The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-07-15
STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND THEIR COST.

STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND TEsEIR COST.
THE report Of Donald Allen, city Engineer,
for the year ending July LIST, 1875, shows that
during the year there has been 3,245S days
work done on the streets at cost Of So, III .f2E
including foreman's salary. OF this number
1851 days work has been done by the chain
gang, whose labor has been charged up at 25
cents per day, OF. sa21.374 which was never
paid, leaving the actual cost OF 8, 2454 days Ia
Dor s2,950.4l. sa06.12I of this sum is for servi-
ces rendered by CARTS which had been hired.
1t is the opinion Of the Engineer that this lat
ter sum could have been reduced had the city
owned its own carts.
The improvements made during the past
year are IS follows; A % foot stone arch
bridge over Lewis Street, containing AIS $500
cubic yards Of masonry and 24.S16 feet of tim
Der in the foundation.
New Courthouse Street has been opened to
full width of AZ feet, its entire length and bal
last enough has been prepared on the ground
to macadamized it from the Virginia Hotel to
the gas House. CURLING enough has also been
retained from the Main Street work to curb
one. side of it.
The Green vile road, which has heretofore
been almost impossible in winter, has been
macadanized from the Asylum gate to the
! Corporation line at Mr.. Ayres, for a single
track, and the Fishersvile road has also been
macadamized to the top of the hill.
| Prospect Street, from Augusta Street to Mr.,
Gilkeson, has been graded, ready for the curb
ing and pavement; the curbng is on the ground
and will be put in at once. Market Street has
been graded from Points Street one block
north.
! On Fillmore Street q box cglvert has been put
| in, and the fill partially made. A large amount
of rock has been blasted out of this street and
used elsewhere as ballast.
| The south end of New Street has been filled
in and the crossing reset On Church Street
a crossing has been put in and one block grid
ed for pavement and 249 yards Of pavement
laid. On Frederick Street q crossing has been
set in and 260 yards of pavement laid, and on
Market Street lis yards of pavement has been
laid.
Repairs have been made on augusta Street,
to the bridges where they needed it, to the Mid
dlebrook road and the road to the old fair
grounds, and the streets and cutters have been
cleaned weekly.
The principal cost incurred has been on Main
Street, between Market and Lewis. In that
distance the street has been graded, granite
curbing, crossings and gntterfng Laid and
splendid brick pavement. All of the cellar
| H. cub
stituted, the whole amountingt to some SO, 500
half Of which will be collected from the
property-holders along the street. All Of the
Main Street improvement has stood very we'll
except section Of the pavement. and curbing
! between Market and New Streets, which. ow-
| ing to the dryness when it was filled in, and
the subsequent rain, together with the eNcava-
ton Of the Granger building Foundation, has
sunk below the level.
Augusta Street north Of the bridge has not
been filed up to the proper grade, but when
this is done it is designed to raise the pavement
curb and guttering. The Engineer is anxious
to complete this work. by l,yeling the street
to the coping OH John Burns building. Mr..
| Allen claims in his report that these two eye
sores would never have existed, had he been
provided with roller, as desired, and invest
ed with authority to prosecute the work OH
Augusta Street to its completion.
The total expenditures Of the year have been
$40, 6s5.46a and deducting one half of the cost
of the Main Street improvement which will be
paid by the property holders, the amount is re-
duced to 4,455.53a.:
In concluding his report Mr. Allen sa1s !:
''The city needs more than ever a store crush
er with which to make metal to cover all the
streets and roads; a heavy road roller to COM
pact them with and her own carts to do the
hauling. To do only such work as can be COM
| pleted in a permanent manner and to persis-
tently fellow the general plan SO that all
work done in the city will in the end work TO-
gether to make complete whole.