Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 4.

Memorandum of articles of agreement entered into by the undersigned, being a Committee of the Town of Medford, appointed to build a new bridge where the Great Bridge now stands, or to repair the same, on the one part, and Samuel Chittenden Bridge builder, on the other part, witnesseth—to say

An entire new bridge is to be built, extending from [p. 83] the stone abutments or walls recently built, from North to South the whole length being about sixty five feet, and width about thirty eight feet, with a draw in the place, where the present draw is placed, the said draw to be made of two leaves,—and the width from east to west, Thirty feet, and from North to South Twenty nine feet, leaving thereby a passageway for vessels of twenty nine feet, and furnished with Machinery, and Iron chains to raise it, in all respects equally sufficient for the purpose, as the draw now is on Warren Bridge at Charlestown. The said Bridge is to rest on the Stone Abutments on each side, and on white oak piles to be driven into the ground at proper distances, so as to form the passageway for vessels. The said piles to be at least thirteen inches square at the top, with white oak caps in proportion. The string timbers of the Bridge parts to be six & a half inches wide, & thirteen inches deep,— and those of the draw to be at least sixteen inches at the ballast end and seven by ten inches at the ends where the leaves meet, with proper and sufficient white oak caps,—the piles to be braced as they are done at Warren Bridge.

The wheels of the draw machinery to be of the same kind of wood with iron cog rings, and the draw to be balanced with iron ballast in like manner.

The whole to be planked with good pine plank free of sap, three inches in thickness, and sheathed with spruce plank of two inches in thickness.

A single railing is to be made the whole length of the bridge on both sides, and an inside railing to guard foot passengers as far as the draw.

And the said Samuel Chittenden has agreed and does hereby agree to build a Bridge as above described & with good and sufficient materials, in every respect sound and strong, & with like machinery as now in use at Warren Bridge, to the acceptance of said committee, the whole to be completed within the term of forty days, and the work to be done without any obstruction to the public travel, in so far as the west part of the Bridge [p. 84] and Draw is to be first built, and the east part of it is to be sufficiently supported so as to allow of all the travel to pass thereon, until the west part is built. And as a full compensation for the said work and materials without any other expense whatever to the Town of Medford, the committee on their part agree, that the said Town shall pay to the said Samuel Chittenden the Sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars.—and no bills for extra work or materials are to be demanded or allowed, unless previously authorized by the committee it is further understood, that the hoisting post & railing to be of pine, & the barrell for the chains to run on, to be of black or yellow oak, & also that the pig iron ballast now on the draw, is to be used by said Chittenden without cost to him, and that the Committee shall furnish a proper plan to do the work, also free of expense, and further that the string timbers where the gudgeons are inserted shall be ten inches by twelve, the gudgeons of wrought iron and boxes of Cast iron.

And the parties to these presents have hereunto interchangably set their hands this Seventh day of July Eighteen Hundred & twenty nine.