The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-02
THE CITY engineer
NUMBERING HOUSES
Jnnumbered Houses and + Those
Which Have Duplicate Number
Given the Right ;Number-city
Engineer Asks That Property Own
ers Accept These Numbers.

city Engineer Kupp Is about at the
end of a work, which should have been
carried out long ago, but which was
delayed by the backwardness of coun-
ellis in dealing with the necessity. He
is giving out numbers for houses which
either have no numbers or which have
Il duplicate number, or is so numbered
as to be misleading or confusing.
This work is the last of the street
system, which was woefully lacking a
year ago, but which was absolutely
necessary for Carbondale to secure to
mail service to which it was entitled,
but which it was persistently denied by
the postal department at Washington,
solely because there was no intelligent
street system in this city There We're
unnamed streets, there were two or
more streets named alike, and there
were houses galore which had no num-
bers, or numbers chosen by the prop
erty owners themselves, because of a
lack of any other means of determin-
ing number. 1t was a curious con-
dition, but 1t was one which councils
could readily remedy If they cared to-.
The Tribune earnestly urged councils
to take action, and after several weeks
of constant directing of attention to the
matter. the initiative was taken, led by
DR.. Fletcher, of select council, chair
man of the streets committee who
fathered the project to the end. Mr..
Stone, in common, looked after the
resolution for street signs.
The work, therefore, that City En-
gineer Kupp is doing these days, in
placing numbers for the unnumbered
houses, is the last of the details con-
nected with the establishment of an in
telligent system of streets. Mr.. Kupp,
together with James Powdery, the
agent for the signs, and Joseph Lotus,
this week completed the work of tack
ing the signs on houses at the street
corners. Their mission was not all sun
shine, as many property owner OBJ
jected to having his house placarded.
An incident out of the ordinary took
place when the city engineer and his
assistants endeavored to nail sign
along a street, which was named after
man who happens to be among the
men who are still at work. Instantly
the union supporters in the vicinity
We're up in arms, and in manifesting
their opposition they made 1t decidedly
unpleasant for the unsuspecting sign
men.
In giving out the numbers for the
houses, City Engineer Kupp requests
that property owners change the num-
bers on their houses to the new one.
This has not been done in every case.
Some property owners seem to object
to buying another number, after already
having one that is attempting to do
service. 1t is absolutely necessary, how
ever, to have a general obedience to
the request of the engineer otherwise
the system Of numbering he has devised
will be of little value. Councils have
directed the work, which was an abso-
lutely crying necessity the city en-
Sineer has carried out the work, and IL
is now up to the property owner to do
his part and bring the system up to the
point which was intended when it was
devised.
1t might be mentioned that among
the benefits that followed the estab-
fishing of this system of streets, was
the granting to Carbondale of an adj
ditional maicarrier, who was needed
. to supply the citys wants, but who was
withheld. despite the protests of POST
master Thomas, because of the absence
OF street names and house numbers
The signs which the city accepted and
(Which are now in place, are quite cred
atable, and no more acceptably neat
sStreet placanl will be found in any city
1n the-countiy. ,s.s..@