Evening journal., 1922-06-20

, asphalt many of our old brick an
, belgian block streets, upon whic
there are no trolley tracks. Thi
makes a very inexpensive and salts
? factory improvement. We have JUS
com pleted work OF this kind o.
Shipiey street between Eighth an
Ninth streets and are preparing Z
resurface in the same manner Madl
son street between Front and Mint
streets. Many of the holes and de
pressions in the streets are caused
bv the opening and digging o
trenches by the public utility com
NAMES and city departments to sup
ply services to properties. which un
derground work should nave peei
taken care OF before the street wa
naved. These street openings arr
unavoidable on streets where th'
having was laid years ago. but th'
Department has insisted for the pas
eight or ten years that the work OF
lavinr all gas. water, sewer ano
other connections and conduits mus
he done before new street paving Il
stsrted. This method minimizes the
necessity OF opening the street paw
,,r hut. unfortunately, does mol
entirely eliminate It, as occasions
,,,II arise. such as the breaking OF a
sever. water or gas main, when II Is
absolutely necessary to open the
street. The repairs to streets las'
wear cost 69,O71.79. These FUNDS are
derived from what is known as the
street Paving Tax a slight tax
unon pronerties abutting on streets
which were paved prior to January
1918. and which will continue for
ten wears from that date.
"Another routine service OF TINS
Department is that Of maintaining
our sewer system. To the uninitiated'
II NAV seem that once a sewer Is
laid. the sewage flows on forever
without further attention 20 the
sewer. hut Il does not work out that
way Sewers must be planned 10 take
care Of the area which they will ul-
timately drain; any miscalculation IN
this respect would mean building a
new sewer or some other relief
saver inlets and various other parts
~ this system must be kept in re-
nair and periodically cleaned out.
yviln,ington Is about 95 per cent.
severed. and in this respect Is very
much ahead Of a great many cities
which I could mention. We have lSS
miles Of main sewers to which are
connected very many more miles or
branches to properties. The only sec
t,ons of the city not severed are
those over Third street bridge ives.
80 creenhul avenue and north OF
street.
tho street and Sewer Department IS
thar OF lighting the streets. AS you
know. wilmington has no municl-
lighting plant. We con-
tract for this service, but It IS our
dutvto see that the contracts are
l,vad m to-that each lamp gives the
ser,,Ice for which we are paying ana
tha+ the CITY is as we'll lighted as Is
nossible with the funds at our com
mand for that purpose. The cost TO
the department for 1921 for street
lighting was s79.527.91. divided as
follows: Gas lamps, S20,9O6.S9;
electric lamps. s5s.e2O.42, This
covered the maintenance of an aver
age of $50 gas lamps. 43e arc lamps
m incandescent lamps 26S orna-
mental lamps.
wilmington is not lighted as well
as we would like TO see it. especially
in some of the residential sections
hut compares favorably with num-
her Of cities of our class, and we
are doing this at less cost per mile
NJ streets and less cost per thousand
than almost any city within a hun
dred miles or so of Wilmington.
where the lighting Is more satisfac-
tory. the cost is much higher per
mile Of streets and per capita. and
II Wilmington sees ft TO have more
and higher-class street lighting and
s ready and willing 10 pay approx
nately the price per capita paid in
he cities where the same Is largely
extended. il can readily be brought
about, for personally, and I am sure
/ can speak for the directors OF our
and say we believe that
money spent for good street light
ng is well spent.
we have just contracted with the
and Philadelphia Trac-
ion Company for an improved and |
lighting sytem on King
street whereby forty-seven orna-
mental arc lamps will he installed .
md an entire new pole and wire
iystem placed along each side OF the .
street, replacing the present layout
The new poles will be iron, similar
o Market street The department
vas assured by a street lighting ex-
,ert before this contract was let
hat King street will be better light
d than any street in a number OF
titles in Wilmington's class here
bouts. and more agreeably lighted
han Broad street. Philadelphia. To
accomplish this. the department
must expend an additional amount
Z s4,519 per year. over the cost of
he present lights on this street.
we have other branches of the
department. that perhaps are seldom
ssociated in your minds with the
'treet and Sewer Department One
S the Engineering and Surveying
OF the city. which has
harge Of all the engineering work
II our department together with the
work OF marking curb and building
ines and making property surveys
Is ordered; also. the preparation OF
plans showing sewer construction
and connections. plans for the lien
ng of assessments for sewer and
street paving, and the preparing and
recording of full data on grades,