Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 24.

Turning from these to others we allude to the steel trestle of the Radio Corporation on College hill. But four feet square, it is three hundred feet high and held in position by several guys. It is to be hoped that it never may become a menace to travelers or the locality.

Another tower, of little beauty, but for a time of some utility, was the water tower for high service, erected at Elm street, near Wright's pond, as auxiliary to the Medford water supply. It was a cylindrical structure of iron boiler plate, into which the water of the pond was pumped for a few years, and was approximately fifty feet high. Its use was discontinued and it was taken down when the city's supply was taken over by the Metropolitan Commission.

There are two observation towers in Medford, one of private ownership, the other of municipal. The latter is the circular stone tower in the park at Hastings Heights. It stands at the crown of the ledge and is about thirty feet high. A circular iron staircase gives access to the concrete floor within its castellated battlement. From this a superb view of Medford and surrounding country may be had. It is one of the creations of Medford's park commission. A Medford engineer, Mr. E. P. Adams, designed it, and two Medford men, Messrs. Byron and Rowe, constructed it, certainly creditable to them all.

But higher and more remote is the great steel tower on the so-called Ram-head hill, erected by the late General S. C. Lawrence, and commonly called the Lawrence Observatory. The top of this hill is variously stated as being two hundred and five or two hundred and twenty-nine feet above sea level. The tower itself consists of four steel fifteen-inch I beams, set diagonally at the corners and firmly secured to the ledge. At every floor these are connected by horizontal beams of steel and in every space diagonal steel ties firmly brace the structure. It is thirty-four feet square at the base and sixteen at the top. There are six floors of the best of