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PHILLIPS 

UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 

ENID.  OKLAHOMA 


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V.  Z(o 

106504 


ifhillipt  Univvrsitv  UMHV 
Enid,  Oklahomt 


From  the  collection  of  the 


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Prepnger  ^ 
V    Jjibrary 


b    t 


San  Francisco,  California 
2007 


Volume   XXVI 


January  —  June,      1922 


PUBLISHED    BY 

THE   CIVIC   PRESS 

TRIBUNE    BUILDING,    NEW    YORK 


■^'^  ^'-ii-UiUl.LJ[> 


Index 

Adams,  John  D 61 

Adams,    Mildred 543 

Agnew,  Hugh  E....  11 
Aiidress,  Dr.  J.  Mace, 2 19 

Ayres,   E.    F 114 

Bankson,   E.   E., 

223,  343,  479 
Bartholomew,  Harland,  457 

Bartlett,    D.    K 147 

Bassett,   E.  M.50,  230,  625 

Batchelor,    VV.    C 342 

Belk,    C.    E 32 

Besselievre,   E.    B.  ..    356 

Bethea,  Helen 312 

Bevitt,    E.    D 474 

Black,  Russell  V.   N.    254 

Body,    F.    Leslie 369 

Bosse,    Benjamin     ...   134 

Bowers,    Fred    594 

Bradley,    E.    A. 375 

Breed,  H.   Eltinge...    335 

Budd,  R.  W 61 

Buettner,    Leo   J 323 

Butler,  J.  C 47 

Buttrick,   P.  L 429 

Cairns,    G.    H 420 

Campbell,    Carlos    C.    475 

Cann,   W.   E 567 

Carlson,  Samuel  A..  442 
Carrington,    T.    C...    165 

Carter,   J.   C 267 

Child,   Stephen  H., 

5,   103,    437,   560 

Colby,    E.    E 242 

Cooke,  Lee  R 385 

Corcoran,    H.    P 593 

Cotton,    O.   D 219 

Coulter,  Waldo  S.  ..  427 
Dana,  John  Cotton..  359 
Davenport,  O.  F...  125 
Davidson,  Herbert  M.  52 
Davidson,    Lillian  R.      52 

Davis,   D.  B 220 

Davis,   D.   E.223,  343,  479 

Dollahan,    H.    L 573 

Drernan,  Thomas  J.  566 
Dunn,   C.   F 373 


to   Authors 

Eisenbeis,    B.   H 

Engler,   Irvin    

Evans,  Frederick  N. 
Finley,  C.  A. 223,  343, 

Foster,    R.    L 

Franklin,   C.  J 

Eraser,  Gilbert  S... 
Fredenburg,   Geo.    B . 

Gable,   John   E 

Gaines,     Price     

Garrett,   George    .... 

(albert,    Aletha    

Griffith,    M.    D 

Gross,  Edward  Z . .  .  . 
Hagmeier,    O.    C .  .  .  . 

I'all,     C.    H 

Hansen,    A.    E 

Hapgood,   B.   A 

Hardv,   W.    F 

Harth,  W.  H 

Ilaynes,  Edward  M. 
Headrick,  VVm.  C. 
Hennessey,    C.    O'C. 

Henry,    R.    G 

Hilton,    Fred    E 

Hinckley,   T.    L 

Hirshfield,     M.    R... 

Hirst,    A.    R 454, 

Holmes,     IHorence.  .. 

Horn,    A.    J 

House,  Harrison  L. 
Hulse,    Fernald    E... 

Husted,  A.    M 

Hyman,    E.    H 

Taudon,    H.    S 

Jellison,  L.  J... 233, 
Johnson,   Geo.    A. 417, 

Johnson,  J.  W 

Johnson,   Wendell   F. 

Jones,    Ira    B 

Jones,  P.  A 171. 

Jordan,  Frank  A .  .  . 
Kelley,  Robert  F.  G. 
Kilman,    Julian     .... 

King,    J.    H 

Koiner,    C.    W 

Kuhnert,    Julius 


,   January — June, 

565  Earner,    Herbert  B..    435 

169  Lee,    Robert   E 340 

136  Leland,    Arthur    241 

479  Lenhardt,   L.    G 564 

283  Lewis,    D.    Hodson.  .      65 

431  Lewis,   Nelson   P....    209 

537  Lewis,    W.    1 449 

566  Lill,   Thomas    R 181 

27 1  Lorg,   James   H 121 

373  Madison,    Charles    I.    242 

33  Mandel,  Arch 37 

240  Marple,    Albert    7 

209  Marsh,    H.    W 442 

450  McLean,   Bobby    ....    145 

477  McLcw.   H.    L 354 

59  Metcalf,    Ernest    L.  .    138 

39  Moore,    Cora    Lee...    251 

595  Moreland,    James    B.    132 

32  Mosher,  Wm.  E..152,  623 

33  Moynihan,    A.    J....    231 

568  Mui,.ny,   G.  T 271 

171  Niles,    Chas.    M.. 366,  446 

625  Olsen,    Louis    137 

138  Palmer,  Georsre  T...    555 

275  Parmley,    Walter    C.   443 

591  Parsons.    Frank   J...    195 

310  Pennybacker,         Mrs. 

553  Percy  V 627 

611  Perry,    Chesley    R...    599 

595  Peters,   Dr.    A.    O.  ..    322 

1  Pierce,    W.   Dwight, 
215  109.    327,    607 

179  Phinney,    Sedley   H. .   258 

478  Pinson,    James    H...      63 
29  Pollock.  "J.    R 118 

317  Prichard,    Asa   B 568 

669  Rahn,   W.   W 269 

20  Raitt,    C.    B 567 

36  Rail,   J.   F 621 

34  Rather,   L.  H 539 

4r4  Rebok,   Horace    M...    341 

165  Peed,    D.    A 361 

43  Reed.    P.    B 143 

273  Ridley,    Clar'-^ce    E.    563 

316  Rieke,   H.   W 136 

623  Rightor,    C.    E 339 

149  Robinson,    D.    E 371 


1922 

Robinson,  John  I...  132 
Rolfe,  William  E...  452 
Schaphorst,   W.    F., 

67,    491,    613 

Scharff,    A.   K 379 

Scott,    O.    S 28 

Sellers,  Charles  L.-.  470 
Shatts,   W.    Phillip..   593 

Shepherd,    C.    H 583 

.Sherman,  Caroline  B.  277 
Sherwood,    H.    F....      61 

Sim,    George    449 

Simmons,    Charles  A.   379 

Smith,    C.    A 107 

Smyth,    R.    P 478 

Spear,    Walter   E....      23 

Spencer.    D.   G 63 

.Stafford,  James  G...   476 

Steele,   V.  H 341 

Stephens,    J.    H 235 

Stineman,   Norman  M.314 

Streed,    F.    L 32 

Street,    A.    L.    H., 
79.    185,    289.    393, 

.505,  605,  629 

Sul'er,   A.   E 213 

Swan,  Herbert  S 579 

Tracy,   J.    A 177 

Linger,   Adolph    448 

Washington.    H.    A..    466 

Watts,    John    C 421 

Weil,    Lionel     549 

Welch,   Major  W.  A.  319 

Wells,    M.    D 243 

Wenzel,    H.    C 337 

Westoby.    H 477 

White.  Charles  E.  .  .  47-4 
Whitin.  Frederick  H.  123 
Whitten,  Robert  ...  541 
Williams.    Stuart    L.    592 

Wilson.    H.    Lee 557 

Wolfe.  Thomas  F...  467 
Wollmuth,    E.    W...    377 

Wood,  L.  A.  S 3,  425 

Woodward.  James  F.  576 
Wright,  Stanlev  ...  227 
Wyatt,  Roscoe  D .  .  .  267 
Yarger.    F.    L 448 


Index   to   Subjects,     January — June,     1922 


As   an    aid    to    readers    of    The    American    City    in 
looking   up   references,   the  page   numbers    of   the   indi- 
vidual   issues   of  the   volume   are  given: 
January.  1-101  April,   307-415 

February,   103-207  May,  417-531 

March,  209-305  June,  533-647 

Accident  Prevention 

— Analysis      of      Public      Accidents      (pamphlet 

notice) 293 

— Highway  Travel  Dangers — Blinding  Headlight 

and    One-Light    Car     (photograph) 229 

— lantern    Warning   at   Night 7 

— Neplipence   of   City   or   Traction   Company    in 
Trolley-Pole    Accident    Not    Proved — Gn\i- 

port.     Miss. — (legal     decision) 187 

• — Publication   on    85 

— Road   Accidents   Minimized   in   Maryland....      368 

— Road     Design,     Safe 553 

— Steps    for    Public    Buildings,    Safe'. 405 

Sec  also   "Fire."    "Light'np,"    "Traffic" 

Accounting,    Municipal    and     County — 

See  "Finance" 
Americanization 

— Logan.    Utah    371 

— Rochester,    N.    Y 273 

Aurlitoriums — Sec  "Buildinps" 
Baths  and  Swimming  Pools 

— Baltimore,   Md.,  Bath-House  with   Laundry..  43 

— Birmingham.   Ala 312 

— Frostburg,    Md.,    Swimming   Pool 165 

— Harrisburg,     Pa.,     Bathing-Beach 449 

— Johnstown,     Pa.,     Swimming    Pool 557 

— Omaha,   Nebr.,    Bath-Ho'ise    in    Small    Park..  34 

— Palo    Alto,    Calif.,    Swimm-ng    Pool 130 

— Polling-Booths    Used    for    l?ath-IIouses,    New- 
ark,    Ohio     449 

— Waterproofed  Cement  for  Outdoor  Swimm!ne 

Pools 297 

"Before  and  After"  Pictures  riniiiO 

— Highways  '  )lj)ji<^ 

Polk   County,  Fla.  ^ 29 

Springfield,    111 r,i.\i-Z--      269 

Transportation    Facilitiep     In^pr/avedj.l.-; .       49 

^  A 


In- 


^ 


Bill-Boards  and  Signs 

—Bill-Board    Blight    

— Highway    Sign-Posts 

of    Concrete     

Portsmouth.    N.    H 

— Street    Signs 

Knoxville,   Tenn.,   Board   of   Commerce 
stalls    Signs     

Pontiac,    Mich..    Tries    Oversize    Signs.  .  .  . 

San    Francisco,     Calif 

-r-Traffic   Signs 

Somerviile    Mass.,  Uses  Old  Hitching-Posts 
— Wntrr-Supply  Advertised,  Wayndotte,  Mich.  . 

Bond  Issues — Sec  "Finance" 
Bridges 

— Cantilever  Bridge  Planned   for  Decatur,   111.. 

— Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  Business  Section  with 
Seven     Bridges     

— Concrete  Bridge.  Rome,  N.    Y 

— Fort    Smith.    Ark 

— Turkish  Bridge  near  Mt.  Parnassus  (photo- 
graph)      

Buildings,  Public 

— Hickory,    N.    C,    Municipal    Building 

— Newton,    Kans..    Auditorium 

— Plainfield,  N.  J.,  Municipal  Bu-lding  (photo- 
graph)       

— Plain  view,    Tex.,     Auditorium 

— Sound-Proof   Construction    (pamphlet    notice) 

— Springfield.  Mass..  Municipal  Group,  Etching 

— Steps    for    Public    Buildings,     Safe 

— Waterbury,  Conn.,  City  Hall 

— Watertown,      Mass.,      City      Hall      (pamphlet 

notice^    

Sec  also  "Chnc  and  Commercial  Organiza- 
tions,"  "Commtinity    Buildings" 

Celebrations,  Civic 

— Fourth     of    July 

Cemeteries 

— American  Cemetery  Law   (t  ook  review) 

Chamber  of  Commerce  Activities  in 
Public  Affairs — Sec  "Civic  and  Com- 
mercial Organizations  and  Their 
Work" 


46 
61 


474 
.563 
253 

56.S 
03 


34 
446 
554 


137 
593 

129 
477 
511 
595 
405 
130 

191 


627 
633 


Charities 

— Chicago,     111.     (pamphlet    notice)  . 

— Community    Chest,    Cleveland,    Ohio 

— Fuel    Yard,    Sharon,    Pa 

— Legal     Aid,    New    York,    N.    Y.     (pamphlet 

notice)      

— New     York,     N.     Y.,     Municipal     Lodging- 

House     

— Panhandlers    

— Poor  Relief 

Massachusetts,   1620-1920    (book   review)  .  . 

Toledo,    Ohio    

Child  Welfare 

— Chicago,    111.    (pamphlet    notice) 

— Child    Labor   Decision,    1922 

City  Manager  Plan 

— Bluefield,    W.    Va 

— Kenosha,  Wis 

— Lima,  Ohio   

— Watertown,  N.  Y 

City  Planning  and  Replanning 

— Administrative   and   Financial    Machinery    for 

Carrying   Out  the  City   Plan 

— Aerial    Photography — A    New    Aid    in    City 

Planning    

Richmond,  Calif.,  Airplane  View  (photo- 
graph)     

— American    Falls,    Ida 

— Asheville,    N.    C 

— Bristol,   (Tonn.    (pamphlet  notice) 

— Chicago,    111.    (pamphlet   notice") 

— City  Planning  Commission  as  Publicity  Agent 
— Decatur,    111.,   City   Plan   a   Moral    Force.... 

— East   Orange,   N.  J.    (pamphlet  notice ") 

- — Engineer's    Part    in    City    Planning 

— European   Countries    

— Germany    

— Granville,  N.  Y.,  to  Have  City  Plan 

—Hamilton,    Ohio     (pamphlet    notice) 

— Hightstown,   N.   J 

—Holland 

— Insect    Pests    Must    Be    Considered    in    City 

Planning    

— Johnstown,    Pa 

— Kokonio,    Ind 

— Layout    Plan,    Preparation    of 

• — Massachusetts 

— Memphis,    Tenn.    (pamphlet    notice) 

— New  York,  N.    Y.,   Metropolitan  District.... 

— Port    Development    

— Principles   of    

— Publications     on     83,  85,  399,  401,  511, 

— Richmond,  Calif 

— Spartanburg,     S.     C ._ ._ 

— Topographic   Survey  in  Relation  to  City  En- 
gineering,   Flint,    Mich 

— Watertown,    Mass.    (pamphlet    notice) 

— ^Zoning     

Akron,    Ohio    (pamphlet   notices) 511, 

Appeals,  Board  of 

Atlanta,    Ga.,    Adopts    Zoning 

Bibliography     

New  Rochelle,  N.  -Y.,  Ordinance  (pamphlet 
notice) 

New  York  Zone  Plan  Growing  Stronger. . 

Ordinances    for    Interim    Zoning 

Paterson,    N.    J.    (pamphlet   notice) 

Premature,  Piecemeal  Zoning  Receives  a 
Setback,    Pittsburgh,    Pa 

Premature  Proceedings  Contesting  Zoning 
Ordinance  Dismissed — CHffside  Park, 
N.    J. —  (legal     decision) 

Property  Values  Increased  by  Zoning,  Chi- 
cago,   111 ; 

San   Francisco,   Calif,    (pamphlet  notice')  . . 

Why    Zoning   Pays 

Civic  and  Commercial  Organizations  and 

Their  Work    57,  163,  265,  369, 

473, 

Albany,  Ala 269 

Albany,  N.  Y 597 

Ashtabula,  Ohio   . . .  594 

Ballinger,  Tex 592 


Bristol,    Conn 91 

Brockton,  Mass.    . . .  273 

Calumet.    Mich.    ...  271 

Canon    City,    Colo..  373 

Corpus  Christi,  Tex.  267 

Elizabeth,    N.   J 269 

Frostburg,    Md.    . . .  le.T 

Guelph,    Ont 476 

Indianapolis,  Ind.  .  .  163 

Johnstown,    Pa.     .  .  .  271 

Keene,    N.    H 373 

Knoxville,   Tenn.    .  .  474 

Lexington,  Ky 371 


Lock'port,   N.   Y. . 

Logan,  Utah    

Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
Memphis,  Tenn.  . . . 
Middletown,    Conn. . 

Muncie,   Ind 

Newark,    N.    J 

New    Haven,    Conn. 
New    Orleans,    La. 

379, 
Newton,    Kans.     . .  . 

Plainview,   Tex.    .  .  . 

Portsmouth;  N.  H. . 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 
Rochester,   N.   Y. . . 
Rome,    N.    Y...... 

Sacramento,    Calif. . 


193 
452 
472 

513 

250 
106 

399 
3C 

295 
552 

563 
281 
179 
179 


209 

565 
254 
281 
191 
399 
385 

31 
633 
326 
560 
437 

93 
191 
281 
103 

607 
323 
470 
173 
113 
513 
533 
238 
457 
513 
565 
63 

118 
511 
461 
513 
50 
541 
635 

401 
625 
230 
635 

128 


542 
513 

270 


591 

65 
369 

38 
169 
591 
478 
375 
593 

473 
593 
477 
61 
61 
273 
474 
167 


Springfield,  111.  . . . 
Springfield,  Mass.  . . 

Stevens,    Wis 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.. 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.  . 
Wyandotte,  Mich.  . . 


San  Francisco,  Calif.     377 

San   Jos6,    Calif 265 

Santa  Rosa,    Calif..      476 

Seaside,    Ore 477 

Sharon,   Pa.    ...171,     474 
Sioux    City,    Iowa..       59 
Spartanburg,  S.  C. .        63 
— Advertising     Signs     Removed     from     Street 

Poles,    New    Orleans,    La 

— Americanization,  Rochester,    N.    Y 

— Auditoriums 

Newton,    Kans 

Plainview,    Tex 

— Auto  Camps 

Albany,     Ala 

Corpus    Christi,    Tex 

— Ballot-Counting  Machine  Introduced,  Bristol, 

Conn 

■ — Buildings   for   Commercial  Bodies 

Lockport,    N.    Y 

Sacramento,    Calif 

— Citizenship    Fostered,    Logan,   Utah 

— City   Plan,   Spartanburg,   S.  C 

— Collection    Letter,    Sharon,    Pa 

— College  Endowment  Fund  Campaign,  Pough- 
keepsie,   N.    Y 

— Easter  Egg  Hunt,   Muncie,   Ind _. 

— Etching     of     Municipal     Group,     Springfield, 

Mass 

— Exposition  of  Industry  and  Trade,  Power- 
Plant  Display,  Los  Angeles,  Calif,  (photo- 
graph)     

— Fire  Prevention 

Indianapolis,    Ind 

School  Essay  Contest,  Newark,'  N.  J 

— Fuel   Yard,    Sharon,    Pa 

— Highways 

Ballinger,   Tex 

"Before    and    After"    Views,     Springfield, 

111 

Bond    Campaign,    Sioux    City,    Iowa 

Colorado   Cities   Build  Highway   by   Volun- 
teer    Labor     

Educational  Campaign  for  Road  Construc- 
tion,   Johnstown,    Pa 

New   Orleans,   La 

— Hospital  Drive,  Keene,  N.  H 

— Hospitality  Committee,   San  Francisco,  Calif. 

— Housing    Corporation,    Wilkes-Barre,    Pa 

— Industrial    Exhibit,    Brockton,    Mass 

— Market-House  Promoted,   Lexington,   Ky 

— Motion  Pictures  for  Community  Advertising, 

San    Jos§,    Calif 

—Music,   Community,  Memphis,   Tenn 

— National    School   for   Commercial    Secretaries 

— Park  from  Waste  Space,  Calumet,  Mich 

— Playground     Made     from     Dumping-Ground, 

Guelph,    Ont 

— Public   Improvements,   Elizabeth,   N.  J 

— Radio    Meeting,   Albany,    N.    Y 

— Rest  Room,   Rome,   N.   Y 

— Rotary,    How   It   Works 

— School    Boys    Visit    Industries,   New    Haven, 

Conn 

— School    Project,    Santa   Rosa,    Calif 

— Sea-Wall,    Seaside,    Ore 

— Sign-Boards,   Portsmouth,   N.    H 

— Street    Railway    Question    Settled,   Ashtabula, 

Ohio   

— Street    Signs,   Knoxville,    Tenn 

— Summer  Schools   for   Commercial  Secretaries 

— Swimming  Pool,   Frostburg,   Md.  .  ., 

— Water-Plants  and   Supply 

Advertising       Water-Supply,       Wyandotte, 

Mich J 

Bond   Campaigns 

— Stevens    Point,    Wis 

—Wheeling,  W.  Va 

Civil  Service 

— Do  Civil  Service  Rules  Promote  Efficiency?.. 
—Make  It  Do  What  It  Was  Intended  to  Do.. 

^Publication    on     •  ■  • 

— Public    Personnel    Administration,    Principles 

of    (book    review)     

— St.    Paul,    Minn,    (pamphlet    notice) 

Comfort  Stations— 5"^^  "Health" 
Community  Buildings  and  Centers 

— Odessa,    Wash 

— Parties,  Programs  for   (pamphlet  notice) 

— Publication  on    

— Toledo,   Ohio,    Plans   Recreation   Program... 

Community  Councils 

— Boise,    Ida -j  •  ••.••• 

Conferences,    Conventions    and    Exhibi- 
tions     65,  161,  247,  379,  472. 

— American   Water   Works   Association,    1922.. 
— Boulder,  Colo.,  "Know  Your  Community.".. 


260 

595 

369 

592 

57 

63 


379 
273 

693 

477 

269 
267 

91 

65 
167 
369 

63 
171 

61 
478 


38 

163 
376 
474 

592 

269 
69 

375 

271 
473 
373 
377 
57 
273 
371 

265 
169 
603 
271 

476 
269 
597 
474 
599 

693 

476 

477 

61 

594 
474 
265 
165 


63 

369 
592 

442 
623 
511 

191 
513 


136 

635 

293 

36 

114 

578 

548 
241 


Laundries,  Public 

— Baltimore,  Md.,  Laundry  in  Bath-House.        43 

Law,  Municipal 

— Access  by  Citizens  to  Municipal  Data,  Estab- 
lished,   San   Francisco,   Calif 281 

— Legal  Decisions    , 

79,  185,  281,  289,  393,  505,  CoV,     629 
— Ordinances 

Chimney    Construction    (pamphlet    notice).      193 
Fire    Alarm    Boxes    Required    in    Schools, 
Hospitals,    Hotels,    Theaters,    Columbia, 

s.  c ;    32 

Legal  Decisions  on 

— Ashes,    Removal    of,    from    Dwellings; 

Valid — Baltimore,    Md 509 

—Daylight     Saving;     Valid— Cincinnati, 

Ohio    631 

— Hospital  for  Contagious  Diseases  Pro- 
hibited    Within     City;      Invalid— San 

Diego,    Calif 79 

— Hospital    Construction    of   Non-inflam- 
mable   Materials;    Valid — Dublin,    Ga.      289 
— License  Taxes  Against  Sellers  of  Used 
Automobiles;      Valid — San     Francisco, 

CaJif 629 

— Newspaper  Sale,  Suppression  of;  Ordi- 
nance  Defined    185 

— Pool-Room    Regulation;    Valid — Ocilla, 

Ga- 189 

— Private   Property,   Enjoyment    of,    Ob- 
structed;  Invalid — Kansas  City,   Kans.     629 
— Professional  Men  Taxed;  Valid — Mays- 

ville,    Calif 393 

— Soft    Drink    License;     Invalid — West- 

ville,   111 189 

— Zoning,    Premature    Proceedings    Con- 
testing;  Valid— Cliffside  Park,  N.  J..      397 
Street     Railway     Service-at-Cost,     Toledo, 

„  Ohio     560 

Zoning 

— Interim     230 

— New  Rochelle,  N.  Y.  (pamphlet  notice)     410 
—Property   Owned  by   City   May    Be  Resold— 

Bristol,     Va. — (legal     decision) 397 

— Trespass  on  Abutting  Land  in  Highway  Con- 
struction          605 

Liability,  Municipal  (legal  decisions  on) 

— Affirmed 

Assault  by  Superintendent  of  Water- Works 

Department  upon  Patron — Durham,  N.  C.     395 
Overflow  of  Ocean  on   Private  Property — 
Southampton,   L.  1 397 

Libraries,  Public 

— American     Library     Association     Conference 

(pamphlet    notice)     295 

— Los  Angeles,    Calif,    (photograph ") 257 

— Picture  Collections   for  Libraries 142 

— Special  Libraries  Directory  (pamphlet  notice)  293 

Lighting,  City  and  Street 

— Adequate    and    Attractive    Lighting    of    City 

Streets    3 

^Dangers     Eliminated     by     Proper     Highway 

Lighting    (photograph)     229 

— Diesel  Engine  in  Light  and  Water  Works 

Amory,    Miss 529 

Freeport,    N.     Y 227 

— Kansas    City,    Mo 573 

— Kokomo,    Ind 472 

— Lincoln    Highway    517 

— Mandan,    N.    Dak 143 

—Miami,  Okla.,  Light  Plant 139 

— Mt.    Clemens,    Mich 197 

— Natural    Gas,    Kane,    Pa 28 

— Night  Travel  Safe  Between  Schenectady  and 

Albany,   N.   Y.    (photograph) 347 

— Posts  and  Fixtures,  Lighting 3,  93,   197,  425 

Columbus,    Ind.     (photograph) 93 

Kane,  Pa 28 

Kansas    City,    Mo 573 

Kokomo.    Ind 472 

Lexington,   Ky 212 

Lincoln   Highway    517 

Miami  Beach,  Fla 197 

Salt   Lake  City,   Utah    (photograph) 3 

Trolley  Poles,  Use  of 3 

Tubular    Steel    Lamp    Standards 529 

Vincennes,    Ind.     (photograph) 5 

— Prescott,    Ariz 310 

—Rates 

Gainesville,    Fla 421 

Greenville,   Tex 355 

— Series    Multiple    Street    Lighting 87 

See^  also    "Municipal    Ownership,"    "Utili- 
ties" 

Manufacturers'  and  Contractors'  Items . . 

87,  195,   297,  403,     515 


Markets,  Public 

— House   for   Market,   Lexington,   Ky 371 

— Publications   on    191,  295 

— Street  Markets  in  the  United    States 277 

Publications    on    511 

Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances— ^5"ee 
"Manufacturers'  and  Contractors* 
Items" 

Milk,  Inspection  and  Regulation  of — 
See  "Health" 

Mosquito   Extermination — 5"^^   "Health" 

Motion  Pictures 

— Community  Advertising,  San  Jos6,  Calif....      265 

— Publication    on    399 

— Road  Building   358 

Motor  Apparatus 

— Ambulances     (photographs)     588 

— Busses     (pamphlet    notice) 399 

— Fire   Department   Equipment 

Cable   for   Fire   Alarm    Hauled   by   Truck, 

Cleveland,  Ohio  (photograph")    65 

Photographs     157,  263,  365,  46!) 

Pumpers 201,  531 

— Garages,  Municipal   159 

— Lawn-Mower     405 

— Motor-Cycles 

Massachusetts  State  Police  Patrol 207 

Photographs     156,  468 

- — Police   Departments 
Motor-Cycle    Patrol 

— Massachusetts     207 

— PhotograjAs     156,  468,  588 

—Publication   on    85 

— Road  Machinery 

Graders  and  Rollers 515 

Photograph    166 

Truck    for    Road    Maintenance 525 

— Snow   Removal 

Plow 205 

Rainier    National    Park 201 

Road    Grader    as    Snow-Plow,    Great    Bend 

and    Salina,   Kans 87 

— Sprayer    521 

— Tires,  Pneumatic   801 

— Tractors   and   Trucks 

Buenos   Ayres,    Argentine    (photograph)  .  .  54 

Garbage   Handling,    Akron,    Ohio 403 

Fire  Department,  Newport,  Ky ID'S 

Golf»  Courses 

— Qeveland,   Ohio    418 

—Toledo,   Ohio    413 

Highways   (photographs) 

—Brooklyn,     N.     Y 365 

— Memphis,   Tenn 364 

— Minneapolis,    Minn 262 

Snow   Removal 

— Plow,  Tractor-driven 205 

— Rainier  National  Park 201 

Street     Railways,     Detroit,     Mich,     (photo- 
graphs)  54,  689 

Street     Sprinkling,     Three     Rivers,     Que. 

(photograph )     364 

— Waste  Collection 

Akron,  Ohio   403 

Dump    Bodies    89 

Washington,    D.    C 8 

Municipal    Ownership 

—Bread  Shop,  TiflSn,   Ohio 447 

— Electric  Light,  Power  and  Water  Plants 

Amory,    Miss 529 

Ballinger,   Tex 592 

Gainesville,   Fla 420 

Miami,  Okla 139 

— Foodstuffs,  City's  Right  to  Engage  in  Sale  of  505 

— Gas  and  Water  Plant,   Duluth,  Minn 361 

— Power-Plants 

Grafton,    111 527 

United   States  and  Canada 619 

— Water-plant,   Stevens   Point,  Wis 369 

See  also  "Lighting,"  "Public  Works,"  Utili- 
ties."  "Water-Supply" 

Museums,     City     359 

Music,  Community 

— Memphis,   Tenn 169 

Norwich  University  of  Municipal  Affairs 6 

Nuisances 

— Noise 

Newark,   N.  J.,   Schools  Demand  Noiseless 

City    Streets     351 

Publication    on 635 

— Overflow  of  Ocean  on  Private  Property;  Vil- 
lage Liable — Southampton,  L.  I. — (legal 
decision) 397 

— Sewage    Discharged    in     Stream;    Actionable 

Nuisance — Cushing,  Okla. — (legal  decision)     397 
See  also  "Smoke" 


Ordinances — See  "Law,  Municipal'' 
Pageantry 

— Publication  on   88 

Parks 

—American    Falls,    Ida 257 

— Calumet,   Mich 271 

— Charlotte,    Mich.,    Develops  a   City    Park  by 

Reforesting    429 

— in  City  Planning  460 

— Detroit,  Mich,    (pamphlet  notice) 85 

— Evansville,    Ind 133 

—Granville,   N.   Y.,  to  Have  Park  System 93 

— Kokomo,    Ind 471 

— Lawn-Mower    40'5 

— Lawn-Sprinkling  System,  Detroit,   Mich 95 

— Omaha,     Nebr.,     Small     Park — "No     Man's 

Home"    34 

— Petersburg,    Va 411 

—Photograph ..  363 

• — Property  Values  Increased  by  Parks,  Spring- 
field,  111 127 

— Roseway,  Portland,  Ore 611 

— Somerville,    Mass.,   Abandons    Narrow   Park- 
way       51 

— Spartanburg,    S.    C 63 

—Springfield,   111 125 

— State  Parks  (pamphlet  notice)    399 

— Street    Railway    Track    Parkway,    Salt    Lake 

City,   Utah    214 

— Tractors  for  Golf  Courses    413 

— Trees  Transplanted  by  Aid  of  Motor  Truck 

(photograph")      234 

Pavements — See  "Highways" 
Pensions  in  Public  Employment 

— Publication  on   635 

Police 

' — City  Mother,  Los  Angeles,    Calif 239 

— Motor  Apparatus 

Motor-Cycles   (photographs) 

— Macon,  Ga 468 

— Little  Rock,   Ark 156 

Patrol    Cars    (photographs) 

— with  Ambulance,  Oak   Park,  111 588 

— Milwaukee,    Wis 468 

— Penology  in  the  United  States  (book  review) .      191 

— Salaries  of  Patrolmen,  Harrisburg,  Pa 51 

— Speed  Regulations  as  Applying  to  Motor- 
Cycle  Policemen — Duluth,  Minn. —  (legal 
decision)     ._. 393 

Power-Plants,     Municipal,     and     Their 
Equipment 

—Boiler  Cleaners    491 

— Boiler-Feed    Regulators    613 

— Coal-  and  Ash-Handling  Machinery 199 

— Diesel    Oil   Engines 

Amory,    Miss 529 

Crowley,    La 91 

Grafton,    111 527 

—Gainesville,    Fla 420,  586 

— Greenville,    Tex 354 

— Lignite  Replaces  High-Grade  Coal  in  Munici- 
pal Power-Plant,  Moorhead,  Minn _. .  217 

— Los    Angeles,    Calif.,    Display    at    Industrial 

and    Trade   Exposition    (photograph) 38 

—Miami,   Okla 139 

— Municipally    Owned    Power-Plants 619 

—Rates 

Gainesville,    Fla 421 

Greenville,    Tex 355 

— Softening  of  Water  for  Boiler  Feed 299 

— Stokers,  A  Discussion  of   218 

— Superheaters,   Selection  of    67 

— Swimming  Pool,   Palo  Alto,  Calif.,  Operated 

by   Power-Plant    136 

Problems  of  Cities 307 

— Attainable    Standards    (pamphlet   notice) ....     611 

Publications 

—Book  and  Pamphlet  Notices.. 83.  191,  293,  399,  511 
— Manufacturers'    Literature   on    Methods,    Ma- 
terials  and   Appliances.  ..  .Adv.   pp.   4   and 
6   in   each    issue 

—Municipal    Reports    85,   193,    401 

Clarksburg,    W.    Va 313 

Rochester,    N.    Y 31 4 

Publicity,  City 

— Post-Cards  of  Chicago  Prepared  by  Municipal 

Art    League    19 

— Water-Supply  Advertising  Gives  Publicity  to 

Wyandotte,    Mich 63 

Public  Works 

— Cost   Keeping    (book  review)    203 

— Greece     23 

— Prescott,    Ariz 310 


— St.    Paul,    Minn.,    Saves    Money    on    Public 

Works    837 

— Unemployment  Problem,   Public  Works   Con- 
struction to  Help  Solve,  Toledo,  Ohio....       36 

Real  Estate  Agent,  City,  Milwaukee,  Wis 389 

Recreation,  Public 

• — in    City    Planning    460 

— Easter  Egg  Hunt,  Muncie,  Ind 478 

— -Golf,  "Pick-and-Shovel,"  Sacramento,  Calif..  448 

— Grand    Stand,    Sectional    99 

— Playgrounds 

Guelph,    Ont 470 

Harmon  Foundation  for  Establishing  Play- 
grounds      128 

Lewiston,  Pa.,  Layout  for   Playgrounds. . .  577 

Mechanical  Greased  Pig    409 

Newport,  R.   I.,   Children    Work   for  Play- 
ground   Supplies    240 

— Pool-Rooms,    Municipal    Regulation   of    (legal 
decisions") 

Atwood,   111 631 

Ocilla,   Ga 189 

— Publications   on    293,  635 

— Reservoir    Roof    Used    for    Tennis    Courts, 

Arkansas  City,    Kans 108 

— Skating,    Municipal     145 

—Springfield,    111 126 

— Tennis  Courts  in  London,  Eng 318 

— Theater,  Open  Air,   Santa  Monica,  Calif....  340 

— Toledo,  Ohio,  Plans  Free  Entertainments. ...  36 
— Tourist    Camps 

Ballinger,    Tex 592 

Corpus   (ihristi,   Tex 267 

Pueblo,  Colo 242 

Springfield,   111 127 

— Utica,  N.  Y.,  "Sells"  Recreation  to  the  City.  342 

— Vacation  Camps,  Los  Angeles,  Calif 567 

Rest  Rooms,  Public 

—Rome,  N.  Y 474 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil    (photograph) 460 

Roads — See  "Highways" 
Rural  Development 

— Publications  on    293,   513,  633 

Salaries  of  Public  Employees 

—City    Clerks 330 

— County   Engineers,   Idaho    445 

— in   County    Institutions    152 

— Engineers    391 

—Fire  Chiefs    ..;.•; 248 

— Wage     Standardization     154 

Schools,  Public 

— Attendance    in    Delaware    Schools    (pamphlet 

notice)     191 

—Bird    Study    389 

— Bonham,   Tex.,    Schools   Lead   Fight   Against 

Mosquitoes 539 

— Chicago,    111.    (pamphlet  notice)    401 

— Concrete  Schoolhouses   (pamphlet  notice)  ....  193 
— Detroit,   Mich.,   Education   Budget    (pamphlet 

notice) 295 

— Fire  Losses  in  School   Buildings 314 

— Fire    Prevention    Essay    Contests 

Newark,    N.    T 375 

New  York,  N.  Y 566 

— Industries    Visited     by     School     Boys,     New 

Haven,    Conn 698 

— Opportunity  School,  Columbvis,  Ohio 564 

— Picture  Collections  for  Schools 142 

— Rural    School    Consolidation    (book   notice)  .  .  191 

—Santa  Rosa,  Calif.,  School  Rebuilding  Project  476 

Sewers  and  Sewage  Disposal 

— Backfilling  by  Drag-T-ine  on  Wetherby  Sewer, 

Detroit,    Mich,     (photograph) 262 

— Catch-Basin    Cleaning,    Akron,    Ohio 222 

- — Cleaning  Sewers 

Antigo,    Wis 305 

Schenectady,    N.    Y. 353,    590 

■ — Concrete   Pipe    Sewers,    Laying 16 

Jackson,  Mich,   (photograph")    157 

—Contract  for  Sewage  Disposal  Plant  Rescinded 
on  Account  of  Municipal  Official's  Interest 
in       Construction       Company — Milwaukee, 

Wis. — (legal    decision)     ....^ 81 

— Direct    Oxidation    Process    of    Sewage    Treat- 
ment, Allcntown  and  Phillipsburg,   N.  J...      Ill 
— Expansion  Joint  for  Reinforccl  Concrete  Pipe     443 
— New     Jersey      Sewage     Works      Association 

(pamphlet    notice)     295 

• — Publications  on ;  •  •      293 

—St.    Louis,    Mo.,    Sewer   Under    Construction 

(photograph)     589 

— Screens   in   Sewage  Treatment   Plants 95 

Bridgeport,   Conn 245 

Sidewalks 

—Kokomo,    Ind 472 


—Moving  Sidewalks,  Prize  Contest  for  Design, 

Paris,    France    .•• •■••      281 

— Obstructions,  Johnstown,  Pa.  (photograph)  . .     alt) 

Smoke  Nuisance 

— Central    Heating    Reduces    Smoke    Nuisance, 

Chicago,  111 ^^ 

Social  Service  ^    „ 

—Bathing-Suit  Inspector  Requested,  St.  Peters- 

burg,    Pla 281 

—in  Cincinnati,   Ohio    (pamphlet  notice) 193 

— City    Mother,    Los    Angeles,    Calif 239 

—Community  CheSt,  Cleveland,  Ohio   ........  452 

— Lodging-House,  Municipal,  New  York,  N.  Y.  250 
— National    Conference    of    Social   Work    (pam- 
phlet  notice)    399 

State  Bureaus  of  Municipalities 

— Pennsylvania    •  •  •  •      ^'" 

Street  Cleaning,   Oiling   and   Sprinkling 

— California     • ?** 

—New  York  City  Street  Cleaning  in   1770 148 

—Road-Oiler,     Marion    County,     Ohio     (photo- 

graph)      156 

— Snow  Removal 

Plow,   Tractor-driven    ■  •  •  •  •  ■'"o 

Road  Machine  as  Snow-Plow,  Great   Bend 

and    Salina,   Kans.    .......... •  ••••  87 

—Sprinkling,  Three  Rivers,  Que.    (photograph)  384 
—Street    Sanitation    Conference    Cparaphlet   no- 
tice)      290 

— Sweeper,  Bayonne,  N.  J ^4  < 

Street  Lighting— 5^e  "Lighting" 
Streets — See  "Highways" 
Surveys 

—Health,  Lafayette,  Ind.   (pamphlet  notice)  ...  295 
— "Know  Your  Own  City,"  Dubois,  Pa.    (pam- 
phlet   notice)     ,- .•  •  •  •  °}% 

New  Jersey  Bench  Marks  (pamphlet  notice).  5ld 

—Social  and  Religious,  St.  Louis,  Mo.   ... 401 

— Topographical,  in  Relation  to  City  Engineer- 
ing, Flint,  Mich Ii8 

Swimming  Pools — See  "Baths" 
Taxation — See  "Finance" 
Traffic  and  Transportation 

— Bus   Line   Operation    (pamphlet    notice) 399 

— Chicago,   111. 

Devices  for  Traffic  Control    588 

Publication  on   513 

— in  City  Planning •. *o8 

— Detours    During    Road    Construction 454 

— Detroit,  Mich.,  Bureau  of  Public  Safety 37 

— Lines   Marked  on   Street  for  Safety  Zones..     687 
— Motor-Cycle  Policemen  Not  Subject  to  Regu- 
lations   in    Overtaking    Speeders— Duluth, 

Minn. — (legal  decision)    \y     ?o^ 

—Mud  and  Ruts  Strangle  Knott  County,  Ky..      08/ 
— Road     Improvement     Affects     Transportation 

(photographs)     *9 

—St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Traffic  Vigilantes 339 

— Sidewalks,  Moving,  Prize  Contest  for  De- 
sign, Paris,  France 281 

— Signaling  for  Traffic  Control  on  City  Streets 

387,  643 
— Street   Railways 

Ashtabula,   Ohio,    Street   Railway   Question 

Settled   • •••      594 

Chicago's     Traction      Problem      (pamphlet 

notice)    • 193 

Motor  Truck  Equipment  for  Street  Railway 
Maintenance       Work,       Detroit,       Mich. 

(photograph) 589 

Relocation  of  Tracks;  Order  Void  in  Ab- 
sence of   Public  Need — Stamford,   Conn. 

— (legal    decision^     79 

Service-at-Cost,    Toledo,    Ohio 566 

Tracks  Must  Be  Removed  on  Expiration  of 
Franchise — Detroit,  Mich. —  (legal  deci- 
sion)            509 

— Tally  Machines  for  Counting  Traffic,  Connec- 
ticut          205 

— Traffic  Standards  and  Towers 

Knoxville,    Tenn 568 

La  Grande,  Ore 33 

New  York  City's  Traffic  Towers 71 

Tree  Planting — See  "Forests" 
Utilities,  Public 

— Assault  upon  Patron  by  Superintendent  of 
Water-Works  Department — City  Liable — 
Durham,   N.   C. — (le?al  decision) 395 

— Employee  of  Utility   Company   Cannot    Hold 

Municipal  Office — Kansas — (legal  decision)     187 

— Laying   Pipes   Before   Paving 

Kokomo,    Ind 470 

Prescott,   Ariz 310 

— Newark,  N.  J.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  Com- 
mittee Report  on  (pamphlet  notice) 85 


— Regulation 

Furnishing    Lighting    Service    Beyond    City 
Boundaries — Murray    City,    Utah — (legal 

decision)    291 

Rates  for  Light  and  Power  May  Be  Re- 
duced by  Agreement  Between  City  and 
Company — Pulaski,  Va. — (legal  decision)  289 
Street  Railway  Track  Location  Order  Re- 
scinded—Stamford, Conn. — (legal  deci- 
sion)       79 

— Service-at-Cost,      Street      Railways,      Toledo, 

Ohio    566 

— Tracks  Must  Be  Removed   on  Expiration  of 

Franchise — Detroit,  Mich. —  (legal  decision)  509 
See  also  "Lighting,"  "Municipal  Ownership" 

Waste  Collection  and  Disposal 

— Ash  Removal  Ordinance  Not  Unjustly  Dis- 
criminatory— Baltimore,  Md. —  (legal  de- 
cision)       •'"9 

— Fly  Breeding  in  Waste   109 

— Garbage    Collection 

Dump- Wagon     » < 

in   Motor   Trucks 

—Akron,    Ohio    ■*03 

— Dump  Bodies   89 

— Washington,    D.    C 8 

— Madill,  Okla '♦^S 

Water-Front  Improvement 

—Seaside,   Ore **" 

Water-Supply  and  Water- Works 

— Advertising  Water  Service,  Oakland,  Calif..  11 
—American  Water  Works   Association  Conven- 
tion,  1922    548 

— Bacillus  Welchii,  Montclair,  N.  J.    (pamphlet 

notice)     513 

— Cast  Iron  Feeder  Mains,  New  Orleans,  La..  467 

— Chlorine,   Handling   of  Liquid    147 

— Cleaning    Water-Mains    641 

— Cleveland,    Ohio,    Baldwin-Fatrmount    F'iltra- 

tion  Plant   381 

— Deep-Well  Water-Supply,  Montgomery,  Ala.  .  466 
— Diesel  Engine  in  Light  and  Water  Works 

Amory,    Miss 529 

Freeport,  N.  Y 227 

— Diilled    Wells,    Increasing    Flow    from 501 

— Electrolysis    Investigation,    Akron,    Ohio 546 

—Elevated   Steel  Tank,  Portland,   Ore 431 

— Expansion     Joint     for     Reinforced     Concrete 

Pipes    443 

— Filters,    Pressure,    Standard    S[>ecifications.  .  .  422 

— Financial   Management  of  Water-Works.  .417,  569 

— Greece    23 

— Iron-Removal  Plant,  Hightstown,  N.  J 427 

— Lawton,   Okla 537 

— MassacMisetts    (pamphlet    notice) 633 

— Meter   Box    407 

— Metering    a    Water-Supply    at    the    Pumping 

Station,  Camden,  N.   t 121 

— Meters  with  Breakable  Frost  Bottom 303 

—Meter   Yoke    523 

— Miami,     Okla.,     Light,     Power     and     Water 

Plant    139 

— New     Jersey     Water     Resources      (pamphlet 

notice)     295,  635 

— Prescott,  Ariz 311 

— Pumping  Station,  Hightstown,  N.J 427 

— Purification,    Iowa    (pamphlet    notice) 293 

—Rates  and  Rate-Making 223,  343,  417,   479,  569 

Duluth.    Minn 362 

Gainesville,    Fla 421 

— Reservoirs 

Arkansas  City,  Kans 107 

Decatur,  111 SI 

Dubuque,   Iowa,  Covered   Reservoir _.  .  317 

Waterproofing     Membrane     for     Reservoir, 

Nashville,   Tenn 413 

■ — Shipping  Water   Samples    (pamphlet  notice)  .  295 

—Softening   of  Water    _ 299 

— Stevens  Point,  Wis.,   Campaign   for  Plant...  369 

—Supply  Men  TTelp  Superintendents 424 

— Tapping  Machine   for   Water-Mains 531 

—Tests  for  Pure  Water    (pamphlet  notice)  ....  401 

— Texas    (pamphlet    notice) 399 

— Warren.    Ohio    (pamphlet   notice) 513 

— Waste  Cut  by  Metering,  Lawton,  Okla 538 

— Well   Screens  to   Protect   Pumps 517 

— Wheeling,      W.      Va.,      Water-Works      Bond 

Campaign     892 

— Wyandotte,    Mich.,   Water-Supply    Advertised  83 

Weights  and  Measures 

— Bread  Weight  Law,  Los  Angeles,  Calif 318 

— Publication   on    513 

Women's  Civic  Work 

— Mayors    543 

— Why  Women  Are   in  Politics    B86 

Zoning— 5"^^  "City  Planning" 


r: 


Reinforcing  Gravel  Roads  for 
Motor  Traffic 

The  Bituminous  Gravel  Roads  of  Hanover,  Mass.,  Have  Proved  Economical  Under 

Severe  Service 

By  Harrison  L.  House 

Civil  Engineer,  Hanover,  Mass. 


VERY  soon  after  the  coming  of  motor 
vehicles,  it  became  apparent  that 
Hanover  must  make  a  change  in  the 
construction  and  maintenance  of  its  public 
highways.  Up  to  that  time  we  had  a  very 
good  system  of  gravel  roads  and  kept  them 
for  the  most  part  in  good  condition.  With 
the  increased  use  and  changed  conditions 
brought  about  by  automobiles,  the  roads 
went  from  bad  to  worse,  until  they  were  in 
a  very  serious  condition. 

In  191 5,  about  650  feet  of  road,  an  ex- 
ceptionally bad  piece  over  clay  bottom  with 


water  standing  in  the  gutters  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  was  rebuilt.  This  section  of 
road  was  broken  up  with  a  steam  roller, 
and  the  old  road  was  excavated  to  a  depth  of 
about  6  inches  and  carted  away.  A  drain 
T^^  feet  wide  and  about  3  feet  deep  was 
dug  on  either  side.  This  drained  into  a 
brook  which  crossed  the  road.  These  ditches 
were  filled  with  stones  4  to  6  inches  in 
diameter,  and  the  whole  width  of  the  road- 
way was  subgraded  to  a  true  and  even  grade 
and  covered  8  inches  in  depth  with  field 
stone  of  not  over  6  inches  in  diameter.     It 


THE  WELL-PRESERVED  GRAVEL  ROAD  AT  THE  SQUARE,  WEST  HANOVER,  MASS. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


TEEATED   QHAVEL  KOADS   NEAR   THE  LIBRARY,    WEST   HANOVER,   MASS. 


was  then  covered  with  a  good  gravel  about 
5  inches  in  thickness,  the  stone  foundation 
and  gravel  being  thoroughly  rolled  with  the 
steam  roller.  A  road  oil  was  applied  to 
the  surface  at  the  rate  of  ^-gallon  per 
square  yard,  and  sanded  thoroughly,  and  the 
next  season  Tarvia  B  was  applied,  and  now 
the  road  stands  up  under  heavy  travel  with- 
out showing  any  weakness. 

In  1916  a  contract  was  let  for  the  con- 
struction of  8}^  miles  of  gravel  road,  using 
the  same  binder  at  the  rate  of  ^-gallon  to 
the  square  yard.  The  town,  with  its  own 
men,  built  about  4%  miles  of  the  same  kind 
of  road  in  1916,  and  each  year  since  has 
built  more  or  less,  until  there  are  now  16.1 
miles  of  this  kind  of  road.  In  building  these 
roads  we  first  pick  up  the  road  with  the 
steam  roller  and  then  form  the  subgrade 
with  a  road  machine  and  roll  it  with  the 
steam  roller,  removing  the  large  stones 
and  any  poor  material.  Where  the  soil  is 
spongy  or  clayey,  we  have  put  in  a  stone 
foundation  from  6  to  8  inches  in  thickness. 
Of  the  16.1  miles,  about  one-fifth  has  been 
built  with  the  stone  foundation.  The  gravel 
used  is  put  through  the  stone  crusher.  On 
the  whole,  this  has  been  found  satisfactory, 
but  to  keep  the  material  well  mixed,  care 
must  be  taken.  In  the  later  work  the  larger 
stones  were  taken  from  the  gravel,  crushed 
and  applied  separately. 

The  roads  are  made  24  feet  in  width  be- 
tween gutters,  and  Tarvia  B  applied  18  feet 
in  width  in  the  center,  except  around  the 
curves,  where  it  is  increased  to  about  21 
feet.  The  binder  is  applied  in  three  coats 
of  J4 -gallon  to  the  square  yard,  and  the  last 
coat  is  well  sanded  with  coarse,  sharp  sand. 
The  stone  foundation  is  made  only  15  feet 


in  width  in  the  center  of  the  roadway,  with 
blind  drains  20  to  30  feet  apart  opening  al- 
ternately on  either  side  of  the  road  to  drain 
the  foundation.  It  has  been  found  that 
where  the  grade  is  nearly  level,  these  blind 
drains  are  a  great  help  in  keeping  the  road- 
bed dry.  They  have  been  placed  from  30  to 
40  feet  apart,  extending  from  the  middle  of 
the  road-bed  to  the  gutters  and  opening 
alternately  on  opposite  sides  of  the  road. 

It  is  essential  to  have  good  drainage  and 
also  to  use  gravel  enough  to  make  a  solid 
road-bed  that  will  carry  the  load.  We  have 
used  from  3  to  6  inches,  depending  on  the 
character  of  the  foundation  soil  and  the 
amount  of  gravel  in  the  old  road-bed.  The 
road  has  been  thoroughly  rolled  with  the 
steam  roller  to  compact  it  before  applying 
the  binder. 

After  completion,  any  weak  spots  that 
show  up  from  use  are  carefully  mended 
with  pea-stone  and  cold  patch  material.  Each 
year  a  surface  coat  of  the  binder  has  been 
applied  where  needed,  at  the  rate  of  ^- 
gallon  to  the  square  yard,  and  covered  with 
coarse,  sharp  sand. 

From  1915  to  March  i,  1921,  the  town 
has  expended  $667875 — or  about  $4,154  per 
mile — for  construction  and  maintenance  of 
its  16.1  miles  of  road.  Practically  all  of 
this  road  is  now  in  first-class  condition  and 
sustaining  a  heavy  and  increasing  traffic. 
It  is  felt  that  we  have  gone  a  long  way  to- 
ward solving  the  problem  of  furnishing 
good  roads  for  the  town  at  a  price  that  any 
small  town  can  afford  to  pay  for  an  all- 
year-round  road. 

Last  year  snow  was  removed  from  the 
streets  so  that  automobiles  and  trucks  could 
be  used  at  all  times. 


The  Adequate  and  Attractive  Lighting 

of  City  Streets 

Part  II 

By  L.  A.  S.  Wood 


Classification  of  Streets  for  Ornamenfal 
Lighting 

IN  many  of  the  larger  cities  will  be  found 
some  exceptionally  wide  and  important 
streets  which  will  require  special  treat- 
ment; in  general,  however,  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  the  correct  size  of  lamp  with 
the  best  spacing  and  mounting  height,  the 
streets  may  be  divided  into  three  classes: 
(i)  important  business  streets,  (2)  side 
streets,  and  (3)  residence  streets.  The 
following  table  gives  approximate  data  on 
this  subject,  which,  however,  may  be  varied 
to  meet  local  requirements : 


Size  of  Lamp 
in  Lumens* 


Spacing 
in  Feet 


Type  of 
Street 
Important    busi- 
ness        6,0D0  to  15,000     50  to    75 

Side    2,500  to    4,000     75  to  100 

Residence    1,000  to    2,500  150  to  250 


Mounting 
Height 
in  Feet 

12.5  to  15 
11.5  to  13.5 
10.6 


*  A  lumen  is  equal  to  ten  times  the  candle-power 
rating. 

In  the  important  business  streets  and  side 
streets,  the  ornamental  posts  should  be  set 
symmetrically  opposite  each  other  on  either 
side  of  the  street,  while  in  residence  dis- 
tricts the  posts  should  be  staggered. 

For  exceptionally  wide  and  important 
streets,  a  greater  intensity  of  illumination 
is  required,  with  higher  mounting,  and,  for 
this  purpose,  two-light  ornamental  posts, 
for  use  with  15,000  and  25,000  lumen  lamps, 
have  been  developed. 

The  Use  of  Trolley  Poles  as  Lighting  Units 

On  streets  where  trolley  poles  are  in 
service,  the  best  method  of  lighting  is  by 
the  use  of  ornamental  trolley  brackets  with 
suitable  lighting  units,  either  with  single  or 
double  arm,  which  may  be  attached  to  the 
trolley  poles,  presenting  a  very  attractive 
appearance  and  eliminating  the  necessity  of 
cluttering  up  the  streets  with  additional 
posts. 

Anoth  ^r  method  of  adapting  trolley  poles 
as  ornaf  cental  lighting  units  is  to  encase 
the  pole  in  an  ornamental  cast  iron  shell 


with  ornamental  brackets  attached.  An  at- 
tractive unit  has  been  designed  with  double 
brackets  immediately  below  the  trolley  span 
wire  and  a  single  light  at  the  top.  The  span 
wire  is  attached  to  the  trolley  pole  through 
a  hole  provided  in  the  capital  of  the  top 
lighting  unit. 


A  COMBINATION  LIGHT  STANDARD  AND  TROL- 
LEY-WIRE    SUPPORT     USED     IN     SALT    LAKE 
CITY,  UTAH 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


Types  of  Commercialized  Ornamental 
Posts 

Ornamental  posts  may  be  divided  into 
three  classes:  cast  iron,  concrete,  and 
pressed  steel. 

The  earliest  ornamental  cast  iron  post 
the  history  of  which  is  preserved  was  in- 
stalled in  the  Taj  Mahal,  Delhi,  India,  up- 
wards of  1,600  years  ago,  and  stands  to-day 
a  monument  to  the  durability  and  lasting 
qualities  of  cast  iron.  Cast  iron  posts  will 
not  corrode,  neither  will  they  chip  or  crack 
under  extremes  of  temperature.  They  are 
'  designed  to  withstand  severe  shocks,  such 
as  might  be  received  in  ordinary  street  traf- 
fic, and  present  the  slender  and  graceful  ap- 
pearance so  desirable  in  ornamental  street 
lighting  units. 

Concrete  is  one  of  the  most  durable  ma- 
terials used  in  construction  work,  but  it  has 
been  found  that  ornamental  posts  of  this 
type  must  be  of  very  heavy  and  substantial 
construction  to  withstand  extremes  of  tem- 
perature. Unless  manufactured  with  the 
greatest  care,  concrete  posts  may  chip  and 
crack  in  northern  climates. 

Pressed  steel  posts  generally  consist  of  a 
shaft  of  corrugated  pressed  steel,  mounted 
on  a  cast  iron  foundation,  with  an  iron 
capital,  the  whole  bolted  together  with  three 
tie  rods  passing  through  the  center  of  the 
shaft. 

The  Mazda  "C"  Lamp 

Until  about  the  year  1913,  the  filaments 
of  all  commercial  electric  incandescent 
•  lamps  were  operated  in  bulbs  from  which 
practically  all  the  air  and  gases  had  been 
removed.  The  evacuation  of  the  bulb  ac- 
complished two  purposes,  viz.,  it  prevented 
the  filament  from  being  consumed  by  the 
oxygen  of  the  air  and  also  prevented  the 
loss  of  heat  by  convection.  As  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  filament  is  raised,  the  light 
emitted  increases  much  more  rapidly  than 
the  energy  consumed,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  rate  of  evaporation  of  the  fila- 
ment is  increased. 

In  the  Mazda  "C"  lamp,  the  rate  of 
evaporation  is  reduced  by  the  introduction 
:  of  inert  gases  into  the  bulb,  thus  permitting 
<  the  use  of  a  higher  operating  temperature. 
'  Convection  losses  are  reduced  by  the  use  of 
.  a  concentrated  type  of  filament,  and  this 
renders  the  use  of  the  Mazda  "C"  lamp  spe- 
,  cially  suitable  for  street  lighting  purposes. 


Constant-Current  Series  Circuits 

Alternating-current  series  arc  lamps  were 
operated  on  circuits  of  either  6.6  or  7.5  am- 
peres and,  in  consequence,  series  lighting 
regulating  equipment  designed  for  these 
ratings  became  standardized  throughout  the 
country.  Series  incandescent  lamps  were 
made  for  use  on  these  circuits  in  ranges  of 
from  60  to  1,000  candle-power,  but  the 
larger  size  lamps  did  not  come  into  com- 
mercial use  until  the  high-efficiency  Mazda 
"C"  lamps,  operating  at  15  and  20  amperes, 
were  introduced.  These  lamps,  owing  to  the 
increased  size  and  rugged  construction  of 
the  filament,  have  a  longer  lamp  life  than 
the  straight  series  type  and  are  generally 
adopted  for  ornamental  street  lighting  sys- 
tems, except  in  residence  districts. 

Since  the  standard  rating  of  series  alter- 
nating-current circuits  is  either  6.6  or  7.5 
amperes,  individual  auto  transformers  to 
step  up  from  the  line  current  to  that  re- 
quired by  the  lamp  have  been  designed,  and 
these  are  generally  mounted  in  the  post  top, 
immediately  below  the  socket.  In  cases 
where  a  safety  coil  is  installed  in  the  base 
of  the  post,  the  auto  transformer  is  omitted 
and  the  safety  coil  serves  as  the  step-up 
transformer. 


The  Light  Unit 

The  problem  of  street  lighting  is  not  like 
that  of  lighting  a  room  where  the  ceiling 
and  walls  reflect  the  undirected  light,  and 
provision  should  be  made  in  the  lighting 
units  to  direct  the  light  emitted  above  the 
horizontal  to  the  plane  of  illumination. 
With  ornamental  post  lighting,  however,  it 
is  desirable  that  a  small  amount  of  light 
from  the  upper  hemisphere  should  be  di- 
rected against  the  fronts  of  adjacent  build- 
ings, and  that  glare  should  be,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, eliminated. 

Glare,  within  the  range  of  vision  of  the 
pedestrian  or  vehicle  driver,  should  always 
be  avoided.  It  causes  the  pupil  of  the  eye 
to  contract  in  an  effort  to  protect  the  deli- 
cate mechanism  of  the  retina,  preventing 
the  observer  from  seeing  as  well  as  he 
would  be  able  to  do  with  a  light  source  of 
lower  intensity,  but  more  perfect  diffusion. 
We  are  conscious  of  this  phenomenon  when 
entering  a  moving-picture  theater  from  a 
street  flooded  with  sunlight;  at  first  no  de- 
tails can  be  seen,  but  gradually,  when  the 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


MODERN  RESIDENTIAL  AND  PARK  LIGHTING  STANDARDS  IN  USE  IN  VINCENNES,   IND. 


eye  becomes  accustomed  to  the  light,  or,  in 
other  words,  when  the  pupil  becomes 
dilated,  permitting  more  light  to  enter  the 
eye,  the  interior  details  become  visible. 

The  problem  of  designing  lighting  units 
of  high  intensity,  with  a  minimum  of  glare, 
has  been  solved  by  specially  designed  posts 
which  distribute  a  flood  of  light  on  the 
streets,  with  a  small  amount  upwards  to  il- 


luminate the  fronts  of  adjacent  buildings. 
These  units  have  been  developed  for  "Super 
White  Way"  lighting,  with  10,000-  and  25,- 
ooo-lumen  lamps,  and  they  may  be  used 
with  smaller  lamps,  if  desired. 

With  the  variety  of  ornamental  street 
lighting  fixtures  now  available,  the  possi- 
bilities of  efficient  and  artistic  city  lighting 
are  unlimited. 


Norwich  University  Organizes  Bureau  of  Municipal  Affairs 


Norwich  University,  Northfield,  Vt.,  has 
established  within  the  Department  of  Polit- 
ical Science  a  Bureau  of  Municipal  Affairs, 
which  will  hold  itself  ready  to  give  assist- 
ance to  the  counties,  cities,  towns  and  vil- 
lages of  Vermont  in  the  solution  of  prob- 
lems peculiar  to  municipal  corporations. 

The  Bureau  will  render  this  service  in  the 
following  ways  :  by  giving  information  upon 
request  regarding  community  organization, 
town  planning,   and  the  administration  of 


local  government;  by  publishing  and  dis- 
tributing bulletins  dealing  with  problems  of 
government ;  by  encouraging  the  establish- 
ment of  local  town  reference  bureaus;  by 
providing  communities  with  speakers  on 
governmental  topics;  and  by  holding  local 
government  conferences. 

K.  R.  B.  Flint,  Professor  of  Political 
Science,  will  be  director  of  the  Bureau,  and 
to  him  should  be  addressed  all  communica- 
tions. 


Translation    of   a   Notice    Printed   in    French    and   Flemish    and   Posted   in    Many   of  the 
Public   Parks   and   Squares   of  Brussels 


"The  trees  give  us  shade  as  the  plants  and  flowers  give  us  the  joy  and  the 
beauty  of  the  country.  To  break  or  destroy  trees  and  plants  is  to  do  damage  to 
oneself." 


With  such  an  appeal,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  people  of  Brussels,  old-  and  young,  respect 
the  natural  beauties  of  their  parks  and  squares? 

— Stephen  Child,  Fellow  American  Society 
of  Landscape  Architects. 


Long-lived  Brick  Pavements 

Pavements  Over  100  Years  Old  in  Use  in  Holland 


THE  United  States  is  accustomed  to 
brick  pavements  which  have  endured 
over  a  generation  in  service  and 
which  still  continue  to  bear  traffic  economi- 
cally. Carbondale,  Pa.,  has  one  32  years 
old;  Alliance,  Ohio,  31  years  old;  Sedalia, 
Mo.,  29  years  of  age;  Olean,  N.  Y.,  25 
years.  These  are  typical  instances  of 
longevity. 

The  first  brick  pavement  of  record  in  this 
country  was  laid  about  1870  at  Charleston, 
W.  Va.,  and  it  lasted  for  many  years.  In 
those  days  paving  brick  as  such  were  not 
manufactured,  and  the  Charleston  pave- 
ment was  made  of  vitrified  brick  originally 
made  for  other  construction.  But  they 
demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  brick  pave- 
ments, and  the  brick  pavements  of  to-day  in 
our  country  have  their  origin  in  this  be- 
ginning. 

The  United  States  was  not  the  first  coun- 
try in  modern  times  to  lay  brick  pavements, 
despite  its  brick-paving  history  of  more 
than  a  half-century.  For  instance,  Hol- 
land's experience  with  brick  pavements 
goes  back  to  the  time  of  Napoleon.  In  Hol- 
land, as  in  the  United  States,  the  brick  used 
were  vitrified,  as  are  paving  brick  to-day. 

Although  no  scientific  work  deals  with 
pavements  as  they  were  developed  there, 
several  popular  authors  on  travel  discuss 
these  pavements  in  their  works. 


B.  E.  Stevenson,  in  his  "Spell  of  Hol- 
land," says: 

"For  brick,  brick,  brick  are  everywhere — 
overhead  and  underfoot,  on  edge  in  the  roadway 
and  piled  into  great  walls  and  massive  towers. 
It  would  almost  seem  that  the  Dutch  had  dug 
away  most  of  the  ground  beneath  their  fieet  in 
order  to  convert  it  into  paving  and  building 
materials." 

William  Elliot  Griffis,  in  "Brave  Little 
Holland  and  What  She  Has  Taught  Us," 
writes : 

"After  the  Romans  left  and  the  barbarians 
triumphed,  brick-making  became  one  of  the  lost 
arts.  In  the  Rhine  delta,  the  Dutch  revived 
the  art  of  moulding  clay  into  oblong  forms  and 
baking  them  into  stone.  Their  material  lay  at 
hand  in  the  rich  beds  deposited  during  centuries 
in  the  sluggish  river  bottoms.  They  made  brick 
houses,  walls,  pavements  and  road-beds. 

"So  hard  are  the  Dutch  bricks  burned  that  the 
common  name  is  'Klinker.'  Many  of  them  have 
defied  the  teeth  of  time  for  ages." 

First-hand  information  on  how  the  Dutch 
made  their  paving  brick,  with  technical  data 
which  might  tell  the  secret  of  the  wearing 
qualities  of  their  brick  pavements,  has  only 
recently  been  secured.  William  C.  Koch, 
Vice-President  and  General  Manager  of  the 
Twin  City  Brick  Company,  of  St.  Paul, 
passes  the  story  along  from  his  father,  who 
manufactured  brick  in  Holland  many  years 
ago. 

The    paving   brick    with    which   the    old 


A  BBICK  BOAD  IN  HOLLAND  IN  T7SE  OVES  100  TEABS 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


roads  were  built  was  made  of  surface  river- 
clay,  sanded  and  close  set  in  up-draft  kilns 
with  permanent  side-walls  and  large  arches 
underneath  for  the  burning  of  peat.  The 
brick  were  brought  to  the  vitrification  point 
in  the  center  and  heated  to  a  degree  which 
made  them  so  soft  that  the  openings  between 
them  as  set  were  completely  filled  in.  The 
brick  retained  their  shape  by  mutual  sup- 
port, and  their  separation  was  possible  only 
because  of  the  sand  which  was  used  in  set- 
ting them. 

The  type  of  brick  proved  to  be  very  good 
paving  material,  and  paving  was  done  at  a 
very  low  cost,  not  to  be  compared  with  that 


of  American  brick  paved  roads  involving 
foundations,  fillers,  etc. 

In  the  burning  there  is  produced  about  20 
to  40  per  cent  of  pavers,  20  to  30  per  cent 
of  semi-vitrified  clinkers,  20  per  cent  face 
brick  carefully  selected  as  to  color,  and  the 
remainder  discolored  hard  and  soft  com- 
mons. 

Some  of  the  brick  roads  are  200  years 
old.  This  type  of  road  in  Holland  was  be- 
gun in  sandy-soil  districts  where  traffic  on 
the  natural  soil  was  otherwise  impossible. 
A  large  number  of  these  roads  built  during 
Napoleon's  time  are  still  in  existence  and 
in  good  condition. 


