits must be outside of buildings, and must be placed high enough from roof to prevent possible injury to firemen.
SECT. 10. For incandescent lamps, the con- ducting wire leading to each building and branch circuit shall be provided with an automatic switch or cut-out, or its equivalent, capable of protecting the system from injury by an excessive current of electricity.
SECT. 11. All light and power circuits shall be entirely of metal. No gas, water, nor steam pipe, nor the earth, shall be used as a part of any such circuit.
SECT. 12. In case of fire, the Chief of the Fire Department shall have full power and authority to order and cause any electric wires to be cut or removed, and electric currents discontinued until the fire is extinguished.
SECT. 13. Except by vote of two-thirds of all members of the board of aldermen, no wire for the transmission of electricity for lighting or motive-power shall be attached to posts of the fire-alarm telegraph nor to the posts of any tele- graph or telephone company upon which fire-alarm wires are placed. Such wires, excepting when permitted by a like vote to remain, shall forthwith be removed from such posts, whenever any wire of the fire-alarm telegraph is attached thereto.
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SECT. 14. All dead wires where crossing public streets or ways shall be removed.
SECT. 15. Upon the completion of any circuit, and before it is used, a plat, showing the location of the wires and posts of such circuit, shall be filed with the Chief of the Fire Department ; and any change of such posts or wires shall be reported to him within twenty-four hours.
STATISTICS From January 1, 1887, to December 31, 1887.
Total alarms
76
Alarms given by citizens
43
Alarms given by police
18
Alarms given by firemen
15
Loss on real estate
$51,112
Insurance paid on same
$50,702
Loss on personal property
$13,507
Insurance paid on same
$12,707
Loss in excess of insurance paid
$1,210
Total insurance at risk
$170,000
Assessed value real estate at risk
$208,000
Total hydrants .
537
Miles of street mains .
83
Pumping capacity per diem, gals.
5,000,000
Reservoir capacity per diem, gals.
15,000,000
Total miles accepted and unaccepted streets
136
Area protected by fire department
· 20 sq. miles
City of Newton
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
OF THE
NEWTON FREE LIBRARY
For the Year ending December 31, 1887.
WT
BERTY AND UNIO
FOUNDED
A CITY 1873.
000
NONAN' PORATE
BOSTON : PRESS OF RAND AVERY COMPANY. 1888.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 1888.
AT LARGE.
JOHN S. FARLOW. WILLIAM CLAFLIN. A. LAWRENCE EDMANDS. JULIUS L. CLARKE.
EDWIN B. HASKELL.
FROM THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
WARREN P. TYLER.
FROM THE COMMON COUNCIL.
FRANK J. HALE.
ORGANIZATION FOR THE YEAR 1888.
PRESIDENT. JOHN S. FARLOW.
SECRETARY. JULIUS L. CLARKE.
COMMITTEE ON LIBRARY.
PRESIDENT, ex officio. WILLIAM CLAFLIN.
EDWIN B. HASKELL. JULIUS L. CLARKE.
COMMITTEE ON BUILDING.
PRESIDENT, ex officio. WARREN P. TYLER.
A. LAWRENCE EDMANDS. FRANK J. HALE.
SUPERINTENDENT. WARREN P. TYLER.
LIBRARIAN.
ELIZABETH P. THURSTON.
ASSISTANT LIBRARIANS.
LOUISE J. SMALLWOOD. ETTA P. CLEAVELAND. CHARLOTTE A. FLANDERS.
JANITOR.
JAMES J. TOWER.
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE NEWTON FREE LIBRARY
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1888.
TO HIS HONOR THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL OF NEWTON, MASS : -
Your attention is respectfully directed to the interesting report of the Superintendent (herewith submitted), which is so exhaustive in all that relates to the Newton Free Library as to leave little to be added by the trustees. The active, voluntary labors of the Superintendent for many years, have been of great benefit to the Library, and the citizens of Newton are under many and lasting obligations to him therefor.
The trustees, knowing and fully appreciating the value of those labors, regret exceedingly that he now feels compelled to retire, in order to obtain that absolute rest so essential for the complete restoration of his health. The confinement consequent on his assumption, since June last, of the combined duties of Superintendent and Librarian, added to his editorial labors, have told too heavily on him. He has our sincere thanks and our earnest wishes for his early and complete restoration.
