The record-union., 1892-08-13
STREET REPAIRS.
Something That Should Receive Con-
slant Attention.
How Well-Graveled Highways Are
Neglected Here-Comparison With
the French System.

There is probably not another city IN
the Union of thirty thousand inhabitants
that spends as much money on its streets.
with as poor results, as Sacramento. The
custom has been TO allow them to get full
OF holes, hollows and ruts, and to re-
main in that condition for eleven months
and three weeks of the year.
Once year, in the spring, little work
is done in the way of shoveling some
dirt out of the cutters and throwing it
into the larger holes, and this smoothing
over process lasts about one week, when
the streets become just as bad as before,
and are allowed to remain so until the
next spring. There are to-day finely
graveled streets here, which cost the
property-owners heavy expenditures of
money, that are hardly fit to drive upon.
They are full of holes and covered with
cobbleStones scattered about loosely, and
some Of them have been so long avoided
by drivers OF vehicles that grass and
weeds are growing in the centers of the
thoroughfares.
In some countries-France, for instance
the country roads receive better care
than do our city streets. They are
almost as smooth as asphalt, infinitely
more satisfactory to travel over, free from
mud and dust, and altogether satisfac-
tory. 1t is not the organization which
had to do with the building of the roads
which gives such grand results. 1t is the
system OF repair and constant attention
which keeps the French roads in perfect
condition. Gangs of men are not seen
working on the roads. From the neat
piles OF broken stone along the roadside,
an occasional workman picks a few
pieces, puts them into q place which
shows a slight weakness, hammers them
down and passes on. This one stitch in
time" keeps the road good
The chief point is that the road is not
allowed to wear out or show evidences
OF decay. There is a man watching every
spot which shows the slightest weakness,
and because of this constant attention,
extensive repairs are never necessary.
French roads are renewed by the hand
full. One man cares for miles of roadway,
The people of France have, at moderate
cost, highway that never deteriorates.
The road is always in ideal condition
The cutters are trimmed, the grass pIats
along the side are always neat and clean,
and the main bitches on the outside are
free from all rubbish.
This system of caring for highways
amounts to constant, everyday patrol
in search Of the slightest evidence of i'm
perfection. The result is that these i'm
pertectlOnS are never observable to the
ordinary traveller. He is soon led TO eX-
pect perfection and sees nothing else.
All this is the result of constant dIligent
tar-reaching organization. The economi-
cal and prudent French people know
that it pays TO build good highways, and
that it pays still better to take good care
of them.
In a recent article on the care of roads
and streets, the ADler5ca4l -Agricultu7qst
says: sit is entirely possible to devote a
large amount OF thought and money to
the construction of streets and roads, and
vet miss the essential point. To have
good highways means something more
than to build them. 1t means system
of maintenance, a system for their care,
which is far more complex, far more diff
cult OF organization, than that which has
to do with building them. The building
OF a road Is an engineering problem, in
volvlng knowledge specification and su-
perintendence. These will build good
road, but the mind which builds has its
application only during the process of
letting the contract and attending to its
execution. The everyday care of the
highway is far more important Con-
struction is the work of a relatively short
time; maintenance is an organization
which must extend over all time. 1t is
something more than knowledge. 1t
means continuous vigilance as well as
knowledge.
There is no kind of road which viii
not depreciate If neglected, and there is
none which cannot be brought to a state
of excellence by diligent attention and
constant, but slight repairs"
1t has been matter Of surprise to peo-
pie visiting this city that the authorities
allowed good streets to become dug out
and cut up, with no attempt being made
to keep them in repair. Half the money
expended on them by the present sys-
TEN, would, if properly used, keep them
constantly in good condition.
Within the last three years about half a
million dollars has been expended in Law
ing new streets, bat once the contractor
completes his job the streets are left to
take care of themselves. Perhaps under
the new charter things will be different
in this respect.