USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1918 > Part 4
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17
10
16
Pneumonia
Sept. 25
William Mulcahy ..
74
0
0
Pneumonia
Sept. 25
John J. Turner
26
0
13
Pneumonia
Sept. 26
Lil:ian W. Rowean
30
0
0
Pneumonia
Sept. 27
Anna E. Appleton
94
2
5
Dilation of Heart
Sept. 28
Joseph H. Rich
20
3
3
Tuberculosis
Sept. 28
James B. Smith
65
7
6
Cerebral Hemorrhage.
Sept. 29
Fred A. Wormell .
45
7
26
Pneumonia
Sept. 29
Bramford G. Leeman
84
2
9
Tumor
Sept. 30
Mary O'Brien
21
3
9
Pneumonia
Oct.
2
Felix Kaipaineu
3
0
0
Diphtheria
Oct.
2
Horace A. Parker
75
7
13
Heart Disease
Oct.
3
Mary E. MacClellan
36
3
23
Pneumonia
Oct.
3
George F. Gordon, Jr.
1
3
18
Pneumonia
Oct.
3 Natalie E. Marr
0
3
7
Influenza
Oct.
3
Mary B. Melonson
0
7
25
Influenza
Oct.
4
George W. Hunt.
80
9
17
Myocarditis
Oct.
5
Mary A. Newhall.
69
1
7
Myocarditis
Oct.
6
John H. Doucette
34
0
0
Paresis
Oct.
9
Mary A. O'Brien
72
0
0
Heart Disease
Oct.
12
Alice C. Matson .
0
0
20
Hemorrhage
Oct.
14
Henry Gallant
32
4
0
Pneumonia
Oct. 14
William W. Atkinson, Jr.
27
19
Pneumonia
Oct.
20
George A. Winchester
56
11
1
Embolism
Oct.
25
Rozelia B. Young
82
2
1
Senility
Oct. 29
Edward A. Connor
34
10
29
Pneumonia
Nov. 1
Florence E. Field .
36
3
0
Pneumonia
Nov. 4
Minnett V. Brown
34
2
9
Pneumonia
Nov.
6
John Murray
83
0
0
Heart Disease
Nov. 6 Ruby Mason.
0
0
3
Premature Birth
Nov. 6 Ruth G. Mason
0
0
12
Premature Birth
Nov. 15
Frances M. Webber .
79
0
11
Pneumonia
Nov. 20
James A. Hunter ..
74
8
16
Nephritis
Nov. 20
Charles Francis Brigham ..
89
5
16
Heart Disease
Nov. 21
Martha C. Holland .
85
0
6
Heart Disease
Nov. 21
Benjamin J. Cole.
49
4
29
Heart Disease
Oct.
5
Annie Frotton
32
7
0
Pneumonia
Oct.
9
Samuel Rounds
75
1
17
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Oct. 23
Aug. 28
48
DEATHS REGISTERED IN TOWN OF READING FOR THE YEAR 1918
DATE
NAME
Y
M
D
CAUSE OF DEATH
Nov. 24
Stephen A. Douglass
70
2
8
Carcinoma
Nov. 24
.
Nov. 25
Nov. 26
Abram Jordan.
69
0
0
Sclerosis
Nov. 26
Jennie B. Butler
72
0
0
Carcinoma
Nov. 30
Elizabeth Jane Wilson
90
9
22
Mitral Regurtitation
Dec.
5
Lydia C. Bryden.
72
11
27
Heart Disease
Dec. 14
Hannah C. Nichols
81
7
29
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Dec. 16
Harriet Remick Copp
71
9
22
Carcinoma
Dec. 18 Abbie F. Keneely
74
8
26
Cancer
Dec. 20
Harriett A. Crosby
65
5
4
Pneumonia
Dec. 22
Wendell Bancroft.
88
4
15
Influenza
Dec. 24
Arthur J. Gowing
49
2
16
Pneumonia
Dec. 27
Sarah A. Crane.
81
0
27
Indigestion
Dec. 28
Alice M. McLane
67
3
12
Myocarditis
Dec. 31
Hattie May Whitney ..
53
2
25
Pneumonia
Whole number of deaths, 142. American born: Males, 53; Females, 64. Foreign born. Males, 13; Females, 12.
49
REPORT OF SELECTMEN
TO THE CITIZENS OF READING :
We herewith submit our report for the year ending December 31, 1918.
We regret that in this annual report it is impossible to print a complete service record of the men from Reading in the World War, who have shown such patriotism, loyalty and self-sacrifice, but at this time it is impossible to obtain authentic information concerning all of the men from Read- ing who have been in the service of our country.
