The Portland daily press., 1870-03-12
Total. ............
STREETS.

| STREETS.
| Extensive repairs are required on several of
the principal streets leading to the various
bridges. These streets are the inlet for all
travel from the adjoining towns, and though
used for heavy teaming are in very bad condi-
ton. Many of the cross streets need repairs,
particularly Mayo street, High street and Sa-
lem street. Some of the streets have gone so
long without repairs that the centre is lower
than the sides. 1t has been customary to give
the same crown to wide as to narrow streets
| which is great mistake, since, in year of
travel the centre of the street gets SO fiat
| that that water stands there and without
| proper drainage good street becomes poor
one. Another evil is that the sidewalks on
one side are sometimes one to three feet high
er than the other, and the consequence is that
when the snow mets In the spring the lower
side of the street is covered water and some,
times cellars of stores and dwelling houses
filled with water.
SIDEWALKS.
There have been laid by the city the pest
year 5456 running feet of sidewalk or little
over one mile, 1000 feet or two-fifths of which
were sidewalks relaid Bricks have been fur
nIoucu W parties WlSuluS 10 Dullu tuelF OWN
sidewalks.
Expended in past year in repairs of side
walks already built, 81, $3.50. He recon-
mends that one crew should be kept repair
ing walks during the working season. Curb
stones should be laid IL inches above the gut
tiers keeping walks dry and preventing car.
riages from running on sidewalks
PANlNG.
There have been 1897 square yards of paving
completed on the contract made with Gore s.
Payson of Boston last October to pave Port
land street from Preble to Green street, at
cost of $6,0498S. The actual amount of money
expended on the streets was So 1885 %, the bal
ance of 50, 064.66 was estimated cost of paving
stone on hand. There have been 1888 square
yards of paving reaid at expense of $1431.-
IS, and 27l5 square yards of paving laid in gut
tiers at an expense of $2256 46. He thinks the
cutters on streets on which the inclination is
2 feet per hundred or more should be paved
Immediately as the cost of paving them is less
expensive to the city than putting them in re-
pair every spring.
CITY TEAMS.
The'repairs upon city teams the past year has
been unusually large since the cart and sled
property was found to be in bad condition
when Mr.. Bailey took charge but one cart
out of nine not needing repairs. There has
been a change in regard to furnishing a one
horse instead of two horse team to two of the
fire companies. The cost of repairs on har-
nesses has been great and must be SO while the
horses sleep in them nights in the engine
houses. The fire Department has been fur
mic hod wit nd irbf Ir;x <I,o
year at the expense of ST, $4,000 of which six
horses and 4 drivers were kept in the engine
houses ready to start, and the other near at
band. He recommends that the horses and
drivers should regularly form part of the
Fire Department. the horses to be owned by
them and the drivers hired and paid by the
chief engineer and then If the Street Commits
sio,ier wants the horses let him hire them the
same as ifaDy private party owned them. He
deprecates the habit OF keeping horses stand
ing in the engine stables three days in
week as it makes them sick, all the horses be-
longing to the street department last year
that got sick being those used by the Fire De-
partment.
There has been expended for hay and grain
from April 1, 1869 to March LIST 1s7O-$3, o95 "a
aSaiuop S1ooo,oo ehO PiONiOoo yCah SuoWlbS
saving the past year OF SCOOPS as contrasted
with 1868 60. The bills for March will be
about $3.50, leaving balance of $3.50 saved in
this department alone.
The city stable ON Hanover street has been
put in first-rate condition, the grading being
done with street scrapings to the amount of
1926 cubic yards In regard to removing snow,
the first of the winter the city was divided into
five districts, four broken out by the engine
house teams and the other by the city team
at the Aims House, consequently the streets
have been broken out rapidly and each team
had its dnty clearly defined.
FINAL.
The Commissioner believes a record should
he kept in his Office of each days work show
ing when and for what purpose services were
performed, the work of teams and number of
loads hauled each day. This record would
show at once what money had been expended
on any street and what part of it. He would
also have shown what streets can be kept
cheapest as gravel streets and what require to
be paved
Also if city or contract teams are the most
profitable. From these notes also accurate es-
cost of proposed improvements
Total amount of money expended in the
Department for the past eleven months $72 96e .95
BY credit received from Fire Department
for use Of horses an1 drivers; sS,s2 ,o
materials sold and proportional cost or
cnrbstone purchased but not used sS9soo
Amount chargable to Department. 4,as717