The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-11
James Draper Files a
Strong One.
UNJUST CENSURE"
Work on Common Was
Stopped by Elements.

Although a little late, Secretary Jas
Draper Of the city hall park board, de,
sires TO correct an impression reflect
ing on the work of the board, broughr
about by the resolution introduced b,
Councilman O'Leary at the last meet
ing of the city government.
The resolution, as introduced ant
adopted, follows:
Resolved, that, in the opinion of tn,
city council, the various walks in the
common should be constructed with E
view of preserving a smooth, unbroker
surface
| BE it further resolved that the oper
cutters now used to convey water
across the walks are a nuisance to life
and limb, and should be abolished"
MI. Draper says that the tone of the
resolution would give the impression
| that the board had either neglected its
duties or az least performed them in q
| very loose manner. He states further
that had proper investigation beer
made previous to framing the resolu-
ton, II would have been apparent tc
/ alb that the elements and not the board
cutters being in an unfinished condi.
| ton.
Continuing, Mr.. Draper said: Last
fall the city hall park board applied to
the city council for $500 to be used in
! restoring the common to its condition
! previous to building the new city hall
The council appropriated the sum OF
SZOO0, which was used UP in restoring
/ the common, so far as possible, to q
D nos sol e.. -
ton of the public.
/ The fund was used before the work
was completed, but in spite Of this fac,
the board went ahead on its own re-
! spons1bllity, trusting to the city coun-
( ell to back them up, and made a con-
tract with the highway department tc
reconstruct walks and pave cutters
The stones to be used in this work are
piled up on the common at the pres
ent time, and but for the blizzard OF
Nov. 20, which put an effectual stop tc
all out of door work. q good impression
would have been made on the work
| that was necessarily postponed unit
| the snow disappeared. OF course the
! underground conduits will be put in al
soon as practicable.
! The snow pile on the common has
also figured in the criticism. AS q
matter of fact, giving the highway de-
! partment permission to haul snow on.
to the common. which custom has beer
practiced for years, results in a saving
| Of many thousand dollars to the city
As spring approaches, of course, what
remains of the pile will be removed OF
| disposed of in some manner so as not
/ to prove unsightly or an inconvenience
to the public"
Mr.. Draper says that neither he MOI
members of the board are disposed tt
| take notice of personal attacks of al
| Insignificant nature, but when the
| criticism comes in the nature Of a vote
| of censure such as went forth when the
| city council acted on the above reso-
! luton, he considers it time to protest.
| The annual report of the parks com
mission, which embodies the doings OF
| the city hall park board, states ex.
plicitly why the condition OF the COM
mon is as ii is. A copy of this docu-
nent was placed on the desk of every
! city official, but from the vote of last
| Monday night, Mr.. Draper is inclined
/ to think that the report could not have
| been very carefully perused.
Quoting from the report, the follow
| ing is apparent:
by contract with the highway de-
| partment and in accordance with plans
| by the city engineer, they regarded
I restored paths, made some new ones
! and continued their efforts until over
taken by the disastrous snow storm OF
| Nov. 26, which put an end to the con-
| structive work for the season.
| Much remains to be done and still
more that might need be done. Certain
| ly it is reasonable that in the coming
spring the city should, through tht
agency of the city hall park board, an(
| by special appropriation, put what is
| left of the common in as good condi
| ton as it was when the park commits
sioners practically yielded 1t to the
city hall commission for their conven
fence during the erection OF the mu
| nicipal building"
! Street Commissioner w. S. Prior wa
interviewed as to the saving to th
city through piling the snow on tn,
common, and states that there is n,
question but that the city was savet
a considerable sum of money by fol
lowing this course. The same cours
is pursued in many other large cities
where 1t would be practically impossi
BILE to get the snow out of the wa,
without some such convenient dumping
ground.
The matter of whether the dirt an,
filth included in the pile is a breede
of germs of disease and a menace T.
public health, has been discussed t
considerable extent. Members of tn
board of health are of the opinion tina
there is no more danger from hi
source than from the streets all owe
| the city.