This  Lantern  Will  Not  Blow  Over 

By  Albert  Marple 


MUNICIPAL  officials  or  employees  of 
public  service  corporations  who  have 
had  any  experience  with  street  or 
highway  work,  or  with  any  other  work  that 
requires  the  placing  of  lanterns  at  night, 
realize  that  it  is  quite  a  job  at  times  to  keep 
the  lanterns  from  tipping.  Very  often  the 
workman  whose  duty  it  is  to  place  the  lan- 
terns in  positions  in  which  they  will  warn 
pedestrians  and  motorists  of  danger  points 
may  do  his  work  faithfully,  but  that  is  no 
assurance  that  the  lanterns  will  stay  upright 
throughout  the  night.  A  strong  wind  may 
arise  that  will  tip  one  or  more  of  them 
over,  extinguishing  the  light  and  leaving 
conditions  right  for  a  damage  suit  against 
the  municipality  or  company  that  is  doing 
the  improvement  work. 

The  danger  of  trouble  from  this  source 
is  greatly  minimized  by  the  adoption  of  the 
idea  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration. 
This  consists  of  the  use  of  a  small  concrete 
block,  in  which  has  been  embedded  the  bot- 
tom or  oil  reservoir  of  the  lantern.  The 
concrete  block  makes  the  lantern  practically 
untippable. 

To  make  the  block,  a  form  of  lumber  8 
inches  square  and  about  4  inches  deep  is 
made.  A  portion  of  the  concrete  is  placed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  form,  and  upon  this,  in 
the  center,  the  lantern  is  placed,  care  being 
taken  to  see  that  the  oil  filler  cap  is  above 
the  top  of  the  form.  The  remainder  of  the 
form    is    filled    with    concrete^    completely 


covering  the  oil  reservoir  as  high  as  desired. 
It  should  be  made  sure,  however,  that  the  oil 
cap  and  the  thumb  screw  by  which  the 
wick  is  raised  are  readily  accessible. 


THIS     LANTERN     STAYS     UPRIGHT— AND 
INCONVENIENT  TO  STEAL 


IS 


The  Economy  of  Garbage  Equipment 
in  Washington,  D.  C. 

A  Heavy-Duty  Motor  Truck  with  Special  Body  and  Sectional  Lids   Meets   All 

Requirements 

THE   City  Refuse  '  "  ""^    -— "^ 

Division  of  the 
District  of  Colum- 
bia put  into  operation  in 
July,  192 1,  a  heavy-duty 
dump  truck  which  in  its 
first  y/2  months  traveled 
3,250  miles  and  hauled 
about  1,575  tons  of  gar- 
bage. An  accurate  rec- 
ord has  been  kept  of  the 
gasoline  and  oil  used, 
and,  considering  that  the 
truck  engine  is  running 
practically  all  the  time 
because  of  the  large 
number  of  stops  required, 
the  miles  per  gallon  has 
been  very  satisfactory, 
according  to  J.  D.  Murray, 
Mechanic  of  the  Division, 

The  sanitary  body  of  the  truck  is  made 
entirely  of  steel  and  is  water-tight.  It  is 
equipped  with  sectional  hinged  lids  which 
are  close-fitting  and  which  make  it  unneces- 
sary to  expose  more  than  a  small  space  when 


DUMP    TRUCK    SHOWING    SECTIONS    WITH    COVERS    RAISED 


Master 


GARBAOE  COLLECTION  TRUCK  IN  DUMPING  POSITION 


loading   the   truck   along   the   street.     The 
body  is  fitted  with  a  running-board,  so  that 
the   operators   can   readily    load    from   the 
top.     The  running-boards  are  arranged  to 
fold  up  against  the  side  of  the  body  when 
not  in  use.    The  truck  has  a  capacity  of  200 
cubic  feet,  or  5  tons.    The  inside  dimensions 
of  the  body  are:  length, 
138    inches;    width,    78 
inches;  height,  24  inches 
at    the    sides    and    i6j4 
inches   from   the   top   of 
the  side  to  ^he  peak  of 
the  triangle. 

This  Autocar  garbage 
truck  in  ordinary  use 
carries  three  men  in  ad- 
dition to  the  driver,  and 
it  is  filled  to  capacity 
several  times  each  day. 
It  operates  principally 
around  the  market  and  in 
the  rear  of  big  hotels, 
boarding  -  houses  and 
other  places  from  which 
large  amounts  of  garbage 
must  be  removed  daily. 


What  Is  a  Road  Survey? 


Various  Types  and  Definitions  Used  by  the  Layman  and  the  Engineer 


THE  term  "road  survey"  as  commonly 
used  by  the  public  includes  almost  any- 
thing from  a  trip  on  horseback  over 
a  road,  to  the  most  exact  measurements  for 
the  location  of  a  costly  bridge.  The  State 
Highway  Commission  of  South  Carolina 
has  outlined  this  subject  in  an  interesting 
manner  in  its  report  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  1920,  from  which  the  follow- 
ing material  has  been  prepared. 

Surveys  may  be  divided  into  three  classes 
on  the  basis  of  amount  of  detail  necessary, 
namely:  surveys  for  roads  constructed  with- 
out Federal  Aid;  surveys  for  Federal  Aid 
roads;  and  ^surveys  for  large  bridge  proj- 
ects. The  ultimate  aim  is  the  same,  how- 
ever, in  all — the  securing  of  the  most  serv- 
iceable, and  at  the  same  time  the  most  eco- 
nomical, location  or  site. 

Even  the  simplest  road  survey  involves 
consideration  for :  the  probable  future  kind 
and  volume  of  traffic ;  the  probable  future 
development  of  the  adjacent  land,  such  as 
its  being  drained  by  dredging  or  filling-in 
to  provide  building  sites ;  the  type  of  sur- 
facing to  be  used  at  present  and  that  likely 
to  be  required  later ;  the  proper  provision 
for  handling  both  the  surface  water  and  the 
subdrainage;  the  connections  with  other 
roads;  proper  grades  to  join  with  existing 
bridges  that  are  to  remain  in  place;  the 
car  tracks,  water-mains,  sewers,  etc.,  that 
may  be  encountered ;  the  elimination  of  rail- 
road grade  crossings;  the  avoidance  of 
dangerous  curves  and  excessive  grades ;  and 
last,  but  not  least  important,  the  cost  of 
construction.  Not  only  are  the  factors 
enumerated  of  value  within  themselves,  but 
several  of  them  also  affect  the  cost  of  future 
maintenance  of  the  road.  Besides  all  these 
things,  the  engineer  must  consider  the  con- 
veniences and,  oftentimes,  the  whims  of  the 
property  owners  along  the  road.  There  is 
frequently  great  temptation  to  follow  the 
line  of  least  resistance,  usually  an  old, 
crooked,  badly  washed  road,  rather  than 
antagonize  a  landowner. 

After  going  over  the  route  to  be  surveyed, 
trying  to  balance  properly  the  aforemen- 
tioned factors,  the  actual  staking  out,  or 
"survey,"  is  begun.  Stakes  must  be  set  at 
each    100    feet,    and    additional    stakes    at 


humps  or  noticeable  depressions,  on  the 
banks  of  ditches  and  streams,  etc.  The 
curves  must  be  figured  and  the  stakes  set  on 
what  will  be  the  center  line  of  the  finished 
road,  so  that  the  amount  of  earth  to  be  re- 
moved can  be  figured.  The  position  of 
property  lines,  near-by  houses,  railroad 
tracks,  fences,  canals,  streams,  telephone 
and  telegraph  poles,  woods,  etc.,  must  be 
noted  and  sufficient  measurements  taken  to 
enable  such  objects  to  be  shown  properly 
on  the  plans.  Certain  of  these  stakes  are 
"referenced";  that  is,  their  distances  are 
measured  from  various  permanent  objects, 
so  that  when  the  road  is  being  built  the 
original  lines  as  surveyed  can  be  found  if 
the  stakes  have  been  misplaced. 

After  these  stakes  have  been  set,  it  is 
necessary  to  run  levels  and  cross-sections 
so  as  to  show  elevations,  not  only  of  the 
ground  along  the  center  line  of  the  proposed 
road,  but  also  of  the  ground  on  either  side 
for  a  distance  of  at  least  25  feet.  If  the 
survey  follows  an  old  road  with  deep  ditches 
and  high  banks,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
take  a  great  many  elevations  in  order  to  be 
able  to  compute  the  amount  of  earth  moved 
in  grading. 

Since  an  error  in  these  levels  at  one  place 
might  affect  all  the  road  beyond  that  point 
and  cause  an  error  of  many  hundreds  of 
yards  in  computing  the  amount  of  grading, 
or  cause  the  construction  of  a  bridge  too 
low  or  higher  than  required,  it  is  necessary 
to  check  the  levels.  This  is  usually  done  by 
running  another  independent  line  of  levels 
called  "bench  levels,"  which  check  against 
the  profile  levels  at  numerous  points,  in 
much  the  same  way  as  one  checks  an  adding 
machine  slip  against  the  original  column 
of  figures.  This  is  the  reason  that  a  survey 
party  must  go  over  the  line  a  second  or 
third  time. 

A  single  survey  party  is  usually  composed 
of  three  men  sent  out  by  the  Department 
and  two  furnished  by  the  county.  The 
chief-of-party  studies  the  route,  selects  the 
location,  sees  that  the  party  sets  the  stakes 
at  proper  points,  checks  the  calculations  and 
notes  made  by  the  instrument  men,  makes 
recommendations  as  to  proper  sizes  and  lo- 
cations of  culverts  and  bridges,  makes   a 


10 


1 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


daily  report  to  the  office  of  the  Department, 
and  arranges  for  board,  lodging  and  trans- 
portation for  the  party.  His  object  is  to 
secure  the  best  route  feasible,  giving  due 
regard  to  the  factors  indicated  above.     In 


difficult  situations  and  in  cases  of  protest  by 
property  owners  he  calls  upon  the  chief-of- 
surveys,  who  in  turn  takes  up  with  the 
State  Highway  Engineer  such  matters  as 
cannot  be  adjusted  in  the  field. 


Municipal  Tax  Exemption  Stimulates 
Home  Building 


FIGURES  for  the  first  seven  months  of 
tax  exemption  in  New  York  demon- 
strate   the   efficacy    of   this    plan    for 
stimulating  home  building. 

The  Special  Housing  Session  of  the  State 
Legislature  in  September,  1920,  passed  an 
act  permitting  municipalities  to  grant  such 
exemption  for  dwellings,  except  hotels, 
from  April,  1922,  to  April,  1932.  Such 
dwellings  must  have  been  completed  after 
April  I,  1920,  or  begun  not  later  than  April 
I,  1922,  Although  strong  arguments  for 
the  law  had  been  advanced  before  the  Leg- 
islature, only  a  few  municipalities  showed 
their  appreciation  of  its  advantages  by  pass- 
ing the  necessary  local  ordinances.  They 
were  Malone,  Beacon,  Saratoga  Springs, 
Plattsburgh,  Little  Falls,  and  New  York. 
In  an  address  before  the  joint  meeting  of 
the  National  Municipal  League  and  the 
American  Civic  Association,  Raymond  V. 
Ingersoll,  Secretary  of  the  City  Club  of 
New  York,  gave  the  following  important 
information : 

Effect  on  Building 

Most  of  the  up-state  municipalities  where 
this  experiment  has  been  tried  report  that 
home  building  has  been  noticeably  stimu- 
lated. In  New  York  City  the  results  have 
been  specially  marked,  and  this  in  spite  of 
unfavorable  labor  and  mortgage  conditions. 
Lawson  Purdy,  formerly  President  of  the 
National  Municipal  League  and  a  leading 
New  York  authority  both  on  housing  and 
on  taxation,  says: 

"In  seven  months  houses  have  been  planned  to 
accommodate  over  38,000  families.  If  this  rate 
of  progress  continues,  260,000  persons  will  be 
provided  for  in  a  year.  This  is  about  three 
times  the  rate  of  growth  of  the  city." 

The  present  rate  of  building  is  more  than 
four  times  that  of  last  year. 

Of  the  provisions  for  38,000  families  al- 
ready referred  to,  22,704  are  in  one-  and 
two-family  houses,  which  represents  a  com- 


plete  reversal   of  the  old   ratios   of   such 
houses  to  tenement  apartments. 

Figures  taken  from  the  Real  Estate 
Record  and  Guide  of  November  5,  giving 
the  valuations  of  contracts  actually 
awarded,  show  that,  whereas  in  1920  the 
aggregate  for  new  business  buildings  ex- 
ceeded by  more  than  25  per  cent  the  total 
for  residential  buildings,  in  1921  the  total 
for  residences  has  been  more  than  three 
times  as  great  as  the  total  for  business  pur- 
poses. As  against  housing  contracts 
awarded  for  the  entire  twelve  months  of 
last  year,  amounting  to  $81,650,200,  we 
have  contracts  during  ten  months  of  this 
year — including  only  seven  months  under 
tax  exemption — amounting  to  $195,933,400. 
That  the  pace  has  been  accelerating  is  made 
evident  by  the  fact  that  in  October  alone 
housing  contracts  were  made  aggregating 
$41,265,400.  The  figures  for  floor  space  are 
still  more  impressive.  For  the  year  1920 
the  total  contracted  for  was  15,142,000 
square  feet.  For  the  first  ten  months  of 
1921  it  was  41,638,800  square  feet. 

Effect  on  Vacant  Lots 

One  of  the  incidental  results  of  the  ex- 
emption has  been  a  very  great  activity  in 
the  sale  of  vacant  lots.  Most  of  these  lots 
are  reasonably  near  the  rapid  transit  lines. 
A  year  ago  there  was  no  market  for  them, 
but  now  they  are  being  auctioned  ofif  by  the 
thousands  at  moderate  prices.  Where 
formerly  the  chief  selling  point  featured  by 
the  agents  was  the  possibility  of  profits 
through  a  rise  in  land  values,  now  the  ad- 
vantage advertised  is  the  opportunity  to 
build  a  home  and  to  secure  the  exemption. 
An  unusually  large  proportion  of  the  new 
houses  now  being  built  are  for  occupancy 
by  the  owners.  Thousands  are  seeking  es- 
cape from  the  tenements.  From  a  social 
point  of  view  it  is  the  healthiest  movement 
in  housing  that  has  taken  place  in  New 
York  City  in  some  years. 


11 


Water,  Water  Everywhere— Yet  It  Can 

Be  Advertised 

Newspaper  Campaign  Keeps  Public  Sold  on  Service  Received,  Even 
When  Rates  Are  Raised 

By  Hugh  E.  Agnew 


lStt^t*f  Tim  •/  «  Sfi 


DID  you  ever  see  water  advertised? 
Not  seltzer  water,  or  any  of  the 
medicinal  waters,  or  mineral  water 
for  bathing,  or  even  fresh  spring  drinking 
water,  but  just  plain  H^O  for  use  in  the 
bathtub,  to  wet  down  the  lawn  and  wash  the 
flivver?  These  cam- 
paigns are  unusual  and 
infrequent,  but  they 
have  occurred.  A  few 
have  not  been  mere 
"Notices,"  but  well-ar- 
ranged, extensive  cam- 
paigns. Besides  show- 
ing another  instance  of 
the  almost  unlimited 
application  of  advertis- 
ing, one  of  the  latest  of 
these  campaigns  is  par- 
ticularly suggestive  of 
advertising  possibilities 
for  those  whose  prod- 
uct is  in  the  nature  of 
a  monopoly. 

The  East  Bay  Water 
Company  of  Oakland, 
Calif.,  which  furnishes 
the  water-supply  for 
that  city  and  for  Berke- 
ley, Alameda,  Pied- 
mont and  Richmond, 
comprising  a  popula- 
tion of  more  than  300,- 
000  people,  was  the  ad- 
vertiser. It  was  a  news- 
paper campaign  in 
which  the  daily  papers 
of  San  Francisco  and 
the  cities  named  were 
used  from  May,  1919,  to  January,  1921. 

The  first  messages  pertained  to  the  sav- 
ing of  water  in  the  house — in  which  there 
was  a  double  purpose.  It  was  a  subject 
which  would  get  the  immediate  attention 
and  sympathy  of  the  women.    Then,  it  fol 


jM)t  to  -wvhfic  -wwteif 

-U.it  beome  w«  are  afraid  of  •  Aoctafe  of  wmici> 

No.  Tku  yew's  rain  has  fillcJ  dw  rasenrcin  with 
enough  water  to  insure  an  adequate  supply  for  at  kaM 

la  it  because  we  lose  when  you  waste  water> 

No.  Ypu  pay  us  for  every  drop  of  water  regiatefM 
by  your  meter.  %rbeitKr  used  or  wasted.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  more  you  waste,  the  mot*  w«  gjun. 

Then  why.  you  ask,  do  we  urge  you  to  sava  vratei? 

Because  in  addition  to  watei^-w«  seD  ssTTfaa.  Pmit 
ol  this  service  is  to  give  you  full  value— Co  help  you 
pay  only  lor  what  you  use  and  to  use  all  that  you  pay 


hold  dutiea  widkout 

suggestiofu  are  followed. 


^^       East  B«^ 
^_^^  Co. 


THIS       KIND       OP       ADVERTISEMENT 

CREATES     GOOD-WILL     BY     HELPING 

CUSTOMERS    'USE    ALL    THE   WATER 

THET  PAT  FOR" 


the  supply  of  water  had  been  inadequate 
because  of  shortage  at  the  source.  During 
the  summer  of  19 18  the  use  of  water  for 
lawns  was  prohibited  in  the  "East  Bay 
cities,"  as  the  municipalities  on  the  east  side 
of  San  Francisco  Bay  are  called,  and  the 
water  company  could 
easily  interest  residents 
in  that  subject,  as  all 
were  anxious  to  pre- 
vent another  shortage. 
The  campaign 
opened  with  a  full  page 
showing  a  stream  of 
"domestic"  and  "indus- 
trial" water  pouring 
from  a  main.  The  title 
in  large,  black,  hand- 
lettered  type  was  just 
"Water."  "When  a 
group  of  people  having 
a  common  interest  live 
in  the  same  place  under 
the  same  laws  and 
regulations,"  it  read, 
"these  people  constitute 
a  community.  When- 
ever a  community  ex- 
ists, community  prob- 
lems arise.  These  com- 
munity problems  ex- 
plain and  account  for 
the  public  service  cor- 
porations —  companies 
organized  to  render 
service  essential  to  the 
general  public  health, 
or  convenience, 
or  both;  in  other 
words,  companies  organized  to  solve  com- 
munity problems.  The  most  important  of 
these  is  the  question  of  an  adequate  water- 
supply."  Then  followed  a  brief  statement 
of  some  of  the  topics  that  would  be  dis- 
cussed in  the  series  of  advertisements  which 


lowed  an  exceptionally  dry  period,  in  which      were  to  follow. 


12 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


Selling  Water  Economy 

The  first  of  these  was  wastage  of  water  in 
the  home.  The  water  company  assured  its 
readers  that  this  was  urged,  iK)t  because 
of  fear  of  another  shortage,  but  "because 
in  addition  to  water  we  sell  service.  Part 
of  this  service  is  to  give  you  full  value — to 
help  you  pay  only  for  what  you  use  and  to. 
use  all  that  you  pay  for." 

Various  means  of  preventing  waste  were 
discussed,  such  as  leaks  in  taps,  using  run- 
ning water  for  rinsing  potatoes  while  peel- 
ing them,  allowing  children  to  play  with  the 
hose,  etc.  Each  formed  the  subject  for  one 
message.  By  the  time  this  series  was  com- 
pleted the  summer  was  nearly  over  and  peo- 
ple had  ceased  to  think  nmch  about  water 
shortage.  Also  many  who  had  taken  occa- 
sion to  complain  about  the  size  of  their 
water  bills  had  discovered  various  means  of 
reducing  them.  If  they  did  not  care  to  take 
the  trouble  to  prevent  waste,  they  had  that 
guilty  feeling  which  prevented  complaint, 
either  at  the  office  or  to  neighbors. 

The  next  phase  of  the  campaign  was  de- 
voted to  the  general  subject  of  making  the 
water-supply  clean,  safe,  pleasing  to  the 
taste  and  to  the  eye,  and  free  from  all  im- 
purities. This  series  included  a  discussion 
of  collecting  or  "warehousing''  the  water. 
Pictures  of  the  various  reservoirs  were 
given  and  means  of  protecting  the  source 
described. 

That  iron  water-mains  cost  $8  a  foot,  that 
running  water  usually  does  not  "purify  it- 
self," but  tends  to  collect  impurities  as  it 
flows,  how  watersheds  are  guarded  and 
wooded,  the  duties  of  the  patrol,  and  a  map 
of  the  thirty-five  square  miles  owned  or 
controlled  by  the  company  for  collecting 
water,  were  some  of  the  subjects  discussed 
in  the  second  period  of  the  campaign. 

Being  a  public  utility,  it  was  the  purpose 
of  the  company  to  keep  the  public  sold  as 
thoroughly  as  possible  upor*  the  service 
which  the  company  gave.  An  important 
part  of  that  was  to  explain  as  fully  as  pos- 
sible the  nature  and  extent  of  the  service  of 
supplying  water. 

There  are  always  a  lot  of  agitators  whose 
chief  sport — both  indoors  and  out — is  to 
attack  public  service  corporations.  The 
fullest  possible  understanding  of  the  busi- 
ness of  furnishing  a  public  service  to  a 
city  will  probably  do  more  than  any  other 
one  thing  to  forestall  dissatisfaction  that 
might  be  created  by  these  agitators. 


The  amount  invested  in  the  watersheds 
and  why  that  investment  influenced  water 
rates  were  explained  as  part  of  the  general 
understanding  of  the  water  business.  The 
difficulty  and  expense  of  elevating  2,000,000 
gallons  of  water  800  feet  daily,  which  is 
done  at  Alvarado  and  Lake  Chabot,  was 
graphically  illustrated.  The  difficulty  of  re- 
pairing and  replacing  broken  water-mains 
quickly  was  pictured. 

The  elaborate  and  expensive  measures 
taken  to  keep  the  water  pure  and  healthful 
were  explained  in  another  series,  one  of 
which  discussed  water  analysis  and  how  in 
addition  to  the  company's  own  laboratories 
both  the  city  and  the  state  health  depart- 
ments made  analyses.  The  little  algae  which 
were  sometimes  found  in  the  water  as  it 
came  from  water  taps  were  shown  to  be 
harmless,  being  a  vegetable  which  grows  so 
rapidly  that  it  "can  be  seen  with  the  naked 
eye  within  forty-eight  hours."  Filtration 
was  explained.  Also  the  Government  re- 
port, which  gave  Oakland  the  lowest  per- 
centage of  sickness  from  typhoid  of  any 
city  in  the  country,  was  featured  in  the  ad- 
vertising copy.  The  care  with  which  the 
water-supply  was  handled  was  given  its  full 
share  of  credit  in  the  advertising,  as  in- 
fected drinking  water  is  the  most  common 
source  of  typhoid  contagion.  The  chlorine 
process  of  sterilizing  the  city  water  was  so 
described  that  any  child  could  understand  it. 

Another  step  in  this  campaign  to  keep 
customers  sold  on  the  service  they  were  re- 
ceiving was  a  detailed  discussion  of  the 
company's  method  of  supervision.  Why  the 
water  company  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  State  Railroad  Commission  was  the  sub- 
ject for  an  advertisement,  two  columns 
thirteen  inches.  The  similarities  of  the  rail- 
way and  the  water-supplying  business  were 
pictured,  and  the  public  service  idea  was 
illustrated  in  a  number  of  other  advertise- 
ments of  generous  space. 

The  various  units  of  the  water  company's 
plant  were  discussed  in  the  series  on  super- 
vision, and  reasons  given  for  the  particular 
construction.  The  saving  effected  by  a 
water  tunnel  from  the  San  Pablo  reservoir 
to  the  filter  plant  in  the  Berkeley  Hills  was 
the  subject  of  another  message.  How  the 
company  was  looking  ahead  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  beautiful  residence  district 
north  and  east  of  Lake  Merritt  indicated  its 
far-seeing  alertness  in  providing  for  the 
city's  growth.    The  water  company  did  not 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


13 


want  its  customers  to  think  it  short-sighted, 
so  it  frankly  discussed  in  detail  this  and 
other  improvements  and  additions.  It 
called  attention  to  the  difficulty  of  furnish- 
ing water  to  the  homes  in  the  hill  districts 
hundreds  of  feet  above  the  bay. 

Economies  in  meter  reading,  the  cost  of 
collecting  bills,  the  saving  effected  by  mod- 
ern office  equipment,  were  all  adequately 
presented.  The  water  company — it  was 
evident  from  its  advertising — was  an  enter- 
prising, well-managed  institution,  of  which 
its  customers  might  well  be  proud. 

Creating  a  Friendly  Feeling 

Of  course  the  copy  was  too  adroitly  writ- 
ten to  mention  such  a  thing,  even  indirectly, 
but  when  a  customer  knew  the  business  so 
intimately,  as  all  must  have  known  it  after 
following  its  advertising  for  eighteen 
months,  he  would  almost  inevitably  have  a 
feeling  of  friendly  sympathy  for  an  institu- 
tion which  was  trying  so  hard  to  please — 
rather  than  a  hostile,  critical  attitude  which 
is  so  commonly  felt  toward  the  privately 
owned  public  service  corporations. 

Finally,  to  round  out  the  campaign  and 
add  the  human  touch,  the  work  of  various 
employes  was  described,  the  employe  named, 
and  the  length  of  time  he  had  been  engaged 
in  keeping  the  city's  water-supply  adequate 
was  given.  "An  hour-and-a-half  shut-down 
in  two  years,"  the  reader  was  told,  "was 
the  record  made  during  the  water  crisis  of 
191 8,  by  Charles  H.  Harry,  in  charge  of  the 
seventy-eight  wells  of  the  Fitchburg  pump- 
ing station." 

With  the  prices  of  everything  else  going 
up,  it  was  only  natural  that  people  would 
have  to  pay  more — slightly  more — for  the 
important  service  of  having  their  water 
needs  supplied.  The  increase  in  the  cost  of 
water  was  but  12  per  cent.  Other  commod- 
ity prices  had  increased  98  per  cent.  It  was 
evident  that  the  water  company  had  again 
shown  its  skill  in  management  to  keep  down 
the  increase  to  so  little  as  12  per  cent.  That 
was  an  added  reason  for  pride  in  the  con- 
cern— rather  than  criticism  of  it  and  a 
grudging  consent  to  the  added  cost. 

The  space  used  was  liberal,  from  two- 
column-ten  to  full  page.  The  form  of  the 
display  changed  from  time  to  time,  as  well 
as  the  subject  matter.  That  was  to  avoid 
monotony.  The  signature,  however,  formed 
a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  the  differ- 
ent numbers  of  the  series.     It  was  hand- 


Algae  ia  pronounced  "Al-Bee."  It  b  not  •  boy** 
nunc;  &nd  it  u  not  Iwcteh*. 

Algae  u  a  vegetable  powth.  It  forma  in  icmt- 
voira.  lakes,  and  stt«anu,  and  grow*  large  cstough 
within  forty^eighl  boura  to  be  aeen  with  the  naked 

If  partictea  of  Algae  ahould  paaa  through  the  iMJwt 
from  the  diatributing  reaervoira  into  your  driidting 
water  and  taate  rather  auapicioualy:  i(  it  looka  a 
bit  doubtful,  remember  it  ia  not  harmful.  It  ia  a 
vefetable  growth,  purely. 

Aa  haimleaa  aa  Algae  may  be.  it  ia  alii)  nopleaa. 
ant  to  aome,  and  thia  company  ia  now  coveting  ita 
diatributing  reaervoira  to  keep  the  aiui'a  raya  horn 
the  water.  Thua  protected,  atored  water  wiD  be 
free  from  Algae. 

Covering  our  large  reaervoira  U  rather  a  coMly 
undertalung.  but  you  are  entitled  to  drink  water 
without  little  mental  photo^apha  of  doubthil  char- 
acter-—ao  we're  putting  the  "lid"  on  the  reaervoira. 
keeping  the  aua  out  and  atopping  the  formation  of 


Algae. 


^^        East  B«^ 
<^_--^   Co. 


'^fgr'l 


MOST  CONSUMERS  WHO  BEAD  THIS 
ADVERTISEMENT  NEVER  SAW  THE 
ALGAE,  BUT  THEY  WERE  PREPARED 
FOR  SUCH  AN  INCIDENT.  IT  KEPT 
THE  CUSTOMER   SOLD  ON  SERVICE 

lettered  and  of  the  same  type  style  as  that 
of  the  word  "Water"  in  the  first  an- 
nouncement. As  the  incorporation  is 
known  locally  as  the  "Water  Company,"  the 
display  of  the  signature  was  so  arranged  as 
to  emphasize  that  part  of  the  name. 

The  general  effect  of  the  advertising,  as 
expressed  by  a  prominent  real  estate  man  of 
the  district,  has  been  to  create  so  much  good- 
will for  the  water  company  that  no  agitator 
or  intriguing  politician  could  stampede  the 
public  into  forcing  an  issue  with  the  East 
Bay  Water  Company. 

AcKNOwi  EDGMENT. — Reprinted  by  courtesy  of 
Printers'  Ink. 


"Sharp  Turns" 

By  James  W.  Brooks 

The  people  themselves  can  do  much  to- 
wards keeping  highways  clear  of  graft 
by  tearing  up  political  weeds  along  roads 
in  their  own  neighborhood. 

Using  the  road  to  pay  political  debts 
makes  a  rotten  subgrade  in  the  public 
mind  for  further  highway  development. 

— American    Highway    Educational    Rureau. 


X4 


Our  Dangerous  Schoolhouses 

The  Fire  Losses  in  Schools  and  the  Existing  Fire  Peril 


WITH  the  great  publicity  that  has 
been  given  to  the  fire  peril  existing 
in  the  New  York  City  schools,  con- 
siderable attention  is  being  directed  towards 
the  dangers  to  which  school  children  are 
subjected  through  laxity  in  observing  fire 
department  regulations  in  many  cities.  The 
New  York  report  covers  conditions  as  pre- 
sented by  the  Meyer  Legislative  Committee 
and  states  that  of  the  695  schools  in  the  five 
boroughs,  496  have  violations  of  fire  depart- 
ment regulations  filed  against  them,  although 
some  of  the  violations  doubtless  were  of  a 
minor  nature.  In  the  course  of  this  period, 
over  50  fires  occurred  in  the  school  build- 
ings, and  thousands  of  lives  were  jeop- 
ardized. Fire  drills  are  credited  with  hav- 
ing prevented  any  fatalities. 

Unfortunately,  the  situation  in  New  York 
City  is  not  exceptional.  Many  educational 
structures  throughout  the  country  are  in  a 
deplorable  condition.  One  authority  has 
stated  that  "over  90  per  cent  of  our  school 
buildings   are   potential    death   traps,"   the 


opinion  referring  to  national  conditions. 
Fortunately,  there  is  evidence  from  time  to 
time  of  local  awakening. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  for  example,  recently  took  steps  to 
bring  about  the  installation  of  sprinkler 
systems  in  the  city  schools  as  a  measure  of 
safety. 

Statistics  compiled  by  the  National 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  through  its 
Actuarial  Bureau  show  that  there  are,  on 
the  average,  day  in  and  day  out  through 
the  year,  about  5  school  fires,  which,  of 
course,  are  of  varying  degrees  of  serious- 
ness. Recorded  schoolhouse  losses  in  the 
United  States  during  the  four  years  of 
1916  to  1919,  inclusive,  amounted  to  $19,- 
846,038.  This  figure,  however,  covers  only 
property  on  which  losses  were  paid  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Actuarial  Bureau  of  the  Na- 
tional Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  and  if 
25  per  cent  be  added  to  it  to  allow  for  un- 
reported fires  and  those  in  uninsured  struc- 
tures,  the  total   would  very  -  nearly  reach 


Fire   Losses  in   Schools 

Including    Those    in    Universities,    Boarding    Schools, 

Convent  ScKools  and  Academies 

Strictly    Preventable   Causes 

1919  1918 

Causes                                               Losses  Losses 

Defective  chimneys  and  flues $556,427  $353,851 

Fireworks,  firecrackers,   etc 18,986  36 

Gas,  natural  and  artificial 88,659  36,166 

Hot  ashes  and  coals,  open  fires 77,391  63,579 

Ignition  of  hot  grease,  oil,  tar,  wax,  etc.               980'  1,259 

Matches — smoking    197,061  260,408 

Open   lights    396,661  10,423 

Petroleum  and  its  products 85,032  26,552 

Rubhish  and  litter   2,871  19,328 

Sparks  on  roofs   316,588  265,909 

Steam  and  hot  water  pipes 14,629  60 

Stoves,   furnaces,  boilers  and  their  pipes        523,469  646,695 

Total    $2,223,464  $1,673,156 

Partly   Preventable   Causes 

Electricity     $472,853  $559,068 

Explosions 35,094  5,890 

Exjwstire    (including  conflagrations) 117,260  488,659 

Sparks  from  machinery  (friction) 51,751  6,952 

Incendiarism    162,735  180,663 

Lightning    78,643  193,226 

Miscellaneous   known   causes 57,652  135,090 

Sparks    from    combustion 14,258  8,829 

Spontaneous  combustion   165,147  302,769 

Total    $1,155,393  $1,876,145 

Unknown    (probably  largely  preventable)     2,494,788  2,026,840 

Grand  total   $6,878,646  $6,576,141 


1917 

1916 

Losses 

Losses 

$301,365 

$430,370 

81,455 

28,987 

65,292 

37,501 

82,277 

70 

261 

259,287 

204,726 

8,454 

49,414 

14,683 

118,285 

33,937 

22,350 

239,046 

138,091 

1,008 

25 

645,725 

464,814 

$1,601,468 

$1,520,855 

$506,632 

$585,054 

76 

2,469 

156,877 

268,578 

110 

6 

82,737 

428,364 

199,789 

61,811 

73,758 

85,050 

37,865 

4,708 

836,180 

449,697 

$1,342,974 

$1,885,732 

1,114,120 

931,103 

$4,058,562 


$4,337,690 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


IS 


$25,000,000,  all  of  which  represents  wasted 
labor  and  material.  Furthermore,  these 
fires  endanger  thousands  of  young  lives. 

It  will  be  observed  from  these  statistics 
that  the  loss  of  $5,873,645  in  1919  was  the 
largest  in  the  four  years,  and  that  only  in 
one  period,  1917,  was  a  decrease  from  the 
preceding  twelve  months  shown. 

There  was  a  considerable  increase  in 
1919  in  the  destruction  due  to  defective 
chimneys  and  flues,  fireworks,  firecrackers, 
and  open  lights  as  compared  with  1918. 
Electricity  losses,  however,  displayed  some 
improvement,  and  the  same  was  true  of 
those  resulting  from  exposure,  lightning 
and  spontaneous  combustion.  The  heaviest 
damage  in  1919,  $556,427,  was  charged 
against  defective  chimneys  and  flues, 
whereas  in  1918  stoves,  furnaces,  boilers 
and  their  pipes  held  first  place.  It  is  evident 
from  the  tabulation  just  below  that  the 
heating  plant  as  a  whole  is  the  chief  hazard 
in  schools. 
How  Some  Schools  Are  Well  Protected 

Investigation  of  school  fires  where  there 
was    a    considerable    loss    of    life,    almost 
universally    uncovered    the    fact    that    the 
tragedy  was  occasioned  by  panic  and  not  by 
the  fire  itself.     In  the  well-known  fire  in 
the  Hochagela  School  in  Montreal,  the  Pea- 
body,  Mass.,  fire  and  the  Collingwood,  Ohio, 
fire  it  was  panic  rather  than  fire  that  caused 
the  appalling  loss  of  life.    Lately  there  has 
been  a  more  universal  appreciation  of  this 
fact,  and  school  authorities  who  have  in- 
vestigated it  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  organized  fire  department  is  about 
the  only  effective  means  of 
handling   panic    and   pre- 
venting extensive  loss  of 
life.    Many  cities  through- 
out the  country  have  for 
this   reason   installed    fire 
alarm     boxes     in     every 
school,    so    that    firemen 
may  be  called  at  once. 

It  is,  of  course,  imprac- 
tical to  tear  down  80  per 
cent  of  the  schools  of  the 
country  and  immediately 
erect  in  their  places  mod- 
ern fire-proof  buildings. 
There  are,  however,  cer- 
tain steps  which  can  be 
taken  to  make  school- 
houses  safer,  one  of  which 


is  the  all-important  installation  of  a  fire 
alarm  box  on  or  within  every  schoolhouse 
in  the  country.  Following  is  an  honor  roll 
of  cities  in  which  every  schoolhouse  is  pro- 
tected by  a  fire  alarm  box. 


Alameda,    Calif. 
Tulare,    Calif. 
Naugatuck,   Conn. 
Winsted,_  Conn. 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Augusta,   Ga. 
Nampa,    Ida. 
Oak  Park,  111. 
Hammond,  Ind. 
Clinton,   Iowa. 
Rumford,   Me. 
Belmont,    Mass. 
Beverly,   Mass. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Cohasset,  Mass. 
Everett,   Mass. 
Fall   River,    Mass. 
Hoi  yoke,   Mass. 
Marblehead,    Mass. 
Newton,  Mass. 
Quincy,   Mass. 
Reading,  Mass. 
Salem,  Mass. 
Sharon,  Mass. 
Swampscott,  Mass. 
Walpole,   Mass. 
Harbor    Beach,    Mich. 
Cloquet,   Minn. 
Anaconda,   Mont. 
Goldfield,  Nev. 
East   Orange,  N.  J. 
Nutley,   N.  J. 
Passaic,  N.  J. 


Union,  N.  J. 
Union  Hill,  N.  J. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Cortland,   N.  Y. 
Flushing,   N.  Y. 
Harrison,   N.   Y. 
Ithaca,   N.  Y. 
Malone,  N.  Y. 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Rochester,   N.    Y. 
Syracuse,   N    .Y. 
Utica,  N    .Y. 
Walden,  N.  Y. 
Watertown,   N.   Y. 
Conneaut,   Ohio. 
Warren,  Ohio. 
La  Grande,   Ore. 
Pendleton,    Ore. 
Forty-Fort,    Pa. 
Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 
McKeesport,  Pa. 
West  Newton,   Pa. 
Woonsocket,   R.   I. 
Columbia,    S.    C. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
Norfolk,  Va. 
Spokane,    Wa.sh. 
Ashland,  Wis. 
Manitowoc,   Wis. 
Milwaukee,   Wis. 
Superior,   Wis. 


Rollin  Kirby  in  the  Neiv  York   World. 


IN  VIEW  or  THE  MANY  SCHOOLHOUSE  FIRES,  WIIJ.  IT  OOME 
TO  THIS? 


i6 


The  Laying  of  Concrete  Pipe  Sewers 


CONCRETE  pipe,  both  plain  and  rein- 
forced, are  now  being  extensively 
used  in  all  parts  of  the  country  for 
building  storm  and  sanitary  sewers.  It  is 
not  definitely  known  how  early  concrete 
pipe  were  used  for  this  purpose,  but  such 
records  as  are  available  indicate  that  they 
have  been  giving  excellent  service  since 
1873  in  many  parts  of  the  United  States. 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  amount  of  con- 
crete sewer  pipe  laid  is  evidence  that  in  the 


wastes,  and  the  other  to  serve  as  a  drain  for 
carrying  away  such  surface  water  as  rain, 
melting  ice  and  snow,  and  street  flushing 
water.  Combined  systems  handle  both  sani- 
tary sewage  and  surface  waters  in  one  sin- 
gle sewer.  Separate  systems  are  used  when 
conditions  make  it  necessary  to  treat  sani- 
tary sewage  in  disposal  plants.  Combined 
systems  are  installed  if  the  city  is  located 
near  large  bodies  of  water  into  which  the 
sewage  can  be  discharged  without  danger 


84-INCH  CONCRETE  PIPE  READY  FOR  INSTALLATION  AT  KOKOMO,  IND. 
Kokomo's  first  24-inch  concrete  sewer  pipe  was  laid  in  1873  and  is  still  in  service 


opinion  of  leading  municipal  engineers  its 
strength,  enduring  qualities  and  economy 
compare  favorably  with  the  qualities  of 
other  types.  The  early  use  of  concrete  pipe 
was  in  sewers  of  larger  diameters;  in  later 
years  improvements  in  concrete-pipe-mak- 
ing machinery  have  made  possible  the  suc- 
cessful manufacture  of  small  sizes  which 
are  now  equally  well  received  by  sewer  en- 
gineers. Concrete  pipe  are  now  made  in  all 
standard  sizes  from  4  inches  up  to  108 
inches  internal  diameter.  They  are  capable 
of  sustaining  the  weight  of  heavy  fill  in 
deep  trenches  or  the  loads  caused  by  the 
passage  of  heavy  vehicles  when  the  sewer  is 
near  the  surface.  Because  of  their  im- 
permeability concrete  sewer  pipe  greatly 
reduce  leakage  and  infiltration. 

Designing  the  System 

Sewerage  systems  are  designed  on  two 
general  plans — separate  and  combined.  The 
separate  system  provides  two  separate  and 
distinct  sewers,  one  to  take  care  of  sanitary 
sewage,  including  domestic  and  industrial 


of  contaminating  the  water-supply  of  its 
own  or  other  communities.  Which  system 
to  use  in  a  particular  case  depends  not  only 
upon  the  sanitary  factors  above  referred  to, 
but  also  upon  questions  of  the  most  econom- 
ical construction,  and  is  properly  left  to  the 
determination  of  experienced  sanitary  en- 
gineers. 

In  designing  sewer  pipe  lines,  provision 
should  be  made  for  the  future  growth  of 
the  city  so  that  the  important  trunk  line 
sewers  will  never  have  to  be  replaced  by 
pipe  of  larger  size.  Many  cities  are  fre- 
quently compelled  to  replace  at  great  ex- 
pense old  sewer  lines  with  larger  pipe  be- 
cause the  city's  growth  exceeded  expecta- 
tions. 

Special  attention  should  be  given  to  regu- 
larity of  alignment  and  gradient  of  sewers. 
Irregularities  not  only  cause  decreased  ca- 
pacity, but  also  make  maintenance  difficult 
and  expensive.  In  hilly  country  requiring 
broken  grade  lines,  the  cities  served  by  the 
sewer  system  should  be  divided  into  dis- 
tricts  separated   by    intercepting  or   trunk 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


17 


sewers,  thus  permitting  uniformity 
of  grade  and  alignment  within  each 
division. 

Typical  methods  of  placing  house 
connections  are  presented  in  the 
accompanying  illustrations.  House 
connections  should  never  be  under 
6  inches  internal  diameter  and 
should  be  laid  as  straight  as  possi- 
ble and  on  a  minimum  grade  of  2 
per  cent  (^-inch  per  foot).  The 
danger  of  clogging  in  smaller  sizes 
is  so  great  that  the  slightly  increased 
cost  of  the  6-inch  connection  is 
justified.  Final  inspection  should 
be  made  of  each  lateral  and  con- 
nection and  an  accurate  location 
record  kept  of  the  Y  at  the  lateral 
and  the  end  of  house  connection  at  the 
property  line.  Sketches  of  any  change  from 
original  plans  should  be  made  and  recorded. 

The  type  of  manhole  design  shown  is  used 
to  avoid  unnecessary  excavation  where  a 
considerable  difference  in  elevation  exists 
between  two  lines,  and  to  maintain  uniform 
velocity  of  flow.  A  type  of  concrete  block 
manhole  adopted  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  is 
also  shown. 

All  storm  water  should  pass  through  a 
catch-basin  like  that  shown,  before  enter- 
ing the  sewer,  in  order  to  remove  silt  and 
other  material  that  would  otherwise  clog 
the  sewer. 

A  lamp  hole  is,  as  its  name  implies,  an 
opening  through  which  a  lantern  may  be  let 
down  into  the  sewer  line  for  the  purpose  of 


^sConcreie  bend 


-^^ 


3osemertf 
■floor -y 


I 


Concrete  sidewalk 

I.  ■■■•  •--»•■■  ■■*? 


Concrete  House  Foundafion 


METHOD   OF   PLACING  A   SINGLE  HOUSE  CONNECTION 

UNDER  SIDEWALK.     UNNECESSARY  BENDS  SHOULD  BE 

AVOIDED 


PLAN  SHOWING  THE  BALTIMORE  METHOD  OF  PLACING 
DOUBLE  HOUSE  CONNECTIONS   UNDER  A   SIDEWALK 


locating  obstructions.  Such  holes  are  in- 
stalled by  some  engineers  where  manholes 
are  more  than  400  feet  apart. 

Construction  Methods 

The  recommended  practice  for  laying 
sewer  pipe,  adopted  by  the  American  So- 
ciety for  Testing  Materials  in  19 19,  should 
be  closely  followed  in  order  to  insure  best 
results.     Extracts  are  given  below. 

"The  foundations  in  the  trench  should  be 
formed  to  prevent  any  subsequent  settlement 
and  thereby  possibly  an  excessive  pressure  and 
consequent  rupture  of  the  pipe. 

"If  the  foundation  is  rock,  an  equalizing  bed 
of  concrete  or  sand  well  compacted  should  be 
placed  upon  the  rock.  The  thickness  of  these 
beds  should  be  not  less  than  4  inches.  Pipe 
should  be  laid  in  these  beds  so  that  at  least  the 
lower  third  of  each  pipe  is  supported  its  entire 
length. 

"If  the  foundation  is  good,  firm 
earth,  the  earth  should  be  pared  or 
molded  to  give  a  full  support  to  the 
lower  third  of  each  pipe,  and,  if 
necessary  to  secure  a  proper  bearing 
for  the  pipe,  a  layer  of  concrete,  fine 
gravel  or  other  suitable  material 
should  be  placed.  The  same  means 
of  securing  a  firm  foundation  should 
be  adopted  in  case  the  excavation 
has  been  made  deeper  than  necessary. 
"If  there  is  no  good  natural 
foundation,  the  pipe  should  be  laid 
in  a  concrete  cradle  supported  on  a 
masonry  foundation  carried  to  a  soil 
of  satisfactory  bearing  power,  or 
supported  on  a  structure  designed  to 
carry  the  weight  of  pipe  and  its  load 
to  a  firm  bearing. 

"Trenches  should  be  kept  free 
from  water  until  the  material  in  the 
joints  and  masonry  has  sufficiently 
hardened. 

"To  protect  pipe  lines   from  un- 


AConcre/e  bend 


i8 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  l 


E=3 


£")(l2"Concrei-e 


n 


I?"  Concrei-e  Sanitary  j^  Later  a/ 


^SConcrete  hd'nd       ' 


Property  Une-^ 


'^S'Concrefe 
/iouse  Connect/on. 


TYPICAL  ABBANGEMENT  OF  12-INCH  SANITABY  LATEBAL  IN  AN  at.t.p.v 
Concrete  Y's  are  used  instead  of  T's,  thereby  increasing  the  hydraulic  efficiency  of  the  line 


usual  stresses,  all  work  should  preferably  be 
done  in  open  trenches. 

"Pipe  lines  should  be  placed  at  a  sufficient 
depth  below  the  surface  of  the  street  to  avoid 
dangerous  pressure  or  impact.  When  this  is 
not  possible,  special  reinforcement  should  be 
provided. 

"Trenches  should  be  only  of  sufficient  width 
to  provide  a  free  working  space  on  each  side 
of  the  pipe,  preferably  not  over  one-third  of 
the  nominal  diameter,  and  never  less  than  4 
inches,  according  to  the  size  of  the  pipe  and  the 
character  of  the  ground;  but  in  every  case 
there  should  be  sufficient  space  between  the  pipe 
and  the  sides  of  the  trench  to  make  it  possible 
to  thoroughly  ram  the  back-filling  around  the 
pipe  and  to  secure  tight  joints. 


A  TYPICAL  CIBCULAE  CONCBETE  SANITABY  MANHOLE 
WITH  DBOP  CONNECTIONS  USED  TO  AVOID  TJNNEOES- 

SAEY  EXCAVATION 
A  common  method  where  there  is  considerable  elevation  be- 
tween two  connecting  lines  and  to  maintain  uniform  velocity 
and  flow  throughout  the  system 


"The  laying  of  pipe  in  finished  trenches 
should  commence  at  the  lowest  point,  so  that  the 
spigot  ends  point  in  the  direction  of  flow. 

"All  pipe  should  be  laid  with  ends  abutting 
and  true  to  line  and  grade.  They  should  be 
fitted  and  matched  so  that  when  laid  in  the 
work  they  will  form  a  sewer  with  a  smooth  a^d 
uniform  invert. 

"It  is  necessary  to  use  all  possible  care  when 
shoving  the  pipe  together,  so  that  the  joints  will 
not  be  unnecessarily  large. 

"Sockets  should  be  carefully  cleaned  before 
pipe  is  lowered  into  trenches.  The  pipe  should 
be  so  lowered  as  to  avoid  uimecessary  handling 
in  the  trench. 

"The  pipe  should  be  set  firmly  to  line  and 
grade  and  the  joints  carefully  adjusted  and  filled 
with  the  jointing  material. 

"Joints  should  be  made  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  A  closely  twisted 
hemp  or  oakum  gasket  of  suitable 
diameter,  in  no  case  less  than  J^-i^ch, 
and  in  one  piece  of  sufficient  length 
to  pass  around  the  pipe  and  lap  at  the 
top,  should  be  solidly  rammed  into  the 
annular  spaces  between  pipe  with 
a  suitable  calking  tool.  When  cement 
joints  are  used,  the  gasket  should  first 
be  saturated  with  neat  cement  grout. 
The  remainder  of  the  space  should 
then  be  completely  filled  with  the 
jointing  materials. 

"All  trenches  and  excavations  should 
be  backfilled  immediately  after  the 
pipe  is  laid  therein,  unless  other  pro- 
tection of  the  pipe  line  is  directed. 
The  backfilling  material  should  be  se- 
lected and  deposited  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  future  safety  of  the  pipe. 
Clean  earth,  sand  or  rock  dust  should 
be  solidly  tamped  about  the  pipe  up  to 
a  level  at  least  2  feet  above  the  top  of 
the  pipe.  This  material  should  be 
carefully  deposited  in  uniform  layers. 
Unless  otherwise  permitted,  each  layer 
should  be  carefully  and  solidly  tamped 
or  rammed  with  proper  tools,  so  as 
not  to  injure  or  disturb  the  pipe  line. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


19 


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TYPE  OF  CATCH-BASm  COMMONIiY  USED  TO  COLUICT 
SEDIMENT  FBOM  STORM  WATEE 


"Puddling  or  water  flooding  for  consolidating 
the  back-filling  is  recommended  only  for  sandy 
and  gravelly  materials.  If  this  method  is  used, 
the  first  flooding  should  be  applied  after  the 
back-filling  has  been  compacted  by  tamping  up 
to  fe  feet  above  the  top  of  the  pipe,  and  the 
second  flooding  during  or  after  the  subsequent 
filling  of  the  trench.  An  excess  of  water  should 
be  avoided,  in  order  to  prevent  disturbance  of 
the  earth  under  and  around  the  pipe  and  also  to 
prevent  an  undue  excess  of  pressure  upon  them. 

"Walking  or  working  on  the  completed  sewer, 
except  as  may  be  necessary  in  tamping  or  back- 
filling, should  not  be  permitted  until  the  trench 
has  been  back-filled  to  a  height  of  at  least  2 


VERTICAL      SECTION      OP       CONCRETE 

BLOCK  MANHOLE   ADOPTED  BY  TERRE 

HAUTE,  IND. 

feet  over  the  top  of  the  pipe. 

"The  filling  of  the  trench  should  be  carried  on 
simultaneously  on  both  sides  of  the  pipe  in  such 
a  manner  that  injurious  side  pressures  do  not 
occur." 


Municipal  Art  League  of  Chicago  Prepares  Artistic  Post-Cards 


The  tourist  and  even  the  traveling  busi- 
ness man  will  admit  that  they  have  often 
sought  vainly  for  some  true  expression  of 
the  beautiful  sights  they  have  viewed  in  the 
cities  and  towns  through  which  they  have 
passed.  It  is  indeed  a  regrettable  fact  that 
few  cities  in  the  United  States  have  offered 
to  travelers  artistic  pictures  of  the  beauties 
of  their  respective  localities.  The  average 
picture  post-card  sold  throughout  the  coun- 
try has  not  satisfied  the  demand  of  dis- 
criminating people — people  who  have  an 
appreciative  and  true  sense  of  artistic 
values. 

The  Municipal  Art  League  of  Chicago  is 


directing  the  publication  of  a  worthy  series 
of  post-cards  of  Chicago  and  vicinity,  It 
is  an  interesting  fact  in  this  connection 
that  this  organization  was  a  pioneer  in  the 
"City  Beautiful"  movement.  Its  prime  pur- 
pose is  to  encourage  civic  art  and  to  oppose 
influences  that  threaten  to  check  endeavors 
in  this  direction. 

The  cards  selected  for  reproduction  and 
distribution  are  mostly  prize-winners  in  a 
contest  conducted  by  the  Chicago  Camera 
Club.  There  are  twenty-four  cards  in  the 
issue,  representing  the  most  interesting  and 
attractive  scenes  in  the  city,  all  done  in  ex- 
cellent protogravure. 


20 


Bituminous  Pavements  Laid  on  Old 
Macadam  Streets  in  Denver 

By  J.  W.  Johnson 

Senior  Highway  Engineer,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Public  Roads 


THE  city  and  county  of  Denver  during 
the  past  ten  years  have  paved  a  num- 
ber of  streets  with  various  types  of 
bituminous  surfaces  on  old  macadam  bases. 
The  different  types  laid  to  date  are  asphaltic 
concrete,  tar  concrete,  "Amiesite,"  sheet 
asphalt,  and  "Willite."  The  first  attempt  at 
this  construction  was  made  by  the  city  in 
1910,  when  four  blocks  on  Speer  Boulevard 
were  paved.  Three  types  of  pavement  were 
laid  in  the  following  order,  each  type  being 
used -throughout  one  block:  asphalt  con- 
crete, tar  concrete,  "Amiesite,"  and  tar  con- 
crete. In  1912  the  paving  on  this  street  was 
continued  for  a  distance  of  eight  blocks, 
using  asphalt  concrete.  In  the  same  year  a 
block  on  Eighteenth  Avenue,  from  Sherman 
to  Grant,  was  paved  with  "Amiesite."  In 
1913  the  block  between  Sherman  and  Lin- 
coln on  Eighteenth  Avenue  was  paved  with 
asphalt  concrete. 

In  1916,  1917  and  1918,  35  to  40  blocks 
were  paved  with  sheet  asphalt  and  asphalt 
concrete.  One  block  of  "Willite"  was  laid 
in  1919.  In  1920  a  total  of  112,920  square 
yards  of  asphalt  concrete  and  "Willite" 
pavement  was  laid. 

All  the  streets  paved  in  this  manner  had 
previously  been  improved  by  grading,  curb- 
ing and  gutter,  and  surfacing.  The  surfac- 
ing originally  placed  varied  in  different 
parts  of  the  city.  Disintegrated  granite, 
slag,  and  oil  macadam  were  used. 

The  width  of  the  streets  varied  from  30 
to  40  feet  between  curbs.  The  width  of  the 
gutter  was  usually  2  feet.  The  crown  varied 
from  8  to  12  inches.  All  the  streets  had 
previously  been  supplied  with  storm  sewers. 
Intakes  to  sewers  were  provided  at  intervals, 
so  that  the  maximum  length  of  run-off  of 
surface  water  was  about  600  feet. 

Owing  to  the  light  annual  precipitation 
(an  average  of  about  14  inches),  the  high 
crown  on  pavements,  and  the  short  distances 
that  surface  water  has  to  travel  before  en- 
tering sewers,  there  is  very  little  opportunity 
for  the  subgrade  to  become  wet  so  long  as 
the  pavement  is  in  good  condition.    Only  a 


very  few  places  where  settlement  of  the 
subgrade  has  occurred  are  in  evidence. 
Practically  all  these  defects  occur  under  the 
earlier  pavements. 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  amount  of 
"Willite,"  all  of  the  1920  construction  was 
asphaltic  concrete,  i^  inches  thick  on  a  i  J^- 
inch  binder  course.  Both  Mexican  and  Cali- 
fornia asphalt,  with  a  penetration  of  from 
50  to  60,  were  used.  The  binder  course  was 
mixed  in  the  proportion  of  50  pounds  of 
asphaltic  cement  to  250  pounds  of  sand  and 
750  pounds  of  smelter  slag  (maximum  size 
I  inch).  The  surface  course  was  mixed  in 
the  proportion  of  80  pounds  of  asphaltic 
cement  to  85  pounds  of  limestone  dust,  300 
pounds  of  slag  (maximum  size  ^-inch), 
^"d  535  pounds  of  sand. 

The  mixing  was  done  at  stationary  plants, 
and  the  material  was  transported  to  the  job 
in  auto  trucks.  The  mixing  plants  and 
trucks  are  owned  and  operated  by  the  city. 
All  of  the  work,  including  the  grading  and 
preparation  of  the  subgrade,  is  done  by  the 
city  by  day  labor.  No  contracts  are  let  for 
any  portion  of  the  work  of  this  character. 

Preparation  of  Subgrade 

The  surface  of  the  street  selected  for  pav- 
ing is  scarified  by  the  use  of  a  scarifier  at- 
tached to  a  heavy  blade  machine  and  pulled 
by  a  lo-ton  caterpillar  tractor.  The  depth 
and  amount  of  scarifying  depend  on  the 
condition  of  the  old  macadam  and  the 
amount  necessary  to  be  removed.  As  all 
the  streets  paved  have  either  brick  or  con- 
crete gutters,  it  becomes  necessary  to  remove 
3  inches  of  old  material  at  the  junction  of 
pavement  and  gutter.  From  this  point  the 
amount  of  material  removed  is  decreased  to 
the  center  of  the  road,  where  only  the 
amount  necessary  to  bring  the  road  to  a 
uniform  crown  is  taken  off. 

The  material  loosened  by  the  scarifier  is 
bladed  into  windrows,  about  6  feet  wide  and 
3  feet  high,  and  then  loaded  into  wagons  by 
means  of  a  traveling  bucket  loader.  After 
the  excess  material  is  removed,  the  road- 
bed is  thoroughly  rolled  until  hard  and  firm. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


21 


REMOVING  EXCESS  MATERIAL  AFTER  SCARIFYING  AND  RESHAPING  MACADAM   STREET  IN 
DENVER    PRIOR    TO    APPLICATION    OF    SHEET    ASPHALT    TOP 


All  depressions  are  then  filled  with  good 
material  and  again  rolled  and  brought  to  a 
uniform  grade  and  cross-section. 

Upon  this  subgrade  the  asphalt  binder 
course  and  surface  course  are  laid  in  accord- 
ance with  usual  practice. 

Cost  of  Pavements 

The  number  of  square  yards  of  pavement 
of  this  character  laid  during  the  season  of 
1920  was  112,920.  The  total  cost  of  this 
work  was  $127,768.77,  which  is  at  the  rate 
of  $1.13  per  square  yard.  This  price  in- 
cluded the  grading  necessary  to  prepare  the 
subgrade.  The  average  cost  of  grading 
amounted  to  $0.15  per  square  yard  of  pave- 
ment. In  other  words,  the  pavement  cost 
an  average  of  $0.98,  and  the  grading  $0.15 
per  square  yard. 

The  items  of  cost  of  the  work  done  in 
1920  are  as  follows: 

Cost  per 
Item  Square  Yard 

Surface  mixture    $0 .  281 

Binder   mixture    .210 

Fuel    071 

Expense    .  01 0 

Tools  and  sundries    .023 

Plant   repairs    030 

Depreciation  plant .013 

General  salaries .  040 

General    labor    .  01 3 

Plant   labor    115 

Street  labor 088 

Hauling 080 

Total    for  surfacing   $    .980 

Grading .150 

Total    $1.13 


The  various  charges  entering  into  the 
above  items  are  explained  as  follows: 

Surface  and  binder  mixture  include  the 
cost  of  asphalt,  limestone  dust,  sand  and 
slag  which  are  used  in  them. 

Fuel  covers  all  coal  used  at  plant  and  on 
steam  rollers  on  job,  and  fuel  oil  in  the 
dryer,  and  electric  power  for  derrick. 

Expense  includes  insurance,  taxes,  print- 
ing, automobile  and  miscellaneous  expendi- 
tures. 

Tools  and  sundries  include  the  purchase 
of  tools  and  miscellaneous  plant  supplies, 
water  rental,  horse  feed  and  shoeing,  lubri- 
cating oil  and  grease. 

Plant  repairs  include  repairs  and  replace- 
ments to  plant  and  roller  parts;  also  labor 
in  getting  plant  in  shape  before  starting  up 
in  the  spring. 

Depreciation  is  20  per  cent  of  the  cost  of 
new  equipment  purchased. 

General  salaries  include  those  of  the 
superintendent,  bookkeeper  at  plant,  clerk 
at  administrative  office,  and  an  inspector. 

General  labor  includes  labor  in  building 
addition  to  plant,  assembling  derrick  and 
any  other  work  not  properly  chargeable  to 
operation. 

Plant  labor  includes  all  labor  used  in 
operating  the  plant. 


22 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


SPREADING  SHEET  ASPHALT  FOE  NEW  SURFACE  ON  RESHAPED  MACADAM  BOAD 


Street  labor  includes  all  labor  used  on 
the  street  in  laying  the  binder  and  top. 

Hauling  includes  the  cost  of  trucks  and 
drivers,  and  street  rollers  and  operators. 

Grading  includes  all  labor  in  preparing 
subgrade. 

Present  Condition  of  Pavements 

The  most  noticeable  defects  in  the  present 
condition  of  these  pavements  are  sunken 
spots,  roughness  or  waves  in  the  surface, 
and  surface  cracks.  The  sunken  places  are 
all  on  work  done  in  1910  and  1912.  The 
largest  of  these  have  a  diameter  of  from  8 
to  10  feet,  and  are  possibly  8  to  12  inches 
below  grade.  This  condition  is  caused  by 
settlement  of  the  subgrade,  which  was  on  a 
comparatively  new  fill  of  from  4  to  10  or  12 
feet.  The  street  on  which  these  sunken 
places  occur  was  built  along  the  bank  of 
Cherry  Creek,  parallel  to  new  retaining 
walls  built  to  confine  the  watercourse  of  the 
creek.  The  surfacing  was  placed  on  this 
fill  within  two  years  after  it  was  constructed, 
and  evidently  prior  to  the  time  of  complete 
settlement. 

Roughness  and  waves  are  in  evidence  on 
a  number  of  streets  laid  during  the  early 
period  of  this  construction.  Apparently  this 
condition  is  caused  by  insufficient  care  in 
laying  the  pavement,  or  insufficient  rolling 
of  the  subgrade.  This  condition  does  not 
exist  to  any  extent  in  work  done  since  191 6. 

Transverse  cracks  in  the  pavement  laid 
in  1916,  1917  and  1918  are  in  evidence 
throughout  a  large  portion  of  the  work. 
These  cracks  are  usually  at  right  angles  to 
the  center  line  of  roadway.  Sometimes  they 
extend  entirely  across  the  pavement  from 


gutter  to  gutter,  and  sometimes  they  extend 
only  a  distance  of  6  or  8  feet  each  side  of 
the  center.  Apparently  they  are  caused  by 
contraction  and  do  not  indicate  any  serious 
permanent  defect  in  the  wearing  qualities. 
The  distance  between  them  varies  consider- 
ably; ordinarily  they  are  not  less  than  30 
feet  apart. 

One  block  of  surfacing  laid  in  1919  shows 
the  worst  cracking  of  any  so  far  laid.  This 
pavement  is  so  badly  cracked  that  it  will 
undoubtedly  have  to  be  replaced  in  a  very 
short  time;  in  fact,  it  should  be  replaced 
this  season.  The  cracking  was  apparently 
caused  by  the  pavement's  being  mixed  with 
too  small  a  percentage  of  asphalt.  The  re- 
sulting mixture  was  too  brittle,  and  severe 
cracking  was  evident  after  the  first  cold 
weather  in  the  fall  after  the  pavement  was 
laid. 

One  disadvantage  in  this  method  of  con- 
structing pavements  is  the  high  crown  which 
very  often  obtains.  This  result  is  caused 
from  the  desire  to  use  all  of  the  old  mac- 
adam possible  in  the  center  of  the  road, 
and  the  necessity  of  meeting  the  gutter  al- 
ready in  place.  As  the  macadam  has  usu- 
ally been  given  a  good  crown  for  drainage, 
the  addition  of  3  inches  of  bituminous  pave- 
ment will  as  a  rule  result  in  i  or  2  inches  of 
additional  crown.  This  result  would  be 
more  undesirable  in  a  wet,  cold  climate 
than  under  the  climatic  conditions  usual  in 
Denver. 

Acknowledgment  is  made  to  C.  H.  Draney, 
Superintendent  of  the  Paving  Division  of 
the  City  and  County  of  Denver,  for  his 
courtesy  and  assistance  in  supplying  in- 
formation and  data  relative  to  this  work. 


23 


The  Public  Works  of  Modern  Greece 


By  Walter  E.  Spear 

Board  of  Water-Supply,  New  York  City 


WITH  a  staff  of  American  and  Greek 
engineers,  the  writer  made,  last 
year,  an  investigation  for  a  com- 
plete system  of  water-supply  and  sewerage 
for  the  cities  of  Athens  and  Piraeus.  Com- 
pared with  the  eastern  part  of  the  United 
States,  Greece  is  a  very  dry  land.  The 
entire  annual  rainfall  is  small;  that  during 


railroad  system,  but  really  possesses  no 
modern  public  works  comparable  with  those 
of  the  progressive  countries  of  modern 
Europe.  During  the  last  eight  years,  mod- 
ern Greece  has  spent  large  sums  of  money 
on  its  army  when  it  could  have  better  been 
spent  on  water,  sewerage  and  drainage 
works,  more  and  better  highways,  additional 


STORAGE  BESEBVOIB  AT  ATHENS  AT  END  OF  THE  HASBIAN  AQUEDXTCT 


the  summer  is  almost  negligible,  and  all 
available  water  not  required  for  the  needs 
of  men  and  animals  is  used  for  irrigation. 
The  problem  of  developing  an  adequate 
supply  of  water  for  a  population  of  370,000 
people  now  living  in  these  communities, 
without  prejudice  to  other  interests,  was  not, 
therefore,  a  simple  one,  and  all  possible 
sources  of  supply  within  100  miles  of 
Athens  were  considered.  These  investiga- 
tions took  the  writer  over  a  large  part  of 
southern  Greece  and  gave  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  something  of  the  existing  pub- 
lic works  and  to  learn  from  some  acquain- 
tance with  public  men  the  needs  of  modern 
Greece. 

Need  for  Modern  Public  Works 

Modern  Greece  has  a  few  handsome  pub- 
lic buildings,  some  well-paved  city  streets, 
an  insufficient  mileage  of  indifferent  high- 
ways, a  few  trolley  roads  and  an  inadequate 


railways    and    improvements    of    existing 
lines,  and  extensive  port  developments. 

Water- Works 

With  an  annual  rainfall  over  large  areas 
of  southern  Greece  of  less  than  20  inches, 
most  of  wlfich  falls  in  the  months  of  Octo- 
ber to  May,  inclusive,  and  with  a  high  per- 
centage of  run-off  from  rocky  mountain 
slopes  and  semi-impervious  soils,  the  amount 
of  water  available  during  the  long,  almost, 
rainless  summers  is  consequently  small. 
Surface  reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  the 
winter  rains  have  seldom  been  constructed, 
and  the  conditions  are  not  generally  favor- 
able for  such  construction. 

