Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-02-05
NUMBERING SYSTEMS
Many Valuable Plans Found For
Designating Houses.
FINES FOR NEGLECTFULNESS.
Everett, Mass, ADOPTS This Up to Date
Method For Keeping the Numbers on
Houses-Plans of Many Other Towns
and Cities Good and Successful.


In towns md cities throughout the
United states looking toward the reNi-
sion OF house numbering systems fur
nish interesting points of comparison
with the plan recently put into effect
In Chicago. The American Society of
Municipal improvements. which Is or
ganiZed as n sort of clearing house for
ideas on municipal government has
made an investigation of what Is being
done In different parts of the United
States.
Replies were received from 1876 cities
to the following questions:
"WhO assigns street numbers to or
otherwise has charge of the number
ing of the buildings In your city?
What form Of application must be
made and what charge paid by prop
erty owners to learn their respective
house numbers?
Does city furnish the figures to be
used? At what cost?
Does 1t place them? Is the size and
style of figures specified in any way?
'Is there any standard for assigning
numbers, such as distance from as
signed axes or length of frontage to
each NUMBER"
The replies show that in the great
majority of cases the city engineer or
the department of engineering has
charge of this work. this being the
case in 1O4 cases out of the total 1856
The building inspector has charge Of
1t In eight cases. In five cases it is in
charge of the board of public affairs.
of public works or of commissioners,
as they are variouSly entitled. In four
cases the city clerk looks after this
work, in three cases the assessor, in
two cases the superintendent OF streets,
and a special committee. the inspector
of the highway division. the board of
aldermen. the mayor and council. the
mayor alone, a local contractor and
the city marshal, each are intrusted
with this work in one city OF those re-
porting. Printed forms are used in
Dubuque, Ia; Phillipsburg. \. j.:
Cleveland. O.; Salt Lake City, Winni-
peg, Man. and others. In Everett and
| Taunton Mass. petition is made to the
board of aldermen; in Schenectady.
N Y, and Duluth. Mimi, to the com
mon council. In Kansas City, Mo-, and
Lincoln, Neb.. the number Of the build
ing is given with the building permit.
In 124 cases no charge is made for
informing the owner or tenant OF his
house number In Macon. Ga. there
is charge of 10 cents for this; in
Springfield. Mass. the cost of looking
up the information; in Ogden, Utah,
75 cents; in Lincoln, Neb., this is in
cluded in the cost Of the building per-
nit. Figures are furnished and placed
without cost to the owner in Boston,
Everett. Lowell, New Bedford and
/ Somervilc, Mass; in Cleveland and
Woonsocket, r. l.. and in Winnipeg,
Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary, Canada.
Figures are furnished free of charge,
but not placed in Concord, \. H..
Reading Pa, and Hamilton, Ont. Ma
con, Ga, charges 10 cents for furnish
ing and 10 cents additional for placing.
, San Antonio, Tex, charges 10 cents
per figure and does not place them.
Montreal. Canada, charges 20l2 cents
for furnishing and placing. st. Johns,
4 n. f., charges 3 cents per figure for
furnishing and placing. \ number OF
cities furnish and place figures If the
, owner fails to do so after notification
and charges the same to the owner.
In Grand Rapids, Mich. this charge
is 20 cents per figure in place.
In most towns and cities the front
age allotted to each number is twenty
to twenty-five feet In several, how
ever, ten feet is used in the business
sections, this Icing the case in New
Britain, Conn.; Lowell. Mass, and
Somervillc. Mass.
In some cities there appears to be no
general ordinance concerning the mat
ter of house numbering, while in 9th
ers quite complete ordinances have
been established. An Illustration of n
brief ordinance is that of Everett,
Mass. which is as follows:
The owner of any building or part
Of a building who shall neglect or re-
fuse to afiiX to the same the numbers
designated by the board of aldermen
or by some person by said board duly
authorized ,r who shall affix or re-
tain for more than three days any
number contrary to such direction shall
be liable to line of not more than $50,
In Rochester If owners do not place
numbers on their houses the common
council passes Il local improvement or
dinance, and the numbers are placed
by the city, and the cost thereof, with
the cost of placing, is charged against
the prOpert..
In numLer ofAcities there appears
to be no particular form Of procedure
by which the householder obtains in
formation as to the legal number of
his house nor by which the city COM
pels the proper numbering Of houses.
In others, however, forms more or less
elaborate are employed.
The style IF figure to be used is spec
flied In forty-tive cities. In the MAJOR
ity Of cases 1t is stated that the figure
must be at least as large as designated
minimum, which varies from two to
three inches. In number Of cities the
color and material also are specified
In Charlotte, \. c., the house numbers
are placed IN the cement walks a
these are lad. the figures being red
costing ceuts apiece and being paid
, for by the city.