1874-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 vey, to Main street culvert, the distance is six thousand and fifty (6,050) feet. To give as good drainage as practicable, we decided that the culvert on Main street should be low- ered four (4) feet, and to provide for all contingencies, we required that the sidewalks should be sunk one foot more. When the drain was carried from this culvert to Osburn's meadow, we lowered the water in his ditches more than a foot, which was a practical test of our system of drainage at the head of the stream. The western branch of Vine Brook, so far as we thought it necessary to extend our drainage, wefound to be six thou- sand two hundred and fifty-six (6,256) feet above the junc- tion of the two branches. Here we had more fall than on the southern branch. We also extended our drain from Main street to the L xington and Arlington Railroad. The culvert under the Railroad was always too small, and will now prove insufficient to carry off the water in tunes of freshets. Though the drainage cannot increase the quantity of water, it will deliver it at the culvert quicker, and so render it necessary that the culvert be enlarged—which ought to be done at once. We have called the attention of the 'Lowell Corporation to the subject, and they have given us to understand that the thin; should be attended to. That culvert should be low- ered twelve or fifteen inches, and widened to the same amount. The most costly part of the draining on Vine Brook,. has been from the Railroad to Richardson's dam, where it was found necessary to wall up the channel on both sides, the greater part of the way. It has been our purpose to have the work done in a thor- ough manner. Though we foresaw that the cost would ex- ceed our first estimate, we were satisfied that the people would demand a thorough ditching, so that the experiment might be fully tried. We have taken special pains to have the culverts across the highways, so enlarged and so sub- stantially built, that the present generation at least, should have no occasion to alter them. Wo were also aware that the meadow owners themselves, would not be willing that we