The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-02


the plank foundation and the sinking
and falling out of the wooden blocks.
This pavement has been condemned from
sanitary point of view by the board of
health, and Is In Il fair way to be con-
demned by the grand jury of our county.
| have understood that the property hold
ers, Notwithstanding the fact that they
are not liable for the repaving, have Of
Tered TO pay Il proportionate amount to-
ward the cost of repaving this block. 1t
seems TO me that with an offer of this
KIND on the part of the property holders,
ana from the fact that 1t will be only
rev months at the longest until the city
VIII be compelled to repave it, the coun-
ellis should gladly avail themselves of this
offer and provide the necessary funds to
make this Improvement.
The rapid development of our city, the
new class of business blocks that are be-
ing erected and the increased number of
our streets that are paved with solid ma
terials, renders II necessary that the old
ordinance. under which the street depart
ment now operates shall be either radi-
cally revised or supplanted by an entirely
new one.
Salt on the Car Tracks.
| also desire calling your attention to the
Dlockading of streets with snow and Ice
by the street car companies by the use Of
an electric track sweeper. This nuisance
caused by the plling up of snow In that
portion of the streets frequented by ve-
hicles has been repeatedly seen during the
past winter by any one who has noticed
the b'ockaded condition of many of our
public highways. In consideration of the
valuable franchises granted these compa-
MES, an ordinance compelling them to
haul away the snow they remove from the
tracks would be neither unjust nor bur-
densome. In connection with this matter
also desire to call your attention to an
other nuisance practiced upon our streets
by the street car line that Is the sprink,
llng OF SAT- upon the rails. This salt.
mixing with the dirt and snow, forms
sort of sandy substance which clogs in
the shoes Of the horses, rotting their hoofs
and eventually destroying their feet al
together.
City Engineers DC apartment.
The city engineer has furnished me with
vast amount of data relative to the de-
tail of the work done in his department
during the year, very valuable In con-
neet,on with a close study of the engi-
neering work the city has engaged In or
now has under way, but entirely too eX
haustive to be reproduced within the lin
ited space of this communi cation.
This department has devoted much at
tention during the year 10 the preparation
of certain standards for material and
workmanship, which must hereafter be
conformed TO in the prosecution of all
city work. General specifications for
sewer construction have been prepared,
which viii in the future be observed and
complied with in any and all sewer con-
struction done within the city, which VIII,
of course, insure uniformity of all
work. one result of the adoption of this
method will be TO require Il superior quail
ity of sand and the best American Port
land cement. The observation and en-
fOrcement Of these specifications on city
work VIII, in time, result in vastly su-
pcrlor sewer system TO that which we now
have.
This. however, has not been the extent of
the departments work along that line.
Since the draughting and promulgatng
of the general specifications for sewer con-
structiOn. the engineer has attempted the
same scheme with reference to street paw
ing done by and under the city's supervis-
ion. This work has just been completed
and Is now in the hands of the printer for
publication A copy of these specifications
will hereafter be attached to the plans
and ordinance authorizing the construc-
ton of any certain pave, which are custo-
mariiy furnished to prospective bidders
Tor paving work; as Will also be done with
the general specifications for sewers in
the case of bidders for sewer contracts.
As In sewer construction, these paving
specifications will require q better quality
of material in the way of sand and ce-
ment, which will result in an improved
concrete base, insuring greater wearing
quality to the pave itself.
Among many important changes intro
duced in asphalt road building by these
specifications will be one requiring that
of vltriiied brick laid on a concrete base,
identical with that of the rest of the road
way. The brick will withstand the
erosion and destructive properties of the
water and street refuse matter for an in
definite time, and will add correspondingly
to the life of the whole pave. The gut
ters in the asphalted portion of Pine street
have already been treated in this manner,
and their appearance and wearing quail
tiles may be observed there.
tests
OF sand and cement have been made Of
these materials entering into the con-
struction of city work, with special atten-
tion paid to the construction of the sub
structures of the Lackawanna and Roar
ing brook bridges. 1T is the very com
mendable intention of the engineer, that
only materials of the highest standard
shall be used in the construction of these
bridges, which constitute one of the most
important city undertakings that has
come under the observation of the depart
ment in its history.
Under instructions from the councils,
plans, specification, ETC., were prepared
and filed with the city clerk for the drain
age Of that immense territory embracing
the greater portions of the inhabited sec
tions of the Eleventh, Twelfth and Nine
teenth wards. the approximate cost of
which Is S3G OO0 This territory has since
been authortatively constituted the Sew
enteenth sewer district of the city. This
work at last places the southern section
of the city in a fair way to obtain an ade-
quate sewer system, of which it has SO
long been in need.
Statistics of the department show that
there Were l2,i22 feet of sewer constructed
in the city last year at "A cost of SIG. .S2S SO:
1924 square yards of pavement were laid
under city contract at cost of S20,O50.07,
and 2,S76.S6 square yards were put down
under private contract. The total amount
of estimates during the year by direction
of concurrent resolution of councils was
SijG, l12GS.
Police Department Progress.
The past year has witnessed several i'm
portant innovations in the general method
of administration employed in the police
department. The new rules and regula-
tionS, which We're among the last meas
ures acted upon by the honorable coun-
ellis of last year, went into practical oper-
alton with the beginning of the fiscal
year. The improvement over the old or
der was very soon manifested in the supe-
rior discipline of the force and the closer
application of the individual officers to
the minutiae of their duties. Another i'm
portant change brought about by the pro-
visions of the ordinance was the creating
of IL captaincy and four lieutenantcies.
This places n lieutenant in command of
each one of our four city precincts, and a
captain with general supervision over
all, second in command to the chief, and
IN act m opco sion N biG cfpn1 The ,yie