Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-07
EReport of City Engineer.

EReport of City Engineer.
OFFICE or Cry ENGINEER, AND
ENdINEER OF BOARD OF PUBLIC Works,
ST. PAUL, Minn., January Is, 1879.
To the Board of Public Works and City Coun-
Gil:
During tho year 1873 there have been thirty
six contracts for works ordered bv the citv in
charge of this office.
The work finished comprises:
Streets graded, 5.73 miles,
costlhg ......... S2l 1888 so
Street pavement 026
miles, costing. ... 5,Ol4 IL
Sewers, 1882 miles, costing 46, 9O2 3S
Sidewalks, 2.06 miles, cost
Road in Dakota; county, ' ~
OTIS miles, costing. 2,O12 GO
Fire clstern, costing. 1881 46
81 Total cost. $7s,7ls 60
OF which there WAS OK
pended in 1877. 1856 81
Expended sts Ed, IN ls7s....... $40, 1872 90
The work now i'll progress is:
Street grading, 1856 miles,
estimated cost $tS471 o.
Sewers, 0.3i miles, est-
mated cost. ........ II TIC E0
Sidewalks, 2.7S miles, est-
mated cost. ........ 27S6 90
Total estimated cost $50 0s3 81
amount expended i'll 1873. 5000 81 2S OgO 81
Estimated to complete
work III progress $50 942 ~
Total cost CT work
done III 1673... S;,S 293 On
1he cost OF this Office fer 1878, including
Inspectors and exclusive OF City Engineers
salary is 81 ,676.ll, divided as follows:
surveying for private persons, col
leojed and paid to City Treasurer, SI66 20
surveying, for private persons, not
Collected. Observation-Disclosures. n m
charged FOR surveys for and superin-
tcndence Of public improvements.
and included in assessments there
9 Tor. preparedness. 5,455 10
Surveys and plans for street openings
and included III assessments there
lot. Observation-Disclosures. Ok 70
miscellaneous work charged to ward
funas.. Observation-Disclosures. $50 81
S7,S76 IL
Inc charges for experimenting contract
VOTE amount to an average of 5 Clio Der cent
OF the cost OF the work. The average in 1877
was per cent
Inc amount of work charged towards funds
IS much less than in 1877 (whea il amounted to
s5'lo6.6G) This is owing to the time BEING
llaore constantly taken up by works of con.
structlon. ltincludes surveys and ieyellinrs
or streets, and making plans and protiles there
ol, surveys to locate section corners, making
copies OF street profles for record and for CITY
CieiK once, examining sewers and superin-
teholng sewer connections, superintendinp
work done at cost OF city, work for city attor
hey ana attendance at court. There have been
more than forty miles of new street protiIes
mace this year, mostly in the Fourth ward.
ana Still! awaiting the action OF the CITY Conn
Gil for their adoption
The cost to city OF engineering for the
- year IS, for miscellaneous work. :. 81 1853 81
'or C1sy Engineers salary .......... $500 90
The official report Of the proceedings of the
last meeting of The City Council contains a
statement of the health officer that there, is a
necessity for AN officer whose duty it should
be to examine the sewers and make regular re-
ports on The sanitary condition Of the same
me sewers arc In charge Of the City Engineer
ana have always been sufficiently inspected.
those made wi: hin the last six wears are rem
orally clean. But the cider ones in the sand
rock are IN the worst possible condition, as has
been continually reported by my predecessor
ana myself This statement includes the Frank
i'm street sewer and its branches, the Ramsey
street sewer, the old st. Peter street sewer, and
the old Wabashaw street sewer Nearly all Of
the Old ST. Peter street sewer is now replaced
by a new one, and the part OF the Wabashaw
street sewer above Seventh street is now beino
reconstructed. The larger part of all these old
covers are mere ccsspools, retaining the filth
that are thrown into them. Complaints are
constantly made Of offensive smells at the
street corners, wherever there are nlets to them.
fhyslcians generally agree that such diseases as
typhoid fever and diphtheria originate in, and
That their spreading is encouraged by emma
tons from such collections of sewerage fill,
which may poison the air Of dwellings without
being perceptible to the inmates. 1t is we'll
known that six cases Of typhoid fever, one of
them fatal. occurred lately in a house in this
city, which was drained into IL cesspool prob
ably no worse than the greater portion OF the
above named sewers.
The remedy is to make new sewers. Their
COST judging from the cost Of the St. Peter
street and Waba'haw street sewers will slightly
exceed the usual cost of new sewers IN the
sand rock. There is no other public improve
snent SO necessary and important to the public
health.
A detailed statement Of The contracts for
work which his been carried on in charge of
this Office during the year, is appended hereto.
Very respectfully,
J. s. SEwALL
City Engineer.
f0mpleted Duyin1 1873.