The trustees take this opportunity to thank the Mayor and City Council for their prompt and cordial action in the enlar- ging of the library building, and we can truly say that the city of Newton has now a library building, which, for conven-
8
ience and adaptability to the purposes of a free public library, will compare favorably with any library in the State. Its capa- city is now more than double that of the original building, and, with the provision made for additional shelving when needed, is not likely to require further enlargement for twenty years.
In "Edmands Hall," besides procuring much greater facili- ties for the distribution and delivery of books, we have secured a commodious and much needed reference department. The additional windows in the newspaper reading room (now called " Jewett Hall ") have greatly improved it. "Jones Hall," in the second story of the new addition, will afford ample space for all the books for general circulation that the Library will require for many years. Opening from " Jones Hall " is a room specially intended for reference uses by the teachers of our public schools and their classes, when required by them for such purposes : it is also intended to be used for meetings of the trustees. On same floor is an admirably designed li- brarian's room, overlooking " Jones Hall " in the new, and the reference department in the old, building. In the lower story of the new building is " Chaffin Hall," a large and com- modious room well adapted for, and now used as, a magazine, book, and periodical reading room, highly appreciated by many readers, and is a decided acquisition to the Library. Opening from "Chaffin Hall " on the south is " Read Hall," used exclusively as a public document room, and now well supplied with such, - national, State, county, and municipal. Opening from same hall on the north is the janitor's room, having easy access to all parts of the building.
A careful inspection of the building and its appoint- ments, will, we feel sure, satisfy every one that the money appropriated therefor has been well and judiciously ex-
9
pended. The trustees cordially invite the members of the City Government, and citizens generally, to visit the Library as often as they can find opportunity, and witness for themselves what has been, and is now being, accomplished there. The trustees have been very much crippled in their purchase of books the past year, in consequence of their being compelled to pay some fifteen hundred dollars for purchase of the additional furniture, gas-fixtures, and in- cidentals required for the new building, and the laying of new floors, and other expenditures, required by the changes in the old. The incomes of our " Jewett Art, " " Read, " and other special funds have, in consequence, been closely drawn upon to meet the requirements of the departments dependent in part on those funds. This was unavoidable, as the committee of the City Council felt themselves confined in their expenditures to the enlargement of the building only. Under the appropriation made for this current year, we shall be able to make up for this in part ; it must be borne in mind, however, that the enlargement of the building, and, as we trust, the continually enlarging usefulness of the Li- brary, will necessarily require a larger yearly expenditure for heating, lighting, and other expenses, which, we have faith to believe, the City Council will always cheerfully provide.
The system for deliveries of books in the several sections of the city continues to work satisfactorily.
Notwithstanding the gratification we feel at what has been accomplished the past year, we have regretfully to record the loss the Library has sustained by the departure of our late librarian, Miss Hannah P. James, to a new field of labor. She has been with us from
10
the first establishment of our Library, and so thoroughly identified with it and its progress as to have become, as it were, part and parcel of it. Our regrets, however, are lessened by the knowledge we have that she has gone to build up and establish, in another State, a free public library, that will, we trust, prove in its usefulness the equal of the one she has left in Newton.
Respectfully submitted by the Board of Trustees,
JOHN S. FARLOW, President.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEWTON FREE LIBRARY.
Gentlemen, - The tabulated statistics at the close of this report present in detail the work and expenses of the Library for the year 1887, and afford an opportunity for comparison with the two previous years. The columns for 1887 present, in reality, only a statement for nine months; as, for three months of the year, and these the most fruitful in results among our readers, the Library was closed to admit of the in- terior work upon the building incident to the large addition to the edifice, and to the replacement of the books. Yet with this loss of a quarter of the year, such has been the greatly renewed interest in the Library that we have circulated over 70,000 volumes in this period, to 90,000 during the whole of the previous year. In some of the later months the circula- tion has been increased more than a thousand volumes over the same months in 1886.
The expenses occasioned by the additions and changes in refitting the halls, in addition to those included in the build- er's contract, diminished very considerably the amount of our yearly appropriation, which would have been devoted to the purchase of new books. We have added this year some thirteen hundred volumes, to over seventeen hundred in 1886. These fresh accessions have been divided among the different depart- ments in the following manner : -
12
Juvenile reading and prose fiction
268
Essays and poetry
118
Bound periodicals
77
Foreign literature
.
2
Geography and travels
77
Biography
. 114
History .
· 121
Natural science and industrial art .
103
Political and social science .
50
Theology
. 40
Reference library .
357
1,327
The whole number of books in the Library is now 26,411.
