The San Francisco call., 1895-07-20
WORK ON The STREETS,
Superintendent Ashworth' s
Annual Report Made to the
Supervisors.
COST OF THE DEPARTMENT.
The Cobble Pavements and the Pri-
vate Contract System Are
Scored.

Superintendent of Streets Ashworth yes
terday filed his report with the Board OF
Supervisors for the fiscal year ending June
3d. During the year, the report states,
there have been laid miles and 5O77 feet
of bituminous- rock pavements; miles
1129 feet of basalt-block pavements; 1885
feet of cobble pavements; 2 miles 1890 feet
of brick sewers and 10 miles ALTO feet OF
pipe sewers. There have been accepted 16
miles 633 feet of paved streets, which
makes total of 142 miles 4505 feet OF ac-
cepted streets in the City.
The disbursement of the $28S, 1850 appro-
priated for the department was as follows:
For wages, $1O5, JAG O5; for street-sweeping,
$75, ,023 80: for repairs to bituminous pave
ments, $29s5; for repairs to Fourt9oStreeet r 6S e
bridge, S26S; for material, $l6, 4SI oS 1or
work in front of City property, $16,Ol6 AZ.
Superintendent Ashworth, in connec-
ton with the report, makes the following
suggestions, which are of interest to the
municipality:
For the better preservation of our pavements
l would recommend that an amendatory ordl-
nance be passed increasing the width OF the
tires on trucks, and strict enforcement OF the
present ordinance prohibiting the baul1ng OF
loads exceeding 10000 pounds in weight II
such loads can be divided.
The cobble pavement should no longer be
allowed to disgrace our City, and earnestly
recommend that on streets of suita BILE grade
the cobbles be removed and replaced with a
smooth and noiseless pavement.
The private contract system has been ereatly
abused, and the property-oWner is often In
duced through false representations to enter
into contract for the performance of street
work at exorbitant prices, whereas II the pro-
visions of the street lawwere complied with
he would receive the benefit of public COM
petition.
In the matter of paving performed under
private contract favor the passage OF an ordin-
ance requiring the contractor to furnish bonds
to keep the street In good repair for period OF
five years after its completion, and that such
street be not accepted by the City until the
expiration OF said time. The condition OF many
of the paved streets in this City suggests such a
provision, and l would approve the same in
public contracts if it were legal to exact COM
pliance.
IL is to be hoped that the present macadam-
lied blocks on Van Ness avenue will shortly be
paved with bituminous rock and that San
Francisco will have handsome boulevard
from Market street to Vallejo. Golden Gate
avenue, from Market to Steiner street, should
be repaved with bitumen.
Our sewerage system is far from being salts
factory as is evidenced by the large number of
breaks that follow heavy rainfall. Too much
attention cannot be given to their cleanliness,
both as a sanitary precaution and for their
preservation and for better serving their pur-
pose. | recommend that the interior of the
brick sewer bottoms be covered with at least
six inches of fine concrete. This will facilitate
cleaning, afford better drainage and render
these sewers more serviceable and healthy
The completion of the sewer outlet for the
Richmond district has been the means of
causing all extensive construction of tributary
sewers within this district. These sewers are
constructed in accordance with plans adopted
by previous board, and are, for the most part,
only eight inches In diameter. l fear that
these sewers will prove totally inadequate to
carry the house drainage and surface water
from the cpSSnOOlS and that the adOntiOn of q
system of such small sewers was mistake.
Our public parks and squares should receive
better attention. Lack of sufficient funds has
prevented their improvement, and for the
same reason the streets that surround many
of them remain unpaved and are without side
walks. This should be remedied, and when
the City has done its duty in this respect the
Street Department can with better grace ask
the property-owners to do likewise.