The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-08
CITY BADLY LIGHTED
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS PRO-
POSES MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
THE STREET LIGHTS HERE
WERE THE FIRST EVER USED IN
THE UNITED STATES.

Head of Department of Public
Works Jumps on the Lighting
Service-COmments on Condition
of Asphalt StreetS-AdVances a
Feasible Plan for Improving the
Storm Sewerage System-What IL
Costs to Clean and Repair Paved
Streets of City.
Municipal ownership of an electric
light plant is recommended by the di-
rector of public works in his annual
report filed with the clerk of Council
yesterday afternoon.
Frequent complaint has been made
that the city is not properly lighted,
and this complaint has reached the
ears of the head of the department of
public works, with the result that he
deVotes some space in an excellently
prepared annual report, to a discus
SIGN of the subject.
Asphalt streets are also referred to
in the report and the question of
changing the storm sewerage system
is gone into at some length. The work
IN the departments under the director
of public works is gone into in detail
and the report is the most complete
that has yet been filed. Every cent ex-
pended in the several departments
during the year is accounted for in
table of expenses accompanying the
report.
1t is shown that during the year
paving amounting to 2.9S miles was
put down. There are 100 miles of
streets and twenty miles of lanes in
Savannah, of which 1881 miles are
paved. The cost of cleaning and re-
pairing the paved streets of the city
was as follows:
Cleaning the Streets.
The cost Of cleaning improved streets
was as follows-$11, 475.OO:
Asphalt, 140,813 square yards, Sc, 27O.00;
average cost per square yard, .0444.
Cobble and granite, 24S, 729 square
yards, $2,4S2.65; average cost Der SQUARE
yard, .0099
Shell, $4,000 square yards, $5SS.2O;
average cost per square yard, .OO62.
ebert and gravel, 5S,856.9 square
yards, S199.17; average cost per square
yard, .O033
Brick, 172,647.55 square yards, 81,
1898; average cost per square yard,
.O112.
The cost of repairs to paved streets
was as follows-$11, 527.07:
Asphalt not under guarantee), u.s.
OS6.S7 square yards
Cobble, 177,712 square yards, $2,342.74;
average cost per square yard, .O13
Granite blocks, 71,O17 square yards,
81, 07.5O; average cost per square yards,
.O19.
Brick, 172,647.55 square yards, $429.S7;
average cost per square yard, .OO2.
Shell, $4,000 square yards, $2,512.OO:
average cost per square yard, .026.
Gravel and ebert, 5S.S569 square
yards, $2S9.O7; average cost per square
yard, .0049.
The total number of catch basins
cleaned was 6,573, at a cost of 81, 460. 25;
6,57S loads of waste matter, measuring
457S cubic yards. were removed from
them. Sixty-eight new catch basins
were put in during the year, making q
total at the close of the year 1908 of
LOB.
City Lighting Unsatisfactory.
There are at present SIS arc lamps
in the city, costing for the year $685.
76O.S1. These lights are of the old an
tiquated pattern, open arc lamps, the
hrst ever used in the United States.
They are continually going out and
causing trouble and annoyance to this
department, besides not giving the
light guaranteed by the contract and
paid for by the city. The Savannah
Electric Company has promised that
these old lamps will be replaced with
the modern enclosed arc lamps, but as
yet they have replaced none of them.
A municipal lighting plant, owned
and operated in connection with the
waterworks, would be the proper So
luton of this problem of lighting the
city's streets.
Repairs to Asphalt Streets.
The maintenance contract of the CITY
with the Southern Asphalt Paving
Company, now embraces every asphalt
street in the city, amounting to 14O.-
S1S square yards, at cents per square
yard.
During the year the repair force for
this company was only twice in Sa-
vannah, once in January and again in |
Se=tember
The asphalt streets of the city have
been almost continually out of repair. |
The Southern Asphalt Paving Com |
pany has not been paid anything on |
account of their maintenance contract |
this year. for the reason that the |
streets were not kept in repair as call |
ed for by our contract.
The condition our asphalt streets are |
now in and have been in during the |
past several years, indicate clearly that |
no city should lay on its streets as a |
pavement, any material that can not |
be kept in repair by its own employees. |
Storm Sewer system.
During the year we have had a num- |
Der of sewer breaks in our storm sew |
ers of a serious and expensive charac- |
ter. With the increase from year to |
year of paved streets, no change has |
been made in the main sewers of the |
city. We have had in consequence,
after every very heavy rain, the streets |
flooded and numerous complaints from |
property owners.
We have asked for an appropriation |
this year of $40, 900, to construct a five
foot sewer outlet on Perry street from |
East Broad street to Bilbo canal, in |
order to relieve the over taxed sewers
at East Broad and Bolton streets. At
this point. Bolton and East Broad the
three main sewers of the city unite.
The East Broad street sewer starts at
Broughton street and West Broad
street, and runs east to East Broad |
street, and south on East Broad street
to Bolton street. Bolton street sewer
starts at Stone and West Broad streets.
runs south to Hall. east on Hall to
Abercorn, south on Abercorn to Bolton,
and east on Bolton to Bilbo canal, with
a branch up Abercorn to Duffy. and
west on Duffy TO West Broad street.
Thirty-sixth street sewer starts at
Florence and Thirty sixth. runs east
on Thrty-siXth to Plant avenue and
north on Plant avenue and East Broad
street to Bolton and East Broad street.