The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-10
City Engineer Has Plan to I'M
prove Paving.
Repair All Holes and Adopt
New Rules.
INHERITED TROUBLES.
Old Excavations Handed Down
by Others
Other Items of Interest From
City Building.

slate of the old city administrations
and giving the present administration
chance to leave behind it a Gus
tom which will be an everlasting good
TO the city Of Topeka. His plan is
to have a month of thorough house
cleaning on the paving over the city.
There are holes in some of the To
peka pavements large enough to bury
a horse and they were all caused by
the carelessness of former administra-
tions in allowing such conditions to
exist without remedying them through
the efforts of their engineers.
on the first of July the new rules
and specifications recently approved by
the city council and prepared by the
city engineer will go into effect. These
specifications call for the repairing Of
the Topeka paving in a good systemat
&c manner-when a plumber, gas COM
pany or any other firm or person makes
holes in the paving they will be requir-
cd to follow the instructions of the city
engineer. In this manner the holes Will
be repaired in such a manner that the
material used in them will be of better
construction than the paving itself.
This means that the old repairs will
not sink below the surface after a few
months and leave the customary holes.
The plan suggested by Mr.. Rogers is
to go back through the records shown
by the excavation books and take up
the old repairing with every plumber
and company in the city. Give them
to understand that the holes caused
by their carelessness must be repaired
at once under the new rules. BY the
first of July when the new rules come
into effect the paving all over the city
will be In the best of condition and
Topeka will start out the fiscal paving
year with 53 miles or the best paving
possible.
According to the books of Excavation
Inspector Keys there are approximately
! 600 bad holes in the Topeka pavement
at this time. 1t would take about
month to fix them up if it was taken
up in a systematic manner and repair
ed under the orders of the city engi-
neer.
The plumbers and other firms
could make their repairs at once and
in some cases the street commissioner
would find it possible to make a few
repairs in behalf of the city. When
the whole job was completed the city
would start out the first of July with
a clear field ahead of them and the
great evil which has been running the
pavements for SO many years
would be remedied.
The reasons for so many holes in
the paving is because the former city
engineers were not faithful in their
work. They allowed the plumbers to
go ahead and fix the holes but they
looked only for the present. They
did not pay any attention to the fu-
ture of those holes which were re-
paired in q half complete fashion. In
a year or so the work would show
signs of failing and the patches would
sink and crack In this manner the
holes were disgraceful and the city
suffered-both from city repairs and
from injuries and damage suits.
The poorest street in Topeka IS
Eighth avenue-both east and west.
1t is denied with the poor work in
herited from former administrations.
Some of the holes are on account of
poor brick and poor construction and
the rest is caused from the excavation
men, Quincy street is also in very
bad shape and when the fire COM
panieS make a run their wagons re-
semble a bouncing rubber ball
Another good thing for the pave
ments over the city would be to clean
out the raised crossings. This is the
greatest mistake ever made by city
administration. These crossing plates
and the raised effect give some of the
older streets country town effect.
thirty foot street with ten feet of
space for traffic. These crossings are
also cloggy and unsanitary. Mayor
Green is also a great booster of the
good streets proposition and he is in
favor of cleaning up the street
troubles and starting out anew. The
present administration is full of the
improvement germs and they should
be encouraged.
There is big holler going up over
the delay of the ways and means
committee in making their reports to
the city council. There are number
of very important measures being dis
cussed at the present time blythe city
and on account of their blockade in
the ways and means committee there
is no chance for any open work
play. For instance the whole city
council is strongly in favor of raising
the salaries of the paving inspectors.
At this last salary Juggling the inspec-
tors salaries were lowered. The city
has removed the maintenance bond
on paving and it is absolutely neces-
sary to have the best inspectors pro-
durable for this work. When the
council lowered their salary uninten-
tionally the inspectors withdrew and
since then it has been question to
procure the right men. The city is
placing down the biggest batch of
paving in it's history and something
must be done. Then there is the
raising of the teamSters salaries. The
teamsters have been getting the same
pay for the last century or so in spite
of the fact that feed for their horses
is on the incline. Another question
resting comfortably in the hands OF
the committee is the recommended
tions of Chief Wilmarth for the i'm
provement of the service of the fire
department. This is a very important
matter, Topeka is waiting for such q
move and from the present outlook
nothing can he done until it passes
through the hands of the committee
and is placed before the council at
large. The fire department needs new
men and new equipment and it is up
to the city to make preparations for it
at once. Topeka has grown wonder
fully during the last 20 years but the
fire department has remained prac-
tically the same. Something must be
done along this line. There are
masses of matters in the hands of
flis committee and there should be
house cleaning.
The city Canine Killer is doing big
business. Since the first of April 104