The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-04-17
PROPOSES STREET
SPR|NKL|NG SYSTEM
Gem Says Residents Should
Pay For Allaying Of
Dust.
HE IS OPPOSED TO OIL
Head Of Street Department
Is Unable to Secure
Laborers.
HE is OPPOSED TO OIL

With the coming of summer, the
question of keeping the streets free
from dust as far as possible during
the next five or six months is again
confronting street commissioner Gem
who has several plans in mind for
treatment of the surface Of the
streets. General dissatisfaction has
been expressed against the oillng or
the streets, the street commissioner
claiming that the oil ruins the surfaces
OF the streets, the automobile owners
saying it eats the automobile tires and
housewives complaining that the oil
is tracked into the house. 1t is believ-
ed that another means for allaying the
dust will be employed this year
According to city officials, there is
a demand for a street sprinkling de-
partment in the city as in other cities.
At present, the city owns no street
sprinklers, the sprinkling of the few
streets which are sprnkled during the
summer being done under private con-
tract. At present there is not enough
money available by the city with
which to purchase street sprinklers
although the purchase of combina-
tion sprinkler and cleaner for brick
streets only has been taken under con-
sideration by the board of works.
Oil Wears Surface.
"Oii wears off the surface of the
street." said Street Commissioner
Gem today, "but it allays the dust.
The oil is unsatisfactory for many rea-
sons, though, and other means will
probably be employed this year for
keeping the dust off the streets. /
have not decided on any course to pur-
sue as yet but the question has given
me much trouble.
'The chief trouble is that the people
of Richmond will not pay enough to
a contractor to insure good oiling.
With the prices the contractors must
charge in this city, they do not make
enough money to properly clean the
streets before oiling them. An excel
lent example of good street oiling is
North Tenth street between Main and
A streets and South Fourteenth street
between Main and South B streets.
These streets were brushed off and
cleared from dust and dirt by the
street department at the expense OF
the city but the oil in this case has
been a protection to the surface Of the
street and has been satisfactory"
"The contractors do not see that the
surface of the street is free from dust
when the oil is applied and the result
is mud hole which is a constant
source of annoyance and complaint.
LET Residents Pay"
"An excellent plan for allaying the
dust would be to have the streets kept
damp by proper street sprinkling and
charge the cost to the property own
ers or the residents of the streets.
Whether this would be legal or not is
the question which am unable to an
swer. l do not believe that there is
any law which allows us to force the
people to pay this cost, although the
plan is reasonable and would be mex
pensive.
'The streets during the past years
have never been properly sprinkled
and this plan would require more
careful work by the men on the sprink-
ling wagons. The trouble with the
street sprinklers is that they pour a
large amount of water on the street
until 1T becomes muddy and slippery.
The street commissioner stated that
he has been having very much diff
Guilty In securing men and that he is
making every effort to add % men as
street cleaners to the department.
The loss incurred during the floods
and the heavy expense of the street
department in bringing the streets to
normal condition amounted to more
than $1,000 which was not allowed in
the appropriation for the department.
The work at Happy Hollow was COM
pleted yesterday and the brick streets
VIII be cleaned as soon as men can be
secured.