The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-02-20

and Danforth from Park to Maple; Morn
ing street has been laid out and q stone
gutter put IN on Congress street from
Merrill to Eastern Promenade. Side
walks, notably on Congress and Park
streets have been relaid. Every cross
walk on Cumberland street has been
taken up and relaid. from High
TO Washington street. 1t is graf
flying to state that economy has
been practiced in cutting up old crosswalk
stone into paving blocks. Some Is, 600
feet of new gutter have been laid this
year against 5000 the last. The end of
the municipal year will have handsome
showing financially in this department.
The work under the charge of the city
engineer has been accomplished. at
rate that represents a marked saving in
cost over the previous year, notWith-
standing the advance in the standard OF
certain work that was considered advisa-
BILE. Reforms in the method OF book
keeping have been made, and especially
has the establishment of a storage house
and yard stopped the petty plumber or
waste of the surplus sewer pipe, Icement
bricks. etc., that has been incidental IN
the past to the many scattered jobs
throughout the city. A careful analysis
shows that a saving ON the rate of cost of
new sewers over the rate of last year has
been % per cent.
During this administration the men,
bers of the police have been each exam
ined before the board, and those found
inefficient, or by reason of age or. infirm-
ity, dropped, making our force for ELL
cheney, second to none in the country.
With proper thought fer safety and
convenience, the Commute on Public
Buildings proposed and the City Council
voted an additional exit and stairway
leading from the northerly corner of the
City hall to the main corridor below, at
an expense of about $1,000. The, large
room through which the stairway passes
was fitted up into light, airy and more
commodious quarters for the City AS
SCISSORS and the public: Old and insight
ly gas chandeliers and fixtures have been
removed from the City hall and the pas
sage and superseded by electricity. be-
sides extensive repairs to the City hall,
the Council chamber and both the city
and county wings of the building. The
engine houses and the armories have
been put into first class condition, while
the school buildings have excited general
Communications.
With extraordinary OUTLAWS the tax
Ae4oe y
poll tax reduced from So 20 So, and a
handsome surplus will be left over and
all bills paid up.
Open air concerts have entertained the
public. The city of our dead has been
tenderly cared for by an increased ap-
preparation of SIS. 600 for retaining new
lands and improving the old. A chemi-
cal engine added to an already efficient
Fire Department, and which has proved
of inestimable value, especially in smooth
ering incipient fires. We have a new
schoolhouse at the West End, remodelled
and enlarged for about $4,000, instead of
an entirely new one proposed at double
that sum.
No citizen of Portland should regret
the aid rendered to the noble institution
for the deaf and the removal of the
school for deaf and dumb to the Spring
street school house, leased by the Port
land Fraternity, must be gratifying
to all friends of progressive charities.
With the opening Of spring our parks
and public grounds will appear more at
tractive than ever, showing the skillful
hand of the commissioners. A concrete
pavement has been laid in front of Fort
Allen Park, and at Fort Summer Park an
iron fence and band stand both erected.
Additional attractions have been made
to the menagerie of the Oaks.
From settlement of the bonds adj
iusted for five thousand dollars with the
bondsmen of the unfortunate asphalt
pavement contract entered into by our
predecessors, the city government will
be able to complete before the close of
the administration the purchase of some
10000 feet of land Of the Deering heirs
and exchange of other lots with the
Portland & Rochester railroad, thus
making large and permanent addition
to that resort, and retaining stagnant
lands, which during the past year in that
locality, have been filled in and paid for
in full under the contract.
A modern police GameWell signal sys-
tenn has been adopted at an expense of
about Sc, 800, including wiring, in which
$500 was saved by having it done under
the direction of the city electrician.
As an evidence of careful management,
and proper and strict enforcement OF
harbor regulations, one company alone
has carried some 350, 900 passengers with
out an accident to and from the islands
during the past season, and it is espec-
tally gratifying to note that during the
present winter of unusual severity our
harbor has been open to vessels reaching
up to the piers on all arms of her nayl-
gable waters.
Not the least among the enterprises to
which it has lent aid and encouragement
is the enlargement, of the ferry slip, be-
tween which and the Cape enterprising
citizens have embarked capital for put
ting in a frst-class steamer, which will
open up easy and cheap communication
between the city andits growing suburb.
Many new buildings have been erected
especially in the western part and on
Munjoy Hill where Morning street and
Wilson street have been laid out, Great
ing a rise in real estate values and pro-
noting erection of dwellings.
At the Islands, where considerable at
tention has been given by the city gov
eminent to their developments, tourists
have Hooked in Increasing numbers.
Streets have been laid out on Diamond
Island; Luther street and Pleasant
Avenue on Peaks, and. sidewalk laid
between Peaks landing and Trefethen's.
The interests of Long Island and Cush-
ings' have received friendly encourage
ment, and at Crotch Island, the farthest
of our islands down the bay, wharf has
been built and street projected across
the island.