In the near future a history of the part our Town has taken in the War, and of the splendid records made by the men of Reading in the service, should be written. This should include a complete list of all the men who have served from Reading with a complete service record of each man.
During the past year the following men from Reading have made the supreme sacrifice for our country :
ERNEST H. LEACH
CLARENCE SAWYER EATON
EDWARD J. HAINES
STANWOOD ELLIOTT HILL
THOMAS E. MUSE TIMOTHY EDWARD CUMMINGS
WILLIAM A. RILEY
EDWARD WALSH
RALPH E. MOREY WILLIAM S. BRITTAIN
Heroes are born, not made by war, Or daring in the fight. The man's the hero, war's but chance To bring that fact to light. Chance came to some through fell disease, To some in battle's strife. Hero's the title due to all Who thus surrendered life.
50
During the past year the new Town Office Building on Lowell Street was completed and we moved into our new office in July. The office is commodious and much appre- ciated by our board. It would have been impossible, in our old quarters on Pleasant Street, to have accommodated the various boards and committees that have held their meetings in our office.
HIGHWAYS
Edward H. Crowe was reappointed Superintendent of Streets and his work has been satisfactory to our board.
Early in the spring the United States Government, as a war measure, placed restrictions on highway construction and materials used in building roads. The Street Depart- ment, therefore, gave particular attention to general repairs on the highways and sidewalks which could be made without the use of binders and other materials not available for use.
About 2,000 square yards of macadam were laid on Lowell Street, between Sanborn and Woburn Streets. A special appropriation was asked for at the last annual town meeting to macadamize Lowell Street on one side of the car track, from Middlesex Avenue to Woburn Street, but it was not recommended by the Finance Committee. The street was in such condition and subject to such heavy traffic that it was absolutely necessary to make the above repairs, which were charged to the Highway Maintenance Account.
The $500 appropriated at the annual town meeting for repairs on Prospect Street has not been expended and is available for use next year. The repairs contemplated required the use of a tar binder which, on account of the Government restrictions, could not be secured. It would have been a waste of money to have attempted to make repairs to this street without some sort of a binder. There- fore, our board decided that the work should be postponed until it could be done in a satisfactory manner.
The $500 appropriated at the annual town meeting to care for the surface water on West Street, north of Willow Street, has not been expended and is available for use next
51
year. Labor conditions and restriction over the use of ex- plosives were such that it was impossible to do the work during the past year.
Hanscom Avenue was laid out from Weston Road north- erly a distance of 841.30 feet, and the $500 appropriated at the annual town meeting was expended on the street.
One hundred twenty-five dollars fifty-five cents of the money appropriated at the annual town meeting to lay out Forest Street has been expended for plans and profile. The balance of the money has not been expended and the street has not been laid out. The Town voted to accept the report of the Selectmen on the laying out of that portion of Forest Street, from Main Street west- erly 927.56 feet, on the conditions as set forth in the report, which were : "Provided and upon the conditions that all the owners of land abutting on the proposed way, execute and deliver to the Selectmen, instruments releasing and dis- charging the Town from all claims for damages and all actions that might otherwise arise from the laying out and acceptance of said way." We have been unable to secure a release from the owner of the land on the southerly side of the street. Therefore, the matter is held in abeyance and we recommend that until the owners of land are willing to comply with the conditions under which the Town voted to lay out the street, that no further action be taken in the matter.
During the past few years at the annual meeting the Selectmen have inserted articles in the warrant to raise and appropriate money to macadam various streets in our Town. Each year the calls of the various departments for appropri- ations have been so large that it has been necessary to reduce the amounts asked for, to keep our tax rate down. In order to do this many of the appropriations asked for to macadamize streets in various parts of the town, have not been recommended by our Finance Committee, not because the highway work was not necessary, but to keep a low tax rate. Under the increased traffic of motor vehicles, still more of our highways are wearing out and the result will be
52
that before many years it will be necessary to make an ex- tremely large appropriation to put our highways in shape. During the past few years, highway work amounting to thousands of dollars, recommended by the Selectmen, has been postponed for reasons above stated. We think it would have been a better policy, had a part of this work been done each year, rather than to be obliged to do all of it in any one year. The longer it is postponed the greater the appropriation necessary for the work. The amount appro- priated for maintenance is only enough to care for the gen- eral upkeep and minor repairs to our fifty miles of streets and is not large enough to allow for very much permanent road building.
SIDEWALKS
The tar concrete sidewalk on the easterly side of High Street was rebuilt, from Vine Street to Woburn Street, and a new tar concrete sidewalk was built on the same street, from Woburn Street to the Boston & Maine R. R. station.