Outside  of  the  larger  cities,  water  is  sel- 
dom piped  to  private  dwellings ;  every  house- 
holder carries  his  supply  from  the  constantly 
flowing  fountains,  which  are  so  conspicuous 
a  feature  of  the  Greek  villages.  The  water 
from  these  fountains  appears  to  be  of  a 


24 


fttE    AMfiRICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


ANOTHEE  STORAGE  RESERVOIR  AT  ATHENS   ON  THE  HADRIAN  AQUEDUCT 


satisfactory  quality,  except  for  the  universal 
hardness.  It  is  generally  cool,  though  an 
agreeable  temperature  cannot  be  long  main- 
tained without  ice  during  the  heat  of  the 
summer,  even  by  the  use  of  porous  jars 
The  amount  of  water  actually  used  in  these 
villages  is  naturally  small,  but  none  is  lost, 
since  the  overflows  of  the  fountains  irrigate 
the  village  gardens  and  perhaps  the  fields 
outside.  When  the  larger  villages  in  Greece, 
which  are  now  favored  with  sufficient  water 
for  their  public-  fountains,  install  modern 
plumbing  and  begin  to  use  as  much  water  as 
other  Mediterranean  communities  in  France, 
Italy,  or  even  in  Egypt,  it  is  going  to  be 
difficult  to  find  water  for  their  needs.  Some 
villages,  to  which  most  of  the  water  used 


is  hauled  several  miles  in  barrels,  may  never 
be  able  to  procure  enough  water  to  greatly 
raise  their  present  standard  of  cleanliness. 
In  some  localities  surface  water  might  be 
developed,  but  the  prejudice  against  its 
use  for  domestic  consumption  is  very  strong 
and  cannot  be  readily  overcome. 

The  largest  problem  in  water-supply  in 
Greece,  and  one  that  has  beer»  considered 
for  some  years  by  the  Greek  government,  is 
that  of  providing  an  adequate  supply  of 
water  for  the  cities  of  Athens  and  Piraeus. 
These  cities  sometimes  have  during  a  dry 
summer  but  little  more  than  ten  gallons  per 
capita,  quite  insufficient  for  their  needs. 
Most  of  the  Athens  supply  is  furnished  by 
the   aqueduct  and  galleries,  some   i6  miles 


■ 

1^^^ 

^^^^^^^^^^tSKw^^-^mttOa^^^^ 

1 

AN    OUTFALL    SEWER    NEAR    DANIELS'    CHURCH,    ATHENS 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


25 


A   NARROW    STREET   IN    THE    OLDER    QUARTER   OF   ATHENS 


in  length,  that  were  built  in  the  second  cen- 
tury of  this  era,  during  the  reign  of  the 
Emperors  Hadrian  and  Antoninus  Pius.  The 
covered  reservoirs  at  the  end  of  the  Hadrian 
aqueduct  are  seen  in  the  illustrations.  The 
Hadrian  aqueduct  was  built  as  a  tunnel 
through  the  limestones  and  conglomerates 
of  the  hillsides  and  valleys  back  of  the  city 
and  is  in  some  places  120  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  supply  from  this  aqueduct  is 
extremely  hard,  but  otherwise  satisfactory. 
Some  additional  water  for  Athens  is  pro- 
vided by  large  open  wells  in  the  vicinity, 
and  all  of  the  inadequate  supply  delivered  to 
Piraeus  comes  from  similar  sources  near  that 
city,  which  provide  a  water  much  inferior 
in  quality  to  the  supply  of  Athens. 


Most  of  the  new  sources  of  supply  pro- 
posed for  Athens  during  the  past  thirty 
years  or  more  have  been  distant  springs,  the 
immediate  development  of  which  would  rep- 
resent a  heavy  burden  upon  the  financial  re- 
sources of  the  cities  to  be  served.  English, 
French  and  Austrian  engineers  have  from 
time  to  time  reported  on  the  project  of 
bringing  to  Athens  and  Piraeus  a  supply  of 
20  million  gallons  or  more  of  water  from 
the  springs  near  Lake  Stymphalia,  in  the 
Peloponnesus,  some  70  miles  away  in  a 
straight  line.  The  springs  are  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  2,000  feet  and  may  be  brought 
to  Athens  by  gravity,  but  at  the  Isthmus  of 
Corinth  the  necessary  siphon  at  approxi- 
mately sea  level   would  be  subjected  to  a 


A  WINDING  ROAD  OVER,  MT.  CITHiERON 


iOS594 


26 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


very  heavy  pressure  to  deliver  the  water  ir» 
Athens  at  the  level  required.  Other 
sources  that  have  been  suggested  are  large 
springs  in  Bceotia,  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
Melas  River  in  the  basin  of  Lake  Copais. 
These  springs  have  an  elevation  of  only  300 
to  400  feet  above  sea  level  and,  though  some- 
what nearer  Athens  than  those  at  Lake 
Stymphalia,  would  require  pumping  against 
a  high  head  to  get  them  over  the  Cithseron 
or  Parnes  Mountains,  lying  between  Boeotia 
and  the  plains  of  Attica,  in  which  Athens 
is  located.  The  writer  reported  on  still  an- 
other source  of  supply  somewhat  farther 
away  than  either  of  the  above,  on  the  slopes 
of  Mt.  Parnassus,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
1,000  feet.  These  sources,  which  would 
supply  fully  as  much  water  as  those  at  Lake 
Stymphalia,  may  be  brought  to  Athens  in  a 
gravity  aqueduct  that  could  be  located  over 
much  more  favorable  ground  than  that 
from  Lake  Stymphalia,  and  a  first  develop- 
ment of  surface  water  could  be  made  along 
this  aqueduct  not  far  from  Athens,  at  a 
favorable  site  for  a  large  storage  reservoir, 
which  would  serve  to  equalize  the  flow  of 
the  springs  of  the  Parnassus  sources.  This 
development  of  surface  water  would  repre- 
sent a  first  step  in  the  construction  of  the 
entire  project. 

Sewerage 

Modern  sewerage  works  can  hardly  be 
said  to  exist  in  Greece  outside  of  Athens 
and  in  some  of  the  other  large  cities,  and 
there  is  little  likelihood  of  any  immediate 
construction  of  sewerage  works  except  in 
Athens  and  Piraeus.  The  general  demand 
for  modern  sanitation  does  not  appear  to  be 
sufficiently  great  to  keep  the  cities  and  vil- 
lages clean  with  their  present  facilities  or 
to  overcome  in  many  localities  the  difficulty 
of  finding  sufficient  water  for  modern  sew- 
erage works,  or  of  securing  enough  money 
to  build  them. 

Some  traces  of  the  sewers  of  ancient 
Athens  have  been  found,  but  these  sewers, 
dating  back  to  the  fifth  century  B.  C,  were 
probably  built  for  storm-water  drains  and 
were  not  intended  for  the  carriage  of  house 
sewage.  Portions  of  modern  Athens  have 
storm-water  drains  which  carry  house  sew- 
age, though  they  were  not  intended  for  that 
use  and  are  ill-designed  for  the  purpose, 
having  large  and  irregular  sections  and  flat 
inverts.  They  are  all  built  of  rough  rubble, 
plastered  on  the  inside.    A  view  of  the  out- 


fall sewer  of  Athens,  which  carries  the  sew- 
age to  the  channel  of  the  Cephisus  and  to 
the  irrigating  ditches  below  it,  is  shown  on 
page  24.  Large  areas  in  Athens  are  served  by 
cesspools,  and  more  primitive  methods  of 
disposal  in  open  privies  or  pits  are  common 
in  the  poorer  quarters.  The  need  of  Athens 
for  a  modern  system  of  sewers  is  great,  and 
proposals  have  been  repeatedly  made  to 
provide  such  works.  A  few  years  ago  a 
German  engineer  prepared  plans  for  a  com- 
bined system  of  sewers  for  Athens  and 
Piraeus.  The  writer,  however,  after  con- 
sideration of  the  problem,  adopted  a  sepa- 
rate system  and  prepared  plans  and  esti- 
mates on  that  basis.  This  solution  of  the 
problem  promised  a  more  satisfactory 
method  of  disposing  of  the  house  sewage  in 
a  city  surrounded  by  steep,  rocky  hillsides, 
from  which  the  heavy  winter  rains  would 
wash  into  a  combined  system  of  sewers  so 
much  detritus  as  to  obstruct  the  summer 
flow  of  house  sewage  and  create  a  nuisance. 
The  adoption  of  the  separate  system 
would  permit  the  use  of  the  existing  sewers 
as  a  part  of  the  storm-water  drainage  sys- 
tem, and  would  allow  of  safely  discharging 
all  storm  water  in  Athens  through  compara- 
tively short  connections  into  the  adjacent 
channels  of  the  IHssus  and  the  Cephisus,  and 
that  in  Piraeus  directly  into  the  harbor.  The 
difficulties  of  tearing  up  the  narrow,  tortu- 
ous streets  of  Athens  and  Piraeus  and  of 
laying  sewers  and  storm-water  drains  as 
well  as  water-mains  there,  may  only  be  ap- 
preciated by  those  who  have  faced  some 
such  task  elsewhere,  and  know  besides  some- 
thing of  local  conditions  in  these  Greek 
cities.  The  work  would  necessarily  involve 
careful  planning  and  thorough  organiza- 
tion, not  to  speak  of  a  large  expenditure  of 
money. 

Roads 

Between  the  small  city  states  of  classic 
Greece,  communications  were  poor  and 
there  was  no  system  of  cart  roads  over  the 
entire  country.  Back  in  the  mountains  the 
writer  has  seen  some  excellent  examples  of 
ancient  highway  construction,  of  well-cut, 
irregular,  polygonal  blocks  which  happen 
to  have  been  preserved  through  accident  of 
drainage.  Most  of  these  old  roads  have 
been  eroded  and  washed  away  because 
sufficient  drainage  was  not  originally  pro- 
vided, a  fault  in  road  construction  that  is 
still  observable  in  modern  Greece,  and,  in- 


Januarv,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


27 


deed,  not  unknown  in  our  own  country. 
Most  of  the  existing  highways  are  of  com- 
paratively modern  construction,  and  it  is 
not  clear  just  why  many  of  the  mountain 
roads  without  gutters  and  adequate  culverts 
do  not  entirely  wash  away  during  the  win- 
ter. Certain  it  is  that  it  is  no  pleasure  to 
travel  over  them  and,  in  the  general  absence 
of  guard-rails  on  bridges  and  steep  moun- 
tain sides,  it  is  not  very  safe  to  do  so.  The 
much  despised  Turk  appears  to  have  done 
not  a  little  road-building  in  his  time  and  has 


Greece  seen  more  clearly  than  in  the  neglect 
of  the  roads.  Some  important  highways  of 
macadam  construction  are  now  quite  im- 
passable, even  with  a  Ford.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Athens  there  has  been  recently  a  large 
increase  in  the  use  of  heavy  motor  busses  to 
the  surrounding  towns,  and  that,  with  the 
automobiles  and  motor  trucks,  all  driven  at 
a  pace  that  alarms  the  visitor,  is  destroying 
the  roads  more  rapidly  than  they  can  be  re- 
paired. A  road  built  of  soft  limestone  rock, 
with  a  filler  of  sand  and  dust  of  the  same 


AN   OLD    TUBKISH    BRIDGi:    NEAR   MT.    PARNASSUS 


left  some  very  creditable  bridges,  a  form  of 
construction  in  which  the  Greek  of  to-day, 
as  in  the  past,  does  not  appear  to  excel. 

The  large  cities  of  Greece  have  some  ad- 
mirably paved  streets,  generally  asphalt,  but 
even  in  the  cities  and  everywhere  outside, 
with  the  exception  of  one  short  piece  of  road 
near  Athens,  the  highways  are  surfaced 
with  water-bound  macadam,  some  of  which 
is  constantly  being  repaired  and  as  quickly 
destroyed.  Sometimes  the  destruction  is  the 
result  of  the  torrential  winter  rains,  but  not 
infrequently  it  is  done  by  heavy  motor  traf- 
fic, busses  and  trucks.  I  suppose  that  no- 
where is  the  strain  of  eight  years  of  war  in 


material,  cannot  be  expected  to  stand  up 
long  in  the  dry  summer  when  it  sometimes 
does  not  rain  for  weeks  at  a  time. 

Some  new  road  construction  was  being 
carried  on  by  the  government  last  fall 
through  a  contract  with  an  English  firm, 
one  road  near  Athens,  another  back  in  the 
mountains.  Both  were  being  surfaced  with 
water-bound  macadam.  No  doubt,  if  the 
hopes  of  the  Greeks  are  realized  and  oil  is 
discovered  in  Greece,  some  improvement  in 
the  character  of  construction  may  be  looked 
for. 

Acknowledgment. — From  an  address  by  the  author 
printed  in  the  Journal  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  June,  1921. 


The  Prevention  of  Disease 

There  is  a  vast  amount  of  confusion  in  the  public  mind  as  to  ordinary  cleanliness  in 
public  health.  Many  cities  are  esthetically  planting  nasturtiums  where  the  ash-pile  stood 
and  are  permitting  typhoid  fever  and  diphtheria  carriers  to  roam  at  large. 

While  health  itself  cannot  be  bought,  money  and  efficient  organization  can  buy  pre- 
vention from  disease  and  infection,  which  in  the  end  is  the  same  as  purchasing  health. 

Public  Health,  State  Department  of  Health,  Lansing,  Mich. 


28 


From  Natural  Gas  to  Electric  Street 

Lighting 

Borough  hi  Kane,  Pa.,  Makes   Contract   with  Local  Company  for  Electric 

Street  Lighting  Service 

By  O.  S.  Scott 

Chairman,  Lighting  Committee,  Borough  of  Kane,  Pa. 


IT  has  been  the  custom 
in  many  Pennsylvan'a 
cities  located  in  the 
natural  gas  belt  to  use  for 
street  lighting  this  almost 
free  source  of  illuminating 
material.  In  the  old  days 
in  Pittsburgh  open  -  end 
tubes  were  left  flaming 
day  and  night,  as  it  was 
cheaper  to  let  them  burn 
than  to  hire  the  necessary 
labor  to  shut  off  the  gas 
at  daybreak  and  to  light 
them  at  night.  In  many 
cities  to-day  it  is  the 
custom  to  leave  the  Wels- 
bach  mantles  burning  all 
the  time  and  have  a  man 
go  around  and  turn  the 
gas  on  full  at  night  and 
turn  it  down  in  the  morn- 
ing. Lighting  with  natural 
gas  is  now  becoming  a  con- 
siderable item  of  expense 
owing  to  the  scarcity  of 
gas  and  its  gradual  in- 
crease in  price.  It  is  only 
a  question  of  time  when 
street  lighting  by  natural 
gas,  in  Pennsylvania  par- 
ticularly, will  be  a  thing 
of  the  past. 

In  order  to  provide  itself  with  adequate 
and  modern  street  lighting,  the  borough  of 
Kane  has  drawn  up  an  ord' nance  and  made 
a  contract  with  the  electric  service  corpora- 
tion. The  contract  and  ordinance  call  for 
the  service  for  a  period  of  ten  years  at  a 
rate  of  $28  per  year  for  each  loo-candle- 
power  light,  $43  per  year  for  each  250- 
candle-power  light,  and  $55  per  year  for 
each  400-candle-power  light.  The  company 
under  this  agreement  has  furnished  and  in- 
stalled and  will  maintain  all  lights,  stand- 


j 

r 

**• 

> 

\3 

J 

TYPES  OF  PENDANT  ELECTRIC  STREET  LIGHTING 
FIXTURES    IN     KANE,    PA. 


ards,  poles  and  wire,  as  well  as  furnishing 
the  electricity. 

The  illustrations  herewith  show  the  two 
types  of  fixtures  in  use.  The  150-  and  200- 
candle-power  lights  are  of  the  bracket  type 
with  band  refractors,  and  the  400-  and  600- 
candle-power  incandescent  lights  are  of  the 
Novalux  pendent  type  with  band  refractor 
and  reflectoV. 

In  this  manner  another  Pennsylvania 
borough  has  stepped  forward  into  the  ever- 
increasing  group  of  well-lighted  cities. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


i^ 


How  Polk  County  Pulled  Out  of  the 

Sand 

An  Interesting  Method  for  Building  Sand-Clay  Roads,  and  a  Lesson  in  Road 

Widths 

By  H.  S.  Jaudon 


PRIOR  to  191 5,  Polk  County,  Fla.,  was 
almost  isolated  because  of  the  poor 
condition  of  its  sand  roads.  In  that 
year  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
decided  to  make  some  experiments  to  see  if 
a  type  of  road  could  be  built  at  a  reasonable 
cost  to  connect  the  county  with  contiguous 
territory.  The  only  logical  way  by  which 
they  could  provide  the  funds  was  by  a  bond 


extensively  used  in  Florida  at  that  time, 
would  cost  about  $3,500,000,  so  that  some 
other  type  of  road  had  to  be  developed. 

In  the  city  of  Bartow,  Fla.,  m  1912,  an 
asphaltic  concrete  pavement  was  laid  on 
what  is  known  locally  as  a  Bartow  clay  base. 
This  is  a  clay  found  in  the  vicinity  that  has 
the  property  of  setting  up  when  water  is 
applied  and  making  a  reasonably  hard  sur- 


'BEFORE    AND    AFTER"    SCENES    ON   POLK    COUNTY   ROADS,    FLORIDA 


issue,  and  the  only  way  they  felt  that  it 
would  be  possible  to  carry  a  bond  issue 
would  be  to  build  a  system  of  roads  to  con- 
nect every  town  in  the  county  with  every 
other  town.  They  were  therefore  con- 
fronted with  the  problem  of  building  almost 
217  miles  of  road  in  order  to  get  a  proposi- 
tion before  the  people  which  would  appeal 
to  them  and  bring  out  the  favorable  vote. 
The  largest  bond  issue  which  it  was  felt 
could  be  placed  before  the  people  was  be- 
tween one  million  and  one  and  one-half 
million  dollars.     Brick  roads,  which  were 


face.  This  type  of  construction  had  given 
good  service,  and  no  money  had  been  spent 
on  it  for  maintenance. 

The  Commissioners  employed  the  H.  S. 
Jaudon  Engineering  Company  of  Elberton, 
Ga.,  which  had  laid  the  Bartow  pavement, 
to  lay  five  demonstration  stretches  of  this 
pavement  in  dififerent  parts  of  the  county. 
These  demonstration  stretches  were  laid  in 
191 5  and  are  still  in  use.  From  the  results 
obtained  in  Bartow  and  by  observing  the 
demonstration  sections,  the  County  Commis- 
sioners felt  that  this  type  of  road  would  be 


30 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


satisfactory  and  submitted  a  bond  issue  for 
one  and  one-half  million  dollars  to  the 
voters  in  1916.  This  was  the  largest 
amount  that  had  ever  been  asked  in  a  bond 
issue  in  the  South  for  road  building,  but  it 
was  carried  by  a  large  majority.  The  con- 
struction work  was  divided  into  five  con- 
tracts for  the  road  work  and  one  for  the 
bridges.  Work  began  in  the  fall  of  19 16, 
and  the  entire  system  was  finished  in  the 
fall  of  1918. 

Type  of  Construction 

The  roads  were  laid  as  sheet  asphalt 
pavements  with  clay  base,  the  clay  being  the 
most  available  found  alongside  or  near  the 
roads  that  were  being  constructed.  In  the 
middle  and  southwestern  part  of  the  county, 
Bartow  clay  or  a  low-grade  soft  phosphate 
rock  was  used  and  an  excellent  base  ob- 
tained. In  the  northern  and  eastern  parts 
of  the  county  a  sand-clay  mixture  was  used, 
as  the  extra  freight  for  shipping  Bartow 
clay  to  these  points  would  have  added  some 
$200,000  to  the  bond  issue.  The  widths  of 
the  roads  were  fixed  by  the  Coimty  Commis- 
sioners and  governed  by  conditions  of  traf- 
fic and  the  money  available.  The  system 
covered  217  miles,  and  of  this  about  1 00 
miles  was  15  feet  wide  and  the  remainder 
9  feet  wide.  Already  there  is  an  effort  be- 
ing made  to  secure  funds  to  widen  the  9-foot 
roads.  The  cost  of  maintenance  on  the  15- 
foot  road  has  been  very  small,  while  the 
maintenance  on  the  9-foot  road  has  been  a 
little  higher.  In  fact,  90  per  cent  of  the 
money  that  has  been  spent  in  maintenance 
has  been  spent  on  the  9-foot-wide  roads. 


The  system  has  demonstrated  that  while  a 
9-foot  road  is  better  than  sand  to  travel  on, 
from  the  commercial  and  investment  stand- 
point it  is  a  mistake  to  build  a  road  of  this 
width.  The  system  has  also  demonstrated 
that  it  is  possible  to  build  this  type  of  road 
and  obtain  good  results,  but  that  proper 
drainage  is  very  essential  in  the  construc- 
tion. Almost  every  one  of  the  few  cases  in 
which  failure  has  occurred  can  be  traced  to 
the  road-bed's  not  being  high  enough  out  of 
the  water,  or  to  the  drainage  system's  having 
been  allowed  to  get  into  a  condition  so  that 
it  was  not  functioning  properly. 

The  asphalt  surface  was  laid  as  near  a 
true  sheet  asphalt  as  possible  with  the  prod- 
ucts which  could  be  obtained  in  Florida 
The  effort  was  made  as  far  as  possible  to 
buy  nothing  outside  the  state  except  the  as- 
phalt and  the  cement.  Coarse  sand  was  ob- 
tained from  a  pit  developed  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  near  Davenport  and 
from  Lake  Weir,  and  the  fine  sand  from 
near  the  plants.  The  filler  was  obtained  by 
grinding  Florida  limestone,  which  is  prac- 
tically an  entirely  new  industry. 

The  cost  of  these  roads  to  the  county 
complete  was  about  $1.30  per  square  yard. 
This  means  the  completed  roads,  including 
the  asphalt  top,  the  base,  the  grading  and 
the  engineering  supervision.  The  completed 
15-foot  roads  cost  between  $9,500  and 
$10,000  per  mile.  The  immediate  result  of 
the  improved  road  system  was  that  property 
values  throughout  the  county  very  nearly 
trebled,  and  because  of  the  increase  in  the 
value  of  property  the  tax  rate  has  been  in- 
creased only  about  two  mills. 


One  in  Ten  Physicians  Will  Write  It  '^January,  1921*' 


At  least  ten  per  cent  of  the  physicians  in 
the  various  states  during  January,  1922, 
will  continue  to  date  birth  certificates,  Janu- 
ary, 1921,  unless  they  make  special  resolu- 
tions not  to,  according  to  vital  statisticians 
of  the  various  state  health  departments, 
basing  their  estimates  on  mistakes  made  in 
other  years.  Such  incorrect  dating  of  birth 
certificates,  they  point  out,  is  an  infraction 
of  the  law.  It  adds  a  year  to  the  age  of  the 
child,  it  may  make  the  child  appear  to  be 
born  out  of  wedlock,  or  it  may  permit 
parents  to  force  the  child  to  leave  school 
a  year  too  early,  to  get  working  papers  il- 
legally, and  may  make  boys  liable  to  military 
service  before   their   time.     An   incorrect 


birth  certificate  may  prove  a  source  of  en- 
tangling inconvenience  to  the  child  through- 
out life. 

Whenever  a  certificate  is  found  that  is 
obviously  dated  incorrectly,  attempts  are 
made  to  correct  it.  This  requires  considera- 
ble clerical  help,  as  affidavits  must  be  se- 
cured, and  is  an  expense  to  the  individual 
and  to  the  taxpayers  of  the  state.  Explaining 
the  psychology  of  the  physicians'  January 
mistake,  one  of  the  workers  defined  memory 
as  "the  mental  revival  of  conscious  experi- 
ence," adding  that  "automatic  action  such 
as  writing  and  speaking  may  at  first  be  con- 
scious and  ultimately  become  subconscious 
yet   form  the  basis  of   special  memories." 


31 


fbrtuard  ^tops 

in 


(Jiiy  planning 
(Jomntissions 


The  Moral  Force  of  a  City  Plan 

Decatur,  III. — Not  a  few  communities 
have  city  plans  that  are  dead.  Carefully- 
prepared  by  some  recognized  planner,  paid 
for  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  adopted 
by  civic  gatherings  with  enthusiasm,  they 
have  been-  forgotten,  and  lie  neglected  and 
dust-covered,  while  the  city  continues  to  de- 
velop without  order  or  design. 

The  real  problem  with  a  voluntary  city 
planning  board  that  is  not  clothed  with 
legal  powers  to  enforce  the  plan,  is  to  make 
the  plan  a  living,  breathing  thing  which  will 
really  accomplish  results. 

The  Planning  Commission  of  Decatur, 
111.,  which  is  a  large  committee  of  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  believes  that  if  a  plan 
is  kept  before  the  people  through  newspaper 
publicity,  talks  to  clubs  and  schools,  and 
conferences  with  the  city  council,  it  should 


have  a  marked  effect  upon  community  de- 
velopment even  if  there  exist  no  means  of 
enforcing  it. 

Public  sentiment  can  accomplish  remark- 
able results.  A  community  that  is  "sold" 
on  its  plan  is  not  inclined  to  be  tolerant  with 
those  who  disregard  it.  The  fact  is  that  a 
plan  which  is  kept  alive  is  a  moral  force  in 
the  direction  of  orderly  development. 

Decatur  is  now  completing  an  impound- 
ing basin  13  miles  in  length,  which  will  give 
it  an  ample  water-supply  and  provide  recrea- 
tional facilities  at  the  city's  door,  A  rec- 
ommendation in  the  Plan  was  that  a  new 
bridge  crossing  the  lake  should  be  placed 
at  a  high  elevation  near  a  railroad  trestle 
instead  of  being  placed  where  an  old  low- 
level  bridge  had  been  serving.  Opposition 
to  the  high  structure  had  been  expected  from 
some  interested  property  owners,  but  at  the 
hearing  on  the  site  of  the  bridge,  attended 
by  business  men,  small  neighborhood  store- 
keepers, and  workmen  in  the  factories,  the 
expressed  opinion  was  unanimous  that  the 
Plan  recommendations  should  be  carried 
out.     It  was  a  great  victory  for  foresight 


PROPOSED    HIGHWAY    OVEE    IMPOUND- 
ING RESERVOIR 

A  result  of  the  moral  force  of  city  planning. 
The  high-swung  cantilever  bridge  -was  recom- 
mended by  the  Decatur  City  Plan  in  place 
of  the  low  bridge  first  considered.  A  body 
of  Decatur  citizens  voted  unanimously  to 
advise  the  township  authorities  to  carry  out 
the  City  Plan  recommendation 


32 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


and  vision,  and  it  will  give  the  city  a  beauti- 
ful and  dignified  gateway  instead  of  a  mere 
river  crossing. 

The  Plat  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  came  before  the  Commission 
and  voluntarily  announced  that  it  would  not 
recommend  for  record  any  plat  that  did  not 
correspond  with  the  Plan. 

Frequent  inquiries  are  made  of  the  Com- 
mission as  to  what  the  Plan  provides  as  to 
the  location  of  industries.  The  real  estate 
dealers  have  been  invited  into  the  Commis- 
sion's conferences,  and  are  now  particularly 
interested  in  zoning,  a  scheme  never  thought 
of  until  the  Plan  was  inaugurated. 

The  Plan  Commission  has  gone  on  record 
as  favoring  the  appointment  by  the  Mayor 
of  a  legal  body  to  take  over  its  functions 
under  the  law  recently  enacted  providing 
for  city  plan  boards,  but  it  has  been  ad- 
vised by  Myron  H.  West,  city  planner,  that 
the  Commission  as  a  voluntary  committee 
should  continue  its  work  of  education  and 
advice  in  order  that  the  Plan  may  be  con- 
stantly before  the  community,  as  a  moral 
force. 

W.  F.  HARDY, 
Chairman,  City  Planning  Commission. 

An  account  of  the  Decatur  Plan  appeared  in  the 
October,  1920,  issue  of  The  American  City,  page  383. 


Cjty  Managers 


How  a  Texas  City  is  Relieviog 
Unemployment 

PIousTON,  Texas. — This  city  is  striving 
to  meet  its  unemployment  problem  in  a  prac- 
tical way.  Every  unemployed  man  who 
proves  himself  not  to  be  a  professional 
floater  is  hired  by  the  city  as  a  park  em- 
ployee. 

While  it  is  realized  that  the  wage  of  $1.25 
a  day  is  extremely  small,  it  is  enough  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together  until  some- 
thing better  is  available.  The  city  has  sug- 
gested to  large  employers  of  labor  that  they 
give  the  men  at  work  in  the  parks  the  pref- 
erence when  in  need  of  additional  help,  and 
those  doing  the  best  work  for  the  city  at  the 
nominal  wage  are  given  the  first  opportunity 
to  take  advantage  of  the  better-paying  jobs 
when  offered.  Several  of"  the  larger  oil 
companies  have  thus  had  the  opportunity  to 


secure  the  services  of  men  who  have  been 
tested  as  willing  workers. 

Since  the  city  inaugurated  this  employ- 
ment scheme,  an  average  of  250  men  have 
reported  each  day  at  Herman  Park,  where 
most  of  the  work  is  being  done.  For  10 
cents  the  men  are  given  a  large  mug  of 
coffee  and  two  generous  sandwiches.  The 
wage  is  paid  each  day  so  that  the  men  will 
have  cash  to  take  care  of  dire  necessities. 

C.   E.   BELK, 

Manager. 


ffeaHh 

Dopariments 


An  Effective  Step  to  Keep 
Down  Epidemics 

Kenilworth,  III. — The  following  notice 
has  beent  sent  to  all  householders.  It  is 
designed  to  force  physicians  to  report  all 
diseases  instead  of  neglecting  to  do  so  at 
the  request  of  the  patient  or  his  family : 

"In  order  to  centralize  records,  the  Village 
Board  has  recently  appointed  the  Village  Man- 
ager as  Health  Officer  and  Captain  Murray  as 
Deputy  Health  Officer  for  Kenilworth.  These 
men  serve  in  this  capacity  without  additional 
compensation. 

"In  addition  to  the  notification  required  of  the 
attending  physician,  you  are  required  to  notify 
the  Health  Officer  or,  in  his  absence,  the  Deputy 
Health  Officer,  of  any  case  of  a  reportable 
disease  of  which  you  have  knowledge  either  in- 
side or  outside  of  your  family,  as  required  by 
the  Illinois  Department  of  Public  Health. 

"In  order  to  preserve  and  improve  the  public 
health,  it  is  required  that  every  case  or  sus- 
pected case  of  any  of  these  diseases  must  be  re- 
ported to  the  local  health  authority  within 
twelve  hours,  by  the  attendant,  householder,  or 
any  other  person  having  knowledge  of  such 
known  or  suspected  case.  A  report  made  by 
telephone  must  be  followed  within  twelve  hours 
by  a  written  report. 

"Local  health  authorities  must  transmit  copies 
of  all  such  reports  to  the  State  Department  of 
Public  Health,  Springfield,  within  twelve  hours 
after  receipt  of  same. 

"Health  officers  who  fail,  neglect  or  refuse 
to  enforce  the  rules  for  the  control  of  com- 
municable diseases,  and  all  persons  who  violate 
these  rules,  subject  themselves  to  a  fine  of  up  to 
$200  for  each  offense,  or  imprisonment  in  the 
county  jail  not  to  exceed  six  months,  or  both. 

(Signed)  DIRECTOR,  ILLINOIS  DEPART- 
MENT OF  PUBLIC  HEALTH." 

A  complete  list  of  reportable  diseases  ac- 
companies this  notice. 

F.  L.  STREED, 
Village  Manager. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


33 


pire 

Departments 


Fire  Alarm  Boxes  in  Schools, 
Hospitals,  etc..  Made  Mandatory 

Columbia,  S.  C. — Following  the  passage 
of  an  ordinance  in  Columbia  requiring  all 
public  schools,  hotels,  hospitals,  moving- 
picture  houses  and  theaters  to  install  fire 
alarm  boxes,  such  boxes  were  installed  at 
once.  The  ordinance  was  prepared  by  the 
writer  and  F.  D.  Marshall,  Council  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Electrical  Department. 

For  the  installation  an  oval  shell  type  of 
Gamewell  fire  alarm  box  was  used,  and  all 
wires  were  run  in  rigid  conduits.  The  city 
feels  that  a  distinct  step  in  public  safety 
has  been  taken  through  the  passage  of  the 
ordinance  and  the  immediate  installation  of 
the  boxes. 

The  ordinance  reads  as  follows: 

An  Ordinance  to  Amend  an  Ordinance  Entitled  "An 
Ordinance  Requiring  All  Public  Schools,  Hotels, 
Hospitals,  Moving-Picture  Houses  and  Theaters 
to   Install  Fire  Alarm  Boxes" 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  the 
city  of  Columbia  in  council  assembled: 

That  an  ordinance  requiring  all  public  schools, 
hotels,  hospitals,  moving-picture  houses  and  theaters 
to  install  fire  alarm  boxes  be  amended,  and  the  same  is 
hereby  amended  by  adding  the  following  proviso: 

"That  m  case  any  person,  firm  or  corporation  shall 
hereafter  operate  or  conduct  any  said  public  school, 
hotel,  hospital,  moving-picture  house  or  theater  with- 
out installing  said  fire  alarm  boxes,  as  herein  stated, 
within  thirty  days  after  notice  in  writing  to  do  so 
having  been  given  by  the  representative  of  the  city, 
he,  she,  or  it  shall  be  fined,  upon  conviction  before 
the  Recorder,  a  sum  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, or  imprisoned  for  a  period  not  exceeding  thirty 
days,  and  each  and  every  day  after  the  expiration  of 
the  said  thirty  days  that  the  terms  of  this  ordinance  are 
not  complied  with  shall  be  deemed  and  considered  a 
separate  offence."  That  the  said  ordinance  when  so 
amended   shall   read  as  follows: 

That  all  public  schools,  hotels,  hospitals,  moving- 
picture  houses  and  theaters  are  hereby  required  to  in- 
stall at  their  own  expense  standard  Gamewell  fire 
alarm  boxes  at  such  place,  or  places,  as  shall  be  desig- 
nated by  City  Council,  or  their  representative,  the  city 
to  maintain  same  after  installation.  That  boarding- 
houses  with  more  than  twenty-five  rooms  will  be  classed 
as  hotels. 

That  in  case  any  person,  firm  or  corporation  shall 
hereafter  operate  or  conduct  any  said  public  school, 
hotel,  hospital,  moving-picture  house  or  theater  without 
installing  said  fire  alarm  boxes,  as  herein  stated,  witliin 
thirty  days  after  notice^  in  writing  to  do  soi  having 
been  given  by  the  representative  of  the  city,  he,  she, 
oc  it  shall  be  fined,  upon  conviction  before  the 
Recorder,  a  sum  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars,  or 
imprisoned  for  a  period  not  exceeding  thirty  days,  and 
each  and  every  day  after  the  expiration  of  the  said 
thirty  days  that  the  terms  of  this  ordinance  are  not 
complied  with  shall  be  deemed  and  considered  a.  sepa- 
rate offence. 

W.  H.  HARTH, 
Citjr  Electrician. 


'HOIHE-MADB"   TRAFnC  STANDARD  THAT 
WILL    GIVE   LONG    SERVICE 


ffighway 

Departments 


A  Simple  and  Effective  Traffic 
Standard 

La  Grande,  Ore. — The  picture  above 
shows  a  traffic  standard  of  simple  construc- 
tion which  is  giving  complete  satisfaction 
in  this  city. 

The  base  is  of  reinforced  concrete,  2  feet 
in  diameter  and  i  foot  in  height,  of  which 
5  inches  are  vertical,  and  the  remainder 
rounded.  The  disks  are  9  inches  in  diam- 
eter, cut  in  two,  and  placed  at  right  angles 
in  a  piece  of  pipe  ij4  inches  in  diameter 
and  30  inches  long.  Six  inches  of  the  pipe 
are  embedded  in  the  concrete  base.  Eleven 
of  these  traffic  standards  have  been  made  at 
a  total  unit  cost  of  about  $9.86. 

Their  durability  has  been  tested  for  sev- 
eral months,  during  which  a  number  of 
machines  have  collided  with  them.  These 
accidents  have  resulted  in  very  little  damage 
to  the  standards,  but  it  has  been  remarked 
that  no  machine  has  yet  hit  a  standard  a 
second  time. 

GEORGE  GARRETT, 

City   Manager. 


34 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


Recreation 
Departments 


A  Bath-House  That  Serves  the 
People 

Omaha,  Nebr. — Located  between  Cass 
and  Chicago  Streets  and  between  15th  and 
1 6th  Streets,  in  Omaha,  lies  Jefiferson 
Square,  containing  1.72  acres.  This  park, 
although  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  system, 
is  patronized  daily  by  thousands  of  people, 
principally  those  living  in  the  most  congested 
section  of  the  city,  and  many  who  have  no 
home  whatever.  It  is  known  as  "No  Man's 
Home." 

In  the  center  of  this  park  stands  the  Jef- 
ferson Square  public  bath-house  and  com- 
fort station  for  men  and  boys.  As  few 
women  patronize  this  park,  and  as  this  is 
the  first  public  bath-house  in  Omaha,  a 
women's  department  was  not  built. 

The  outside  walls  are  built  from  old  cob- 
blestones that  were  torn  up  from  the  streets. 
The  inside  walls  are  cement,  and  there  are 
cement  partitions  and  floors. 

The  caretaker's  office  contains  two  large 
automatic  gas  heaters,  cupboards  for  sup- 
plies, brooms,  etc.  Across  from  this  is  the 
comfort  station,  with  toilets,  wash-bowls, 
etc.  In  the  middle  of  the  building  is  the 
men's  locker  room,  equipped  with  about 
forty  lockers,  and  back  of  this  is  the  men's 
shower-bath  room  containing  ten  shower- 
baths.  This  is  a  large  room,  well  equipped 
and  lighted,  with  the  showers  in  the  middle. 


Steel  partitions  are  used  to  separate  the 
showers,  but  there  are  no  doors.  A  separ- 
ate locker  room  and  shower  room  with  four 
"gang"  showers  is  reserved  for  boys.  Be- 
fore this  building  was  built,  a  survey  of  the 
district  was  made.  It  was  found  that  a 
large  number  of  the  men  living  in  the  dis- 
trict worked  in  the  smelters  and  railroad 
shops  and  that  there  were  very  few  bath- 
tubs in  the  district.  Besides  this,  most  of 
the  "floating  population"  made  this  square 
their  headquarters.  The  bath-house  is 
usually  kept  open  from  June  i  to  October  i, 
and  as  a  rule  is  self-supporting.  This  year, 
owing  to  large  repair  bills  on  our  heaters, 
we  lost  about  $200.  The  bath  itself  is  free. 
A  bath  towel  and  soap  are  sold  for  ten 
cents ;  also  a  key  to  a  locker.  The  key  and 
towel  must  be  returned  to  the  caretaker 
after  the  bath.  Boys  are  charged  but  five 
cents.  Following  is  the  final  report  sub- 
mitted to  the  City  Council,  which  speaks  for 
itself: 

JEFFERSON    SQUARE    BATH-HOUSE 

Number   of   Bathers,    Receipts   and   Disbursements 

For  Year  1921 

Total  number  of  bathers  with  own  towels 3,101 

Total  number  of  towels  issued  at  10c  for  men..  9,572 
Total  number  of  towels  issued  at  5c  for  boys..         578 

Total  number  of  bathers  for  the  season 13,251 

RECEIPTS 

From  towels  issued $986.10 

From  Recreation  Fund 235.43 

$1,221.53 

EXPENDITURES 

For  disinfectant    $35.90 

For  toilet  supplies 32.31 

For  repairs    to    heater 72.60 

For  repairs    to    roof 39.50 

For  laundry    303.01 

For  gas     276.38 

For  soap    75.00 

For  caretaker    386.83 

$1,221.53 

IRA   B.   JONES, 
Director  of  Recreation. 


THE    BUSINESS    SECTION    OF    CEDAR    RAPIDS, 

The  large  bridge   on  the  left  has   recently  heen   opened   for   traffic.     It   is   600    feet   long   and 

to   tbe  city,    which  plan?    to   erect   on   it   a   city   hal^   and   county   court    bou^e,    making   it   a    reft} 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


35 


Public^elfare 
J^epartmenis 


How  Toledo's  Emergency  Relief 
Program  Has  Worked 

Toledo,  Ohio. — With  but  ten  weeks  of 
experience  to  look  back  upon,  it  is  perhaps 
too  early  to  reach  any  very  accurate  con- 
clusions concerning  the  success  of  the  vari- 
ous features  of  Toledo's  program.  There 
are,  however,  several  aspects  of  that  ex- 
perience which  are  significant. 

It  will  be  remembered  from  the  brief 
article  in  the  Becember  American  City, 
that  the  Mayor's  Committee  on  Unemploy- 
ment, as  organized  along  lines  suggested  by 
the  National  Conference,  consisted  of  com- 
mitttees  on  employment  bureaus,  relief, 
public  work,  private  work  and  recreation. 
It  was  hoped  that  these  committees  would 
at  least  provide  a  means  for  coordinating 
the  efiforts  of  the  city's  numerous  agencies. 

Cooperation  of  the  city's  fire-fighters  was 
secured  and  provision  was  made  for  regis- 
tration of  all  unemployed  at  the  various 
engine-houses  of  the  city,  with  a  central 
clearing-house  in  the  office  of  the  Welfare 
Director,  from  which  all  placements  were 
to  be  made.  Information  as  to  the  appli- 
cant's needs  was  secured  and  to  some  ex- 
tent verified  by  the  firemen.  When  men 
were  needed,  cards  were  pulled  from  the 
down-town  office,  the  engine-house  where 
the  men  had  registered  was  notified,  and 
firemen  got  in  touch  with  them.  Men  were 
required  to  register  from  the  engine-houses 
nearest  their  homes. 


Some  3,000  men  have  registered  in  this 
way.  By  far  the  greatest  share  of  those 
registered  have  been  unskilled  laborers,  only 
some  300  having  a  skilled  trade.  It  developed 
that  the  skilled  workers  would  not  register 
through  the  engine-houses,  preferring  to 
apply  at  the  regular  employment  agencies, 
or  trust  to  their  union  officials. 

The  disappointing  fact  was  that  very  few 
opportunities  for  private  work  were  de- 
veloped. The  committee  on  private  work, 
given  the  task  of  finding  such  jobs,  met 
only  a  few  times  and  decided  there  was 
nothing  to  be  done.  A  special  bond  issue 
of  $490,000  passed  by  Council  for  work  on 
parks  and  boulevards,  providing  funds  for 
the  employment  of  about  800  men  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  force.  All  these  men 
were  taken  from  the  list  filed  with  the 
placement  bureau ;  and  since  they  were  hired 
for  shifts  of  two  weeks,  it  has  been  possi- 
ble to  give  some  work  to  all  the  unskilled 
workers  registered. 

The  work  that  has  been  done  by  these 
men  was  specially  chosen  so  as  to  require 
the  least  possible  amount  of  material  and 
supplies,  so  that  most  of  the  money  has  been 
used  for  the  employment  of  labor.  A  new 
roadway  was  built  leading  into  an  East  Side 
park,  and  a  road  already  there  was  raised 
up  from  the  lowland  so  as  to  be  high  and 
dry  throughout  the  year.  A  golf  course 
was  constructed  in  Bayview  Park,  a  per- 
fectly flat  piece  of  land  with  no  trees  upon 
it,  and  the  construction  of  bunkers,  the  lay- 
ing out  of  a  new  roadway,  and  the  planting 
of  trees  have  improved  materially  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  park.  Underbrush  was 
cleared  away  from  considerable  tracts  of 
wooded  land  recently  acquired  for  park 
purposes  and  as  yet  unimproved.     Swampy 


^i'SW 

^ 

ijit'' 

-.  !&".' 

i 

k' 

i. 

hi^      •' 

■ 

n 

IOWA,    SHOWING   ITS    SEVEN   BRIDGES 

90  feet  wide.     Its   center  abutment  will  fonn  tbe  nortb   end   of  tlie  Island. 

municipal  center 


This  island  belongs 


36 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


portions  of  the  same  parks  were  filled  up 
or  drained.  A  new  section  of  the  boulevard 
is  being  constructed. 

Other  public  work  has  been  pushed  by  the 
County  Government  and  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. The  county  is  starting  work  on  a 
big  sewer  project  which  was  not  to  have 
been  begun  until  spring.  New  school  build- 
ings projected  by  the  Board  of  Education 
are  being  hastened. 

Next  to  public  work,  the  phase  of  the 
program  which  has  met  greatest  success  has 
been  that  of  poor  relief.  Through  the  com- 
mittee on  poor  relief  it  was  possible  to  adopt 
certain  uniform  principles  and  to  get  them 
followed  by  the  various  agencies  of  the 
city  which  had  hysterically  begun  innumer- 
able projects  for  relieving  the  needy.  The 
clearing-house  established  by  the  Social 
Service  Federation  is  being  used  to  a 
greater  extent  than  ever  before.  Lodges, 
churches,  neighborhood  organizations  and 
business  men's  clubs  have  been  won  over  to 
the  importance  of  clearing  through  this 
central  office.     Forms  of  relief  which  can- 


not be  furnished  by  the  city  or  the  Social 
Service  Federation  are  being  provided  by 
these  clubs  with  a  minimum  of  duplication. 
All  over  the  city  women  are  meeting  to  re- 
pair old  clothing,  which  is  then  distributed 
to  the  poor.  At  this  holiday  season  all 
Christmas  giving  to  the  poor  is  being  done 
through  a  special  central  clearing-house. 

The  only  remaining  phase  of  the  program 
to  be  discussed  is  that  of  the  recreation 
committee.  This  committee,  headed  by 
Professor  Charles  Bushnell  of  Toledo  Uni- 
versity, has  prepared  elaborate  plans  for 
community  entertainments  this  winter  in 
school  buildings  and  community  centers. 
The  Central  Council  of  Civic  Agencies  has 
taken  up  the  plan  and  will  assist  in  carry- 
ing it  out.  The  idea  is  to  pfcvide  free  recre- 
ation of  all  kinds  for  those  who  will  this 
winter  have  more  leisure  than  ever  before, 
while  less  able  to  buy  entertainment.  The 
plan  promises  much,  but  has  not  begun  to 
work. 

WENDELL  F.   JOHNSON, 
Secretary,  Commission  of  Publicity  and  Efficiency. 


The  Roads  of  Houghton,  Michigan 


GREAT  pride  is  taken  by  Houghton 
County,  Mich.,  in  its  roads.  The 
illustration  below  shows  one  of  the 
county  roads,  known  as  Frog  Pool  Hill. 
This  road  was  built  by  the  penetration 
method  in  1918,  using  Stanolind  Paving 
Asphalt  C.  A  recent  inspection  of  this 
road  showed  that  it  was  in  almost  perfect 


condition,  and  inquiry  brought  out  the  fact 
that  no  repairs  had  been  made  during  the 
three  years  the  road  has  been  undergoing 
almost  continuous  traffic.  This  and  most  of 
the  work  on  the  roads  in  and  about  Hough- 
ton have  been  done  under  the  supervision  of 
the  County  Engineer's  Department,  T.  A. 
Coon,  County  Engineer. 


FROG  HILL  ROAD,  HOTJOHTON,  MICHIGAN 


tfmilips  University  Ubnry 
Enid,  Oklahoma 

Detroit's  Bureau  of  Public  Safety 
Gets  Results 

By  Arch  Mandel 

Detroit  Bureau  of  Governmental  Research,  Inc. 


37 


THE  purpose  of  all  traffic  regulations, 
particularly  in  cities,  is  to  expedite  the 
movement  of  vehicles  through  the 
streets  with  as  few  accidents  as  possible ;  in 
other  words,  it  is  a  safety  measure.  Traffic 
officers  and  mechanical  devices  of  various 
kinds  are  all  desirable  and  necessary,  but 
if  the  toll  of  injuries  and  fatalities  due  to 
street  accidents  remains  constant  or  is  in- 
creased, traffic  regulations  have  not  served 
their  full  purpose. 

In  order  that  the  aim  of  traffic  regulation 
and  control  might  not  be  lost  sight  of,  De- 
troit created,  by  charter,  a  Bureau  of  Pub- 
lic Safety  within  the  Police  Department  and 
provided  that  one  deputy  commissioner 
should  have  charge  of  this  Bureau. 

The  charter  provision  follows: 

Bureau  of  Public  Safety: 

The  deputy  commissioner  of  police  in  charge 
of  public  safety  shall  have  supervision  of  the 
enforcement  of  all  traffic  ordinances  and  regu- 
lations affecting  streets,  avenues,  boulevards  and 
other  public  places,  shall  keep  a  record  in  his 
office  relative  to  accidents  occurring  therein, 
incident  to  traffic,  shall  investigate  the  causes 
thereof,  shall  make  recommendationi  to  the 
commissioner  of  police,  which  shall  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  common  council  for  necessary 
legislation  to  prevent  and  suppress  such  acci- 
dents, and  shall,  through  educational  publicity 
among  the  people  of  the  city,  seek  to  reduce  the 
number  of  such  accidents. 

The  Bureau  conducts  an  all-year-round 
campaign  through 
speeches  before  all  kinds 
of  groups,  or  by  the  ex- 
hibition of  "safety"  mov- 
ing pictures  before 
schools,  churches  and 
other  organizations,  and 
by  continuous  newspaper 
publicity  of  traffic  ac- 
cident statistics,  etc.  In 
addition  to  this,  an  inten- 
sive safety  campaign, 
usually  a  week  in  dura- 
tion, is  held  semi-annu- 
ally. 

In  the  sixth  semi-an- 


nual campaign  held  last  June,  over  25,000 
persons,  including  school  teachers,  women's 
clubs.  Boy  Scouts,  Camp  Fire  Girls,  Detroit 
Automobile  Club,  clergy.  Fire  Department, 
etc.,  took  an  active  part.  Seven  hundred 
open-air  meetings  were  held;  8,700  talks 
were  given ;  a  daily  parade  including  25 
wrecked  automobiles  was  part  of  the  pro- 
gram, and  one  million  pieces  of  publicity 
were  distributed,  in  addition  to  hundreds  of 
large  appropriate  signs  displayed  ir>  promi- 
nent points  throughout  the  city. 

One  of  the  most  important  branches  of 
the  Bureau  of  Public  Safety,  a  feature  in 
accident  reduction  methods  unique  to  De- 
troit, is  the  Accident  Investigation  Division. 
This  consists  of  twenty  officers  under  the 
direction  of  two  detective  lieutenants,  who 
investigate  thoroughly  every  traffic  accident, 
following  the  same  careful  procedure  pur- 
sued in  the  investigation  of  criminal  com- 
plaints. 

The  old  practice  was  to  take  into  court 
only  those  persons  involved  in  accidents 
that  were  witnessed  by  the  police,  except 
in  instances  where  the  victim  was  killed. 
The  result  was  that  95  per  cent  of  street 
traffic  accidents  were  settled  out  of  court, 
chiefly  by  accident  insurance  companies. 
The  cases  that  were  investigated  were  as- 
signed to  officers  already  sufficiently  occu- 
pied with  work  on  criminal  complaints. 


m..m. 

— i_B 

■^m 

■k 

_^-*»- 

•9».."~' 

'  ^  -^^^npf 

11.  ^  1 

■- 

■^>^e5.''^« 

ir                   M 

|W^           , 

^^r&i 

Y^^^ 

.*N 

• 

i^n^ 

'  'HITCHING' '  BY  CHILDREN  IS  THE  CAUSE  OF  MANY  ACCIDENTS. 

SAFETY    INSTRUCTION    CAN    REDUCE    CASUALTIES    FROM    THIS 

PRACTICE 


38 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


teiiepcriod  laalyar — »4i 
Lr>/ea  BecOed  Iqns  ueeor — 79 


DISPLAYED  ON  A  PROMINENT  CORNER  AND 

KEPT  UP  TO  DATE,  THIS  SIGN  KEEPS  THE 

PEOPLE  or  DETROIT  INFORMED  OF  THE 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN 


Up  to  December  15,  1921,  the  Accident 
Investigation  Division  was  responsible  for 
the  conviction  in  court  of  931  persons,  most 
of  whom,  under  the  former  policy,  would 
merely  have  referred  their  difficulties  to  the 
insurance  companies.  It  needs  no  diagram 
to  prove  that  immunity  from  punishment 
for  the  destruction  of  life  and  limb  on  the 
streets  not  only  does  not  encourage  care 
on  the  part  of  drivers,  but  tends  to  become 
an  invitation  for  reckless  driving. 

Are  the  methods  pursued  by  the  Bureau 
of  Public  Safety  making  Detroit  streets 
more  safe?  Up  to  December  15,  1920,  De- 
troit had  239  street  traffic  deaths;  for  the 
same  period  of  this  year,  street  traffic  fa- 
talities were  cut  almost  in  two,  reducing 
deaths  from  this  cause  to  131. 


Attractive  Publicity  for  the  Public 
Utilities  of  a  City 


One  of  the  displays  attracting  a  maximum  of  attention  from  the  300,000  visitors  at  the  Industrial 
and  Trade  exposition  held  recently  In  Los  Angeles,  CaUf.,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chamher  of  Com- 
merce, was  Installed  by  the  City  Bureau  of  Power  and  Light.  It  visualized  the  watershed  of  the 
Southern  California  metropolis,  showing  the  city  power-plants  and  the  great  aqueduct  utilized  in 
generating  power.      Figures  were  given  of  the  costs,  the  power  supplied  and  the  returns  to  the  city 


39 


The  Economic  Side  of  Anti-Siphon  Traps 
in  Plumbing  Systems 

By  A.  E.  Hansen 

Hydraulic  and  Sanitary  Engineer,  New  York 

CONSIDERABLE   attention   has   been  stalled,  and  therefore  the  only  actual  saving 

centered   of  late  on   the   possibilities  by  the  use  of  anti-siphon  traps  would  be  the 

of  reducing  the  cost  of  plumbing  in-  short  vent  branches  from  the  fixtures  (other 

stallations,   and   the  theory   has  been   fre-  than  water-closets)  to  the  vent  stack, 

quently  advanced  that  the  use  of  anti-siphon  In  order  to   satisfy  myself  ort  the  real 

traps  would  obviate  the  back  venting  now  economy,   if  any,   of  anti-siphon  traps   as 

required  by  plumbing  codes  whenever  Yt.  S  compared  with   Yi   S  vented  traps,  I  pre- 

or  bent  tube  traps  are  installed,  and  that  a  pared    a   plumbing    diagram    of    a   typical 

material  saving  in  cost  of  plumbing  work  three-story    apartment    house,    reproduced 

would  result.  herewith,  which  shows  in  full  lines  the  soil. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  waste,  and  vent  pipes  required  by  the  New 

dwell  in  any  way  on  the  scientific  princi-  York  City  Plumbing  Code,  if  the  approved 

pies  which  underlie  the  merits  or  defects  of  anti-siphon  trap  is  installed  for  all  the  fix- 

unvented  anti-siphon  traps,  nor  to  compare  tures  (exclusive  of  the  water-closets).     In 

their  efficiency  or  usefulness  from  a  techni-  dotted  lines  are  shown  the  additional  vent 

cal  view-point  with  that  of  the  vented  bent  pipes  required  if  the  J/2  S  vented  traps  are 

tube  traps,  but  it  is  the  purpose  to  limit  it  used.    I  submitted  this  diagram  to  three  re- 

entirely  to  the  economic  side  of  the  ques-  sponsible  New  York  master  plumbers,  with 

tion.  the  request  that  they  estimate  the  costs  of 

Perhaps  the  tnost  recent  typical  example  the  ^  S  traps  and  their  vent  branches  as 
of  a  statement  made  publicly  concerning  the  shown  in  dotted  lines,  and  also  of  the  anti- 
economy   resulting   from   the   use  of   anti-  siphon  traps  without  vents,  as  permissible 
siphon  traps,  occurred  during  May,  1921,  under  the  New  York  City  Code.     I  asked 
when  testimony  was  given  by  a  builder  be-  them   further  to  consult  with  each  other, 
fore  Samuel  Untermyer,  Chief  Counsel  for  and  to  present  to  me,  if  possible,  joint  es- 
the  Lockwood  New  York  State  Housing  In-  timates    which   they   would   consider    fair, 
vestigating  Committee,  to  the  effect  that  the  These  estimates  were  as  follows : 
installation  of  approved  anti-siphon  traps  UNVENted   patented   traps 
in  a  certain  New  York  City  building  pro-  Patented 
iect  would  have   reduced  the  cost  of  the  6— iK-jnch  traps  at  $  7.00           $42.00 

plumbing  installation  about  50  per  cent  be-  

low  that  of  the  vented  Yi  S  trap  system.  piug^  lo^per  cent  iw-ofit'.              riso           $82.50 

That  the  witness  was  thoroughly  misin-  vented  y,  S  traps" 

formed  on  the  subject  of  his  testimony  will  24  feet— ij^-inch  gaiv.  pipe 

be  clear  to  any  one  who  reflects  on  the  fact  9— i^.^inch"  gaiv.'niaii.fit-              *'^^ 

that  the  cost  of  the  plumbing  fixtures — that      „  tings  at  $.3& 2.70 

-                           .        ^             .       ,           ,           .    ,  6 — 15^-inch      brass      J4      S 

is,    the    water-closets,    urmals,    slop-smks,         traps  at  $1.30  7.8O 

wash-basins,   bathtubs,   kitchen   sinks,   and  ^~t■'$2.'5o^^^'!..^..^..*'■^!'.'              7.50 

wash-tubs,  of  the  hot  and  cold  water-sup-      1  day  labor 10.00 

ply  pipes  and  fittings,  and  of  the  soil  and  Total  cost  $32.32 

waste     pipe    systems    remains     the     same  p'"^  ^^  p^'  ""*  P"""^*^*              3.23            $35.55 

whether   anti-siphon   traps   or    J^    S   traps  Excess    cost    of,  unvented 

•  .  t            .                      J       rrii.     .    .    1          i      r  iU  patented  traps  over  vented 

With  vents  are  used.    The  total  cost  of  these         y^  S  traps $46.95 

items  is  from  90  to  98  per  cent  of  the  cost  of 

the  entire  plumbing  job.  Furthermore,  The  estimates,  it  will  be  observed,  show 
under  the  New  York  City  Plumbing  Code  that  the  actual  cost  of  the  vented  5^  S  traps 
requirements,  all  water-closets  must  be  to  the  owner,  including  a  10  per  cent  plumb- 
back  vented,  there  being  no  approved  deep  ers'  profit,  which  I  asked  to  have  included, 
seal  fixtures  of  this  kind  on  the  market.  is  about  $50  less  than  that  of  the  unvented 
A  separate  vent  stack  would  have  to  be  in-  traps.     I  believe  that  the  estimates  are  in- 


40 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


tended  to  be  proper  and  are  deserv- 
ing of  confidence.  Assuming,  how- 
ever, that  the  labor  item  of  the 
vented  Yz  S  traps  had  been  200  per 
cent  underestimated,  there  would 
still  remain  a  balance  of  $25  in 
favor  of  the  vented  Yi  S  traps. 

An  analysis  of  the  estimates  of 
cost  made  by  the  plumbing  con- 
tractors indicates  that  the  materials 
required  are  correctly  inventoried 
and  priced,  and  that  the  labor  to 
be  performed  consists  of  measur- 
ing and  cutting  14  pieces  of  i>4- 
inch  galvanized  iron  pipe  to  lengths 
not  exceeding  3  feet ;  of  cutting  28 
ii/^-inch  pipe  threads,  and  of 
installing  14  pieces  of  ij^-inch 
pipe  and  nine  ij4-inch  fittings. 
The  measuring  and  cutting  should 
reasonably  consume  not  over  J4- 
hour  each,  or  3^^  hours  total;  the 
cutting  of  28  threads  not  over  1/7- 
hour  each,  or  4  hours  total ;  the  in- 
stallation of  14  pieces  and  9  fittings 
not  over  >^-hour  each,  or  8  hours 
total.  My  own  estimate  of  the 
total  labor  required  would  there- 
fore be  I5>4  hours,  or,  say,  2  days, 
instead  of  i  day,  or  $20  instead  of 
$10;  but  even  under  this  condition 
the  Yt.  S  vented  traps  are  about 
$36  cheaper  than  the  unvented 
anti-siphon  traps. 

If  the  number  of  floors  were  in- 
creased, or  the  number  of  apart- 
ments per  floor  multiplied,  each  requiring  a 
similar  typical  plumbing  installation,  this 
difference  would,  of  course,  become  corre- 
spondingly greater.  It  is  evident  that  the 
greater  cost  of  the  unvented  anti-siphon 
traps  is  largely  due  to  the  high  cost  of  the 
traps  themselves.  Seven  dollars  for  a  ij^- 
inch  and  $11  dollars  for  a  2j^-inch  trap  are 
big  prices,  which  seem  unwarranted  except 
on  the  ground  of  patent  or  other  fees. 

From  the  representative  example  given, 
it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  the  much-voiced 
opinion  on  the  invariably  lesser  cost  of  un- 
vented anti-siphon  traps  is  not  based  on 
actual  facts;  there  are,  no  doubt,  certain  in- 
dividual cases,  especially  in  alteration  work 
or  in  small  dwellings,  in  which  this  opinion 
will  be  found  to  be  true,  but  the  evidence 
shows,  particularly  where  the  plumbing  is 
condensed  near  the  vertical  stacks  and 
where  toilet  or  bathrooms  are  located  re- 
peatedly alike  and  directly  over  each  other, 


tJ 


PLUMBING  PLAN   FOR   TYPICAL    3-STORT  APARTMENT 
HOUSE 


as  is  usually  the  case  in  apartment  build- 
ings, hotels,  and  office  buildings,  that  the 
Y2  S  vented  traps  are  as  cheap  and  perhaps 
cheaper  than  unvented  expensive  anti- 
siphon  traps.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  in 
this  connection  also,  that  patented  articles 
are  unlimited  in  price  and  not  subject  to 
competition,  especially  where,  as  at  present 
in  New  York  City,  only  one  such  article  is 
approved  for  use. 

The  chief  item  of  cost  in  a  back  venting 
system  is  involved  in  the  venting  of  water- 
closets,  which  are  not  made  with  anti- 
siphon  traps;  these  must  be  back  vented  in 
any  case,  according  to  most  of  the  plumb- 
ing codes. 

The  only  additional  vent  pipes  required, 
therefore,  for  the  other  plumbing  fixtures 
consist  of  the  short  ij4-inch  and  2-inch 
branches  which  connect  the  individual  traps 
to  the  main  vent  stack  or  to  the  water-closet 
vent  branch. 


4i 


The  Conference  on  the  Standardization 

and  the  EUmination  of  Excess  Variety 

of  Vitrified  Paving  Brick 


FIFTY-FIVE  sizes  and  varieties  of 
vitrified  paving  brick  were  eliminated 
by  mutual  consent  at  a  meeting  called 
in  Washington  in  November  by  Secretary 
Hoover  of  the  Department  of  Commerce. 
This  conference  of  users  and  makers  of 
paving  brick  was  held  at  the  suggestion  of 
the  National  Paving  Brick  Manufacturers 
Association,  which  met  with  representatives 
of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  with 
representatives  of  the  U.  S.  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  a  preliminary  conference  to 
determine  the  areas  of  standardization  pos- 
sible in  this  particular  industry.  As  a  re- 
sult of  this  preliminary  meeting,  the  manu- 
facturers, under  the  general  direction  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  instituted  a 
variety  survey  of  the  vitrified  paving  brick 
industry,  which  formed  the  basis  for  the 
meeting.  A  permanent  committee  to  be 
known  as  the  Committee  on  Simplification 
of  Variety  and  Standards  for  Vitrified  Pav- 
ing Brick  of  the  Department  of  Commerce, 
was  created  for  the  purpose  of  making  other 
eliminations  as  time  goes  on  that  will  be 
mutually  acceptable  to  producer  and  con- 
sumer. 

In  addressing  the  Conference,  Secretary 
Hoover  said: 

"The  proposal  that  you  are  considering  is  no 
new  idea  in  American  industry,  but  it  comes  up 
in  its  best  form  on  this  occasion  because  it  is 
inspired  by  the  manufacturers  themselves. 

"One  of  the  problems  of  the  paving  brick  in- 
dustry is  the  wide  diversity  of  style  in  the  de- 
mands made  upon  the  manufacturers  by  engi- 
neers, that  have  increased  their  cost  of  production 
unnecessarily.  This  problem  was  brought  to  the 
Department  of  Commerce  by  the  manufacturers 
themselves.  We  were  asked  if  we  could  act 
as  a  center  point  to  bring  about  some  agree- 
ment in  matters  in  general  by  which  these 
varieties  could  be  simplified  and  the  cost  of 
production  materially  decreased.  Obviously,  the 
consumer  is  the  engineer,  as  he  makes  the 
specifications  and  directs  the  purchase.  The 
manufacturers  are  helpless  to  come  to  any  con- 
clusion of  this  kind  unless  they  can  have  the 
cooperation  of  the  engineers  who  make  the 
specifications  and  finally  pass  upon  these  mat- 
ters. 

"We  have  had  some  discussion  with  the 
manufacturers  on  this  problem  and  they  them- 
selves  have   made   through   their   engineers   a 


very  careful  study  of  this  whole  problem.  The 
primary  object  of  this  meeting  is  to  see  how  far 
an  agreement  can  be  reached  for  the  simplifi- 
cation of  varieties  and  how  far  the  consumer 
will  cooperate  with  the  manufacturer  in  se- 
curing these  varieties.  There  is  little  I  can  add, 
though  I  realize  the  importance  of  it.  This  is 
but  one  item  which  I  hope  will  be  extended  in 
a  general  campaign  among  manufacturers  in  all 
directions.  We  have  more  problems  of  this 
kind  and  meetings  going  on  with  the  help  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  many  industries. 
I  believe  it  is  the  only  practical  way  in  which 
we  can  develop  these  essential  groups  in  indus- 
try— that  is,  by  the  manufacturers'  voluntary 
action,  and  if  you  gentlemen  can  come  to  some 
definite  conclusion  we  shall  be  glad  to  give  it 
such  prestige  as  the  Department  can  give.  Ob- 
viously, if  the  engineers  who  direct  the  work 
in  our  cities,  and  the  manufacturers  will  co- 
operate in  reaching  such  a  conclusion  under  the 
agency  of  the  Department  of  Commerce,  there 
can  be  no  criticism  of  anybody  engaged  in  this 
work,  and  if  we  can  secure  that  cooperation 
we  shall  secure  at  the  same  time  progress  in 
the  industry  itself.  I  look  upon  this  meeting 
with  more  than  usual  interest  because  it  is  the 
first  of  those  processes  that  we  have  brought 
to  this  state." 

