P.D. 123 19 



with sluices and tide gates was approved by the district commissioners 

 February 28. This structure was also satisfactory to the county commission- 

 ers who proposed to build it as a highway improvement and collect one- 

 third of the cost from the town of Marshfield and one-third from the district. 

 A technicality which would have prevented the use of the money from the 

 town during the year was overcome by the passage of a special act, which 

 was put through during the last days of the session and signed by the Gover- 

 nor April 30. The county commissioners then called for bids for construc- 

 tion and let a contract to the Engineering Service and Construction Com- 

 pany of Boston in June. Work was begun almost immediately and pro- 

 ceeded through the summer until the structure was finished in September. 

 In order not to interrupt traffic on the road along the dike, it was necessary 

 to build, at additional expense, a temporary timber by-pass around the open- 

 ing for the bridge. The total cost of the work, including the by-pass, was 

 about S33,000. After the tide gates were open the water in the marsh was 

 lowered several feet and as far as could be determined, the new structure was 

 a complete success. 



6. Milford, Milford. Early in the spring the Milford Chamber of Com- 

 merce made an inquiry about the necessary procedure to clean up an unsani- 

 tary condition along the Charles River in Milford and took out a petition for 

 organization of a reclamation district. This petition signed by almost all 

 the landowners in the affected area was submitted soon after April 1. The 

 Board held a hearing at Milford on April 2 and appointed district commis- 

 sioners on April 25. Since the town was evidently involved in the problem, 

 the five commissioners included the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen 

 and the Secretary of the Board of Health. The commissioners called a 

 meeting of the proprietors in the usvial manner for organization. The dis- 

 trict organized and adopted by-laws INIay 28. The proprietors in the dis- 

 trict generally felt that the improvement should be financed by the town 

 since the pollution and the obstruction of the river was largely due to the 

 negligence of the town authorities in permitting waste and refuse from fac- 

 tories, public and private dumps, and other sources to get into the stream. A 

 special town meeting was, therefore, called for August 3 and voted S10,000 

 to pay the expense of the improvements to be made in accordance with the 

 district plans. A defect in this vote necessitated the calling of another 

 special town meeting October 28 in order to amend the original vote. This 

 amendment was duly passed and a contract for the work was let during the 

 month of November to Antone and Ransom of Greenfield. Work was pro- 

 ceeding in the district at the end of the year and promised to be a great 

 success. The procedure followed in connection with this district may prove 

 to be a precedent for correcting unsanitary conditions in other localities. 



7. Wapping, Deerfield. In this district the district commissioners decided 

 to clear the channel of that part of the stream nearest to the Deerfield River 

 for a distance of about three-fourths of a mile and made a determination of 

 the preeentage of expense to be borne by the proprietors involved. Objec- 

 tion to this determination was made by one of the proprietors so that the 

 Board held a hearing at Greenfield which resulted in an agreement among 

 the parties concerned. This was approved by the Board; and a contract 

 was then let to Antone and Ransom for the necessary ditching. Work under 

 this contract began June 26 and was completed before the end of September. 

 No machinery was used, the digging and removal of rubbish being accom- 

 plished entirely by hand labor. The results fully met the requirements of 

 the landowners, having lowered the water over the whole area so that the 

 land dried out during the fall and will apparently be useable for agricultural 

 purposes next season. The proprietors themselves continued the channel 

 for a short distance above the work performed by the contractors and thus 

 lowered the water in an additional area. Obstruction of the channel in this 

 district proved to be due partly to the washing of sand into the channel by 

 drainage ditches from the State highway east of the district area. The con- 

 struction of brush dams to keep out this sand was being considered at the 

 end of the season. 



