Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-18

STREET AND SEWER REPAIRS.
| The Annual Report Of superintendent
J burrows = How the Appropriations
Have Been Expended-PermitW work
and the Work hOuse Labor.
Mr.. John ]. Burrows superintendent ofstreets.
has submitted to Major Lydecker, engineer
Commissioner of the District, the report OF work
| done under his SUPPLEMENTARY during the
| fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1855. The totai
| expenditure under the appropriation for cur
rent repairs to streets. avenues and alleys was
S24 ,999 81. The work done was as follows:
| CobbIe and rubble pa vement laid, square yards,
| &c. 769; granite block, 2,61l; Macadam, resnr'
| faced, So $3.50; brick sidewalk laid, 1O,937;
| asphalt block, 211; gravel roadway repaired,
55676; curbstOne set or reset, lneal feet, 500;
| Tagging 81. i "a; sewer pipe laid or relaid, 81;
| drops and traps built, o: gutter bridges, %;
| fumes repaired, 1; miscellaneous minor re-
pairs, dangerous holes, &c, 645.
| Six public dumps were regulated during the
year. Under the appropriation for repairs to
N-street bridge across James Creek canal, on
| the north roadway of k-street bridge across
bridge across Rock creek. The wooden curb Of
P-street bridge was repaired, and several minor
repairs were made during the year. The total
cost of this work, including that OF the material
on hand was 81 ,256.17.
CLEANING STREETS AND SEWERS.
Under the appropriation for sweeping, clean
| ing and sprinkling streets and avenues snow
and ice were removed from the crossings of the
principal streets and avenues six times during
the winter, and twice from the roadway OF
Pennsylvania avenue, between LIST and 18th
streets northwest. On March Sd snow and ice
were removed from streets and avenues on the
route of the inaugural procession. The road.
way OF New York avenue, between eth street
and the Boundary, was cleaned and sprnkled
during the spring and fall meetings at the Ma
tonal Fair grounds. Various cutters, roadways,
sidewalks and alleys were cleaned, aggregating
In length as follows: Cutters, sidewalks and
roadways. 11.43 miles; alleys. 17,1SO lineal
feet. This work was done on unimproved
and foremen for Wortho s; s gang. s5.seois;
OF this amount there was charged to apprOpria-
ton Tor cleaning alleys. $s69.12.
A total of So, 900 was expended in the work
OF cleaning and repairing lateral sewers and
basins.
The total expenditure for cleaning tidal sew
erS was $4,000.
The Tiber sewer was cleaned from Pennsylva-
MIA avenue to ID street southwest.
The B-street incercepting sewer was cleaned
from 9TH street to its outlet at 18th street.
Seventy-two cuts were made by plumbers and
Others in granite block. asphalt block and trap
block pavements, and We're repaved. The cost
| OF the work was paid from deposits made by
plumbers and others.
PERMIT WORK.
A statement is given of the permit work done,
as follows:
Surface work-Brick pavement laid, square
yards, 1884 cObble and rubble pavement
laid square yards, S.964; granite block pave
ment laid. square yards. 1,124; asphalt block
sidewalk laid, square yards, 617; asphalt block
roadway laid, square yards, 2,25S; Macadam
roadway laid, square yards, 1000: curbstone
set lineal feet 5,9l4; tagging laid. ineal feet,
and drops built, 5; cost of materials TO permit
fund, S25. 1850; cost of materials to property
oWners s93s6l; cost OF materials on hand,
S4O4.16; cost of labor TO property owners
ST., S54.97: total cost, $50, 71434.
Sewers-Pipe sewers laid, linealfeet, 1888
traps and drops built, Z; manhoes built, 10
cost of materials To permit fund, 81 9476l
cost of materials to property owners $9561O
cos, Of labor TO property owners, So: 1880
cost of labor to other appropriations, 1858 So
cost of materials on hand, $47S.S4 total cost
OF sewer work, S13 ,6SO17
So3,455.11. The cost of repairs to guaranteed
contract work, paid for out of contractors re.
tain funds, was S3,597.5O.
UNDERGROUND TELEGRAPH.
An underground telegraph conduit was laid
at a cost of S415.s3 for the Western Union Tel
egraph company, commencing at their Offices
at corner of 18th and F Streets thence to and
along 14th street to New York avenue: along
New York avenue in center parking to q point
between 10Th and 18th streets At this ,Oint
the work stopped by reason of an iniunc-
ton against the erection of poles on eth street
to receive the cables laid in the conduit.
The report gives also an account of the work
of examination in the old HOlmead cemetery
and the work done by the office in clearing
time of the United States hotel disaster The
total cost of all work done under MIR. Burrows
super1ntendence was S119,S72.24.
wORKHOUsE LABOR
"Gangs of wOrkhOuse prisoners the report
continues, "were employed under police sur
Vigilance in cleaning filthy cutters, alleys,
streets, etc, and in draining ponds filling dan
gerous holes, ETC., ETC., for which regular ap-
preparation of money was available. The en-
ployment of this labor was las heretofore. on such
work as would have remained undOne for want
of money to pay for doing il. Besides the nu-
merous holes. bitches, ponds. etc., cleaned or
roadways, sidewalks, etc., 159 miles; ALLEYS
35l2 miles; grading 18th street, between b and
northeast, 600 cubic yards. Railroad track
and dump cars, were provided for by appropri-
alton and were used by another and larger
gang of these prisoners in grading streets in the
of Mr.. w. H. Stoutenburgh, intendant of the
Washington asylum. During the year l6, OBS
days labor was expended on the work and
Pennsylvania avenue was graded from 9th to
18th street, also q street from Pennsylvania
avenue to 18th street and 14th street from
this work it became necessary to lay sewer pine
to drain streets, ETC., north of the FILL and con-
demned pipe was furnished for the work and
was laid by these labOrers. 61S feet of l5-inch
pipe sewer was laid. The present sanitary con-
dition of the city is in great measure due to
the work done by this force, especially in the
outlying and unimprOved parts"
ALLEYS.
OF the repairs to cobble pavement and flags
there were laid in alleys S,s91 square yards of
cobble pavement and 5,946 feet of tagging
during the year. Yet Notwithstanding this
amount of repairing Mr.. Kinds, inspector of
alley cleaning, reports about 5000 yards re-
quiring to be re-laid in order to properly clean
the alleys as well as to prevent water collecting
In pools and becoming stagnant. In many Of
the alleys the travel Is very heavy, and being
narrow wagons and carts are compelled to 90
over the same track, or varying from it only
few inches, cause the cObbles to become
loosened. To keep the alleys paved with this
material in good order where used for business
purposes will require constant repairs, and il
would seem to be true economy to pave such
with granite blocks laid with tar concrete in
the joints. The thrty-fOOt alleys used for heavy
travel could have strip in the center paved
with the latter material of half the width of the
alley. This would reduce the cost of repairs
materially and in the end result in saving to
the District, to say nothing of improved sani-
tary conditions.
LATERAL SEWERS.
The work Of laying pipe sewers in the past
was In many instances very Improperly DONE
No concrete was used to protect them, and many
OF the Joints are without bands or cement
others have become displaced at the Joints,
ana tree roots have entered and grown to such
an extent as TO close the pipes entirely in MANY