After  a  thorough  discussion  of  the  report 
of  the  National  Paving  Brick  Manufactur- 
ers Association,  which  contained  an  exhibit 
of  the  tabulation  of  actual  shipments  of 
paving  brick  of  66  varieties  from  1914  to 
August  I,  1921,  motions  were  made,  sec- 
onded and  unanimously  passed  by  the  Con- 
ference, reducing  the  varieties  for  consid- 
eration from  66  to  20,  For  the  basis  of  dis- 
cussion, a  maximum  size  of  brick,  4  inches 
in  depth  by  3J/2  inches  wide  and  8^  inches 
long,  and  a  minimum  of  3  inches  deep,  3 
inches  wide  and  8^  inches  long  are  used. 
The  following  table  gives  the  dimensions 
and  types  of  the  20  varieties  of  brick  de- 
cided upon : 

Depth  Width  Length 

Plain  Wire-cut    Brick  (Vert.    Fib.    Lugless) 
Inches                       Inches  Inches 

3  4  S'A 

Repressed  Lug  Brick 
Inches  Inches  Inches 

4  3  S'^ 

3  SVi  SVi 
314                              3H  8^ 

4  SVi  8J4 
Vertical    Fibre   Lug   Brick 

Inches  Inches  Inches 

3  4  8'/^ 


42 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


Wire-cut  Lug  Brick  (Dunn) 
Inches                     Inches  Inches 

8  SJ4  8^ 

354  8^  SVi 

*  8J4  S'A 

SPECIAL  BRICK 

Hillside  Brick  (Dunn) 

Inches                       Inches  Inches 

3J4                               S'A  SVj 

4                                  S'A  8J4 

Hillside  Brick    (repressed) 

Inches                       Inches  Inches 

4                                  S'A  .        SA 

Street  Railway  Brick 

Inches                       Inches  Inches 

3  3  syi    (Fillers) 
8                                  8Ji  8J4 

4  .  3J4  8}4    (Stretchers) 
Miscellaneous 

Inches  Inches  Inches 

4  3^  S-^    (End  Cut) 

4  SJ^  8J4 

As  considerable  debate  ensued  concern- 
ing further  elimination,  a  committee  was 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the 
remaining  20  varieties.  The  committee  re- 
ported the  desirability  of  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  sizes  so  that  all  brick  could  be  cut 
out  of  two  clay  columns,  one  3  inches  and 
the  other  4  inches  high.  It  was  decided  that 
present  demands  are  such  that  there  must  be 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  engineers  brick  to 
make  a  wearing  surface  either  3,  3J/2  or  4 
inches  in  depth.  In  the  smaller  cities  a  3- 
inch  pavement  is  wanted;  the  larger  cities 
require  a  4-inch  brick.  The  state  highway 
departments,  on  the  other  hand,  find  3-inch 
brick  too  shallow  for  their  traffic,  and  4-inch 
brick  deeper  than  necessary,  and  are  there- 
fore specifying  a  3>^-inch  depth.  With 
these  three  depths  considered  imperative, 
the  committee  found  it  desirable  to  eliminate 
only  nine  of  the  varieties  over  and  above 
those  listed  above,  and  therefore  eliminated 
those  in  the  following  list : 

Length 


Depth  Width 

Repressed  Lug  Brick 

Inches  Inches 

4  3 

3  3J4 

Hillside  Brick   (Dunn) 

Inches  Inches 

3J4  sy2 

Street   Railway    Brick 
Inches  Inches 

3  3 

8  8J5 

4  8H 

4  syi 

Miscellaneous 
Inches  Inches 

4  3^ 

4  sy^ 


Inches 
8^ 
8J4 

Inches 
8H 

Inches 

8^    (Fillers) 
8J4 

8J4    (Stretchers) 

Inches 
Sl4   (End  Cut) 

syi 


Some  explanation  of  these  eliminations  is 
called  for.  A  4x3x8j4-inch  brick  was 
eliminated,  even  though  a  fairly  large  num- 
ber of  that  variety  is  used,  because  no  hard- 
ship is  imposed  by  asking  the  substitution 
of  a  4x3;/2x8j^-inch  brick  for  it,  as  this 


brick  is  of  equal  depth  but  5^-inch  wider. 
No  freight  is  saved  on  the  4x3x8^-inch 
over  4x3J^x8^-inch. 

•  A  3x3^x8>4-inch  brick  was  eliminated 
simply  because  it  has  never  been  widely 
used,  and  even  though  it  is  the  only  re- 
pressed size  with  which  a  3-inch  pavement 
can  be  built,  it  was  believed  that  it  would 
be  a  mistake  to  artificially  encourage  its 
use  by  naming  it  as  a  standard. 

Coming  to  the  eliminations  in  the  various 
classifications  of  special  brick,  the  com- 
mittee has  acted  on  the  principle  that  as 
far  as  possible  these  varieties  should  be 
eliminated.  Looking  to  the  wide  use  of 
the  Hillside  type,  however,  it  has  deemed 
this  use  sufficiently  important  to  retain  one 
size  in  each  of  the  Hillside  classifications, 
that  is,  to  retain  only  the  4X35^x8>4-inch  in 
Dunn  Hillside  brick,  and  the  4x3^x8^4- 
inch  in  the  repressed  Hillside  brick. 

All  other  specials  were  placed  in  the  non- 
standard class  and  therefore  the  following 
are  eliminated  in  addition  to  those  classes 
eliminated  in  the  first  discussion: 

Length 


Depth  Width 

Street  -Railway   Brick 
Inches  Inches 

3  3 

3  syj 

4  3A 
4            .                        3J4 

Miscellaneous 
Inches  Inches 

4  sy4 

4  3% 


Inches 

8^    (Fillers) 
8J4 
8J4 
8J^    (Stretchers) 

Inches 
8J^    (End  Cut) 
8J4 

With  all  the  eliminations  mentioned 
above,  the  number  of  standard  varieties 
would  be  II  and  the  number  of  sizes  4,  as 
follows : 

Width  Depth  Length 

Inches  Inches  Inches 

sy.  4  8A 

k  «^  '^ 

3J4  3  8A 

Jhe  varieties,  therefore,  that  would  be  re- 
tained are  as  follows: 

Width  Depth  Length 

Flain  wire  cut  brick  (Vertical  Fibre  Lugless) 
Inches  Inches  Inches 

3'/  1  ^^^ 

«/^  4  8i^ 

Repressed   Lug   Brick 
Inches  Inches  Inches 

Iv  V^'  8/. 

Vertical  Fibre  Lug  Brick 
Inches  Inches  Inches 

%/  \  854 

^Yi  4  854 

Wire-cut  Lug    Brick  (Dunn) 
Inches                       Inches  Inches 

3  54  3  8V1 

ir^  354         .  li 

0V2  4  85^ 

Hillside   Lug  Brick    (Dunn) 

i"^"es  Inches  Inches 

0/2  4  854 

Hillside  Lug  Brick  (Repressed) 

Inches  Inches  Inches 

354  4  854 


43 


A  Public  Laundry  in  a  Batli-house 

The  Interesting  and  Successful  Experience  of  Baltimore,  Md. 

By  Robert  F.  G.  Kelley 

Secretary  and  Superintendent,  Free  Public  Bath  Commissioner,  Baltimore,  Md. 


THE  first  thought  that  comes  to  your 
mind  will  probably  be,  "Why  the  need 
of  a  public  laundry?" 

I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  twenty-one 
years'  experience  that  Baltimore  has  had, 
and  perhaps,  as  the  story  unfolds,  you  may 
see  that  there  was  such  a  need  in  Baltimore, 
and  is  such  a  need  in  the  average  large  city 
of  to-day. 

About  the  year  1899,  when  the  Public 
Bath  Commission  of  Baltimore  was  about 
beginning  the  erection  of  the  city's  first  in- 
door bath-house,  several  of  the  Commission 
went  to  Philadelphia  to  make  a  study  of  the 
public  laundry  there.  We  had  understood 
that  women  brought  their  home  washing 
and  ironing  and  did  it  in  rooms  set  aside 
for  that  purpose.  After  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation, the  plan  seemed  good,  and  in 
Baltimore's  first  bath-house,  built  in  1900, 


this  feature  was  incorporated.  This  house, 
located  at  131  South  High  Street,  is  in  a 
thickly  congested  neighborhood,  consisting 
largely  of  people  of  foreign  birth,  and  is 
not  far  from  the  public  wharves. 

In  making  the  first  schedule,  we  allowed 
four  days  a  week  for  women  to  do  their 
family  wash,  and  two  for  men  to  do  their 
personal  laundry.  After  several  years  of 
experiment,  it  was  found  that  this  schedule 
had  to  be  altered  somewhat,  as  the  demand 
from  the  men  was  much  larger  than  that 
from  the  women. 

By  the  year  1920  the  type  of  population 
had  changed,  and  we  found  that  compara- 
tively few  women  were  doing  their  family 
wash,  while  on  the  days  set  aside  for  men 
the  laundry  was  much  congested,  on  some 
days  as  many  as  one  hundred  men  being 
present.     It  was  then  decided  to  make  it 


WOMEN'S  DAT  AT  THE  PUBLIC  LATJNDET,  WALTERS  BATHS  NO,   41,  BALTIMORE,  MD. 


44 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  l 


dxclusiveiy  4  laundry  for  men,  and  the 
lai|ge  patronage,  nearly  7,000  in  1920, 
pro^^  that  this  was  a  wise  move.  For  the 
first  four  months  of  1921,  because  Of  un- 
employment, the  attendance  was  much 
larger  than  ever,  a  total  of  3,875  having 
been  recorded,  an  increase  of  1,585  over  the 
corresponding  months  of  1920. 

In  order  to  give  some  idea  of  the  scope 
of  the  work,  I  am  now  going  to  take  you 
through  the  laundry  with  John  Smith,  who 
is  desirous  of  cleaning  up. 

John  walks  into  the  bath-house,  goes  up 
to  the  window,  and  hands  the  attendant  10 
cents.  For  this  he  receives  a  towel,  a  half- 
ounce  piece  of  toilet  soap,  and  a  ticket. 
Another  attendant  shows  him  to  a  cabin, 
where  John  proceeds  to  take  a  bath. 

After  his  bath  he  puts  on  his  trousers 
and  coat;  the  rest  of  his  belongings  he 
carries!  on  his  arm.  He  then  presents  his 
ticket  to  an  attendant,  who  gives  him  about 
one-third  of  a  bar  of  laundry  soap,  and 
John  goes  down  to  the  laundry. 

Here  he  is  assigned  to  a  set  of  laundry 
tubs  with  plenty  of  hot  and  cold  water,  and 
he  begins  his  family  wash.  He  may  think 
that  his  coat  and  trousers  also  need  wash- 
ing; if  so,  he  does  it.  Perchance  he  may 
have  brought  a  blanket  along;  others  have 
done  so.  When  he  has  finished  his  wash- 
ing, he  wrings  out  his  clothes  and  places 
them  in  racks  in  a  drying-room. 

He  will  then  sit  on  a  bench  for  about  a 
half-hour,  pull  out  his  pipe  and  smoke, 
while  his  clothes  are  drying.  Perhaps  he 
may  discuss  the  topics  of  the  day  with  some 
of  his  neighbors.  When  his  clothes  are  dry, 
he  proceeds  to  dress,  and  then  walks  out 
with  a  smile  on  his  face,  a  clean  man,  and, 
we  think,  a  better  man. 
Who  is  John  Smith? 
He  may  be  an  oyster  dredger,  just  up 
from  a  long  trip  of  hard  work  down  the  bay. 
Or  perhaps  he  is  living  in  one  of  the  cheap 
lodging-houses  near-by,  doing  odd  jobs  and 
making  just  enough  to  keep  body  and  soul 
together.  Sometimes  John  is  a  cripple,  who 
must  lean  on  his  crutches  at  the  laundry 
tub  to  wash  his  clothes.  Just  as  likely  as 
not,  he  may  be  a  tramp  passing  through, 
who  has  heard  from  another  of  the  chance 
to  clean  up. 

Sometimes  he  is  sent  from  one  of  the 
Rescue  Homes  by  the  manager,  who  re- 
quests that  John  have  a  chance  to  clean  up. 


In  this  case,  and  many  others,  the  10  cents 
is  missing,  but  John  is  not  turned  away  on 
that  account,  and  receives  the  same  atten- 
tion. During  the  late  war,  he  was  repre- 
sented in  many  cases  by  a  uniformed  man, 
who  did  not  always  have  the  opportunity  at 
camp  to  clean  up.  In  his  case  no  charge 
was  ever  made.  It  is  a  touching  scene  to 
look  at  forty  or  fifty  John  Smiths  washing 
their  soiled  underclothing.  Like  the  Indian 
coolies,  they  carry  all  their  earthly  be- 
longings on  their  backs. 

From  a  City-wide  Congress  Report  on 
Baths,  published  several  years  ago,  we  quote 
the  following: 

"No  more  far-reaching  philanthropy  exists 
in  our  midst  than  this  splendid  means  to  health, 
comfort  and  cleanliness.  As  we  watched  a 
party  of  sturdy  oyster  dredgers  emerge  from 
the  building  (Walters  Baths  No.  i)  last  Satur- 
day, immaculate,  and  with  heads  erect,  them- 
selves and  their  clothes  freshly  laundered,  we 
wondered  if  Mr.  Walters'  other  princely  bene- 
faction, the  Art  Gallery,  was  more  highly  ap- 
preciated in  its  effects." 

The  Women's  Laundries 

Encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  laundry 
at  Walters  No.  i,  in  our  next  four  bath- 
houses we  provided  laundry  facilities.  As 
these  were  located  in  residential  neighbor- 
hoods, their  use  was  confined  to  women. 
Because  of  large  patronage  in  two  of  these 
houses,  it  was  necessary  afterwards  to  en- 
large the  facilities. 

In  order  that  you  may  better  understand 
the  work,  I  am  going  to  take  you  through 
one  of  the  laundries  with  Mrs.  Jones. 

Through  a  neighbor,  or  perhaps  through 
an  advertising  card  which  she  has  found 
under  her  door,  she  decides  to  give  the  laun- 
dry a  trial.  Gathering  up  her  family  wash, 
she  proceeds  to  the  bath-house  and  finds 
that  there  is  a  side  entrance  to  the  laundry 
room.  Here  she  is  greeted  by  a  matron, 
who  gives  her  a  small  numbered  card  and 
assigns  her  to  a  set  of  tubs. 

By  consulting  this  card,  she  finds  she 
can  purchase  soap,  starch  and  bluing  at  the 
same  prices  she  would  have  to  pay  at  the 
corner  grocery.  She  then  proceeds  to  draw 
her  steam  and  boil  her  clothes,  afterwards 
using  the  wringers  attached  to  the  tubs. 
The  clothes  are  now  ready  to  be  dried  and 
she  is  assigned  several  racks  in  the  drying- 
room.  In  a  short  time  the  clothes  are  dry 
and  she  is  given  an  ironing  board  and  sev- 
eral irons,  so  that  she  can  complete  her  job. 


January,  1922 


THE 


AT  THE  WALTERS  BATHS  NO.  16,  BALTIMORE,  MD.,  THE  MEN  CAN  DO  THEIR  PERSONAL 

LATJNDRT 


Work  done,  the  card  is  consulted,  and  she 
finds  that  she  has  spent  four  hours  in  the 
laundry — cost  20  cents,  bar  of  soap  6  cents 
(if  any  is  left  over,  she  takes  it  home),  blu- 
ing I  cent,  starch  i  cent,  making  a  total  of 
28  cents.  For  this  sum  she  has  been  able  to 
do  a  large  family  wash.  In  addition,  she 
has  worked  in  a  pleasant  room,  avoided 
many  discomforts  which  she  would  have  had 
at  home,  and  has  met  some  neighbors  and 
had  a  nice  chat. 

I  had  almost  forgotten  to  say  that  Mrs. 
Jones  took  her  two  children,  aged  three  and 
five  years,  with  her,  and  while  she  was 
washing  and  ironing  they  were  in  the  play- 
room, a  small  section  set  aside  for  that  pur- 
pose, having  a  good  time  with  some  toys. 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  Mrs.  Jones  to 
go  to  the  public  laundry?  Could  she  not 
have  done  her  washing  at  home  and  saved 
herself  trouble  and  expense?  To  the 
dweller  in  the  average  large  city  this  ques- 
tion would  surely  seem  superfluous. 

Perhaps  Mrs.  Jones  lives  in  two  or  three 
rooms  in  a  tenement,  which  could  hardly  be 
called  a  home;  or,  if  she  is  fortunate 
enough,  perhaps  in  a  small  house,  which, 
however,  contains  no  yard  for  drying  pur- 
poses. Try  to  imagine  her  under  situations 
like  the  above:  building  her  fire,  drawing 
her  water  and  pouring  it  into  a  galvanized 
tub,  heating  her  water,  then  bending  over 


and  rubbing  her  clothes,  then  the  hand 
wringing,  then  the  placing  of  the  clothes 
somewhere  to  dry,  afterwards  the  ironing 
in  a  hot  room.  Surely  wash  day  must  be  a 
torture  under  conditions  like  these. 

In  many  cases,  young  women  boarding 
in  the  city,  who  have  no  other  means  of 
keeping  their  clothing  clean,  take  advantage 
of  the  facilities  at  the  laundries. 

By  far  the  largest  class  that  use  the  laun- 
dry are  the  colored  people  who  patronize 
Walters  Laundry  No.  3,  which  is  set  aside 
for  their  exclusive  use.  These  colored 
women  live  in  alleys  or  in  crowded  tene- 
ments in  the  larger  streets.  They  are  typ- 
ical of  the  colored  population  in  Baltimore — 
house  servants,  wives  of  laboring  men,  etc., 
and  to  no  class  do  the  public  laundry  facil- 
ities bring  more  advantages. 

For  the  year  1920  the  attendance  at  the 
laundries  was  as  follows : 

Walters  No.  1 — For   men    only 6,7S!) 

Walters  No.   2 — For  women  only 3,737 

Walters  No.  3 — For    colored   women 13,998 

Walters  No.  4 — For  women  only 3,943 

Greenm't  Ave — For  women  only 2,478 

Total    30,955 

Dr.  Donald  B.  Armstrong,  of  New  York, 
in  an  article  that  appeared  several  years 
ago  in  The  American  City,*  speaking 
of  laundries,  wrote  as  follows: 

*  December,  1913,  page  526. 


46 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


"There  are  about  fifteen  such  institutions  in 
America,  five  of  which,  and  by  far  the  best  of 
them,  are  in  Baltimore,  Md." 

He  closes  his  article  with  these  strong 
words  as  a  plea  for  the  establishment  of 
similar  places  in  New  York  City : 

''The  public  wash-house,  like  the  public 
baths,  finds  its  chief  justification  in  the  fact 
that  it  gives  to  the  people  an  opportunity  to 
learn  how  to  be  clean,  and  makes  it  possible 
for  them  to  appreciate  the  value  of  health  and 
decency  in  being  physically  clean.  Physical 
cleanliness  enhances  their  moral  and  spiritual 
tone.  They  will  recognize  more  acutely  their 
housing  defects  and  will  demand  even  more 
energetically  than  at  present  that  equipment  for 
the  home  which  they  have  learned  to  use  and 
value  outside,  and  the  importance  of  which,  for 
the  preservation  of  health  and  the  maintenance 


of   decency,   they   have  been   educated  to   ap- 
preciate." 

In  conclusion,  we  should  like  to  make  the 
following  suggestions  to  city  officials  con- 
templating installing  laundry  facilities: 

First,  by  all  means  a  small  playroom 
should  adjoin  the  laundry,  where  mothers 
can  leave  their  children  while  doing  their 
washing. 

Second,  in  many  cases  advertising  is  nec- 
essary at  the  beginning.  At  several  of  our 
houses  we  gave  away  cards  which  entitled 
the  bearer  to  use  of  the  laundry  twice,  free 
of  any  charge. 

Third,  employes  should  be  selected  with 
care,  as  a  poor  employe  can  kill  a  laundry. 


A  Substantial  Highway  Sign-Post 


WITH  the  large  number  of 
highways  extending  north 
and  south,  east  and  west 
on  this  continent,  promoters  and 
highway  departments  are  aiming 
to  produce  individuality  in  the  sign- 
posts on  certain  highways.  The 
sign-post  shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing illustration  is  one  of  many 
which  have  been  placed  at  mile  in- 
tervals along  a  western  route.  It 
is  not  radically  different  from  many 
others,  but  it  does  typify  good,  sub- 
stantial design,  which  gives  it  in- 
dividuality. The  post  is  of  rein- 
forced concrete,  4  by  6  inches,  and 
the  slabs  2  inches  thick,  30  inches 
high  and  about  40  inches  long  The 
whole  post  is  securely  anchored  in 
a  concrete  base  with  the  top  trow- 
elled off,  and  the  edges  squared  so 
that  in  case  of  erosion  about  the 
base  it  will  not  have  a  jagged  and 
run-down  appearance. 

The  letters  and  figures  are  made 
by  imbedding  the  type  in  the  soft 
mortar.  This  leaves  each  symbol 
in  the  form  of  a  depression,  and 
after  the  sign  is  painted  it  will  keep 
its  keen  contrast  much  longer 
than  if  the  symbols  were  flush  with 
the  rest  of  the  slab.  Special  moulds 
are  easily  made  and  the  signs 
turned  out  at  a  slight  cost. 


Courtesy   Alpha  Portland  Cement  Company 

A  REINrOECED  CONCEETE  POST 


47 


The  Central  Heating  Plant— A  Public 

Utility 

Chicago  Demonstrates  Value  of  Recording  Flow  Meters  in  Distributing  Heating 
Load,  and  Reduces  Smoke  Nuisance 

By  J.  C.  Butler 


THE  story  of  central  station  heating  in 
Chicago,  as  carried  on  by  the  Illinois 
Maintenance  Company,  contains  sev- 
eral points  of  interest  to  municipalities: 
first,  it  might  be  considered  in  smaller  com- 
munities as  a  municipal  enterprise;  second, 
the  use  of  recording  flow  meters  in  check- 
ing up  the  use  of  steam  by  different  build- 
ings makes  it  possible  to  distribute  the  load 
economically;  third,  the  installation  of  either 
privately  or  municipally  operated  central 
heating  plants  is  a  great  factor  in  reducing 
the  smoke  nuisance. 

Central  station  heating  in  Chicago  had 
its  beginning  many  years  ago  when  steam 
service  was  supplied  to  small  buildings  ad- 
joining a  larger  building  in  the  same  block, 
the  service  being  given  by  the  larger  as  an 
aid  in  overcoming  the  smoke  nuisance  from 
the  smaller  boiler  plants.  It  was  on  this 
basis  that  the  Illinois  Maintenance  Company, 
as  well  as  many  private  building  owners,  be- 
gan to  distribute  steam  in  Chicago,  the  pip- 
ing being  run  in  the  basements  of  buildings 
in  the  same  block  as  that  in  which  the  steam 
generating  plant  was  situated,  thereby 
eliminating  the  expense  of  placing  piping  in 
the  city  streets  and  alleys. 

It  has  been  only  within  the  past  few  years 
that  the  tie  lines  have  been  installed  between 
steam  generating  plants,  thereby  protecting 
the  service  and  making  it  possible  to  effect 
certain  operating  economies  that  could  not 
have  been  obtained  otherwise.  The  system, 
as  now  operated  by  the  Illinois  Maintenance 
Company,  comprises  six  steam  generating 
plants,  together  with  buildings  and  cus- 
tomers in  thirteen  city  blocks  in  the  loop 
district  of  Chicago.  This  is  only  a  part  of 
the  entire  system  operated  by  the  company. 
The  benefit  of  such  a  system  of  steam  dis- 
tribution is  great,  as  it  is  possible  to  supply 
a  total  of  49  steam  customers  from  6  boiler 
plants,  1 8  of  whom  formerly  operated  their 
own  individual  boiler  plants,  and  26  of 
whom  would  have  had  to  install  boilers  of 


their  own  had  not  the  outside  steam  service 
been  available.  In  this  way  it  has  been  pos- 
sible to  concentrate  the  smoke  to  a  maximum 
of  6  stacks,  instead  of  a  possible  44.  The 
fuel  is  burned  in  a  more  efficient  boiler 
plant  located  in  the  larger  buildings  with 
stack  extending  above  the  surrounding 
buildings,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
do  in  each  individual  building. 

In  a  system  of  this  kind  it  is  possible  to 
reduce  or  to  increase  the  number  of  boiler 
plants  in  service  at  any  one  time  as  the  sea- 
sons change;  all  the  load  is  carried  from  one 
plant  during  the  summer  months,  and  the 
other  plants  are  cut  in  or  out  as  the  case 
may  be,  depending  on  the  outside  tempera- 
ture conditions.  Before  connections  were 
made  between  the  boiler  plants  of  the  sys- 
tem, the  engineer  in  each  plant  knew  the 
character  of  his  load  and  could  govern  his 
plant-operating  conditions  accordingly,  but 
under  the  present  system  it  is  necessary  to 
have  a  load  dispatcher  who  notifies  the  engi- 
neer as  to  what  procedure  he  shall  follow. 

Handling  the  Load 

With  boiler  plants  and  customers  scat- 
tered over  13  city  blocks,  it  was  a  problem 
as  to  the  best  method  of  obtaining  the  in- 
formation necessary  for  the  proper  handling 
of  the  load  conditions  and  boiler-plant  op- 
eration. Consequently,  a  switchboard  con- 
taining 14  recording  and  integrating  Repub- 
lic flow  meters  and  two  Bristol  long-distance 
recording  pressure-gages  was  placed  in  the 
office  of  the  chief  operating  engineer,  and 
this,  together  with  the  telephone,  was  con- 
sidered sufficient  for  the  operation  of  the 
system. 

The  accompanying  illustration  gives  a 
series  of  curves  showing  the  average  load 
on  the  system  for  each  hour  of  the  day  for 
different  outside  temperatures.  From  this 
it  can  be  seen  that  during  the  summer 
months,  when  the  temperature  is  70  degrees 
Fahrenheit  or  warmer,  the  average  day  load 


48 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  i 


is  approximately  39,000  pounds  of  steam, 
but  the  night  load  is  15,000  pounds  of  steam 
and  the  load  factor  for  the  months  of  June 
and  July  is  approximately  50  per  cent.  A 
mean  daily  outside  temperature  of  60  de- 
grees Fahrenheit  introduces  short-hour 
heating,  by  which  the  customer  has  heat  on 
in  the  morning  for  three  or  four  hours  and 
then  cuts  it  off  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day.  It  is  during  such  periods  that  the  load 
dispatcher  must  watch  his  load  carefully  and 
get  his  boilers  in  and  out  of  service  so  as  to 


tensions  and  additions,  lead-covered  tele- 
phone cables  were  run  along  the  main  steam 
lines,  openly  or  in  conduit,  depending  on 
their  exposure  to  injury.  Potheads  and 
terminal  boxes  were  placed  at  all  important 
points  so  as  to  make  it  easy  to  connect  in 
any  additional  meters  or  gages. 

The  steam  generating  plant  in  the  Edison 
Building  being  the  central  plant  and  the 
one  that  is  operated  at  full  capacity  most 
of  the  time,  meters  were  placed  on  the  indi- 
vidual boilers.    All  other  meters  were  placed 


TYPE  OF  LONG-DISTANCE  RECORDING  DEVICE  USED  IN  CHICAGO  CENTRAL  HEATING  PLANT 


reduce  the  plant  losses  to  a  minimum  and 
still  keep  up  the  required  steam  pressure, 
which  is  quite  essential  where  hydraulic 
elevator  equipment  is  on  the  system. 

As  the  weather  becomes  colder,  24^hour 
heating  is  required  and  the  load  curve  flat- 
tens out,  giving  a  high  load  factor,  usually 
70  per  cent  for  the  months  of  December, 
January  and  February.  The  average  yearly 
load  factor. for  the  system  is  approximately 
33  per  cent,  the  maximum  half-hour  load 
being  at  a  rate  of  220,000  pounds  of  steam 
per  hour  for  an  annual -steam  consumption 
of  633,700,000  pounds. 

The  Metering  System 

To  make  the  metering  system  as  flexible 
as  possible  and  also  provide  for  future  ax- 


on main  steam  lines  or  service  connections 
with  large  loads.  In  this  way  the  necessary 
information  can  be  obtained  with  a  mini- 
mum of  instruments.  The  instruments  are 
so  grouped  on  the  meter  board  of  the  chief 
operating  engineer's  office  that  the  load  dis- 
patcher can  make  his  necessary  calculations 
and  decisions  with  the  least  possible  delay. 
As  all  the  steam  is  transmitted  at  a  pressure 
of  approximately  120  pounds  and  is  used 
for  operating  pumping  equipment,  as  well 
as  for  cooking,  refrigeration,  heating  water, 
heating,  etc.,  it  is  quite  essential  that  a  uni- 
form pressure  be  maintained.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  checking  the  pressure  and  keeping 
a  record  of  it,  long-distance  electrically  op- 
erated pressure-gages  are  connected  at  two 
of  the  more  critical  points  in  the  system. 


January,  19:2^ 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


49 


and  the  recording  instruments  are  placed 
where  they  will  be  in  view  of  the  load  dis- 
patcher. The  recording  instruments  are  all 
equipped  with  7-day  clocks,  and  7-day 
charts  are  used.  The  clocks  on  the  flow 
meters  operate  electrically  from  the  master 
clock  of  the  building.  This  eliminates  the 
winding  of  clocks  by  hand,  and  the  7-day 


charts  reduce  the  changing  of  charts  to  a 
minimum.  For  accuracy  the  recording  in- 
struments are  read  each  hour  during  the 
critical  periods  of  the  day.  The  load  dis- 
patcher collects  and  compiles  all  data,  post- 
ing the  load  curves  hourly,  so  that  the  chief 
operating  engineer  may  know  what  is  going 
on  in  the  system  at  any  time. 


The  Meaning  of  Good  Roads 


rOOR    ROADS    MEAN    HARD    HAULING    FOR    LIGHT    LOADS    AND    THE    IMPOSSIBILITY    OP 

HANDLING  HEAVY  LOADS 


Short-sighted  financial  policies 

never  provide  long  stretches  of  modern  highway. 

Don't  expect  roads  over  night. 

Your  engineer  cannot  substitute  a  magic  wand  for  his 

blue-print. 

Highway  Ne7vs  Digest. 

THE   SMOOTH  HARD-SURFACED   HIGHWAY  INCREASES   TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES  AND 

IMPROVES  PROPERTY  VALUES 


so 


The  Board  of  Appeals  in  Zoning 

By  Edward  M.  Bassett 

Counsel  of  the  Zoning  Committee  of  New  York 


THE  main  difficulty  in  establishing  a 
zoning  plan  is  to  make  it  effective  and 
at  the  same  time  avoid  arbitrariness. 
Human  wisdom  cannot  foresee  the  excep- 
tional cases  that  can  arise  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  a  zoning  ordinance.  The  strict 
word  of  the  law  may  sometimes  be  the 
height  of  injustice.  No  zoning  ordinance 
standing  by  itself  can  provide  for  the  proper 
adaptation  of  the  spirit  of  the  law  to  each 
exceptional  case.  On  this  account,  in  the 
administration  of  building  laws  in  general 
and  especially  zoning  ordinances,  it  has 
been  found  desirable,  even  necessary,  to 
create  an  expert  board,  usually  called  a 
board  of  appeals,  to  adapt  the  application 
of  the  law  to  particular  exceptions  so  as 
to  carry  out  the  spirit  of  the  law  instead  of 
allowing  it  to  be  arbitrary  or  confiscatory. 

A  city  cannot  create  such  a  board  with- 
out authority  from  the  state  legislature  to 
do  so.  Therefore,  any  state  enabling  act 
to  authorize  cities  to  adopt  zoning  ordi- 
nances should  contain  a  provision  empow- 
ering the  city  to  appoint  such  a  board  and 
outlining  its  functions.  Merely  to  say  that 
a  city  can  appoint  such  a  board  to  do  what 
is  just  or  lawful  is  not  enough,  and  probably 
such  a  statement  in  the  law  gives  the  board 
no  power  whatever.  The  state  enabling  act 
must  either  prescribe  the  rules  that  it  must 
follow  or,  better  yet,  empower  the  city  coun- 
cil to  assign  to  it  in  the  ordinance  certain 
specified  classes  of  exceptional  cases  for  it 
to  decide.  The  council  should  also  prescribe 
a  rule  for  it  to  follow  in  deciding  each  class 
of  cases. 

Such  a  board  should  be  given  three  dis- 
tinct fields:  first,  to  rectify  errors  in  grant- 
ing or  refusing  permits ;  secondly,  to  pass  on 
exceptional  cases  where  specified  in  the 
ordinance  itself;  and  third,  to  vary  the 
literal  requirement  of  the  law  where  un- 
necessary and  excessive  hardship  is  caused 
and  the  intention  of  the  law  is  equally  ac- 
complished by  an  alternative  method  to  be 
prescribed. 

The  state  enabling  act  should  provide  for 
the  review  of  the  decisions  of  a  board  of 
appeals  by  the  court.     This  court  review. 


however,  should  not  be  a  substitution  of  the 
judgment  of  the  court  for  the  judgment  of 
the  board  of  appeals.  The  findings  of  an 
expert  board  should  not  be  interfered  with 
by  the  court  unless  the  board  has  exceeded 
its  lawful  powers  or  misinterpreted  the 
law  or  abused  its  discretion.  In  states  where 
under  such  circumstances  the  courts  will 
not  assume  this  position,  the  enabling  act 
should  require  it. 

Personnel  of  the  Board 

A  board  of  appeals  may  well  be  composed 
in  part  of  officials  whose  duties  bring  them 
in  touch  with  buildings  and  their  use 
throughout  the  city,  and  in  part  of  non-offi- 
cials expert  in  such  fields  as  design,  con- 
struction, fire  protection  or  sanitation.  As 
a  rule,  the  official  who  issues  permits  in  the 
first  instance  should  not  be  a  member  of  the 
board  of  appeals,  because  it  is  better  that 
he  should  not  be  compelled  to  act  on  his 
own  prior  decisions.  Neither  should  a 
member  of  the  city  council  be  on  the  board, 
because  of  the  difficulty  of  his  acting  as  a 
legislator  in  one  position  and  as  an  admin- 
istrator in  the  other. 

Inasmuch  as  exceptional  situations  only 
come  before  a  board  of  appeals,  there  is 
always  a  presumption  that  the  applicant 
should  observe  the  strict  letter  of  the  zoning 
ordinance  just  the  same  as  all  other  citizens. 
Therefore,  if  an  exception  is  to  be  made  in 
his  case,  the  vote  of  the  board  should  be 
greater  than  a  mere  majority.  In  other 
words,  an  applicant  desiring  an  exception 
should  be  able  to  convince  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  board.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
should  be  possible  for  a  mere  majority  to 
refuse  to  make  an  exception,  so  that  there 
may  be  a  decision  of  denial  on  which  the 
applicant  can  ask  for  a  court  review.  This 
distinction  has  been  made. 

Separate  Functions    of    the   City    Council 
and  the  Board  of  Appeals 

States  and  cities  will  not  go  far  afield 
when  they  came  to  define  the  functions  of 
the  council  and  the  board  of  appeals  if  they 
will  remember  that  the  council  is  the  city 
legislature  and  as  such  has  entire  control 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


SI 


over  the  zoning  ordinance  and  maps.  The 
board  of  appeals  should  have  no  control 
over  the  ordinance  and  maps  but  should  pass 
on  specific  permits  arising  under  the  provi- 
sions of  the  ordinance  and  maps.  The  coun- 
cil then  has  its  own  field  and  the  board  of 
appeals  its  own  separate  field,  and  these  do 
not  overlap.  The  council  does  not  adjudi- 
cate on  a  particular  building  or  the  use  of  a 
particular  building.  The  board  of  appeals 
passes  on  nothing  but  particular  buildings. 
The  council  impresses  a  certain  quality  on 
the  land  itself.  The  board  of  appeals  in 
certain  exceptional  cases  varies  the  appli- 
cation of  the  ordinance  for  a  building  or 
use  which  may  temporarily  occupy  the 
land. 
"    Complaints  will  always  be  made  against 


boards  of  appeals,  and  probably  such  boards 
will  always  abuse  their  discretion  once  in  a 
while.  If,  however,  a  city  administration 
is  not  competent  to  establish  a  good  board 
of  appeals,  it  probably  is  not  competent  to 
administer  a  zoning  ordinance  fairly.  An 
occasional  wrong  decision  by  a  board  of 
appeals  is  of  less  importance  to  the  com- 
munity than  the  unrelieved  arbitrariness  of 
an  iron-clad  ordinance  which,  first  in  one 
particular  application  and  then  in  another, 
may  be  criticized  by  the  courts.  A  board  of 
appeals  should  ameliorate  the  exceptional 
instances  where  alone  lies  the  danger  to 
the  entire  zoning  plan,  for,  as  the  courts 
have  repeatedly  said,  the  integrity  of  a 
zoning  plan  under  the  police  power  depends 
on  its  not  being  arbitrary. 


A  Narrow  Parkway  That  Was  Abandoned 


SOMERVILLE,  MASS.,  has  abandoned 
the  attempt  to  have  a  parkway  of  a  mile 
or  more  in  length  along  Broadway, 
from  the  Boston  line  to  the  top  of  Winter 
Hill.  The  parkway  has  been  in  existence 
nearly  ten  years,  and  has  been  declared  a 
failure.  It  was  figured  out  that  Broadway 
was  wide  enough  so  that  a  narrow  strip  in 
the  center  of  the  street  between  the  tracks 
of  the  double-track  street  railway  could  be 
utilized  for  the  growing  of  grass  and  small 
shrubbery,  adding  to  the  beauty  of  the  city. 
Finally,  the  rails  were  set  9  feet  apart,  and 
a  3-foot  strip  between  them  was  sown  to 
grass  and  planted  to  shrubs. 

From  the  first,  the  jay-walkers  disre- 
garded it,  crossing  the  street  where  con- 
venience dictated,  regardless  of  a  parked 
strip.  Some  teamsters,  some  drivers  of 
pleasure  wagons — though  the  latter  have 
disappeared,  motorists  have  succeeded  them 
— disregarded  the  attempt  to  make  a  beauty 
spot.    Then  the  street  railway  used  salt  to 


keep  away  the  snow  and  ice  in  winter,  and 
more  or  less  oil  was  deposited  there.  All 
these  things  spoiled  the  grass  and  shrubs. 

The  question  was  whether  the  city  should 
make  another  attempt,  rebuild  the  parkway 
and  employ  policemen  enough  to  keep  it 
protected  inch  by  inch,  or  abandon  it.  It  was 
abandoned  by  vote  of  the  city  government, 
and  the  remnants  of  grass  and  shrubbery 
have  been  replaced  by  broken  stone.  It  is 
said  that  the  city  fathers  would  like  to  see 
three  or  four  feet  of  that  space  added  to 
the  width  of  Broadway,  where  automobile 
traffic  has  become  heavy  since  the  parkway 
attempt  began. 

This  experience  of  Somerville  suggests 
that  in  planning  for  parkways  it  will  be  well 
to  make  them  wide  enough  so  that  the  street 
will  have  the  appearance  of  being  two  sepa- 
rate streets  instead  of  one  street,  and  that 
the  city  might  well  go  to  the  expense  of 
setting  curbs  to  protect  the  parking  from 
the  incursions  of  vehicles. 


A  Correction 


In  the  article  "A  Survey  of  the  Salaries  of 
Police  and  Police  Departments,"  by  Lucius  H. 
Cannon  (The  American  City,  December,  1921, 
page  459),  appeared  the  statement  that  patrol- 
men in  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  receive  $750,  the 
smallest  salary  paid  to  patrolmen  in  any  of  the 


70  larger  cities  of  the  United  States.  This  is 
incorrect :  police  constables,  first  grade,  receive 
$1,500 ;  second  grade,  $1,440.  These  figures  have 
obtained  since  January  i,  1920;  before  that,  the 
annual  salary  paid  to  patrolmen  in  Harrisburg 
was  $1,380. 


TTie  Municipal  Apartments  of  Paris 
Help  Solve  the  Housing  Problem 


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54 


Motorized  Municipal  Equipment 


A    STANDABD   TBTTCK  USED   FOB   HAULING   BAIJ:<AST   BT   THE   DEFABTSIENT    OF   SIBEET 

EAILWAYS,    DETEOIT,    UnCH. 


A  MACK   TBUCE  ENGAGED    IN   HEAVT  HAT7LING   IN  BUENOS   AIBES,   AEGENTINE 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


55 


THE  CLEVELAND,   OHIO,  FIEE  DEPARTMENT  USES  THIS  3-TON  WHITE  TRUCK  TO  HANDLE 
THE    FIRE   ALARM    TELEGRAPH    CABLE    AND    OTHER    DEPARTMENT    HAULING 


TWO  ATTERBURT  FIRE  TRUCKS  RECENTLY  PUT  INTO  SERVICE  BY  MEXICO  CITY,  MEXICO. 
THE  DEPARTMENT  IS  ALMOST  COMPLETELY   MOTORIZED  WITH  APPARATUS  OF  AMERICAN 

MANUFACTURE 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Effective 
Street  Lighting 

The  distinction  a^ccruing'  to  a 
street  lighted  witK  King  Stand- 
ards Kas  a  particular  value. 
The  street  is  attractive  by  day 
and  night.  Let  our  Engineering 
Department  assist  you  in  solv- 
ing your  street,  boulevard  and 
parK  ligKting  problems.     .*.    .'. 

KING   MFG.  COMPANY 

53  W.  JACKSON  BLVD.      CHICAGO,  ILL. 


09 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


57 


©ternte?  € 


f=/  f=j  fi=/ f=i  f=f  f=f 


Ir^  IRuHte  /4#i^iiR§] 


"It  Couldn't  Be  Done— But  They 
Did  It" 

Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. — With  a  critical 
housing  shortage  on  one  hand  and  prohibi- 
tive building  costs  on  the  other,  the  Greater 
Wilkes-Barre  Chamber  of  Commerce  has 
put  across  another  one  of  those  "can't  be 
done"  achievements  by  erecting  forty-seven 
houses  at  prices  that  are  actually  down  to 
the  1914  level. 

The  funds  needed  were  approximately  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  Business  men 
agreed  to  furnish  one-half,  and  an  old  line 
insurance  company  to  lend  the  oiher  half 
on  a  first  mortgage.  A  Community  Hous- 
ing Corporation  was  formed  to  finance  and 
manage  the  proposition.  A  tract  of  land 
was  purchased  on  the  banks  of  the  Susque- 
hanna overlooking  the  Wyoming  Valley 
and  subdivided  into  lots  and  streets,  so 
grouped  and  arranged  as  to  avoid  the  usual 
line-up  of  "company  houses."  Great  pains 
were  taken  in  selecting  the  type  of  houses. 
The  single  six-room,  two-story  house  pre- 
dominates, with  a  few  double  houses,  some 
with  seven  rooms  to  a  side,  others  with  six 
rooms  on  one  side  and  five  on  the  other. 
The  construction  is  three-ply  stucco  on 
metal  lath,  back-plastered,  full  cement  base- 
ment, hot  air  heat,  slate  roof,  all  modern 
conveniences,  sidewalks  in  and  street 
graded.  The  cost  of  these  homes  ranges 
from  $4,600  to  $5,300. 

The  plan  of  payment  at  absolute  cost  to 
the  buyer  is  as  follows :  A  20  per  cent  pay- 
ment down  was  required.  On  completion 
of  the  home,  monthly  payments  begin  at 
the  rate  of  about  i  per  cent  of  the  balance 
due.  This  is  applied  on  both  interest  and 
principal  and  also  takes  care  of  taxes  and 
insurance,  all  being  handled  through  the 
Housing  Corporation,  which  retains  title 
until  the  last  payment  is  made.  Some,  of 
course,  paid  all  cash  down,  but  most  of  the 
buyers  took  advantage  of  the  eleven-year 
term  in  which  to  acquire  a  home  on  pay- 


ments which  were  but  little  more  than  the 
same  house  would  rent  for. 

An  intensive  publicity  campaign  through 
the  newspapers  was  used,  with  a  sketch  of 
the  houses,  single  and  in  groups.  An  ex- 
hibit was  also  placed  in  store  windows  and 
in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Auditorium. 

Most  of  the  houses  were  sold  before  the 
first  shovel  of  dirt  was  turned,  and  this 
later  event  was  made  the  occasion  for  a 
formal  ceremony  which  marked  the  actual 
beginning  for  many  of  the  dearest  spot  on 
earth — a  home. 

The  whole  building  contract  was  given  to 
one  contractor,  who  figured  on  the  closest 


A    SINGLE-FAMILY    HOUSE    BUILT     BY    THB 

WILEES-BABBE,    PA.,    COMMUNITY    HOUSING 

CORPORATION 

possible  margin  and  made  the  statement 
that  it  would  cost  an  individual  at  least 
$1,000  more  to  reproduce  one  of  these  houses 
than  the  price  at  which  they  were  offered 
by  the  corporation.  This  was  verified  later 
by  the  insurance  company  in  valuing  the 
property  for  the  purpose  of  placing  its  loan, 
and  also  by  the  fire  insurance  companies  in 
underwriting  the  fire  risk. 

The  real  purpose  of  the  undertaking,  that 
is,  the  stimulation  of  home  building,  was 
realized  before  the  publicity  campaign  was 
over,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  promotion  of 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


79 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thb  Ambkican  City. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


59 


A  FEW  DOUBLE  HOUSES  WERE  PUT  UP  BY  THE  WILKES-BABRE  HOUSING  CORPORATION. 
THE  SUCCESS  OF  THIS  CORPORATION  HAS  ENCOURAGED  PRIVATE  BUILDINQ 


several  home-building  projects  through  real 
estate  agencies,  which  up  to  that  time  had 
taken  the  stand  that  "there  ain't  no  such 
animal,"  but  were  willing  to  venture  after 
the  way  was  paved. 

This  experiment  in  solving  the  housing 
problem  simply  shows  that  with  unity  of 
purpose,  concentration  of  effort  and  coop- 
eration in  handling  the  project  on  a  large 
scale,  homes  can  be  placed  in  reach  of  the 
average  wage-earner,  who  is  unable  to  cope 
with  the  situation  single-handed. 

C.    H.    HALL,    Civic   Department, 
Greater    Wilkes-Barre    Chamber    of    Commerce. 

Chamber  Leads  Good  Roads 
Campaign 

Sioux  City,  Iowa. — With  the  completion 
in  November  of  the  concrete  road  from 
Sioux  City  to  Moville,  the  Sioux  City 
Chamber  of  Commerce  realizes  the  first 
fruits  of  its  labor  of  three  years  ago.  It 
marks  the  first  step  in  Woodbury  County's 
three-and-a-half-million-dollar  road  system, 
for  which  bonds  were  voted  in  1919.  The 
length  of  this  piece  of  road  is  14  miles 
from  the  city  limits  of  Sioux  City  to  Mo- 
ville, Iowa,  and  connects  with  Sioux  City's 
no  miles  of  paved  streets  and  highways. 

The  surface  is  of  the  one-course  rein- 
forced concrete  type.  It  is  8  inches  through, 
resting  on  a  rolled  subgrade,  and  has  a  2- 
inch  crown.  It  is  20  feet  wide  and  has  a 
I -foot  integral  curb  on  each  side,  raised  3 
inches.  The  reinforcement  consists  of  half- 
inch  steel  bars  laid  6  feet  apart,  crosswise, 
with  three  longitudinal  bars.  They  are  2J/2 
inches  below  the  top  of  the  concrete. 

A  useful  feature  is  being  added  by  the 


County  Engineer.  This  is  a  black  line  about 
3  inches  wide  running  along  the  center  of 
the  pavement  the  entire  length.  The  pur- 
pose is  to  direct  traffic  to  the  right  side  go- 
ing in  both  directions.  It  is  hoped  that  this 
will  prevent  accidents  caused  by  cars  stay- 
ing too  close  to  the  center. 

The  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce who  worked  incessantly  for  months 
in  pushing  the  election  which  made  possible 
the  issuing  of  bonds  for  paving  Woodbury 
County's  road  will  feel  well  repaid  for  their 
work  as  they  travel  over  the  Moville  road. 
No  more  mud,  no  more  hard  hills  to  climb ; 
instead,  there  is  a  smooth,  year-round,  hard- 
surface  road. 

It  was  about  three  years  ago  that  the 
question  of  how  to  get  good  roads  was  up- 
permost in  the  minds  of  the  people  in 
Sioux  City  and  Woodbury  County.  The 
Sioux  City  Chamber  of  Commerce  early 
took  an  active  part  and  determined  to  carry 
through  a  road-building  program.  A  strong 
committee  worked  incessantly  against  heavy 
opposition  to  secure  the  proposed  law  which 
made  possible  the  voting  of  bonds  for  the 
hard-surface  roads.  It  was  at  this  stage 
that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  together 
with  other  civic  organizations  in  Sioux 
City,  performed  one  of  the  biggest  stunts 
ever  attempted  in  the  state.  They  moved 
the  State  Legislature  to  Sioux  City.  This 
body  of  lawmakers  came  to  the  city,  viewed 
with  enthusiasm  the  paved  highways  within 
the  city  limits,  went  back  to  Des  Moines 
and  passed  the  new  law.  They  had  not  real- 
ized before  what  concrete  roads  meant  to  a 
community. 

.Next,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  took  the 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Goodyear  All -Weather  Tread  Solid  Tire 


Goodyear  All -Weather  Tread  Solid  Tires 
show  remarkable  tractive  and  cushioning 
qualities  in  service  on  heavy  duty  trucks, 

Their  All- Weather  Tread  design  furnishes 
in  the  36  X  10  size,  for  example,  704  inches 
of  sharp  gripping  edges  so  that  in  the 
heaviest  going  this  tire  grips  hard  and  holds 
to  the  road. 

The  height  and  tread  design  of  the  Good- 
year All- Weather  Tread  Tire  make  it  much 


Copyright  1922,  by  The  Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  ( 


more  resilient  than  a  smooth  surface  tii 
and  even  springier  than  many  so-calle 
cushions.  This  lasting  resilience  protec 
both  the  engine  and  the  chassis  from  roa 
shocks  and  jars. 

Much  thicker  than  the  ordinary  smootl 
tread  solid  tire,  they  wear  much  longer. 

For  lighter  and  quicker  hauling,  Goodye; 
makes  other  special  tires — Goodyear  Cor 
Truck  Tires  and  Goodyear  Cushion  Tire 


Single  Jacket 
Underwriters  Fire  ffbse 


The  UndetAvriters  label  on  Goodyear  Single 
Jacket  Fire  Hose  and  Goodyear  Monterey 
Chemical  Hose,  means  that  the  latter  will  re- 
sist satisfactorily  the  biting,  corrosive  action 
of  chemicals  and  that  both  will  stand  a  definite 
pressure  per  square  inch.  Goody  ear's  years 
of  manufacturing  experience  has  enabled  the 
production  of  hose  on  a  par  with  all  other 
Goodyear  products — hose  which  will  render 
dependable  and  economical  service. 


Monterey  Chemical  Hose 


n 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  C^Ty, 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


61 


lead  in  putting  through  a  $2,500,000  bond 
issue  for  the  actual  hard-surfacing  of  a 
county  primary  road  system.  This  issue, 
with  assessed  benefits,  will  provide  more 
than  $3,500,000,  to  be  spent  as  rapidly  as 
conditions  permit.  The  campaign  included 
liberal  use  of  printer's  ink  and  wide-spread 
information  on  the  proposed  bond  issue, 
which  was  carried  by  a  large  majority. 

The  entire  cost  of  the  road  was  $51,000 
per  mile,  including  grading  and  finishing. 
The  contract  price  for  the  concrete  was 
$3.67  per  square  yard  and  $I.I2>4  per  cubic 
yard  for  subgrade  work. 

JOHN  D.  ADAMS, 
Industrial   Commissioner,   Sioux   City   Chamber  of 
Commerce. 

Business  Aspects  of  a  College 

PouGHKEEPSiE,  N.  Y. — The  Poughkeepsie 
Chamber  of  Commerce  is  now  lending  its 
efforts  toward  securing  the  Vassar  College 
$3,000,000  Salary  Endowment  Fund.  The 
Chamber  has  undertaken  to  raise  the  sum 
of  $30,000  from  the  business  and  profes- 
sional interests  of  the  city  as  its  contribu- 
tion to  the  fund. 

A  unique  folder  has  been  prepared  and 
mailed  to  all  the  prospective  subscribers,  in 
which  the  advantages  of  the  College  to  the 
community  are  clearly  set  forth.  The  pam- 
phlet is  entitled  "Do  We  Appreciate  It?" 
and  the  College  is  compared  to  an  industry 
already  located  or  seeking  to  locate  within 
the  city. 

It  is  set  forth  that  the  College  buildings 
have  a  total  valuation  of  $3,305,000;  that 
the  annual  salaries  and  wages  paid  faculty 
and  employes  of  the  College  amount  to 
$650,000;  that  the  spending  power  of  the 
student  body  (conservatively  estimated  at 
$50  per  student)  exceeds  $60,000,  and  that 
the  cost  of  supplies  purchased  by  the  Col- 
lege in  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie  equals  at 
least  $150,000  per  year.  It  is  therefore  es- 
timated that  approximately  $900,000  is  an- 
nually turned  from  the  College  into  the 
various  channels  of  trade  of  the  city. 

The  prospective  subscribers  are  then 
asked  the  following  questions: 

"What  would  I  give  to  bring  an  institu- 
tion to  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie  which 
would  spend  $900,000  per  annum  if  the 
same  were  not  already  located  here?" 

"What  would  I  give  to  keep  Vassar  Col- 
lege in  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie  if  there 
were  any  intention  of  its  moving  to  some 
other  locality?" 


The  response  to  the  appeal  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  has  been  very  gratifying. 
Contributions  are  coming  unsolicited  to  the 
Chamber  offices,  and  the  officers  and  direc- 
tors of  the  organization  are  confident  that 
the  $30,000  requested  by  the  Chamber  will 
be  forthcoming.  The  people  of  the  city  in 
general  appreciate  the  presence  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  to  date  99.2  per  cent  of  the 
Poughkeepsie  alumni  have  subscribed  to 
the  fund. 

R.  W.  BUDD, 
Secretary,  Poughkeepsie  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


PORTSMOUTH 
SETTLEDI623. 


pEWCASi 

tVE. 

lAMPTONBEACR. 

iBOSTONv^OCEA^ 

BOULEVARD. 

F3>  '      >' 


SUCH   A   SIGNBOARD   IS   USEFUL,   APPRO- 
PRIATE AND  BEAUTIFUL 

The  Doorway  to  Portsmouth 

Portsmouth,  N.  H. — The  photograph 
above  shows  one  of  the  new  signboards, 
of  which  a  dozen  or  fifteen  will  be 
erected  in  this  city  in  the  near  future.  They 
are  the  gift  of  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  No  more  appro- 
priate type  of  guide-board  could  have  been 
designed,  for  it  is  copied  from  one  of  the 
fine  old  colonial  doorways  for  which  the  city 
is  famous.  The  doorway  is  also  a  symbol 
of  hospitality.  Thus  Portsmouth,  in  addi- 
tion to  erecting  sign-boards  which  are  at 
once  artistic,  appropriate  and  distinctive, 
has  chosen  a  symbol  which  thousands  of 
tourists,  who  pass  through  datly  in  summer, 
will  recognize  as  a  welcome  sign. 

H.  F.  SHERWOOD, 
Managing     Secretajy,     Portsmouth     Chamber     of 
Commerce. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


NEWPORT 


Have  the  suppflin^  strength 
of  Hercules  and  Samson 


Mythology  and  Biblical  history  record  the  great  sup- 
porting strength  of  these  ancient  heroes.  The  records 
of  many  cities,  counties  and  states  tell  of  the  great 
supporting  strength  of  Newport  Culverts.  The  re- 
markable lasting  qualities  of  these  corrugated  metal 
culverts  is  due  to  the  ability  of  the  metal  to  withstand 
corrosion. 

Newport  Culverts  are  made  of  genuine  open  hearth 
iron  (99.875  per  cent  pure  iron  copper  alloy),  which 
lasts  a  lifetime. 

Newport  Culverts  are  made  in  full-round  and  half- 
round  shapes  to  make  them  fit  all  conditions.  Full- 
round  shapes  are  most  serviceable  where  there  is  a 
deep  fill  and  plenty  of  head  room.  In  those  places 
where  there  is  little  fill,  the  half-round  culvert  with 
flat  bottom  makes  the  best  proposition  because  of  its 
small  height. 

Full  descriptive  illustrated  lit- 
erature sent  free  on  request. 

NEWPORT  CULVERT  CO.,  INC. 

542  West  10th  St.  Newport,  Kentucky 


78 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


63 


Wyandotte  Adver- 
tises Its  Pure  Water 

Wyandotte,  Mich. — The 
Wyandotte  Board  of  Com- 
merce, in  cooperation  with 
Donald  M.  Hatch,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Water  De- 
partment of  that  city,  has 
adopted  a  novel  plan  of  wel- 
coming the  visitors  to  the 
municipality  and  at  the 
same  time  incorporating 
some  excellent  advertising 
for  the  city.  The  large  sign- 
board which  is  illustrated 
herewith  not  only  shows  a 
view  of  the  new  and  up-to- 
date  filtration  plant  recently 
installed  in  the  city,  but 
also  illustrates  in  a  practi- 
cal way  the  purity  of  its 
water-supply  by  a  bubbling 
drinking  fountain  extending  out  from  the 
face  of  the  sign.  There  are  three  of  these 
billboards  located  at  the  various  entrances 
to  the  city,  and,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  illus- 
tration, other  advantages  of  the  city  are  set 
forth  in  a  panel  at  the  left  of  the  view  of 
the  filter  plant. 

JAMES  H.  PINSON, 
Secretary-Manager,     Wyandotte     Board    of     Com- 
merce. 

A  City  Plan  for  Spartanburg 

Spartanburg,  S.  C. — Work  on  a  compre- 
hensive plan  for  the  city  of  Spartanburg 
has  begun.  The  contract  with  Dr.  John 
Nolen,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  was  signed 
October  3,  the  city,  the  Park  Commission 
and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  each  agree- 
ing to  bear  one-third  of  the  expense. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Members'  Forum  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  held  February 
2^,  1920,  Professor  B.  O.  Hutchinson,  of 
the  Faculty  of  Converse  College,  offered  a 
resolution  recommending  that  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
take  steps  to  secure  a  city  plan.  This  reso- 
lution was  adopted  by  the  Board,  and  a 
committee  on  city  planning  was  appointed. 

For  the  past  year  and  a  half  the  com-* 
mittee  named  by  the  Directors  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  has  been  busy  working 
toward  the  objective  proposed  in  the  reso- 
lution. Dr.  Guy  E.  Snavely,  the  chairman, 
was  sent  to  Cincinnati  to  attend  the  Con- 
ference   on    City    Planning.      He    returned 


AN  ATTRACTIVE  SIGN  ERECTED  BY  THE  WYANDOTTE  BOARD  OF 
CO»IMERCE 


more  enthusiastic  than  ever  over  the  proj- 
ect. Carl  F.  Pilat  and  John  Nolen  came  to 
Spartanburg  by  invitation  and  delivered 
addresses  before  large  numbers  of  citizens 
assembled  at  Forum  meetings  at  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce. 

When  the  South  Carolina  Legislature 
gave  the  Spartanburg  Park  Commission 
city  planning  authority,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  passed  a  resolution  guaranteeing 
one-third  of  the  cost  of  a  city  plan,  pro- 
vided the  other  two-thirds  were  carried  by 
the  city  and  the  Park  Commission. 

Before  the  contract  for  the  city  plan  was 
signed,  the  Park  Commission  was  develop- 
ing Cleveland  Park,  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  city.  This  park,  which  is  half  com- 
pleted, will  have  a  lake  covering  three  acres, 
tennis  grounds,  a  baseball  diamond,  a  club 
house  and  picnic  grounds.  For  this  work 
the  city  voted  $50,000  in  bonds,  and  John  B. 
Cleveland,  a  prominent  citizen,  donated  a 
large  tract  of  land  for  the  park. 

For  several  years  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  many  business  interests  have 
felt  the  need  of  an  industrial  survey  of  the 
city.  It  now  transpires  that  the  work  un- 
dertaken will  in  a  large  measure  include  an 
industrial  survey  in  connection  with  the 
city  plan.  This  information  will  be  of 
immense  benefit  to  the  Chamber  of  Com- 


Publicity     Secretary, 
Commerce. 


D.    G.    SPENCER, 
Spartanburg     Chamber     of 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Northern  Fire  Apparatus 


Northern  Equipped,  Cadillac  "8"  ChaMi«.    In  Service  in  Redwood  Falls,  Minn. 

Our  Liberal  Selling  Policy 

— boosts  local  business  of  your  city.  You  pick  your 
favorite  chassis,  and  go  to  your  own  truck  dealer  to 
get  a  price  quoted  on  it,  Northern  Equipped.  Your 
dealer  gives  the  matter  personal  attention.  His  shop 
becomes  your  service  station  when  the  job  is  de- 
livered. 

The  Northern  Is  Guaranteed 

Under  our  sales  plan  you  have  not  only  the  personal 
attention  of  a  dealer  you  know,  but  also  the  liberal  guar- 
antee and  international  reputation  of  Northern  Fire 
Apparatus  behind  the  job. 

Sales  Offices:   Every  Truck  Dealer,  Everywhere 

''We  furnish  everything  but  the  chassis" 


Northern  Fire  Apparatus  Co. 

2420  University  Ave.,  S.  E.  Minneapolis,  Minn 

78  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City, 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


65 


Lockport  Board  Pro- 
motes Office 
Building 

Lockport,  N.  Y.  —  A 
little  more  than  a  year 
ago  at  one  of  the  member- 
ship get-togethers  of  the 
Board  of  Commerce,  on  the 
matter  of  erecting  a  build- 
ing to  cover  the  site  occu- 
pied at  that  time  by  ruins 
left  because  of  the  broad- 
ening and  deepening  of 
the  State  Barge  Canal,  it 
was  suggested  that  it 
might  be  a  splendid  piece 
of  work  for  the  Board  of 
Commerce  to  endeavor  to 
cover  this  site  with  a  mod- 
ern store  and  office  build- 
ing to  be  the  home  of  the 
Board  of  Commerce.  This 
appealed  greatly  to  the  membership,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  these  ruins  occupied 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  prominent 
places  on  our  Main  Street,  and  a  committtee 
was  immediately  appointed  to  investigate 
the  possibilities  and  to  report.  As  a  result  of 
the  report  of  the  committee  an  organization 
was  incorporated  and  a  campaign  launched 
for  the  selling  of  stock,  which  has  resulted 
in  the  directors  of  the  corporation  proceed- 
ing to  build,  and  the  building  is  now  under 
construction. 

The  building  is  to  be  a  two-story  struc- 
ture with  six  storerooms  on  the  main  floor 
and  offices  on  the  second,  and  is  to  be 
known  as  the  Board  of  Commerce  Building. 
The  novel  feature  of  the  building  is  that 
the  basement  is  to  be  utilized  also  as  store- 
rooms. Because  of  the  fact  that  it  overlooks 
the  locks  of  the  State  Barge  Canal,  the 
stairway  and  sidewalk  are  being  run  from 


WHERE    WAS    FORMERLY   A   LOCAIi   EYESORE   THE   LOCKPORT, 
N.  Y.,  BOARD  HAS  BUILT  ITSELF  AN  ATTRACTIVE  HOME 


the  street  completely  around  the  back  of  the 
building,  forming  a  terrace  overlooking  the 
canal.  The  fact  that  there  is  a  street  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  canal  gives  wonderful 
promise  to  these  basement  storerooms,  and 
virtually  afifords  us  a  three-story  structure. 
Construction  is  to  be  of  reinforced  cement, 
stone,  and  brick,  and  will  be  a  tremendous 
improvement  to  our  Main  Street.  The 
building  when  completed  will  cost  approxi- 
mately $80,000,  the  greater  part  of  which 
has  been  subscribed  by  local  citizens, 
who  have  responded  to  the  appeal  of  civic 
pride. 

This  project  has  met  with  such  great  suc- 
cess, and  the  directors  of  the  corporation 
are  so  much  encouraged,  that  they  are  now 
beginning  to  look  around  to  see  what  they 
can  next  undertake  in  the  way  of  civic  de- 
velopment and  improvement. 

D.  HODSON  LEWIS, 
Secretary,  Board  of  Commerce. 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


J.\NUARY  17-20. — Chicago,  III. 

American  Road  Builders'  Association.  Annual  con- 
vention. Secretary,  E.  L.  Powers,  Editor  Good  Roads, 
31   Waverly  Place.  New  York.   N.   Y. 

Januaky  18-20. — New  York,  N.  Y. 

American  Society  of  Cizil  Engineers.  Annual  meet- 
ing. Secretary,  Charles  Warren  Hunt,  33  West  39th 
Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

January  30. — Trenton,  N.  J. 

Netv  Jersey  State  League  of  Municipalities.  Annual 
meeting.  Secretary,  Clinton  J.  Swartz,  712  American 
Mechanic   Bide.,   Trenton,   N.   J. 


February  16-18. — Altoona,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  Commercial  Secretaries  Association. 
Semi-annual  convention.  Secretary-Treasurer,  B.  W. 
Grills,  Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  McKeesport, 

May  1.5-19. — Philadelphia,  Pa. 

American    Water    Works   Association.      Annual   con- 
vention.    Secretary,  J.  M.  Diven,  158  West  71st  Street, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
May  9-11. — Atlantic  City,   N.  J. 

National  Fire  Protection  Association.  Annual  meet- 
ing. Secretary,  Franklin  H.  Wentworth,  87  Milk 
Street,  Boston,   Mass. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Slate  Trunk  Line 
No.  13  in  Kil- 
bourn,lVisconsin. 
Maintained  u'ith 
annual  treatments 
of  "  Tarvia  -  B  " 
since  IQ16 


Good  Roads  that  Grow  Better- 


MOST  people  are  satisfied  when  the 
roads  stay  "as  good  as  new."  But 
not  so  the  Road  and  Bridge  Committee  of 
Columbia  County,  Wisconsin. 

They  build  good  roads  to  start  with  and 
then,  by  far-sighted  but  inexpensive  main- 
tenance with  "Tarvia-B,"  make  those  good 
roads  better  every  year. 

This  extract  from  their  letter  will  be  of 
interest  to  all  highway  officials: 

"Our  experience  in  successfully  main- 
taining our  macadam  roads  with  "Tarvia- 
B"  is  due  not  only  to  the  excellence  of 
your  product,  but  also  the  rule  we  follow 
in  Columbia  County  of  surface  treating 
macadam  roads  in  good  condition  and 
giving  them  additional  treatments  of 
Tarvia  annually. 

"During  the  past  couple  of  years,  we 
have  used  clean  limestone  screenings  ^" 


J 


For  Road  Construction 
^  Repair  and  Maintenance 


size  as  a  covering  after  applying  the  Tat 
via.  We  believe  we  are  adding  just  a  littl 
more  Tarvia  surface  each  year  than  th 
traffic  wears  off,  as  we  have  several  maca 
dam  roads  in  this  county  that  have  beei 
annually  treated  with  "Tarvia-B"  for  thi 
past  six  years  and  are  in  better  conditioi 
at  the  present  time  than  they  were  whei 
first  treated  with  Tarvia." 

The  use  of  Tarvia  re-enforces  the  roai 
surface  and  makes  it  waterproof,  frost 
proof,  mudless,  dustless  and  automobile 
proof.  A  road  maintained  with  Tarvii 
pays  for  itself  over  and  over  again. 

Tarvia  is  a  coal  tar  preparation,  madi 
in  a  number  of  grades  to  meet  construction 
maintenance  and  repair  problems. 

Illustrated  booklet  describing  the  variou 
Tarvia  treatments  jree  on  request. 


GOOD  ROADS  SHOW 

Visit  our  booth  at  the  Coliseum, 
Chicago,  111.,  during  the  Good 
Roads  Show  of  the  A.  R.  B.  A., 

January  16-20,  1922. 


Nr»  Yck 

SallLaVrCm 
Johnsiown 


Ch.< 


...J.  Orle«n* 
Sr.nle 

Lebanon 

flftab«lh  8ufI«lo 

'THE  BARRETT  COMPANY.  Urn 


Prona  AiU 

Youn»«lown  Toll 

Ba'umof*       V        Om, 


Company      oi 


Columbui 
JackjooviJIe 
S<  lokn.  N   B.. 


74 


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1 


(>7 


The  Selection  of  Superheaters  for 
Municipal  Power-Plants* 

By  W.  F.  Schaphorst,  M.  E. 


THE  natural  temperature  of  steam  at 
atmospheric  pressure  is  212°  F.  Pass 
this  steam  through  a  superheater  and 
increase  its  temperature  to  312°  F.,  with- 
out increasing  its  pressure,  and  you  have 
steam  of  100°  superheat.  Similarly,  the 
natural  temperature  of  steam  at  200  pounds 
absolute  pressure  is  381.9°  F.  Pass  this 
steam  through  a  superheater  and  increase 
its  temperature  to  481.9°,  without  increas- 
ing its  pressure,  and  you  have  steam  of 
100°  superheat.  The  function  of  the  super- 
heater, therefore,  is  simply  to  increase 
steam  temperature — not  to 
increase  pressure. 

Reference  has  been  made 
in  previous  articles  of  this 
series  to  the  advantages  of 
superheated  steam.  In  all 
large  modern  steam  power- 
plants  superheated  steam  is 
invariably  specified.  With 
superheated  steam,  higher 
efficiencies  and  economies 
are  obtainable  because  effi- 
ciciency  is  dependent  upon 
"temperature  difference"  in 
the  same  way  that  the  effi- 
ciency and  power  of  a  hy- 
draulic turbine  are  depen- 
dent upon  the  difference  in 
water  level. 

