The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-28

butte to the health and recreation OF the citizens,
the elegant aspects they may be made 70 assume
and the inviting drives and walks they will ahordi
will attract and detain strangers from all quar-,
ters At the same time, the vast impulse they VIII
vicinites will so en- nance the price of real estate,
that the outlay for their original acquisition Hnu
maintenance will be more than repaid by conulou-
uons TO the public treasury.
The admissions to the Blockley Almshouse dur
ing the year 1885, inclusive Of 239 birns Were 9gSS
and the discharges during the same peIlou So,o,,
leaving population of 1909 in the house on the lst
day Of January, 1857 The average number Oh IN IN
267 and retained i7l; Of SO foundlings received in
the institution, 81 died whilst there Ihe insane
Department had 97t under treatment, OF whom 585
remained on the 3ist Of December 1866; and as
compared with 1865, the admissions during the
year 1866 were "a more, the discharges SO more, and
the total increase for the year 3. In the Hospital,
50iO cases were treated of which 4l63 were cured,
7l4 died. and 572 were left in the wards the others
being relieved and discharged.
The mortality during 1866 was So greater than in
1865, and 1872 more than in the year 1854 The ex-
and for out-of- door demands S92,00l ~ which,
with S1Ss61 80 expended for improvements and
repairs, amounted TO S4i23i2 06. The receipts
during the year amounted to Sl5,6ii 80. The whole
number of persons receiving outdoor relief from
the 1st day of January, 1866, TO the 3st OF Deoem-
ber, 1866 was 6o39s, classified as follows: Ameri-
cans, 1901; foreigners, 1885, children, 3o,7l9
The Steward reports that the health OF the nsltu-
tion compares favoraby with the previous year
The commitments to the Philadelphia County
Prison for the past year were l96ls, being an IN.
crease of 5000 over the year 1865. The cost OF
maintaining this institution was Sl2i6l7 44-an
increase over the previous year Of Sls,9l5 30.
The cry tor House of Correction, so frequently
raised in former years, has again been renewed,
and, let us hope, with some substantial reason for
believing that 1t will be heard. 1t is diff cult to
understand how, with the universally admitted
necessity for such an institution, and the efforts
which phianthropc citizens have so often made
to secure IL, IL has never until now seemed to be
more than subject for fruitless disputes. Even
yet there is disposition manifested to defer its
organization rather than surrender some favored
location for its site but the vigorous action of the
committee appointed by Councils, and the hearty
cooperation of the Prison Inspectors and the
Guardians of the Poor, are likely TO accomplish an
actual beginning of the work. trust that this
may speedily prove to be the case for almost every
days experience in this office brings to my notice
delayed.
The amount collected and paid into the city
treasury by the Law Department for municipal
claims was Sl7,345 70. There has also been col
lected by this department the of $40 33i rs in
suits against the various passenger railroad COM
panies for the tax upon their dividends, and
Ss956 3s from other suits and awards of damages
Besides the above $4,000 was obtained from the
executors of the estate of Lawrence Todd, late of
Carlinville, Macoupin county Illinois, which,
with the sum of $1,000 previously collected, makes
total of $4,000 received from this legacy, which
sum was invested in city loan, by the Superu-
of Councils of May s. 1866.
The report of the Chief Engineer of the Survey
Department shows that during the year 1866, SO
sewers were authorized by the Board; and nume-
rous grades and lines in the Fifteenth, Twentieth,
twenty first and Twenty second wards were ad-
| Justed, and much other work performed It re-
presents all the bridges belonging the city be-
ing in good repair. Chestnut street bridge, Of
the finest structures of its kind extant, was opened
TO the public on the 1s of September 1885, and has
| proved OF immense value to residents in and be-
yoLd West Philadelphia.
The expenditures upon Chesnut Street Bridge
up to the date of the report $474,576 The ex-
penses OF the Survey Department for the year were
There various subjects connected with the
Improvement OF the city, discussed at considerable
length and with great tullness of Information by
| MI kneass in this able and elaborate paper.
recommend these to the careful consideration of
in fn Fhar Itaa
which are suggested for the correction of existing
| evils.
For the Girard Estate, during the year 1856, in
cludlng balance of $3n, 1881 90 from 1865, the
whole sum received was $369,4s1 as, and the ex-
penses were $336O32 70. The cost of maintaining
Girard College was Sll5,S26 10, and there ap-
piled as damages tor widening Grard avenue
632 65 1t is gratifying to know that the income
of the estate has increased very considerably
during the past three years. and that still larger
increase is anticipated.
The quantity of gas manufactured during the
| year 1866 was 9l5,956,000 cubic feet, which is a
| large increase over the production of 1865. The
erection Of the works to the beginning 0 of the the
present year is 9,460 900 cubic feet. The public
lamps of the city number at the present time 7622
| OF which 427 are supplied from the Northern
| Liberties Gas Works. anu Is are supplied with
| fluid. 53,945 feet of main pipe were lad during
| the year, which, with that laid previously makes
a total OF 2,566,6l2 feet, or over 456 miles.
The expenses OF the Fire Department during the
past year were $ll2635 Sc, which was mostly dis
oursed in the maintenance of AZ steam fire engines,
l3 hand engines (used in the outer districts only,
| The number of fires occurring during the year
was 594. The loss occasloned by these fires is es-
mated IN the aggregate to be about SO, 1872 177 of
| which Sl,975,s55 was covered by insurance-show-
| ing the loss over the amount insured to be ST.
| 217,142.
| The ambuances, 80 in number, belonging TO va
| rious companies (Which during the war were used
| for the conveyance of sick and wounded soldiers
and sailors), were used during the year 1866 for
| charitable purposes only.
| While 1t is pleasant to note that valuable SER
vices vices nave continued to be rendered by the Fire
| Department at large, it is not to be denied that
some OF the companies belonging to it have eVnced
| disposition TO renew those scenes of tumult and
| disorder which in former years too frequently
| state OF the organization the remedies for these
| troubles cannot be applied as promptly and efec-
| tually as a proper regard to the public peace and
| security demands, and it is much to be regretted
that the saluary measures of restraint and redress
| proposed in Councils were matured and
| adopted The subject is worthy OF early atten-
| ton.
The amount paid into the city Treasury as the
| receipts of the Department OF High ways for the
| year 1866 was S26,301 25, being increase over
the receipts of the previous year of s1797 81. The
| amount expended during the same period was
S375O33 81 beinga considerable decrease from that
| expended in 1865.
| The Commissioner reports that Sl32, 40 Dillon
| square yards of streets were newly paved during
| the year, making in all about "a miles; and that
| there were 26,9i9 square yards Of repaVing. The
bridges over the Wissahickon creek, which were
| swept away by the flood of July, 1865, have been
reconstructed at cost of S23,4S5 9l. The Penrose
| Ferry bridge, part of which was carried away by
the same fiood has also been rebuilt at a cost of
| $780, 140. The Wire bridge has been repaired and
| is reported to be in good condition.
The total receipts of the Department OF Market
Houses for the year 1866 amounted TO SS94S7 a. of
| which $d4,237 from rents of markets, being
increase of S705 over the year 1865 for the same
| item. The receipts for rents of WharVes and
! Landings during the same period were Si525O Al,
being increase over the year 1865 for the same
item OF S6549. IN The amounts appropriated for the