The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-07
Great Strides Made By The city OF Scranton
Ddring Thai Period.

credit continued to grow until to-day
our bonds command a higher premium
than those Of almost any other city. A
sinking fund was about that time es-
tablished and its affairs are now In such
shape that on next December $l00oo0
worth of twenty year bonds will be tax
en- up without the necessity of issuing q
dollars worth Of redemption bonds,
something unheard of before in this city
and an unusual thing in any city. 1t
was during Mr.. Eisele's term that the
present excellent system OF accounts
was inaugurated. In fact. the records
of every department have undergone a
very necessary and desirable change.
The records of the city prior to the last
decade are meagre and disorderad, and
any information relative to city aHairs
during its first twenty years of exist,
ence is hard, 1t might be said, well
night impossible. to get ut.
NUMEROUS IMPROVEMENTS.
The most tangible evidence. however.
of the citys growth Is found in the I'M
provements. general and local, whlcii
have been made during these ten years.
The general improvements are Directly
resultant from the aggressiyeness VI
the city government; the local Improve
ments are indirectly to be credited to
the government for they were ehcouf-
aged by the general improvements. TO
people who have spent their tiyes here
a concentration OF the ci'S urNeiop
ment In this short PERIOD OF zen Se.s S'ins
Will. beyond doubt, make thei, pause n.D'.,
and marvel. ana those who have come
into our midst in late years, after VieW,-
ing the present state OF the Guy, VIII
say, no doubt. that II almost surpasseS
belief Prior to 1886, virtually nothing.
had been done in the way OF permanent
l,a.pit s vaae,s ,',S,r :, fa,v miles az cob
ble-stones excepted, and what would
leave poom for argument II thecity en-
gineer's figures did not back Cup Is the
statement that during the twenty years
permanent Improvement attempted in
these days.
There were some bridges which might
in a. liberal construction of the term. be
called permanent improvements, but as
they We're all of the good old-fashioned
wooden variety and have since dlSap-
peared. the construction aforemention-
ed must needs be extremely nDeral.
Sewers probably headed all other I'M
provements but many OF these DO not
owe their construction to the progress
siveness of the ancient government, as
much as they did to the fact that the
panic of ~ led the city to build couple
of sewer districts in order TO give work
to It's many starving citiZenS, WHO
events ont of the citv's money The
foIJoxyinp fipures and comparisons will
more than AWNING eise snow tns
considered:
SOME COMPARISONS,
,,,.,. <,ost
,,, 1000 ccss st,G J5e az
SeWeIs iaia pior Io Sse eeoo' 90 c"Si aie 7aS "a
~ ~
Total 40 $500 SAT-, ,9O7 &c
Miles. Cost.
Pavements laid prior to 1856 2'9 'asS sS 0o 0o
faVefneh's iaia since Ieso''''V'l 'oo,o', 90
ro,a, ... "a 500 $50 %
c., zoo. A., a,,o, ho
oilce ,eoo Narpoi st'ee.' ny diyy W,,.t
w.. .Meeh Nia..noM ~ - a,," 49, ~ D,;,rna =
lIo''l I.ashaWailn,a aN.nue " i."1i' '
p'arv anu NE ansS I cuMvo' e"T D,c,o,,
W. N. ~. anu uil,.,oae pa,i,.n;
,Ioi'l ,I, 49, nu " ,' '.,1 ,,.i,h anhb1a
Ia ,n,.aa Lii, ~ so,',a ,,,a ta,.;aI
nS,,.,;o,I nf nr. .r.a,na a,orma pew
a,an,,a ,,a Cantar ,hioh ,.ora ~, yad
,,,ith oohh,a hn,,a hoan ronaved Win
asnhait nort;on NJ penn avenua was
cabnyed from cohhIe to Wvckoff and
no,tions of penn .nd yyoming avenues
U.re cbanyod from yvckoff re asnhalt
cost of cuiVeris constr,icted since
1856 A., 1886 4s
Cost of grading (city contracU
since 1856 ............".... 30,2S6 Ga
Cost or pipe drains since lss6...... o'So' W
Niuenirs 0 Oh stree's anu avenues ,,o.o M
Retain;n@ walls constructej since '''''' "
1856 1,lS4 90
Cost of all bridges erected in the
city since 1886, including pur-
cnase OF riSht OF way Tor LIN
@ueL @ street anu i'oa'ihs o'ooh ,-- ~, =,
. ..,.''''''' ''''V'' ~
-fiiohS the dIiahy oriuse improve
menus sihce 1881 may pe mentioned the
following; Olu Lackawahna avenue
Woouen deck priuge, replaced py an
IRON structure; Dodgetown bridge, fron
bow string gtrder to iron Platt truss
Carbon street bridge, from bow string
girder to Platt truss: Parker street
bridge, from wood to iron Platt truss:
Market street bridge, from wood to iron
Platt truss.
New structures were erected at the
following places, all iron Platt truesses: 1:
Ash street. over Roaring Brook. Elm
street. over Jackawanna river. Swet-
land street, over Della ware I.ackowonna
and Western Railroad.tbe Poar;no
Rroo,s comnosad of civ snnns plat t,,,se
and ON. al ,,ron 80 ,h, paia,, 80
pna,;,, -, ..a,'
,,onra 1rnn an,, Ct, aa,,,,,,n',. 80,
So. ,nnn ',', raa, 10y linz. ,,'''1'a
go, ,, a'.i ~ oaoh iu9l ~
W.. ,a;,,.and ~ ma,o u,na ang