Not  only  does  super- 
heated steam  increase  the 
efficiency  of  engines  and 
turbines,  but  the  efficiency 
of  boilers  equipped  with 
superheaters  is  slightly  in- 
creased. In  European  coun- 
tries it  is  common  practice 
to  guarantee  an  increase  in 
boiler  efficiency  of  from  i 
to  i>4  per  cent,  although 
such  a  slight  increase  would 
be  difficult  to  prove. 

Superheaters  are  usually 
placed  somewhere  within 
the  boiler   setting,   integral 


with  the  boiler,  in  order  t-hat  the  hot  flue 
gases  may  do  the  superheating.  The  super- 
heater is  never  placed  directly  in  the  fur- 
nace of  the  boiler  itself,  because  in  that 
location  it  could  not  withstand  the  heat;  in 
all  probability  it  would  melt.  Nor  is  the 
superheater  placed  at  the  "exit"  of  the 
gases,  because  at  that  point  the  gases  are 
comparatively  cool — so  cool  that  they  would 
not  superheat  the  steam  to  a  sufficiently  high 
temperature.  Consequently,  it  is  common 
practice  to-day  to  divide  the  boiler  into 
"decks,"   placing   the    superheater    between 


•  Copyright, 
Schaphorst. 


1921,    by    W.    F. 


RECLASSIFIED  STIRLING  BOILER  WITH  BABCOCK  AND  WIL- 
COX STEAM  SUPERHEATER  AND  BLAST  TYPE  CHAIN  (JRATB 
8T0KER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


"PENNSYLVANIA    TRIO 


» » 


The  "Pennsylvania  Trio' 

is  the  triumph  of  the 
famous  Pennsylvania 
Quality  Line.  It  embodies 
all  the  exclusive  quality 
features.  No  other  mower 
will  cut  grass  on  golf 
courses,  big  estates  or 
parks  as  efficiently,  eco- 
nomically or  speedily. 


UWN  MOWERS 


''PENNSYLVANIA  GOLF 


The  "Pennsylvania  Golf* 
has  no  rival  when  close 
cutting  is  required  on  tennis 
courts,  putting-greens  and 
lawns.  It  trims  to  i^  of  an 
inch.  All  its  blades  are 
crucible  tool  steel;  self- 
sharpening. 

Write  for  "Pennsylvania  BooJ^' 


76 


PENNSYLVANIA  LAWN  MOWER  WORKS.  Inc. 
1615  North  23rd  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


January^  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


69 


the  decks  at  a  point  where  the  temperature 
of  the  gases  for  heating  the  superheater 
will  be  suitable. 

The  selection  of  the  right  kind  of  super- 
heater depends  largely  upon  the  load  con- 
ditions in  the  plant.  If  the  load  is  com- 
paratively steady,  a  superheater  of  the 
above  type  would  do  very  well,  but  if  the 
load  fluctuates  violently,  being  below 
normal  at  one  time  and  100  to  200  per  cent 
above  normal  at  another  time,  it  is  evident 
that  the  superheater  would  also  fluctuate 
considerably  and  a  different  type  of  super- 
heater should  be  selected.  Superheated 
steam  of  a  constant  temperature  is  always 
most  desirable. 

There  is  on  the  market  a  type  of  super- 
heater equipped  with  an  automatic  tempera- 
ture control  that  by-passes  the  hot  flue  gases 
in  such  a  way  that  fairly  constant  super- 
heat is  maintained.  At  the  same  time,  if 
the  boiler  is  equipped  with  an  economizer, 
the  heat  in  the  hot  gases  is  not  wasted.  If 
the  boiler  is  not  equipped  with  an  econo- 
mizer, it  is  better  to  waste  the  flue  gases 
than  to  melt  or  burn  the  superheater  with 
the  excessively  high  temperature  gases. 

The  above  types  of  superheaters  are  made 
integral  with  the  boiler.  Where  load  con- 
ditions vary  suddenly,  or  widely,  or  where 
the  prime  movers  are  located  at  a  considera- 
ble distance  from  the  boilers,  a  "separately 
fired  superheater"  located  on  the  main  steam 
line  may  be  the  correct  solution.  To  be 
sure,  separately  fired  superheaters  are  less 
efficient  than  the  integral  type  and  are  not 
so  much  used.  The  integral  type  is  always 
preferable  wherever  it  can  be  installed. 
Superheaters  that  are  separately  fired  should 
be  automatically  regulated  or  carefully 
watched  so  that  in  case  of  a  sudden  drop  in 
steam  consumption  the  superheat  will  not 
run  too  high  and  the  superheater  will  not 
be  ruined. 

Necessary  Cautions 

It  must  be  remembered  that,  although 
beneficial  as  regards  steam  consumption, 
superheated  steam  also  has  its  upper  limita- 
tions. If  allowed  to  get  too  hot,  super- 
heated steam  will  ruin  brass  and  other  alloy 
fittings  and  may  have  a  retarding  effect 
upon  the  lubrication  of  steam  engines.  Tur- 
bines, engines,  and  fittings  are  usually  made 
of  different  kinds  of  metals,  joined  together. 
Each  metal  usually  has  a  coefficient  of  ex- 
pansion of  its  own,  different  from  those  of 


the  other  metals,  and  thereon,  also,  hinges 
another  trouble. 

In  selecting  a  superheater,  bear  in  mind 
the  fact  that  placing  it  within  the  boiler 
setting  is  liable  to  increase  the  frictional 
resistance  of  the  gases  through  the  boiler. 
Be  sure  that  this  resistance  is  not  increased 
too  much.  The  superheater  should  be  so 
placed  that  it  will  have  ample  space  in 
which  to  expand  and  contract,  independ- 
ently from  the  boiler,  boiler  parts,  and  set- 
ting. See  that  the  superheater  is  equipped 
with  an  independent  safety-valve  of  the  out- 
side-spring  type.  This  safety-valve  should 
be  set  slightly  lower  than  the  safety-valve 
on  the  boiler,  so  that  in  case  of  too  high 
pressure  the  superheater  valve  will  let  go 
first  and  there  will  always  be  a  flow  of 
steam  through  the  superheater.  Otherwise, 
if  the  boiler  safety-valve  lifted  first,  the 
flow  of  steam  through  the  superheater 
might  cease  and  the  superheater  might  be 
ruined  by  burning.  Also  be  sure  that  the 
superheater  is  equipped  with  drains  for  re- 
movir>g  water  from  all  portions  before  start- 
ing up.  Unless  the  superheater  is  thor- 
oughly drained,  slugs  of  water  may  be  car- 
ried along  with  the  steam  to  the  prime 
movers,  with  results  that  might  prove  disas- 
trous. 

Users  of  superheaters  should  be  careful 
about  permitting  saturated  steam  connec- 
tions to  the  boiler  in  addition  to  the  super- 
heater connection,  especially  to  the  prime 
movers.  This  is  bad  practice,  because  the 
use  of  saturated  steam  reduces  the  amount 
of  superheated  steam,  the  velocity  of  super- 
heated steam  is  reduced  correspondingly, 
and  as  a  result  there  might  not  be  sufficient 
flow  through  the  superheater  for  its  own 
protection  against  distortion  or  burning. 
Saturated  steam  connections  should  never 
be  permitted  to  carry  more  than  10  to  15 
per  cent  of  the  entire  amount  of  steam 
generated  by  the  boiler. 

Despite  the  great  amount  of  study  that 
has  been  given  superheaters  and  despite  the 
broad  experience  that  has  been  had  with 
them,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  predict 
with  accuracy  the  performance  of  a  super- 
heater under  varying  conditions.  With  a 
given  coal,  a  mechanical  stoker  may  give  a 
lower  degree  of  superheat  than  would  hand- 
firing  with  the  same  coal.  It  is  reported 
that  in  one  plant,  which  was  converted  to 
burning  oil  from  previous  mechanical  stok- 
ing, the  superheat  was  reduced  36  per  cent 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


■4^ 


RESOLVED 


That  because  of  the  need 
of  safety  and  economy  in 
street  traffic  control 


MUSHROOM  TRAFFIC  LIGHTS 

(Milwaukee  Type) 

Should  be  installed  at  street  crossings,  on  narrow 
streets,  heavy  traffic  streets  and  boulevards. 
This  steel  unit  is  readily  visible  by  day  and  night 
as  it  is  located  where  theTdriver  is  looking  and 
when  illuminated  is  a  bright  spot  without  glare. 
It  stands  only  eight  inches  high  but  it  is  large 
enough  to  readily  control  the  most  habitual  "cor- 
ner cutter."  It  is  accident-proof,  indestructible 
and  equipped  with  a  duplex  lighting  system  that 
insures  constant  service.  See  exhibit  at  the 
Good  Roads  Show,  Chicago,  Jan.   16-20,   1922. 

Our  Descriptive  Bulletin  sent  free  on  request. 

Electrical  &  Specialty  Supply  Company 

Madison  Terminal  Building  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


i  i  r 


I  m 


76 


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January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


71 


at  normal  load;  reduced  40  per  cent  at  50 
per  cent  overload;  and  reduced  42  per  cent 
at  100  and  150  per  cent  overloads  respect- 
ively. It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  fuel 
and  method  of  firing  have  much  to  do  with 
the  degree  of  superheat  obtainable.  Other 
factors  that  affect  the  degree  of  superheat 
are:  amount  of  excess  air  used  in  combus- 
tion; heating  value  of  coal  burned,  as  well 
as  kind  of  coal;  type  of  stoker  used;  and 
quality  of  manual  attendance. 

In   view    of   these    facts,    therefore,    the 


municipal  power-plant  official  must  not  be 
surprised  if,  after  purchasing  and  installing 
a  superheater,  it  fails  to  give  the  exact 
degree  of  superheat  desired — unless  it  is 
of  the  type  equipped  with  by-passes  and 
automatic  temperature  control.  The  writer 
knows  that  some  of  the  largest  manufac- 
turers of  superheaters  are  still  having  their 
troubles.  In  spite  of  these  troubles,  how- 
ever, superheaters  are  to  be  recommended 
as  important  economy  factors  in  all  modern 
municipal  steam  power-plants. 


New  York's  Traffic  Towers 


MUNICIPAL  officials  throughout  the 
country,  especially  those  directly  in- 
terested in  traffic  control,  are  familiar 
with  the  story  of  New  York's  traffic  towers. 
The  five  now  in  use  were  installed  along 
Fifth  Avenue  by  Dr.  John  A.  Harris, 
Special  Deputy  Police  Commissioner,  at  his 
own  expense,  and  were  originally  in  the 
nature  of  an  experiment.  They  have  worked 
out  so  satisfactorily  that  their  permanent 
retention  has  been  decided  on. 

The  Fifth  Avenue  Association  offered  a 
prize  for  the  design  of  a  bronze  traffic 
tower,  more  ornamental  than  the  simple, 
temporary  structures  originally  erected. 
The  prize  was  won  by  Joseph  H,  Freed- 
lander,  who  will  be  retained  as  architect  to 
supervise  the  construction  of  the  new  tow- 
ers. The  contest  aroused  much  interest 
among  architects  throughout  the  country. 
The  Association's  announcement  says  : 

"The  new  signal  towers  are  to  be  constructed 
almost  entirely  of  bronze,  with  a  granite  base 
4  feet  square  and  3  feet  high.  They  will  be  23 
feet  in  height.  The  base  is  to  have  granite 
'striking  blocks'  at  each  corner  to  fend  off 
traffic  and  to  protect  the  tower  itself.  The  lower 
part  of  the  structure  will  be  open  so  as  to 
allow  an  unobstructed  view  up  and  down  the 
avenue.  The  space  at  the  top  which  is  to  house 
the  traffic  policemen  will  be  enclosed  in  glass 
windows,  so  operated  as  to  allow  the  policeman 
in  the  tower  to  open  or  close  all  of  them  at  one 
time  with  a  single  swing  of  a  lever.  The  towers 
will  be  heated  by  means  of  electric  stove." 

Besides  the  $500  first  prize,  second  and 
third  prizes  of  $300  and  $200  were  offered. 
Dr.  John  H.  Finley,  former  Commissioner 
of  Education  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
made  the  address  at  the  banquet  at  which 
the  prizes  were  awarded. 


THE    WINNING     DESIGN     FOR     NEW    YORK'S 
TRAPFIO     TOWERS 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Lowering   the  Cost   of  Greater 

Police  Efficiency 

MEMPHIS,  TENNESSEE.     One  of  the  best 
police  departments  in  the  South.     Motorcycles? 
Decidedly.     Harley-Davidsons?     Exclusively! 

Memphis  is  one  of  the  hundreds  of  American  cities 
(large  and  small)  that  have  increased  police  efficiency 
and  lov^^ered  its  expense  by  using  Harley-Davidsons. 
A  policeman  on  a  motorcycle  can  do  so  much  more — 
and  in  so  much  less  time — that  the  moderate  first  cost 
of  the  machine  is  soon  earned.  Thereafter  the  motor- 
cycle pays  the  city  a  profit  every  month  for  years. 


Police  Dept.  uses  of 
Harley-Davidsons 

Chasing  speeders 
Running      down      "motorized 
crooks" 

Enforcing  parking  rules 
Regulating  traffic 
Messenger  work 
Emergency  calls 
Bringing     relief    or     reinforce- 
ments 


In  any  emergency — in  any  weather — on  any  road, 
the  greater  dependability,  durability  and  economy  of 
the  Harley-Davidson  have  won  for  it  the  distinction  of 
being  "America's  Police  Motorcycle" — used  exclu- 
sively by  most  all  modem  police  departments. 

Ask  your  local  dealer  for  free  demonstration 
and  the  new,  reduced  Harley-Davidson  prices 
(25%  lower).  Or  write  to  us  for  interesting 
book,  illustrating  motorcycles  in  use  by  many 
police  departments. 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON  MOTOR  CO. 

MILWAUKEE  WISCONSIN 


liOorld^s  Champion  Motorcycle 


73 


BONDING 


Municipal  Finance 

ACCOUNTING 


TAXATION 


Own  Your  Own  City 

Two  Canadian  Cities  Try  an  Interesting  Experiment  in  Finance 


THE  city  of  Brantford,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, recently  completed  the  market- 
ing of  $550,000  city  bonds  "over  the 
counter."  The  treasurer,  Arthur  K.  Bun- 
nell, believed  that,  after  its  experience  v^^ith 
the  war  loans,  the  public  was  prepared  for 
such  an  experiment,  provided  the  proper  at- 
mosphere was  created.  He  therefore  called 
into  consultation  all  the  bond  brokers  doing 
business  in  the  city,  and  with  them  arranged 
a  joint  newspaper  advertising  campaign, 
calling  attention  to  the  soundness  of  the 
investment,  the  satisfactory  rate  of  inter- 
est, 6  per  cent,  and  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
a  matter  of  good  citizenship  to  provide 
funds  for  the  needs  of  the  municipality. 
The  brokers  were  allowed  a  commission  of 
one-half  of  i  per  cent  on  their  sales. 

The  bonds  were  issued  in  denominations 
of  $100  and  up,  with  interest  payable  half- 
yearly.  The  population  of  the  city  is  only 
a  little  over  33,000,  but  the  bonds  were 
readily  absorbed.  The  distribution  was  very 
broad,  embracing  all  classes  of  the  com- 
munity, and  as  a  natural  consequence  has 
considerably  stimulated  civic  interest.  The 
experiment  was  a  complete  success,  and  it 
is  believed  that  the  future  requirements  of 
the  city  for.  any  reasonable  amounts  can 
be  cared  for  by  the  local  investing  public. 

A  similar  experiment,  reported  by  Leslie 
Andrew,  City  Commissioner,  was  tried  in 
the  city  of  Saskatoon,  Saskatchewan,  re- 
cently, when  debentures  of  the  city  to  the 
amount  of  $100,000  were  sold  to  the  citizens 
over  the  counter. 

Saskatoon  has  an  estimated  population  of 
30,000.  It  is  the  distributing  point  for  a 
vast  farming  district,  being  situated  on 
three  lines  of  railway,  each  of  which  has  a 
number  of  branches  radiating  into  the  sur- 
rounding territory.  The  district  this  year 
had  one  of  the  best  crops  in  its  history  and 


is  therefore  enjoying  a  liberal  measure  of 
prosperity. 

Finding  it  necessary  to  raise  $100,000  by 
the  sale  of  debentures,  and  realizing  that 
the  time  was  inopportune  to  approach  the 
money  market  in  the  usual  way,  the  City 
Council,  on  the  recommendation  of  the 
Commissioner,  decided  to  offer  the  deben- 
tures locally  through  the  City  Treasurer's 
office.  Publicity  was  given  to  the  Council's 
decision,  and  immediately  there  was  a  brisk 
demand  for  the  bonds,  with  the  result  that 
they  were  quickly  disposed  of. 

The  bonds  were  sold  at  a  price  to  yield 
the  investors  7  per  cent  interest.  They  were 
of  the  sinking  fund  variety,  $76,000  being 
issued  for  a  term  of  5  years  and  the  bal- 
ance of  $24,000  running  for  10  years.  The 
denominations  issued  were  $100,  $500,  and 
$1,000.  It  was  found  after  the  issue  had 
been  fully  taken  up  that  $67,000  had  been 
subscribed  for  in  denominations  of  $1,000, 
$20,000  in  $500,  and  the  balance  in  $100 
denominations. 

The  bonds  were  not  printed  until  the  sale 
had  been  completed,  thus  giving  pur- 
chasers the  greatest  possible  latitude  in  the 
amount  they  desired  to  purchase.  As  sub- 
scriptions came  in,  the  City  Treasurer  is- 
sued interim  certificates,  these  being  turned 
in  again  when  the  definitive  bonds  were 
ready  for  delivery  to  the  purchasers. 

Part  of  the  success  which  attended  the 
floating  of  the  local  debenture  issue  in 
Saskatoon  must  be  attributed  to  the  educa- 
tion of  the  people  as  to  the  value  of  bonds 
from  a  savings  investment  standpoint 
through  the  various  loans  floated  in  recent 
years  by  the  Dominion  Government  to  de- 
fray war  expenses.  It  must  not  be  over- 
looked that  an  attractive  rate  of  interest 
was  offered  to  the  investors,  which,  apart 
from  any  question  of  patriotism,  was  a  con- 
siderable factor  in  the  success  of  the  issue. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  Universal  Motorcycle 


Here's  a  messenger  boy 
1 6  years  old. 

His  mother  bought  him 
an 

SmcUxi/rh  x£aotLt 

because  it  was  not  heavy, 
it  was  not  noisy,  it  was 
clean,  mechanically  sim- 
ple, easy  to  handle  and 
economical  to  operate.  She 
knew  her  son  could  use 
a  Scout  profitably  and 
without  danger. 


Here's  a  Motor  Cop. 
The  city  bought  him 


an 

because  in  addition  to 
recognizing  the  essential 
features  which  influenced 
the  mother's  purchase  they 
realized  that  the  Scout  was 
strong,  reliable  and  sufii- 
ciently  speedy  and  power- 
ful to  answer  every  require- 
ment of  their  mounted 
policemen. 


LIGHT  ENOUGH  FOR  THE  MESSENGER  BOY 
STRONG  ENOUGH  FOR  THE  MOTOR  COP 


That's  Why 

The  Indian  Scout  is  the  Most  Popular  Motorcycle  in  the  World 


Largest  Motorcycle  Man- 
ufacturer in  the  World 


HENDEE  MANUFACTURING  CO. 


Municipal  Dept. 

Springfield,  Mass. 


78 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


75 


•a 


PER    CENT 

82gS5S8e8S82Sg 

s 

4.50 
4.60 
4.70 
4.80 
4.90 
5.00 
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THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


At  Last!  A  Successful  Snow  Plow  For  The  Fordson 


The  Wehr  Company  Introduce  the  Wehr 
Highway  and  Street  snow  plow  for  the 
Fordson  Tractor,  after  exhaustive  tests  and 
experiments.  It  is  a  proven  and  effective 
snow  plow,  which  opens  new  sales  possibili- 
ties for  every  Fordson  dealer  in  the  North- 
ern States. 

It  affords  the  county  the  cheapest  and  most 
economical  equipment  for  keeping  the  high- 
way open,  even  during  the  severest  bliz- 
zard. 

It  is  the  only  Snow  Plow  on  the  market  on 
which  the  side-draft  can  be  controlled  by 
the  tractor,  as  the  tractor  pivots  over  a 
heavy  push  bar,  so  a  straight  line  of  draft 
on  the  tractor  can  be  maintained  at  all 


times.  The  draft  is  taken  from  the  tractor 
draw  bar. 

It  is  the  only  Snow  Plow  which  will  take  a 
cut  with  half  of  the  blade,  and  maintain  a 
straight  course.  This  is  important  when 
cutting  through  drifts. 

The  Fordson  Tractor  can  handle  this  Snow 
Plow  on  high  speed  over  ordinary  grades 
encountered  on  cement  highways  or  City 
streets,  maintaining  a  speed  of  eight  to  ten 
miles  per  hour. 

The  Wehr  Snow  Plow  will  handle  icy  con- 
ditions, keeping  gutters  clean  and  ruts  out 
of  roads,  making  a  smooth  road  for  auto- 
mobile travel. 


Liberal  Discount  to  Dealers. 


SPECIFICATIONS  — 

The  Wehr  Snow  Plow  has  a  ten  foot 
blade,  set  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  de- 
grees, cutting  eight  feet.  The  blade 
can  be  raised  or  lowered  at  either  end. 
It  is  equipped  with  worm-gear  Steering 
Control. 

Weight  two  thousand  pounds  (2000) 
— weight  of  plow  is  carried  on  four 
runners. 

Plow  can  be  equipped  with  auxiliary 
wheels,  which  can  be  lowered  when 
going  over^bare  spots. 
The  Snow  Plow  is  attached  to 
tractor  with  one  bolt. 


Welip    Compainy^ 

549  Thirtieth  Street 
MILWAUKEE  WISCONSIN 


17 


Municipal  Bond  News 


THE  graph  of  the  municipal  bond 
market  compiled  by  The  Bond  Buyer 
and  shown  on  page  75  is  of  great  in- 
terest to  followers  of  the  municipal  bond 
market.  It  illustrates  clearly  the  major 
movements  of  the  municipal  bond  market,  in 
terms  of  yield,  rather  than  in  terms  of  price, 
which  form  the  basis  of  most  graphic 
charts.  For  this  reason  it  will  appear  at 
first  glance  to  be  inverted. 

The  Effects  of  the  War 

First  of  all,  it  shows  how  difficult  it  would 
be  to  determine  an  exact  "normal"  rate  for 
municipal  bonds.  In  the  years  between 
1901  and  1913  we  find  the  cost  of  money  to 
municipalities  steadily  rising,  over  a  total 
fluctuation  of  1.30  per  cent.  Then  came  a 
partial  recovery,  which  culminated  with  the 
approach  of  our  entrance  into  the  war. 
With  the  actual  declaration,  the  cost  of 
money  began  a  rising  movement  lasting 
about  a  year,  when  rates  became  stabilized 
in  the  4.40  to  4.70  zone.  This  may  be  ex- 
plained by  reference  to  the  direct  influence 
of  the  Government  on  money  rates,  neces- 
sitated by  the  flotation  of  the  Liberty  and 
Victory  issues.  The  value  of  the  tax  ex- 
emption features  of  municipals  is  also  em- 
phasized in  this  period,  as  it  saved  the  bonds 
of  municipalities  from  the  full  force  of 
competition  with  the  more  speculative  in- 
dustrial securities,  which  during  this  period 
yielded  very  much  higher  returns,  subject, 
of  course,  in  the  case  of  large  investors,  to 
very  high  taxes. 

The  Period  of  Deflation 

With  the  month  of  November,  1919,  be- 
gins another  pronounced  curve.  This  may 
be  said  to  have  terminated  in  July  of  1921, 
and  is  the  history  of  "deflation"  expressed 
in  terms  of  municipal  bonds.  It  was  a 
period  of  "tight  money,"  during  which  large 
quantities  of  high-coupon  bonds  of  indus- 
tries, as  well  as  of  foreign  governments, 
were  offered  to  investors.  Without  going 
into  a  discussion  of  the  economic  merits  or 
demerits  of  tax  exemption  of  municipal  se- 
curities, it  may  be  safely  stated  that  the  tax 
exemption  feature  held  down  the  rate  on 
municipal  securities  rather  effectively.  The 
graph  shows  that  the  average  net  income 
of  bonds  of  twenty  large  cities  of  the  United 


States  did  not  quite  reach  the  5.30  per  cent 
level,  while  at  the  same  time  a  yield  of 
7  and  8  per  cent  was  common  in  taxable 
corporate  and  foreign  securities  of  very 
high  investment  rating,  and  a  return  of 
above  5.30  could  be  found  in  certain  issues 
of  the  Federal  Government  itself. 

The  Recovery  of  the  Bond  Market 

The  municipal  bond  market  began  to  give 
convincing  evidence  of  its  strength  with  the 
short-lived  recovery  commencing  in  Sep- 
tember, 1920,  checked  after  a  few  weeks 
and  gradually  forced  down.  Possibly  this 
was  due  to  the  very  heavy  offerings  of 
municipal  bonds  which  have  marked  the 
year  192 1.  The  table  which  appeared  on 
page  431  of  the  November  American  City 
showed  the  record-breaking  volume  of  these 
issues. 

In  July,  192 1,  began  another  recovery, 
gradual  at  first,  but  gaining  momentum, 
until  in  the  single  month  of  November  the 
averages  rose  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  in 
a  perpendicular  movement  such  as  the 
market  had  not  seen  in  this  generation.  At 
present  this  movement  still  continues  with 
great  vigor.  The  first  of  December  saw  the 
averages  established  in  what  may  be  called 
the  "war  zone,"  and  probably  the  first  of 
January  found  the  average  at  nearly  pre- 
war levels. 

Bond  Issues  of  the  Month 

Among  the  municipal  bond  offerings  of  De- 
cember which  have  aroused  especial  interest  may 
be  mentioned  the  issues  of  Rochester,  Buffalo, 
and  New  York.  The  Rochester  bonds  were 
brought  out  early  in  the  month  on  a  4^  per 
cent  basis,  and  the  offering  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  successful  of  the  year.  The  Buf- 
falo and  New  York  bonds  appeared  the  follow- 
ing week.  The  Buffalo  issue  totaled  $7,360,000, 
of  which  $6,000,000  were  school  bonds.  The 
bonds  mature  in  from  one  to  twenty  years, 
carry  a  4M2  per  cent  coupon,  and  have  found  a 
ready  market  at  prices  to  yield  4.20  to  4.05,  ac- 
cording to  the  date  of  maturity. 

The  same  day  New  York  brought  out  $55,- 
000,000  of  corporate  stock.  This,  too,  bears  a 
414  per  cent  coupon,  runs  50  years,  and  has 
been  sold  on  a  4^  per  cent  basis.  'For  these 
bonds  the  syndicate  bid  103.407,  and  the  issue 
is  currently  traded  in,  on  a  when-issued  basis, 
at  about  104^.  It  is  stated  that  one  must  go 
back  to  1909  to  find  an  issue  placed  on  better 
terms,  as  far  as  New  York  is  concerned. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Cletrac  Keeps  The  Roads  Open 

'T^HE  picture  shows  the  crawler  type  Cletrac 
•*-  fighting  the  deep  snow  on  the  Schenectady- 
Albany  turnpike  last  winter.  On  a  four  mile  stretch 
of  this  road  the  drifts  were  so  high  in  places  that  the 
Cletrac  often  had  to  cut  back  and  forth  three  or  four 
times,  but  it  stayed  right  with  it  and  opened  the 
road  for  traffic  in  three  hours  time. 

MunicipaHties  in  all  parts  of  the  country  keep 
Cletracs  on  hand  to  insure  themselves  against  traffic 
tie-ups  in  winter.  New  York  City  alone  has  loo  for 
this  purpose.  And  in  the  summer  of  course,  they 
are  used  for  street  cleaning  and  maintenance  and  all 
kinds  of  heavy  haulage  jobs. 

We'll  be  glad  to  send  you  more  detailed  informa- 
tion on  request.  Or  arrange  for  a  demonstration 
with  the  Cletrac  dealer  near  you. 


HARD  THIS 
WAY,  BUT- 


EASY  ON  A  TRACK 


The  Cleveland  Tractor  Co.  ™eclet^c  wXy 

Largest  Producers  of  Tank-Type  Tractors  in  the  World 

19205  Euclid  Avenue  Cleveland,  Ohio 


80 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


79 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information   for  City  Attorneys  and  Other   Municipal  OflBcers,  Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 


City  May  Regulate  But  Not  Prohibit 
Hospitals   for   Contagious    Diseases 

An  ordinance  prohibiting  maintenance 
anywhere  in  the  city  of  any  hospital  for 
treatment  of  contagious  or  infectious 
diseases,  is  wholly  unreasonable,  and  so  not 
justified  as  an  exercise  of  the  police  power. 
And  enforcement  of  such  an  ordinance  will 
be  enjoined.  These  two  propositions  were 
decided  by  the  California  Supreme  Court 
in  the  case  of  San  Diego  Tuberculosis  As- 
sociation V.  City  of  East  San  Diego,  200 
Pacific  Reporter,  393. 

Plaintiff  successfully  sued  to  enjoin  en- 
forcement of  an  ordinance  of  defendant 
city,  which  declared  every  hospital  for  the 
treatment  of  persons  afflicted  with  conta- 
gious or  infectious  diseases  to  be  a  nuisance, 
making  the  maintenance  of  any  such  hos- 
pital within  the  limits  of  the  city  a  misde- 
meanor, and  making  its  maintenance  a  sep- 
arate offense  for  each  day.  A  series  of 
prosecutions  was  commenced  against  plain- 
tiff's officers  and  employees  and  its  contin- 
uation was  threatened.  Upholding  plaintiff's 
right  to  an  injunction,  the  Supreme  Court 
says: 

"Two  questions  are  presented :  first,  is  the 
ordinance  invalid?  and,  second,  even  if  it  is, 
can  its  enforcement  by  the  city  officials  be  en- 
joined? The  answer  to  both  of  these  questions 
seems  to  us  plain. 

"The  ordinance  can  be  justified  only  as  an 
exercise  of  the  city's  police  power^  This 
power,  is  of  course,  very  broad,  but  it  is  not 
without  limitation.  One  limitation  enforced  in 
numerous  cases  is  that  an  ordinance  purporting 
to  be  an  exercise  of  the  city's  police  power 
'may  not  be  arbitrary  or  unreasonable.  The 
exercise  of  the  police  power  cannot  be  made  a 
mere  cloak  for  the  arbitrary  interference  with 
or  suppression  of  a  lawful  business.' 

"Such  being  the  law,  was  the  present  ordi- 
nance a  reasonable  one  in  its  essential  feature, 
that  of  prohibiting  within  the  city  any  hospital 
for  the  treatment  of  contagious  or  infectious 
diseases?  Such  prohibition  is  very  different 
from  regulation,  and  can  be  justified  only  on 
the  ground  that  such  a  hospital,  no  matter  how 
well  conducted,  is  a  menace  to  the  public  peace, 
morals,  health,  or  comfort.     That  a  well-con- 


ducted, modern  hospital,  even  one  for  the  treat- 
ment of  contagious  and  infectious  diseases,  is 
not  such  a  menace,  but,  on  the  contrary,  one  of 
the  most  beneficent  of  institutions,  needs  no 
argument.  There  is  not  the  slightest  danger  of 
the  spread  of  disease  from  it,  and  this  is  the 
only  possible  ground  on  which  objection  could 
be  made  to  it.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  hold- 
ing an  ordinance  prohibiting  the  maintenance 
anywhere  within  the  city  of  an  institution  so 
necessary  in  our  modern  life  and  so  beneficent 
to  be  wholly  unreasonable  and  invalid. 

"As  to  the  second  question,  the  enjoining  of 
the  enforcement  of  the  ordinance,  the  rule  is 
thus  stated  in  Abbey  Land  Co.  v.  San  Mateo, 
just  referred  to,  167  Cal.  on  page  440,  139 
Pac.  on  page  1070,  52  L.  R.  A.  (N.  S.)  408, 
Ann.  Cas.  1915C,  804: 

"The  doctrine  that  an  action  will  lie  to  enjoin 
the  enforcement  of  an  (invalid)  municipal 
ordinance  in  cases  where  such  enforcement  will 
cause  substantial  and  irreparable  injury  to 
private  property  or  private  property  rights,  and 
in  which  there  is  no  adequate  remedy  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  law,  is  now  too  well  settled 
to  require  discussion. 

"It  is  evident  in  the  present  case  that  the 
enforcement  of  the  ordinance  would  cause  sub- 
stantial and  irreparable  injury  to  the  plaintiff's 
property,  and  that  against  the  threat  of  its  en- 
forcement by  the  repeated  prosecutions  which 
the  ordinance  permits  the  plaintiff  has  no  ade- 
quate remedy.  The  case,  therefore,  comes 
within  the  rule  stated  in  Abbey  Land  Co.  v. 
San  Mateo,  and  upon  the  facts  alleged  in  the 
complaint  the  plaintiff  was  entitled  to  have  the 
enforcement  of  the  ordinance  enjoined." 

An  Order  Requiring  Relocation  of 
Street  Railway  Tracks  Is  Void  in 
the  Absence  of  Public  Need 

A  decision  of  the  Connecticut  Supreme 
Court  of  Errors  is  an  important  addition  to 
the  body  of  judicial  law  affecting  the  right 
of  cities  and  public  service  commissions  to 
require  public  utilities  to  reconstruct  their 
facilities  situated  in  public  places. 

In  the  case  passed  upon  (Connecticut  Co. 
vs.  Town  of  Stamford,  no  Atlantic  Re- 
porter, 554)  it  appears  that  for  more  than 
a  mile  along  Hope  Street  in  Stamford  the 
street  railway  company's  track  is  at  one 
side,  rather  than  in  the  center,  of  the  street. 
The  selectmen  of  the  town  ordered  reloca- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Avery  One- Man 
"Road  -  Razer" 
Cleaning  Snow 
Off  of  the  Streets 
ofSalina,  Kans. 


Avery  One- Man  "Road- 
Razer"  Shaving  Rough 
Streets  Smooth. 


Keep  Your  Streets  Open  in  Winter  and  Smooth  in  Summer 


Just  as  the  "ROAD- RAZER"  is  the  solution 
to  the  summer  rain  problem,  so  is  it  the 
solution  to  the  winter  snow  problem.  It 
solves  your  problem  of  impassable  streets, 
whether  they  are  impassable  because  of  mud 
or  because  of  snow.  The  "ROAD-RAZER" 
shaves  streets  smooth  when  they  are  not  frozen 
and  keeps  them  open  when  the  snow  falls. 

Every  city  can  now  have  good,  smooth  dirt, 
gravel  and  crushed  stone  streets  the  whole 
year  round  at  lowest  possible  cost.  Here  is 
the  machine  that  will  keep  them  good.  Shaves 
the  roughest,  ruttiest  streets  smooth  in  a  few 
minutes  time.  One  man  with  this  machine  can 
keep  many  miles  of  city  streets  in  good  condi- 
tion all  year.  It  is  the  fastest,  cheapest,  most 
satisfactory  method  known  of  maintaining 
streets. 

The  scarifier  attachment  loosens  up  the 
"wash  board"  surfaces  of  rock  and  gravel 
roads  and  the  "ROAD-RAZER"  shaves  the 
hard  surface  smooth,  making  the  road  better 
than  when  new. 


It  is  the  only  machine  of  its  kind,  especially 
adapted  to  city  street  maintenance.  It  is  a 
self-contained  unit,  with  power  and  blades 
together,  making  it  easy  for  one  man  to 
operate  both  machine  and  blades.  Turns  in 
its  own  tracks  in  three  seconds  and  backs  up 
instantly.  Has  wide,  flexible,  three-section, 
12-foot  blade  that  fits  or  shapes  any  curve  or 
crown  of  the  street.  Equipped  with  powerful 
six-cylinder  motor. 

Sold  on  approval  subject  to  demonstration 
and  strongly  guaranteed.  A  machine  that  has 
met  the  approv- 
al of  city  and 
country  officials, 
street  and  road 
commissioners 
and  taxpayers 
everywhere. 

Write  today  for 
prices  and  com- 
plete informa- 
tion.  Address — 


Avery  One-Man  "Rnad-Razer"  with 
Scarifier  Attachment 


Branch  Houses  : 

Madison,  Fargo, 
Omaha,  Minneapolis, 

Grand  Forks, 

Sioux  Falls,  Aberdeen, 

Billings,  Lincoln, 

Sidney,  Nebr.,  Waterloo, 

Des Moines,  Indianap- 
olis, Columbus,  Kansas 
City,  Wichita,  Stuttgart 
and  Sacramento 


Avery  Co. ,  223  lowaSt. ,  Peoria, HI. 


Distributors : 
Avery  Company  of 

Texas;  Dallas, 
Amarillo  and  Beau- 
mont, Texas. 
Also  Other  Principal 
Machinery  Centers 


81 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City, 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


81 


tion  of  the  track  along  the  center  of  the 
street,  and  the  order  was  affirmed  on  suc- 
cessive appeals  to  the  Public  Utilities  Com- 
mission and  the  Superior  Court  of  the 
county  in  which  Stamford  is  situated.  On 
further  appeal,  however,  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Errors  it  is  decided  that  the  order 
is  void  for  failure  to  show  that  the  public 
safety  or  other  public  necessity  requires  the 
relocation.  At  the  same  time  the  Supreme 
Court  recognizes  the  existence  of  broad 
powers  in  the  public  authorities  to  require 
public  utilities  to  conform  their  affairs  to 
public  needs.  But  the  circumstance  that  it 
would  entail  an  expense  of  $28,113  to  re- 
locate appellant's  track  is  regarded  as  call- 
ing for  a  showing  of  some  specific  necessity 
for  the  relocation  against  its  protest. 
Salient  parts  of  the  Supreme  Court's  opinion 
read: 

"The  maintenance  and  regulation  of  high- 
ways is  within  the  police  power  of  the  state. 
The  state  may  by  itself  or  its  agent  decide  what 
public  improvement  the  public  safety, '  health, 
or  welfare  demands. 

"The  power  to  legislate  for  the  safety,  health, 
or  welfare  of  its  people  is  inherent  in  the  state 
in  virtue  of  its  sovereignty.  All  property  is 
held  subject  to  this  power.  .  .  .  And  all 
property,  too,  is  held  upon  the  implied  promise 
of  its  owner  or  user  that  it  shall  not  be  used 
against  the  pubHc  welfare. 

"The  Connecticut  Company  accepted  its  char- 
ter and  operated  this  railway  line  subject  to  the 
power  of  the  state  or  its  agent,  the  town,  to  so 
regulate  its  use  that  it  might  not  do  injury  to 
the  public  welfare. 

"When  the  conditions  and  locality  change 
and  the  public  welfare  requires  it,  the  street 
railway  may  be  compelled  to  change  its  grade, 
or  location,  or  the  manner  of  its  use  of  the 
highway.     .     .    . 

"The  protection  of  the  public  safety,  health, 
or  morals  by  the  exercise  of  the  police  power  is 
not  within  the  inhibitions  of  the  constitution; 
and,  since  all  property  is  held  subject  to  such 
regulation,  there  is  no  obligation  upon  the  state 
to  indemnify  the  owner  of  the  property  from 
the  damage  done  him  by  the  legitimate  exercise 
of  the  police  power.  Property  so  damaged  is 
not  taken;  its  use  is  regulated  in  order  to  pro- 
mote the  public  welfare.    .    .    . 

"The  police  power,  like  every  other  power  ;.f 
government,  is  within  constitutional  limitations. 

"Laws  enacted  presumptively  for  the  public 
welfare,  but  in  fact  not,  cannot  be  sustained 
as  an  authorized  exercise  of  the  police  power. 
.  .  .  And  an  act  regulatory  of  this  power 
which  is  oppressive,  or  unreasonable,  is  not  a 
legitimate  exercise  of  the  power.    .    .    . 

"The  railroad  track  laid  in  a  public  street, 
though  by  express  public  grant,  is  subject  to 
such  regulations  as  are  reasonably  necessary  to 


secure   the   public   safety;    for   this   power   *is 
inalienable  even  by  express  grant'    .    .     . 

"Provided  the  order  of  relocation  was  made 
in  the  interest  of  public  safety  and  was  reason- 
able in  the  circumstances,  the  order  was  a  valid 
order,  even  though  no  provision  was  made  for 
indemnifying  the  railway  company  for  the  cost 
of  relocation." 

The  opinion  then  proceeds  to  a  conclusion 
that  the  order  appealed  from  was  invalid 
for  omission  of  any  showing  that  the  pres- 
ent location  of  the  track  is  dangerous  to  the 
public  on  the  highway  or  to  passengers  on 
the  cars,  and  failure  to  present  the  facts 
supporting  a  conclusion  of  the  trial  court 
that  the  relocation  "would  be  distinctly 
proper  and  expedient  and  highly  cornlucive 
to  the  safety  of  all  concerned,"  etc. 

Personal  Interest  of  Official  May  In= 
validate  Municipal  Contract 

That  a  municipal  official  participating  in 
an  award  of  a  contract  for  public  work  to 
a  construction  company  is  a  salaried  officer 
of  that  company  gives  him  such  interest  in 
the  transaction  as  will  justify  a  reletting  of 
the  contract,  on  discovery  of  his  relation- 
ship to  the  company,  holds  the  Wisconsin 
Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of  Edward  F. 
Gillen  Co.  v.  City  of  Milwaukee,  183  North- 
western Reporter,  679.  It  is  also  held  that 
the  disqualification  of  the  company  is  not 
removed  by  the  official's  resigning  his  posi- 
tion with  the  company  after  award  of  the 
contract. 

The  Court  justifies  defendant  city's  sew- 
erage commission  in  rescirxiing  a  contract 
for  construction  of  a  sewage  disposal  plant 
on  discovery  that  one  of  the  commissioners 
who  voted  to  award  the  contract  was  em- 
ployed by  the  contracting  company  at  an 
annual  salary  of  $4,500  as  superintendent. 
But  it  is  intimated  that  the  mere  fact  that 
a  municipal  officer  may  be  employed  by  a 
contractor  will  not  vitiate  a  contract  where 
there  is  no  real  conflict  of  interests. 

Holding  that  another  commissioner  was 
not  disqualified  to  vote  to  award  the  con- 
tract to  another  company  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  he  formerly  was  a  stockholder  and 
officer  of  that  company,  nor  because  his  son 
was  interested  in  and  an  officer  of  the  com- 
pany, the  Court  adds  that  "the  decisions  are 
to  the  effect  that  contracts  may  be  legally 
made  by  a  municipality  although  a  relative 
of  the  bidder  is  one  of  the  governing  board 
or  council.  In  such  case  there  is  no  direct 
or  indirect  interest  in  the  contract." 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


I 


B^EE 


SNOW 
PLOWS 

For  Standard 
Motor  Trucks 
and  Tractors 


BAKER  Auto  Truck  Snow  Plow 


Special  Snow  Plow  for  Fordson  Tractor 

In  Baker  Snow  Plows  you  get  the  highest  type  of  snow  plow 
made.  Patent,  hinged,  spring-supported  blades  prevent 
injury  to  the  plow.  Used  only  on  Baker  Snow  Plows.  Sim- 
ple, sturdy,  practical  construction — the  result  of  our  long 
experience  in  making  snow  plows.  We  can  help  you  move 
snow.  Make  your  motor  trucks  and  tractors  useful  all  year 
'round. 

Write  or  toire  for  Catalog  No.  78 

THE  BAKER  MFG.  CO. 

503  Stanford  Ave.  Springfield,  111. 


Asphalt  Paving  Makes  Tremendous  Gains 


1 3TH  NATIONAL 


^OOD 


MORE  THAN  SIXTY-FIVE  MILLION  SQUARE  YARDS  OF  AS- 
PHALT PAVEMENT  WERE  LAID  IN  1921.  IT  WAS  THE  BIGGEST 
YEAR  IN  THE  ASPHALT  PAVING  INDUSTRY. 

Time  was  when  asphalt  was  considered  exclusively  a  city  type  and  thought 
to  be  too  luxurious  for  country  highways.  NOWADAYS  THE  YARDAGE 
ON  COUNTRY  HIGHWAYS  EXCEEDS  THE  COMBINED  PAVING 
PROGRAMS  OF  ALL  CITIES. 

The  swing  to  asphalt  on  state  roads  is  very  marked  in  the  states  which, 
prior  to  1920,  favored  other  tjrpes. 

The  California  State  Highway  Commission  increased  its  asphalt  yardage 
1800  per  cent  in  1921  as  compared  with  1920,  the  figures  being  1,208,360  square 
yards  and  67,500  square  yards  respectively. 

New  York  State  Highway  Department  has  increased  its  contracts  let  for 
asphalt  yardage  by  over  300%  in  1921  as  compared  with  1920;  the  figures  being 
2,643,000  square  yards  and  649,000  square  yards  respectively. 

North  Carolina  within  the  past  three  months  has  contracted  for  1,697,000 
square  yards  of  asphalt  pavement. 

ASPHALT  IS  THE  GREATEST  WATER-PROOF  ADHESIVE  FOR 
PAVING  KNOWN  TO  MAN. 

It  forms  in  combination  with  stone,  sand  and  gravel  a  slab  highly  resistant  to  impact. 

It  is  absolutely  dustless.  It  is  ready  for  traffic  immediately  after  completion. 

It  is  waterproof.  It  is  easy  to  cut  and  repair  for  service  openings. 

It  is  self  healing  when  cut  or  scarred.  It  is  noiseless. 

It  is  low  in  maintenance  cost  and,  contrary  to  the  popular  impression,  it  is  not  expensive  to  construct. 

BEST  OF  ALL:  It  is  the  most  durable  pavement  within  ordinary  cost  limits  yet  devised.  The  Engineer 
Department  of  Washington,  D.  C,  in  the  annual  report  for  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1921  (page  25)  says,  referring 
to  asphalt  streets:  "It  should  be  considered  that  some  of  the  streets  approximate  an  age  of  40  years  and  that  the 
average  age  of  those  we  have  resurfaced  in  recent  years  exceeds  25  years." 

Write  for  free  brochures    on    "Asphalt    Base    Pavements",  "Sheet  Asphalt",  "Asphaltic 
Concrete",  Asphalt  Macadam",  as  well  as  Economic  Papers  and  Construction  Specifications. 


ROADS 
SHOW 


UNDERTHE  AUSPICES 

ARBA- 

COLISEUM,  CHICAGO,ILL 
JAN.I6-20.I922 

VISIT  OUR  EXHIBIT 


THE  ASPHALT  ASSOCIATION 


Atlanta,  Ga. 


25  W.  43rd  Street,  New  York  City 
Chicago,  111.  Raleigh,  N.  C. 


Albany,  N.  Y. 


82 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


83 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


DANIEL  H.  BURNHAM,  ARCHITECT,  PLANNER  OF 
CITIES 

Charles  Moore.  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Bos- 
ton. 2  vols.  Illustrated.  1921.  X  +  250,  and 
238  pp.  $20. 
"I  venture  to  say  that  there  was  no  man  in  the 
professional  life  of  the  United  States  who  has  given 
more  of  his  life  to  the  public  without  having  filled  public 
office,  than  Daniel  Burnham."  So  wrote  President  Taft, 
on  hearing  of  the  death  of  the  subject  of  these  volumes. 
Preeminent  among  the  architects  of  his  generation, 
Burnham  was  also  a  pioneer  in  city  planning,  and  his 
plans  for  Washington,  Cleveland,  San  Francisco,  Manila 
and  Chicago  are  his  enduring  monument.  These  two 
volumes,  excellently  printed  and  illustrated  with 
numerous  pictures,  many  of  them  in  color,  are  the 
history  of  a  kindly  and  enlightened  personality,  as 
well  as  a  record  of  professional  accomplishment  of  the 
highest  order. 

TAXATION  OF  FEDERAL,  STATE  AND  MUNICIPAL 
BONDS 

John  H.  Hoffman  and  David  M.  Wood,  of  the  New 
York   Bar.      1921.      The    Bond    Buyer,   New   York. 
130  pp.  $5. 
The  subject  is  approached  from  the  legal  side,  without 
economic   considerations.      The   volume    consists   of  two. 
parts,    the   first   being   devoted    to    a    discussion   of    the 
principles    of    the    law    of    taxation    as    applied    to    the 
United  States  and  its  governmental  subdivisions,  state, 
colonial    and    municipal.      Part    two    is    an    exhaustive 
analysis,    in    tabulated    form,    of    the    tax    laws    of    the 
United  States  and   each  state  and  territory  with  refer- 
ence to  such  bonds.    The  text  is  exhaustively  annotated 
to   afford   complete  reference  to   statutes  and  court   de- 
cisions, wih  a  table  of  cases. 

THE  CONFLICT 

Gertrude  K.  Colby,  B.S.,  Department  of  Physical 
Education,  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University, 
with  an  introduction  by  Thomas  D.  Wood,  A.M., 
M.D.,  Professor  of  Physical  Education,  Columbia 
University.  A.  S.  Barnes  and  Company,  New  York. 
1921.  70  pp.  Illustrated.  $1.50. 
A    health    masque    in   pantomime. 

THE  CONFERENCE  OF  GOVERNORS 

Proceedings  of  the  Twelfth  Conference  of  Governors 
of  the  States  of  the  Union,  held  at  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
Dec.  1-3,  1920.  Includes  the  Articles  of  Organization 
of  the  Conference,  and  papers  in  full.  (Apply  to  M.  C. 
Riley,  Secretary,  Governors'  Conference,  Madison,  Wis.) 

NEW  YORK   STATE   INDUSTRIAL  COMMISSION 

Annual  Report  of  the  Industrial  Commission,  State 
of  New  York,  Department  of  Labor,  for  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1920.  Published  as  Legislative  Document 
No.  88.  (Apply  to  E.  W.  Buckley,  Secretary,  Indus- 
trial Commission,  Department  of  Labor,  Albany,  N.  Y.) 

CHEAP  MEALS  FOR  SCHOOL  CAFETERIAS  AND 
PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS 
"Ten-Cent  Meals."  Bulletin  of  the  American  School 
of  Home  Economics,  as  No.  34,  Series  I.  10  cents. 
This  pamphlet  is  part  of  the  book  "Low  Cost  Cooking," 
by  Miss  Florence  Nesbit,  Field  Supervisor  and  Dietitian 
of  the  Department  of  Relief  of  the  Juvenile  Court  of 
Chicago.  The  book  will  be  found  of  value  by  in- 
dividuals and  organizations  engaged  in  relief  work,  as 
well  as  by  those  in  charge  of  school  cafeterias  and 
institutions.  (Apply  to  The  American  School  of  Home 
Economics,  506  West  69th  Street,   Chicago,   111.) 

REGULATIONS    FOR    CENTRAL    PURCHASING    BY 
CITIES 

Model  System  and  Rules  and  Regulations  for  Central 
Purchasing  by  Cities.  Data  gathered  by  the  New  York 
State  Bureau  of  Municipal  Information.  7  pp.  mimeo- 
graphed. December,  1921.  (Copies  not  available  for 
general  distribution ;  apply  to  William  P.  Capes,  Secre- 
tary, New  York  State  Conference  of  Mayors,  25  Wash- 
ington  Avenue,   Albany,   N.   Y.) 


A  HALF  CENTURY  OF  PUBLIC  HEALTH 

Edited  by  Mazyck  P.  Ravenel,  M.D.  American 
Public  Health  Association,  New  York.  1921. 
461  pp. 
An  outstanding  volume  of  facts,  giving  the  history 
of  public  health  in  North  America  during  the  most 
intensive  fifty  years  of  public  health  work.  An  in- 
valuable summary  of  activities  in  public  health  work, 
including  bacteriology,  mortality  statistics,  quarantine, 
the  control  of  disease,  water  purification,  sewage  and 
refuse  removal,  industrial  waste,  food  control,  food  con- 
servation, milk,  child  welfare  work,  housing,  ventilation, 
industrial  hygiene,  medical  entomology,  and  public 
health  nursing.  The  foremost  experts,  engineers  and 
medical  men  in  the  different  fields  contributed  the 
chapters  of  this  valuable  encyclopedia  of  public  health 
activity. 
THE  MANAGEMENT   OF  MEN 

Edward  L.   Munson,    Colonel   General  Staff;   Chief, 
Morale  Branch,  War  Plans  Divisions.     Henry  Holt 
and    Company,    New    York.      1921.      XIII    -f    799 
pp.      $6. 
Although  designed  primarily  to  meet  the  problems  in- 
volved   in    the    management    of   soldiers,    the   principles 
enunciated    are    equally    applicable    to    the    successful 
handling  of  men  in  the  daily  affairs  of  civil  life. 
INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SOCIOLOGY 
Robert   E.    Park    and    Ernest    W.    Burgess,    of    the 
Department    of    Sociology,    University    of    Chicago. 
The    University    of    Chicago    Press,     Chicago,    111. 
1921.      XXI    +    1,040    pp.      $4.75,    postpaid. 
A   collection  of  readings  selected  to  define  and  illus- 
trate   the   concepts   and  principles   of  sociology.      It   is 
designed    for    the    first    course    in    sociology    and    com- 
bines   the    features    of    a    text-book    and    a    reference 
library. 

MIND  TRAINING  FOR  CHILDREN 

William  E.  Miller,  author  of  The  Natural  Method 
of  Memory  Training.  Published  by  the  author, 
Alhambra,  Calif.  3  booklets.  1921.  Illustrated. 
$5. 

The  first  booklet  takes  up  the  training  of  the  child's 
senses;  the  second,  the  training  of  the  memory;  and 
the  third  applies  the  processes  developed  in  the  first 
two  to  the  child's  school  work.  This  series  has  been 
very  highly  praised  by  Thomas  A.  Edison. 
LECTURES   ON  ENGINEERING  PRACTICE 

The  J.  E.  Aldred  Lectures  on  Engineering  Practice. 
Edited  by  John  B.  Whitehead,  Dean  of  the  Faculty  of 
Engineering,  Johns  Hopkins  University.  Published  by 
The  Johns  Hopkins  Press,  Baltimore,  Md.  1921.  285 
pp.  illustrated.  A  series  of  nine  lectures  on  practical 
phases  of  engineering.  Three  lectures  each  are  devoted 
to  civil,  mechanical  and  electrical  engineering.  (Apply 
to  John  B.  Whitehead,  Dean,  Faculty  of  Engineering, 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md.) 
PUBLIC   HEALTH   NURSING 

Manual  for  Public  Health  Nurses.  Published  by  the 
New  York  State  Department  of  Health,  Hermann  M. 
Biggs,  M.D.,  Commissioner,  1920.  261  pp.  Covers  in 
convenient  form  all  subjects  in  the  field  of  public  health 
nursing.  (Apply  to  Hermann  M.  Biggs,  Commissioner, 
New  York  State  Department  of  Health,  Albany,  N.  Y.) 

PENOLOGY 

Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Congress  of  the  American 
Prison  Association,  at  Columbus,  O.,  October,  1920. 
1921.  469  pp.  $3.  Proceedings  of  the  Congress,  with 
all  papers  in  full.  (Apply  to  O.  F.  Lewis,  General 
Secretary,  Central  Office,  American  Prison  Association, 
135  East   15th    Street,   New   York,   N.   Y.) 

THE   SINGLE  TAX  IN  OPERATION 

"Enclaves  of  Single  Tax,"  by  Fiske  Warren,  with 
a  historical  description  by  Charles  White  Huntington. 
1921.  150  pp.  Maps.  25  cents.  A  compendium  of 
legal  documents  involved  in  the  organization  of  the 
various  single-tax  colonies  in  the  United  States  and 
Europe,  and  general  descriptions  of  those  comjnunities. 
Among  those  described  are  Fairhope,  Ala.,  Arden,  Del., 
and  Sant  Jordi,  Andorra.  (Apply  to  Fiske  Warren, 
Harvard,   Mass.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  "Caterpillar's"* 
usefulness  is  not  lim- 
ited to  hauling  gar- 
bage. For  grading 
streets  and  roads, 
removing  snow, 
working  on  farm  or 
ranch,  in  the  mining, 
oil  and  lumber  indus- 
tries—  wherever  power 
and  endurance  are 
at  a  premium,  the 
"Caterpillar"*  has  no 
real  competitor 


HOLT 

PEORIA%       ILL. 
STOCKTON,  CAUF. 


Dallas  Cuts  Its  Garbage  Disposal 
Costs  $60,000  a  Year 

Dallas,  Texas,  has  found  the  "Caterpillar"*  method 
of  hauling  garbage  disposal  trains  a  guarantee  of 
better,  cheaper  work.  With  ''Caterpillar"*  haul- 
ing the  refuse  is  handled  quickly  and  safely  re= 
gardless  of  muddy  alleys,  slippery  pavements, 
heavy  grades,  and  soft  trash  piles.  A  5=ton  "Cater= 
pillar"*  takes  a  12=yard  load  to  the  Dallas  burning 
pit  in  less  than  thirty  minutes  from  collection 
points  three  miles  away.  It  reduced  the  hauling 
cost  from  $2.00  a  yard  to  a  fraction  over  $.25,  with 
a  consequent  saving  to  the  City  of  more  than 
$60,000  a  year.  Write  for  further  facts  and  figures 
on  the  economy  of  "Caterpillar"*  methods  for 
hauling,  grading,  leveling  and  other  public  works. 

*There  is  but  one  ** Caterpillar" — Holt  builds  it 

THE  HOLT  MFG.  CO.,  Inc.,  PEORIA,  ILL. 

Branches  and  service  stations  all  over  the  world 

Eastern  Division:     SO  Church  St.,  New  York 
2429   Farnham   St.,    Omaha,    Nebr.  305   Merchants   Bank   Bldg., 

417  Washington  Ave.  N.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  2045-47  Main  St.,  Kansas  City,    Mo 

Sth  and  Court  Sts.,  Des  Moines,  la.     Holt  Company  of  Texas,  Dallas,  Tex' 
Canadian  Holt  Co.,  Ltd.,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 


83 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


January,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


85 


HEALTH  OF  SCHOOL  CHILDREN 

■'A  Preliminary  Study  of  Standards  of  Growth  in 
t)io  Detroit  Public  Schools,"  by  Paul  C.  Packer  and 
Arthur  B.  Moehlman.  46  pp.  Illustrated.  1921.  This 
is  the  June  number  of  "The  Detroit  Educational  Bul- 
letin," published  by  the  Board  of  Education,  Detroit, 
Jlich.  (Apply  to  Stuart  A.  Courtis,  Director  of  In- 
struction, Teacher  Training  and  Research,  Detroit 
Public  Schools,  Detroit,  Mich.) 
NATIONAL  CONFEBENCE   ON  CITY  PLANNING 

Proceedings  of  the  Thirteenth  National  Conference  on 
City  Planning,  held  in  Pittsburgh,  May  9-11,  1921. 
1921,  206  pp.  Full  text  of  the  papers  presented  to 
the  Conference.  $2.25.  (Apply  to  Flavel  Shurtleff, 
Secretary,  National  Conference  on  City  Planning,  60 
State  Street,  Boston,  Mass.) 
FIRE  PREVENTION  DAT  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

"Make  Pennsylvania  Fireproof."  11  pp.  Illus- 
trated. Suggestions  for  the  observance  of  Fire  Pre- 
vention Day.  Issued  by  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Protection, 
Department  of  State  Police,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  (Apply 
to  publishers.) 
FIBE  REPORT  FOR  IOWA 

Tenth  Annual  Report  of  the   State  Fire   Marshal  for 
the  year  1920.      32  pp.      1921.      (Apply  to  J.  A.  Tracy, 
State   Fire    Marshal.    Des   Moines,    Iowa.) 
ILLINOIS    FIREMEN'S    ASSOCIATION 

"Thirty-third    Annual    Convention    of    Illinois    Fire- 
men's     Association."       176       pp.      Illustrated.      1921. 
(Apply  to  Roy  Alsip,   Secretary,  Illinois  Firemen's  As- 
sociation,  Champaign,   111.) 
DETROIT  PARKS 

"Detroit,  Its  Parks  and  Recreational  System,"  with 
the  Annual  Convention  Program  of  The  American  As- 
sociation of  Park  Superintendents.  40  pp.  Illus- 
trated. 1921.  Published  by  "Parks  and  Recreation,". 
Minot,  N.  D.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
THE  MERCHANTS'    ASSOCIATION  OF   NEW  YORK 

Year    Book    of    The    Merchants'    Association    of    New 
York.      337    pp.      Illustrated.      With    alphabetical    and 


classified    list    of    members.       (Apply    to    S.    C.    Mead, 
Secretary,    Woolworth    Building,    233    Broadway.    New 
York,  N.  Y.) 
LETCHWORTH  VILLAGE 

"Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Managers 
of  Letchworth  Village."  The  Village  is  under  the 
auspices  of  the  New  York  State  Board  of  Charities, 
Division  of  Mental  Defect  and  Delinquency.  Pub- 
lished as  Legislative  Document  (1921)  No.  68.  64  pp. 
Illustrated.  (Apply  to  Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Managers,  7  Wall  St.,  New  York 
City,  N.  Y.) 
PUBLIC    UTILITIES 

"Report   of   the    Committee   on    Public  Utilities"    of 
the    Chamber    of    Commerce    of    Newark,    N.    J.      8    pp. 
1921.       (Apply    to    Edmund    W.    Wollmuth,    Secretary, 
Chamber  of   Commerce,   Newark,   N.  J.) 
CITY    PLANNING 

"The  City  Plan  and  Living  and  Working  Condi- 
tions," by  John  Ihlder,  Manager,  Civic  Development 
Department,  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  TJnited 
States.  An  address  delivered  before  the  National 
Conference  on  City  Planning.  15  pp.  1921.  (Apply 
to  author,  Washington,  D.  C.) 
MUNICIPAL  MOTOR  EQUIPMENT 

"The  City  of  Toronto  as  a  Car  Owner,"  published 
as  City  Budget  Story  No.  2,  by  the  Bureau  of  Munic- 
ipal Research,  Toronto,  Can.  Brief  statement  of  the 
experiences  oif  other  cities,  with  suggestions  for  in- 
creased efficiency  and  reduced  costs.  (Apply  to  pub- 
lishers.) 
SAFETY  FOR  CHILDREN 

"Safety    Lessons,"    suggestions   prepared    for   teach- 
ers in  the  Chicago  public  schools.      11  pp.     1921.    (Ap- 
ply to  Peter  A.  Mortenson,   Superintendent   of   Schools, 
Chicago,   111.) 
MILK   SUPPLY 

"Report  of  the  Commission  on  Milk  Supply."  26 
pp.  1921.  Printed  and  distributed  by  The  Newport 
Improvement  Association.  (Apply  to  The  Newport 
Improvement  Association,  Newport,  R.  I.) 


Municipal  Reports 


Baltimore,  Md. — Annual  Report  of  the  Comptroller 
for  the  fiscal  year  ending  December  31,  1920.  (Apply 
to   Peter   E.   Tome,    Comptroller,   Baltimore,   Md.) 

Bellingham,  Wash. — City  Comptroller's  Annual  Re- 
port. 1920.  (Apply  to  Charles  A.  McLennan,  City 
Comptroller,    Bellingham,    Wash.) 

Boston,  Mass. — Seventh  Annual  Report  of  the  City 
Planning  Board,  for  the  year  ending  January  31,  1921. 
(Apply  to  Elisabeth  M.  Herlihy,  Secretary,  City  Plan- 
ning Board,   Boston,  Mass.) 

Chicago,  111. — Annual  Reports  of  the  Department  of 
Public  Service,  for  the  years  1916  to  1920.  inclusive, 
ending  December  31,  1920.  (Apply  to  William  H. 
Reid,  Commissioner  of  Public  Service,  Chicago,  111.) 

Chicago,  HI. — Twelfth,  Thirteenth,  and  Fourteenth 
Annual  Reports  of  the  Municipal  Court,  for  the  three 
years,  December  2,  1917,  to  December  5,  1920,  in- 
clusive. (Apply  to  James  A.  Kearns,  Clerk  of  the 
Municipal  Court,   Chicago,  111.) 

Chicago,  HI. — Annual  Report  of  the  Treasurer  for  the 
fiscal  and  calendar  year  1920.  (Apply  to  Henry 
Stuckart,  City  Treasurer,  Chicago,  111.) 

Chicago,  111. — Financial  Summary.  Report  of  the 
Comptroller  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  December  31, 
1920.  (Apply  to  George  F.  Harding,  Comptroller, 
Chicago,    111.) 

Chicago,  lU. — Forty-fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Works,  for  the  year  ending  De- 
cember 31,  1920.  (Apply  to  Charles  R.  Francis,  Com- 
missioner of  Public  Works,  Chicago,  111.) 

Chicago,  111 — Report  of  the  Chicago  Railway  Ter- 
minal Commission.  (Apply  to  John  P.  Wallace,  Chair- 
man. Chicago  Railway  'Terminal  Commission,  140  North 
Dearborn  Street,   Chicago,  111.) 

Chicago,  111. — Eleventh  Annual  Report  of  the  Chi- 
cago City  Plan  Commission,  for  the  year  1920,  Pro- 
cei'dings  of  the  Twentieth  Meeting  of  the  Comimssion. 
(Apply  to  Eugene  S.  Taylor,  Office  Manager,  Chicago 
Plan  Commission,  Roof  F,  Hotel  Sherman,  Chicago, 
111.) 

Detroit,  Mich. — Seventy-eighth  Annual  Report  of 
the  Superintendent  of  Schools,  for  the  school  year  end- 
ing June  80,  1921.  (Apply  to  Prank  Cody,  Superin- 
tendent  of    Schools,   Detroit,    Mich.) 


Evansvllle,  Ind. — Annual  Report  of  the  Comptroller 
and  Water-Works  Department  for  the  fiscal  year  end- 
ing December  31,  1920.  (Apply  to  William  H.  Elmen- 
dorf.    Comptroller,    E  ansville,    Ind.) 

Fall  River,  Mass. — Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of 
Health  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1920.  (Ap- 
ply to  Frank  L.  Larkin,  Secretary,  Board  of  Health 
Fall  River,  Mass.) 

Fort  Wayne,  Ind. — Sixteenth  Annual  Report,  Board 
of  Park  Commissioners,  for  the  year  1920.  (Apply  to 
David  N.  Foster,  President,  Board  of  Park  Commis- 
sioners,   Fort  Wayne,  Ind.) 

Hartford,  Conn. — Sixty-first  Annual  Report  of  the 
Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  and  the  Thirteenth  An- 
nual Report  of  the  Public  Cemeteries,  for  the  year 
ending  March  31,  1921.  (Apply  to  E.  Spencer  Good- 
win, President,  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  Hart- 
ford,   Conn.) 

Newark,  N.  J. — Annual  Report  of  the  Department  of 
Health,  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1920. 
(Apply  to  Charles  V.  Craster,  M.D.,  Health  Officer, 
Newark,   N.  J.) 

New  York,  N.  T — Report  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of 
the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  for  the  year 
1919.  (Apply  to  the  Chief  Engineer.  Board  of  Estimate 
and  Apportionment,  Municipal  Building,  New  York, 
N.  Y.) 

Philadelphia,  Pa. — Annual  Report  of  the  Department 
of  Wharves,  Docks  and  Ferries  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  1920.  (Apply  to  George  F.  Sproule, 
Director.  Department  of  Wharves,  Docks  and  Ferries, 
Bourse  Building,  Philadelphia,   Pa.) 

Philadelphia,  Pa. — Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of 
Highways,  Department  of  Public  Works  for  the  year 
ending  December  31.  1920.  (Apply  to  Fred  C.  Dunlap, 
Thief.  Bureau  of  Highways,  Department  of  Public 
Works,   Philadelphia,  Pa.) 

Pocatello,  Ida. — Annual  Financial  Report  of  Bannock 
County,  Idaho.  1920.  (Apply  to  Robert  C.  Earley, 
County  Auditor,  Box   1288,   Pocatello,   Idaho.) 

