The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1896-05-20
THE DAMAGED STREETS-FAIR
PLAY.

The Record Union" is not making
Street Superintendent Croly's fight; on
the contrary, it has had occasion to
criticise him very sharply and has not
hesitated to do so, and will not hesitate
whenever he deserves criticism. But
the "Record-Union" is the champion Of
fair play; it will stand all the time for
a fair showing and against any unjust
processes or designs.
The condition of many Of the residence
streets Of the city is deplorable. Mem
bers Of the City Board Of Trustees are
disposed to hold Mr.. Croly responsible
for these bad conditions. and accord
ingly he has been cited for trial, one of
certain streets to go into sad decline
and become, as they are, public nuis-
ances instead Of public conveniences.
Superintendent Croly has been in Of
fee little over two months. How can
he be held responsible for conditions
that result from neglect and fraud long
before Mr.. Croly was thought of for the
SUPPLEMENTARY? The reasons for sew
eral of the streets being now full of
loose gravel, more large stones and a
considerable percentage Of cobbles, also
loose or floating" as is the term, are
three in number. First, true gravel was
only here and there put on in the
original construction. Such gravel
as was used on the now dam
aged streets was so mixed with a
non-cementing earthly matter, with
soluble earth and with large stones and
cobbles, that it never could pack. or be
packed or puddled or rolled as with
clear gravel and good clay.
Second, use has gradually worked out
most OF the earthly matter Of the coarser
grade, which has been scraped up and
carted of az mud, or washed to the
cutters, and then shoveled up and
wheeled away. Third, last fall the Trus-
tees permitted these streets to go for
weeks without sprinkling, as all who
remember the dust plague will recall
In that time the earthly matter was
powdered and ground up, and when the
nrst heavy rains came 1t was washed
clean from the street surfaces to the
cutters. exposing the stones, cobbles and
rocks, which were speedily knocked
loose and ever since have had rowing
commissions. This spring the non-ap-
plioation Of water at times when needed
aided in the work Of degeneration. Of
course. and SO far as Mr. Croly had
power to act, and means to pay for the
service, and failed to apply the water
since he has been In charge of the de-
partment, he is responsible; but that he
could have saved these streets from
ruin is simply preposterous. He might.
under the assumptions just named. have
to certain extent, bettered conditions.
that is all.
All citizens will remember that two
years ago. and before that time, when
ever we had rainy weather, the graveled
streets became seas of mud. So filthy
were they that private subscriptions
were taken up, private energy called
into action, and the Trustees contrib
uted small sums to have some OF the
highways scraped. Hundreds of tons
or mud were thus cleared of. Later
superintendent Murray scraped and
shoveled OF the mud from other streets
and sometimes the gravel went with IT
1t was assumed by many people that
the mud came upon the streets from
the ungraded alleys. and in some degree
1t did, but the larger portion was due to
the earthly matter in the alleged gravel
in which the property-owners were de-
frauded of their money.
This last winter the people must have
noticed that the muddy conditions of
old did not prevail After a rain storm
the streets would be dry and clean in
two or three hours, and never more than
twenty-four hours OF clear weather was
necessary to put them in clean oondi-