The Portland daily press., 1876-03-04
About Calverts.
A Chapter for Mayor Kichardson.--The
New Calvert and the Boston One--The
luxurious Operations as Seen in
ihe Light of Economy Etc, Etc.

Cost.--Curious Operations as Seen i'm
she Light of Economy Etc, Etc.
PORTLAND, March 3, 1876,
To the Editor of the Press:
see by the Argus the other day that City
Solicitor Reed has become so much of an expert
on culver;s that he has put the Mayors organ
IN something that reminds one of one of the
patent traps in his new culvert.
did not intend to further notice the matter
until the Argus makes it appear that the city
mas saved money by changing the culverts, and
IN large type challenges "Cty Solicitor Reed or
any other man to point his finger to a single
piece of work upon cuverts and sewers the
past year that was not absolutely necessary to
be DONE"
First: Let me call the attention of the read
ers OF the PRESS to piece of work that was
not absolutely necessary to DO done. Within
six years at the end of the State street sewer
ON Grey street was built large "cess pool"
and into it was led three culverts built on the
corners of the street. No stencil ever passed
through either of these culverts, until some two
years after sewer was extended up Gray to
Winter entering this ''cess poof' with all the
vaults and sinks along its line-at once Great
ing nuisance to the entire neighborhood
Having discovered the cause of the stencil, the
remedy was simply to cut out the sewer from
the cess pool and connect it with the State
street sewer below. This was done easily in
the season. Now having abated the nuisance
what possible object had the com mittee to Or
der the two Gray street culverts dug up, and
replace them with the latest pattern, with
"stench traps" just as they would have done
had they not already abated the nuisabce.
Again, the PRESS of Wednesday said:
Now for this specimen of REFORM" In 1S74-5 the
committee drains and sewers built what is known
as the Boston cuyert-entirely different from those
which Mayor Richardson has built the past season.
Those built by ex-Mayor Wescott in 1874 required
set of four stones.
To which the Argus replied:
Yes, and Mr. Goodwin, city engineer. In his re-
cuysrs the Objections to then and that the cost Of
he better ones he has put in is only two-thirds that
the other classl
Now let us turn to the report of City Engi-
neer Goodwin and see just what he does say:
"Isoas authorized to Try this plan" (the new
culvert) says Mr.. Goodwin in his report, by
direction of the Mayor and Committee;" that
is. to abandon the Boston culvert which had
proved entirely efectual, and under the c,m-
mittee build % new and rebuild 40 old culverts
-68 in all. TIE sum expended as appears by
the report was about $11 ,000-an average cost
Of $3.50 EACH aclich is from $50 to $40 more than
the Boston culvert which were obtained last
year for Sic! I will only remark that the
principles of rotation will have to be charged
when $3.50 is but two-thirds of $110!
=. A. Al
competent engineer and one having an ex-
tended obtervation in that line observes of the
Mayor Richardson culvert:
I have examined them and do not find any
thing about them, to- commend them to any
practicable man. certainly not to warrant their SUBJ
sitution for culvert known to be unexceptionable
about the same expense as the other but if Boston
cost 500 and this new kind $50, the Boston would
sun sun Oe tne cheapest because it Is perfect combna-
be cleaned out of it for one-quarter the expense of
the other in this respect will pay itself every
face water 2, to receive the sand deposits, SO that
it can be taken out of the culvert corner Of the
performing this duty met with escape Of sewer
gases, which requires that there shall be cespool
OF trap attached to the cuvert to prevent their
cape. II they were water tight, few of them are af-
ter the first yearif it required to clean the
sand out of them after each heavy rain-which is
absolutely necessary 10 be done-and if it not
then II the water in them did not evaporate in hot
weather which it is sure to do should feel that they
vsg the s but for cu
The late John D. Bailey, civil engineer,
street commissioner under Mayor Putnam. in
his report says:
every purpose, and which serves alike for cesspool
and cuvert to catch the wash of the street, and save
from being carried into the sewer, what is called
the Boston culvert; it is easily constructed, larger
than any other in be cleaned out at one quar-
ter the expense of the Others does not require be
cleaned as often, and is cespool, well as cul-
vert"
One further remark as to workings of this
Richardson culvert and I am DONE The
following, from the Argus, will be appreciated
by the gentleman to whom reference is made
below:
Instead therefore. of lnow finding fault with the
Mayor, the City Engineer and the committee on
sewers he will. we trust, be at least as ready to
will publicly thank these officials, every intelli-
gent, candid citizen does, for the work they so
plished.
Near the corner of Spring and Emery streets
where lives well known lawyer, a culvert of the
new pattern was tried Had the Boston culvert
been used there would have been no stencil, but
instead the Richardson pattern was used, and the
result was almost insufferable, and the lawyer
kosutuS GuTcdtcueu du luulCGIDcQG IL QOL aDaC-
ed Now plank has been set up against the
opening and a load of sand dumped against it
to stop the poisonous gases. Next season it
must be rebuilt. This is what the Argus calls
economical, and these culverts, which offer no
resistance to the flow of poisonous gases and
known to be perfectly worthleSs. except when
filled with water, are declared better ones at
too thirds the price.
In your issue of yesterday you attempted to
give some figures respecting the sums spent
annually the past four years on drains and sew
ers, which might mislead the reader Each
year the appropriation for drains and sewers
has been $4,000. When sewers are construct
ed two-thirds of the cost is taxed to the abnt-
tors and the money paid into the treasury. In
the figures below the first column represents
the amounts assessed upon AUDITORS and paid
into the city treasury, while the second shows
the amount expended upon culverts, which is a
clear outgo:
1872........... ..,.....$7,214 10 $1,297 %
lSI3. ..,........... ..... s,0S6 "a 4,16l 60
1S74...........,....... 1901 90 1857 GA
1875. .................. 2,219 90 II 900 90
From the above it will appear that the aver
age sum assessed upon AUDITORS the past three
of the years named was $7733S1, and the
amount assessed by Mayor Richardson's policy
was $21l9-a difference of $5514 10 round num-
bers. The amount expended by his committee
fOr or,Iu obi haua haax, IL L.