A new gravel sidewalk was built on Charles Street for a distance of about 1500 feet. The sidewalk on Lowell Street, between Hanscom Avenue and Winthrop Avenue, was raised, it being so low at that point that in severe storms the surface water from the street flooded the adja- cent property. The sidewalk on Grove Street, from Lowell to Forest Streets, was resurfaced with gravel.
Many of our sidewalks have been neglected for a num- ber of years, owing to a lack of sufficient funds to resurface them. This year more attention has been given to this work, and sidewalks in various parts of the Town have been resurfaced with gravel, under the general highway mainten- ance appropriation, 785 double loads of sugar gravel and 290 tons of pea stone being used for this work.
DRAINS
During the past year, special attention has been given to repairing many of the old culverts and cleaning catch basins and ditches. A new catch basin was built at the corner of Warren Avenue and Minot Street. Two catch
53
basins were built on King Street, near Summer Avenue, to care for the water which previously crossed Summer Avenue on the surface. A new outlet pipe was laid from the catch basin near the intersection of Main and Ash Streets, a dis- tance of 114 feet. The grates on the ten catch basins on Woburn Street, Summer Avenue and Prospect Street have been changed to larger ones, as recommended in the report of the Selectmen last year.
The problem of caring for the surface water from our highways becomes more complicated each year as property is developed. In years past hardly a property owner raised an objection to having water from the highway turned onto their land. Today property has been so developed that no owner will give permission to have water discharged on their land. For this reason it is necessary that all catch basins be kept clear and main ditches kept open, in order to keep our highways in good condition. In laying out new streets the matter of drainage should be carefully investigated as it is a vital part of the laying out of a street.
DUST LAYING
Thirty-five hundred dollars was appropriated at the annual meeting for dust laying; $2905.46 has been expended, leaving a balance of $594.54.
We were fortunate in the spring to secure three tank cars of road oil before the use of such was restricted by the United States Government. Many streets were not oiled, but our citizens, realizing the situation and that the oil was being used for war purposes, accepted the annoyance with- out complaint.
GUIDE POSTS
Guide Posts or suitable substitutes are maintained at the following locations :
Corner Walnut Street and South Street
Walnut Street and Summer Avenue
Main Street and Summer Avenue
Woburn Street and Summer Avenue
66 West Street and Summer Avenue
54
Corner West Street and Woburn Street
66 Lowell Street and Willow Street (2)
66 Lowell Street and High Street
Lowell Street and Middlesex Avenue
Grove Street and Franklin Street
Main Street and Franklin Street
66 Mill Street and Short Street
Franklin Street and Haverhill Street
66 Charles Street and Haverhill Street
66 Haverhill Street and Bay State Road
Bay State Road and Salem Street
66 Charles Street and Pearl Street
Charles Street and Main Street
66 Main Street and Pearl Street
66 Main Street and Salem Street
Salem Street and Lowell Street Woburn Street and Lowell Street (2)
Salem Street and Harnden Street Main Street and Pleasant Street
6 6 Pleasant Street and Parker Street
Haven Street and Village Street
66 Haven Street and Ash Street
66 Main Street and Ash Street
66 Middlesex Avenue and High Street
.
Main Street on the Common
Harnden Street near Pleasant Street
POLICE DEPARTMENT
At the annual meeting the Town voted to place the Chief of Police and Police Officers under Civil Service. The officers who came under the Civil Service Law, by vote of the Town, were : Chief of Police Jeremiah Cullinane, Police Officers Oscar H. Low, George O. Stock and William F. O'Brien. This department has rendered efficient service and the members have attended strictly to their duty. In October, Police Officer William F. O'Brien enlisted in the Naval Service of our country and he was granted a leave of absence until his return from war service. Martin O. Welch was appointed under the Civil Service Law as a temporary
55
Police Officer to serve until the return to duty of Officer O'Brien.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
After a careful study by our board, we came to the decision that we could have a more efficient Fire Depart- ment by the Board of Selectmen serving the Town as Engi- neers and appointing a Chief of the Department. On November 1st, Orville O. Ordway was appointed Chief of the Fire Department. The Chief being a permanent man in the department will greatly increase the efficiency of this department and under the arrangement the cost of maintenance will be reduced. This change is no reflection on the men who served us as Engineers but a business prop- osition for the benefit of the Town.
