1862-11-29 Letter: Superintendent Winsor to Jacob Bigelow, 1831.016.001.001-005

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Mount Auburn, November 29, 1862

D^r Jacob Bigelow

Dre Sir,

As the regular Monthly ^meetg^ takes place on Monday next, when among other matters, will be brought forward the contemplated improvements at " [@?]Thistle Pond" I have baken the liberty to remind you of another very important mqatter connected with the business; and thatis, the drainage of that Pond! - You will remember a year ago..we were grading up the new Public Lot - opposite said pond, when we considered it was necessary to run a small Brick drain under the Public Lot to the "Stockade fence", adjoining the Catholic Cemetery, in order to drain the Pond to a level of the water of the pond, at the very driest season of the year! and we have found it to answer the purpose well! the water soaked away, without dong any injury to our neighbors: a few weeks since

[ below is pg 4, back of folder letter]

to ask of you the favor of sending me a name for the new Lot! as we have already commenced to bury in it without its being sainted, with a name Respectfully Yours

Daniel L. Winsor

below at bottom of page]

D. L. Winmsor

Nov^r 29, 1862

we were requiring several hundred loads of Peat mud to make our usual quantity of "Compost Manure," when [?] a gang of men, near the centre of Thistle Pond, and took out the necessary quantity of mud, and dug some 18 inches below the level of the aforesaid Drain, which operation, so thickened up, the water, with small fibres of peat mud, that not withstanding the "strainer", the "Drain" became choaked [sic]; and the recent heavy rains compelled us to abandon the work; and you will recollect that about this time, we suggested ^discussed^ the feasibility of draining into the "Bog" in the very [S.west] corner of the Grounds (called Coolidge Pond) and since then the principal Surveyor, Mr Shedd was here surveying Mrs. Hemmenway private Lot, when I asked him to find out the difference between the level of the water in the two aforesaid ponds, and he left me in figures the result of his calculations; which was that "Coolidge Pond" was 10 feet lower than "thistle Pond" and that it would require for us to dig in the deepest place about 15 feet, and that ^at^ the S.East corner of the New Public Lot in Spruce Avenue, would require to be dug as deep, as any other place in the route to our "Bog" -. As it is now, I see no alternative! If we are

[next pg] desirous of getting out the Mud for making Compost manure, or to build a fountain! the pond must be drained! or the water pumped out with an Engine! And in the latter case, the water must be led off across the New Public Lot into the Catholic Cemetery. In digging down, we shall give vent to many Springs, that will very much increase the quantity of water, which, black as ink, will if we use an Engine, be poured into their Cemetery, to their very great annoyance. If the Pond is drained into the Bog, we can obtain at a much less cost, all the mud we may require for many years to come to make Compost manure. the quantity required yearly is about 125 chords and 50 chords for other purposes! And in my judgement the difference of the Cost of labor of obtaining the mud from "Thistle Pond" when well ^drained^ would in a few years well pay the expense of ^building^ the "Drain," to say nothing about the saving of expense in building the present contemplated fountain. I think the expense of digging through might be from $200 @250⁰⁰ and then you could decide whether a pipe or a 12 inch square, brick Drain shall be built - Having occasion at the present time to mention the New Public Lot reminds