Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-03-30

ceptible temperature would be reduced 25o t.
Toe wherever the pew plan enabled us to wall
in shaoe instead of the sun. Sergeant Barwicl
is my authority for these figures.
had some practical experience in this lin,
while visiting Arizona last year. Arizona, In
measure, deserves the reputation it has, becsus
it is practically a treeless, desert country
Phoenix is a new city in Arizona, which, true Z
the legend of the Grecian myth, Phoenix, ha
risen from the ashes of the burning Arizona de
sert, and with such rapid growth that il has al
ready wrested the capital from Prescott. 1t i
in The center of an irrigated section, which i
| one vast alfalfa field and the streets of III,
| town are watered and planted TO shade trees
| Suffice 1t to say that when struck Phoenix
| could hardly realize was still in Arizona. l
the thermometer was no lower the effect on me
| was the same as if it had been by fully 20 de
| grees. So much for temperature, and as fo
| beauty we must leave that for time and prac
tioal test TO convince us, II we cannot be salts
| fed with the reports of observing citizens whC
have visited Eastern cities, and by picturing the
| scene in our Imagination.
Now as 10 the expense.
We have no idea that many of the pres
ent improved roadways, where curbing is sci
and numerous houses built, viii be narrowed
| for some years to come, ii ever; bu- on new
| roadways there is no extra cost, unless we are
willing to consider some things an offset to cost
and have them regardless of cost Let us con-
slider the economy possible, if desired. II
houses are set on the lot with the idea of front
yard, after our present fashion, which gives an
average depth of twenty or thirty feet, we would
| have that much front yard to take care of any
| how. suppose in new districts We have the
| street lawn; would we not attain the desired
end by setting the houses back only twelve or
| twenty-five feet instead of twenty or thirty as
| now? We could then put in low curbing instead
of fences, or erect light wire fences, or DO away
with both curbing and fences, and take advan-
| tage of the extra eight feet street lawn. This
would give us eight feet more back yard for our
children or chickens, and where we have an
SOfoot corner lot on main street, and desire to
set a number of hOllS3S facing the side
our S0.foot lot would be as Ioomy as an IS foot
lot is to-day. This is simply hint to the econ
omists, and not an expression of my own ideas
of what would be desirable.
have figured this all on basis of the sup
position that Sacramento will continue to favor
front yards-one OF our most redeeming features
to-day, and, in fact, about the only thing that
renders it a beautiful city in spite of Its poor
business buildings and impossible, filthy,
muddy streets. But we are not contending yet
for narrow roadways, where graveling il to be
the material used in their improvement. We are
only asking that before any more streets are
improved we be permitted to try the expert
ment of narrowing one roadway and paving
with bituminous or asphalt rock. Where we
use this rock we contend that there is saving
worthy of consideration. Who would dare hope
to get roadway paved, curbed, ETC., full
forty eight feet wide and for number OF con-
secutive blocks at an expense of s. rs per front
foot or $3.50 for forty foot lot? l say no one
would be warranted in making the attempt. II
the roadway is narrowed down to thirty-two
foot or S2i4 on a forty-foot lot. This is saving
of - 65 per front foot sI06 on forty foot lou
or, II we figure on l street, from Thirteenth to
Thirty first the saving would be in round num-
bers 80 500, or enough to keep up streets and
lawns for long time, and which, if put out at
6 per cent. interest, would yield enough to pay
three men, at $50 month each, to keep The
street III order; or, If the city should keep it
clean and the paving company guarantee it for
five years and contract to keep IL in repair for
the next hve at the rate OF 2.6o cents per square
foot, at the end of ten years this $50 500, with
interest and the repairs saved on the other six
teen feet added to il, would yield a fund large
enough to lay complete new coating of as
phaitum at fifteen cents per square foot and
leave balance in the fund of S2o 900 to go
through the same mill. In short, the saving
on the sixteen feet, if put at per cent interest,"
would keep us in good pavement on the other
thirty-two forever. The estimates just men
toned were made on a basis of the most ex-
pensive kind of bituminous rock pavement
should we conclude the kind lately laid in
Oakland, at an expense of seventeen cents per
square foot, as good enough, there would then
be saving OF only 81 20 per front foot, or Sos
for forty foot lot. This is more than the cost
OF grsyelng to-day, and the condition OF our
streets is proof positive of what an item this is
1t is surely worth saving and If we use the 2S%
cent pavement the saving would be over one
and half times the cost of grayeling hereto
fore.
