The Westford Wardsman, August 3, 1918
Center. The home guard drill this week was largely taken up with instruction on guard work in anticipation of probable camp duty, of which various rumors came but no orders.
The tax collector has finished up the collection of 1917 taxes and placed the books in the hands of the town clerk for deposit in the town house safe. As the 1918 list of taxes will not be made up for some little time, and as all back taxes are collected, the tax collector is temporarily out of a job in that line and has no tax books in his possession.
Charles Richardson is quite seriously sick at the home of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Alma M. Richardson.
Mrs. Martha Grant Whiting, of Gloucester, is in town this week at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight.
Mrs. Arthur Bosworth, of Lebanon, N.H., is visiting with Mrs. Isles over the weekend.
The storm this week put an unusual number of telephone lines out of order and the linemen have been busy righting the damage.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, Sr., Mrs. Edith Lawrence Hildreth and son Richard, were Sunday guest of H. V. Hildreth.
Miss Winnifred Burnham, of Essex, has been spending several days in town, the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hildreth.
Mrs. William R. Carver and two children, Elizabeth and William, go the first of the week for a two-weeks’ stay at the seashore, going to Chatham.
Mrs. Arthur Manchester, of Newport, R.I.; her son, Arthur, Jr., and daughter Laura, were guests the first of the week of her sister, Mrs. L. W. Wheeler.
Miss E. Louise Larned of Newtonville, is the guest of her long-time friend, Mrs. Howard A. Lincoln. Other recent guests at the parsonage have been Mr. Lincoln’s brother, B. L. Lincoln, and son Frank, of Houlton, Me.
J. Henry Colburn drove up to Alton Bay, N.H., for over the weekend, where Mrs. Colburn and son Clarence are spending several weeks.
Miss Helena F. Denfield, who has taught for two years at the academy, has tendered her resignation to the superintendent of schools.
Mrs. J. W. Bright, who has been visiting her former home in Royalton, Vt., returned this week to Westford.
Emory J. Whitney has had sweet corn from his model garden since the first of the week and ripe tomatoes were gathered the middle of the week.
Rev. Howard A. Lincoln is in attendance this week at a conference of ministers at Amherst on “Moral aims of the war.”
Dr. O. V. Wells and family have been on a trip this week to Bakerfield, Vt. [his home town.]
Mrs. John P. Wright, guardian of the Camp Fire Girls, and Miss Edna Day, assistant guardian, started on Thursday for a ten-day camping trip at Mill pond, Littleton. The girls in their charge are Dorothy Flagg, Helen Kimball, Ruth McCoy, Mildred Green, Alice and Lillian Socarelis, Catherine Kelly, Marjory Pollock, Nina Crafts and Anna Shaddick.
One of the pleasant Red Cross knitting parties took place on Thursday afternoon of last week at the Congregational parsonage. Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Blaney were the three hostesses who combined forces in entertaining their groups of four, making a gathering of twelve. Ice cream and cake were served. Mrs. A. H. Sutherland also entertained a group of four the same afternoon at her home. Monday afternoon Mrs. George F. White and Mrs. Helena M. Bartlett entertained their groups of four at Mrs. White’s home.
Last Sunday was the closing Sunday before vacation at the Congregational church and a patriotic service was well carried out. The new leaflets containing the best of the patriotic hymns were used, and the sermon and scripture were in keeping. “My country ‘tis of thee,” “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America, the beautiful” were used with fine effect, and Mrs. Colburn sang “To thee, O country” as a solo. Flags and flowers were used in decoration. During August the morning services and the Sunday school will be omitted, but the evening service will be continued. The subject on Sunday evening, led by one of the men of the congregation, will be “The gospel of peace in the time of war.” The parsonage will be open during vacation and Mr. Lincoln will be within reach if needed.
The welcome rain came in time to help out the berry crop, as well as all other vegetation. Good shipments of early apples and berries are being carried to Boston each night and are bringing good prices.
About Town. The large, unoccupied box shop owned by George C. Moore at Westford station is being fitted into tenements for a colony of Italians who are to work on the Stony Brook railroad which is to be double-tracked to Ayer this season. It is now nearly completed to West Chelmsford, which was reported to be the terminal this season, but plans have been changed and it is now on to Ayer.
