Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-09-14

How il Was Done in P%IainfieId
Last Summer Was Big
Success.

The dusty streets in Perth Amboy
is one Of the greatest municipal prob
lens. Sprinkling seems to be the
only solution and this must be done
under municipal control in order to be
of any use to the people generally.
The following account of the work in
Plainfield during the past summer will
be interesting to local people.
Sprinkling is done by tho city there:
Some facts concerning municipal
street sprinkling is interesting just
now because the first year Of this
work has about been completed and
the many advantages of it attest to
the wisdom Of introduction here.
John E. Keely was successful in get
ting the contract on n competitive
basis and through his constant per-
sonal attention, the work has been
conducted in q most satisfactory way,
very few complaints having been re-
ceived.
"There are at present eight sprink-
ling carts, eighteen horses and eight
drivers employed in this work. Six
teen horses are regularly employed,
the other pair being held in reserve
as extras in case the other horses are
sick Oh meet with an accident. 1t re-
quires q large building to house all
these carts and horses, but Mr.. Keely
has such q place on East Seventh
street, where his stables occupy an
entire block,
Is,T Every day during the sprinkling
season ninety miles of streets in the
cityrare watered between $3.50 in the
morning and 6 O'Clock II the.evening,
and in the business center the streets
are,sprinkled three and four times a
day. .while those outside are covered
at least twice O day. The carts are
loadedowith water between fifty and
sixtyltimes O day. The work was
started the last week in March this
year, and it is apparent that thousands
of dollars have been savsd to the tax.
payers through the preservation OF
macadam,- while the ten inch roller
on each wagon, the result of wheels
tapping each other serves to help pack
the mncadnm after it has been wet
Besides the cost to the taxpayers is Sc
slight that it is scarcely felt.
"This work is very hard on the
horses. Each team is required to
draw a weight of ninety hundred,
when the wagons are Allied with
water. Five big horses have gone
under during the present season, be.
ing unable to stand the work. Thsse
animals are fed every morning at 5:3C
and every night they are washed and
cleaned, the men working as late as
8 O'Clock in completing their days
work. 1t is really q sight worth Sec
ing to be at the stables either at night
or in the morning.
I 1ttTlEe territory covered by these
horses and wagons includes all streets
from DeKalb avenue to Motherhood
avenue and from the G%reenbrook line
to Randolph road.
The work Is done Under the per-
sonal supervision Of John E. Keely
and it is no doubt due to this fact
that satisfaction is the result. The
great expenditure in securing suitable
horses, to.say nothing of the harness
and the employment of labor aggre'
gates q very large sum and 1t is safe
to say that as yet Mr.. Kelley has
failed to realize much profit.
Zone advantage of This work is that
the streets are sprinkled at least once
every morning before the commuters
are on their way to the train. AS to
the cost of this work, it has been es-
tlmated that each taxpayers bill is
not increased over ten cents a year for
it, whereas under the old arrange
ment it would cost from ton to fifty
cents . week to have the sprinkling
done. "-PlainfieId Press.