MOTH DEPARTMENT
Henry M. Donegan was reappointed Local Superinten- dent of Moth Work and his department has rendered efficient service in suppressing the moths in Reading. In past years the Town has received financial help from the State in this work. This assistance was given by reimbursing the Town for a percentage of the cost of the supplies used in this department, provided the Town expended the liability apportioned by law for moth work. This year the State withdrew this help from many towns, including Reading. For this reason and the advance in the cost of materials and labor it was necessary to increase the charges for moth work performed on private property.
BAY STATE STREET RAILWAY SITUATION
This matter has given our board a great deal of trouble during the past year. The street railway went into the hands of a Receiver somewhat over a year ago, and in the spring of 1918 the Receiver procured authority from Judge Dodge, of the United States District Court in Boston, to discontinue at his discretion, one hundred eighty-six miles of the entire Bay State Street Railway system-comprising about 25% of its total mileage-on the ground that the lines that it was proposed to discontinue did not pay. This order
56
was made ex parte, no notice being sent to any interested party. It was the plan of the Receiver to discontinue these lines with the approach of severe winter weather; to that end he prepared, and actually posted in many cases, notices of discontinuance to take effect December 1st. At or about the time the notices were prepared, the Public Service Commission handed down a decree founded upon a report of its accountant and engineer. This decree directed the Re- ceiver not to operate cars on certain lines in excess of cer- tain rates of speed until certain repairs had been made thereon. This decree and the proceedings based thereon were entirely voluntary on the part of the Public Service Commission, and were undertaken with the hope of benefit- ting the traveling public, but have acted adversely to the public interest, as the decree made it necessary to discon- tinue or repair the alleged unsafe lines. The proceedings consisted of a physical examination of the entire property of the Bay State Street Railway, as a result of which certain lines referred to in the decree were alleged to be unsafe for operation.
Just prior to posting the notices above referred to, the Receiver decided to discontinue other lines, and, for some reason unknown to our board, filed a petition with the United States Court for instructions in relation to such dis- continuance, giving everyone a chance to be heard. When this petition first came up for a hearing, Judge Morton, the presiding Justice, upon motion of remonstrants, incorpor- ated in the petition those lines which Judge Dodge, without a hearing, had given the Receiver authority to discontinue. At the same hearing Judge Morton ordered the Receiver to discontinue all lines which it was unsafe to operate.
LINES IN READING
In compliance with the order of the court last referred to, the Receiver had no discretion in the matter and was forced to discontinue such lines as the Public Service Com- mission had decided were unsafe. Such lines included all three of the Reading lines which were discontinued on Dec- ember 1st. Such is the true reason why these lines were
57
discontinued and our board and the town counsel were help- less in the matter except as hereinafter set forth.
IN-REHEARING ON RECEIVER'S PETITION
The hearing on the Receiver's petition above referred to was continued for one month, the situation to remain in statue quo except for unsafe lines as already explained. On the day set for the second hearing there were some one hun- dred and fifty counsel in court representing various muni- cipalities. The court suggested a recess while a plan of procedure should be formulated by counsel present. The plan adopted was the appointment of a committee, subse- quently enlarged, with Gen. Gardiner Pearson of Lowell, Chairman. Mr. Morton, our Town Counsel, was made a member of this committee. All the evidence, by order of court, was submitted upon affidavits. Our board filed one setting forth the complete facts in regard to the Reading situation. The Committee, with the approval of counsel interested, decided to oppose the Receiver's petition by dividing the arguments into four heads and assigning one heal to each one of four counsel to be selected. The Town of Reading was complimented, and is to be congratulated thereupon, by having its counsel, Mr. Morton, selected to deliver the argument upon that part of the defence relating to Receiver's certificates, and the legal duty of the Receiver to maintain this railway property in its entirety for the benefit of the public, and to make up any deficit incurred thereby by the issuance of Receiver's certificates.
The remonstrants were successful and all lines will be continued in operation except those lines which are unsafe. That the case offered by the remonstrants was well pre- senteil is best indicated by the fact that counsel for the road strenuously objected to a continuance of the hearing in opposition to a motion to that effect offered just before the arguments began, and then, when the arguments were fin- ished, voluntarily withdrew the petition for the time being. We are pleased to report that the officers of the Town are now being credited as largely responsible for this successful
58
outcome. In consequence of this, the Town will receive every consideration in the future, and although it seemed absolutely hopeless successfully to contest the petition before the hearing, we can now say with reasonable cer- tainty that if the repairs necessary to restore the Reading lines to a safe condition could be undertaken in winter weather, we would shortly have all our lines running. This outcome will probably be permanently accomplished as soon as the necessary work can be undertaken.