Waltham,    Mass. — Annual    Reports     for    1920,  with 

the    fourth    annual    address    of    Hon.    George    R.  Beal, 

Mayor.      (Apply    to    Richard    Steele,    City    Clerk,  Wal- 
tham,   Mass.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Cheaper  power  with  tractors 


Tractors  are  proving  profitable  equipment  for  road- 
builders  in  all  parts  of  the  country — profitable  because 
of  the  time  saved  on  a  given  piece  of  work,  and  because 
of  the  fewer  hands  required. 

With  a  Best  Tracklayer  Tractor  the  contractor 
can  go  ahead  with  his  work  in  most  any  weather.  He 
moves  more  earth  and  makes  a  better,  smoother  job.  His 
power  is  steady,  dependable,  flexible  and  compact.  He 
can  negotiate  grades  without  difficulty,  and  in  faster  time. 

Best  Tractors  have  proven  their  mettle  over  a  period 
of  many  years  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  They  have 
earned  a  reputation  for  dependability,  power  and  low 
cost  of  operation.  BEST  design  and  workmanship  have 
been  established  by  time  and  the  test  of  actual,  practi- 
cal usage  on  a  large  variety  of  heavy-duty  work. 

Write  for  full  data,  prices  and  the  riames  of  our 
nearest  dealers.  Let  us  give  you  the  details  of  how 
Best  Tractors  are  serving  road-builders. 


Tracklayer  "Sixty" 


*BEST 

TRADE      MARK 


fMLAYEg. 


C.  L.  BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO,  CALIFORNIA 


REGISTERED 


Yractors 


"eruiser"  (60) 


There  are  three  models  of 
Best  Tracklayer  Tractors 
as  shown  above.  cRllare 
factory  built— not  assembled 


U 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amexican  City. 


87 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for  Boards  of  Public   Works,   Engineers,  Contractors,  Purchasing  Agents, 

and  Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  EflBcient    Operation 

of  Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


Snow-Plow  in  Winter- 
Grader  in  Summer 

The  one-man  "Road-Razer"  manufactured  by 
the  Avery  Company,  Peoria,  111.,  which  has 
operated  successfully  in  many  cities  and  towns 
in  helping  solve  the  maintenance  problem  of 
dirt,  gravel  and  crushed  stone  roads,  has  been 
put  to  use  as  a  snow-plow  with  considerable 
success.  This  machine  is  made  specifically  to 
grade  rough,  rutty  roads,  and  with  a  scarified 
attachment  has  torn  up  gravel,  crushed  rock  and 
oil  roads  and  smoothed  them  down  to  proper 
shape.  It  has  also  in  some  instances  replaced  the 
grade  leveler,  preparatory  to  laying  hard  roads, 
and  has  been  used  to  spread  gravel  and  crushed 
stone. 

In  Salina,  Kans.,  the  Street  Commissioner  has 
successfully  used  it  for  cleaning  the  snow  off 
the  city  streets.  One  man  operating  the  ma- 
chine cleaned  off  several  miles  of  streets  in  a 
single  day  after  a  heavy  snow  at  very  little 
expense. 

In  Great  Bend,  Kans.,  one  of  these  machines 
cleaned  off  a  half-mile  of  wide  street  on  two 
sides  of  a  public  square,  removing  ten  inches  of 
snow,  some  of  it  packed  and  frozen  into  ice. 
The  machine  was  run  along  the  curb  first,  clean- 
ing out  the  gutter,  leaving  ridges  of  snow  piled 
out  in  the  street  about  6  feet  from  the  gutter. 
Where  the  street  is  wide  and  the  snow  deep,  it  is 
well  to  start  along  the  sides  and  throw  the  first 
rotmd  out  in  the  street  up  against  what  has 
Been  thrown  from  the  gutter.  In  this  way  no 
more  snow  is  accumulated  than  the  blade  can 
readily  handle.     By  lengthening  the  rear  blade 


about  a  foot  the  work  is  speeded  up. 

These  city  officials  have  been  enthusiastic  over 
the  work  of  the  machine  both  as  a  road  grader 
in  keeping  their  dirt  and  gravel  roads  in  trim  and 
in  its  work  in  handling  snow. 

Series  Multiple  Street  Lighting 

Great  advances  have  been  made  during  recent 
years  in  the  field  of  street  illumination,  due  in 
large  part  to  the  high  state  of  development  of 
the  tungsten  lamp.  There  have  been  many  sys- 
tems of  street  lighting  developed,  but  the  one 
using  series  regulator's  or  regulating  trans- 
formers seems  to  have  perhaps  the  largest  num- 
ber of  advocates.  The  series  regulators  or 
regulating  transformers  are  an  improvement 
over  the  older  types  of  street  lighting  using  arc 
light  generators,  but  in  both  cases  a  large  initial 
expense  is  involved  and  the  cost  of  operation 
and  maintenance  is  rather  high,  while  the  power 
factor  and  efficiency  are  low.  The  introduction 
and  development  of  a  low-voltage  series  tung- 
sten lamp  makes  it  possible  to  use  other  systems 
of  regulation  that  give  a  very  high  power  factor 
and  efficiency,  are  somewhat  cheaper  to  install 
and  maintain,  and  within  reasonable  limits  give 
better  regulation  and  are  more  flexible. 

The  average  flaming  arc  lamp  gives  about  500 
candle-power.  When  placed  at  street  intersec- 
tions, they  are  about  300  feet  apart.  This  same 
candle-power  divided  into  5  units  of  lOO  candle- 
power  each  allows  the  lamps  to  be  placed  every 
60  feet,  which  means  a  somewhat  more  uni- 
formly distributed  illumination  and  a  more 
pleasing  effect.     This   result  is  made  practical 


CLEARING  SNOW  FBOM  THE  STREETS  OF  SALINA,  KAN. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  Mack  Light  Bituminous 
Material  Distributor 


Your  road  maintenance 
next  Spring 

Now  is  the  time  to  get  ready 

INCLUDED  in  our  unusual  line  of  special  motor- 
ized equipment  for  municipalities,  counties 
and  contractors  is  this  Mack  Light  Bituminous 
Material  Distributor. 

This  equipment  is  a  fool-proof  machine  for  hand- 
ling  cold  material  and  requires  only  a  driver  for 
its  operation.  The  elimination  of  the  extra 
operator  which  is  usually  needed  on  ordinary 
machines,  means  economy  for  its  owner. 

The  tank  body  can  be  demounted  when  its  particular  work 
is  done  and  a  dump  body  substituted.  This  continuous 
chassis  use  efifects  large  savings  and  many  highway  boards 
and  commissioners  are  finding  this  a  practical  way  to 
economize  on  their  road  maintenance  equipment. 

INTERNATIONAL  MOTOR  COMPANY 

25  Broadway,  New  York 

PERFORMANCE  COUNTS 


Capacities : 

IV2  to  7'/2  tons. 
Tractors  to  15  tons. 


86 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


89 


A    COMPACT    TYPE    OF    STBEET    LIGHTING    TRANSFORMEE 


only  by  the  use  of  low-voltage  series  tungsten 
lighting  systems.  Two  general  systems  have 
been  developed  by  the  Kuhlman  Electric  Com- 
pany, Bay  City,  Mich.,  one  styled  the  type  S.M. 
system,  and  the  other  the  type  B.L.  system. 
Each  has  its  several  modifications  which  cover 
a  wide  field  of  adaptability  and  which  enable 
them  to  fit  almost  any  lighting  conditions  that 
may  arise.  A  series  arc  regulator  is  unnecessary 
in  the  type  S.M.  system,  but  it  may  be  used  in 
the  type  B.L.  system.  Both  systems  are  de- 
signed for  overhead  or  underground  operation. 

The  type  S.M.  or  series  multiple  system  may 
be  furnished  in  two  forms,  one  using  a  small 
current  transformer  at  each  lamp,  and  the  other 
using  a  reactance  coil  at  each  lamp.  In  each 
system  the  primary  circuit  may  be  any  power 
circuit  or  a  separate  circuit  taken  from  the 
power-house  or  substation  for  street  lighting 
purposes  only.  The  best  potential  for  this  pri- 
mary circuit  is  2,300  volts,  and  the  circuit  needs 
only  such  protection  as  woufd  be  given  any 
2,300-volt  power  line.  As  many-individual  light- 
ing circuits  can  be  taken  from  this  power  circuit 
as  the  kilovolt-ampere  capacity  of  the  circuit 
will  allow. 

A  constant  potential  transformer  which  has 
neither  moving  coils  nor  extra  reactance  is 
connected  across  the  line,  and  a  series  cir- 
cuit is  taken  off  the  secondary  of  this  trans- 
former. The  kilovolt  -  amperage  of  these 
transformers  is  governed  by  the  ampere  capacity 
of  the  secondary  and  the  maximum  number  of 
lamps  on  the  circuit.  The  transformers  are  de- 
signed for  3.5-,  4-,  5.5-  6.6-  or  7.5-ampere 
secondary,  depending  on  which  is  desired ;  the 
6.6-ampere  system  is  most  used.  The  secondary 
also  has  a  series  of  standard  taps  for  reducing 
the  secondary  voltage  to  conform  to  the  number 
of  lamps  in  operation.  These  taps  are  brought 
out  of  the  case  so  as  to  be  readily  accessible 
when  making  a  change. 

The  system  using  a  reactance  coil  at  the  lamp 
is  the  least  expensive,  but  has  a  disadvantage  in 
having  the  high-voltage  line  wires  at  the  lamp, 
making  it  dangerous  to  replace  the  lamp  while 
the  current  is  on.  With  a  current  transformer 
in  the  base  of  the  lamp-post  or  on  a  pole,  the 
secondary  wires  can  be  carried  to  the  lamp,  and 
it  is  perfectly  safe  to  make  a  lamp  change  with- 
out shutting  off  the  current,  as  there  is  a  heavy 
insulating  barrier  between  the  primary  and  the 
secondary  windings.  When  a  lamp  goes  out,  the 
open-circuit  voltage  of  the  transformer  will  rise 


only  from  2]/^  to  3  times  the  normal  lamp  volt- 
age, which  is  a  negligible  quantity.  Each  lamp 
is  wholly  independent  of  the  rest  and,  no  matter 
what  happens  to  any  individual  lamp,  it  cannot 
affect  the  remainder  of  the  circuit. 

Dump  Bodies  for  Garbage  Trucks 

The  Heil  Company,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  has 
placed  on  the  market  a  special  body  designed  for 
the  handling  of  garbage  in  municipalities.  Two 
types  of  garbage  bodies  are  made.  The  standard 
dump  body  type  illustrated  is  equipped  with  six 
hinged  doors,  two  of  which  open  to  the  back, 
the  other  four  to  the  side.  It  has  a  special 
water-tight  tail  gate  fitted  with  wing  nuts.  A 
^-inch  rubber  gasket  is  used  for  packing.  All 
seams  are  electrically  welded  after  being  riveted 
to  make  them  water-tight,  preventing  liquid 
garbage  from  dripping  on  the  street. 

This  same  body  is  furnished  without  covers, 
in  which  case  rings  are  provided  along  the  side 
so  that  a  canvas  tarpaulin  can  be  tied  on,  to 
comply  with  city  ordinances.  This  type  of 
standard  garbage  body  can  be  used  for  hauling 
gravel  and  sand  wherever  desired. 

The  other  type  of  body  has  the  bottom  or 
floor  tapered  upward  in  the  rear.  This  floor 
can  extend  to  the  end  of  the  body  or  only  part 
way.     In  the   latter   case   a  tail   gate   is  used. 


A  STANDARD  GARBAGE  BODY  PITTED 
WITH    COVERS 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


TIFFIN 

STREET  FLUSHERS 

Licensed  under  Ottofy  Patent  No.  795059 


We  Welcome  Any  Test  Based 
on  Work  and  Cost 

We  believe  we  can  prove  by  service  records  or  by  any  test  you 
might  arrange,  that  Tiffin  Street  Flushers  will  clean  more  pave- 
ment in  a  day  at  less  cost  than  any  other  machine.  Also,  the  work 
accomplished  will  be  better  done. 

If  we  can  prove  that,  we've  done  all  any  city  street  department 
can  want. 

The  two-motor-system  design,  and  the  operating  technique,  are 
the  causes,  but  the  result  obtained  is  the  matter  of  chief  interest 
to  you. 

Let  us  submit  evidence — 

Do  you  want  a  demonstration? 

The  TIFFIN  WAGON  Company 

TIFFIN,  OHIO 

Makers,  also,  of  Tiffin  Municipal  Trucks,   Dump  and  Farm  Wagons,   etc.,    etc. 
Representatives  in  Principal  Cities 

lllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllH^ 

86  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City, 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


91 


THE  REAR  COVERS  OPEN  AUTOMATICALLY 


Company,  one  of  the  prominent 
manufacturing  establishments  of 
that  city,  were  used  to  count  the 
vote  in  the  primary  and  the  final 
elections  just  completed.  The  use  of 
these  machines  greatly  expedited 
the  work  of  the  tellers.  Use  of  the 
counters  was  arranged  by  J.  T. 
Chidsey,  president  of  the  Root 
Company,  who  was  reelected 
president  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  Bristol  Chamber  has 
a  splendid  record  of  worth-while 
accomplishments  to  its  credit.  It 
recently  undertook  a  successful  ex- 
pansion campaign  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  American  City  Bureau, 
154  Nassau  Street,  New  York  City. 


The  sides  of  garbage  bodies  should  be  made 
as  low  as  possible  to  facilitate  loading.  The 
hydro  hoist  employed  in  all  Heil  dump  trucks  is 
therefore  specially  desirable,  as  all  of  the  load- 
ing space  back  of  the  cab  can  be  used  for  actual 
load. 

The  garbage  dump  body  and  the  No.  4  hydro 
hoist  is  mounted  on  a  ij^-ton  chassis.  The 
sides  of  the  body  are  low ;  the  covers  are  raised 
at  the  center  to  allow  maximum  load.  Brake 
lining  is  used  along  the  edges  of  the  covers  to 
make  them  fit  tightly. 

Crowley,  La.,  Buys  Diesel  Engines 
for  Municipal  Power-Plant 

The  city  of  Crowley,  La.,  has  just  purchased 
two  Diesel  engines  developing,  respectively,  285 
brake  horse-power  and  380  brake  horse-power, 
from  the  Fulton  Iron  Works,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
With  this  equipment  the  municipal  power-plant 
at  Crowley  will  compare  quite  favorably  in 
economy  with  the  larger  central  stations  of  the 
South. 

George  A.  Johnson  Company 
Moves  Office 

Because  of  the  steady  increase  in  amount  and 
scope  of  the  work  of  the  George  A.  Johnson 
Company,  Consulting  Engineers,  150  Nassau 
Street,  New  York  City,  for  some  months  past, 
they  have  recently  moved  to 
larger  quarters.  They  are 
located  in  the  same  building, 
in  Suite  1121-1129.  The  new 
layout  is  designed  to  meet 
efficiently  the  executive  de- 
mands of  their  increasing 
business. 


Chamber  of 
Commerce  Counts 
Ballots  by  Machine 

Ballot-counting  by  machine 
has  been  introduced  by  the 
Bristol,  Conn.,  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  Automatic 
counters  made  by  the  Root 


New  Cletrac  Advertising  Manager 

The  announcement  has  been  made  by  the 
Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
that  Earl  B.  Stone  has  been  appointed  Adver- 
tising Manager,  effective  December  15.  After 
'2.Y2  years  with  this  company,  serving  as  Sales 
Representative,  Assistant  Advertising  Man- 
ager and  District  Sales  Manager,  Mr.  Stone  is 
well  qualified  to  assume  his  new  duties.  His 
former  advertising  experience  included  work 
with  the  General  Fireproofing  Company  of 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  the  National  Acme 
Company  of   Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Non-buckling  Sewer  Rods 

In  the  course  of  maintenance  of  sewers,  there 
are  many  minor  obstructions  that  can  be  readily 
removed  by  means  of  wooden  sewer  rods.  The 
Turbine  Sewer  Machine  Company,  195  nth 
Street,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  manufactures  a  non- 
buckling  wood  sewer  rod  that  is  water-proof 
and  will  float  in  2^  inches  of  water.  It  is  used 
chiefly  in  pulling  cable  or  rope  through  a 
sewer  or  in  clearing  away  minor  obstructions. 
The  couplings  are  such  that  they  can  be  joined 
or  uncoupled  instantly. 

This  company  also  manufactures  the  well- 
known  Turbine  sewer  cleaning  machine,  which 
will  remove  roots,  stones  and  any  other  ob- 
structions in  any  size  of  circular  sewer. 


SEWER  RODS,  SHOWING  LOCKING  DEVICE 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


W  I  L  L  I  T  E 

TEMPERED   ASPHALT    PAVEMENT— THE    MASTER    HIGHWAY 


photo  After  Ceurying  Over  4,000,000  Tons  Traffic  on  Los  Angeles  County  Boulevard,  equal  to  15  years 
normal  use.    One  of  the  heaviest  trafficked  lines  in  the  world. 


WILLITE  TEMPERED  ASPHALT 
"TAKES  THE  FAULT  OUT  OF  ASPHALT" 

Before  you  call  for  bids,  investigate' 
then  specify  WILLITE,  the  Strong- 
est Road  in  the  World.  It  has 
proven  to  be  the  best  in  15  states 
under  the  severest  service  tests  ever 
made.  Traffic  cannot  malform  the 
beautiful,  smooth,  resilient,  water  and 
frost-proof    roadway  of   WILLITE. 

In  the  Imperial  Valley  Desert  of 
California  where  the  temperature 
ranges  from  freezing  to  130  degrees 
P.,  the  experimental  WILLITE  roads, 
5  inches  thick,  proved  so  successful, 
after  all  other  types  of  asphaltic 
roads  had  failed,  that  10  miles  of 
WILLITE  paving  have  since  been 
built. 

Let  us  send  you  our  literature  and  proof  of  the 
superiority  of  WILLITE. 


To  learn  some  interesting  facts 
regarding  WILUTE  read 
pages  24  and  26  in  the  April  16, 
1921,  issue  of  the  Saturday 
Evening  Post.  Read  lines  11 
to  27,  inclusive,  on  page  26, 
very  carefully. 


See  Our  Exhibit 
at  the  Good  Roads  Show 
Chicago,  Jan.  16-20,  1922 


WILLITE  ROAD  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY 

OF  AMERICA 

711  Union  Trust  Building  Detroit,  Michigan 


87 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thi  American  City. 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


93 


Street  and  Parkway  Lighting 
Standards 

The  municipal  oflicial  when  seeking  a  lighting 
standard  for  use  on  a  city  street,  parkway  or 
boulevard,  has  in  mind  a  standard  which  will  be 
permanent,  durable  and  attractive  both  during 
the  daytime  and  when  illuminated  at  night. 

The  lighting  standards  made  by  Caldwell  & 
Drake  Iron  Works,  Inc.,  Columbus,  Ind.,  are 
made  of  high-quality  iron  of  the  same  type  as  is 
used  in  automobile  cylinder  and  ammonia  com- 
pressor castings. 

Since  the  posts  are  of  heavy  cast  metal,  they 
resist  rust  and  corrosion  admirably.  The  spe- 
cial patented  connection  used  in  fastening  the 
post  to  the  foundation  insures  that  they  may  be 
struck  by  vehicles  without  breakage  other  than 
possibly  the  glassware  and  special  angle  clamps. 
After  accidents  the  posts  can  be  set  up  in  a  few 
minutes  ready  for  service.  When  the  posts  are 
erected  in  accordance  with  the  plans  of  the  man- 
ufacturer, they  cannot  be  thrown  onto  the  street 
or  sidewalk,  at  the  risk  of  killing  or  injuring 
pedestrians  or  those  riding  by.  Thus  possible 
damage  suits  are  avoided — a  matter  worthy  of 
consideration.  If  is  claimed  that  these  posts  are 
not  defaced  nor  deformed  by  impact  with 
vehicles.  When  other  types  of  posts  are  broken 
by  impact,  they  must  be  either  scrapped  or  re- 
paired by  welding,  which  leaves  marks  perma- 
nently defacing  the  posts.  It  is  very  difficult 
to  repair  those  which  are  dented  or  bent  by  im- 
pact. 

All  standard  equipment,  such  as  globes, 
sockets,  potheads,  etc.,  can  be  used  with  these 
posts,  and  they  will  also  fit  on  most  of  the  pres- 
ent foundations  wfthout  the  need  of  changing 
the  foundation  bolts.  In  erecting  the  bolts,  the 
special  angle  clamps  make  them  very  easy  to 
assemble,  in  that  "the  post  is  set  up  on  the  foun- 
dation, the  angle  clamps  slipped  over  the  foun- 
dation bolts,  and  the  nuts  placed  on  and  screwed 
down. 

Gutting  Pipe  in  the  Trench 

A  new  pipe-cutting  device  which  has  the  par- 
ticular advantage  of  being  able  to  cut  pipe  in  the 
ditch  with  considerable  speed  has  been  placed  on 
the  market  by  the  Ellis  &  Ford  Manufacturing 
Company,  Detroit,  Mich. 

In  this  machine  every  point  in  contact  with  the 
pipe  is  a  cutting  disc.  Therefore,  when  the  cut- 
ter is  adjusted  on  the  pipe  it  is  only  necessary 
to  move  it  through  a  small  arc  in  order  to  cut 
entirely  around  the  pipe.  In  placing  the  cutter 
in  position  in  the  trench,  as  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration, one  of  the  thumb  bolts  is  slipped  out 
and  the  links  run  under  the  pipe  and  locked  back 
together.  The  handle  can  be  placed  in  any  posi- 
tion on  the  rod,  so  as  to  cut  in  a  very  narrow 
trench.  In  cutting  the  pipe  in  the  trench,  only 
room  enough  is  required  to  pass  the  length 
carrying  the  cutter  wheels  underneath  the  pipe, 
a  feature  which  water-works  men  will  appre- 
ciate particularly  when  they  know  the  troubles 
of  operating  in  a  hard-rock  trench.  In  making 
ordinary  repairs  or  inserting  specials  in  a  line 


LIGHTINO  STANDARD  IN  COMMEEOIAL  PAEK, 
C0LT7MBUS,    IND. 

of  pipe,  the  work  can  be  completed  with  the  aid 
of  the  cutter  in  the  same  space  of  time  it  would 
take  to  dig  a  hole  so  as  to  make  a  cut  with  ham- 
mer and  chisel.  In  addition,  the  cuts  are  made 
clean  and  smooth,  eliminating  the  danger  of 
breaking  the  pipe  or  disturbing  the  joints. 

On  cast  iron  pipe  the  wheels  do  not  cut 
through  the  pipe,  but  when  a  groove  has  been 
cut  around  the  pipe  to  a  reasonable  depth,  a  little 
extra  pressure  on  the  screw  and  handle  will 
cause  the  pipe  to  crack  off.  On  a  12-inch  water- 
main,  this  cut  will  not  exceed  J^-inch  in  depth. 

Burnap  Preparing  City  Plan 
for  Granville,  N.  Y. 

Granville,  N.  Y.,  has  engaged  George  Burnap, 
town  and  city  planner,  Washington,  D.  C,  to 
prepare  a  comprehensive  city  plan,  including 
the  laying  out  of  a  park  system. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Girious&cis  ahouisire^is 

as  TQCordodin  an  Qitqineers  note  book 


STREET 

FROM 

TO 

LAID 

MATERIAL 

ASPHALT 
YARDAGE 

BRICK 
CUTTERS 

TOTAL 
YARDAGE 

AGE 

ORIGINAL 

COST 
PetSQ.YD. 

TOTAL  COST 
COR  REPAIRS 

Includinl!  1921 

REPAIRS 
Commenced 

Maintenance 

Per  Sq   Yd. 

Per  Yr. 

Tot.l  coat  per  Sq.  Yd. 

Per  Yr.  including  orig. 

Coat  and  Repaira 

W-NW 

4th 

5th 

1917 

Oil  Asphalt 

376.68 

85.81 

462.49 

4 

1.44 

$324.30 

1920 

$.175 

$.535 

W-NW 

llth 

12th 

1915 

Oil  Asphalt 

7%  25 

77.29 

873.54 

6 

1.49 

19.20 

1920 

.00366 

.252 

W-NW 

12th 

13th 

18% 

Trinidaa 

1181.38 

176.92 

1358.30 

25 

1.63 

572.42 

1910 

.01686 

.0821 

W-NW 

1 3th 

ISth 

1899 

Bermudez 

3707.21 

660.35 

4367.56 

22 

1.80 

294.79 

1911 

.00307 

.0849 

W-NW 

15th 

t6th 

1913 

Bermudez 

1931.53 

126.92 

2058.45 

8 

1.69 

000.00 

0000 

.00000 

.211 

NOTE-MAINTENANCE  FIGURES  ARE  FOR  TOTAL  YARDAGE. 

ORIGINAL  COST  IS  FOR  ASPHALT  ONLY. 

GENASCO  LINE 

Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt 

(For  streets  and  roofs) 
Standard  Trinidad 

Built-Up  Roofing 
Bermudez  Road  Asphalt 

(For  road  building) 
Genasco  Roll  Roofing 
Genasco  Sealbac  Shingles 
Genasco  Latite  Shingles 
Genasco  Vulcanite 

Mastic  Flooring 
Genasco  Acid-Proof  Paint 
Genasco  Industrial  Paint 
Genasco  Boiler  Paint 
Genasco  Asphalt  Putty 
Genasco  Asphalt 

Pipe  Coating 
Genasco  Asphalt 

Fibre  Coating 
Genasco  Tile  Cement 
Genasco  Water- 
proofing Asphalts 
Genasco  Waterproofing 

Felts  and  Fabrics 
Genasco  Battery 

Seal  Compound 
Genasco    Mineral    Rubber 
Genasco  Mineral  Spirits 
Genasco  Base  Oils 
Genasco  Flotation  Oils 
Genasco  Motor  Oils 
Genasco  Soluble  Oils 
Genasco  Saturated 

Asphalt  Felt 
Genasco  Deadening  Felt 
Genasco  Insulated  Paper 
Genasco  Red 

Sheathing  Paper 
Genasco  Stringed  Felt 
Genasco  Wall  Lining 
Iroquois  Road-building 

Machinery 


Washington's   Deadly  Parallel 

Astonishing!  But  the  figures  are  official  records  on 
file  in  the  office  of  the  Public  Works  Department. 

Trinidad  and  Bermudez  are  native-lake  asphalts.  "A" 
and  "B"  are  manufactured  oil  asphalts. 

Note  the  difference  in  age  between  the  native-asphalt 
and  the  oil-asphalt  sections.  Then  note  their  striking 
difference  in  cost,  including  maintenance  and  repairs. 

The  25-year  old  Trinidad  section  has  cost  less  than  2 
cents  per  square  yard  per  year  to  maintain.  The  four- 
year-old  oil  asphalt  "A"  already  is  costing  nearly  18  cents. 

Personally  examined  present  condition  of  pavements. 
Oil  asphalt  "A"  section  is  very  bad  after  4  years' 
service.  Oil  asphalt  "B"  section  is  still  in  fair  shape. 
Trinidad  and  Bermudez  sections  are  in  splendid  con- 
dition. 

Washington's  finest  streets  are  paved  with  Trinidad 
and  Bermudez.  Their  all-round  superiority  is  clearly 
demonstrated.  Would  strongly  advise  their  use  on  all 
streets  where  asphalt  is  desired. 


New  York 

Chicago 

Pittsburgh 


IROQUOIS  SALES  DEPARTMENT 

THE  BARBER  ASPHALT 

PA  VI  N  G 

c  o  ivr  ¥*j^is!^tr 

PHIUADEUPHIA. 


St.  Louis 

Kansas  City 

Atlanta 

San  Francisco 


LAKE 
ASPHALT 


88 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


95 


A   VIEW   OF    SEWAGE   SCREEN  IN    OPERATION 

A  New  Type  of  Sewage  Screen 

To  meet  the  increasing  demand  for  fine-mesh 
sewage  screens  for  municipal  seWage  disposal 
plants,  the  engineers  of  the  Link-Belt  Com- 
pany, Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Indianapolis,  have 
designed  a  new  fine-mesh 
sewage  screen  which  they 
claim  combines  great 
strength  and  rigidity  with 
efficiency  and  reliability  of 
operation.  The  screen  sur- 
face proper  is  a  cylinder, 
made  either  of  perforated 
plates  or  the  Link  -  Belt 
straight  wire  screen.  The 
straight  wire  screen  consists 
of  bronze  wires  stretched 
tight  on  a  bronze  frame.  The 
clear  opening  between  the 
wires  is  i/32-inch  or  less. 

The  sewage  enters  from 
the  outside  of  the  cylinder 
and  is  discharged  at  one  end 
from  the  inside.  Between 
90  and  95  per  cent  of  the 
total  screening  area  is  sub- 
merged, or,  in  other  words, 
is  effective.  Seal  rings 
separate  the  clarified  from 
the  raw  sewage.  The  sew- 
age screen  is  cleaned  by  re- 
volving brushes  which  always 
travel  in  line  with  the  open- 


ings, but  never  across  them.  This  feature  and 
the  small  openings  made  possible  by  the  straight 
wire  screen  insure  the  removal  of  all  but  the 
finest  solids  in  suspension.  No  parts  of  the 
driving  machinery  are  hidden,  and  all  parts  of 
the  screen  can  be  inspected  and  cleaned  without 
interrupting  the  operation. 

Two  of  these  screens  are  now  in  operation  at 
tile  sewage  treatment  plant  of  the  city  of 
Pleasantville,  N.  J.,  and  are  doing  good  work. 
From  70,000  gallons  per  day,  one  screen  re- 
moves 4  cubic  feet  of  sludge  at  a  rate  of  57 
cubic  feet  per  1,000,000  gallons. 

Convenient  and  Effective 
Lawn-sprinkling  System 

A  frost-proof  underground  sprinkling  system 
for  parks,  lawns  and  public  grounds  has  been 
placed  upon  the  market  by  John  A.  Brooks,  443 
Penobscot  Building,  Detroit,  Mich.  It  consists 
of  a  series  of  specially  made  sprinklers  set  level 
with  the  ground,  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  lawn 
mowers,  and  having  underground  pipe  connec- 
tions so  arranged  that  the  entire  lawn  may  be 
watered  by  turning  a  single  valve.  After  the 
sprinklers  have  operated  any  set  length  of  time, 
the  system  is  automatically  shut  off  by  a  self- 
closing  valve. 

When  not  in  use,  the  sprinkler  is  level  with 
tile  ground  and,  all  openings  being  completely 
covered,  it  can  receive  no  injury  from  any  use 
of  the  lawn.  In  operation  an  inner  nozzle  rises 
up  above  the  grass,  so  as  to  give  an  unob- 
structed delivery  of  water.  The  sprinkler  is 
made  entirely  of  brass,  has  no  moving  parts  to 
wear  out,  and  is  constructed  to  be  proof  from 
the  surrounding  dirt  as  well  as  from  that  in  the 
water. 

Installing  this  system  does  not  mean  that  the 
lawn  has  to  be  marred  by  deep  digging.  The 
piping  is  placed  only  a  few  inches  below  the 


ROOSEVELT    PARK,    DETROIT,    MICH.,    WITH    ITS    LAWN 
SPRINKLERS    IN    ACTION 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


THE  BIG  TI^H 


MEN 

MATERIALS 

&  MACHINERY 

were  responsible  for  this  road  and 
every  other  good  road  ever  built. 
Not  the  least  of  these  three  is  Ma- 
chinery. No  road  or  street  can  be 
economically  built  or  maintained 
without  the  use  of  modern  machinery. 


ROAD^GRADERS. 


A  road  grader  is  absolutely  necessary  in  the 
construction  and  repair  of  dirt  roads.  We 
make  six  sizes  of  Winner  Graders,  as  follows: 
The  Baby  Winner  with  a  5  foot  blade;  the 
Winner  Patrol  with  a  6  foot  blade:  the  Little 
Winner  with  a  6  foot  blade;  the  Standard 
Winner  with  a  7  toot  6  inch  blade;  the  Big 
Winner  with  an  8  foot  blade,  and  the  Giant 
Winner  with  a  10  foot  blade. 

ROCK  CRUSHERS. 

Wherever  stone  is  available  a  rock  crusher 
should  be  used.  We  furnish  complete  rock 
crushing  outfits,  portable  or  stationary,  with 
capacities  ranging  from  50  to  1000  tons  daily. 
Complete  outfits  consisting  of  crusher,  ele- 
vator, screen,  bin,  power,  etc.,  designed, 
built  and  installed. 


ROAD  ROLLERS. 

The  Monarch  Steam  Road  Roller  is  a  high  class,  standard 
roller  made  in  10  and  12  ton  sizes.  Rollers  have  ample 
engine  and  boiler  power.  They  are  flexible,  dependable 
and  extremely  serviceable.  Furnished  with  or  without 
steam    scarifiers. 

Write  for  free  Catalog 
"EVERYTHING  FOR  THE  ROADMAKER" 


GOOD  ROADS 
MACHINERY  C? 


KEN  NET  SQUARe\^ 


INC 


PENNSYLVANIA 


BRANCH  OFFICES: 
PITTSBURGH,  PA, 
PORTLAND. 


BOSTON,  MASS.  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y.  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

CHICAGO,  ILL.  ATLANTA,  GA.  KANSAS  CITY,  MO. 

OREGON.  SAN  FRANCISCO  AND  LOS  ANGELES,  CAL. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thk  Auesican  City, 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


97 


surface.  A  narrow  strip  of  sod  is  taken  up,  and 
after  the  piping  is  down,  the  sod  is  carefully 
replaced  so  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  detect 
a  blemish  in  the  lawn.  Although  no  part  of  the 
sprinkling  system  is  placed  below  the  frost  line, 
the  entire  installation  is  made  frost-proof  by  the 
use  of  an  automatic  draining  sprayer.  All  pip- 
ing slopes  to  the  point  where  this  sprayer  is 
used,  and  as  the  water  is  shut  off,  the  attached 
draining  valve  automatically  opens,  emptying 
the  system.  All  use  of  hose  and  the  labor  re- 
quired in  sprinkling  with  the  old  method  are 
eliminated  by  this  system.  In  addition,  the 
lawn  is  watered  evenly  and  in  a  minimum  time. 

A  New  Garbage  and  Refuse 
Dump-Wagon 

A  new  dump-wagon  especially  adapted  for 
cities  and  towns  where  garbage  and  refuse  are 
to  be  hauled  to  an  incinerator  and  dumped  onto 
barges  at  the  water-front  or  at  other  plants,  has 
been  designed  and  is  now  for  sale  by  George  H. 
Holzbog  &  Brothers,  Jeffersonville,  Ind.  For 
twenty  years  this  company  has  been  building 
round-bottom  steel  sanitary  carts  for  the  haul- 
ing of  sewage,  wet  garbage,  slops,  night-soil,  or 
anything  of  a  liquid  or  semi-liquid  nature. 
These  vehicles  are  built  with  two  or  four  wheels 
for  two-  or  four-horse  hauling.  Following  up 
their  success  in  this  line  and  at  the  request  of 
numerous  city  officials,  the  manufacturers  have 
devised  this  wagon,  especially  for  the  hauling 
of  dry,  light,  bulky  refuse,  having  an  extra  large 
capacity,  a  low-hanging  bed,  light  weight  and 
end  dump. 

The  wagon  illustrated  herewith  is  built  in  2- 
horse  and  i -horse  sizes,  holding  5  and  3  cubic 
yards  respectively.  The  body  has  hinged  wings 
which  are  dropped  down  when  heavy  material 
is  being  hauled,  or  raised  when  light,  bulky 
matter  is  carried.  The  dumping  arrangement  is 
such   that  one   man   can   dump   a   whole   load 


ONE  MAN  CAN  BEADILY  DUMP  THIS  BODY 


without  great  effort.  The  height  from  the 
ground  to  the  top  of  the  bed  on  the  smaller 
wagon  is  48  inches,  and  on  the  two-horse  wagon 
58  inches,  not  including  the  extra  drop  wings. 
Each  wagon  has  a  sliding  step  or  platform  on 
which  the  loader  may  rest  the  barrel  or  box 
he  is  lifting  into  the  wagon. 

It  has  already  been  demonstrated  that  the 
larger  wagon  will  haul  the  same  amount  with 
one  crew  of  men  and  one  team  of  horses  as  three 
of  the  ordinary  dump-wagons  with  three  teams 
and  three  sets  of  men.  The  actual  saving,  there- 
fore, is  sufficient  to  pay  for  a  wagon  in  about 
sixty  days.  The  wagons  are  built  of  high-grade 
material  throughout,  the  wheels  are  of  the 
Archibald  iron  hub  pattern,  claimed  to  be  the 
strongest  and  most  serviceable  wheel  made.  The 
frame  of  the  gear  is  of  steel  angles,  giving  long 
life  to  the  wagon. 

One  of  the  schemes  for  the  use  of  these 
wagons  consists  in  making  the  house-to-house 
collection  with  the  wagon  drawn  by  horses, 
leaving  it  at  a  specified  point  where  the  horse 
pole  can  be  readily  shifted  to  a  short  trailer 
pole  and  then,  by  a  truck  or  a  tractor,  hauling 
a  string  of  the  wagons  to  the  point  of  disposal 
some  distance  away. 

S.  M.  Williams  Now 
with  Autocar 

S.  M.  Williams,  Chairman  of  the  Federal 
Highway  Council,  which  has  discontinued  its 
highway  activities,  has  become  a  special  repre- 
sentative of  the  Autocar  Company,  Ardmore, 
Pa.  Mr.  Williams  began  his  highway  work 
with  the  organization  of  the  Highway  Industries 
Board  during  the  war.  Following  the  disband- 
ing of  the  Board,  he  formed  the  Federal  High- 
way Council,  which  in  the  last  few  years  has 
been  active  in  developing  store-door  delivery, 
studying  sub-soils  of  highways,  and  supporting 
useful  highway  legislation. 


Fiscal  Agents  for 
Bond  Payments 

The  United  States  Mort- 
gage and  Trust  Company, 
55  Cedar  Street,  New  York 
City,  has  been  appointed  fis- 
cal agent  for  the  payment  of 
principal  and  interest  of 
bond  issues  aggregating  $2,- 
273,500,  including  Durham, 
N.  C,  $525,000;  Memphis. 
Tenn.,  $425,000;  Iredell 
County,  N.  C.,  $400,000;  and 
Winston-Salem,  N.  C,  $325,- 
000.  These  and  others  ag- 
gregating $13,281,600  are 
being  prepared  and  certified 
as  to  genuineness  by  this 
company.  They  include : 
Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  $4,167,- 
000;  Harrisburg.  Pa.,  $800,- 
000;  Lenoir  County,  N.  C, 
$700,000;  Wilmington,  Del., 
$697,000 ;  and  Milburn,  N.  J., 
$298,000. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Saves  6  to  10  Men 


UNLOADING  cars,  loading 
trucks,  storing  or  reclaiming 
coal,  ashes,  sand  or  similar  ma- 
terial. 

This  light-weight  portable  con- 
veyor is  a  complete  answer  to 
conveying  problems  at  thousands 
of  plants  and  its  first  and  operat- 
ing cost  is  but  a  fraction  of  the 
cost  of  a  more  elaborate,  but  no 
more  capable,  conveying  system. 

Our  catalog  No.  46  shows  how  a 
a  great  number  of  conveying  prob- 
lems have  been  met  by  this  ma- 
chine.    May  we  send  you  a  copy.'' 

Portable   Machinery  Co. 

Passaic,  N.  J. 


^beScoop  Conveyor 


80 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


99 


A  Sectional  Grand  Stand 
for  Municipal  Use 

Celebrating  the  return  of  our  sol- 
diers in  the  early  part  of  1919,  parades 
were  held  in  every  city  of  the  country. 
These  parades  called  for  an  enormous 
number  of  temporary  grand  stands, 
erected  at  great  public  expense  only  to 
be  torn  down  later,  with  an  almost 
total  loss.  They  were  often  unsightly 
structures,  and  usually  caused  annoy- 
ance by  blocking  traffic  for  many  days 
before  and  after  their  use. 

Realizing  that  this  was  merely  an 
aggravation  of  a  permanent  condition 
in  all  large  cities,  the  Wayne  Iron 
Works,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  manufac- 
turers of  iron  fence  and  other  steel 
work,  designed  and  patented  a  grand 
stand  to  overcome  these  defects,  and 
the  first  complete  stand  was  finished 
in  the  fall  of  1919. 

In  principle  this  grand  stand  is  like  a  sec- 
tional bookcase.  The  standard  interchangeable 
sections  are  42  inches  long,  32  inches  deep  and 
17  inches  high.  They  each  consist  of  four  ver- 
tical members,  connected  by  a  triangular  brac- 
ing, all  of  steel  angles,  hot-riveted  at  all  con- 
nections. The  gusset  plates  at  the  four  corners 
are  heavy  steel  hinges,  which  allow  the  sections 
to  fold  flat  for  storage.  They  cannot  fold  when 
in  use,  for  each  group  of  sections  is  supported 
by  flanges  which  are  diagonally  braced  from 
corner  to  corner.  The  sections  dowell  into  the 
flanges  and  into  each  other,  making  lateral 
movement  impossible. 

The  seat  boards  are  30  inches  wide,  and  sup- 
ported and  stiff'ened  by  steel  battens,  which  fit 
over  the  sections.  Steel  guard-rails  for  both 
back  and  sides,  which  fold  for  storage,  com- 
plete the  structure. 

The  sectional  feature  enables  the  stand  to  be 
made  as  long  or  as  high  as  desired.  It  can  be 
added  to  merely  by  purchasing  additional  sec- 
tions. 


THE     "MAKINGS"     OF    A    GRAND    STAND 

The  stand  is  adaptable  to  any  situation  where 
it  may  be  required.  For  parades  it  may  be  set 
up  in  as  many  tiers  as  the  sidewalk  width  will 
permit,  and  the  length  may  be  varied  to  suit 
conditions.  For  football  it  can  be  used  as  a 
long,  low  stand,  and  it  can  be  changed  for  base- 
ball to  short  high  stands.  Narrow  seats  can  be 
purchased  for  indoor  use,  where  it  is  necessary 
to  crowd  many  people  into  a  small  space.  The 
sections  can  also  be  set  up  as  a  level  platform 
for  use  as  band-stand  or  stage.  They  can  also 
be  used  for  benches  and  tables. 

Skilled  labor  is  not  needed  to  set  up  this 
grand  stand;  no  tools  are  required  in  erection 
or  removal.  Not  a  bolt,  screw,  nail  or  pin  is 
used.    There  are  no  small  pieces  to  get  lost. 

The  Wayne  sectional  grand  stand  is  durable 
and  economical.  The  sections  being  made  en- 
tirely of  steel,  there  is  nothing  to  wear  out.  It 
can  be  erected  and  taken  down  as  often  as  de- 
sired. Its  erection  makes  no  dirt,  its  appear- 
ance is  neat,  and  its  removal  causes  no  waste  or 
lost  material. 

The  stand  here  illustrated,  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  1,000  persons,  was 
erected  in  one  working  day  by  a  fore- 
man and  eight  unskilled  laborers,  and 
was  removed  by  the  same  men  in  three 
hours.  The  two  views  show  exactly 
the  same  material,  folded  and  erected, 
illustrating  the  small  storage  space  re- 
quired. 

This  grand  stand  is  absolutely  safe 
and  the  design  and  construction  have 
been  approved  by  the  Bureau  of  Build- 
ing Inspection  of  Philadelphia.  In  use 
it  has  been  loaded  to  double  its  rated 
capacity  without  the  slightest  risk. 

Its  use  by  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
the  Bell  Telephone  Companyi  the  Bu- 
reau of  Recreation  of  Paterson,  N.  J., 
as  well  as  many  schools,  both  public 
and  private,  is  evidence  that  it  fills  a 
long- felt  need. 


THE    "MAKINGS"    IN    SEEVICE 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


I  Lighting 
I  Standards 

Caldwell  and  Drake 

Parkway 

and 

'     Boulevard 

Standards 
are 

First  in 

QUALITY 

DURABILITY 

STABILITY 

SAFETY 

BEAUTY 

PERMANENCE 

ADAPTABILITY 

Send  for  Catalog 
and   Prices 

CALDWELL 

and 

DRAKE 
IRONWORKS 

COLUMBUS 
INDIANA 


SPECIFY  STANDARD    VITRIFIED    PAVING   BRICK. 


THE  FIRST 
INDUSTRY. 


THE  FIRST 
INDUSTRY. 


Paving  Brick 

Leads  the  Way  to 

Better  Public   Service 

SECRETARY  HOOVER  urges  all  industry  to  clear  its  decks 
for  better  service  by  eliminating  waste. 

One  essential  element  in  this  process  is  the  elimination  of  need- 
less styles  and  varieties  of  all  products. 

The  Paving  Brick  industry,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  users  of 
its  product,  is  the  first  industry  to  meet  the  Government's  re- 
quest and  present  a  comprehensive  schedule  which  recommends 
the  elimination  of  55  needless  varieties  of  paving  brick,  by 
"mutual  consent"  of  manufacturers  and  users. 
This  keynote  performance  has  set  the  pace  for  all  other  industries. 
The  remarkable  conference  in  Washington  last  November,  and 
at  which  definite  action  was  taken,  was  participated  in  by: 
American  Association  of  State       Arnerican  Society  for  Testing 


Highway  Officials 
American  Ceramic  Society 
American     Electric     Railway 

Engineering  Association 
American  Engineering  Council 
American  Engineering  Stand- 
ards Committee 
American  Institute  of  Archi- 
tects 
American  Institute  of  Mining 

and  Metallurgical  Engrs. 
American     Society    of    Civil 

Engineers 
American  Society  for  Munic- 
ipal Improvements 


Materials 
Columbus  (ft.)  Engineers'  Club 
Federated  American  Engineer- 
ing Societies 
Indiana  Engineering  Society 
National  Paving  Brick  Mfrs. 

Association 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Public  Roads 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Standards 
U.  S.  Department  of  Commeroe 
U.  S.  Army 
U.  S.  Navy 
Western  Society  of  Engineers 


The  1 1  standards  of  this  conference  were  ratified  by  the  National 
Paving  lirick  Manufacturers  and  adopted  as  the  Standards  of 
this  Association  by  formal  action  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
December  7,  1921.    They  are  as  follows: 

LUG   BRICK 


PLAIN  WIRE-CUT  BRICK 

(VERTICAL  FIBRE 

LUGLESS) 

Width  Depth  Length 

3  '  X  4  '  X  SVi' 
ZVi'  X  4  '  X  81/2' 
REPRESSED  LUG  BRICK 
Width  Depth  Length 
31/2'  X  31/2'  X  81/2 ' 
31/2'       X       4     '       X       8'/2' 

VERTICAL    FIBRE    LUG 

BRICK 
Width        Depth  Length 

4  '  X  3  '  X  81/2' 
4    '       X       31/2'       X       81/2* 


WIRE-CUT 

(DUNN) 
Width  Depth 

3y2'     X     3   ' 

31/2'       X       3%' 
31/2'       X       4     ' 

HILLSIDE    LUG 
(DUNN) 
Width  Depth 

31/2'       X       4     • 

HILLSIDE    LUG 

(REPRESSED) 
Width  Depth  Length 

Z^h'       X       4     '       X       81/2' 


Length 
t.  81/2' 
X  8V2' 
X       8I/2' 

BRICK 

Length 
X      81/2' 

BRICK 


A  COPY  OF  THESE  PROCEEDINGS  will  be  sent  to  you  upon 
request  and  will  bring  you  knowledge  and  understanding  of 
rapid  development  up  to  date. 

The  burned-in  service  value  of  vitrified  Paving  Brick  is  matched  by 
the  aggressive  Public  Service  spirit  of  the  Paving  Brick  industry, 

Natl.  PAVING  BRICK  Mfrs.  Assn. 


800  Engineers    Building 

Eastern  Paving  Brick  Manu- 
facturers Association,  Lincoln 
Building.  Philadelphia.  Pa. 
Illinois  Paving  Brick  Manu- 
facturers Association,  Chamber 
of    Commerce.    Chicago,    III. 


Cleveland,  Ohio 
Indiana  Paving  Brick  Manu- 
facturers Association,  Fidelity 
Trust  Bldg. ,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Ohio  Paving  Brick  Manufac- 
turers Association,  Hartman 
Building,      Columbus,      Ohio 


Southern  Clay  Manufacturing  Company. 
Volunteer  Building,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 


•1 


Wben  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thc  American  City. 


Jan.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND 


APPLIANCES 


lOI 


T:^;:^^^^^^^^  ^""" 


A  Trip  to  Andorra  Nurseries 

Situated  at  the  nor^h.mentr-ce 
famed  Wissahickon  Drive  tnro  ^         -^3  ^re 
Park  to.  Philadelphia    A^^^^^^  ^  great 

located  in  ^/^^^^"^.^^^"ures  With  this  great 
variety  of  soils  and  f^^J^'^  ^  ^ange  of  tem- 
advantage  of  ^ods^L^Sw  zero  days  in  tiie 
perature  from  the  f  ^e'  ^ry  summers  of  this 
winter  of  1917  f  ,f  ?  ^°ossible  to  grow  hardy 
latitude,  so  that  »tJ%P°^ps  and  to  reasonably 
trees,  evergreens  and  shrubs  a         ^^.^ 

nurseries,    even   when   mo^^orm^t^^^^^^^^ 
through  them.    The  ^ccomp^^^^  ^^   3^0. 

however,  »"  A,  P,Xv  seSion  of  the  nurseries 
acre  Spring  Mill  Valley  section  .^^^^ 

looking  south    gives  ^«  ^^^j^^ct  highway  be- 


A  Light-weight  Garbage 
Collection  Truck 


The   Anthony   Co.,  1"^^ /t^^S  has 
developed   a  garbage  dump   boay  ^er 

been  found  Pt'^ticularly  valuable  by  ^^ 

^J^^^'S'^r  ArL      Thoma^^^^^^^    Ga..    and 
Mo.,    Globe,    Ariz., 

Alexandria,  La.  Anthony   garbage 

Plymouth,   Pa.,  has  two  ^^^^  ^^^^ 

dumps  which  have  bee"  ^n  use    ^^^^^ 
two  years  and  St.  Louis  Anthony  leak- 

mounted  on  Ford  trucks      ine  ^^  p    ^ 

proof  solid  steel  garbage  dum?  proposition. 
?rucks  is  an  automatic  d^^  fenter  of  the 
By   touching  the  lever  m  ^    ^^.p^r 

driver's  seat,  the  d^^^P  "f-^iv  at  the  end 
cent  angle,  ?P«"^f^/"*rcoie  ""^  The  capital 
gate  and  raising  the  top  cover.         ^^^^^ 

STr.hi.'ral;ea'v&rypeoi  true  and 
body. 


I 


^s.'vrnrriT'P      VOR 


GABBAQB   OOU^OTIOM 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Idle  Cars  and  Men  Mean  Lost  Profits 

The  Haiss  Portable  Belt  Con- 
veyor Keeps    Them   Working 

Load  your  cars  the  instant  they  move  up — The 
Haiss  Portable  Conveyor  has  a  continuous  capacity 
of  100  to  150  yards  an  hour  at  a  cost  of  3^  cent 
per  yard  for  power.  It  is  portable — goes  any- 
where. 

Write  now  for  full  particulars  of  the 
Haiss    Portable    Belt    Conveyor. 

THE  GEO.  HAISS  MFG.  CO.,  Inc. 

143rd  St.  and  RIDER  AVE.  NEW  YORK 

Established  1892        Representatives  throughout  the  worid        H-42 


I 


EXPANSION 


JOINT 

(Pat.  PDG.) 


1 — ^Type  AA — Fibre  center  non-oozing  Joint 

(Solid  Crown  and  Sides) 
2 — Type  B — Bituminous  Cellular  Fibre  Joint 

(75%  Bitumen)  i  ! 
3 — Type  D — Cellular  Fibre  Joint  (Solid  edges 
and  Sidesi  Self -Expanding) 
Type  C — Sidewalk  Joint  W  a  Specialty 
For  Concrete  Roads^-Granite — Brick  and 
Wood  Block  Paving — Buildings — Bridges — 
Walls  and  Reservoirs 

Samples  and  Prices  on  Request 
SERVICISED  PRODUCTS  CO. 

First  National  Bank  Bldg.  CHI  CAGO 


v'- 

1            DRYERS 
1^           TAR  & 

THE  JOS.  HONHORST  CO. 

1016  WEST  SIXTH  STREET 
CINCINNATI.                                         OHIO 

ERIE  TANDEM  PAVING  ROLLERS 


Includes  everything  that  makes  for  the 
best  in  Road  Rollers.  They  are  strong, 
simple  in  construction^^urable  and  econom- 
ical and  easy  to  operate.  Our  first  roller 
built  in  1887  is  still  doing  its  "bit.'' 

Erie  Rollers  are  guaranteed  against  break- 
age or  wear  for  5  years. 

Write  for  illustrated  material. 
THE  ERIE  MACHINE  SHOPS 


ERIE. 


QUALITY  MACHINERY     BUFFALO  PITTS  ROLLERS 


With  Pressure  Cylinder  Scarifier 


Are  purchased  by  Discriminating  buyers  due 
to  the  many  years  of  satisfactory  service  which 
they  will  render,  the  low  repair  costs  and  their 
general  reliability. 

ALL   SIZES— ALL  TYPES 
STEAM  AND  MOTOR  ROLLERS 

Users  of  Buffalo  Pitts  and  Kelly  Springfield 
Rollers  should  equip  rollers  with  Pressure 
Cylinder  Scarifiers. 

Pull  information  as  to  cost  furnished  on  reQUtst. 

THE  BDFFALO-SPRINGFIELD  ROLLER  COMPANY 

SPKINOFIELD.  OHIO 


0S 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


103 


Housing  and  Town  Planning  in  Holland 

By  Stephen  Child 

Fellow,  American  Society  of  Landscape  Arcliitects 


THE  writer  has  spent  some  time  in  an 
effort  to  help  forward  reconstruction 
work  in  Belgium,  and  the  trip  into 
Holland  herewith  briefly  outlined  was  a 
most  interesting  by-product  of  that  effort. 

The  Dutch  towns  visited  were  Maestricht, 
Arnhem,  Amsterdam,  The  Hague  and  Rot- 
terdam, and  in  this  order.  At  all  of  them, 
activity  in  housing  and  town-extension  proj- 
ects is  marked,  and  everywhere  there  is  an 
air  of  prosperity. 

As  one  result  of  these  favorable  condi- 
tions, there  have  been  built  during  the  past 
few  years  by  this  nation  of  less  than  seven 
million  people  no  less  than  75,000  houses 
for  working  people  alone.  These  have  been 
constructed  in  180  communities  through  the 
agency  of  some  1,250  different  building 
societies,  the  work  having  been  authorized 
under  national  guarantee  and  with  the  aid 
of  state  subsidies.  Holland  is  hardly  more 
prosperous  than  the  United  States,  and  if 
seven  million  people  in  Holland  built  75,000 
houses,  America's  one  hundred  million 
should  have  built  a  million  houses  during 
the  same  time.  Or,  to  put  it  another  way, 
the  seven-million  agglommeration  included 
in  Greater  New  York  and  its  New  Jersey 
neighbors  should  have  built  75,000  houses, 
in  which  case  there  would  probably  not  be  a 
very  great  housing  shortage. 

Under  the  Dutch  Housing  Act  of  1901, 
local  authorities  may  make  grants  and  loans 
to  properly  organized  building  societies,  the 
money  required  being  advanced  by  the 
National  Exchequer,  and  the  communities  or 
societies  being  guaranteed  the  entire  cost  of 
construction,  land  and  buildings  as  well  as 


streets  and  utilities.  For  fifty  years  the 
houses  must  not  be  sold  or  the  rents  altered 
without  authority  of  the  state.  At  the  end 
of  this  period  the  buildings  become  the  prop- 
erty of  the  city. 

In  Holland's  Only  Coal-Mining  District 

Of  the  various  projects  visited,  none  were 
more  interesting,  particularly  from  the  town 
planner's  point  of  view,  than  those  in  the 
vicinity  of  Maestricht,  the  capital  of  the 
Dutch  province  of  Limburg.  Here,  near  its 
suburb  of  Heerlen,  are  the  only  coal  de- 
posits in  Holland.  The  mines  have  been  in 
operation  some  fifteen  years  and  were 
worked  during  the  war  with  great  intensity. 
We  were  told  that  many  Belgians  interned 
in  Holland  were  set  to  work  here,  and  as  it 
is  only  five  or  six  miles  to  the  German  line 
and  not  over  fifty  to  either  Dusseldorf  or 
Cologne,  one  can  readily  see  where  much  of 
the  output  may  have  gone. 

As  a  result  of  the  introduction  of  this 
coal-mining  industry  into  a  district  that  up 
to  1905  ^had  been  largely  an  agricultural  one, 
the  problem  of  housing  for  the  workers  be- 
came very  serious.  As  an  aid  to  its  solution, 
there  was  founded  a  central  or  comprehen- 
sive society  called  "0ns  Limburg,"  which 
has  grown  to  include  some  48  different 
building  societies,  each  of  which  is  given 
general  guidance  by  the  parent  association. 
"0ns  Limburg"  has  its  Works  Department 
and  Technical  Institute,  which  employs 
skilled  architects,  who  prepare  house  plans 
for  any  of  the  affiliated  organizations.  Its 
staff  of  engineers  is  available  to  all.  Ex- 
perts install  efficient  bookkeeping  systems, 


104 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


and  there  is  provision  for  inspection  of 
completed  work,  often  here  and  elsewhere 
by  women  who  keep  an  eye  on  the  moral  as 
well  as  the  physical  conditions. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  mines  from  being 
surrounded  by  an  unduly  concentrated  pop- 
ulation, and  to  get  the  advantage  of  mixing 
to  some  extent  the  mine-workers  with  the 
country  population — in  a  word,  of  securing 
most  of  the  helpful  influences  of  the  English 
garden  city  idea,  the  building  areas  are 
dispersed  over  the  country,  partly  on  the 
borders  of  small  towns  or  villages,  partly 
forming  separate  groups  of  houses,  and  in 
some  instances  merging  into  one  another. 

In  the  dififerent  sites  the  number  of  cot- 
tages per  acre  varies  from  ten  to  sixteen. 
It  was  originally  intended  that  there  should 
be  only  separate  houses  or  cottages,  each 
for  a  single  family,  with  an  open  space  to 
eadh  house,  but  this  idea  has  not  always  been 
followed,  for  there  are  many  row-houses. 
For  the  success  of  such  a  movement  cheap 
land  must  be  at  the  disposal  of  the  building 
societies,  and  the  solution  of  this  problem 
in  this  rapidly  growing  industrial  district 
was  obtained  by  the  assistance  of  a  society 
called  the  "Tijdig,"  which  buys  on  "due 
time"  on  a  large  scale  the  land  while  still  at 
or  near  agricultural  values,  and  hands  it 
over  at  cost  price  to  the  local  branches  of 
"0ns  Limburg"  as  soon  as  a  building  site 
is  wanted.  Some  such  method  is  quite  gen- 
erally employed  in  each  community. 


ALLEYS  ABE  OFTEN  MEEELY  FOOTPATHS,  NOT  WIDE  ENOUGH 

FOR  TEAMS.  REAR  GARDENS  ARE  CAREFULLY  PLANTED  AND 

MAINTAINED 


The  Houses  and   Their  Surroundings 

While  architectural  details  vary,  most  of 
the  cottages  throughout  Holland  have  on  the 
street  floor  a  parlor,  a  living-room  and  a 
scullery,  with  the  necessary  conveniences, 
and  on  the  second  floor  three  bedrooms. 
There  is  usually  not  much  of  a  cellar,  and 
the  houses  are  generally  heated  by  stoves. 

The  topography  about  Heerlen  is  gently 
rolling,  with  some  wooded  hillsides,  but 
mostly  open  farms.  There  has  been  con- 
siderable skill  shown  in  fitting  streets  to 
topography,  and  w*here  the  land  was  nearly 
level,  interesting  adaptations  of  formal  lay- 
outs have  been  adopted.  Pavements  and 
walks  here  as  well  as  elsewhere  in  Holland 
are  narrow,  and  the  grassed,  tree-shaded 
planting  spaces  are  of  ample  width.  Alley- 
ways are  quite  commonly  employed,  fre- 
quently merely  footpaths  not  wide  enough 
for  teams.  Interesting  squares,  plazas,  for- 
mal gardens,  and  even  quite  good-sized  in- 
formal parks,  have  been  established.  There 
are  many  single  houses,  more  semi-detached, 
and  a  great  many  rows  of  from  six  to 
twelve  houses.  Brick  is  here,  as  throughout 
Holland,  the  favorite  material,  covered  in 
some  cases,  for  variety,  with  plaster. 

Many  of  the  houses  are  one  and  a  half 
stories  in  height,  and  none  over  two  and  a 
half,  except,  as  noted  later,  in  Amsterdam. 
There  is  a  pleasing  variety  in  architectural 
types,  although  the  rather  'heavy  Dutch  or 
German  predominates.  Gables,  dormers  and 
little  towers  are  quite 
common.  The  grouping 
and  set-back  of  the  build- 
ings, which  varies  with 
the  topography,  adds  to 
the  general  appearance. 
Front  dooryards  are  in 
general  not  over  15  to 
20  feet  deep. 

The  most  noticeable 
feature  of  the  houses, 
however,  is  the  effective, 
not  to  say  startling,  re- 
sult of  the  Dutch  use  of 
color.  First,  of  course, 
all  the  roofs  are  red,  or 
p"nkish-red,  tile,  and 
most  of  the  walls  are 
dark  red  brick,  but  here 
and  there  this  has  been 
covered  with  a  plaster 
tinted  a  bright  yellow. 
More  noticeable  than 
this,     however,     is    the 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


loS 


IN  THE  MORE  LEVEL  DISTRICTS,  FORMAL  FLANS  OF  LANDSCAPE  aARDENING  HAVE  BEEN 

ADOPTED 


painting  of  the  woodwork:  doors  are  fre- 
quently brown  or  green;  shutters,  yellow 
bordered  with  white,  and  sometimes  deco- 
rated with  lozenge-shaped  panels  of  white, 
or  even  black  or  dark  blue;  window  sashes 
and  cornices  are  often  a  bright  yellow  ochre, 
sometimes  green  or  brown. 

Shade  tree  planting  is  quite  general,  na- 
tive oaks  being  the  favorite,  with  mountain 
ash  a  close  second,  one  kind  of  tree  to  a 
street.  Dooryards  are  frequently  filled  with 
flowering  shrubs  or  herbaceous  plants. 
Hedges  and  low,  vine-covered  walls  sepa- 
rate the  yards.  The  general  effect  is  one  of 
gaiety  and  brightness.  Ample  provision  is 
made  for  churches,  local  shops  and  schools, 
with  generous  playgrounds. 

The  building  societies  frequently  have 
their  own  large  and  well-equipped  tem- 
porary wood-working  shops  for  the  fabrica- 
tion of  building  material,  but  with  charac- 
teristic Dutch  thrift  they  all  keep  a  s'harp 
eye  on  prices  elsewhere,  and  when  these  are 
found  to  be  lower  than  the  cost  at  their  own 
shops,  they  do  not  hesitate  an  instant  to  shut 
down  their  shops  and  buy  in  the  best  market. 
There  is  apparently  no  community  pride  or 
political  pressure  to  keep  their  own  shops 
going;  the  one  purpose  is  to  secure  houses 
rapidly,  economically,  and  without  raising 
rents. 

Elsewhere  in  Holland 

While  in  the  Limburg  district  there  is  but 
one  industry,  coal  mining,  involved,  at  all 
the  other  cities  visited  the  problem  is  the 
more  general  one  of  an  acute  housing  short- 
age due  to  the  rapid  growth  of  thriving 
communities,  and  it  is  being  met  by  similar 
methods  in  all  of  them,  state  and  municipal- 


ity cooperating  with  local  building  societies. 
The  problem  all  through  Holland  is  simpli- 
fied by  the  fact  that  all  are  tenants — no  one 
seems  to  want  to  own  his  home. 

At  Arnhem  and  elsewhere  we  found  the 
term  "complex"  given  to  what  we  should 
call  a  garden  suburb,  a  complete  quarter  or 
small  district,  each  having  its  own  individual 
character  and  particular  type  of  architec- 
ture; at  one,  the  "Blaudorp  Complex,"  blue 
was  the  predominant  color,  while  at  the 
near-by  "Roode-dorp"  it  was  red.  Here  and 
at  Rotterdam  we  found  "complexes"  es- 
pecially designed  for  middle-class  people. 
Except  for  slightly  more  spacious  arrange- 
ments, that  is,  separate  houses  of  eight 
rooms,  these  were  in  no  way  superior  to  the 
others  as  to  construction  details.  The  rents 
of  these  were  originally  but  slightly  above 
those  of  workmen's  houses,  but  they  have 
now  been  raised  50  to  75  per  cent. 

At  Amsterdam  the  avowed  purpose  is  to 
abolish  the  slum,  here  said  to  be  as  bad  as, 
if  not  worse  than,  in  any  other  city  in  the 
world.  Land  being  relatively  expensive  and 
the  soil  generally  marshy,  requiring  piles 
for  foundations  of  most  buildings,  apart- 
ment or  tenement  houses,  five  stories  in 
height,  are  the  rule.  The  first  of  these, 
built  a  few  years  ago,  are  not  attractive,  but 
now  more  skilful  architects  are  being  em- 
ployed with  better  results.  On  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city,  too,  row-houses  are  being 
built.  A  particularly  interesting  group  is 
arranged  for  two  families,  one  above  the 
other,  the  second  story  flat  having  a  separate 
doorway  and  stairway,  and  each  having  at 
the  front,  besides  the  entrance  hall,  a  good- 
sized  living-room  with  two  windows  or  a 


io6 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


bay  window  giving  on  the  street ;  at  the  rear 
in  the  center  is  a  kitchenette  with  a  small 
bedroom  on  either  side  of  it,  each  with  a 
window  giving  on  the  rear  gardens,  which 
here,  as  all  through  Holland,  are  well  laid 
out,  carefully  and  attractively  planted  and 
maintained,  sometimes  as  play-places. 

The  population  of  Amsterdam  in  August, 
1920,  was  651,133,  and  a  careful  survey 
showed  the  need  of  fully  19,000  new  houses; 
also  that,  allowing  for  the  probable  growth 
of  the  city,  6,800  new  houses  would  be 
needed  each  year  for  a  period  of  five  years, 
or  a  total  of  34,000.  These  the  piunicipal 
authorities  have  set  out  to  build,  having 
plans  ready  now  for  12,000,  over  4,000  of 
which  are  nearly  if  not  quite  completed. 
From  1905  to  January  i,  1920,  108,000,000 
florins  has  been  appropriated  by  the  state 
and  city  for  Amsterdam  housing. 

At  both  The  Hague  and  Rotterdam,  land 
being  relatively  cheaper,  there  are  no  build- 
ings over  two  and  a  half  stories  in  height, 
many  but  one  and  a  half,  and  while  there 
are  a  few  semi-detached  houses,  most  are  in 
rows  of  from  six  to  a  dozen.  Here,  too, 
brick  is  the  favorite  material,  and  there  is  a 
perfect  riot  of  color  for  the  woodwork.  At 
Rotterdam  3,000  workmen's  houses  are  un- 
der way  or  completed. 

The  building-cost  of  the  Dutch  cottage 
described  above — the  cost  of  land  and  the 
making  of  streets  excluded — averaged  up  to 
the  year  191 5  about  175  pounds,  but  has  now 
increased  to  from  400  to  480  pounds.  The 
cottages  erected  before  the  war  were  let  at 
a  rent  of  about  5  shillings  per  week,  which, 
we  were  told,  provided  a  full  commercial 
return  on  the  capital  outlay.  The  increment 
of  the  building-cost  makes  it  impossible  to 
continue  in  that  way,   and  at  present  the 


rents,  fixed  at  about  8  shillings  per  week, 
produce  only  50  to  60  per  cent  of  the  sum 
required  for  interest,  repayment  of  loans, 
and  working  expenses;  the  rest  is  granted 
annually  as  a  subsidy  by  the  state  and  the 
communities  interested,  being  absorbed 
without  serious  opposition  by  general  taxa- 
tion, a  form  of  government  philanthropy 
not  relished  in  America.  In  no  case  do  the 
rates  charged  meet  the  standard  of  "eco- 
nomic rent"  that  should  be  received,  and 
there  must  come  here  in  Holland  some  time 
in  the  future  a  day  of  reckoning ;  a  writing- 
off  of  inflation  and  a  genuine  return  to  a 
true  economic  basis;  one  that  will  make  the 
worker  more  independent  because  not,  as 
now,  a  recipient  of  government  philan- 
thropy. 

