The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-18

Accompanying the estimate Mr..
Dunnng has submitted a typewriter
explanation of the many items.
OF repairs to bridges and culverts
he says that the cost is increasing
yearly and that it will be absolutely
necessary to replank the Lackawanna
avenue, South Washington avenue,
Carbon street, and gas house bridges,
the latter one-half; that almost an en-
tirely new bridge must be built over
Stafford Meadow brook on South
Washington avenue, and that extern
sive repairs are needed on the East
Market street and Dodgetown bridges.
CLEANING PAVEMENTS.
The 1897 appropriation of 81 900 for
cleaning stone and brick pave, says
Mr.. Dunning, was $1,000 less than the
1896 appropriation, with IA more blocks
to clean. To clean the AZ blocks of
brick, stone block and cobble pave he
estimates the need of $3.50 and one
foreman, 20 men and three teams
working u hours a day for ten months
| not considering the proposed North
Main avenue brick pavement.
In reference to cleaning asphalt
pavement he cites the 121 blocks of
| that material, 16 more than in 1896.
| For cleaning asphalt and other pave
ments the department had 20 per cent
| less money in 1897 than in 1896 To
clean the asphalt with any degree
of responsibility" the commissioner
says he needs: Two flushing gangs,
each to contain one foreman, nine men
and one team working 90 days per
month for 6 months, $500; a foreman.
| l6 sweepers, 2 teams, same period,
| $500; foreman, 20 SWeepers and two
| teams for the other months, $4,S30;
| supplies, $500. After stating that the
| appropriation asked would not be suf-
| ficient for first-cass results he cites
| Buffalo as dhe illustration. That city
! contains one section, IA niles of paved
| streets, on which 81 men are employed
| full time for 26 days each month. At
! sl.50 per day the cost in Buffalo shows
| a startling comparison to that involved
| in the cleaning of the 16 miles of pave
| in Scranton.
1t requires, he continues, an addi-
| tional sewer gang to remove extra dirt
| from the basins as a result of the
! flushing 120 days in the year. The
| gang would cost $40 per day or 81, 200
| per season. There will be a shortage
of $1,000 on this item this year.
SHORTAGE PREDICTED.
A shortage OF $500 is predicted in the
| appropriation for repairs to sewers
! and drains. 1t would have been great
er if it had followed the Every pressing
| resolution" OF councils to repair the
| Bromley avenue sewer. The approp-
| ration should be large enough to COW
| er emergencies due to the unsettled
condition of the surface in many parts
| of the city. He urges immediate ac-
tion in building new catch basins and
| laying surface drains to dispose of the
| flood of water which pours off the hill
after heavy storms.
Mr. Dunning admits the asphalt re-
pair question to be a staggerer. He
| says the Lackawanna and Washing
ton avenue pavements should be entire
ly re-surfaced as they are in many
places so bad as to render repair al
most impossible. He mentions $10,-
900 as the amount of money needed
and leaves the responsibility with coun-
ellis If the money isn't forthcoming
IF a new bridge isn't built over the
| Lackawanna river at the driving park
he predicts that the city will have to
pay heavy damages.
For repairing the mile and a half of
Abingdon turnpike within the city linz
its Mr.. Duning itemzes the So, $40
needed under the present system and
suggests that councils investigate the
matter of building a double-track steel
railway such as is recommended by
General Roy Stone, a model of which
he has furnished Mr.. Dunning. It can
be built for $4,000 per mile, single track.