Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-17


B Rack ll50O
PaWnbrokers ...... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1000
| Sale of laws and ordinances ~ 1950
Total. ...........................S 207O2 5
| Which sum has been paid over to the city
treasurer.
Amount of office fees received by city clerk
S15O1 80; over and above what has been paid
for assistant $685. 80.
R. R. Shepard, milk commissioner for the
city, reported briefly, stating that during the
year his attention had been called to twenty
samples of milk, and in one instance it contained
fifty per cent Of foreign matter, but as general
thing, he thought the milk sold in the city had
been as good as that of cities in general.
The following orders, relating to various mat
tiers Of interest, were adopted:
| Ordered that the treasurer be and he Is hereby
authorized to continue the state aid, in accord
| ance with the laws of tine commonwealth, the same
to be done under the direction of the military COM
mittee.
Ordered, that the joint standing committee on
highways be and they are hereby authorized to eX.
ecute in behalf of the city contract with Benz.
James, for the construction of the road recent
y laid out by the city council from Leicester street
to James street in pursuance Of the award to him
OF said work, by the joint standing committee on
highways Of last year. Also to execute a contract
for the city with A. G. Mann for furnishing block
paving, In pursuance to the award to him of said
work, by said committee of last year.
Ordered, nat the mayor be and he is hereby au-
thorized and requested to petition the legislature in
aid of the petition of the Boston, Barre and Gard
ner railroad corporation, for authority to extend
their road from Gardner to Winchendon and to
have the provisions of chap 264 of the acts of 1869
made applicable to that corporation in the same
manner as to the other corporations named therein
Ordered, that the city solicitor be and is hereby
authorized TO advocate before any committee of tbe
legislature the granting tho nf
in aid of the petition of the Boston, Barre and
Gardner railroad corporation.
Ordered, that the committee on finance be and
are hereby instructed to examine into the workings
of the various departments, the heads of which are
elected by the city council and if in their judgment
their efficiency economy can be increased by any
change Of management or in the system of keeping
accounts, that they report accordingly
Ordered, that the joint standing committee
on finance be instructed to inquire into the facts
and report whether gas is being furnished to the
city aud inhabitants of Worcester, by the Worces
ter gas light company, at rate not exceeding that
paid for gas of similar kind and quality in either
OF the cities of Boston, New York, or Baltimore,
and recommend such action as the circumstances
Of the case may in their Judgment require.
The annual report of Phinehas Ball, city engi-
neer, together with the report of VIM. Knowles,
water commissioner, a document of some eighty
pages, was submitted and accepted. We here
give some of the facts contained therein:
The walling of this stream has been prosecuted
with much more success than in any previous
year. T. B. Walkers contract of 1869 was com
pleted Aug. %. The work under the Worcester
and Nashua railroad was the most difficult, and
on account of the sOftness of the foundation re-
quired to be supported upon piling. From the
railroad to a point above Central street the
foundation rests upon piles or timbercd founda-
ton. The contract for extending the walling
from the terminus Of Mr.. Walkers contract to
,s,.k, =. IL.
Dawson, rank lngerSon, of Connecticut. The
work done the past year in the walling of Mill
Brook amounts to q ,595 feet, and the total
length walled and arched since the beginning OF
the work is 59O7.5 teet-of which 3669.5 Is cover
ed with an arch, and the remainder is open
trench. The total cost of the work so far in
GLIDING damages, is 1888 ,294.55. The expendi-
ture the past year has been S149 $685.. There
is now due a reserved balance of ten per cent
on the work done by Messrs. Dawson,
Tank lngersOn. From the nOrtherly end
Of the arch now completed to Lincoln sauar,,
2S5 feet across the square, where the present
rude arch will need rebuilding, 144 feet, and
north of the square, on the extension of Pres
colt street. $50 feet in all 989 feet, is required to
plete this work in that direction.
SEWERS.
The building of sewers has been done to great
advantage the past vesr owingto the dry season.
