The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-04-18
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
what IIns ncon Done Ia Dallas tnder
the cay Engineor's supervision
Daring the Past yoar..A Giimpsc
NJ the Annual Report,


A HERALD reporter yesterday called on
City Engineer Duncan to learn tho amount
Of labor performed during tho past year
within tho corporate limits of Dallas, and
tho character Of The improvements mado by
his department The following extract from
tho annual report Of tho CITY Engineer for
the ycar ending April 18th, 1880, was fur
nhhcd NJ During tho yoar he issued twenty
two building pormlts for brick or stone
houses, all IN the business portion Of tho city
.-cosllng about $4,000
There was constructed under ha auporyis'
ion 1860 lod Of adowalks, i7bi
foot Of wooden and stone pipe,
$50 feet Of wooden cutters, ~ box sewers Ut
slrorl-crossing., bridges, iS ltrcol.crosings
made Of gravel aud made ofwood, Grad.
lug hna been done on nearly all of tho pnnc'
pal streets 10 thu extent Of some four five
miles, That this work has been done nearly
entirely by tho street force employed under
him, with exception Of three bridges, which
were lot out by contract
Tho Engineer IN his report urges some NO
ton should bo lnkcn with regard ~ mncadam-
lzing or paving tho streets In tho business
portion of the city But before this Is DONE
TINT the necessary sewerage should be laid
to carry oil all the water aud liquid oihl that
would accumulate In that vicinity, Undcr
tho head Of
SANITARY FgGlNRERlS0,
lie says the terrible ravagCs which disease
hnp mndeppon many Of the principal cities
Of the Southern States hNs been caused by
noglecting the proper Drainage md ventilp.
ton, That the surface ON which this city Is
situated is undorlaid with mn uneven surfaced
solid limestone rock that n grcnt portion of
deposit ON this rock from ono To thirty
feet ism light sand or gravel and TINT the
lllty winter nccumulatcs In the basins Of this
rock, thereby furnishing the wells with II
very unwholesomc wnter That in order TO
properly convey Nil this winter and filth he
recommends system of small sewerage
west of sycamore street. pipes 10 be, say
eighteen to ycnty inches Ia diameter, as
being of sufficient capacity to convoy all the
water that would accumulate in that district
llo states that the genera! profile of tits city
Is such that II could be drained comparatively
cheap as to what many ether cities have To
pay for such work. Here commonds the abol-
lNUlltIl OF MI WNnifll hlutMNlkh, fANfnl
whore they nre NJ least eighteen inches above
the earth, on the ground that wood being n
non-conductor, that dampness, foul mir, noX-
ious gases generate under them and cause dis
agreeable odors and i'll health, In his report
he is also opposed to paving the streets
with wood, MS the county shows
II to be Rrst.class breeder
Of disesse, and no cites that
Is to-day tearing up her Nicholson pave
nents and replacing them with II macadam
Of rock and gravel.
In the erection Of houses no suggests that
all those that arc to DO built hereafter the
roofs of the same should BIO so constructed
except where alleys are in the rear, that the
rainfall will DO carried to tho front and con-
veyed into the street cutters, and also that
houses without cellars should DO SO built
that the sleepers, or lower joists, will be at
least fifteen or eighteen inches above tho
earth, to afford ample ventilation.
To hereafter guard against tho danger of
good and competent men be appointed, their
term of office to DO for one year, to make
examinations and condemn all SUCH
That all buildings hereafter to BIO erected to
be classed as first, second, third, etc., (des-
cribing the same) so that no advantage may
be taken of the authorities by contractors,
who mako their bids too low to pay expenses
and erect house that IS liable to TALL by the
time they are finished. He also suggests
that no more wooden awnings DO allowed,
except they be capable of bearing at least
forty pounds to the square foot, and recon-
mcnds the sbolshing OF wooden signs hang
ing across the sidewalks. He makes other
suggestions with regard to requiring gas6t-
ters and plumbers and others making excava-
tons on tho streets, etc., and several other
minor matters which perhaps would not be
OF general interest.