There is still another saving that is no small
item. 1t is nearly one third the cost OF street
sprinkling; and this is more especially worth
considering when we bear in mind that when
ever we attempt to put one hundred drops of
water on our streets the bondholders stand with
purses wide open and catch fifty-fve drops be-
lore they reach the ground; and this is still
more OF feature when we consider that every
4o cents OF water used means 81 taxes, or for
every dollar saved We actually save 81 y, less
what our Funded Debt Commission gets out OF
the So per cent.
ways are to be narrowed must be lett until we
have decided to narrow the roadway. l cannot
say that am welded to any particular plan,
and though am not fully convinced of the
desirability of putting the cutters in the middle
of the street, will suggest plan that should
meet with the approval from all who favor
economy and are against lawns This plan can
meet with no opposition from the advocates of
parked streets, Tor there would be no trouble in
putting out grass later on, if desiret. 1t would
do away entirely with individual care of this
space inside the curbing.
Starting at the fence-line, a sidewalk of eight
feet could be laid first, right next to the fence
Then consider the proposed improved part of
the street to be bounded by the outer line of the
walk, and TO start on slope to the center of the
street. The l6 feet next to the sidewalk could
be filled with gravel, or, on cheap job, with
the earth taken from the center ofthe street. This
space would probably stand and need more
slope than the rest of the work 1t would be
Just the place for all pipes sewers, underground
wires. telegraph poles and streetcar lines
street-cars should run next to the sidewalk and
up one side of the street and down the other.
IL is not expected that any streets with car
lines on will be narrowed, but this would be a
good place to put the tracks, if, as Mr.. Rivett
suggested, we wake up some fine morning to
find that the Trustees have granted franchise
to a car line to run past our doors. Thekstreet
would be safer from injury than now, bGh as
regards car-tracks and bad refilling or repairing
consequent upon the laying of gas mains or
introducing gas into new buildings.
Hilching posts could be put at the outer edge
OF this space 10 prevent teams pCsching on 1t,
and other posts or tropical plants could be dis.
tIibuted methodicaliy over it TO prevent contin-
uous travel thereon. but not, however, so as TO
prevent the butchers or grocery wagons from
driving up to the walk and driving out again at
the ne 1t opening. Buggies could also be driven
IN here and h1tched to the posts thus afIording
safe place from passing runaways. There is
so far 10 lawn, nor are there any trees, but we
could have lawn instead of dirt and trees in
stead of posts If desired. At the outer edge of
this l6-foot space it might be w-ll to put some
stone bio ks or long stone curbing to make
line of demarkation and protect the pavement
from wheeis running OFT and on the lobby or
side space.
l made rude drawing of this plan and
placed 1t IN a show-window. The aHing,
however differs from the above in that II
shows cutters on the side instead OF single
gutter in the center, and must say prefer the
cutters. 1t also shows two feet OF lawn inside The
walk and two feet outside. This is not neceS-
sary and could be done away with, or if lawn
is desirable it could be extended at will. With
no obstruction, such as car TRACKS and standing
vehicles, all of the thirty-two feet would be
X street at Fifth ,o-d7y.
II the city orders street graded in this way
and 1t Is so improved by the property owners
aud accepted by the city and The ouIer line of
the sidewalk taken as The boundary line IL is
ever thereafter a ch ge of the city and must
be taken care OF at public expense If the
Street superintendent tails to ,etp it in good
order, h can be sued for damages lay the in
iured property holder. and there is State law
which would render his bondsnen liable This
is the same law as would enable citizens who
have improved their streets to compel the city
to take ..are of them. This law has never been
enforced, but If enforced it would remove one
wcighty objection 10 street improvement and
answer the question, "Whst is the use of nv
gravelirg street If the city allows my neigh
bor's mud TO be carted in on top of my grayelg'
have made the drawing with an idea of
pleasing those opposed to trees and lawn, but
after my own ideas regarding the CUTTERS ex-
cepting the exact shape of the cutters and
material used in making them Iftrees should
be desired the posts used as distractions could
be removed and tree. planted to do like service
ana TO afford shade for man and beast.
But ninety-nine people out of every hundred
seem to be opposed to the ideas we are adyanc-
ing Many say we are too poor to think OF a
butuminous rock pavement that we shall let
our streets rensin as they are unit; we are out
of debt 1t seems to me that If the newspapers
are correct, we have the boot on the other leg
already, and that the bondholders are in our
debt or would be. If they would only visit the Su-
preme Court a few more times and depart each
time leaving the city Si00,0OJ richer But,
seriously, If we do have few bonds outstand-
Ing, let us remem Der we have what few other