The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-21
MUST BE STOPPED
Coal Men Pay No Attention to
Wide Tire Ordinance.
Result Is That Payements Are
Being Ruined.
ONE ARREST IS MADE.
Police Promise That More viii
Follow.
Owners of Property Responsible
for Action.
ONE ARREST IS MADE.

II the plans OF the city police force
and the desires of the property owners
on paved streets are to be considered a
campaign will be opened at once
against the firms who are responsible
for the heavily loaded wagons which
are running the pavement of the city.
The attention of Mayor Davis was
called to the fact that the pavement
| on East Eighth avenue has been near
~ ruined IN places by the heavy loads
which have been hauled over it. The
complaint from the property owners
was directed against the Topeka Coal
| company which has the contract for
hauling the Edison Electric Light
| company's coal.
They have three wagons construct
ed almost entirely of steel and iron
and the one weighed by the police this
morning tipped the beam at 1920 and
that empty and without the driver on
his seat, SO that ordinarily one of
these wagons will weigh about $3.50.
Three horses are hitched to- these
wagons and they are loaded to the up
! per side board and frequently five
tons of coal are piled on a single wag-
OH. This makes a weight of more than
5000 which is hauled over the pave
nent and when the wagon strikes the
asphalt during the heated portion OF
/ the day the tires almost bury them
selves in the soft pavement and their
track may be easily followed.
! These wagons are not equipped with
tires as prescribed by the city ordin-
ances for hauling heavy loads as they
have but three inch tires. And even
| If they had the four inch tires as pre-
I scribed by the ordinance the loads are
several thousand pounds heavier than
are permitted to be hauled over the
paved streets.
The Topeka Coal company operates
three of these wagons to which are
hitched three horses as it is impossible
for team of the heaviest draught ami
mails to drag one Of them loaded
across the paved streets.
Two Of the drivers for the company
were arrested and brought before
Judge IFrmy of the police court this
/ morning but were released on their
own recognizance and will have a
! hearing Monday afternoon at 3
/ O'clock The police force have receiv-
ed instructions from Chief Donovan to
make an especial effort to break up
/ the custom of hauling loads of any
weight without regard to the provi-
| sions of the city ordinances.
/ They have been instructed where
there is any doubt in their mind as to
the weight of the load to arrest the
driver of the wagon and drive to the
| city scales and weigh the load. This
| it is hoped will compel the owners OF
the offending wagons who are in most
instances not the owners to conform
| with the ordinances.
Nor are the coal wagons the only
| ones which do not conform with the
city ordinances as nearly every coal
dealer in the city violates the ordinance
every day by permitting their wagons
to be overloaded.
| The big covered ice wagons of the
two ice companies are overloaded by
several thousand pounds during the
heated season of the year and one OF
them frequently starts from the fac
tory with 1000 pounds of Ice and the
wagon when empty weighs between
four and five thousand pounds which
/ makes a net weight of between eleven
| and twelve thousand pounds which is
| dragged over the pavements of the city
In direct violation of the ordinance gov
erning the weights to be hauled though
| these wagons are equipped with four
inch tires.
wagons hauling sand and stone many
| OF them with one and a half inch tires
assist in the destruction of the pave
ment and no effort has been made to
stop the custom. Heavy machinery is
| as we'll as wagons overloaded with mer-
Just at the present time the police
| department is at the head of the ag-
itation for lighter loads and q con-
forrnitv with the city ordinances but
the matter has been thoroughly discuss
ed in the various departments of the
city administration.
The matter was called to the atten-
ton of Mayor Davis some time ago but
for some reason no action was taken in
the matter, though he expressed himself
in favor Of the crusade which has been
started towards protecting the new
pavement which has been laid and pro-
longing the life of the old.
If the ordinance is enforced as It