San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-09
The 1ailu Eight.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, '95
ROUND ABOUT TALKS.
To the Daily LIGHT:

AS | have been divertipg myself
as we'll as treating my body to a
bit OF wholesome exercise, by max
ing a tour of inspection of our city,
/ propose jotting down my obser-
vations for the edification Of our
city rulers, who cannot be expect
ed to notice common things, unless
specially set before them.
Street crossings are needed, con-
spicuOusly, on every street in the
city. After that last small shower
one had to wade through slush and
mad az every street crossing, and
was lucky If he got across without
losing one of his shoes in the mud,
which "sticketh closer than broth
err" or an adhesive plaster, as to
that matter. The council should
devote small portion OF its valu.
able time TO practical as we'll as
small improvements, and to save
that august body of selfsacrificing
patriots much trouble, will sug-
gest, with the utmost humility,
that it cause street crossings to be
laid down across all the streets.
Crossings made of thick stout
plank or gravel, would be a great
help to pedestrians, particularly to
women. 1t would add to the COM
fort OF our citizens even though liz
should diminish the revenue OF the
brigade OF shoe blacks.
The streets in many places are |
really rendered impossible for
days after shower of rain In con.
sequence Of the oversight, or ignor-
ance, Of the city engineers in omit.
ting to provide an outlet for the
rain water,
The rain fall on Houston from
Navarro street to the bridge,
runs down st. Mary's and
ruins that low street. Alamo
street has no proper Quite
for rain water, and is hardly to be
crossed for several days after a
rain. Nueva street rain water
forms pond at its intersection OF
Garden street, and when the earth |
has soaked up this pended water,
there is a mud hole six feet wide. |
The water from Neuva and a good |
deal from Presa when it strikes
Garden runs down that street to
Neuva, where it ponds.
There is not street in the city
that properly drains the rain water,
nor is there a street which has any
thing worthy Of the name Of gut
ter to carry off rain water. In every
street there are low places where
the water STANDS in ponds, simply
because it has no outlet.
II the city engineer would don
his water proof coat and inspect
streets Immediately after a rain he
would have an object lesson con-
corning where rain water has to be
carried off.
AS the cholera is raging in Asia
and Morocco, it certainly behooves
us to keep San Antonio in clearly
condition, and this cannot be done
81 AOhS ao IhC ain "dDtA lOI " duU
Of an outlet, is left to form ponds
on every street and to overflow
half Of them. Nothing is a better
hot bed for the germs OF disease,
especially OF cholera, than ponds
OF stagnant water and overfiowed
lands exposed to the rays of the
sun in our latitude.
Streets, which are without any
outlet for storm water reflects no
credit on the city engineers
who established the grade OF the
streets and omitted to make pro-
vision for draining off the storm
water. The storm water could be
emptied into the AlaZan and San
Pedro creeks and into the San An
tonic river and large conduits
could be provided with smaller
ones emptying into them on streets
remote from all of the above
named natural outlets.
ROUND ABOUT.
P.S. Had the rain on Sunday
night fallen In the day time thu
street would have been so flooded
that pedestrians could not hav,
passed them. What commentsr,
on our city engineers work r.
-"While down in the south
western part of the state som
time ago." says Mr.. w. Chalmers
editor Of the Chico (Cal.) Enter
nriSn nI had ON nttonlr Of dunnr,