FINANCES
There has been a net decrease in the Town Debt for the fiscal year of $29,590 :
Notes and Bonds paid in 1918
$45,590 00
Loans made in 1918 :
Water Loan $9,000
Library and Town Office Furnishings 7,000
16,000 00
Net decrease .
$29,590 00
Town Debt Dec. 31, 1917 . $538,590 00
Town Debt Dec. 31, 1918 509,000 00 ยท
$29,590 00
The amount necessary to raise by taxation for notes and bonds maturing in 1919 is $26,300, an increase of $1,021.54 over 1918.
Maturing in 1919
$44,300 00
Less amount to be paid :
Water Department $3,200 00
Municipal Light Department 14,800 00
18,000 00
Amount to be raised in 1919
$26,300 00
Amount raised in 1918
25,278 46
Increase .
$1,021 54
The increase may be reduced by available revenue.
During the year the last note of $1,500 due on the Knox Truck has been paid.
=
59
Most of the Departments have unexpended balances to revert into the Treasury.
The amount of revenue estimated in 1918, to apply on the Tax Levy, was $45,704.86. The amount received was $45,840.31.
In December, the Town authorized an additional recon- struction loan of $12,000.00 for the Municipal Light Depart- ment. These bonds will be sold in January, 1919.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend that steps be taken for the erection of a Memorial Hall, in which can be recorded complete records of the men of Reading who have served their country in its time of need. Such a memorial would be appropriate and useful.
That the building of tar concrete sidewalks be con- tinued.
That a sufficient sum of money be raised and appropri- ated to macadamize a portion of Summer Avenue, between Mineral Street and Main Street, and that each year the work be continued until the work is completed.
That Woburn Street be macadamized, from the railroad crossing to Lowell Street.
That Bay State Road, between Salem Street and Haver- hill Street, be macadamized, provided help can be obtained from County, State or Federal Government.
CONCLUSION
We wish to thank the various boards of the Town and Town Officers for their co-operation with us during the past year, and acknowledge the courtesies which they have extended to us.
EDGAR O. DEWEY J. EDWARD FROST EDWIN L. HUTCHINSON
Selectmen of Reading.
60
REPORT OF TOWN COUNSEL
BOARD OF SELECTMEN, Reading, Massachusetts :
GENTLEMEN-The principal matters which have engaged my attention during the past year related to the Metro- politan Sewerage extension and the Bay State Street Rail- way.
METROPOLITAN SEWER
At your request, I prepared and filed a bill to amend Chapter 159 of Acts of 1916, which extended the Metro- politan Sewer district to include the town of Reading, by increasing the appropriation provided therein from $285,000 to an amount which was left blank in the petition. The matter was heard by the Committee on Metropolitan Affairs of the legislature, and leave was given to withdraw on the ground. that no appropriations of any kind would be authorized during the war.
Later, due largely to the invaluable assistance rendered by Mr. Newhall of Stoneham, and also with the help and assistance of Mr. Brown of Woburn and Senator Eames of Reading, I succeeded in satisfying the Metropolitan Sew- erage Board that it was their duty to use the funds in the State Treasury amounting to $285,000, being the proceeds of the sale of bonds authorized by the act above referred to, for the purpose set forth in the act, to wit: to extend the North Metropolitan Sewer from Hill Street in Stoneham to Brook Street in Reading.
This matter has been held up because no contractor would enter into an agreement to do any work for any specified amount. The Metropolitan Sewerage Board finally decided to let out the work on a cost basis. This was done, and the matter has progressed very satisfactorily. We knew that the sewer could not be completed for the amount
61
on hand, but we felt that actually to start the work would enable us to obtain the necessary additional appropriation at some time in the future.
BAY STATE STREET RAILWAY
This matter has been covered in your report, and I feel that there is nothing to add thereto, except to express my . gratification with the outcome of the case relating to the discontinuance of certain non-paying lines, and the part which was assigned to me therein. I am gratified because this is a complete answer to the rumors which were circu- lated in town that the Selectmen were not doing all that they could for the benefit of the town in this rather impor- tant matter.
There are several claims against the town now pending, arising out of the construction of the town sewer. The town is protected against loss in settlement of these claims by a bond. Contractors Susi & Williams are anxious to be released from their bond, and I am of the opinion that all claims will be settled in the very near future. There is also a suit pending against the town in the Middlesex Superior Court, arising out of the failure of the contractor for the town library. In this matter the town is also pro- tected by bond, so there will probably be no loss.
The usual number of opinions were rendered during the past year to various town departments, thereby normally increasing the volume of opinions on hand, the total of which now pretty generally covers most matters that are apt to arise in the general course of events.
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