A very commendable effort has been made by the Newton Centre Associates to afford the best facilities for the use of the Library to the citizens and families of that ward. A fine reading room has been provided with some of the most useful books of reference for the school pupils and others, with the presence of a lady to receive and return our books, and to aid in the use of the catalogues and bulletins.
The facilities offered in this ward have greatly enlarged the circulation of books in its district.
The delay and deprivation of its use to our citizens for three months were found to be amply compensated by the con- venient changes and large additions which had been made by the city for the accommodation of the different departments of the Library. The first view as the visitor enters Edmands Hall is very attractive, occasioning continual complimentary remarks from the many strangers who have examined the Library. Every portion is light and well ventilated. The
.
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arrangement for the reception and delivery of books could hardly be more convenient. The Farlow Reference Room, with its chaste and beautiful appointments, its encyclopædias, dictionaries, and works of art, offers a very inviting retreat for the student or reader. The reading room and the magazine room, with their generous spaces, their abundant light and pure air, are fully appreciated by our patrons. Large num- bers, especially during the afternoons and evenings, improve the opportunity they afford. For a period, the small boy, in a multiplied form and with characteristic uneasiness, gave us a little trouble in securing the necessary silence. Upon appli- cation, however, by the trustees to the Mayor and City Council, our janitor was appointed a special police officer, and the added authority thus bestowed has been found ample to secure the indispensable respect for our rules.
Of the whole building thus enlarged and improved, Mr. Larned of the Buffalo Library, in an interesting paper read at the late meeting of the Librarians' Association at the Thousand Islands, said, " The Library rooms are strikingly beautiful, and the convenience of the working arrangements of the Library is unsurpassed. The book room, the delivery room, the newspaper room, the document room, and the librarian's room are all reported to be of liberal dimensions, well-lighted, and handsomely finished." Much credit is due the architect, Mr. Kenway, for his skill and good taste ; but much more is due to the wisdom and practical experience of the late accom- plished librarian, Miss Hannah P. James, whose suggestions formed the basis of the plan so admirably executed.
Three hundred persons found themselves comfortably seated in Chaffin Hall on the evening of the historical 17th of June, at the opening of the enlarged accommodations.
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The exercises, under the chairmanship of the President of the Board of Trustees, in the presence of his Honor the Mayor and three of the ex-mayors of the city, the City Council, school officers, donors to the funds of the Library, and many invited guests, were of a very interesting charac- ter. The addresses of the occasion were both historical and congratulatory, and, as fully reported by the local press, gave to our citizens a grateful record of the noble gifts of honored men, living and departed, and of the very rapid progress and excellent educational work which the Library has already accomplished. The term " Public Library, " fails to give full expression to the character of the Newton Library and the many institutions of the same description which have been lately established in our cities and chief towns. The distinguishing term is the "FREE Library." Until as late as 1852 the Public Library was simply a reference library, - its books to be used upon its premises, or by its proprie- tors. The Boston Library in that year started the great and successful experiment which is now being tried in all por- tions of the land. The grand idea of it seemed to have originated with Mr. George Ticknor, a leading founder of that institution, himself a student and collector of books. It was the more remarkable that this truly democratic and somewhat delicate experiment should have had such an origin. Edward Everett, a coadjutor with him in the undertaking, hesitated to open with such unlimited free- dom a valuable collection of books. There was a nat- ural fear that such a broad indulgence as to the use of the books might expose them to great injury and to se- rious losses. Mr. Everett's hesitation was soon removed by the results of the experiment. It was demonstrated
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at an early day, as it has been repeatedly confirmed since in other libraries, that there is little loss, except by the honest wear of the users; that fines for deface- ment are readily paid, as, also, for lost books; and that a surprisingly small number annually disappears without being properly accounted for and replaced. It has been also demonstrated (for this was another occasion of anx- iety among the thoughtful men who instituted the exper- iment of the free library) that the opportunity to enjoy almost unlimited fiction would not lead to the serious abuses some expected. This anxiety was natural, for almost the sole support of large circulating libraries was found in the demand for novels. In the experiment of the free library, with its large collection of interesting works of a sub- stantial character, it has been found that a better taste was created in the community, and a demand for a higher standard of literature.
