The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-19
FIGURES THAT SIGNIFY MUCH
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
Our Municipal Government.
STATISTICS IN LIVE FORM
Walking Twenty Miles Day 1t Would
Take a Man One Week to Patrol
All Our Streets-Other Read.
able Compilations.

1t is commonly said that figures are
dry and uninteresting facts. To one
of an inquiring mind this statement
cannot be applied to the report just
issued containing Mayor ConnelPs re-
cent message and the statements Of
heads of departments for the year end
ing March 81, 1894.
In considering what follows it should
be borne in mind that the figures apply
10 the year ending in the spring or
early summer months. For example, the
report Of the city engineers depart
ment. which very Vivldly shows the
material growth of the city, contains
food for instructive and interesting
comparisons. The mileage of the citys
streets and alleys equals the distance
to New York city; sixty farms occupy
ing 200 acres each would only just
about fill the city limits; walking twen-
ty miles a day it would take pedes-
trian one week to traverse all the city
thoroughfares. The Eighteenth is the
smallest ward in the city and contains
49.3 acres, the Twenty-first heads the
list with 2,214 acres.
What Police Records Show.
The police records show that twice
as many single men as married men
are arrested, that foreign-born evil
doers almost equal the natives, that
eight times more males than females
are arrested. over one-third of ar
rests are made for drunkenness.
OF the total city income, $626,S27, over
13 per cent, was derived from liquor
licenses. OF the total assessments for
local improvements, $92,9O3, nearly one
half, was for sewers. The next largest
item was for redeeming and interest
on street improvement bonds. The
value of taxable property is about $l9,-
100000 The amounts necessary to
conduct n few Of the city's most eX-
pensive departments are as follows:
Police, $i2,07j; street commissioner
$392S4; city engineers; $2S, ,G20; fire, $27,-
40; city clerks, $3.50. Appropriations
for all these departments were increas-
ed for the present year
According to the rate of valuation on
personal property and occupation, man
ayers Of corporations and the law
Judges OF the several courts head the
list at $500; then come coal operators,
S40O bank cashiers, brokers, brewers,
gentlemen, coal agents, wholesale mer-
chants, mine inspectors, $500 each.
Incendiarism Exhibited.
Startling figures are furnished by
the chief of the fire department which
are peculiarly interesting in view of the
present hunt for the person RESPONSE
Bile for the late South Side fires. out
OF total of 1870 fires II We're incendiary
u were supposed to be incendlary and
a. resulted from causes unknown. AS
suming that thirteen of the forty-tive
fires from unknown causes We're in
cendiary, forty fires were started by
arson fiends, over q per cent Of the
total number of 1870. The greatest num-
ber of alarms from any box in the city
We're the eleven alarms from box No.
&c, at the Delaware and Hudson rail
road and Green Ridge street. Ten
alarms We're rung from box No. ST, cor
ner of Brick and Oak streets, and nine
from the dreaded box No. Is, at the cor
ner of Penn and Lackawanna avenues.
Crystal and PhenX companies respond
ed TO siXty-three alarms each, but as
lie still alarms" We're respectively
3 and ., the record possibly belongs
to the Crystals. The Hook and Lad
ders and Nay Augs come next with
tifty-seven and ffty-four responses.
Almost twice as many alarms, thirty
four, occurred in April as in any other
month except May, when twenty-one
alarms We're sounded. Nearly a half
million dollars of insurance was in
Nolved In the fires Of the year, and yet
the net loss was $10S,679.
1t required $2S6, $50 for school expendi-
lures for the year ending June 80: of
this amount nearly half or $1OS,S
was paid to teachers. The total value
of the city's school real estate including
the contemplated high school, is over
100000. According to the recent act
of assembly all the text books and sup
plies were furnished free, at a cost of
Sl3,60S for the year.