The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-07

cluded. The city also owns seven en-
gines. seven of the sixteen fire company
houses, and the erection of two Others
is contemplated. the Nay Aug house on
Page court and the Crystal house In the
rear of the city hall. where also will be
located the police patrol station.
THE POE1CE DEPARTMENT.
The police force has grown from
bakers, dozen, with a chief and SER
geant, to a well equipped. thoroughly
disciplined force of fifty men. including
a chief. captain, four lieutenants and a
desk sergeant. The small number OF
preventable crimes. with the infinitely
smaller number of criminals who cs-
cape detection, attest the efficiency Of
both the patrol and detective features
of the police department. Not the
least commendable change iE the de.
partment has been the closing UP of tine
old, vermin-infested, disease breeding
station house on Center street and the
equipment of the new, clean and COM
| Portable station i'm the basement of the
city hall, with excellent sanitary regu-
lations, iron cages and the recently
provided for separate corridors for fe-
male prisoners. Modern detention sta
| tions have been established in the
South Side and West Side precincts and
~
better police quarters.
Another department which has grown
wonderfully in the last decade and par
ticularly within the last few years Is
the street commissioners. In its early
days one man, a team or two of horses
ana few laborers managed to I'LL up
with ashes the gullies which the rains
would make in the principal thorough
fares. and doing this well they were
content. Now the street commissioner
has the expenditure of $4,000 or So to
look after for general repairs and
cleaning and there Is an agitation on
In councils to place all the ward appro-
priations under his care. Two gangs
of men are worked one at night and
the other In the day time, and two fore
men are provided to direct their opera
ton. The Office work alone requires
u clerk and office boy to such dimen-
sions has the department grown. The
city now owns its own stone crusher
and road roller.
The board of health has also kept
abreast Of the times. A garbage crem-
atory has been built and is doing Il
most excellent work. The office of food
| ana milk inspector has been created
and the city Is now free from unwhole-
some or aduIterated foods. The sani-
tary code is now being enforced as
rigidly as is possible and the records
Of births, marriages and deaths with
all other statistics pertaining to the
department are now kept in an accu-
rate and orderly way. This depart
ment is now one of the best organized
in the city.
A BUILDING INSPECTOR.
The department of building inspec-
tot is another institution born during
the present epoch. The annexation of
Bellevue was another commendable
piece Of enterprise effected. The es-
tablishment of the public library also
occurred during the present regime and
while not directly responsible for this
grand acquisition it is made one of the
departments of the city government and
the epoch under discussion Is at least to
be credited with seeing it consum-
mated.
The acquisition of Nay Aug, Connell
and Woodlawn parks Is something that
will for all time to come he a lasting
recommendation to the men who per-
sonally and as city servants have been
instrumental in providing them and If
an administration had nothing else to
mark 1t then this one thing it could
consider itself a success.
These items will serve to remind
Scrantonians who are proud of their
city's property and growth of what
wonderful. strides she has made under
beneficent influences and should tend
to impress new comers with the pos-
sibilities of this western city of the
east" which in a decade has grown
! from struggling carelessly governed.
debt -burdened. unimproved mining
town to a well ordered. prosperous and
permanent city leading all other cities
of her size in many respects and being
| second to none