The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-28

year have been $28,S76O7; for macadam
repairing $3216.31. for repairing side
walks $5206.24; construction of brick
sidewalks, $7370.99; flagstone erosswalks
1902 81; brick crOssWalks, SS96O; cross
walk repairs. $73L64; general repairs on
streets, roads avenues, lanes, courts
etc, $3S 646.29; bridge repairs, S32065.
The total expenditures amounted to
$29S 607 Sc, including $35, 1873 for street
sprinkling The amount expended for
street construction was $63, 92718. The
amount received for sidewalk assess
ment was $1927,55, the total amount of
assessment being $64,110.52. For labor
and material donein other departments.
the amount was $15,421.98.
The financial statement is: Street
maintenance, income $276 924.50; eXpen-
ditures, $242 181.14; balance, 1898. $94,-
1896; total of balance Of 1897 and APP
preparation, $176,017.76; less balance of
1898, $34, 743.36: net cost Of maintenance
of streets to city, Sal, 274.40.
The street construction income was:
Balance, 1897, $780, 24.48; annual appro-
priation, 5000; revenue street rail-
roads, $343; total resources, $685. 767.4S;
/ expended, construction of new streets,
/ S56, 42672 land damages, $11S,6921S to-
/ tai, $175, 1880; balance 1898, $2O.648.58;
1 total of street construction on balance
I of 1897, $195, 424.48; less land and amount
of land damages, $118, 69218; on balance
I of 1898, $40, SO, leaving the net cost
Of street construction, $56.0S3.72; net
cost of maintenance, $141, 274.40; net cost
street construction, $56,0S3.72; total net
cost Of department, exclusive of land
damages, $197, 35S.12.
The street commissioner recommends
that the account for land damages
should be kept separate from the ac-
counts of street construction. He also
calls attention to the fact that the ac-
counts for street construction and
street maintenance have been kept to-
! gether, which practice he desires rene
died III order that the street construc-
ton expenses should not appear
twice.
The schedule of property shows real
estate to the value of $33, 6S2.40;
personal property to the value of $40
740.22; total, $780, 422 g..
Street Commissioner Prior recon-
mends not less than SEC, 0On annu-
ally for the purpose of extending mod
ern improvements in the city. The de-
sire of the department is to construct
with this appropriation a mile of street
each year. Macadam, which is the
heaviest pavement except solid pave
ment, is not equal to tho heavy and
| constant traffic of the city, especially
those cut in two by street railway
tracks. Narrow streets in which such
tracks exist should be paved with moo
ern pavement. Streets that need paw
ing are Summer, Lincoln, Catherine,
Vernon, Providence Main, Hawthorne
to Gates lane Highland, Cambridge,
Webster square to the Boston and AL
bany railroad, Grove, Grafton, South
bridge and Millbury streets. The en-
tire section of the city lying between
Madison, Plymouth and Winter streets
on the south, and Lincoln square on
the north, and between Main street
and Grafton and Summer streets,
should be paved from one boundary to
the other without a break The traffic
of the entire section is too heavy for
macadam. A mile of pavement costs,
for a 50-foot street, at the rate of $3.50
a yard, about $50 900 This year no
paving has been done. The order for
the west side of Main street did not
reach the department until toe late for
construction this year. The commits
sioner thinks the east side of Main
street should also be paved next
spring. He believes commission
should be appointed in Worcester to
study the question of good roads.
Under the head of street construc-
ton, the commissioner recommends
that curbing be ordered and set.
Storage ground is needed, and the
recommendation is made that plot of
land be purchased on the west side of
Salem street for street department pur-
poses; also recommends the purchase
of land in each of the six street de-
partment sections of the city for stor-
age purposes. He recommends a new
bridge on Grove and another on Union
street.
The city is sub-divided into six sec
tions for the repair and cleaning of
streets, each manned by six men, d
single cart and horse, and all necessary
tools.
The watering of the streets has been
continued under the same conditions as
for the past three years. There have
been watered 62 IL miles of streets, at
total cost of S35,647 80.
More money has been eXpendd on re
pairs Of streets than usual. The wea-
ther conditions have been unfavorable,
rains being heavy and frequent The
blizzard last February cost $1,000. The
work of the department has been pros
ecuted at an expense of $28,0O0 less than