Norman Phillips is working in the reconstruction of the Graniteville road.
The Old Oaken Bucket farm folks had their first home-grown sweet corn for dinner last Saturday. Others had it on the market for two weeks. We are not early or boasting, simply relating what a cob and a few intentional kernels of corn can do for those who have been teething for it.
The writer [Samuel L. Taylor of the Old Oaken Bucket Farm] had an apple tree badly girdled by mice or next of kin. It blossomed full and set full. About half way between June and the next month the leaves all fell off and nearly all the apples. It is now coming to its own again, except it may not come to its apples again, but a new set of leaves are being helped out wonderfully by our invigorating rains and dust baths that have preceded the rains.
It is estimated that there are between 80,000 and 100,000 gardens of the backyard variety in Massachusetts which are subject to total or partial loss by the plant lice and the following recipe has been sent forth by A. D. Killam, head of the home garden committee, and is an infallible death for the plant lice: A small package of ordinary smoking tobacco, one gallon of boiling, soapy water; steep for ten minutes, and when cool spray the affected plants generously. The writer wrote out last week a much simpler remedy to be applied in the spring, “Plant early,” for lice don’t get actively awake until dog days; neither doth late planting.
The recent drowning accident at Knopp’s pond in Groton and the double drowning of man and wife at Crystal lake, North Chelmsford, in treacherous holes near shore, has revived the question of warning of the public by posting a suitable notice, for it is these treacherous holes near the shore that trap those who cannot swim. They are seldom trapped by treacherous holes far from shore, for they can neither wade nor swim to them. This is the third drowning accident at Crystal lake in the same treacherous spot. We guard wisely and strenuously against contagious diseases, but let these hidden dangers remain a menace.
In a recent list of honorary degrees conferred last June by eastern colleges, we note with interest that Bowdoin college conferred Doctor of Divinity upon Ashley Day Leavitt,, of Boston, is the speaker. Special music by mixed quartet.
On next Tuesday the house will hold a religious service for the soldiers with Camp Pastor Dimock and Bishop Matthew S. Hughes as speakers. Preceding this meeting, at 7:30, Camp Pastor Nelson will hold a group meeting for Scandinavian boys.
Report Made. The committee appointed at a special town meeting, April 26, to make an investigation, with regard to providing adequate quarters for the fire and police departments, made its report at a meeting in the selectmen’s room on Wednesday evening. A draft of the committee’s recommendations was prepared and read by Lyman K. Clark, which was accepted with the amendment that the estimated sum required for the erection of a building for the fire department be increased from the original estimate of $20,000 to $25,000. This amount to include the cost of land upon which the proposed structure is to be erected.
The report as accepted is hereby given in full: …
Present Condition at Town Hall. The increase of the various town departments and of the work of the different departments have become such that the town hall is becoming congested; so much so that the fire engineers are experiencing difficulty in finding suitable location for the installation of the proposed compressed fire alarm system. The police quarters, which were sufficient for the town before the advent of the camp, are hardly adequate for the increased business of today. The rest of the first floor is taken up by the offices of the health department, the motor truck furnished by the state, the assessors’ room, and the selectmen’s room. The congested condition of the hall is, we believe, unsatisfactory and inadequate to the future needs of the town. Irrespective of the added demands on the hall due to the advent of Camp Devens, we believe that provision should be made at this time to meet not only the present needs but the added requirements of the future, and the committee has endeavored to see what is the most practicable method of doing so. …
Conclusion. The committee recommend:
(1) That the town take steps to acquire by purchase or other means the premises westerly of the town hall, but now owned by Miss Emma Turner, to be used for fire purposes.
(2) That a fire station be built thereon.
(3) That the selectmen or a committee for the purpose obtain and present to a subsequent meeting specific plans and estimates of cost of a suitable fire station, with authority to spend a sum not exceeding fire hundred dollars therefore, out of the unexpended funds in the treasury.
Respectfully submitted, John D. Carney, Douglas C. Smith, Elwin H. Longley, Lyman K. Clark, George L. Osgood, Thomas F. Mullin, Harry E. Fisher.