Indirectly,  perhaps,  Holland  is  to  be  aided 
in  this  particular  by  its  foresight  in  pro- 
ceeding as  it  has  very  generally  done,  to 
purchase  large  areas  of  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  most  of  the  growing  cities,  and  holding 
these  at  cost  for  the  building  of  workmen's 
homes.  The  city  of  Arnhem  now  owns  over 
4,000  acres  of  such  land,  and  The  Hague 
3,000  acres,  which  is  held  in  reserve  for  this 
purpose;  bought,  in  most  instances,  at  or 
near  agricultural  values  and  held  under 
agreements  permitting  the  cultivation  and 
sale  of  crops  until  needed  for  building.  The 
community  will  therefore  profit  by  the  "un- 
earned increment,"  and,  what  is  more,  when 
the  need  arises  there  will  be  none  of  the  un- 
fortunate delays  that  come  through  the  slow 
process  of  expropriation. 

Editorial  Note. — This  article  is  compiled  from  data 
collected  on  a  journey  through  Holland  and  Belgium 
in  the  year  1920.  The  writer  has  just  returned  from 
another  visit  to  Holland  and  finds  a  continuation  of 
activity  along  the  lines  described  in  this  article.  There 
seems  to  be  very  little  diminution  in  the  house-building 
program  of  the  Netherlands. 


Does  Your  City  Encourage  Panhandlers? 


Street  begging,  says  The  New  York 
Times,  "is  an  abuse  and  an  evil,  and  those 
who  distribute  'charity'  in  this  form  should 
know  that  they  simply  are  encouraging  pro- 
fessional mendicancy." 

Two  members  of  the  Salvation  Army, 
Major  Edward  Underwood  and  Roy  P. 
Gates  of  the  Joint  Application  Bureau,  re- 
cently tested  this  matter  in  New  York  City 
by  going  out  and  doing  some  panhandling 
themselves.  The  only  disguise  they  used 
was  to  turn  up  their  collars  and  not  to  wear 


overcoats,  but  within  an  hour  they  had 
collected  dimes  and  quarters  to  the  extent 
of  $3-35)  and  realized  that  the  business  was 
a  profitable  one  if  they  chose  to  follow  it. 

They  usually  asked  for  jobs  when  they 
made  their  demands,  but  nobody  took  that 
seriously  or  made  any  inquiries.  Instead,  the 
coins  were  passed  over  "with  as  little  thought 
as  one  would  give  in  patting  a  stray  dog." 

Talks  with  other  men  engaged  in  begging 
showed  that  about  twenty-four  in  twenty- 
five  were  professionals. 


107 


VIEW    OP    ARKANSAS    CITY,    KANS.,    RESERVOIR,    SHOWING    TENNIS    COURTS 


New  Circular  Reservoir  at  Arkansas 

City,  Kansas 

Construction  Features  the  Use  of  Slip  Forms — Tennis  and  Volley-Ball  on  Roof 

By  C.  A.  Smith 

Burns  &  McDonnell,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


THE  two-million-gallon  reinforced  con- 
crete reservoir  recently  completed  at 
Arkansas  City,  Kans.,  has  some  in- 
teresting features  of  design  and  construc- 
tion methods,  and  also  novel  uses  since  its 
completion.  The  reservoir  was  constructed 
to  provide  a  reserve  and  equalizing  storage 
between  the  supply  wells  and  the  high-serv- 
ice pumps  located  approximately  i}i  miles 
from  the  site  of  the  well  system. 

The  site  available  for  the  reservoir;  was 
a  low  tract  of  ground  adjacent  to  the  pump 
station,  owned  by  the  city  for  park  and 
playground  purposes,  but  had  never  been 
improved.  It  had  been  used  as  a  dump 
ground  and  was  partially  filled  with  old 
refuse,  brick,  tin  cans,  street  sweepings  and 
rubbish.  The  results  of  the  preliminary  test 
borings  indicated  approximately  an  average 
of  8  feet  of  old  fill  and  original  loam  and  2 
feet  of  water-bearing  sand  overlying  a  solid 
limestone  stratum.  The  reservoir  was  de- 
signed to  use  this  rock  stratum  as  the  floor. 
Upon  removing  the  top  soil,  the  rock  sur- 
face was  found  to  be  fairly  smooth  and 
level,  having  a  grade  or  dip  of  approxi- 
mately 0.8  oif  I  per  cent.  Several  faults  or 
cracks  from  %  tct  1  inch  wide,  averaging 
about  20  feet  apart  and  running  at  right 
angles  to  each  other,  were  cleaned  out  and 
grouted  full  of  i  .2  cement  mortar,  and  after 
chipping  off  some  of  the  irregular  or  un- 


even places  the  entire  rock  surface  was 
washed  with  a  cement  grouting,  making  a 
satisfactory  bottom  or  floor. 

The  reservoir  is  156  feet  inside  diameter 
and  14  feet  deep  below  the  overflow  weir. 
The  design  is  of  the  ring  tension  type  with 
walls  resting  on  a  subfooting  keyed  into  the 
rock  stratum  forming  the  bottom.  The  wall 
is  separated  from  the  footing  by  a  specially 
designed  expansion  joint,  in  order  to  elimi- 
nate cantilever  stresses.  The  roof  is  a  5- 
inch  reinforced  concrete  slab  carried  by 
10  X  15-inch  beams  spaced  12  feet  on  centers 
each  way  and  supported  by  10  x  lo-inch 
columns.  The  roof  was  given  an  8-inch 
slope  from  center  to  wall,  and  the  top  was 
given  a  floor  or  sidewalk  smooth  trowel  or 
float  finish. 

The  wall  was  originally  designed  tapering 
from  bottom  to  top,  but  was  changed  to  a 
uniform  thickness  in  order  to  use  slip  forms. 
The  ring  tension  steel  was  placed  in  two 
rows  and  held  firmly  in  proper  place  by  ver- 
tical standards  spaced  6  feet  on  centers, 
made  of  3-inch  channels  with  notched  strap 
steel  bars  riveted  at  the  proper  intervals. 

The  wall  forms  were  made  of  i-inch 
ship-lap  in  sections  12  feet  long  and  4  feet 
in  height.  After  receiving  a  coat  of  paint 
they  were  assembled  and  centered  in  place. 
The  forms  were  filled  within  6  inches  of  the 
top  and  then  were  raised  slowly  by  means 


lo8 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


of  the  ordinary  slip  form  jacks  operating  on 
I -inch  jack-rods,  which  were  cut  off  at  the 
top  of  the  wall  when  the  pouring  of  the  wall 
was  complete.  Two  men  were  employed  to 
operate  the  jacks,  making  a  complete  circuit 
twice  an  hour  and  raising  the  form  approxi- 
mately I  inch  each  time. 

The  concrete  was  run  continuously  in  the 
walls,  using  two  mixers  located  in  opposite 
sides  and  alternating  from  one  mixer  to  the 
other  every  hour.  There  were  three  8-hour 
shifts  of  men  consisting  of  10  laborers  and 
foreman  mixing  and  placing  concrete,  3 
men  placing  and  wiring  steel,  2  men  operat- 
ing form  jacks,  and  2  carpenters  shifting 
runways  and  miscellaneous  work.  The  total 
time  required  for  the  wall  was  80  hours. 
The  concrete  was  conveyed  froni  mixers  to 
wall  in  wheelbarrows  on  board  runs. 

The  use  of  the  slip  forms  with  the  con- 
crete deposited  continuously  in  small  layers 
allowed  the  concrete  to  be  well  puddled,  and 
when  the  wall  was  finished  no  construction 
joints,  voids  or  pockets  were  visible  and 
the  finish  was  very  smooth.  The  walls 
showed  no  sign  of  seepage  when  the  reser- 
voir was  filled. 

The  column  footings  were  keyed  into  the 
rock  stratum,  and  the  tops  carefully  graded 
from  center  to  outside  wall  to  conform  to 


the  roof  slope,  so  that  all  column  forms  were 
of  the  same  length,  thus  simplifying  the 
construction  and  placing  of  forms. 

Tennis  Courts  on  the  Roof 

The  location  of  the  reservoir  being  on 
park  property,  it  was  decided  before  com- 
pletion to  utilize  the  top  for  tennis  and  vol- 
ley-ball courts.  The  manhole  openings  and 
ventilators  were  so  placed  that  ample  space 
was  provided  for  two  tennis  courts.  Pipe 
couplings  or  sockets  were  installed  in  the 
roof  slab  for  the  net  posts,  and  also  sockets 
around  the  wall  for  posts  for  fencing  the 
entire  area.  The  accompanying  illustration 
shows  two  tennis  games  in  progress,  and  the 
courts  are  very  popular. 

The  main  items  in  the  construction  were 
7,162  cubic  yards  of  earth  excavation,  1,038 
cubic  yards  of  concrete,  71.7  tons  reinforc- 
ing steel  and  4.2  tons  channel  iron  and  mis- 
cellaneous. The  total  cost  of  the  com- 
pleted reservoir  was  $52,887.21.  The  reser- 
voir was  designed  by  Burns  &  McDonnell 
Engineering  Company,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
and  constructed  by  Ray  &  Son,  contractors, 
of  Baxter  Springs,  Kans.,  and  the  work 
was  supervised  by  Charles  W.  Lusk,  City 
Engineer  of  Arkansas  City,  Kans. 


CONSTRUCTING  RESERVOIR  WALL,  USING  THE  SLIP  FORM  METHOD 


109 


Proper  Waste  Disposal  in  Relation  to 
the  Fly  and  Disease 

By  W.  Dwight  Pierce,  Ph.  D. 

Consulting  Entomologist,  San  Mateo,  Calif. 


IT  is  doubtful  whether  even  our  highly 
civilized  American  public  has  ever  had 
brought  home  to  it  the  fulness  of  in- 
dividual and  municipal  responsibility  in  the 
matter  of  vi^aste  disposal  to  prevent  trans- 
mission of  disease  by  the  fly  and  other  in- 
sects. ,^J^j,J 


It  u^ould  require  a  good-sized  volume  to 
give  a  digest  of  the  evidence  proving  how 
flies  and  other  insects  carry  disease  germs 
from  waste  to  our  foods,  and  to  discuss  the 
essential  points  in  their  life  history  and  con- 
trol, and  then  to  fully  discuss  the  ways  and 
means  of  waste  disposal.    The  writer  must 


no 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


therefore  content  himself  with  a  concise 
statement  of  facts,  in  the  hope  that  he  may 
lead  those  who  read  it  to  a  more  intelligent 
fight  against  disease,  through  the  means  of 
proper  waste  disposal. 

That  which  must  be  made  clear  above  all 
else  is  that  every  citizen  has  here  a  grave 
responsibility,  and  that  practically  all  epi- 
demics of  insect-spread  diseases  can  be  di- 
rectly traced  to  the  carelessness  of  in- 
dividuals, if  not  of  the  community  at  large. 
If  you  could  realize  that  the  presence  of 
diarrhea,  dysentery  or  typhoid  in  your 
family  may  be  directly  due  to  your  own  or 
your  neighbors'  carelessness,  would  you  re- 
main listless  and  inactive?  If  you  saw  your 
dear  ones  sick  and  dying  and  knew  that 
others  were  in  the  same  danger,  would  you 
try  to  run  down  the  cause  and  put  a  stop  to 
it?  If  you  would  not,  you  have  become  so 
calloused  that  you  are  measurably  more 
responsible  for  the  calamity.  The  matters 
with  which  this  article  deals  are  unques- 
tionably matters  of  public  welfare  and  re- 
sponsibility, but  this  does  not  by  one  iota 
diminish  the  individual  responsibility. 

Why  Waste  Disposal  Is  Essential 

Let  us  try  to  assimilate  some  of  the  essen- 
tial facts  before  touching  directly  upon 
waste  disposal. 

1.  Communicable  diseases  have  a  causative 
organism. 

2.  The  causative  organisms  of  all  intestinal 
diseases,  at  least,  will  be  voided  in  human  or 
animal  waste. 

3.  Waste  matter  of  all  kinds,  but  especially 
human  and  animal  waste,  is  especially  attractive 
to  insects  and  is  the  source  of  the  majority  of 
flies  found  about  human  habitations. 

4.  Fly  larvae  breeding  in  waste  take  into  their 
bodies  whatever  organisms  are  present,  and  in 
many  cases  harbor  these  organisms  uninjured  in 
their  bodies,  until  they  have  matured  into  full- 
grown  flies,  and  for  some  time  thereafter. 

5.  Adult  flies  alighting  on  waste  take  up  as 
food  disease-organisms,  and  also  pick  up  many 
on  their  feet. 

6.  The  flies  which  breed  in  and  frequent  filth 
also  frequent  dairies,  groceries,  meat  markets, 
kitchens  and  dining-rooms,  and  invariably  de- 
posit on  whatever  they  alight  upon,  a  speck  of 
excrement  containing  disease  organisms,  as  well 
as  losing  some  of  the  filth  from  their  feet. 

7.  Disease  organisms  can  live  in  flies  for  many 
days. 

8.  Flies  can  fly  many  miles. 

9.  A  single  case  of  typhoid  fever,  dysentery 
or  diarrhea  in  the  country  or  city  where  open 
privies  prevail,  will  in  due  time  give  rise  to  a 
myriad  of  flies  spreading  over  the  countryside 
and  each  carrying  disease  germs.  And  if  there 
is  a  dairy  barn  within  their  zone  of  flight,  they 
will  find  it  and  be  irresistibly  drawn  to  the 


milk.  One  of  these  touching  the  milk  may 
leave  a  culture  of  organisms  which  will  be  dis- 
tributed to  every  customer.  We  often  trace  the 
disease  to  the  dairy,  but  we  sometimes  fail  to 
go  on  to  the  place  where  the  flies  got  the  germs, 

10.  Some  of  the  disease-laden  flies  may  stop 
at  a  manure  pile  and  lay  eggs,  but  with  these 
eggs  will  be  the  germs.  The  fly  larvae  will  take 
these  germs  up,  and,  as  mature  flies,  will,  a  few 
days  later,  carry  them  on.  The  same  thing  may 
happen  in  a  garbage  pail. 

11.  Any  substance  in  which  flies  breed  is 
dangerous,  because  the  more  flies  we  have,  the 
greater  the  danger  of  their  picking  up  disease 
organisms.  Therefore,  we  must  watch  garbage, 
factory  waste,  sewage,  manure,  and  all  other 
kinds  of  decaying  matter.  It  is  not  always  that 
the  large  mass  of  waste  is  the  most  dangerous. 
The  little  things  must  receive  attention  as  well 
as  the  big. 

Problems  of  Waste  Disposal 

What,  then,  are  the  problems  of  waste 
disposal  ?  They  are  not  confined  to  the  city 
itself.  They  are  not  always  easy  to  discover 
or  handle.  They  concern  the  personal  habits 
of  the  entire  population.  They  are  found 
wherever  food  is  found. 

I.  The  city  sanitarian  must  watch  the  city 
milk  supply  to  its  ultimate  source.  He  must  be 
constantly  in  touch  with  the  health  situation  in 
all  the  surrounding  territory. 

II.  The  sewage  disposal  of  the  whole  country- 
side has  a  direct  bearing  on  the  health  of  the 
city  inhabitants. 

III.  Wherever  the  open  privy  exists  is  to 
be  found  a  menace  to  the  health  of  all  the 
people  for  many  miles  around. 

IV.  Every  manure  pile  is  a  source  of  millions 
of  disease  carriers. 

V.  The  moist  manure-laden  refuse  in  the  gut- 
ters and  cesspools  gives  rise  to  flies. 

VI.  Every  garbage  pail  is  a  focus  for  flies. 
Free  municipal  garbage  removal  is  a  necessity 
to  insure  uniform  and  regular  removal. 

VII.  Every  barn,  livery  stable,  pig-pen, 
chicken-yard  and  dove-cote  is  a  potential  source 
of  flies. 

VIII.  Packing-houses,  canneries,  breweries, 
and  many  other  industrial  plants  create  great 
quantities  of  waste  in  which  insects  breed. 

The  problem  of  waste  disposal  is  so  to 
dispose  of  all  kinds  of  waste  as  to  prevent 
fly-breeding  and  at  the  same  time  conserve 
whatever  values  are  inherent  in  the  waste 
in  such  manner  as  to  defray  a  large  part  of 
the  costs  of  waste  collection  by  converting 
the  waste  into  materials  of  commercial 
value. 

Sewage  sludge  treated  in  a  disposal  plant 
may  become  good  fertilizer  material. 
Manure  dried  and  pulverized  is  a  valuable 
fertilizer  and  no  longer  attractive  to  flies. 
Garbage  may  be  converted  in  a  disposal 
plant  into  fats,  glycerines  and  other  prod- 
ucts of  considerable  value. 


Ill 


The  Direct  Oxidation  Process  of  Sewage 

Treatment 

A  Small  Plant  at  Phillipsburg,  N.  J.»  and  a  Large  Installation  at  Allentown,  Pa., 

Are  Now  in  Operation 


THE  functions  of  the  direct  oxidation 
process  are  based  upon  electrolysis  of 
the  sewage,  which  previously  has  been 
made  slightly  but  definitely  caustic  by  the 
addition  of  lime.  By  means  of  such  elec- 
trolytic action  the  production  of  nascent 
hydrogen  and  oxygen  almost  instantly 
effects  a  definite  stabilization  of  the  unstable 
organic  matter  contained  in  the  sewage  and 
thus  renders  it  inoffensive.  By  the  same 
means,    pathogenic    bacteria,    if    such    are 


of  16,923.  It  supports  22  industries,  of 
which  7  produce  iron  and  steel  products, 
and  12  engage  in  the  manufacturing  and 
dyeing  of  silk  fabrics.  The  city  sewage 
contains  a  preponderance  of  industrial 
wastes  consisting  of  soaps,  oil-emulsions, 
dyestuffs,  and  extracts  from  the  silk  indus- 
tries, together  with  pickling  liquors  and 
mineral  oil  from  the  iron  industries.  With 
the  exception  of  a  small  area,  the  sewage  is 
conducted  to  the  treatment  plant  by  gravity, 


EXTERIOR  OP   THE   PHILLIP SBUR&,   N.   J.,    SEWAGE   WORKS 


present  in  the  sewage,  as  may  at  any  time 
be  the  case,  are  destroyed.  This  process,  as 
its  name  implies,  is  "direct."  Unlike  all 
other  sewage  treatment  processes,  including 
the  activated  sludge  process,  it  does  not  de- 
pend for  its  success  upon  bacterial  activities. 
In  this  cardinal  respect,  therefore,  it  differs 
diametrically  from  all  other  types  of  sewage 
treatment  works.  It  is  a  mechanism  depend- 
ing only  upon  the  uninterrupted  addition  of 
lime  in  proper  quantity  to  the  sewage,  and  a 
continuous  flow  of  electric  current  to  the 
electrolyzers. 

At  Phillipsburg,  N.  J.,  is  located  a  typical 
plant  of  this  type.  Phillipsburg  is  essentially 
an  industrial  city,  having  a  1920  population 


through   sanitary    sewers    which    eliminate 
storm  and  surface  waters. 

The  sewage  treatment  plant  is  located  on 
Saw  Mill  Road  some  230  feet  south  of 
South  Main  Street.  A  number  of  first-class 
residences  are  located  on  adjoining  prop- 
erty. The  plant  site  proper  is  an  irregular 
tract  covering  an  area  of  i}i  acres,  of 
which  the  complete  plant  occupies  but  ys- 
acre.  In  the  treatment  plant,  which  has  a 
rated  capacity  of  three  million  gallons  per 
day,  the  sewage  flows  throughout  by  gravity, 
first  passing  through  either  or  both  of  the 
flat  plate  screens,  under  which  grit  cham- 
bers are  located.  These  screens  have  J4- 
inch  perforations  and  are  cleaned  by  me- 


112 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


chanically  operating  brushes.  In  conjunction 
with  the  grit  chambers,  the  screens  are 
designed  to  protect  the  electrolyzers  by  re- 
moving the  coarser  suspended  matters  and 
abrasive  substances  or  grit. 

From  the  grit  chambers  the  sewage  passes 
through  any  or  all  three  of  the  electrolyzers, 
each  of  which  has  a  treating  capacity  of 
700  gallons  per  minute.  Each  electrolyzer 
consists  of  a  horizontal  cypress  tank  27  feet 
long  and  3  feet  by  3  feet  in  cross-section. 
The  tank  is  divided  into  two  sections,  each 
having  a  removable  lid  for  accessibility  to 
the  interior,  which  contains  two  rows  of 
electrodes  of  eleven  banks  each,  mounted 
one  above  the  other,  making  twenty-two 
banks  in  all.  Each  bank  of  electrodes  con- 
tains 48  mild  steel  electrodes  10  inches  by  16 
inches  by  3/16-inch  spaced  ^-inch  apart, 
and  so  connected  electrically  that  alternate 
plates  have  the  same  polarity.  In  each  bank 
between  the  plates  two  Bakelite  paddles  are 
revolved  by  means  of  a  line  shaft  and  re- 
ducing gearing  mounted  upon  the  outside  of 
the  tank,  their  function  being  to  act  as 
mechanical  depolarizers  and  to  keep  the  pas- 
sage between  the  electrodes  free  from  ac- 
cretions. 

Electrically,  the  22  banks  of  electrodes 
are  connected  in  simple  series,  so  that  the 
current  employed  is  utilized  22  times  at  the  , 
expense  of  the  impressed  voltage.  To  ex- 
press in  simple  form  the  action  produced  in 
each  electrolyzer,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is 
equivalent  to  that  resulting  from  passing 
the  sewage  in  a  sheet  ^-inch  thick  between 
electrodes  30  feet  square,  agitating  it  dur- 
ing its  passage  with  2,068  paddles  and  using 
a  current  strength  22  times  as  great  as  is 
impressed  upon  the  physical  apparatus. 
From  this  there  is  every  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  all  of  the  sewage  is  subject  to  the 
action  of  the  nascent  oxygen  produced  upon 
the  electrodes. 

Upon  leaving  the  electrolyzers,  the  sew- 
age flows  through  a  sedimentation  basin, 
which  is  divided  into  two  sections,  each  of 
which  is  28  feet  by  100  feet  and  23^  feet  in 
depth,  and  has  a  flat  slope  on  the  bottom  of 
^-inch  per  foot  to  the  sludge  outlet.  The 
effluent  of  the  sedimentation  basin  is  dis- 
charged into  Lopatcong  Creek,  which  af- 
fords a  dry  weather  dilution  of  about  4  to  i. 

The  sludge  from  the  sedimentation  basins 
is  discharged  upon  a  sludge  bed  50  feet  by 
50  feet  in  area,  composed  of  graded  stone 
and   sand,   and   underdrained.     The  liquid 


drained  from  the  sludge  is  discharged  direct 
into  the  creek. 

The  plant  is  operated  by  alternating  cur- 
rent (220-volt,  3-phase,  60-cycle) ;  the  direct 
current  used  for  the  electrolysis  of  the  sew- 
age, and  averaging  66  volts  and  34  amperes 
for  each  electrolyzer,  is  obtained  from  inde- 
pendent motor  generator  sets.  The  entire 
control  is  mounted  upon  panel  boards  on  the 
operating  platform. 

In  addition  to  the  electrical  equipment, 
there  is  also  provided  a  compact  lime  stor- 
age pulverizing  and  dosing  equipment,  by 
means  of  which  run-of-kiln  lime  is  reduced 
to  powder  passing  a  loo-mesh  sieve.  The 
dosing  device  is  adjustable  and  feeds  the 
pulverized  lime  into  a  slaking  chamber, 
where  it  mixes  with  either  screened  or 
treated  sewage  or  with  city  water,  and  is 
conveyed  to  the  inlet  end  of  the  electrolyzers 
in  such  amounts  as  will  consistently  render 
the  sewage  slightly  caustic. 

Daily  operating  charts  have  been  prepared 
since  October  18,  1920,  showing  that: 

(a)  The  sewage  flow  peak  has  mounted 
gradually  until  at  the  present  time,  with  75 
per  cent  of  the  house  sewers  connected,  it 
amounts  to  2,000,000  gallons  daily. 

(b)  The  total  power  consumption  averages 
150  kw.  hours  per  million  gallons. 

(c)  Lime,  containing  80  per  cent  CaO,  is 
applied  at  the  rate  of  1,100  pounds  per  million 
gallons.  It  has  been  found  that  lime  containing 
94  per  cent  CaO  can  be  had  for  the  same  price, 
which  would  reduce  the  amount  consumed  to 
950  pounds  per  million  gallons. 

(d)  Each  section  of  the  sedimentation  basin 
is  blown  down  twice  a  month  and  the  sludge 
discharged  into  the  sludge  beds,  where,  after 
remaining  for  three  days,  it  is  removed  and 
spread  on  the  near-by  fill.  The  dry  sludge 
amounts  to  approximately  400  cubic  feet  per 
week  and  requires  the  services  of  two  laborers 
for  two  days  to  remove  and  spread  it. 

(e)  Three  operators  are  employed,  working 
on  eight-hour  shifts  at  salaries  aggregating  a 
total  of  $4,500  per  year. 

(f)  The  entire  first  cost  of  the  disposal 
plant,  including  land,  etc.,  was  $173,845.49,  or 
|57>950  per  million  gallons  daily  capacity. 

With  the  plant  operating  at  full  capacity 
(3,000,000  gallons  daily),  a  conservative 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  treatment,  including 
the  handling  of  sludge,  is  as  follows: 

Per  Day 
Capital    charges    (8^/^%    on    $173,845.49)    for 

interest,  sinking  fund  and  depreciation $40.50 

Power,  450   kw.   hr.    @   $.03 13.50 

Lime,  1.5  tons    @   $10.57 15 .  86 

Heat,  light  and   water 1.93 

Salaries,  $4,500  per  year 12 .  83 

Placing    sludge,    $0.50    per    hour,    2    laborers 

2  days  per  week  (average) 2.30 

Incidentals 1.05 

Total    $87.47 


FebruarV,  19:2^ 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


m 


Courtesy  H.   F.  Bascom,    City  Engineer,  Allentown,  Pa. 


THE  INTERIOR  OF  THE  DIRECT  OXIDATION  PLANT  FOR  THE  TREATMENT  OF  SEWAGE, 

ALLENTOWN,    PA. 


The  cost  of  treatment  per  million  gallons 
will,  therefore,  be  $29.16,  which  is  equivalent 
to  $1.24  per  capita  annually,  of  which  $0.57 
is  for  fixed  charges  and  $0.67  for  operating 
cost. 

The  plant  has  been  in  operation  for  prac- 
tically a  year,  and  from  all  the  evidence  at 
hand  has  consistently  produced  a  non- 
putrescible  effluent  and  a  stable  sludge.  Dur- 
ing this  period  the  sludge  has  been  used  in 


grading  the  site  about  the  plant,  and  from 
present  indications  will  be  utilized  in  this 
manner  for  the  next  six  years.  Absence  of 
nuisance  is  evidenced  by  the  lack  of  com- 
plaints from  the  near-by  residences.  A 
similar,  though  much  larger,  plant  of  the 
same  type  is  now  in  operation  at  Allentown, 
Pa. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  report  on  The  Treatment 
of  Municipal  Sewage  made  to  the  Board  of  Public 
Works  of  East  Chicago,  Ind.,  by  George  A.  Johnson, 
New   York  City. 


City  PJanning  in  Massachusetts 


The  report  of  the  Massachusetts  Division 
of  Housing  and  Town  Planning  for  1920, 
recently  published,  contains  a  summary  of 
the  reports  of  the  thirty-six  planning  boards 
of  the  state.  No  less  than  15  cities  have 
taken  up  zoning,  and  at  least  two  more  took 
it  up  in  192 1.  Seventeen  boards  organized 
under  the  mandatory  law  had  not  resumed 


activity  since  the  war,  though  four  of  these 
have  done  so  since  the  period  covered  by  the 
report.  Thirteen  places  have  not  yet  com- 
plied with  the  law  by  establishing  boards. 
The  Commissioner  of  the  State  Department 
of  Public  Welfare,  Richard  K.  Conant,  has 
asked  for  an  appropriation  to  provide  for  a 
field  secretary  of  town  planning  in  1922. 


114 


^'Ye  Olde  Towne  Meeting''  Up  to  Date 

By  E.  F.  Ayres 

Secretary,  Idaho  Chapter,  American  Association  of  Engineers 


THE  old-time  New  England  town  meet- 
ing was  one  of  the  most  perfect  sys- 
tems of  government  ever  devised. 
Each  citizen,  rich  or  poor,  had  an  equal  op- 
portunity to  express  his  opinions  and  fight 
for  his  ideals.  He  of  the  silver  tongue  had 
to  present  something  besides  superheated 
generalities  if  he  wanted  to  put  anything 
across.  The  crowd  knew  him  personally,  so 
his  appeal  to  the  stars  above  and  to  the  old 
flag  flying  in  the  heavens  failed  to  move  his 
audience.  At  least,  it  failed  to  move  their 
purse-strings. 

Just  as  soon  as  the  little  settlements  grew 
too  large  to  admit  all  citizens  into  one  hall, 
the  town  meeting  was  abandoned  in  favor  of 
representative  government.  The  individual 
lost  his  opportunity  to  make  himself  a  fac- 
tor in  the  administration  of  his  community. 

Boise,  Idaho,  has  developed  a  plan  which 
seems  to  combine  the  advantages  of  the  old 
town  meeting  with  the  best  features  of 
representative  government.  It  has  organ- 
ized a  Community  Council.  Other  cities  are 
trying  the  same  experiment,  some  of  them 
having  started  before  Boise  thought  of  it. 

It  requires  no  long  campaign,  no  costly 
publicity,  to  start  a  Community  Council.  In 
Boise,  a  few  public-spirited  citizens  sent  a 
notice  to  every  organization  in  the  city, 
asking  that  a  delegate  be  sent  to  a  meeting 
to  be  held  at  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Every  church — Roman  Catholic,  Protestant, 
Mormon,  Adventist,  Christian  Scientist  and 
Hebrew  —  every  fraternal  organization, 
every  labor  union,  every  women's  club, 
every  parent-teacher's  circle,  every  associa- 
tion of  professional  men  and  women,  and 
every  racial  group — was  invited  to  send  a 
representative.  No  one  imagined  that  over 
50  invitations  would  be  required.  There 
proved  to  be  an  even  190,  and  of  these,  127 
were  represented  at  the  first  meeting. 

After  a  discussion  of  the  problems  most 
vitally  affecting  Boise's  future,  a  short,  con- 
cise constitution  and  by-laws  were  unani- 
mously adopted. 

A  Planning  and  Advisory  Body 

Unlike  the  old  town  meeting,  the  Council 


has  no  legislative  powers.  In  fact,  it  has  no 
powers  of  any  kind  in  itself.  It  can  only 
plan  and  advise,  any  action  being  taken 
through  its  constituent  organizations.  It 
cannot  raise  funds,  nor  spend  them,  nor  can 
it  be  used  to  put  across  any  of  the  innumer- 
able drives  with  which  we  have  been  pes- 
tered since  the  war  revealed  the  large 
amount  of  loose  cash  in  the  pockets  of  the 
American  people.  The  Council  serves  as  a 
clearing-house  for  ideas,  and  each  delegate, 
whether  representing  two  thousand  or  only 
twenty  members  of  his  association,  has  an 
equal  voice  in  the  decisions  of  the  central 
body. 

The  Community  Council  gives  to  each 
citizen  a  closer  touch  wrth  public  affairs. 
He  is  represented  through  his  lodge,  his 
church,  his  union,  or  his  club.  If  he  is  a 
"joiner"  he  is  represented  many  times.  All 
matters  of  importance  must  be  referred  to 
him  for  final  action,  and  he  will  work  a 
great  deal  harder,  and  with  a  better  spirit, 
for  his  pet  enterprise  when  he  knows  that 
his  neighbor  is  working  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  him  through  another  organization. 
Racial  and  creedal  differences  can  be  ironed 
out  before  they  gain  dangerous  headway, 
for  when  representatives  from  both  sides 
meet  on  a  common  ground,  presenting  their 
own  views  and  having  the  opportunity  to 
see  the  other  fellow's  view-point,  antagon- 
isms melt  away  in  mutual  understanding, 

Boise  needs  playgrounds  for  her  children. 
She  needs  a  system  of  municipal  garbage 
collection.  She  needs  zoning  regulations. 
She  needs  a  large  hall  for  public  gatherings. 
This  year  the  High  School  had  to  hold  its 
graduation  exercises  in  a  theater,  as  there 
was  no  public  hall  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate the  parents  and  friends  of  the 
Senior  class.  Now  that  the  Community 
Council  is  under  way,  Boise  stands  a  good 
chance  to  get  these  improvements  and  many 
more  in  addition.  Single  organizations,  or 
lone  individuals,  lacked  the  strength  to  get 
things  started.  The  Council  will  outline 
practical  programs  and  then  get  out  and 
hustle,  through  its  member  associations,  to 
put  the  programs  into  effect. 


"5 


Philadelphia's  Service  Test  Road 

Cost  Data  from  the  Final  Report  of  the  Byberry  and  Bensalem  Road  Pavement 


BECAUSE  the  extension  of  Bensalem 
Avenue,  Philadelphia,  would  involve 
the  removal  of  a  portion  of  the  well- 
known  Byberry  and  Bensalem  Service  Test 
Road,  the  Philadelphia  Bureau  of  High- 
ways has  issued  a  very  interesting  final  re- 
port on  this  road,  which  was  constructed  in 
1912-1913,  To  aid  in  the  proper  apprecia- 
tion of  the 'data  regarding  the  general  con- 
ditions of  the  road  and  the  cost  of  repairs, 
as  well  as  the  proper  interpretation  of  the 
data  for  the  numerous  types  of  pavements 
laid,  the  final  report  gives  a  general  state- 
ment of  conditions  which  affected  the  be- 
havior of  the  road,  both  as  a  whole  and  also 
as  to  the  individual  sections. 

The  principal  elements  which  affected  the 
required  amount  of  maintenance  work  as 
compared  to  what  might  have  been  antici- 


pated from  the  usual  wear  and  tear  under 
most  favorable  circumstances,  were: 

1.  The  change  in  traffic  conditions  which  oc- 
curred since  the  construction  of  the  road  in 
1912-1913 

2.  The  difference  in  foundation  and  drainage 
conditions  existing  between  the  several  sections. 

At  the  time  this  improvement  was  made 
it  was  recognized  that  the  Service  Test  Road 
was  to  be  a  part  of  the  main  traffic  route 
between  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  but 
not  until  the  reconstruction  in  191 5  of  the 
adjacent  section  of  state  highway  did  the 
Service  Test  Road  actually  begin  to  serve 
this  purpose.  The  general  increase  in  motor 
truck  traffic  on  roads  subsequent  to  19 13, 
and  more  particularly  the  enormous  in- 
crease which  occurred  on  certain  roads  dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  war,  is  a  matter  of 


TWO   VIEWS    OF    THE   BYBEEEY-BENSALEM   EOAD,   LOWER  VIEW   SHOWING  BRICK  PAVING 

ON   HILLSIDE 


ii6 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


FINAL  REPORT,  COST  AND  EXTENT  OF  REPAIRS,  BYBERRY  AND  BENSALEM  SERVICE  TEST  ROAD— 


Sec- 
tion 
No. 


1 
2 
3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 
12 

13 

14 

15 

16 
17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 
26 


Station  to  station 


Number 

of  square 

yards 


0+00  to 
37+00  to 
47 +00  to 

50 +00  to 

52+50  to 

69  +50  to 
72 +00  to 

84 +50  to 

87+50  to 

94 +00  to 

97 +00  to 
103 +00  to 

109 +00  to 

112+50  to 

118+00  to 

121  +00  to 
127+00  to 

130 +60  to 

133 +00  to 

139+00  to 

145 +00  to 

151  +00  to 

157+00  to 

163 +00  to 

169+00  to 
174+50  to 


37+00 
47+00 
50+00 

52+50 

59+50 

72+00 
84+50 

87+50 

94+00 

97+00 

103+00 
109+00 

112+50 

118+00 

121+00 

127+00 
130+00 

133  +00 

139+00 

145+00 

151+00 

157+00 

163+00 

169  +00 

174  +50 
180+15 


6,578, 

1,788 

533 

444 

1,244 

2,222 
2,222 

533 

2,933 

533 

1,067 
1,067 

622 

978, 

533 

1,067 
640 

427, 

1,067, 

1,067 

1,067 

1,067 

1,067 

1,067 

978 
1,004 


Type 


Bituminous  concrete,  Amiesite .... 

Bituminous  concrete,  Topeka.  .... 

5"  concrete  pavement  with  bitumi- 
nous carpet  (a) 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con- 
crete base .••■•.• 

5"  concrete  pavement  with  bitumi- 
nous carpet  (b) 

Bituminous  concrete,  Filbertine .  .  . 

Bituminous  concrete,  District  of  Co- 
lumbia specifications 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4  '  con- 
crete base 

'   concrete   pavement,    with    and 
without  bituminous  carpet  (a)  .  .  . 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con- 
crete base 

Bituminous  concrete,  open  mixture 

Bituminous  concrete,  gravel  aggre- 
gate  

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con- 
crete base , 

5"  Hassam  concrete  pavement  with 
bituminous  carpet  (b) 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con- 
crete base 

Bituminous  macadam,  Ugite  binder 

Bituminous  macadam,  originally 
Byerlite  binder,  reconstructed  in 
1914,  Tarvia  "X"  binder 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con- 
crete base 

Bituminous  macadam,  Tarvia  "X' 
binder 

Bituminous  macadam,  Texaco  as- 
phalt binder 

Bituminous  macadam,  Standard  as 
phalt  binder  B 

Bituminous  macadam.  Pioneer  road 
asphalt 

Bituminous  macadam  Bermudez  as 
phalt  binder 

Bituminous  macadam.  Sun  Hydra- 
lene  binder 

Bicomac — Conrete  pavement .... 

Vitrified  block  pavement  on  4"  con 
Crete  base , 


Total  cost, 
mainte- 
nance 


$9,370.32 
1,237.59 

1,035  24 

29.16 

2,990.88 
1,944.72 

1,062.07 


3,159.10 

69.55 
180.00 

536.69 

101.83 

1,951.32 

68.70 
335.22 


421.07 

1,154.09 

1,420.70 

522.54 

472.87 

94.16 
243.77 


Total 

square 

yards 

repaired 


11  139.5 
1,487.0 

1,715.6 

16.0 

3,549.1 
.1,871. 

1,391. 


3,234. 

160. 

188. 

359. 

163. 

2,303.1 

89. 
1,516. 

640. 


1,698.8 

2,964.9 

3,017.8 

1,586 

2,566.4 

1,355.4 
593 


Average 
annual 
mainte- 
nance cost 
per  square 
yard  entire 
pavement 


SO. 178 
.087 


.243 
.0082 


.301 
.109 


.060 


.135 

.0163 
.021 

.063 

.205 

.249 

.016 
.0393 


.049 

.135 

.166 

.061 

.055 

.011 
.031 


Ratio  area 

repaired  to 

original 

section 

area 


1.68 
.83 


3.22 
.036 


2.85 
.84 


.63 


1.10 

.30 

.18 

.34 

.26 

2.36 

.17 
1.42 

1.00 


1.59 

2.78 

2.83 

1.49 

2.41 

1.27 
.61 


(a)  Partially  resurfaced  with  asphalt  pavement,  1916  and  1918. 

(b)  Completely  resurfaced  with  asphalt  pavement,  1918. 


common  knowledge.  The  Service  Test  Road 
was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  obliged  to  carry 
practically  all  of  the  heavy  commercial 
traffic  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
during  this  period,  in  addition  to  the  count- 
less trains  of  Government  trucks  which 
were  moving  between  these  two  cities — a 
sum  total  which  in  weight  and  intensity  was 
sufficient  to  constitute  a  severe  test  of  the 
durability  of  the  most  substantially  con- 
structed city  street.  It  is  obvious  that  at  the 
time  of  construction  it  was  impossible  to 
foresee  a  traffic  condition  of  this  sort.  The 
i6-foot-wide  improved  surface  was  not  ade- 
quate for  the  number  of  vehicles  using  the 
road,  and  the  breaking  down  of  the  edges, 
especially  of  bituminous  mixtures  on  mac- 
adam base,  was  undoubtedly  greatly  aggra- 
vated by  the  narrow  width  of  pavement. 


Foundations  and   Drainage  Conditions 

Nearly  all  of  the  new  road  was  placed  on 
existing  macadam,  strengthened  by  the  ad- 
dition of  new  stone,  unless  concrete  was  to 
be  laid.  The  condition  of  the  old  road  varied 
considerably  before  reconstruction,  some 
stretches  showing  the  effect  of  very  poor 
natural  drainage;  Section  i,  and  almost  the 
entire  portion  on  which  the  eight  bitumi- 
nous macadam  sections  were  placed,  lie  in 
a  flat  and  heavy  clay  soil  in  which  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  obtain  natural  drain- 
age. The  heavy  repairs  which  were  neces- 
sary on  these  sections  could  in  nearly  every 
case  be  traced  to  the  failure  of  the  founda- 
tion resulting  from  the  unsatisfactory  drain- 
age conditions  referred  to. 

In  contrast  to  this  situation,  the  sections 
of  vitrified  brick  pavements  were  placed  on 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


117 


grades  with  the  intent  of  affording  a  better 
foothold,  and  in  consequence  were  in  gen- 
eral located  in  sections  where  the  natural 
drainage  was  better  than  the  average  of 
conditions  on  the  whole  road.  These  sec- 
tions had  the  additional  advantage  of  a  4- 
inch  Portland  cement  concrete  foundation 
laid  on  the  existing  macadam,  thus  produc- 
ing a  degree  of  support  for  the  brick  surface 
much  superior  probably  to  that  of  any  other 
sections.  In  the  light  of  these  conditions  the 
brick  pavement  work  as  a  whole  must  be  re- 
garded as  much  more  substantial  construc- 
tion than  that  used  in  other  portions  of  the 
road,  and  the  subsequent  condition  of  the 
brick  sections  is  correspondingly  superior 
to  that  of  the  other  pavements. 

Sections  3,  5  and  14,  built  of  5-inch  con- 
crete pavement,  were  resurfaced  in  19 18 
v/ith  i-inch  binder  and  i^^-inch  asphalt 
wearing  surface.  That  portion  of  Section 
9  consisting  of  5-inoh  concrete  pavement 
which  was  resurfaced  in  1916  with  i-inch 
asphalt  binders  and  i-inch  asphaltic  wear- 
ing surface,  and  Section  25  of  Bicomac 
pavement  on  4-inch  Portland  cement  con- 
crete foundaton,  are  now  also  in  good  con- 
dition. 

On  sections  of  road  other  than  those 
specifically  mentioned,  the  accompanying 
table  shows  costs  and  extent  of  repairs  up 
to  and  including  1920  and  furnishes  a  gen- 
eral index  of  their  behavior  during  their 
period  of  service,  as  well  as  of  their  general 
condition  at  the  present  time.  During  the 
spring  thaw  of  1920  severe  damage  was 
done  to  the  road  by  truck  traffic,  which 
necessitated   many    repairs   and   a    general 


bituminous  surface  treatment  of  practically 
the  entire  road,  with  the  exception  of  those 
sections  previously  mentioned. 

General  Conclusions 

Accurate  comparisons  between  the  serv« 
iceability  and  cost  of  the  various  materials 
and  types  of  construction  are  virtually  im- 
possible because  of  the  disturbing  factors 
previously  described,  but  certain  general 
points  are  nevertheless  brought  out  by  the 
experience  of  this  road: 

1.  The  degree  of  success  obtained  with 
pavements  having  macadam  foundations  is 
apt  to  vary  directly  with  the  extent  to  which 
a  dry  subgrade  condition  can  be -preserved, 
other  conditions  being  equal.  Pavements 
having  Portland  cement  concrete  founda- 
tions are  less  susceptible  to  failure  from 
this  cause. 

2.  Relatively  lean  concrete  mixes  are 
unsuitable  for  direct  exposure  to  traffic. 
Thin  bituminous  carpets  placed  on  concrete 
foundations,  while  varying  considerably  in 
lasting  qualities  according  to  the  character 
of  the  bituminous  material,  are  not  to  be 
considered  as  durable  surfaces  for  use  by 
heavy  traffic.  Mixed  bituminous  pave- 
ments afford  a  very  much  greater  degree  of 
protection  to  concrete  foundations. 

3.  Differences  between  character  of  bitu- 
minous materials  or  composition  of  bitumi- 
nous mixtures,  although  of  considerable  im- 
portance when  the  other  conditions  of  use 
are  nearly  ideal,  become  of  secondary  im- 
portance when  foundation,  drainage  and 
other  related  conditions  enter  into  the  com- 
parison. 


More  Intelligent  Highway  Building 


Fifty  years  ago  the  paving  and  mainte- 
nance of  the  highways  in  many  cities  fre- 
quently were  in  charge  of  men  unskilled  and 
selected  by  political  preferment.  Now,  due 
largely  to  the  activities  of  civic  and  busi- 
ness organizations  interested  in  street  bet- 
terments, and  also  to  the  advancement  in 
municipal  administration,  work  of  this  kind 
is  usually  entrusted  to  trained  engineers 
familiar  with  municipal  affairs. 

The  development  and  increase  of  motor 
traffic  in  cities  has  led  to  an  improvement  in 
its  pavements  to  meet  this  demand.  Mate- 
rials heretofore  found  to  be  satisfactory 
have  proven  to  be  inadequate,  and  this  has 
necessitated  the  development  of  road  sur- 


faces which  will  give  maximum  wear  with 
a  minimum  cost  of  construction  and  mainte- 
nance. Laboratories  have  been  established 
for  research  and  to  provide  means  for  de- 
termining the  properties  of  materials.  Com- 
prehensive specifications  are  now  drawn  in 
which  the  materials  to  be  used  are  definitely 
described  and  the  methods  of  tests  to  insure 
such  materials  are  clearly  set  forth.  This 
enables  the  city  to  obtain  proper  construc- 
tion of  its  street  surfaces  and  to  effect  great 
economies,  due  to  the  fuller  and  freer  com- 
petition of  bidders  and  greater  permanency 
of  the  work. — "Municipal  Engineering," 
George  S.  Webster.  Trans.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E. 
1921,  page  516. 


118 


The  Topographic  Survey  and  Its  Rela- 
tion to  City  Engineering  Work 

By  J.   R.  Pollock 

Sanitary  Engineer,  City  Engineering  Department,  Flint,  Mich. 


THE  growth  of  Flint,  Mich.,  has  been 
abnormal  during  the  past  ten  years, 
increasing  from  38,550  in  1910  to  over 
100,000  in  1920.  This  rapid  increase  in 
population  has  caused  an  urgent  need  for 
public  improvements  and  has  made  acute 
some  already  pressing  engineering  problems. 
During  1920  a  program  requiring  the  ex- 
penditure of  more  than  $2,215,000  was  car- 
ried out  by  the  City  Engineering  Depart- 
ment, less  than  10  per  cent  of  the  work 
being  done  by  contract.  This  program  in- 
cluded 32  miles  of  sewers,  7  miles  of  street 
paving,  15  miles  of  sidewalk  paving,  two 
bridges,  a  dam,  a  city  garage,  two  municipal 
swimming  pools,  extensive  park  improve- 
ments, and  a  topographic  survey. 

During  these  rapid  strides  of  growth, 
some  of  Flint's  public-spirited  citizens  initi- 
ated a  city  plan  that  is  fast  becoming  a 
realization.  To  the  City  Engineering  De- 
partment falls  a  major  portion  of  the  execu- 
tion of  this  plan.    The  importance  of  topo- 


graphical maps  in  solving  one  of  Flint's 
most^  urgent  problems,  namely,  plans  for  a 
comprehensive  sewerage  system,  as  well  as 
in  giving  valuable  aid  to  the  city  plan,  was 
recognized  by  E.  C.  Shoecraft,  City  Engi- 
neer, and  as  early  as  1915  he  started  action 
toward  having  a  topographical  survey  made. 
This  was  not  accomplished,  however,  until 
1919,  when  arrangements  were  made  with 
R.  H.  Randall  &  Company,  topographic  en- 
gineers, of  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  making  a 
complete  survey  of  the  city  and  the  sur- 
rounding territory.  It  is  expected  to  com- 
plete this  work  in  1922,  when  an  area  of  60 
square  miles  will  have  been  mapped. 

The  survey  is  controlled  by  triangulation 
supplemented  with  precise  traverse.  Iron 
posts  bearing  bronze  caps  are  set  in  con- 
crete at  the  four  corners  of  each  square- 
mile,  tied  to  triangulation  by  precise  tra- 
verse, over  which  accurate  primary  levels 
are  run.  All  mapping  is  being  done  by 
plane  table  method  and  tested  by  check  pro- 


TOFOGBAFHICAL  MAP  OF  A  FAS'f  OF  FLINT,  MICH..  USED  IN  SEWEB  DESIGN 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


119 


files,  the  scale  of  map  being  i  inch  equals 
200  feet  and  a  contour  interval  of  i  foot. 
The  average  triangle  closure  in  triangula- 
tion  is  1.99  seconds,  and  the  discrepancy  be- 
tween bases,  i  in  24,000.  The  accompany- 
ing facsimile  will  illustrate  how  admirably 
suited  the  resulting  maps  are  for  studying 
any  section  of  the  city  in  its  relation  to  any 
other  section.  With  such  maps  it  is  possible 
to  pick  out  the  hills  and  hollows  and  accu- 
rately scale  their  location  from  definite  ob- 
jects. Profiles  can  be  picked  off  and  esti- 
mates of  cut  and  fill  made  with  an  accuracy 
sufficient  for  nearly  every  purpose.  It  is  the 
most  logical  basis  for  planning  and  develop- 
ing a  park  system,  street  and  boulevard  lay- 
out, or  sewerage  system,  and  is  of  inestim- 
able value  for  solving  the  many  details  that 
are  common  to  the  development  of  any  city. 

A  specific  instance  of  the  great  value  of 
the  topographic  survey  to  the  city  of  Flint 
was  in  making  a'  comprehensive  study  and 
design  for  a  system  of  sewers  that  will 
amply  serve  the  city's  needs,  not  only  now, 
but  for  a  great  many  years  in  the  future. 
Examples  of  so-called  piecemeal  sewer  de- 
sign and  construction  are  to  be  found  in 
practically  every  city.  These  mistakes  are  a 
cause  of  inconvenience  to  the  public,  and 
some  time  or  other  necessitate  an  addi- 
tional expenditure  for  correcting,  which 
could  have  been  avoided  had  a  broad,  gen- 
eral plan  been  formulated. 

In  laying  out  a  comprehensive  sewerage 
plan  for  a  city,  the  problem  resolves  itself 
into  two  well-defined  steps: 

1.  To  collect  and  concentrate  the  sewage  for 

present  and  future  treatment  at  the 
minimum  number  of  points  consistent 
with  economy 

2.  To  determine  the  degree  of  sewage  treat- 

ment necessary  for  the  present,  and  as 
nearly  as  can  be  for  the  future 
Only  step  one  is  of  interest  here.    This  is 
divided  into  four  parts,  as  follows : 

1.  To  determine  the  present  and  estimate  the 

.future  population  and  area  which  may 
be  served 

2.  To    determine    the    quantity    of    sewage 

which  may  be  expected  in  the  future 

3.  To  formulate  a  general  plan  or  policy  for 

collecting  this  sewage  in  a  satisfactory 
and  economical  manner 

4.  To  design  engineering  structures  to  carry 

out  this  policy 

The  development  which  is  likely  to  take 
place  in  any  one  portion  of  a  city  is  directly 
influenced  by  its  topography.    For  instance, 


cmf    OF    ruNT 

MICHIGAN 
MAP     SHOWING 

..^^ ^rUTURE      SEWCRAGC     SYSTEM 

PROPOSED   INTERCEPTER    AND  TRUNK    SEWERS 


THE    DISTRICT    MAP 

certain  areas  are  well  suited  for  parks  and' 
playgrounds,  and  others  for  residential  or 
industrial  development.  As  the  topography 
has  a  direct  relation  to  the  type  of  develop- 
ment which  will  take  place,  this  develop- 
ment determines  the  quantity  of  sewage 
flow  to  expect  from  each  area.  If  consider- 
able industrial  development  is  to  take  place, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  volume 
of  sewage  from  this  area  will  be  large.  In 
collecting  the  sewage  from  a  number  of 
areas,  the  topography  is  the  controlling  fac- 
tor, as  it  enables  one  to  select  the  most 
logical  routes  for  intercepting  and  trunk 
line  sewers.  In  designing  sewers  to  carry 
out  the  general  plan,  a  profile  of  each  sewer 
line  is  a  necessity  in  order  to  select  the  most 
economical  size  and  determine  the  proper 
grades.  Where  an  accurate  topographic 
map  is  not  available  for  the  purpose,  costly 
isolated  surveys  and  inspection  of  territory 
will  be  made,  which  are  rarely  of  value  for 
any  other,  purpose  than  the  one  under  con- 
sideration. Such  surveys  are  always  found 
to  be  inadequate  and  lacking  in  information, 


120 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


and  do  not  give  the  opportunity  to  plan  in  a 
large  manner  for  the  future. 

The  Maps  Aid  Quick  Estimating 

In  a  great  many  instances,  a  mere  inspec- 
tion of  these  sheets  to  one  familiar  with 
sewer  design  is  sufficient  to  determine  the 
most  economical  sewer  design  for  the  area 
in  question.  As  usually  happens  when  there 
is  a  demand  for  such  improvements,  time  for 
the  making  of  such  maps  is  not  available. 
We  have  had  numerous  instances  where 
complete  plans  and  estimates  of  costs  for 
sewering  certain  districts  have  been  made 
on  short  notice.  Were  it  not  for  these  topo- 
graphic sheets,  this  would  have  been  im- 
possible. 

In  using  the  topographic  maps  to  lay  out 
a  comprehensive  plan  of  sewerage,  it  is  first 
necessary  to  determine  the  main  drainage 
areas,  which  in  turn  decides  the  number  of 
trunk  and  -intercepting  sewers  necessary  to 
concentrate  the  sewage  at  the  minimum 
number  of  points.  Next,  the  natural  outlet 
for  the  area  is  determined,  after  which  the 
sub-areas  all  tributary  to  this  outlet  are  de- 
termined. Certain  assumptions  having  al- 
ready been  made  as  to  the  probable  develop- 
ment m  each  area,  it  is  now  possible  to  com- 
pute the  volume  of  sewage  to  expect  from 
each  sub-area.  From  the  topographic  sheet, 
the  concentration   point   for   sewage   from 


each  sub-area  is  selected,  which  now  gives 
all  necessary  information  from  which  to  de- 
sign the  sewer.  A  plan  and  profile  is  next 
plotted,  and  then  sizes  and  grades  of  the 
sewer  established.  From  these  topographic 
sheets  it  is  possible  to  select  any  number  of 
proposed  sewer  lines,  to  determine  which 
one  is  best. 

While  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  the 
demand  for  sewers  in  each  sub-area  will  not 
follow  exactly  the  natural  drainage  limits 
as  outlined,  a  certain  amount  of  redistrict- 
ing  is  possible  which  will  not  afifect  the  de- 
sign of  the  trunk  sewer  for  the  larger  area. 

The  reproduction  accompanying  this  ar- 
ticle .shows  in  a  general  way  the  compre- 
hensive plan  of  sewerage  for  the  city  of 
Flint,  its  main  drainage  areas,  the  existing 
and  proposed  trunk  and  intercepting  sewers 
to  collect  the  sewage  from  each  area,  and, 
finally,  the  main  or  East  Side  intercepter, 
which  collects  the  sewage  from  all  these 
areas  and  will  concentrate  it  at  one  point 
for  treatment. 

The  topographic  map  has  made  possible 
this  comprehensive  plan,  which  provides  for 
an  area  of  nearly  70  square  miles  with  a 
population  of  500,000  people.  It  has  given 
an  opportunity  to  work  out  different  ways 
of  doing  the  same  thing,  to  find  out  which  is 
best  and  most  economical  without  the  costly 
alternative  of  experimental  building. 


Golden  Jubilee  Convention  of  the  I.  A.  F.  E. 


The  Golden  Jubilee  (50th  Annual)  Con- 
vention of  the  International  Association  of 
Fire  Engineers,  and  the  29th  Annual  Con- 
vention of  the  Pacific   Coast  Fire   Chiefs 


SAN    FBANCISCO     MUNICIPAL    AUDITORIUM,     WHERE    THE 
CONVENTION  IS   TO  BE  HELD 


Association,  will  be  held  jointly  in  San 
Francisco,  Calif.,  from  August  9  to  18,  1922. 
Invitations  have  been  forwarded  to  fire 
chiefs  and  fire  prevention  and  fire  protec- 
tion engineers  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  and  the  aid 
of  the  U.  S.  Diplomatic 
and  Consular  Services  has 
been  enlisted,  to  the  end  of 
having  the  whole  world 
know  of  this  fire,  chiefs' 
congress  coupled  with  the 
most  complete  exhibition 
of  fire  apparatus  and 
fire  appliances  yet  held. 
Thomas  R.  Murphy,  Chief 

1W  Engineer  of  the  San  Fran- 

is  :isco  Fire  Department,  will 

be  glad  to  send  further 
information  to  those  in- 
terested. 


lai 


GENERAL   VIEW    OF   THE   CAMDEN,    N.  J.,   WATEE-WORKS 

Metering  a  Water-Supply  at  the 
Pumping  Station 

Camden's  Water-Supply — Its  History — Principal  Features  of  the  Present  System 

By  James  H.  Long 

Chief  Engineer,  Water  Department,  Camden,  N.  J. 


THE  first  public  water-supply  of  the  city 
of  Camden,  N.  J.,  was  furnished  in 
1845  by  the  Camden  Water  Works 
Company,  The  original  plant  soon  became 
inadequate  to  meet  the  increasing  needs  of 
the  city,  and  was  enlarged  from  time  to  time, 
until  in  1870  it  was  purchased  by  the  city. 
This  plant  was  operated  by  the  city  for 
about  30  years. 

The  city  early  undertook'  an  investigation 
to  consider  the  feasibility  of  artesian  wells. 
These  tests  demonstrated  conclusively  that 
there  was  plenty  of  pure  water  in  the  terri- 
tory to  justify  a  system  of  this  kind,  and  in 
1898  the  existing  water-works  system  was 
superseded  by  the  present  artesian  well  sys- 
tem at  Morris  station. 

As  the  city  grew,  the  maintenance  of 
pressure  and  the  continuance  of  the  requisite 
water-supply  became  difficulties  of  ever-in- 
creasing importance.  In  1907  the  Board  of 
Trade  urged  the  city  officials  to  undertake 
another  investigation  and  to  submit  recom- 
mendations for  taking  care  of  the  future 
needs  of  the  city.  W.  H.  Boardman,  Jay  M. 
Whitman  and  J.  W.  Ledoux  were  selected, 
and  their  report  recommended  the  purchase 


of  new  strainers,  the  introduction  of  water- 
meters,  a  storage  reservoir,  the  development 
of  the  well  field  above  the  Morris  station, 
and  the  abandonment  of  the  Pavonia  station. 

In  1908  the  City  Council  authorized  the 
purchase  of  land  on  the  Delaware  River 
front  at  Delair  for  the  purpose  of  driving 
wells  to  augment  the  water-supply.  The 
fifteen  wells  that  were  driven  demonstrated 
that  water  in  considerable  quantities  could 
be  obtained.  Nothing  was  done  until  1915, 
when  a  number  of  additional  wells  were 
driven,  the  present  Delair  pumping  station 
was  erected,  and  this  entire  field  connected 
up  separately  from  the  main  pumping  sta- 
tion at  Morris.  The  Delair  discharge  main 
is  directly  connected  with  the  30-inch  main 
from  Morris  station,  so  that  both  stations 
can  be  operated  independently  or  together, 
as  desired. 

The  benefits  brought  about  by  the  Delair 
station  we're  apparent  at  once.  The  pres- 
sure was  immediately  increased,  the  service 
improved  and  the  load  on  the  Morris  station 
relieved  to  such  an  extent  that  at  present  it 
is  rarely  necessary  to  operate  the  large  air 
compressor  in  that  station.    The  entire  ca- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


METER   TUBE  BEFORE   INSTALLATION  AT  PUMPING   STATION 


RECORDING    DEVICE    FOR    BOSTER 

pacity  of  the  Morris  station,  amounting  to 
about  5,000,000  gallons  per  day,  is  available 
as  a  reserve. 

The  Delair  plant  is  one  of  the  most  mod- 
ern pumping  plants  in  the  vicinity  pf  Cam- 
den. The  yielding  capacity  of  the  22  wells 
now  connected  is  about  5,00,000  gallons 
per  24  hours.  The  pumping  plant  consists 
of  two  5,000,000-gallon  Wood  centrifugal 
pumps,  each  pump  directly  connected  to  a 


200-horse-power  Westinghouse  synchronous 
motor,  current  for  which  is  supplied  by  con- 
tract with  the  Public  Service  Company. 
The  wells  are  connected  by  direct  suction  to 
the  pump,  and  the  discharge  is  direct  into 
the  main. 

The  pumping  plant  at  Morris  station  con- 
sists of  two  10,000,000-gallon  Holly  pumps 
and  one  10,000,000-gallon  Blake  pump.  The 
wells  at  this  station  are  pumped  by  means 
of  air-lifts.  About  one-third  of  the  capacity 
of  the  plant  is  obtained  by  air-lift. 

Altogether,  the  source  of  the  Camden 
water-supply  consists  of  102  artesian  wells 
at  Morris  and  25  at  Delair,  varying  in  size 
from  8  to  12  inches.  There  are  130  miles 
of  mains  ranging  from  3  to  36  inches. 

Two  Simplex  Venturi  tubes  are  installed 
for  measuring  the  water  supplied  to  the 
city — one  at  the  Delair  pumping  station,  20 
by  13  inches  in  size,  having  a  maximum  ca- 
pacity of  16,000,000  gallons  per  24  hours 
and  connected  to  a  meter  register,  and  a 
second  Venturi,  36  by  12  inches,  at  the 
Morris  station.  This  tube  is  operated  with 
a  meter  register  specially  designed  for  a 
large  Venturi  differential  head  of  24.93 
feet,  and  built  for  a  maximum  capacity  of 
21,000,000  gallons  per  24  hours.  Both  of 
these  meter  registers  were  installed  in  1916. 
Recently  the  city  has  approved  the  installa- 
tion of  a  Venturi  tube  meter  register  for 
measuring  the  water  supplied  to  a  large  in- 
dustrial consumer. 

In  every  instance  the  meter  chosen  was 
selected  because  it  gives  a  graphic  record  of 
the  consumption  by  means  of  which  the 
maximum,  and  the  minimum  flow  can  be 
accurately  analyzed,  the  nature  of  the  ser- 
vice determined,  and  the  total  number  o£ 
gallons  supplied  obtained.  This  type  of 
meter  was  also  favored,  inasmuch  as  it  is 
permanently  accurate,  and  the  attendance 
and  the  repair  cost  required  are  negligible. 


The  reason  that  many  municipalities  have  poor  health  service  is  on  account  of  citizens  who 
don't  know,  don't  care,  and  will  not  take  the  trouble, 

— Public  Health,  State  Department  of  Health,  Lansing,  Mich. 


123 


The  Women's  Court  of  New  York  City 


By  Frederick  H.  Whitin 

Secretary,  Committee  of  Fourteea 


WOMEN  charged  with  prostitution  in 
New  York  City  are  tried  in  the 
Women's  Court.  This  special 
court,  established  in  19  lo,  is  for  the  more 
effective  repression  of  prostitution  by  the 
restoration  of  those  who  have  fallen  and 
the  punishment  of  those  who  persist  in  con- 
tinuing the  life  despite  the  certainty  of  jail 
sentences. 

The  magistrates  who  preside  in  the  Wo- 
men's Court  are  especially  designated  by  the 
Chief  City  Magistrate.  The  Women's  Night 
Court  was  the  first  of  the  Magistrates 
Courts  in  New  York  City  to  use  finger 
printing  for  purposes  of  identification. 
These  prints,  taken  only  of  those  convicted, 
disclose  the  record  of  prior  convictions  and 
sentences,  from  which  the  magistrate  may 
determine  the  proper  sentence. 

From  these  records  it  appears  that  60  per 
cent  are  convicted  but  once,  this  proportion 
showing  a  tendency  to  increase.  The  large 
number  of  women  thus  shown  to  be  con- 
tinually entering  the  life  indicates  a  very 
serious  problem;  it  also  raises  the  interest- 
ing question,  what  becomes  of  those  who  are 
not  rearrested?  It  is  believed  that  they  dis- 
continue the  life. 

At  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the 
Women's  Court  a  considerable  proportion 
of  those  convicted  of  prostitution  were  sen- 
tenced to  pay  a  fine  of  $10  or  less,  but  by 
agreement  between  the  magistrates  this  sen- 
tence was  discontinued  in  1912,  and  a  year 
later  the  provision  therefor  was  stricken 
from  the  law. 

In  191 5  a  "Parole  Commission"  was  ap- 
pointed with  power  to  determine  the  sen- 
tence to  be  served  by  those  who  had  been 
convicted,  according  to  the  finger  print  rec- 
ords, four  or  more  times. 'The  maximum  de- 
tention under  the  law  creating  the  Commis- 
sion is  two  years. 

In  1918  the  General  Health  Law  was 
amended  to  provide  for  the  examination  for 
venereal  disease  by  the  Health  Department 
of  all  persons  convicted  of  prostitution. 
Fifty  per  cent  are  found  to  be  suffering 
from  such  diseases  in  a  contagious  stage 
and   are   committed   to   a   special   hospital 


until  the  contagious  period  has  passed. 
When  returned  to  court  for  sentence,  the 
judge  takes  into  consideration  the  period 
of  hospital  detention  and  the  conduct  of  the 
prisoner  while  there. 

The  judges  presiding  in  the  Women's 
Court  refer  to  the  probation  officers  at- 
tached to  the  court  for  investigation  all 
those  convicted  for  the  first  time.  If  it  ap- 
pears there  is  any  chance  of  reformation, 
they  are  returned  to  their  families  and 
friends  on  probation.  -  In  the  less  favorable 
cases,  the  woman  is  committed  to  a  reforma- 
tory institution  or  given  a  short  workhouse 
sentence.  In  the  apparently  hopeless  cases 
the  average  workhouse  sentence  is  about 
ninety  days. 

In  the  first  full  year  of  the  Women's 
Court  (1911)  the  total  number  of  arraign- 
ments for  prostitution  was  5,365,  falling  to 
2,898  in  1913,  on  account  of  the  discontinu- 
ance of  fines.  There  was  an  increase  in 
1915,  and  a  further  drop  in  1916  to  2,132, 
due  to  the  Parole  Commission  Indeterminate 
Sentence  Law.  The  year  of  1918,  with  its 
war  disturbances,  showed  an  increase  of 
cases,  followed  by  a  sharp  drop  to  1,308  in 
1920. 

When  the  Women's  Court  was  first  estab- 
lished in  New  York,  practically  all  the  de- 
fendants were  charged  with  street  soliciting. 
A  general  law  against  prostitution  was  se- 
cured in  1915,  and  widened  in  1919,  so  as  to 
include  not  only  the  person  who  offers  to 
commit  prostitution  and  related  acts  in  any 
place,  but  also  those  who  aid  and  abet  in 
such  acts.  It  has  been  decided  but  very  re- 
cently that  the  customer  of  the  prostitute  is 
not  included  in  this  latter  phrase.  Such  an 
inclusion  wmII  be  the  next  step  in  repressing 
prostitution,  following  the  example  of  the 
Narcotic  and  Liquor  Acts. 

