reduce the load coming upon it by fencing off a portion of the sidewalk. The girder on the easterly street line was not in as bad condition, and its parapet was allowed to remain.

Southampton-street Bridges (over South Bay Sluices).

These are wooden bridges built in 1875 as temporary structures. The easterly bridge has had some small repairs; the westerly bridge was opened to put in a new water pipe, and in connection with this work new sidewalk planking and a new deck of 4-inch spruce was laid on the northerly half, leaving the old sidewalk bulkhead; the remaining plank, sidewalk bulkhead and roadway bulkheads are in poor condition and should be renewed. The wing bulkheads of both bridges are in poor condition, and the roadway bulkheads on the easterly bridge are in rather poor condition, and need repairing.

Southampton-street Bridge (over Old Colony Division, N. Y.,

N. H. & H. R.R.). (See page 79.)

Spring-street Bridge (from West Roarbury to Dedham).

This is a stone bridge. The city maintains the part within its limits. It is in good condition.

Stony-brook Bridge (in the Fens).

This is an ornamental brick arched bridge, with stone facings, built in 1891–92, and maintained by the Park Department. It is in good condition.

Summer-street Bridges (over A, B, and C streets).

These bridges were built in connection with the abolition of the grade crossing on Congress street and were opened to travel in 1900. The bridge ower A street is a steel deckplate girder structure, with a paved roadway of granite blocks, and asphalt sidewalks. The bridge over B street is a through plate-girder structure, with a paved roadway of granite blocks and asphalt sidewalks. During the past year a flight of iron stairs has been built from the northerly sidewalk to B street. The bridge over C street is a two-span steel-beam structure, with brick and concrete arches turned between the beams; the roadway is paved with granite blocks and the sidewalks with asphalt. All these bridges are in good condition.

Summer-street Bridge (over Fort Point Channel).

This bridge was built in 1899–1900, in connection with the abolition of the grade crossing on Congress street. It is a four-span, deck-plate girder bridge, resting on masonry piers, with two retractile draws, over a 50-foot channel way. The roadway of the fixed spans has a granite block paving, and the sidewalks have asphalt wearing surfaces. The whole structure is in good condition.

Summer-street Bridge (over New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Freight Tracks).

This bridge was built in 1900, in connection with the abolition of the grade crossing on Congress street, and is maintained by the city and the railroad company, the former maintaining the wearing surface and the latter maintaining the rest of the structure. It has four spans, consisting of three through trusses each, and has a granite-paved roadway and asphalt sidewalks. It is in good condition.

Warren Bridge (from Boston to Charlestown).

This is a wooden pile bridge, with a double retractile iron draw. The present structure was built in 1883–84. The fences and the upper part and sides of the draw have been painted; new 4-inch spruce decking has been laid on the draw, and most of the stringers under it were renewed, and the tops of the floor beams painted, and general repairs made. Some of the piles under the wharf supporting the drawtender's house are broken; the fender-guards are in poor condition ; the paving, planking on the waterway, the sidewalk near Lovejoy's Wharf, and one pile near the drawway need repairing ; the landing shoes should be reset, and the curb at the draw should be realigned ; the sidewalk near the railroad tracks, city end, should be extended about 20 feet.

West Boston Temporary Bridge (from Boston to Cambridge).

This bridge was built in 1898–99 to accommodate the travel using West Boston bridge till the Cambridge bridge should be built; it is in care of the Commissioners for the Boston and Cambridge bridges; the city pays one-half the cost of maintenance; some new hinges have been furnished on the flaps and other general repairs made ; the deck planking has begun to decay, and needs considerable renewing; the bolting at the easterly draw needs some repairing, and minor repairs are needed on the pier.

West Fourth-street Bridge (over Old Colony Division, New York, New Haven & Hartford R.R.).

In 1893–94 the grade crossing of the Old Colony Railroad on this street was abolished, and an iron bridge built, extending from the end of Dover-street bridge, at the South Boston side of Fort Point channel to the easterly line of Foundry street. The surface is maintained by the city, the rest of the structure by the railroad company. The deck planking is in very poor condition, and should be renewed; the platform over the middle girders should be replanked, and the bridge should be painted.

West Rutland-square Foot-bridge (over Providence Division, New York, New Haven & Hartford R.R.).

This is an iron foot-bridge, built in 1882. It is now in good condition.

Western-avenue Bridge (from Brighton to Cambridge).

The present bridge was built in 1879–80, and the draw in 1891. It is in the care of the Commissioners for the Boston and Cambridge bridges, and the city pays one-half the cost of maintenance. The bridge has been painted, most of the down-stream pier has been replanked, many roadway planks on the Boston side have been renewed, and minor repairs made ; the piers and waterway need repairing; the deck planking on the draw should be renewed; the fences on the Boston side should be put in good condition ; some of the piles on the Boston side of the channel are in poor condition, and will soon need renewal; the staging under the bridge should be repaired.

Western-avenue Bridge (Brighton to Watertown).

The city maintains the part within its limits. This is a wooden pile bridge, with an iron draw, and was rebuilt in 1892–93. Only minor repairs have been made; the Boston end of the draw should be raised; the draw and its bearings should also be adjusted; the planking on the piers and along the waterways should be repaired; some of the spurshores are broken and should be refitted; the deck planking on draw and main bridge needs renewal.

Winthrop Bridge (from Breed's Island to Winthrop).

This is a pile bridge without a draw. It was originally built in 1839; it was rebuilt in 1851, and was extensively repaired in 1870. The abutment at the Winthrop end needs pinning up, as there has been some settlement; a few of the outside bolsters are not in good condition; otherwise the bridge is in fair condition.

Wood Island Park Foot-bridge.

This is a steel foot-bridge, built in 1898–99, and connects Prescott street, East Boston, with Wood Island Park, spanning the tracks of the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad. The walls need pointing and the bridge should be painted.

Bridges wholly Supported by Railroad Corporations.

The highway bridges maintained by the several railroad companies are in good or fair condition, with the exceptions noted. Norfolk-street bridge, near Dorchester station, has been redecked with 3-inch hard pine plank; the trusses are old and out of line. A new deck is needed on Second street bridge, and repairs are needed on Broadway, Fourth, Silver and Washington street bridges over the Midland Division, N. Y., N. H. & H. R.R.

The Surveying Division has been engaged largely in doing such surveying as required by the several city departments. The Paving and Sewer Divisions of the Street Department have made more demands upon this division than the other branches of the city service. The surveys and plans for the Street Laying-Out Department represent a large share of the year's work. One hundred and fifty-one petitions, requesting that catchbasins should be constructed, were reported upon to the Sewer Division. Catch-basin locations were furnished the Sewer Division for 183 streets advertised to be regulated by the Superintend-ent of Streets. On request of the Sewer Division, sixty plans of streets, showing proposed locations of future catch-basins, were furnished. Catch-basin locations were furnished the Sewer Division, of fifty-nine streets, which it was proposed to lay out, widen, or extend. Four hundred and eighty-one catch-basins were staked out, and duplicate sketches, showing the locations and ties, were sent to the Sewer Division. Two hundred and twenty-nine plans of underground pipes, conduits, etc., were examined, and proposed future catchbasins located for the permit office. Two hundred and five notices of contracts to lay artificial stone sidewalks were received and reported upon to the Paving Division. In eighty-three cases the Paving Division was notified that the existing edgestone should be reset, preparatory to the laying of artificial stone. to Forty petitions to make sidewalk openings were received from the Paving Division and reported upon. Eighty-seven requests for edgestone were examined, and amount of curb required reported to the Paving Division.