The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-19
Report of City Engineer

The report of Frederick A. Mcclure,
city engineer, gives a list of streets
laid out during the year, and the side
walks laid out preliminary to further
action by the city council. The total
length of streets was 4S14.63 feet The
total length of sidewalks decreed from
Dec. 1, 1898, to Dec. 1, 1899, was Al, 412S2
feet.
The laying out Of all streets and
sidewalks as decreed by the city coun
Gil, have been recorded as heretofore.
Grade stakes were set for the laying
of $3.50 feet of curbstone on 40 streets,
crosswaiks to the number of 30 laid
out, and measurements and schedules
of all pavements made and returned to
the street department. Lines and
grades Of streets for building purposes
were given on 116 applications, There
We're 33S electric light poles in differ
ent parts of the city located and re-
corded and 106 poles discontinued.
Nineteen locations were approved for
the construction of electric conduits,
and in 70 streets with a total length
of 525U0 feet were locations approved
for the laying of gas mains.
DEGREES were prepared for the estab-
lishment of grades by the city council
on public and private streets to the
length Of 15,044.23 feet.
Plans were prepared and notices sent
to occupants and owners for renum-
bering Schussler road, Institute road,
Trowbridge road and Lincoln avenue.
Plans showing the locations of 40 pub
lie streets have been made and record
ed, and considerable work of like ma
ture is now in course of preparation.
~ t.r1 tn an
ton with the law department for sew
eral street railway locations, and plans
have been prepared showing the va
rious street railway lines for use in
connection with the matter of snow
removal.
Attention is again urged to the desir-
ability of an ordinance that shall en-
power The supervision of the laying out
of private streets. The general ignor-
ing of the existing ordinances relative
to such matters is much in need of cor
rection.
SEWERS.
During the year 1885 miles of sew
ers have been built, and for the va
rious Purposes in division, as follows:
Main interceptors, 1898 miles; sanitary
laterals. 1873 miles; surface water
drains, zS29 miles. The determination
of the sizes, the gradients and detail
plans for the various constructions
have been supplied as required. Salts
factory progress has been made in the
construction of the separating system,
and but two comparatively short Sec
lions remain TO complete the west
main intersector. The usual assistance
has been rendered at the sewage puri-
fication works in the construction of
filtration areas, about IA acres of which
int
season. House drains to the number
of All have been inspected. and the
grades determined.
WATER
The work of this department in con-
nection with the water supply has been
of the ordinary nature. The several
reservoirs have been visited at fire.
quent intervals and some slight i'm
provements and repairs recommended,
which were carried out by direction of
the commissioner. The year in some
respects has been a remarkable one,
chiefly due to the small amount of wa
ter collected While the rainfall has
been only about four inches below the
average for this district, the runoff has
been exceptionally low.
The draft from the reservoirs has
been about 100000 gallons greater
than the average daily draft for last
year, and is in excess of what our
present storage capacity should be
called upon to furnish. For this sea-
son Kettle brook has proved the saliva
ton of the city's water supply, but
with the present development is total
ly inadequate to provide against ex-
tended periods of low rainfall. The
present combined storage of all the re-
servoirs is barely sufficient for one
years supply under stress when rea-
sonable prudence should, in my opn~
ion. provide for not less than two
years So long as this Inadequate con-
dition of affairs exists a menace to the
city's water supply is always present.
The Tatnuck and Kettle brooks are
both undeveloped and the construction
of storage basins upon each of these
streams should be no longer delayed
The following table shows the annu-
al and the average daily and monthly
consumption of water in gallons, in
Guiding waste and leakage for the fiscal
year: