The record-union., 1895-07-10
Big And LITTLE C0BBLESHONES.
All the Grayeled Streets Are Uttered
With Them.
a Nuisance That Has Existed for
Several Years, and IS Daily
Growing Worse.

Why the owners Of vehicles. the livery
stable keepers and the hundreds of wheel
men in this city, who are all equally in
terested in having smooth streets, do not
take some action looking to the removal
OF loose stones from the surface of the
streets, is a mystery.
The thoroughfares of this city would
afford delightful pleasure drives for those
who keep family turnouts. as well as for
those who would patroniZe livery stables,
and would be equally good for al VINO
ride the modern bicycle if it were not for
the stones that litter the surface. Horses
are crippled daily by being driven over
them, vehicles are damaged, riding in
vehicles is made positively uncomfort-
able, and it is all the rider Of wheel can
do to pick his way among these loose
cobblestones.
Some are dropped from the overloaded
wagons of contractors, others are thrown
up by men employed in repairing street
railroad tracks, while goodly portion
have been kicked about by horses ever
since the streets were graveled.
TO see otherwise smooth streets liter
ally covered with stones is anything but
drive out 10 view the city, yet our citl-
zens 60 stumbling over and among them
year in and year out without more than
mental protest and subdued "oussing."
Indeed, our rocky streets are responsible
for more blasphemy to the square yard
than any other single influence.
Yesterday citizen complained to
contractor. who is engaged in hauling
away cobbles from street, of the
slovenly manner in which he allowed
the work TO be done. He had denied that
his wagons had been distributing cObbles
along The street, but when he found that
his bluff did not work and he was
threatened with arrest he sent out some
OF MS men and they gathered up several
wagonioads OF cobblestoneS that had been
dropped within the space of a few blocks
But Just as bad as the cobblestones IS
the broken stone, cracked Tor concrete
work that Labs and other teams rlDbIe
along the streets. These stones are sharp
and often cut like knife. One was dug
out of the bitumen pavement on X street
last night near Ninth, and another at
Third and streets, where they had
been driven into the costly surface.
Thousands OF these chunks are scattered
along the streets, south OF X street es-
pecialiy, ana every one OF them is
menace to life, for a horse may trip upon
them and cause a rider TO fall.
NOW. II WOulQ DG a N0Iy SlAp10 I1dlL6T,
and not an expensive undertaking, for the
city authorities TO employ few men and
have the loose stones all gathered from
the streets. If this were done there would
be an immediate decrease in the daily
volume of blasphemy that taints the at
mosphere; there would be less crippled
horses and damaged vehicles and "bikes."
and visitors would go away with better
impressions Of the city.
Having done this, the City Trustees
should see to it that all persons who cause
the streets to be again Uttered with rocks
or cobblesrones are punished Our
graveled streets would be very respecta-
Die thoroughtares and pleasant for driv-
ing il they were simply kept free from
this intolerable rock nuisance
A representative of the RECORD UNION
had brief conference with Mayor Stein-
man on this subject yesterday, and he
made gratifying expression, leading to
the belief that there will be early and
radical reform on this whole matter.
While he is about it Mayor Steinman
might put his wits to work to solve the
puzzle why certain citizens are allowed
to pile garden rubbish and tree trim
mings in the street TO remain for weeks,
while if Chinaman empties an ash
bucket in the highway he is straig ghtWay
jugged and the awful frown OF the law is
turned upon him.