The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-04-09
STREET sPRINKLING.

Now that the City Of Cairo is be
ing rapidly placed in a position e
Toast of the best streets in this par
OF the country, in pleasing contrast
with Its former reputation Tor aito
eether the reverse, the often as
cussed problem of maintenance pc
comes each season more important
This is particularly true of the dust
annoyance which, owing to the nara
brick surface now so general, reoc'
ours much sooner after rain or artl'
fetal sprinkling and lin distressing
" greater volume than formerly and
has become nuisance that cannot
continue without actually depreeiaf-
ing highly taxed property on paved
streets beside constituting real
menace to the health OF the commun-
ity.
It is generally agreed that the city S
street flushing wagon IS, at least in
the results accomplished, success
as far as it goes but 1t is not only
too costly a device to permit or d
sufficient number being used to keep
all of the streets cleaned but is both
expensive of operation and slow in
results and it is consequently fact
that only comparatively small area
can be adequately covered by 1t. The
city Is hardly in condition financially
to either purchase or maintain suffi-
cient additional equipment of this
kind 10 take care of the brick
streetspow in use and with two more
miles. comprised by Commercial ave
nue. and Upper Sycamore street, now
under construction and at least an
other mile OF such paving recently
ordered, it would seem as if the adop-
ton of some more comprehensive
plan OF street sprinkling, one within
tae city's means. is matter of inn
mediate necessity.
Fortunately for the city a consid-
cradle majority of the brick paved
territory, aggregating five or six
miles in length by including Hol-
brook avenue and st. Mary's Place
West, where brick paving will soon
be put In, is now covered by the
lines of the street car company which
suggests a method whereby the
streets may be effectively and eeono-
mically washed in probably tess than
of the time now consumed,
per square yard, at the same time
producing profit for the Traction
company and increasing the value OF
hts franchise accordingly. The
sprinkler car" is a familiar sight In
most cities and authorities might be
anoted in substantiation Of the state
ment that the work can be done at
low cost to the city and develop
a good profit for the street car COM
pany as well Once the apparatus is
installed, and it is by no means ex-
pensiye when the traction company
has an old car and motor that may
be used, the cost of operation is byI
no means heavy and the fact that
the work can be done at night, be-
tween Owl car trips where neces-
sary, would make such plan es-
pecially desirable and in every way
an Improvement over the present in
adequate method.
It is probably true that by intro
ducing one sprinkler car in Cairo
Tor use on the principal streets, those
having trackage, the present wagon
iiusher could easily cover the terri
tory without street car service which
mas been pretty much neglected in
the past With such an arrangement
for the brick paved streets and by |
using OIL on grayeled thoroughfares
the problem Of getting the best out
Of our good streets now that we |
have them win be solved.