1874-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 owners of the lands next above and next below Cross street. And in addition to this, the town having the control of the culverts through Main, Waltham, Bedford, and Cross street. which were insufficient to carry off the water in a freshet, virtually held a veto power upon the drainage of these meadows. The land holders have great reason to he thank- ful, that the town has removed those barriers to their drain- age at the road crossings ; and especially that an not has been obtained by which a general system of drainage can be carried on, and that no one individual shall have the power to arrest public improvements, and so impede the prosperity of the community. The personal rights of every man should be respected; but when. the wishes or interest of one man stands in the way of public prosperity, he should yield to the public demand, receiving of course a reasonable coin- pensation for any damage personal to himself. Though the Committee from the first reconnoissance saw that the undertaking was one of no ordinary magnitude, they felt themselves instructed to go forward with the enterprise, believing that the advantages at least would keep pace with the expenses. Their first duty was to cause a proper survey to be made, and levels to be taken, so as to determine the grade and depth of the cuts. They employes1 J. R. Carter, Esq., of 'Woburn, who has the charge of the street and water survey of that town. The result of these surveys -showed, that on the North Meadows, the distance from the causeway leading to the house of Mr. Oleo. W. Robinson to the culvert,of the Middle- sex Central Railroad just above the Watering -place of Mr. Charles Tidd, where we decided to have our_ draining termi- nate, was forty-eight hundred and seventy-six feet (4876) and that the fall was eleven and thirty-six hundredths feet (11.36), which if thrown into one uniform grade would give less than two inches and eight -tenths (2.8) to the hundred feet (100). This fall being so small, it was •deemed by the Engineer, necessary to throw it all into one uniform grade; and in this opinion we readily concurred. The meadows