Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-19
PAVE THE CITY'S HIGHWAYS. ANNUAL REPORT OF CITY ENGINEER FLOYD F. WELD.

WOfk in the street ana sewer 1cpdFt- ments.-NIr. weld's Plan of Paving the Streets.
 City Engineer Floyd F. Weld made his annual report to the Board of Sewer Com missioners last evening, and it was adopted and ordered on file. The report covers 2S pages of manuscript and is noticeable for the thorough and concise manner in which all departments are covered. The work in the sewer department for the year 1887 is reviewed and the necessity of paving the streets is urged. This DOT tion of the City Engineers report is speci- ally interesting, and we regret that space compels us to give a summary of this part of his report.
 During the year eighteen streets were severed and storm sewer built on East Main street. The work of construction has been very satisfactory and cheap, and each contractor has done his best to finish according to specifications. The difference between the highest and lowest bids on any contract was S4, ,158.14. In one, contract amounting to over S1O,000 the difference in bills was only S17.5O This is very close bidding, and can only be done when the complete. Surveys and plans for the River street intercepting sewer are in pro gress If the arrangements for right of way are cOnsummated this winter the work of construction can be begun in the spring. It should be the first work begun in the season, for the length of sewer is consider able and contractors will need all the working time they can get before the frost sets in
 The location of the outfall into the Nau- gatuck river should be changed. The one T feet below the Burnham street bridge, and the one at Bank street should be removed through sewer in South Riverside street to point on the west bank of the river be- low Burnham street bridge. At this point the river has narrow channel; the flow of water is always sufficient to carry away the sewage at once, instead of leaving 1t to spread over the gravel bars, as it now does, or settle in the stock water above the dam TThe Sewer Commissioners last night rec commended this work.-Repl. The outfall for the proposed intercepting sewer in River street will be at or near the place mentioned as the proper one for the Bene- dict and Bank street sewers, so that in the | future when it becomes necessary to find an outfall further away from the city for the purpose of purifying the sewage every thing will be in shape to be easily extended | down the river to the place selected.
 The length of sewers in use January |, 1887, equals 7S,511.32 feet; the length of sewers built in 1887, equals 9,597. 80 feet; total length of sewers in use January 1, 1888, equals SS, 109 12, or 1869 miles. HOUSE CONNECTIONS.
 A total of ,206 house connections have been made with the sewers up to the pres ent time of which number 237 were put in during the past season. The house con- nection inside the house is the final work of system of sewers The care and skill exercised in the planning of this portion of the work has much to do with it's ultimate | success as a sanitary measure. To prevent unwisely designed and poorly executed house drains has been the aim of sanitary engineers for years. A code of rules has of thinking men, which if faithfully fol lowed will lead to a safe and satisfactory ! system of plumbing. in our homes.
 STREETS.
 Only Draher, Dublin, Hickory, Scovill, South Main and Waterville streets were graded by contract. The notable move in truing up of curbs, walks and gutters was in Bishop, Cherry, Dublin, Grove, Union | and South Main streets. A small piece of covering on Great Brook, which was sup posed to be a permanent cover, has proved to be made of blanks and in a dangerous condition. This was replaced with per- manent iron cover with substantial walks. The water way is now sufficient to carry a flood, and the usual backing up of water in Little Brook and the consequent flooding of cellars is no longer feared. The remain ing stretch of Great Brook from Bank toEast Main street should, the engineer says, be treated in the same manner to put it in proper sanitary condition.
 SIDEWALKS AND CUTTERS.
 The granite crosswalks, he says, are a great improvement over the old walks of marrow flags and cobbles. Referring to guuters, he says that the old gutters were made trough shaped, lower outside the curb than at the curb line, using much of the roadway and giving no support to the curb and sidewalk. As a consequence of making this style of gutters, we have curbs and walks with constant tendency to crowd into the street. broken concrete to walk upon and a narrow roadway for car riages There are whole streets where these old gutters should be relaid. They should be about eight inches deep at the curb and rise gradually without any depression to- wards the center of the street. Cutters laid in this way will carry all the water and give from three to five feet of addi- CloIdl IOduWdy oCIOOCo IIe'FO OOC1I worked with too much crown in the center, causing them to wash badly in heavy storms and giving only a narrow track for travel in the center, and with the old style gutter are almost dangerous to drive upon. The center of the street should be only just high enough above the gutter to turn the water to the side. Any more than than this makes them like side hill where the road surface is gradually crowded down to the gutters by the wheels, making the cost of cleaning and repairing the roadway greater than it would be with fatter sur face.
 MT Weld calls attention to the various pavements, referring at length to the Trim idad, which costs from S3.25 to S3.75 per square yard; asphalt blocks which cost S3 per square yard, granite dimension blocks, at from S2.5O to S2.0O per square yard, sandstone, at from S3 to $3.5O, wood at $5, telford at $2.5 to $2.75. On this subject MT Weld says: For business streets where traffic is heavy engineers gen. orally are of the opinion that granite blocks make the most durable and most satisfactory pavement. Waterbury has reached that stage of it's growth when