El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-06-01
THE CITY'S STREETS.
Street Sprinkling and Street I'M
DrOYement.

SITSSI SpTIHkIlH9 dhu SIISSS Aih-
proYement.
The wretched condition Of the
str. cts cf E. Paso, which was brought
to public notice more forcibly than
ever the other day when we were
gravel and sand, has thorough
aroused the business m n of ,he city.
Some of the lead ng cit zeos of Ell Paso
started u stito1 in circulation bear
Ing on tn 10 matter. The petition was
addressed to the honorable mayor and
G ty council OF the city OF Ell Paso, and
r q 1 as follow:
'tGENTLEMEN:-
We, the undersigned taxpayers and
aud requ st your honorable body to
t IKE some immediate action to have
the streets OF our CT y b t err careo
for, in the way of filing all holes in
the streets, repairing the railroad
crossir gs, and most especially to kee p
the str eets we'll spriukled. The flying
dust in our streets keeps more p .ople
f-om making their homes in our city
and locating here than any other one
thing. The dust is damaging our mer-
hants' goods. Our stre-ts cannot be
<ept in repair unless they are sprink-
led all The time, and every macadamiz-
Ell street in the city should be sprink-
led: and if the city has not e. ough
priDkl ling wagons on hand
TO do tn. work we think that the city
,hould get more wagons. Our city
can do without most anything be ter
than it can do without a thorough
-prinkling, and as taxpayers we most
earnestly request that you keep ell the
-prinklers now on hand running every
hour in the day, and. II need be, get
more spripklers.n
This petition was signed by about
sixty ght of the leading merctant-
Of the two MAJ n streets of Ell Paso, and
.hen ma led to the city clerk to b.
pre- ented to the city council at its
next meeting, which will be tomorrow
night.
This matter being one that has been
talke1 about go d deal, a HERALD
man began to look up the matter to
ZEE how things stood. He first went TO
the cpmmissi ner of streets and asked
him in regard to the present force
Commissioner Wales informed
the repo- ter that the ci'y had at pres
mt four teams in the sprinklinR
work. "These four teams have to cover
over eight miles ev@ry day, and that Is
entirely too much to do the work Is it
hou d be done. Besides the city need
ing more sprinkling wagons, it ne d.
more stand pipes placed at different
points. 80 that the te ms wo It have to
tanks.' Mr.. Wales said that "the
gre atest expense of these extra stand
pipes is erecting them; the plumb
water is free I" Yesterday the dust
was worse than usual. The reporter
asked the cau-e, ard Mr.. Wales said:
well. Yesterday moroing my hired
man that drives number two didn't
come to work when he should have
done go, and he oidn't give me any
notificat on that be was going TO quit.
d ay, but when 1 did Immediately got
q man and sent one of the old drivers
out with him, so that he could learn
the route, and We did the best possible
under the ri Gums ances."
The HERALD'S man then called up
on Mr.. Clifford, who is one of the
street impr"v5 ment committee of the
council, and asked what scti he
Thought tbesco 'pcil wouid take on the
petition. Mr.. CT ford ssid: 1T will be
referred to our COMMITTEES first" The
reporter asked M. Clifford how much
of the sire ct improvem Mt fund was
avail able for the street sprinklipg and
for the betterment of the appliances
tn at were now employ ed in this work.
Mr.. Clifford stated that tbe-e
was, on the 3lst day of la
March, a bs ance on hand Of
1881. Mr.. Clifford said: 81 don't
koow how much there is on hand 1T
his present TIM, as the collectiors
have been coming in aince the last
report that have" but Oh
being asked the amount annually ex-
per ded on the streets MIR. Clifford said,
Il think somewhere bet~e cen five and
six thousand dollars" The yearly
taxed amount is about six or seven
thousand. MIR. Clifford then referred
the reporter to the city treasurer for
the exac, figures.
1t has hem suggested that water il
too scarce and high pri ed to use on
tie streets. The city pays certain
price for the water whether it is used
mr. mot