The Portland daily press., 1881-04-05

These figures will show an annual income
and expenditure of nearly $4,000 per year,
upon an average, and outside of the city treas
urer's Office fail to find any account books
kept on the part Of the cemetery authorities
and scarcely an intelligent debit or credit en-
try, reliance being mainly pa ced upon pass
books and me orandums carried in tine pock-
cts of the agent. Neither have 1 any knowl-
edge of the official record of single act or
vote of the board of trustees during this peri
cd. - a..,
One year ago the present board of
trustees assumed the control of this cemetery.
The statement of the city treasurer, which ac-
companies this report, will show an unusual
expenditure during the past year, an expendi-
ture however which the trustees have felt au-
thorized in making and one to which they ask
your scrutiny. The condition of its affairs at
that time may be briefly stated Without Or
dinances, general abuse without records, I'M
certainty; without accounts, confusion and
loss. The evidence of Encouragement and
almost criminal carelessness was plain in every
department of the cemetery. To organize and
systematic the entire management was the
work before the trustees which they have to
oOluo oAtout accomplished Az tu0 OrSdulZd-
tion of the board Mr.. Charles Ramsey for sew
eral years agent, was reelected, but, as inves-
tigation and observation progressed, he was
retired, and June LIST, 1880, Mr.. Patrick Duff
fee, the present superintendent, was elected
agent. In the financial department deplora.
BILE state Of affairs was evident. After months
of patient investigation the trustees located
upon Mr.. Ramsey deficiency of about $500
which amount was secured the city as per set
Element on file in the city auditors office.
The want of system under the old regime
was evident in the labor department where it
was evident that the city had not received a
airequivalent for money expended, from the
condition of the grounds. The original plan
was departed from, as well as the designs for
the cemetery's extension. Ornamental de-
| signs were sold and numbers foreign to the
| plans instituted Lots were sold without rec
| ord, and record made of lots sold not upon the
face of the earth. Confusion has been con-
founded leading TO many important errors in
titles, sections and numbers. In the sale of
lots the agent has exercised unwarranted
power in. fixing prices and indscriminately
diSpoSing of the lots Many errors in the titles
remain to be corrected.
| The board of trustees reorganized the past
| year, and proceeded to keep correct record of
| its doings. Systems were adopted in the finan-
| cial and labor departments. The agent was
not allowed to fix prices and dispose of lots.
| The trustees take charge of that matter A
revised plan of the grounds, from actual sur
| vey by the city engineer, has been made, and
| this plan hung in the waiting room of the
| cemetery. Two section books, to conform to
the plan, have been made, one for the SUPER
| intendent and one for the city treasurer. It is
| urged lot holders to examine their titles
| and see If they are correct. Water has been
| introduced the last year, and bountiful sup
| ply afforded by means of the Eclipse" wind
| mill, brick well, and reservoir holding q 900
| gallons. A month was spent clearing the paths
and giving creditable appearance to the Gem
etery. The unsightly ledge in section @ was
| covered with an ornamental design, rejecting
credit on Mr.. Duffee and its author. A con.
venient waiting room and Office has been built
near the entrance, and ledge opened up from
which suitable foundation stones can be OBJ
tanned. The splendid trees have been pruned.
The city has received over $1,000 for labor
| performed in the cemetery the past year. The
cemetery needs two more main lines of water
| pipe, one through the northern and the other
through the central portion of the grounds, at
a cost of $1,000 each, on account of the nature
of the soil in this cemetery aud the summer
droughts, which injure the young trees, plants
| and shrubs. Some means must 6e taken to re-
| lieve the land bordering on the Stevens prop.
erty from the bad effects of surface water
| There is an open ditch there extending long
distance, only ten feet from thickly buried
| portion of the cemetery, nearly full of water
| Arrangements can probably be made with Mr.
| Stevens for right of way across his land witt,
sewer to the Deering sewer The eastern
part of the cemetery would be well drained by
such sewer of surface water. The cost Of
this sewer would be $500. An extension OF
| the receiving tomb with large cells is necessary
for the accommodation of caskets in boxes and
the rapidly increasing cemetery
The necessity of the Superintendent living
in the vicinity of the cemetery is more ap.
parent. By the recent purchase of Magdalel
Cemetery the city becomes the owner of a
point of land extending to the Stevens Plain.
road, and having on said road, frontage of 3O(
feet. This point extends back 462 feet to g
temporary fence located during the pas. year.
am strongly ofthe opinion that this point of LAND
may be made of great value to the cemetery L
desirable second entrance on the northern
line might be laid out, leaving point over 2O(
feet 10 width. Upon this a small but nea
cottage house could be erected for the Super
intendent The cemetery is annually payine
hundreds of dollars for trees, shrubs and
| plants, and In many instances obtaining infe
| rior articles. AS the cemetery extends anG
ornamental plots increase this expense will in
crease proportionately. In addition to this the
demand from lot-holders for plants and
shrubs is annually increasing-a demand
These results might be accomplished by looat
ing green-houSe in the rear of the Superin
tendents cottage of moderate extent, to Obj
increased as the demand and needs would
warrant. The greenhouse could be easil,
managed by the Superintendent during the
winter and the propagation of plants carried O,
for the use of the cemetery as well as the sup
ply of lot-holders. In the rear great variet,
of trees and shrubs could be grown and proper
ly laid out, and the entire grounds be not onl,
profit but an ornament to the cemetery Pin,
stumps that mar the old wooded portion of tn,
cemetery and are dangerous to travel, SHOULD
be removed. The unsighty buildings in thu
the centre of the grounds must come dow n
The fences need rebuilding. The cutters il
the two main avenues leading to the ponds
should be paved. If the present ordinance
are not sufficient to guard and regulate the
cemetery in the future, new ones should b.
! made.