Evening star., 1896-12-07


removed from stone.
Total cost of combined hand and ma
chine cleaning. ........................$ $''o2.IS
Machine cleaning the entire 100000
square yards. ........................... Ss95O
Difference between hand and ma
chine cleaning Jointly and cleaning
entirely by machine, In favor or
the latter ........... .......:.. ofo-
The superintendent estimate OF the an
nual cost of the two methods-contract and
hired labor-based on the present method
used by the street cleaning contractor Is as
follows:
Running expenses under proposed
method. .$Ao-' fVo.oo
Appropriation for present service
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 1'o''oo.'o
Excess of cost of running ex-
penses under municipal man
(About $1,000 of which Is for
additional force over 1879
Cost of the operating plant....... 3o.2H.oo
And increased cost of superin-
tendence. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1'oSo"'
Total increase. $5s. .797 90
Conclusions reached from these invest1-
cations are:
First. that it is advisable to clean by
hand all streets upon which vehicle traffic
is so excessive as to require at least
daily cleaning. The area of such streets
is ebout thirty per cent of the street area
to be cleaned.
Second. that 1t is advisable to sweep by
machines and their accessories all smooth
ly paved streets which are not thorough
fares for vehicle traffic, and which are not
required to te swept oftener than once
twice three times a week
tt ird. that it is advisable to do all the
work directly under municipal contract
without Intervention of contractor.
While 1t may be urged that the contract
system should be retained in cities where.
without it, employment might be given to
perso ons as rewards for partisan services.
no such reason for the contract system ap-
plies in this District where the purposes
and intent Of the law requires the en-
ployment of men and agencies based only
upon merit and the ability to render an
equivalent for the money paid for such
services.
Other reasons are given by the superin-
tendent of street and alley cleaning in his
report Of March 8. 1896 Senate report No.
HG Fifty-fourth Congress, first SESSION.. as
fellows:
"In case of bad weather. when the work
may have to be stopped. 1t might be re-
whereas under the present system the con-
tractors force may have returned to the
stables and be beyond recall. Also. If a
route should for any cause be unfinished.
as much CT little of it as might be neccs-
sary could be cleaned up afterward. as oc
casion might demand which cannot be
done under the present system.
I'm extended periods Of damp. heavy
weather when the streets get in such con-
dtion as to prevent sweeping by machine.
hand work could easily be resorted to.
much or little. as might be required. Also.
in periods Of dry. cold weather. when too
Geld to sprinkle. with the roadway clean.
but the cutters filthy. hand work could
again be Iesorted to. To keep cutters and
the roadways requires hand work exclu-
svely. 1t may be said that this would
come under the head of extra work, and
the contractor could do 1t we'll; but why
M antn rlnt 70 ND
~ per cent additional when the work could
be done directly by employees of the Dis
trfct at the market rate paid to laborers?
There are times when this extra work so
called, amounts to a considerable sum- in
creased, as 1t is, by the 10 per cent.
again, the advantage Of having direct
control Of the force is made manifest by
our being able to divide it up and to send
to the different points Of the city where the
labor may be most needed. Advantage can
be taken of the weather, If only for
the municipality would be able to thor
ough!y drill its men, to weed out of its
force the worthless and discreditable and
to present class of employees to the public
eye that would not offend by any unneces-
sary display Of uncleanliness other than
that inseparable from their work Work
would be carried on with less noise and less
bad language; more care would be taken
know that he was held responsible for his
proportion Of it, and would, therefore, do
his best"
Street and Alley Pavements.
About 81 900 square yards of sheet and
block asphalt pavements were laid in road
ways, and very nearly all the city. The
prices of sheet asphalt, exclusive of grad
ing, were $1.94 and s.. 10 per square yard on
fo ur-inch and six-inch base, respectively,
The prices for asphalt block were $1.S4 and
1925 per square yard On gravel and con-
crete, respectively. From each of these
prices 5 cents should be deducted for COM
parison with previous years prices, since
wages of inspectors proportionate to that
amount were during the year charged
against the cor tract cost.
About 20,6O0 yards of vitrified block or
asphalt block were laid in alleys, not count
ing block set on concrete for wheel strips
in repaired cobble alleys.
The street mileage in Washington on July
1, 1896, OF asphalt pavements was 114.2; of
standard granite block or vitrifed brick.
2S.6; macadam, lis, and cobble or old
stone, 14.2 In alleys the mileage of smooth
pavements was 25.5; of granite block or
cobble, 800, and of cobble, with smooth
wheel strips, O.4. On county roads and sub
urban streets the mileage of smooth pave
n ent was 81; of granite block, O.0, and Of
macadam, 40.
The mileage of unimproved streets in
Washington was 76.1. Some of these
streets, although laid out over hundred
years ago. have not yet been graded. The
dQOlIfOnS TO the remaining SCAeQuleS OF
street improveme nts, accompany the esti-
mates for 1898. consist of streets to be
graded and regulated, except in few cases
of pronounced public necessity for paving;
the selection of streets for improvement
was governed by proximity to the geo
graphical center of Washington, Which is
on 9th street between d and E streets
northwest 1t Is proposed to go outward
from this center, and, as a rule, improve
streets in the order Of their least distances
tkerefrom, giving preference to grading and
regulating, and. as nearly as practicable,
grade to an elevation for a paving base.
About Al 800 square yards of cement side
walk, at $1.33 per square yard, were laid
curing the year, against 5000 yards in the
preceding year, which latter was more than
the amount for the previous five years.
Street Trees and District Parks.
The trees along the curbs numbered at
the end of the year IS, 400; 1.184 trees OBJ
jectionable for various reasons were re-
moved; 1,56O new trees, mostly naples of
good variety, were set out. Besides ordi-
nary care of the trees, much work was
done at the nursery. including extensive
seeding of oaks, naples, lindens, elms, ori-
entail plants. and other tree varieties. Con-
siderable attention was paid to the improve
ment of tree parkings, an addition to the
service which was introduced during the
preceding year.
Unusually severe storms during the
spring destroyed or damaged very large