Department of Public Works
One of the very busiest departments in town during the Blizzard
of '78 was the Department of Public Works. The Department had
36.1 inches of snow to remove from Walpole's streets and roads.
The full-time crew of 43 men worked their regular 46-1/2 hour
week plus 90 hours of overtime in seven days. During that week,
the men frequently had only four hours at a time for sleep.
Due to the amount of snow that fell, the town's own equipment was
not large enough to remove it. Most of the town-owned equipment
can accommodate a snowstorm of up to 14 inches, and some
equipment handles up to 20 inches. Therefore, it was necessary
for the town to borrow heavy-duty equipment from sand and gravel
operations and construction firms. The Department of Public Works
borrowed the following equipment:
Dedham Sand and Gravel: 2 #6000 front-end loaders, carrying 7
yards; 2 #988 front-end loaders, carrying 7 yards; 4 Euclid
dump/pit trucks, carrying 20-25 yards (these are not usually used
on the roads); 2 auto-car trucks, carrying 20-25 yards; 1 Mack
truck, carrying 20-25 yards.
West Sand and Gravel, Walpole: 1 L6100 Trojan payloader; 1 L7100
Trojan payloader; 1 L3100 Trojan payloader; 1 L5100 Trojan
payloader; 1 bulldozer; 3 auto trucks, carrying 20 yards; 1 Mack
truck, carrying 20-25 yards.
The rental fee owed to Dedham Sand and Gravel was $116,000.30,
and the fee owed to West Sand and Gravel was $962,267. Because of
the disaster, the town qualifies for disaster relief funds.
Consequently, the Army Corps of Engineers would pay 75 per cent
of the price of the rental fees.
Police Department Report
Mr. Peatfield of the Walpole Police Dept. recalled that, during
the Blizzard of '78, town departments "with no rehearsal,
worked hand-in-hand." Walpole had not been victimized by a
storm of this magnitude in anyone's memory; but, still, life went
on. He commented further that, during the immediate aftermath of
the blizzard, the town actually functioned quite safely. The
general picture, particularly during the driving ban from
February 6 through February 12, showed the extensive cooperation
of the townspeople. "Everyone was helpful, obeyed the law,
and stayed off the streets. There was an air of friendship and
help for one's neighbor," Mr. Peatfield said.
The police did ticket drivers who were on the streets for other
than essential business. But only about 35-50 tickets were
necessary. During that driving ban, snowmobiles became extremely
useful to the Police Department. Various individuals in town who
owned snowmobiles offered them to the police for department use.
In some cases, the individuals also donated their time to drive
the vehicles on assorted errands.
Because of the depth of the snow, the town ambulance could not
park as close to the house as it normally would. Therefore, a
snowmobile would accompany the ambulance in case the patient
needed to be transported from the house to the ambulance.
There were no traffic accidents during the storm, even when the
snow was still falling and people were trying to reach their
homes. Even the ambulance was called out less frequently than
police expected. During a storm of this magnitude, the ambulance
typically receives many calls for storm-related accidents, such
as heart attacks or snowblower mishaps. Twelve ambulance calls
were received from February 6 through February 12. This number is
close to the average number of calls that would have occurred
anyway, including the birth of a baby. Mr. Peatfield said that
"during a storm, people are more likely to panic. They want
to get to a hospital in case they can't get there later."
Twelve to fifteen people stayed at Blackburn Hall for one to two
nights; and the Police Department, through Civil Defense
personnel, supervised their care. All of these people were
travelling through Walpole when the amount of snow became
impassable.
Principally, the police were responsible for transporting doctors
and nurses and other employees essential for public health and
safety to and from their places of work. With the aid of
snowmobiles and volunteers, the police also picked up medications
at local pharmacies and delivered them to those in need.