1885

The Chelsea (Mass.) Evening Record in its issue of April 12, published a section commemorating the disastrous fire of April 12, 1908. The section contained an interview with Alton E. Briggs, who is now the only living member of the five-man board of control which was appointed after the fire, to rebuild the city and to administer its affairs for a three-and-one-half year term.

The board of control was the supreme governmental agency in the city with each member responsible for some particular duty. Briggs' responsibility was the setting up of the educational plans for the city's children; the purchase of furnishings and buying horses, the latter being in his particular line. For twelve days he supervised food problems seeing to it that no one went hungry. At the conclusion of the three-and-one-half year term he became executive manager of the Boston Fruit and Produce Exchange; and during his 20 year tenure with the exchange, he was made president of the national organization with headquarters in Chicago. During World War II he served the Chelsea Public Library as librarian, relinquishing the position in January, 1947.

The secretary inadvertently committed an error in his notes for the April issue of the MAGAZINE. He should have characterized Weeks as a widower instead of bachelor. Mrs. Weeks died in 1917, since which time he has made his home with his son in New York City.

Secretary and Treasurer, Warner, N. H. Class Agent, 1 Chestnut St., Potsdam, N. Y.