The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-07

provement. 1t will be the effort of my
life TO endeavor to insist that as good
pavement be laid In this city as any
where else in the country. What has been
done elsewhere we should be able to
accomplish here.
There has been so much agitation and
Misrepresentation by evil minded mis-
chef-makers, with reference to the con-
tract recently let. by your honorable
bodies for the repairs of our asphalt
pavements, that deem 1t best to publish
in this report copy of the bids received,
| tabulatod, so as to show the number OF
yards out of bond, the cost per square
yard per year, and total cost each year
under the several bids. CHere follows a
lengthy table, previously published, set
ting forth In detail the matters mem
| toned above. Appended are the totals
showing the cCst of repairs for ten years
under the different bids: Alcatraz com
pany, 1924, ,05s, ,235; George Mcdonald, $780,
1885; Pennsylvania Paving company,
$lSROO0.OO; Barber Asphalt company, $l75,-
| 10000.
From the above all fair-minded people
can readily see that the contract was let
to the lowest bidder, when let to the Bar
Der Asphalt company.
STREET RAILWAYS.
1t gives me great pleasure to acknowl-
edge the efforts made by General Mana
ger Silliman, of the Scranton Railway
company to give this city good track
construction. l have no doubt but that it
will be news to many councilmen, and the
great majority of our citizens, to know
that in the block on Quincy avenue, paved
last fall, we have the best and most mod
ern track construction. No wooden ties
were used; the whole track is underlaid
with six (6) inches of Portland cement
concrete, with the rail for its full length
resting thereon, with an additional thick
ness of six 80 inches Tor twelve O2
inches in alD of concrete under each joint.
The rail is a six (6) inch "T' rail weigh
ing 62 pounds per yard. Steel challen ties
are used every ten Q0) feet and tie
rod at intermediate distances between.
This same construction will be placed
on the Providence road, North Main ave-
nue., Sanderson avenue and East Market
street when paved, and hope on all other
paved streets when paved and on the
present paved streets when the tracks
require renewing. This is due the tax
payers of this city, and l have no doubt
but 1t will be a great protection to our
pavements and saving of considerable
proportions in .he cost Of maintenance
to the city. There is no doubt but that
water percolates through the joints in the
pavements, and along the sides of the
rails, into the bed of the street, thus
keeping the soil continually soaked, for
II Is sheltered from the sun and wind,
and when winter comes on with it's freez-
ing weather is in the best of condition
for Jack Frost to get his work in, thus
gradually destroying the pavement on ac-
count of the expansion and contraction
of the bed beneath, with varying de-
grees of temperatures.
BRIDGES.
Owing to the costliness of maintaing
bridges, particularly those carrying high
ways over steam railroads, rapid dete-
rioration of the iron work has developed
the necessity of procuring a durable coat
ing to protect the metal work from the
corrosive action of the gases and from
the locomotive blast.
Upon examination a few weeks ago
found that the iron work of the Roaring
brook bridge, over the Delaware, Lack
aWanna and Western tracks, especially
the south bound track, and the Linden
street bridge, over the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western railroad, and the
Delaware and Hudson railroad tracks,
has been badly corroded by the action
OF the hot gases from the engines upon
the floor beams and the under side of the
buckle plates, the iron work has been
vigorously attacked by rust. To prevent
this protective shield or ceiling of
planed, tongued or grooved planks should
be placed under that portion of the
bridges Immediately over the steam rail-
road tracks. The two bridges and pos
sibly others need adjusting and painting.
The $1,000 for adjusting, ceiling and re-
painting the Linden street Roaring brook.
l1ackawanna avenue and Cedar avenue
bridges in the appropriation ordinance for
1879 Will not more than adjust and con-
struct the ceiling mentioned for the Roar
ing brook and Linden street bridges.
SEWERS.
For various reasons there was but lit
tie sewer work accomplished last year.
but the coming season promises to be an
exceedingly busy one in this line. There
Is at present eight different contracts
executed, or about to be executed, which
embrace vast territory distributed in
different sections of the city The con-
tracts mentioned are the Seventeenth
district main, Stipp court lateral Won
Storch avenue and Honesdale street lat
eral, Philo street, Providence road and
North Main avenue main, Sixteenth dis
trict system of lateral and sections "B,"
u and ID system of laterals in the
t1fth sewer districts, comprising about
nine or ten miles of brick and various
sizes of vitrifed pipes and about nine
miles of six-inch house connections,
The cost per view or assessment on sew
ers has gradually increased to enormous
proportions, viz, from IS cents to $l418
or from los per cent. to 14.04 per cent. en-
the amount or cost of work in each dis
trict. In most cases the only reason for
having viewers appointed is to equalize
the assessments between inside lots and
corner lots, where sewers are constructed
on both street, rather than assess by the
hheal root OF sewer frontage, which
hs .f,...
er Tor the city to assume and pay a GER
tain amount of the corner lot assessment
(when assessed by the foot front rule)
rather than have viewers appointed. These
viewers are appointed by court and are al
lowed the full limit of compensation per
day. the time, the viewers regulate them
selves, according to the elasticity of their
conscience; this the table will prove.
The bills are also approved by court and
all you have to do in the matter is to or
der the bills paid.
Under the resolution of your honorable
bodies requiring an estimate of the cost
of relaying and repairing of the several
sewers so that efficient sewage and drain
age would be afforded the several terri
tories where sewers are now laid, | beg
to report that l am dong all / can in
that direction. / have completed the First
sewer district, and had reported to the
bond ordinance committee an item of
ten thousand dollars for the relief of that
district. The plans ON file in this Office
will fully explain The method proposed
Considerable work has been done taking
levels, sizes and grades of sewers in
some of the other districts, and a vast
amount of calculations made but not
completed.
Since 1 assumed charge of this Office
have had made at odd times, "A search
through what records were to be found,
Including the minutes of councils. since