The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-30
SAND AND SEWERS
The Former on Top and
the Latter Below.
superintendent Ackerson Saws the
Combination Is Bad-Streets i'm
Deplorable Condition.

For the fifth time Superinten dent of
Streets Ackerson has been compelled to
put force of men at work to tear things
up and fix the sewer at Market and Fifth
streets. The recent rains chOked up the
culyert leading from The cesspool to tho
main sewer and provoked flood. Either
the electric light company or The water
company has been responsible for tie
trouble. but it Is likely the city will have
to pay the bill, and the city is little short
OF funds itself. Both the companies have
been working in the street, one laying
their wires and the other its pipes, and the
culvert, which was all right before, was
found by the city's workmen to have been
carelessly put back Gas the companies had
to take 1t ouD and. sagging below the line
OF the vent, became clogged.
But this is only one feature of condi-
ton that the Superintendent of Streets
complains prevails throughout the city.
"rhe Supervisors have suggested as the
only means OF keeping the street fund
within bounds this month and for several
months that no money be spent on The
streets. If you stood at this desk for halt
an hour You would get notion of what
that meant"
There is a constant procession of peo-
pie here all day long complaining of
breaks In sewers, floods, and every man.
ner of street difficulty" said Deputy
Charley Gagus. taking up the story.
Talk OF not employing men In the
street at this time of the year, ana es-
pecially with such floods as we have been
having. 1t is an impossible proposition
unless they want to let the city 60 by de-
fault. We have only averaged from thirty
to forty men during the last month. and
there should have been 200 to grapple with
the work that presented itself. These
floods have wrought havoc with the
streets. and to leave them in the condition
In which they ars means to lay the city
that, and especially the Supervisors, who
have before them the threat of Bucking-
ham q Hecht that suit will be brought un-
less something be done to carry off the
water at their place."
II have been in the Street Department
for good many years." said Fred Ander-
son, who has charge of the working con-
tingent in the streets, shut never 6efore
saw floods such as we have been having,
or at least never saw the streets so badly
torn up by them. We haven't got any,
thing like the force of men we ought 10
have. Ii the city was properly severed
and the street grades made with some
decent relation to each other. 1t would be
different. But as 1t is, at every rain we
have something breaks loose. With a
series Of big sewers emptying into little
sewers. what can you expectp Then on
the surface and extending down the steep
sides of our hills we have macadamized
streets that. during these heavy rams,
have been piling up mud and ebris at the |
foot IL such quantities as to render them |
lmpassable, filling up the manholes and |
of the sewers and creating seri- |
Gus disaster. Can that sort of thing be |
allowed to remain? 1t is folly to talk
about II"
mot only that" said Gagus. ..but there
is Buena Vista Park up on Haight street. |
standing high above the surrounding |
streets. With every rain the sand and |
Earth rolls down into the streets so that |
Haight, Devsadero, Broderick. Scott and |
all the streets in the vicinity constantly |
require attention to keep them clear. |
That place should be either carted away |
Or held together by bulk heads. 1t is now |
a source of constant and heavy expense |
tar beyond its value as a park. The |
grades of the streets all over the lower |
part Of the city need fixing up. You can |
zee how the water lies upon them every
where. 1t should not do so anywhere. |
but that, of course, Is q big job. not to BIZ |
thought Of at present. but as for taking
The laborers off the street. neither is that
10 be thought OF either / guess. Provision |
will have TO be made for them somehow
and the saving made in some other direc-
.ion."