Morning journal and courier., 1886-01-30


 chinery, etc, at any time.
 The buildings have been rebuilt in more compact and convenient form than the old ones. The arrangement of the crushers, screens, chutes, etc., have been entirely re- modelled, so that the work can be more con- veniently done and with large saving of power. The masonry retaining walls, which had become somewhat insecure by reason of the severe shocks and vibrations to which they wers subject, have been strength ened by substantial buttresses. The old wooden bins and partitions, which and expense, have been entirely removed and replaced by a single masonry partition wall which is all there is needed with the new ar engagement of screens.
 The entire cost of rebuilding, reitting, etc., is as follows.
 New buildings and machinery, S1 ,436 63
 Mason work and material, $1, ,35007.
 Repairing machinery, $1 ,664. 66.
 Cleaning up, moving, town crusher, ap- praisers, etc., $530. 67.
 Total, $4, ,962.o3
 At present but one large and one small crusher are used, but so planned that anoth- CT large crusher can be put in whenever needed without requiring any change in the buildings, screens, bins or main chutes.
 With the present plant road material should be made more economically than in previous years
 ROAD ROLLER.
 The steam road roller, indispensable in the construction of good Telford road, is in good condition and performs we'll the work required of it. But since it was purchased, more than a dozen years ago, improvements hsve been made in this class of machinery enabling the same work to be performed now at less cost. Moreover, our area of Ielford pavements has become SO extended that sys- tematic repairs are necessary. Where only slight repairs are needed patching with screenings does very well, but where the pavement becomes badly broken and rutted it is economy to clean out the dirt, put in a new layer of large crushed stone and bind them with screenings throughout by being rolled in by the steam roller. This makes a firm, hard surface, practically new pavement.
 WATERING TELFoRD PAvEMENTs.
 Good Te1ford pavements, while exceedingly pleasant to drive on, are expensive to main tain under the most favorable conditions. When kept constantly saturated with water the maintenance is not only very greatly in creased, but the pleasure of driving is at the same time greatly diminished. The soaking with water softens the top dressing so that it quickly grinds up into mud Some places are soaked more than others, and consequently softened and ground up more quickly forming little hollows or Impressions in which the water stands in pools. Each passing wheel digs the softened bottom of the pool little deeper and soon large holes and ruts are formed and extensive repairs are necessary.
 On the other hand, if the pavements are not watered, the top dressing becomes very dry and brittle and separates and blows off the dust. If, however, the surface is kept simply damp, the top dressing packs down firm and hard like cement, is slightly elastic and will wear a long time. The opinions and practices Of people in the matter of street watering are so very diverse that unquestionably placing the watering of Telford pavements under the control of the Board of Public Works, and forbidding any other watering of them, would be best for the pavements and for the payers.
 Fire Department.
 With the money already appropriated the fire alarm telegraph system will, during this year. be made as nearly perfect as the most recent and approved inventions can make it. When this work is completed it will be i'm possible to have a second alarm interfere with one already being sounded, The defects such as grounded and broken wires, if any, can be very easily located and hence more readily repaired, and the efficiency of this branch of the service made second to none in the country. In all ether
  usual high standard of efficiency and is ca pablo of affording as good protection as any similar department of equal size During the year the loss from fire was S75, 900; in- surance paid, S7,200; loss over insurance, S, 900. Incendiary fires are fortunately of rare occurrence, but one of any account hay ing happened during the year.
 The water service is in some portions of the city entirely inadequate to give needed protection, and this matter is of so grave @ nature that I trust it will receive your immediate at tention. If those who agree to provide water to give reasonable supply for the purpose of extinguishing fires do not ao as they agree to do, it is serious ques- YOU represent if you do not compel them to do so. If no one has promised to provide sufficient water supply for fire purposes, then the duty rests on you to see to it that such portions of the city as are not amply shall be attended to without de- ay.
 For more comprehensive review of the condition of this department you are referred o the report of it's efficient and gentlemanly thief.
 FIRE MARSHAL.
 Three hundred and fifty-four permits have been issued during the past year for build ngs classified as follows: 211 frame dwell ngs, 37 frame additions, 3S brick dwellings, additions, 31 frame barns, 3S permits for These improvements increase the enemsnts in the city by 426, being twenty :our more than in the year preceding, and he total value of the same is $1 ,029, ,275, an increase over last year of $13, ,965. The above statistics show conclusively that in material prosperity we are falling behind.
 Police Bepartment.
 During the past year MT. Charles F. Boil nan was chosen chief of the police force to uceeed the late Chief Charles Webster, who died January 1, 1885. after six years of aithful and conscientious service the head # the police. The statistics in the chiefs eport disclose the number of men at his call, heir work during the year, and the work lone by the patrol wagon and telephone sys- sm, together with the usual facts as to the nativity and occupation of the persons ar ested. etc. The total number of arrests for he year was 5, 5,642, of which l ,918, or more han one-third, were made at the Grand treet precinct; 1,500 were made in response o calls for the patrol wagon, besides which he wagon service was important in the trans ortation of persons to and from the precinct o headquarters and from headquarters to he jail. So favorably has the working of he patrol wagons and telephone ser as been made, by an appropriation f s, ,000, to extend the system hy putting p an entirely independent circuit radiating rem the Grand street station. The humanity of conveying helpless or iolent persons in wagons from point re- note from the station houses is enough to the system to me, aside from its reat utility in tending to making arrests ertain and in relieving policemen from the l ardships and physical exhaustion of drag ing prisoners long distance, and in the in reased police protection afforded by having he patrolmen on their beats. The appropriation for this year for the l apartment is $106, $50, against $10s, ,03O in 865.
 Board of Health. In addition to it's usual amount of work, | he Board of Health during the past year in | ugurated and carried out in large degree l house to house sanitary survey of the | ity. The survey is completed in the Sec | nd, Third, Fourth, Seventh and Ninth 1 ards. It is partly done in the Fifth ward | nd the rest of the city remains to be done. | careful record of the sanitary condition | each house in the city is thus at hand, l r will be when the work is finished, and | lust prove of great value in case of emer- ency by showing where the immediate | 'ork of the board can be most effectually | ppEed.
 The sanitary condition of New Haven as at resent compared with what itwas, say fifteen