San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-07-08
ALIBERAL PROPOSITION.
San Antonio, Tex, July G, 1896.


To the Honorable Mayor and Board of
Aldermen, City of San Antonio:
Dear SirS.-A short time ago, in con-
versation with the Hon. Mayor Elmen-
dorf, regarding the sprinkling of the
streets of the city of San Antonio, he
suggested that if an arrangement
could be made with our company to
use its tracks and electricity for pro-
polling an electric sprinkling car, a
great many of the streets that are now
sprinkled, and can not be by wagon
because of the very large expense,
could be so sprinkled. This sug
ton ON the part of Mr.. Elmendorf
caused me to investigate relative to
sprinkling cars and their operation,
and l find that the American Car
Sprinkler Company, of Worcester,
Mass, is the patentee and owner of
springling car of 1000 gallons capa
city which car is arranged to run over
street car tracks in the same manner
as an ordinary street car; the pipe
connections are made from the water
mains to the center of the tracks, so
that the car, while on the track, can
be filled on a normal pressure in one
minute and 40 seconds. This car is
so arranged that it has adjustable
arms on each side of it, making it pos
sible to sprinkle a street of any width
from 20 to so feet, and these arms are
so arranged that the streets are not
flooded, but are lightly sprinkled so
that the dust is successfully laid. The
manufacturers claim that in streets
avera ging 60 feet in width car can
sprinkle, in a day of II hours, from II
to Is miles of street. 1t is therefore
estimated that a car could sprinkle at
least 20 Of the % miles of our streets,
taking in, practically, all the streets
through which our system operates.
All the correspondence with. the
manufacturers of this sprinkling car
has been placed in the hands of Mr..
Elmendorf for his and your informa-
ton, and the cost of leasing such a
springer and making the pipe connec-
tons can be readily ascertained there
from.
The city, under it's contract with the
Water Works Company, has the right
| to use water for street springling
purposes free of charge.
The system of springling streets by
| electric street car sprinklers is used
quite extensively throughout this
| country. In the city of Louisville,
KY, eight-tenths Of the streets are so
| sprinkled. The advantage, and we
may say the necessity of having the
| streets sprinkled, are so well-known to
YOU that they need no discussion, the
| hitherto large expense being the only
| obstacle in the way. To aid and as
| sist the city in sprinkling the streets
through which we run at practically
nominal cost we have decided to make
the following proposition:
If the city will purchase or lease
| sprinkling car, make the pipe connec-
| tons from the mains to the center or
| the tracks, and furnish the operatives
| for the car, which would mean, say
! two men, one to prOpel the car and the
other to operate the sprinkling arms,
which operatives earn an average or
1917 cents per hour.
Our company will furnish the cleo
| trio apparatus necessary to equip the
| car for operation, keep the electrical
apparatus in repair and furnish the
electric current necessary to operate
the car, free.
The operatives could be under our
charge. or under the charge of the
CITY. whichever may be agreed upon,
it being provided, however, that, In
case of their being under the city's
charge, that they respect our orders SO
far as relates to the operation OF the
| car. that the same may not interfere
with the operation Of our passenger
cars. The average cost Of maintaining
the electrical apparatus of car, ex-
elusive of extraordinary repairs, is
80 per day, and the value of power
is So per car per day. This will show
you that our contribution to the
sprinkling of the streets will fully
equal that of the city,, the first cost OF
installing the car and making the wa
ter connections, of course, excepted,
and we believe the Tlan of sprinkling
the streets, as herein proposed, is well
worth your careful consideration, and
we trust you may decide to accept
the same. and it will certainly meet
with a cordial red eption on the part
of the citizens geherally, as the in
jury done by tbe dust to health and
property can scarcely be measured.