The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-16
SPRINKLING BY THE CITY
SPECIAL COMMITTEE HAS NEARLY
PERFECTED DARRANGEMENTS,
Forty-fivc Carts to be Purchased In
New Haven-A Contract with the New
Haven Sprinkling Co. Proposed but
Not Favored--Thc Question to be De-
c.ded Mt n Meeting Tomorrow Night.

The special street sprinkling commit
tee held another meeting last night for
ments for the sprinkling of the streets
by the city. The matter has not yet
been definitely decided as to details, al-
though the order passed by the COM
mon council requires that carts shall be-
purchased by March 1. The COMMITTEES
has, however, decided to purchase for-
ty-f1ve carts owned in New Haven.
These carts have been inspected and
will be purchased at prices varying with
their utility as found by the commit
tees inspection. The price to be paid
for them varies from $3.50 to $500.
There are twenty eight and one-half
miles of streets on which there are car
tracks and some members of the com-
mittee are in favor Of contracting with
the New Haven Street Sprinkling
company to sprinkle those streets with
car sprinklers instead of buying carts
to do the work. Others of the CONS
mittee, the majority, are of the opinion,
on the other hand, that the order pass
ed by the common council. which in its
terms empowers the committee to pur-
chase carts does not empower the COM
mfttee to enter into any contract. They
hold that the very spirit of the order
is to change the street sprinkling sys-
tenn entirely, to do away with the cons
tract system and to have the city do the
work directly through it's employees by
means Of its own apparatus. They hold
that the power of entering into a con-
tract with the New Haven Street
Sprinkling company is not embraced in
the power of buying carts conferred
upon the committee
This question has not been referred
to the corporation counsel for an opin-
ion although such action was proposed
last night. No vote was taken on the
suggestion. as it was considered proba-
BILE that an agreement would probably
be reached by the committee at it's next
meeting, Saturday night, without q
legal opinion from the corporation coun-
lsel. In case carts are purchased to sprin-
kle the city's portion of those streets
in which there are car tracks 1t Is
thought that fourteen or fifteen carts
would be needed. The committee is all
most unanimously in favor of acting
strictly under the power conferred by
the common council. The members ct
the committee are Alderman c. F.
Brenpan Alderman Chillingworth, i
Councilman w. G. Keane, CouncilmaH
J. J. Walsh and Mayor Driscoll. Az
though the charter places in the COM
mon council the sole power of arrang-
ing for street sprinkling, the mayor was,
through courtesy, made member of
the committee.
Mr.. Perry Of Boston, a representative
Of the New Haven Street Sprinkling
company, appeared before the commits
tee last night and was questioned as
to the cost Of having his company
sprinkle on streets where there are car
tracks.
The only question now remaining un-
decided by the committee is as to
whether to purchase carts to sprinkle
,ar track streets or to have such streets
sprinkled by the company. This ques-
ion will be decided at the meeting to
De held Saturday night.
Another matter which will probably
)e decided then or at a meeting to be-
leld soon after is as to the procuring
If horses with which to operate the
arts 1t has been ascertained by the
that in Cambridge, Mass,
where the city does it's own sprinkling,
lorses are hired at the rate Of $75 per
month per pair and it is possible that a
ike plan will be adopted here.