The whole length of sewers laid during the year
is 43,3OS feet, or 1-5 miles, at q cost of S21S-
O6S, besides a balance of ten per cent on each
unfinished contract. The whole length of sew
ers laid since the beginning of the work is 49,
BIB feet, at cost of S442,O1S. In order 10 sewer
completely all streets within the limits where
the present sewers have been laid will require
an additional length of 52,S46 feet. The whole
number of private drains now entering the pub
lie sewers is SIG; the number of buildings upon
streets where sewers are now located is 1861.
HIGHWAYS.
Surveys have been made and DEGREES Drpna ed
for the acceptance by the city council or alter
alton of streets in various parts of the CITY, of
the length in all 2S,S61 feet made public, and of
streets which have not been made public by the
the city council or county commissioners, 80 ,721
feet. The number of feet of streets surveyed
and located during the past four years is
l19,442 or D miles. The number of feet of
trades set and established for sidewalks during
the past year was 1924, and in the past four
years, 65,476.
MAPS OF THE CITY.
Under the order of the city council, directing
the engineer 10 prepare plaIts of the sections OF
the city embraced in the different orders for
establishing sewers, a volume of thirty-fve plans
has been made, showing S32 different estates
and covering an area of 69S6S07 square feet
about one-fourth the area of the sewer district
large amount Of field-nOtes and sketches have
been made for completing this work, much Of
which can be accomplished in the next four
months
Are, in efficiency and repair, equal to that of any
previous year. The amount of pipe laid during
the year was 1886 feet; in all since the begin
ming, 23S, 1856 feet, or forty-five miles. The eX-
penses OF the year have been
Maintenance ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S1l,117 63
Pumping. Observation-Disclosures. 9,105 81
General construction .................. 1850 96
s148,s94 %
The income from yro TOR ra roc for tl,o ,,o,,. -
been SAT ,020.41. The total cost of construction
thus far has been 1929, 1885,
The work of raising the reservoir dam though
not completed to the extent ordered by the CITY
council, is SO far advanced that five feet add-
tional supply at least can be stored over that of
any previous year. If the season should open
early the work may be so managed as to save
most if not all the stream after the first of MAY
The base of the dam has been made the full
width necessary TO carry it up the con-
templated twenty feet. The most expensive
part OF the work has been accomplished and
that which remains is manly filling with earth
and raising the sping walls.
AT the summit of Union hill and the hill on
harrington avenue the present water supply is
inadequate aud uncertain owing TO the large
amount constantly drawn at a lower leve,
winch causes what is commonly called loss Of
head. Levels carefully taken show that the
oase Oh the reservoir is above even the highest
NIL IN the immediate vicinity of the populous
puIV vi tHe Guy. 10 remedy the deficient SER
vice in these localities it is desirable to Law indie
pendent mains from the reservoir to Union hill
and the high ground on Harrington avenue and
Pane's hill, distance in all of about $4,000
feet. As the quantity of water required for the
high service would be small the mains used
should not be of large size. The short supply
of water the past season was wholly due to the
want of adequate storage capacity in the reser-
voir. From the last OF April TO the first of
June the water wasted over the wier in amount
at least equal to one hundred million gallons,
more than enough to supply the deficiency of
the present year. The waters of the winter and
spring treshets of course were wasted in the
same manner. The reservoir began to fall early
in June. By the first of November it had fallen
to the depth of only about one foot eight inches
above the outlet. Then pumping began and
was continued until Nov. 26th, when the water
had risen to the depth Of four and hall feet
The water at this time was drawn from James
Smiths mill pond. Subsequently the pumping
apparatus was removed to more desirable 10
cation, and it is now arranged to draw from
Goes pond. The present pump, run up to fair
working limit, will deliver about one million
gallons in twenty-four hours. With the amount
IN store IL may be able to furnish sufficient
supply during the month of February. Should
anna NaaNaN. T.