The growth of this more wholesome taste in our city has been effectively advanced by the formal connection of the Library with the public school system, the securing the hearty concurrence and assistance of the teachers, and the provision of an adequate supply of illustrative volumes upon the sub- jects taught in the schools. This has both changed the char- acter of the private reading, and awakened a taste for instructive works in the homes of the scholars. The older pupils have subjects given to them requiring the examination of many volumes of reference. It is one of the most familiar sights in the reference room to see these pupils at the tables, behind piles of books, busily engaged in taking notes. The formation of clubs, literary and scientific, in all portions of the city, has created the habit of entering upon courses of
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reading ; such works as Sir John Lubbock's, and others who have succeeded him in the same field, giving lists of a hun- dred volumes of special value, and scores of personal expe- riences as to the books which have been peculiarly helpful, have given new directions to the reading of our patrons. Classes in literature and in history are established in differ- ent wards in the city, which make constant use of our facilities. An interesting winter's literary work at the High- lands has been devoted to the reading of descriptive volumes, historical events, and incidents connected with the countries, cities, and towns, of which one would desire to know some- thing if he were expecting to take a European trip.
A club in Newtonville arranged a most elaborate schedule of historical work, through an indefatigable secretary, enti- tled, "A Winter in America." This covered the discovery of the country, its early history, the government, the strug- gle with slavery, the literature, tariff, the church, social prob- lems, natural resources, the Revolutionary and the civil wars, and the local histories of Newton and Boston. Certainly this is a pretty broad field of study for one winter, but it was divided among many members. The titles of books of ref- erence given in the published schedule reached over two hundred, some of them requiring new purchases to meet the demands upon our shelves. This is some of the most impor- tant work of the Library. In meeting such calls upon its resources we justify the title that is beginning to be applied to it of the "People's University." It is readily seen, es- pecially in such a community as ours, what intellectual inspi- ration, as well as provision, such an institution must become. The public school is the educator of the children: the free library of every person in the community. In its various
17
departments of mechanical science, literature, and the arts, many a young mind will receive the effective touch that will awaken the new inventive or artistic genius for which the world is waiting. These demands of which we have spoken in- dicate the direction in which our outlays for books, beyond the current literature of the hour, must be made. All these departments - scientific, historic, literary, and artistic-must be gradually filled to meet the requisitions of the growing scholarship in the community around us.
During the year in the Art Department the most valuable addition has been the four large, sumptuous volumes of illus- trations of the English cathedrals, arranged in accordance with the eras which gave them birth and the style of their architecture. The photographs were collected by Miss James during her late visit to England and neatly mounted, and under her supervision - aided by Gen. A. Hun Berry, Miss L. P. Merritt, Miss Evelyn Purdie, and Mr. Robert Lewis -have been provided with elegantly illuminated titles and appropri- ate ornamentations. By an act of considerate courtesy, the several bishops forwarded their autographs, giving additional interest to the unique work. The volumes have been substan- tially and handsomely bound by Mr. McNamee of Cambridge. The work has hardly a parallel in the country in the beauty of its mechanical execution. We have also added two large royal octavo volumes of artists' proof copies of the leading French water-color painters, with a full descriptive letterpress. While visiting Rome, Mr. Charles F. Farlow secured for us about five hundred photographs of the works of art and classic remains gathered in the galleries of that city. These have been mounted, and form an interesting and instructive collection.
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We have received valuable gifts of books during the year. Among them is a series of the publications of the French Patent Office, presented by Mr. Edward Sawyer. A large number of very useful congressional volumes have been sent to us by Senator George F. Hoar, with contributions from the Chief Signal Officer, Gen. A. W. Greely. We have also been placed under obligations for public documents by Hon. F. D. Ely, Hon. John W. Candler, Hon. Carroll D. Wright, and Hon. Henry B. Peirce. Excellent single additions have been made to the Library by Rev. Dr. I. N. Tarbox, Gen. A. B. Underwood, F. M. Johnson, and Mrs. Warren P. Tyler.
A new bulletin, containing the accessions for two years, will be prepared and issued during the coming spring. Every week, through the courtesy of the publishers of our local papers, a list of new books added to our shelves has been issued, with short descriptive notices of their contents.
The only change made in the Library corps during the year has been the temporary one occasioned by the much-regretted resignation of Miss James, the Superintendent assuming a portion of her duties. The experienced assistants remain as heretofore. The first assistant, Miss Elizabeth P. Thurston, has had a greatly increased responsibility since the re-opening of the Library, and has met all the requisitions upon her ser- vices with marked success. A cataloguer of rare ability, by the large amount of this work which she has done for the Library, she has become thoroughly acquainted with its con- tents, and is a quick and intelligent interpreter of its re- sources.
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