Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-02
DIR. SHIELDS AGAIN.
He Offers Some Suggestions About Streets
that 9aam Practical

He Offers Some Suggestions About Streets
that Seem Practical.
EDS. SUNDAY UNION: There is but one
way to do anything, and that is to be-
gin. The end of the American Revolu-
ton was not seen from the beginning
only taxation without representation. If
we formulate plans it must be under our
dim vision 1--WE are inexperienced), while
we are at work. When twelve years of
age helped 10 work on our county roads
in Kentucky. Our Oyerseer filled up the
ruts with dirt and brush, and they looked
very we'll for few days. l was set to work
at the entrance to bridge, and filled the
mud-holes with rocks, with which the
Overseer was so much pleased that he sent
several more men, and got pretty lasting
lob in much-needed place.
That is Just what we need now. NJ street
is lust such q place. There are thirteen
blocks between Fifteenth to Twenty-eighth
streets. From Twentieth to Twentieth
eighth streets the grading is old and not cut
up. This leaves ten blocks, and some of these
have only a few mud-holes. The street
railroad is already in place and could make
connections with gravel pits in six hours.
But no one seems to see it. Out OF defer
ence to Mr.. Hebron, l did not urge the NJ
street method. But l do not see that his
method is put in operation-now, nearly
eight days are gone. If he is in the land
of the living, and his plans not dead. |
will defer to it. If postponed, will wait.
am afraid that if we do not fix our
street at once, the weather will dry it
ND and we shall not need the work. But
then, we are not sure but it may rain more.
/ am misunderstood. To call the work on
NJ street an improvement is going too far.
| only proposed to fill up the mudholes on
the south side of NJ and make it passable
for teams and when a place becomes too
muddy or cut up, dump in small car of
gravel more. If the street has in the
spring some benefit from gravel remaining
in sight, all right but was perfectly sin
cere in offering to give 81 for dumping two
loads in front of my 400-foot lot, which
would make it passable for teams, and if
another load were needed, it could be
added when needed.
Begin by making NJ street passable, and
when the ball is in motion give n street
touch, and L also. The more we improve,
the more we will improve. Yet we must
not put all our money into the streets, for
the reason that good many have already
put theirs into the gutter. Excuse the d.
vergence.].
When saw the frost yesterday morning
hit Sergeant Barwick cuff for predict
ing rain within thirty hours, and was
ready to gamble on it, but I see it is cloudy
again and am glad kept my money.
close this suggestion as l began, with
the word begin f" l have waited for
Mr. Hebron and the Trustees TO fence
against floods, as / ought TO have done;
but now the Trustees must up and at
IN IN
them. During the Revolution some one
told Ben Franklin that the English resi-
dents would get the benefit without hav
ing helped. He said " If you were on
sinking ship, would you refuse to man the
pumps because few rats would be saved?''
1t will take the two months of changea-
BILE weather to consider and adopt the best
method of street improvement. When
this has been done there will surely pre-
sent from time to time notifications as
experience shall suggest.
If the proposition were so simple that it
could be expressed in few words such as,
you get the money and I'll do the work, it
could be st once adopted or rejected. But
being more complicated, it can still be
treated in the same way, adopted or re-
jected; but there are preliminaries and
interests to be adjusted and systematized to
be attended to first. This must be done in
full and not in brief.
A part eff street improvement must be
done by general taxation. The Trustees
must provide ties and rails, dummy engines
and steam shovels, and keep them re-
paired. They must pay in the same way
for the wear and tear of track to Folsom
and all other sources of supply, and add to
this the percentage on capital invested in
these ties, rail-, dummies, railroads, etc, and
the csrs and operation of them that may
be inherent in their use, including accounts
of shipping and delivering, and also pay
civil engineers and surveyors.
II will be optional with Trustees to hire
the use OF these, with obligations 10 replace
them resting on the furnishers for time
specifed-e;ther free or at fixed cost.
The property Of the streets to be i'm