The  Women's  Court  is  now  the  center  in 
New  York  of  the  law  enforcement  efforts  to 
repress  prostitution.  Associated  with  the 
Court  are  many  volunteer  agencies  which 
are  rendering  assistance  in  the  constructive 
work  of  the  Court  in  rescuing  the  girl  whose 
acts  have  resulted  in  her  conviction  for  im- 
morality.   To  the  work  of  this  Court,  more 


124 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


than  any  other,  can  be  attributed  the  repres- 
sion of  prostitution  in  New  York  City. 
From  being  the  worst  of  American  cities  for 
street  soliciting,  the  metropolis  has  become 
a  leader,  its  streets  being  now  extremely 
free    from    patrolling    by    prostitutes,    and 


wider  laws,  good  police  work,  a  special 
court  and  judges,  by  methods  of  identifi- 
cation and  effective  probation  work,  and 
the  assurance  of  punitive  sentences  for 
those  who  persist  in  the  life.  While  the 
number  of  cases  in  the  Court  is  now  small. 


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4400 

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4000 

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2132^ 

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2000 

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1600 

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1200 

1308^ 

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Chart  A. 

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0 

1911      1912      1913      1914     1915      1916      1917      1918      1919      1920 

YEAR 

THE  WOMEN'S  COURT  ARRAIGNMENTS,   SHOWING  AN  IRREGULAR, 
BUT    PRONOUNCED,    DECREASE 


while  the  "scarlet  woman"  can  still  be  found 
by  those  who  know  how  and  who  have  the 
means,  she  is  not  in  evidence  to  the  general 
observer,  or  obtained  by  the  casual  seeker. 
This  result  has  been  secured  by  new  and 


as  compared  with  a  decade  ago,  the  work  of 
the  Court  must  be  continued  until  that  happy 
day  when  education  and  an  improved  moral 
sense  restrict  the  prostitute  to  the  psycho- 
pathic. 


t^; 


The  Popular  Parks  of  Springfield,  111. 

By  O.  F.  Davenport 

Assistant  Manager,  Springfield  Chamber  of  Commerce 


"Thirty  Thousand  People  Throng 
Bunn  Park" 

THIS  headline  flashed  across  the  col- 
umns of  Springfield's  dailies  on  July 
15,  supplies  an  answer  to  the  oft-re- 
peated question,  "Do  people  really  appre- 
ciate their  public  parks?"  Springfield  is  a 
city  of  60,000.  On  July  14  half  the  popula- 
tion of  the  city  spent  an  afternoon  in  one 
or  another  of  its  chain  of  nine  parks,  en- 
joyed an  open-air  supper  there,  and  did  not 
leave  for  home  until  late  in  the  evening. 

The  point  is  that  not  only  has  Springfield 
a  park  system  which  in  facilities  and  natural 
beauty  equals  that  of  any  other  city  of  its 
size  in  the  country,  but  its  people  are  en- 
thusiastic about  their  parks.  They  use 
them,  with  slight  interruption,  all  the  year 
round.  There  is  no  especial  significance  in 
the  announcements  of  the  newspapers  on 
July  15,  even  though  the  occasion  of  the 
30,000  throng  was  the  annual  outing  of  the 
Springfield    Chamber   of    Commerce.     The 


fact  is,  not  a  day  passes  that  the  parks  are 
not  lived  in  by  a  large  section  of  Spring- 
field's population.  They  are  in  every  sense 
a  highly  successful  recreational  utility. 

The  taxpayers  of  Springfield  have  in- 
vested $1,250,000  in  parks,  and  they  expend 
annually  $80,000  in  maintenance.  All  out- 
standing obligations  total  less  than  $80,000. 
The  board  exercising  control  does  business 
on  a  strictly  cash  basis.  Several  years  ago 
it  emancipated  itself  from  the  practise  of 
spending  the  next  year's  income  before  it 
was  collected.  The  borrowing  of  funds  in 
anticipation  of  the  coming  year's  taxes  was 
the  natural  result  of  the  prudent  policy  of 
the  park  system  pioneers  in  acquiring  ex- 
tensive properties  early  and  before  natural 
beauties  could  be  defaced.  The  board  now 
not  only  lives  within  its  income  but  during 
the  past  year  has  filled  the  remaining  gap  in 
the  chain  of  open  spots  adjacent  to  every 
district,  by  acquiring  out  of  its  ordinary 
revenue  a  new  park  at  a  cost  of  $20,000. 


WHETHER  ONE  IS  SEEKING 

THE     QUIET     OF    A    RUBAI. 

SCENE      OF      WOODS      AND 

STREAMS 


OR  THE  MORE  CROWDED 

GAIETY   OF   A   BATHING 

/*'   BEACH,   THE   PARKS   OF 

SPRINGFIELD  CAN  SATISFY 

THE  NEED 


126 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


THE  PARKS  OF  SPRING- 
FIELD ARE  SO  WELL 
LOCATED  THAT  ONE  IS 
ALWAYS  WITHIN  EASY 
WALKING   DISTANCE 


Varied  Recreational  Facilities 

There  is  nothing  in  the  wide  field  of  park 
utilization  that  Springfield's  system  of  nine 
parks,  including  in  all  approximately  550 
acres,  does  not  afiford.  They  contain  facil- 
ities for  every  variety  of  sport,  including 
two  extremely  attractive  golf  courses,  one 
of  nine  and  another  of  eighteen  holes,  a  spe- 
cial field  for  trap-shooters,  a  bathing  beach 
where  one  can  secure  suit,  soap,  towel  and 
use  of  hot  and  cold  showers  for  fifteen 
cents,  playgrounds  in  generous  abundance, 
beautiful,  smooth  drives,  and  spacious 
pavilions  which  serve  drinks  and  meals  at 


lower  prices  than  down-town  stores.  Need- 
less to  state,  all  the  regular  features,  such 
as  baseball  diamonds,  boating,  tennis  courts, 
football  fields,  dancing  places,  croquet 
grounds  and  similar  diversions,  are  plenti- 
fully supplied. 

The  Springfield  park  board  is  not  con- 
tent with  furnishing  its  constituents  with  a 
comprehensive  park  system.  It  has  done  a 
wonderful  job  of  popularizing  the  parks 
with  the  people  of  the  city.  Use  of  the 
parks  is  a  daily  feature  of  family  life.  The 
head  of  the  household  leaves  factory,  store 
or  office  in  the  late  afternoon  to  join  a  party 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


127 


at  golf,  tennis  or  other  sport  of  his  choice, 
following  with  a  shower  or  a  plunge  in  the 
pool,  and  topping  off  with  a  neighbors'  re- 
union at  supper  served  in  the  convenient 
picnic  grounds.  The  evening  hours  are 
spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  open-air  pic- 
ture show,  or  on  the  moonlit  waters  of  a 
restful  lake,  or  possibly  in  dancing  in  the 
comfortably  furnished  pavilions. 

Tourist  Camps  Provided 

The  stranger  not  only  enjoys  all  the 
privileges  of  the  home  folks,  but  has  in 
addition  the  advantage  of  saving  hotel  ex- 
penses by  being  allowed  to  camp  in  the  parks 
at  night.  Because  Springfield  was  the  home 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  it  is  the  Mecca  af 
many  thousands  of  tourists  annually.  Ac- 
commodations for  the  night's  stay  are  pro- 
vided in  tourists'  camps  located  in  three  of 
the  parks.  Routes  to  the  camps  are  marked 
for  the  convenience  of  the  visitor.  The 
camps  are  furnished  with  electric  light, 
water  and  cooking  arrangements.    They  are 


NOT    A    SCENE    IN    SPRINGFIELD,    ILL.,    BUT    WHEN    PARKS    AND 
PLAYGROUNDS  ARE  NOT   PROVIDED,   THE    CHILD   HAS  NOWHERE 
TO   PLAY   EXCEPT    IN    THE    STREET 


ideally  situated  on  high  ground  in  shady 
groves.  This  service  is  greatly  appreciated 
by  the  traveling  autoist  and,  in  common 
with  all  other  park  accommodations,  is  fur- 
nished free  of  cost. 

Bringing  the  Parks  to  ttie  People 

The  first  park  board,  twenty  years  ago, 
was  urged  to  concentrate  its  effort  on  a 
single  large  area,  but  the  members  acted  on 
the  theory  that  to  make  the  parks  serve  their 
purpose  they  must  be  brought  to  the  people, 
and  not  the  people  to  the  parks.  The  policy 
then  determined  on  was  that  citizens  in 
every  vicinity  were  entitled  to  a  park  within 
a  reasonable  distance  of  their  homes.  This 
plan  has  been  gradually  developed  by  suc- 
ceeding boards,  until  to-day,  with  nine  parks 
in  operation,  residents  in  any  section  can 
enjoy  the  great  outdoors  by  walking  a  few 
blocks  from  their  front  doorsteps. 

The  natural  adaptability  of  the  sites 
chosen  rendered  unnecessary  any  large  ex- 
penditures for  creation  of  artificial  features. 
In  the  selection  of  sites 
and  their  improvement, 
repetition  has  been  skil- 
fully guarded  against. 

Property   Values 
Increase 

The  parks  have  con- 
tributed in  signal  fash- 
ion to  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  com- 
munity. They  have  ex- 
erted a  powerful  influ- 
ence in  the  building  up, 
contiguous  to  their 
boundaries,  of  hand- 
some residential  neigh- 
borhoods, which  demand 
pavements,  sewers  and 
other  general  bette'-- 
ments,  A  tremendous 
increase  in  proper*:y 
values  has  followed. 
Springfield  people  will 
tell  you  that  the  value 
of  their  park  system 
cannot  be  estimated  in 
dollars.  They  may  add 
that  while  others  have 
cost  more  and  may  be 
more  expensive  to  main- 
tain, none  can  meet  the 
ultimate  test  of  value 
more  satisfactorily. 


128 


Q^ MTOujtd  Am^i/uAt  y^cw 


Towns  May  Secure  Help  in 
Establishing  Playgrounds 

Business  men  the  country  over  will  be 
interested  in  a  new  foundation,  incorporated 
not  for  profit,  established  in  New  York  by 
William  E.  Harmon.  The  corporation  is 
to  be  known  as  the  Harmon  Foundation  and 
will  have  several  divisions  as  need  for  them 
arises.  The  work  for  the  present  will  con- 
sist in  the  establishment  of  playgrounds  in 
towns  and  small  cities,  and  in  advancing 
loans  to  college  students  through  the  or- 
ganization of  mutual  aid  societies.  Later, 
divisions  of  vocational  guidance  and  coun- 
sel to  social  organizations  in  matters  of 
finance  and  publicity  will  be  organized. 

One  theory  back  of  the  Harmon  Founda- 
tion is  that  money  given  to  people  or  or- 
ganizations outright  does  not  do  as  lasting 
good  as  money  given  in  service  and  organ- 
ization that  will  bring  more  money  and  help 
people  to  help  themselves.  Mr.  Harmon  has 
been  connected  with  many  social  organiza- 
tions for  years  both  as  contributor  and  ac- 
tive board  member,  and  feels  that  obliga- 
tions are  too  easily  discharged  by  a  gift  of 
money — and  no  inquiry  as  to  the  manner  of 
expenditure.  He  proposes  to  spend  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life  and  much  of  his 
money  in  carrying  thirty  years  of  wide 
business  experience  into  the  social  work 
that  interests  him  and  needs  him  most, 
knowing  that  the  application  of  sound  busi- 
ness principles  to  many  social  movements 
will  release  thousands  of  dollars  in  the 
country  for  wider  service. 

The  entire  time  of  the  staff  is  now  being 
spent  in  helping  towns  establish  play- 
grounds. A  plan  has  been  devised  whereby 
playgrounds  are  opened  up  like  a  big  real 
estate  development.  The  Foundation  se- 
cures an  option  on  the  property  desired,  ad- 
vancing money  for  its  purchase  only  when 
necessary  and  advisable.  Then  the  Field 
Secretary  of  the  Foundation  organizes  the 
school  children  of  the  town  as  a  selling 
force,  and  citizens  as  sales  managers,  and 
conducts  a  big  land  sale,  capitalizing  the 
advertising  and  selling  power  of  children  in 
a  fascinating  educational  way,  the  Founda- 


tion furnishing  all  advertising  material,  or- 
ganization of  local  committees,  and  com- 
plete direction  of  the  work. 

This  part  of  the  work  is  no  longer  a 
theory.  It  has  been  demonstrated  in  one 
town  of  five  thousand.  The  children  sold 
their  own  playground,  the  work  united  the 
town  in  a  civic  project  as  it  was  never 
united  before,  and  proved  that  Mr.  Har- 
mon's plan  can  be  a  boon  to  many  other 
towns. 

Miss  Ethel  L.  Bedient,  Director  of  the 
Foundation,  will  welcome  inquiries  and  calls 
for  help  either  by  letter  or  a  visit  to  the 
offices  of  the  Foundation  at  140  Nassau 
Street,  New  York  City. 

Premature,  Piecemeal  Zoning 
Receives  a  Setback 

Friends  of  city  planning  in  Pittsburgh 
were  rudely  awakened  the  other  day  by  a 
decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of 
James  Coyne  against  Charles  B.  Prichard 
and  others  in  the  matter  of  granting  a  per- 
mit for  the  erection  of  a  public  garage  in  a 
place  deemed  unsuitable  by  the  City  Plan- 
ning Commission. 

It  seems  that  the  City  Planning  Commis- 
sion, which,  under  Pennsylvania  law,  was 
created  as  an  executive  department  for 
cities  of  the  second  class,  was  given  power 
to  regulate  and  redistrict  the  areas  in  which 
trades  and  business  of  various  kinds  can  be 
carried  on.  The  appointees  in  Pittsburgh 
have  undertaken  redistricting,  but  as  yet  no 
recommendations  have  been  made  to  the 
Council  and  no  hearings  have  been  held. 
Nevertheless,  the  Commission  has  sought  to 
prevent  the  erection  of  undesirable  struc- 
tures by  recommending  to  the  Bureau  of 
Building  Inspection  that  permits  be  'with- 
held. The  latter  thereupon  declined  to  issue 
permits  opposed  by  the  City  Planning  Com- 
mission. 

The  Court,  reviewing  the  case,  noted  that 
the  City  Planning  Commission  had  not  made 
recommendations  to  the  Council  for  a  city- 
wide  zoning  ordinance,  that  hearings  on 
its  recommendations  had  not  been  held,  and 
that  therefore  it  was  without  legal  authority 
until  such  procedure  had  "been  completed. 


129 


Beauty  in  Municipal  Architecture 


Courtesy    Architectural   Record 

MAIN   FACADE,    MUNICIPAL  BUILDING,   PLAINFIELD,   N.    J. 
Lawrence  F.  Feck  and  W.  L.  Bottomley,  associated  architects 


130 


An  Attractive  and  Useful  City  Hall 

Decorative  and  Practical  Features  of  New  City  Hall  at  Waterbury,  Conn. 


THE  present  City  Hall  of  Waterbury, 
Conn.,  which  was  completed  in  1915 
and  occupied  by  all  the  municipal  de- 
partments early  in  191 6,  has  many  attrac- 
tive as  well  as  practical  features  of  interest 
to  those  who  may  be  called  upon  to  suggest 
designs  for  new  city  halls  in  other  munici- 
palities. 

Following  negotiations  for  the  transfer  of 


opened  during  Old  Home  Week,  November, 
1915,  although  many  of  the  departments  did 
not  occupy  the  building  until  January,  1916, 
The  City  Hall  is  situated  on  Grand  Street, 
adjoining  the  Library  Park,  and  commands 
an  approach  to  the  center  of  the  city 
through  Leavenworth  Street.  The  entour- 
age which  fronts  the  length  of  the  building 
on  Grand  Street  is  its  show  feature.    The 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  WATERBURY,  CONN.,  CITY  HAI.L 


the  title  of  the  property  where  the  City 
Hall  now  stands,  the  Commission  held  a 
competition,  conducted  by  Professor  W.  P. 
Laird  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  to 
select  an  architect  to  design  and  supervise 
the  construction  of  the  new  City  Hall.  The 
plans  of  Cass  Gilbert  of  New  York  were 
selected,  and  on  July  8,  1914,  the  George  A. 
Fuller  Construction  Company,  New  York 
City,  signed  the  contract  to  construct  the 
building.  In  the  early  part  of  August,  1914, 
.ground  was  broken.  The  appointment  of 
two  supervisors,  Charles  M.  Gasson  for  the 
construction  company,  and  Frederick  C. 
Peckwell  for  the  city's  interest,  took  place 
shortly  after.     The  building  was  officially 


ground  within  a  low,  rounded  marble  cop- 
ing which  separates  it  from  the  broad,  en- 
circling sidewalk  is  laid  out  in  formal 
Colonial  style,  which  harmonizes  with  the 
delicate  red  and  white  ornamentation  of  the 
faqade.  At  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk  at 
regular  intervals  are  placed  five  decorative 
1 8- foot  bronze  lamp  standards.  The  ap- 
proach to  the  central  feature  is  by  white 
marble  steps,  flanked  on  both  sides  by 
smaller  auxiliary  stairways,  also  of  white 
marble. 

The  fountain  in  the  center  is  surrounded 
by  a  pavement  of  red  brick  inset  with  white 
marble  bands,  enclosing  a  large  circular 
slab.    At  the  main  entrance  are  two  decora- 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


131 


tive  vases  or  urns  of  white  marble  several 
feet  in  height,  from  the  base  of  each  of 
which,  through  the  mouth  of  a  carved  satyr, 
jets  a  stream  of  water  flanking  the  central 
fountain. 

The  building,  which  is  of  Colonial  de- 
sign, is  built  around  a  rectangular  court, 
laid  out  as  a  sunken  Italian  garden.  It  is 
not  only  the  office  building  of  the  city  and 
town  officers,  and  the  home  of  the  probate 
and  city  courts,  but  also  the  headquarters  of 
the  fire  department  and  the  police  depart- 
ment. The  east  wing  is  devoted  to  the  fire 
department  and  the  west  wing  to  the  police 
department.  The  main  portion  is  three 
stories  high  with  a  roof  and  cupola  tower 
with  a  four-dial  clock,  a  gilded  dome  and  a 
weather-vane.  The  other  three  sections  are 
but  two  stories  high. 

The  exterior  of  the  building  is  of  Vermont 
marble  and  North  Haven  brick.  Marble 
blocks  form  most  of  the  walls  of  the  first 
story,  and  marble  pillars  rise  to  the  roof 
between  the  windows  of  the  main  portion  of 
the  building.  At  the  east  and  west  ends,  on 
marble  slabs  set  into  the  walls  of  the  third 
story,  are  ten  different  designs  in  bas-relief, 
significant  of  the  city's  character  and  in- 
dustries. A  marble  fence  surrounds  the 
roof  of  the  main  building. 

The  Offices 

The  collector,  assessors,  probate  court, 
board  of  charities,  town  clerk  and  city  clerk 
have  offices  and  vaults  on  the  main  floor. 
The  basement  provides  for  janitors'  rooms 
and  storage  rooms,  heating  plant,  a  store 
for  the  board  of  charities,  a  laboratory  and 
nurses'  room  for  the  board  of  health,  testing 
rooms  and  storage  rooms  for  the  engineer- 
ing department,  and  rooms  for  the  sealer  of 
weights  and  measures.  On  the  second  floor 
are  the  offices  of  the  mayor,  the  personal  tax 
collector,  the  board  of  public  works,  city 
court  judge,  the  jury  room,  lawyers'  room, 
juvenile  court  room,  city  court  clerk's  and 
prosecuting  attorney's  offices.  At  the  Field 
Street  end  of  the  building  on  the  second 
floor  is  the  aldermanic  chamber,  which  oc- 
cupies both  the  second  and  third  floors,  and 
at  the  west  end  of  the  building  is  the  city 
court  room,  extending  through  to  the  third 
floor. 

On  the  top  floor  are  the  drafting  rooms 
and  the  offices  of  the  city  engineer's  depart- 
ment, the  probation  officers'  room,  and  offices 
for  the  corporation  counsel,  health  officer 


and  inspectors  and  board  of  health,  regis- 
trars of  voters,  city  sheriff,  park  superinten- 
dent, building  inspector,  and  telephone  ex- 
change. In  this  portion  of  the  building  the 
corridors  are  built  with  marble  floors  and 
the  trimming  is  of  white  wood  enameled  to 
an  ivory  finish.  Throughout  the  rest  of  the 
building  the  floors  are  terrazzo  and  the 
woodwork  of  oak. 

On  the  Field  Street  side  are  the  fire  head- 
quarters, with  the  apparatus  room,  repair 
shop,  firemen's  waiting-room  and  toilet 
rooms  on  the  main  floor.  On  the  second 
floor  are  the  offices  of  the  board  of  public 
safety,  with  offices  and  rooms  also  for  the 
officers  of  the  fire  department  and  bedrooms 
for  21  firemen.  There  is  a  fine  shower-bath 
room  and  toilets  for  officers  and  men,  linen 
closets  and  a  recreation  room,  some  of  these 
occupying  the  rear  portion  of  the  building. 

In  the  police  wing  of  the  building  there 
is  a  large  drill  hall  in  the  basement,  locker 
rooms,  sergeants'  room,  smoking-room,  stor- 
age rooms,  toilets  and  shower-bath.  There 
is  also  a  large  room  in  which  the  homeless 
are  provided  with  sleeping  accommodations. 

On  the  first  floor  are  the  offices  of  the 
police  department  officials,  a  men's  cell  room 
with  thirty  cells  and  room  for  ten  more,  de- 
tention rooms  and  a  police  garage,  the  en- 
trance to  which  is  from  the  rear  of  the 
building.  The  second  floor  accommodates 
the  detective  bureau  with  offices,  a  Bertillon 
room,  a  dark  room,  a  detention  room  for 
women,  a  cell  room  with  ten  cells  for  wo- 
men, the  matron's  office,  bedroom,  living- 
room  and  kitchen. 

Directly  facing  the  main  street  entrance 
is  the  lo-foot  main  inner  staircase  of  white 
marble,  which,  ascending  26  steps  to  a  first 
landing,  branches  to  either  side  and  winds 
up  and  back  to  the  second  floor.  Leading 
to  the  right  and  left  of  the  first  floor  cen- 
tral hfall  are  two  corridors  all  in  white  mar- 
ble and  both  with  lofty  ceilings  in  the  same 
design  as  the  main  hall.  On  both  sides  of 
these  corridors  are  the  first  set  of  city 
offices.  At  the  end  of  the  corridors  are  the 
side  entrances  of  the  building,  reached  by 
marble  steps.  The  corridors  are  14  feet  in 
width,  with  all  the  office  doors  inset  in 
arched  alcoves,  which  are  duplicated  at 
regular  intervals  along  the  wall  of  the  cor- 
ridors. The  lighting  for  the  main  hall  and 
corridors  is  furnished  by  ten  large  decora- 
tive bronze  hanging  fixtures  strung  through 
the  center  of  the  corridor  and  grouped  in 


132 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


the  main  hall.  At  the  left  of  the  staircase 
on  entering  is  located  the  elevator. 

The  corridors  and  ceilings  are  decorated 
in  grayish-ivory  relieved  by  soft  buff  and 
violet  in  the  coffers.  All  of  this  decorating, 
as  well  as  that  in  the  special  rooms,  was 
done  by  Arthur  Willetts  of  New  York. 
Featured  in  the  artistic  decoration  of  the 
building  are  the  ten  circular  bas-relief  inset 
medallions.  Six  are  set  in  the  front  and 
two  each  in  the  Field  Street  and  the  Library 
sides  of  the  structure.  They  symbolize  Truth, 
Prudence,  Industry,  the  City  Seal,  Com- 
merce, Force,  Law,  Justice,  Wisdom  and 
Order. 

The  aldermanic  chamber  is  of  noble  pro- 
portions with  a  lofty,  elaborately  decorated 
ceiling.  The  walls  are  of  greenish-gray 
plaster  and  rise  from  a  white  base.  All 
carry  inset  fluted  white  columns.  For  illu- 
mination there  is  a  massive  hanging  cluster 


of  lights  set  in  two  concentric  circles,  the 
larger  outer  circle  carrying  27  lights  in  the 
form  of  imitation  candles,  and  the  inner 
circle  13. 

Over  the  president's  seal  are  inscribed  the 
words,  "Let  not  mercy  and  truth  forsake 
thee :  bind  them  about  thy  neck ;  write  them 
upon  the  tablet  of  thy  heart.  So  shalt  thou 
find  favor  and  good  understanding  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  man."    (Proverbs  III.) 

The  city  court  room  at  the  west  end  of 
the  corridor  is  finished  in  much  the  same 
style  as  the  aldermanic  chamber  and  is  of 
the  same  generous  proportions.  It  has  the 
same  massive  pendent  light  cluster.  The 
walls  are  treated  in  a  grayish  motif  relieved 
by  decorative  motifs  in  the  frieze  and 
panels.  Over  the  judge's  bench  is  inscribed, 
"The  foundations  of  justice  are  that  none 
shall  be  harmed  and  the  commonweal  be 
served." 


A  Priceless  Gift  to  a  City 

The  Frederick  Remington  Collection  in  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 

By  James  B.  Moreland 


THE  curios  collected  by  Frederic  Rem- 
ington during  his  life  among  the 
Western  pioneers  and  Indians  have 
recently  been  placed  on  display  in  an  ap- 
propriate museum  in  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 
This  authentic  record  of  the  Western  fron- 
tier is  now  available  as  a  wealth  of  infor- 
mation for  the  student's  research. 

The  curios  have  been  grouped  for  the 
greatest  facility  of  study.  The  Indian  relics, 
magnificently  ornate  with  _  beading  and 
decoration,  have  been  assembled  in  tribal 
order.  Many  of  these  specimens  are  very 
valuable  and  were  fashioned  especially  as  a 
mark  of  the  Indians'  esteem  of  the  sculptor. 
Closely  related  to  this  group  is  the  display 
of  cowboy  and  Mexican  appurtenances. 
There  are  also  a  number  of  interesting 
curiosities  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe, 
several  of  which  have  been  traced  back  to 
the  nth  and  15th  centuries.  This  depart- 
ment also  includes  a  well-stocked  magazine 
of  fire-arms  furnished  with  every  type  of 
weapon  up  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Remington's 
death. 

The  display  of  the  artist's  talent  comprises 
his  best  canvases,  bronzes,  and  sketches. 
The  bronzes  for  this  collection  are  the  last 
ever  to  be  cast,  cessation  of  their  production 


having  been  ordered  by  Mrs.  Remington. 

Perhaps  the  most  valuable  feature  of  the 
exhibition  is  a  collection  of  old  histories  of 
the  Western  frontier,  many  out  of  print. 

This  collection  was  given  to  the  city  of 
Ogdensburg  by  Mr.  Remington's  widow,  and 
George  Hall  and  John  C.  Howard,  by  a 
joint  contribution  of  $100,000,  purchased 
and  remodeled  the  historic  Parish  residence 
as  a  suitable  museum  for  its  display.  In  its 
ample  apartments  the  exhibition  has  been 
conveniently  arranged  and  students  will  find 
there  a  great  opportunity  for  interesting 
reference. 

Mrs.  Remington's  will  pro'wded  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  exhibition  after  the 
death  of  one  of  the  beneficiaries  of  the  es- 
tate. The  city  of  Ogdensburg  is  appropriat- 
ing annually  $4,000  to  defray  the  yearly  up- 
keep of  the  museum  until  the  legacy  shall 
become  available. 

The  destruction  of  the  priceless  canvases 
was  recently  averted  with  the  utmost  effort 
when  the  Public  Library,  where  the  relics 
had  been  stored  pending  the  remodeling  of 
the  Parish  residence,  was  wrecked  by  fire. 
The  works  of  art  were  saved,  however,  and 
are  now  installed  in  their  permanent  quar- 
ters in  the  Parish  Mansion. 


133 


Forward  ^tops 

in 

Municipal  J^ffairs 


May 


ors 


A  Park  Which  Has  Set  Standards 
for  Evansville 

EvANSViLLE,  Ind. — It  has  been  demon- 
strated beyond  doubt  that  parks  properly 
designed,  built  and  maintained  enhance  and 
stabilize  real  estate  values  within  their 
zones  of  influence,  as  well  as  elevate  public 
taste.  A  striking  example  of  this  is  in  the 
effect  wrought  in  Evansville  by  Garvins 
Park,  which  was  built  by  the  American 
Park  Builders  of  Chicago  eight  years  ago. 

Land  for  this  park  was  purchased  against 
considerable  popular  disapproval,  and  the 
park  was  built  at  the  cost  of  some  $85,- 
000,  a  considerable  portion  of  which  was 
donated.  The  land  was  beautifully  wooded 
and  was  bisected  by  a  deep  ravine,  which 
was  dammed  to  form  an  artificial  lake.  The 
dam  consisted  of  an  earthen  embankment 
30  feet  high  with  a   i  :2i^  slope,  and  was 


reinforced  by  a  brick  core,  which  carried 
the  overflow.  The  water  for  the  lake,  al- 
though increased  by  city  supply,  is  fur- 
nished by  a  very  limited  watershed.  Con- 
trary to  expectations,  the  supply  from  this 
source  is  adequate,  even  during  dry  seasons, 
and  the  earthen  dam  after  eight  years  holds 
the  water  perfectly. 

The  land  was  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  oak,  gum  and  elm,  and  it  was 
found  desirable  to  remove  large  numbers 
of  these  fine  trees  in  order  to  thin  the  plant- 
ings properly  and  to  form  open  glades. 
Oftentimes  trees  measuring  3  feet  in  diam- 
eter were  blasted  bodily  from  the  ground, 
and  although  great  criticism  was  aroused  at 
the  time,  the  people  now  are  fully  apprecia- 
tive of  the  wisdom  of  this  procedure. 

The  entrance  to  the  park  is  formed  by  an 
avenue  some  600  feet  long,  bordered  by 
elms.  This  avenue  is  terminated  by  a  stone 
entrance,  backed  by  planting,  with  a  pool 
and  fountain  in  front  of  a  cut-stone  design 
which  bears  an  inscribed  tablet. 

To  the  right  of  the  entrance  is  a  concrete 
stadium,   facing  the   football   and   baseball 


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TALL  ELMS  BORDEE  THE  ENTRANCE  TO  GARVINS  PARK,  EVANSVILLE,  IND. 


134 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


field,  and  to  the  left  are  a  bath-house,  a 
swimming  pool,  a  children's  playground,  a 
comfort  station,  a  wading  pool  and  a  per- 
gola, designed  in  a  harmonious  group.  So 
popular  is  the  swimming  pool  that  this 
structure  has  since  been  duplicated  on  sev- 
eral other  sites  within  the  city,  with  similar 
success. 

Since  the  building  of  the  park,  a  marked 
development  of  surrounding  land  has  taken 
place  and  prices  have  advanced  several 
hundred  per  cent.  Better  homes  have  been 
built  than  formerly,  raising  the  standards 
of  living. 

Encouraged  by  the  success  of  this  venture, 
the  city  administration  later  purchased  an 
extensive  mountain  tract,  which  is  soon  to 
be  developed.  Here  it  is  planned  to  include 
an  eighteen-hole  golf  course,  a  swimming 
pool  fed  by  salt-water  wells,  a  race-track 
and  other  athletic  features.  The  significant 
fact  is  that  comparatively  little  opposition 
is  now  shown  towards  the  expenditure  of 
public  money  on  this  project. 

The  city  government  has  recently  ap- 
pointed a  plan  commission  whose  work  it 
will  be  to  prepare  a  comprehensive  plan 
for  the  improvement  and  future  growth  of 
the  city.  These  and  other  progressive  steps 
in  Evansville  have  been  to  a  large  degree 
made  possible  by  the  powerful  though 
quiet  influence  Garvins  Park  has  exerted 
on  the  public  mind. 

BENJAMIN  BOSSE, 

Mayor. 


finance 

])epartmonis 


A  VISTA  IN  GABVINS  PAKE 


Cheap  Insurance  for  Municipal 
Employees 

Calgary,  Alberta. — The  city  of  Calgary, 
which  has  no  general  pension  or  retiring 
system  for  its  employees,  has  arranged  for 
their  protection  through  the  group  plan  of 
life  insurance  and  also  of  accident  and 
health  insurance. 

The  life  insurance  policy  was  under- 
written by  the  Canada  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, on  a  non-participating  plan,  begin- 
ning May  4,  1 92 1.  Every  employee  tvho 
wished  to  take  out  a  policy  for  the  amount 
specified  for  his  group  was  granted  full 
benefit  without  individual  medical  examina- 
tion. 

Like  all  group  insurance,  it  is  what  is 
known  as  term  insurance,  the  period  being 
one  year,  but  is  automatically  renewed  so 
long  as  the  group  is  retained  at  75  per  cent 
of  the  employees.  Each  year  there  is  an 
adjustment,  made  necessary  by  deaths, 
lapses,  or  additions  to  policyholders.  The 
premiums  are  determined  by  taking  the  rate 
for  each  age,  totalling  the  amounts,  and 
striking  an  average.  Each  employee  pays 
the  same  rate  per  $1,000.  Although  group 
insurance  is  usually  written  for  the  entire 
group  in  case  the  em- 
ployer pays  the  total  pre- 
mium, in  this  case  the 
company  was  willing  to 
write  the  policy  in  case 
75  per  cent  of  the  em- 
ployees accepted,  since 
the  premiums  are  paid 
jointly  by  the  city  and 
the  insured.  Three  groups 
are  provided  for.  The 
city  pays  40  per  cent  of 
the  total  premiums,  and 
the  employees  in  all  60 
per  cent. 

Before  an  employee 
can  take  out  a  policy,  he 
must  have  worked  for 
the  city  continuously  for 
six  months;  but  he  may 
retain  his  insurance  after 
leaving  the  city's  employ, 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


135 


PRAOTICALLT  EVERT  BLOOM  AT  SACRAMENTO'S  FLOWER  SHOW  WAS  GROWN  OUT  OF  DOORS 
This  ezMbition  is  part  of  a  campaign  to  encourage  the  heautiflcation  of  the  city 


provided  he  pays  the  entire  premium,  as  due, 
to  the  city. 

The  popularity  of  this  insurance  is  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that  out  of  900  city  em- 
ployees, 760  have  already  signed  their  con- 
tracts. 

The  scale  works  out  as  follows : 


Group                    Policy 
All  regular  employees.   $1,500 
Assistant      heads      and 

executives    3,000 

City 
Pays 
$7.90 

7.90 
7.90 

Em- 
ployee 
Pays 

$11.85 

31.60 
44.67 

Deduct 
Monthly 
$1.00 

2.65 

Heads    and    officials...     4,000 

3.75 

The  city  has  also  arranged  for  health  and 
accident  insurance  with  the  National  Benefit 
Assurance  Company.  This  policy  includes 
a  payment  of  $i,ooo  in  case  of  death  by  acci- 
dent, payment  at  the  rate  of  80  per  cent  of 
present  wages  or  salary  in  case  of  sickness 
of  not  more  than  10  weeks  or  60  days,  with 
limits  of  pay  of  $100  for  hospital  fees,  oper- 
ation fees  and  medical  fees.  The  total  pre- 
mium on  this  group  policy  amounts  to  one 
per  cent  of  the  monthly  pay-roll,  and  the 
sum  of  50  cents  is  deducted  monthly  from 
the  pay  of  each  municipal  employee  to  cover 
part  of  the  cost  of  this  insurance.  The  pre- 
mium cost  to  the  city  and  employees  is  as 
follows : 

City        Employees 

Group  life   policy $  5,846         $10,644 

Acciaent   and    health 


11,630 


4,206 


The  plan  is  proving  very  popular. 

JOHN  I.   ROBINSON, 
Chief  Clerk,  Public  Works  Department. 


Park 

Departments 


Sacramento's  Municipal  Flower 
Show 

Sacramento,  Calif. — On  two  perfect 
November  days  Sacramento  citizens  turned 
out  in  large  numbers  to  the  first  organized 
free  city  flower  show,  held  at  the  Crocker 
Art  Gallery.  There  were  two  objectives  in 
putting  on  this  exhibition :  one  was,  to  bring 
citizens  together  at  a  place  where  they  could 
see  flowers  and  pictures — that  is,  for  general 
recreation;  and  the  other  was,  to  make  a 
start  in  a  very  definite  effort  for  city  beauti- 
fication. 

Plans  for  the  prospective  "Days  of  '49" 
celebration  to  be  held  in  May  require 
that  Sacramento  shall  be  as  attractive  as 
possible  for  the  event,  and  accordingly  a 
committee  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
working  through  the  City  Park  Department 
and  on  other  lines,  believed  that  one  way  to 
begin  the  campaign  was,  through  the 
medium  of  a  flower  show,  to  start  people 
thinking  about  flower  planting. 

The  ball  room  of  the  old  E.  B.  Crocker 
mansion,  now  Sacramento's  Art  Gallery, 
made  an  ideal  place  in  which  to  hold  the  ex- 
hibition. It  was  hard  for  Eastern  visitors 
to  believe  that  practically  every  bloom  seen 


136 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


had  been  grown  out  of  doors.  Huge  chry- 
santhemums of  many  varieties,  larkspur, 
hybrid  penstemons,  dahlias  of  varied  form 
and  color,  and  other  flowers  were  to  be  seen, 
some  of  them  from  the  Capitol  and  City 
Park  gardens,  and  a  great  many  exhibited 
by  private  owners.  Home  gardeners  about 
the  city  were  urged  to  contribute,  and  re- 
sponded well  in  bringing  their  best  products 
for  display,  and  all  bouquets  and  specimens 
so  contributed  were  given  an  honorable 
place  and  plainly  tagged.  One  curious 
bouquet  was  composed  of  sixty-five  varieties 
of  flowers,  herbs  and  vegetables  combined  in 
a  very  attractive  way.  A  majority  of  the 
local  florists  contributed  elaborately  ar- 
ranged exhibits,  which  lent  a  professional 
air  to  the  whole. 

Following  out  the  purpose  of  the  flower 
show,  it  is  planned  to  push  the  campaign  for 
home  beautification  through  planting,  by 
holding  a  midwinter  or  early  spring  show 
where  there  will  be  shown  Sacramento's 
exceptional  display  of  out-door-grown  ca- 
melias.  Combined  with  this  as  a  leading  fea- 
ture, specific  information  for  planting 
home  grounds  will  be  given  by  plans  and  by 
lectures  and  a  full  exhibit  of  labeled  plant 
material  which  the  home  owners  may  use. 

FREDERICK   N.    EVANS, 
Landscape  Architect,  Park  Superintendent. 


Ptthlic^elfare 
Departments 


A  Community  Hall  in  a  Wheat- 
Farming  Section 

Odessa,  Wash. — The  community  service 
idea  is  rapidly  attaining  strength  in  the 
Spokane  district.     One  of  the  most  recent 


developments  is  the  completion  of  a  hand- 
some community  hall  at  Odessa,  Lincoln 
County,  90  miles  west  of  Spokane.  Odessa 
is  a  bustling  little  city  of  2,000,  the  center 
of  a  prosperous  wheat-producing  section. 

The  community  hall  was  constructed  by 
selling  shares  to  residents  and  farmers  in 
the  section  within  the  town's  trading  area, 
the  Odessa  Community  Hall  Association  be- 
ing incorporated  with  a  capitalization  of 
$30,000,  all  of  which  was  issued  and  ex- 
pended on  the  structure.  Henry  W.  Rieke 
is  secretary  of  the  company. 

The  main  floor  has  an  auditorium  seating 
500  persons.  At  the  recent  opening  cere- 
monies 1,200  persons  were  crowded  in.  The 
second  floor  has  a  women's  rest  room  and 
other  apartments,  including  a  dining-room 
and  a  kitchen.  The  structure  also  houses 
the  City  Council  and  the  Fire  Department. 

H.    W.   RIEKE, 
Secretary    Odessa   Community   Hall    Association. 


fJeaHh 

Dopariments 


TUB   COMMUNITY  HALL  AT  ODESSA,  WASH 


From  Power-Plant  to  Pool 

Palo  Alto,  Calif — The  municipal  swim- 
ming pool  at  Palo  Alto  is  operated  as  a  by- 
product of  the  city's  power-plant.  It  is  so 
popular  that  its  discontinuation  would  be 
considered  a  calamity  by  the  younger  gen- 
eration. It  is  strictly  an  open-air  pool  and 
is  maintained  during  the  whole  year.  There 
is  no  charge  for  admission,  and  on  hot  days 
as  many  as  500  persons  have  made  use  of  it. 
Electrical  energy  is  generated  in  the  Palo 
Alto  plant  by  Diesel  engines.  These  ma- 
chines are  water-cooled,  and  at  first  the 
water  was  passed  over  a  cooler  on  the  roof 
of  the  plant  and  used 
over  again.  This  did  not 
prove  successful,  and  the 
hot  water  was  turned 
back  into  the  mains  from 
which  it  first  came.  This 
raised  the  temperature  of 
the  domestic  supply  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  be 
objectionable,  and  had  to 
be  discontinued.  The  idea 
of  running  the  water  into 
a  wading  pool  for  chil- 
dren then  came  to  mind, 
and  from  this  has  grown 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


137 


THE  WARM  WATER  IN  THE  POOL  AT  PALO  ALTO,  CALIF.,  IS  RENEWED  EVERY   32  HOUBS 
AND  STERILIZED,  MAKING  IT  SAFE  FOB  BATHERS 


the  present  municipal  swimming  pool. 

The  pool  is  circular  in  shape  with  a 
conical  bottom,  and  is  constructed  of  cement 
with  a  row  of  red  brick  around  the  top.  The 
diameter  is  lOO  feet,  and  the  depth  is  2  feet 
at  the  edge  and  5  feet  in  the  center,  giving 
a  capacity  of  a  little  over  176,000  gallon.'^. 
These  dimensions  make  it  comparatively 
safe  for  children,  and  no  guard  has  been 
necessary.  The  water  enters  at  the  center 
of  the  bottom  and  runs  off  at  five  skimming 
basins  placed  at  regular  intervals  on  the 
circumference. 

The  amount  of  water  used  for  cooling  the 
Diesel  engines  averages  approximately  130,- 
000  gallons  per  24  hours.  The  temperature 
of  the  water  leaving  the  engines  is  sufficient 
to  maintain  a  temperature  of  80  degrees  F. 
in  the  pool.  With  130,000  gallons  of  fresh 
water  entering  every  24  hours,  the  water  in 
the  pool  is  completely  renewed  each  32  or  33 
hours. 

To  render  the  pool  as  safe  as  possible, 
from  a  health  standpoint,  and  to  prevent  the 
growth  of  algae,  the  water  is  treated  with 
chlorine  gas  and  copper  sulphate,  about  1.3 
parts  per  million  of  each.  The  heavy  dosage 
has  been  found  necessary  to  control  the 
growth  of  algae,  neither  treatment  alone  be- 
ing effective.  In  (addition,  the  pool  is 
emptied  and  scrubbed  with  unslacked  lime 
once  each  week. 

LOUIS  OLSEN, 
Health  Officer. 


GtsM< 


anagers 


An  Excellent  Municipal  Building 
Constructed  at  Low  Cost 

Hickory,  N.  C. — The  municipal  building 
in  this  city,  dedicated  last  November,  is  a 
good  example  of  the  economies  that  may 
sometimes  be  effected  in  municipalities  by 
handling  public  works  by  day  labor. 

The  city  had  appropriated  $125,000  for  a 
municipal  building.  The  lowest  bid  sub- 
mitted for  the  building  was  $118,000,  which 
did  not  include  an  estimated  $20,000  for 
sundry  other  costs.  After  careful  consider- 
ation, it  was  finally  decided  to  entrust  the 
work  to  the  City  Manager,  who  was  familiar 
with  building  construction.  He  undertook 
the  job  with  day  labor,  thus  getting  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  declining  prices,  the  con- 
tractor's profit  and  bond,  etc.  When  the 
building  was  completed,  it  was  computed 
that  the  net  saving  on  its  construction 
amounted  to  $27,072.39. 

The  building  is  admirably  suited  for  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  designed.  In  the 
basement  are  located  a  workroom  and  store- 
room for  the  Water  Works  Department,  a 
city  school  supply  room,  a  toilet  for  colored 
people,  a  boiler  room,  and  a  dressing-room 


138 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


THE  MUNICIPAL  BUILDING  IN  HICKORY,  N.   C,  IS  THE  CENTER 
OF    CIVIC    LIFE 


for  the  auditorium.  On  the  first  floor  are 
the  auditorium,  the  offices  of  the  City  Man- 
ager and  the  City  Clerk,  a  ladies'  rest  room, 
comfort  stations,  police  headquarters,  a  jail 
of  solid  concrete,  and  a  fire  truck  garage. 
On  the  second  floor  are  the  firemen's  dormi- 
tory, the  fire  alarm  battery  and  switch 
rooms,  a  pool  room  for  the  firemen,  the 
city  council  chamber  and  the  city  court 
room.  The  auditorium  has  a  standard  size 
stage  and,  with  the  balcony  and  gallery, 
seats  1, 1 60. 

R.  G.  HENRY, 
City  Manager. 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 

vention  Day  movement. 
These  two  exhibits  aroused 
public  interest  and  have 
made  people  more  willing 
to  comply  with  state  fire 
prevention  laws  relating 
to  forest  fires. 

The  effect  of  the  dis- 
plays is  already  apparent. 
Throughout  the  spring 
fire  season  the  department 
responded  to  more  than 
fifty  alarms  of  forest  fires; 
during  the  fall,  when  con- 
ditions were  more  favora- 
ble for  wood  and  brush 
fires,  only  four  alarms 
were  turned  in. 

ERNEST   L.   METCALF, 
Chief,   Fire   Department. 


pire 

£)epartments 


Striking  Displays  Arouse  Interest 
in  Reducing  Forest  Fires 

Franklin,  Mass. — The  Fire  Department 
of  Franklin  took  advantage  of  the  Labor 
Day  parade  to  give  an  exhibit  of  forest  fire 
prevention,  which  has  already  had  excellent 
results. 

Five  hundred  four-year-old  transplants, 
furnished  by  the  State  Forestry  Department, 
were  used  in  floats  mounted  on  trucks  in  the 
parade,  accompanied  by  appropriate  signs. 
One  of  the  photographs  taken  at  the  time  is 
reproduced  herewith.  Later,  the  transplants 
were  given  out  to  school  children  for  home 
planting. 

The  Labor  Day  exhibit  was  followed  with 
a  striking  window  display  of  autumn  foliage 
and  game,  in  connection  with  the  Fire  Pre- 


FROM    THE    FRANKLIN,    MASS.,    FIRE 
PREVENTION    PARADE 


139 


Losses  Changed  to  Profits 

The  Story  of  the  Miami,  Oklahoma,  Electric  Light  and  Power  Plant  and 

Water-Works 


THE  success  of  the  municipal  light, 
water  and  power  system  at  Miami, 
Okla.,  during  the  last  few  years  proves 
that  the  application  of  sound  business  prin- 
ciples and  keen  judgment  in  the  selection  of 
equipment  can  make  a  municipal  power- 
plant  a  paying  investment  and  an  asset  to  a 
community.  Location  is  the  fundamental 
physical  factor  in  the  growth  of  a  town. 
The  town  of  Miami,  Okla.,  is  indebted  to  its 
founders  for  selecting  a  location  rich  in 
products  of  the  soil,  both  mineral  and  agri- 


power-plant,  and  bonds  were  issued  to 
finance  the  project.  As  the  old  plant  was 
located  on  valuable  property  in  the  business 
district  where  there  was  no  room  for  ex- 
pansion, it  was  found  advisable  to  look 
around  for  a  more  suitable  location,  and  a 
site  on  the  southern  outskirts  of  the  city 
was  selected  for  the  new  plant. 

Because  of  the  unfortunate  experience 
with  steam  equipment,  the  decision  was 
made  to  install  power  machinery  of  the  oil- 
burning  type.    A  careful  comparison  of  the 


fiiVr 


_    -   _  ITS! 

tiKtT — rii  i'""'>'tiv?r 


.>|PBiBP»wi* 


EXTERIOR   OF   MIAMI,   OKLA.,    WATER-WORKS,  SHOWING  BASIN  AND   P0WEB-PI.ANT 


cultural.  Situated  in  the  fertile  Neosho 
Valley,  Miami  lies  in  the  heart  of  the  Tri- 
State  zinc  belt,  and  while  the  adverse  effect 
of  the  present  inactivity  in  the  zinc  industry 
has  been  felt,  agriculture  has  sustained  the 
town's  rate  of  growth  to  a  great  extent. 

Even  with  its  natural  advantage,  Miami 
in  191 8  found  itself  confronted  with  a 
shortage  of  light,  power  and  water,  a  pre- 
dicament typical  of  many  towns  of  5,000 
people  or  less.  The  municipally  owned 
power-plant  had  greatly  deteriorated.  One 
Corliss  engine,  powered  by  four  horizontal 
tubular  boilers,  could  not  keep  up  with  the 
increasing  demand  for  electric  current,  and 
the  town  had  outgrown  its  water-supply. 
The  plant  was  losing  money  all  the  time, 
and  something  had  to  be  done  at  once  to 
insure  a  permanent  sufficient  supply  of  light 
and  water. 

It  was  decided  to  install  a  complete  new 


various  types  of  oil  engines,  with  respect  to 
labor,  maintenance,  fuel  economy,  and  oper- 
ating advantages,  resulted  in  the  selection  of 
the  full  Diesel  type  oil  engine  invented  by 
Dr.  Rudolph  Diesel  in  1898.  Great  pains 
were  taken  to  investigate  the  various  makes 
of  Diesel  engines,  and  the  Commissioners 
visited  a  number  of  plants  where  units  of 
the  full  Diesel  type  were  operating.  As  the 
outcome  of  this  inspection  tour,  the  city  of 
Miami  placed  a  contract  for  a  vertical,  four- 
cycle, four-cylinder  Fulton-Diesel  engine  de- 
veloping 500  b.  h.  p.  at  150  r.  p.  m.  arranged 
for  direct  connection  to  a  425-kv.-amp., 
2,400-volt,  3-phase,  60-cycle,  alternating- 
current  Westinghouse  generator  and  exciter. 
In  the  meantime,  work  proceeded  on  the 
power-house  itself,  and  when  the  Diesel  en- 
gine was  delivered,  in  the  spring  of  1919, 
a  well-lighted  and  ventilated  concrete  build- 
ing of  the  one-story  type  had  been  erected, 


140 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


and  provided  with  a  Whiting  crane  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  handle  the  heaviest  part  of 
the  machinery. 

The  steam-driven  water-works  pump  was 
replaced  by  an  air-lift  system  operated  by  a 
motor-driven  20  x  12  x  14-inch  Sullivan 
angle  compound  compressor  with  a  capacity 
of  1,094  cubic  feet  per  minute.  The  water, 
which  requires  no  treatment,  is  obtained 
from  three  artesian  wells  and  delivered  by 
the  air-lift  system  to  a  duplex  reservoir  of 
solid  concrete  with  a  capacity  of  one  million 
gallons.  As  shown  in  the  photograph  re- 
produced herewith,  the  reservoir  is  advan- 
tageously located  next  to  the  power-plant. 
The  water  is  forced  into  the  city  mains  by 
a  Manistee  motor-driven  centrifugal  pump 
which  has  a  capacity  of  500  gallons  per 
minute  against  a  150-foot  head  at  1,750 
r,  p.  m. 

To  insure  a  permanent  supply  of  fuel  oil, 
a  concrete  well  of  20,000  gallons  capacity 
was  built  immediately  adjacent  to  the  power- 
house. Oil  is  piped  direct  from  tank  cars 
into  this  reservoir  by  gravity,  thereby  effect- 
ing savings  in  time  and  labor. 

Since  the  new  plant  began  operating, 
there  has  never  been  a  month  in  which  the 
Light  and  Water  Department  failed  to  show 
a  profit,  but  the  old  steam  station  continued 
to  burden  the  town,  because,  in  order  to  give 
uninterrupted  service,  it  was  necessary  to 
operate  the  steam  plant  at  intervals  when 
the  Diesel  unit  was  shut  down  for  cleaning 
and  adjustment.  For  example,  in  1920  it 
cost  the  city  over  $16,000  to  operate  the 
steam  plant  merely  as  a  standby,  whereas 
the  Diesel  engine  operated  95  per  cent  of 
the  time  for  about  $22,000.  To  overcome 
this  condition  and  obtain  a  perfectly  bal- 
anced plant,  Miami  purchased  and  installed 
in  June,  1921,  a  second  Diesel  set  consisting 
of  a  Fulton  four-cylinder  engine  developing 
585  b.  h.  p.  at  180  r.  p.  m.,  direct-connected 
to  a  Westinghouse  5oo-kv.-amp.,  2,400-volt, 
3-phase,  6o-cycle,  alternating-current  gener- 
ator with  exciter.  With  this  equipment,  the 
Water  and  Light  Department  is  always  in 
a  position  to  handle  the  peak  load,  and  each 
engine  is  kept  in  perfect  operating  condi- 
tion without  working  any  hardships  on  the 
employees  at  the  power-house. 

Additional  mechanical  equipment  was  in- 
stalled, including  a  Gould  triplex  10  x  12- 
inch  fire  pump,  driven  by  a  Westinghouse 
50-h.    p.    motor.      This    pump,    in    case   of 


emergency,  will  force  water  through  the 
city  mains  at.  a  pressure  of  no  pounds  per 
square  inch,  and  there  is  small  danger  that 
Miami  will  ever  haye  a  fire  beyond  the  con- 
trol of  the  Fire  Department.  The  air-lift 
system  was  also  supplemented  by  a  second 
Sullivan  pump  with  cylinders  17  x  g}i  x  12 
inches,  driven  by  a  150-h.  p.  motor. 

Rates  for  Light,   Power  and   Water 

The  great  economy  and  low  maintenance 
and  attendance  cost  of  the  new  station  have 
enabled  Miami  to  supply  its  citizens  with 
light,  power  and  water  at  very  reasonable 
rates;  50  cents  is  the  minimum  charge  per 
month  for  light  and  water,  and  $1  is  the 
minimum  charge  for  power.  Where  con- 
sumption exceeds  the  minimum,  the  follow- 
ing rates  apply: 

LIGHT 
24  kilowatt  hours  or  less,   10  cents  per  kilowatt 
26  to  50  kilowatt   hours,   9   cents  per   kilowatt 
50  to  75  kilowatt   hours,   8   cents   per  kilowatt 
75  to  100  kilowatt  hours,  7   cents  per  kilowatt 
100  to  200  kilowatt  hours,   6  cents  per  kilowatt 
200  kilowatt  hours  or  more,  5  cents  per  kilowatt 

WATER 
2,000  gallons  or  less,  50  cents  per  1,000  gallons 
2,000  to  5,000  gallons,   45  cents  per  1,000  gallons 
5,000   to   10,000  gallons,  40  cents  per  1,000  gallons 
10,000  to  60,000  gallons,   30  cents  per  1,000  gallons 
60,000  to  100,000  gallons,  25  cents  per  1,000  gallons 
100,000  gallons  or  more,  22i/$  cents  per  1,000  gallons 

POWER 
Flat  rate  of  3  cents  per  kilowatt  with  no  connected 
load  charge 

In  explanation  of  the  above,  it  should  be 
stated  that  where  step-down  rates  apply,  the 
charge  to  the  consumer  is  based  on  two  or 
more  rates  according  to  the  quantity  of  cur- 
rent or  water  used.  For  example,  if  10,000 
gallons  of  water  are  consumed,  the  con- 
sumer actually  pays  three  rates:  50  cents 
each  for  2,000  gallons;  45  cents  each  for 
3,000  gallons;  and  40  cents  each  for  5,000 
gallons.  An  important  point  to  remember 
in  this  connection  is  the  fact  that  there  is 
no  reason  why  Miami  should  not  enjoy  these 
rates  for  many  years  to  come.  With  reason- 
able care  and  attention,  the  Diesel  engines 
will  sustain  their  original  high  efficiency 
indefinitely,  and  the  use  of  removable  liners, 
shells  and  bushings  permits  the  replacement 
of  worn  parts  at  the  least  possible  expense. 

Bookkeeping 

The  system  of  bookkeeping  and  account- 
ing which  the  Miami  Light  and  Water  De- 
partment uses  would  do  credit  to  many  a 
large  city.  Previous  to  1919  large  ledgers 
were  used,  but  these  have  now  been  replaced 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


141 


entirely  by  cards,  and  the  mere  fact  that  two 
men  now  do  the  work,  whereas  five  men 
were  employed  to  handle  the  ledgers,  is  con- 
vincing evidence  that  the  card  system  is  by 
all  odds  the  best.  White,  blue  and  yellow 
cards,  measuring  8x5  inches,  are  used  re- 
spectively for  water,  light  and  power  ac- 
counts, and  each  card  is  ruled  for  entries 
covering  a  period  of  one  year.  Every  con- 
sumer is  given  a  number,  and  both  the  name 
and  the  number  are  printed  on  his  cards. 
The  cards  are  then  filed  numerically,  and 
the  names  are  listed  alphabetically  in  one 


50,000  gallons.  This  positively  eliminates 
all  possibility  of  an  error  in  the  calculation, 
and  the  amount  shown  on  the  coupon  must 
always  check  with  the  statement.  These 
monthly  statement  cards  are  run  through  an 
addressograph,  which  prints  the  name  of 
the  consumer  and  his  file  number  on  each 
card.  When  payment  is  received,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  pick  out  from  the  account  card 
file  the  card  of  the  color  and  number  cor- 
responding to  the  coupon.  One  tremendous 
advantage  of  this  system  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  Light  and  Water  Department  al- 


INTEEIOR     VIEW     OF     POWEE-PLANT,     SHOWING     INSTALLATION      OF     DIESEL     ENGINES 


ledger.  Thus,  if  the  consumer  loses  his 
statement,  it  is  possible  to  find  the  number 
by  referring  to  the  alphabetical  index. 

Monthly  statements  are  also  issued  on 
white,  blue  and  yellow  cards,  post-card  size. 
The  last  reading,  present  reading  and  the 
amount  consumed  are  entered  on  the  left 
side,  and  the  month  is  stamped  at  the  bot- 
tom. The  right  side  of  the  card  is  used  as 
a  coupon  to  be  detached  and  presented  at 
payment.  A  rubber  stamp,  bearing  in 
duplicate  the  gross  amount,  discount,  and 
net  charge,  prints  these  items  on  both  the 
statement  proper  and  the  coupon.  Two 
sets  of  these  stamps  cover  all  consumption 
of  light  and  water  up  to  100  kilowatts  and 


ways  knows  exactly  where  it  stands  on  col- 
lections. 

Each  day  all  the  account  cards  covering 
the  bills  paid  that  date  are  filed  together, 
and  after  collections  are  closed  for  the  day 
the  coupons  are  checked  against  the  re- 
ceipts. The  account  cards,  coupons  and 
cash  are  right  there  together  where  they 
can  be  referred  to  instantly,  and  any  dis- 
crepancy which  appears  may  be  quickly  dis- 
covered. The  advantage  over  the  ledger 
system  in  this  feature  is  obvious.  After  the 
daily  account  is  balanced,  the  paid-up  ac- 
count cards  are  filed  separately,  and  those 
showing  accounts  not  paid  in  full  are  re- 
turned to  the  main  file.    Thus,  it  will  be 


142 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


seen,  all  account  cards  remaining  in  the 
main  file  on  the  15th  of  the  month  cover  de- 
linquent accounts. 

As  stated  before,  previous  to  the  installa- 
tion of  the  first  Diesel  engine,  the  Water 
and  Light  Department  was  losing  money; 
in  fact,  each  year  a  tax  was  levied  to  meet 
the  current  expenses  of  the  system.  Now, 
on  the  contrary,  net  collections  over  and 
above  all  operating  expenses  are  about  three 
thousand  dollars  a  month.     Below  is  given 

Total    kw.    hours    generated 2,176,400 

Total  number  of  hours  in  operation 8,344 

Load   factor   for   entire  year 78.2% 

Cents  per 
Gallons  Cost  Kw.  Hr. 

Fuel    oil    177,150.54  $10,907.58  .50117 

One   gallon    of   fuel    oil    served....    12.285    kw.    hours 
Assuming  that  one   kw.   =   1.5  b.    h.    p.,   5.42   gallons 
of  fuel  oil  served  100  b.  h.  p.  hours. 

the    total    cost    of    fuel    oil    covering    the 


year  ending  January  31,  192 1,  when  the  first 
Diesel  engine  operated,  with  the  old  steam 
plant  as  standby  equipment. 

Before  closing,  due  credit  should  be  given 
to  those  who  were  charged  with  the  re- 
sponsibility of  rejuvenating  Miami's  light, 
power  and  water  system,  for  their  foresight 
and  broad  grasp  of  the  problems  which  con- 
fronted them.  Where  power  is  the  sole 
product,  the  cost  of  power  becomes  the 
total  cost  of  production,  and  the  success  of 
the  central  station  is  measured  by  its  oper- 
ating expenses.  Realizing  that  fact,  the 
officials  of  Miami,  with  unwavering  pur- 
pose and  astonishing  technical  insight,  have 
placed  their  power-plant  on  a  plane  with  the 
largest  central  stations  in  the  United  States 
with  respect  to  economy,  efficiency  and  reli- 
ability. 


Collections  of  Pictures  for  Schools 
and  Libraries 


COLOR  prints  and  photographs  of 
famous  pictures  suitable  for  decora- 
tion of  schools  and  libraries  have 
been  brought  together  by  The  American 
Federation  of  Arts.  There  are  included  fine 
reproductions  of  works  by  Inness,  Thayer, 
Millet,  St.  Gaudens,  Blakelock,  Abbey,  Violet 
Oakley,  Couse,  Brush,  Whistler,  Homer 
and  others,  as  well  as  examples  from  older 
masters  such  as  Reynolds,  Van  Dyck,  Rem- 
brandt, Rubens,  Raphael,  Giorgione,  and 
Titian.  The  prints  vary  in  size  and  color, 
but  all  are  of  such  dimensions  and  character 
as  to  lend  themselves  readily  to  schoolroom 
or  library  use.  There  is  Reynolds'  "Age  of 
Innocence,"  then  Blakelock's  "Moonlight," 
or  Winslow  Homer's  "Northeaster."  There 
is  in  these  prints  admirable  material  to  con- 
stitute the  background  of  growing  youth 
and  to  aid  in  formulating  those  ideals  and 
ambitions  which  it  is  the  work  of  schools 
and  libraries  to  foster,  while  at  the  same 
time  bringing  into  the  life  of  youth  a  fore- 
taste of  that  shadowy  thing  which  is  called 
culture. 

The  circulation  of  the  traveling  exhibi- 
tions is  an  important  part  of  the  work  of 
the  Federation  in  extending  the  knowledge 
of  art  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Art  op- 
portunities need  no  longer  be  localized.  The 
exhibitions  are  circulated  from  coast  to 
coast.    And  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Federa- 


tion reports  applications  for  exhibitions  this 
year  from  forty  out  of  forty-eight  states. 
There  are  over  fifty  exhibitions,  leaving  a 
wide  latitude  of  choice  for  taste  and  interest. 
The  groups  cover  all  manner  of  contem- 
porary expression  and  production  on  the 
subjects  offered.  Collections  of  contem- 
porary American  painters,  a  special  group 
of  painters  of  the  West,  a  group  from  the 
National  Academy  of  Design  exhibition, 
pictures  of  children,  miniatures,  and  small 
bronzes  are  among  the  collections  of  the 
fine  arts  offered.  A  number  of  exhibitions 
of  prints  are  also  listed,  comprising  etch- 
ings, drypoints,  aquatints  by  leading  con- 
temporary American  etchers,  as  well  as  a 
group  from  the  English  Print  Society.  The 
work  of  illustrators  is  also  available.  Among 
the  industrial  art  exhibitions  assembled  one 
finds  collections  of  textiles,  wall  paper,  a 
printing  exhibition,  and  one  of  Italian 
handicrafts.  They  serve  the  double  purpose 
of  encouraging  production  of  a  fine  type  and 
developing  knowledge  among  home-furnish- 
ers. For,  aside  from  the  pleasure  and  in- 
terest afforded,  the  exhibitions  make  possible 
the  cultivation  of  art  appreciation  and  good 
taste  at  first  hand. 

Further  information  may  be  obtained 
from  Miss  Leila  Mechlin,  Secretary,  Amer- 
ican Federation  of  Arts,  1741  New  York 
Avenue,  Washington,  D.  C. 


143 


Fiaaacing  and  Installing  a  New  Street 
Lighting  System 


By  P.  B.  Reed 

Street  Lighting  Specialist 


EVEN  in  these  days,  when  so  many 
cities  and  towns  are  realizing  the 
necessity  of  better  street  illumination 
and  are  installing  new  and  improved  types 
of  lamps  and  standards  in  large  numbers, 
the  discarding  of  its  entire  street  lighting 
system  by  a  municipality  and  replacing  it 
with  a  new  one  is  sufficiently  interesting  to 
make  it  worthy  of  remark.  The  city  of 
Mandan,  N.  Dak.,  which  has  a  population 
of  about  4,600,  has  done  so;  and,  as  there 
are   447  ornamental   lighting   standards   in 


In  the  business  district  G.  E.  Form  9 
Novalux  units,  with  diffusing  globe,  glass 
canopy,  and  series  film  socket,  are  used;  in 
the  residential  sections,  Form  8  is  employed, 
the  equipment  being  similar  to  that  used  in 
the  business  district.  Ten  and  one-half-foot 
ornamental  iron  standards  and  loo-candle- 
power  lamps  are  used  in  the  residential  sec- 
tions, and  12-foot  standards  and  250-candle- 
power  lamps  in  the  business  district.  It  was 
originally  intended  to  use  a  400-candle- 
power  lamp  in  the  business  district,  but  it 


LIGHTING  UNITS  ON  RESIDENTIAL  STBEET,  MANDAN,  N.  DAK. 


use,  the  city  has  attained  the  distinction  of 
having  approximately  one  standard  to  every 
ten  inhabitants. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  streets  of 
Mandan  were  lighted  by  fifty  arc  lamps. 
These  have  been  removed,  and  replaced  by 
a  system  that  is  coming  into  very  general 
favor — Mazda  lamps  enclosed  in  ornamental 
globes  supported  by  ornamental  iron  posts. 
The  cl]ange  has  been  made  at  a  cost  of  less 
than  $100,000,  and  the  gain  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  city  and  in  the  efficiency  of  its 
street  lighting  has  been  noticeable  and 
gratifying. 


was  decided  to  employ  those  of  250-candle- 
power,  which  proved  to  be  ample.  The 
standards,  which  were  made  by  the  King 
Manufacturing  Company,  are  uniform  in 
design  in  both  the  business  section  and  the 
residential  districts,  and  are  of  graceful  and 
pleasing  pattern.  The  system  is  arranged 
and  operated  in  four  circuits,  that  of  the 
business  district  being  separate  from  those 
of  the  residential  sections,  and  in  each  case 
the  corner  lights  are  on  a  different  circuit 
from  that  of  the  intermediate  lights. 

The  installation  was  designed  by  Black  & 
Griffin,   consulting   engineers,   of    Mandan, 


144 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


and  the  contract  was  let,  under  competitive 
bids  on  plans  and  specifications  prepared  by 
them,  to  M.  S.  Hyland  of  Fargo,  N.  Dak. 
The  type  of  standards  used  was  selected  by 
the  City  Commission. 

The  breakage  of  lamps,  globes  and  can- 
opies has  been  very  small,  from  December 
20  to  June  16  as  follows: 

Month         Lamps        Globes     Canopies 

December     12  1  1 

January    22  1  1 

February    32  6  6 

March     16  1  1 

April    13  2  2 

Mav    31  2  2 

June    13  1  1 

Total     139  14  14 

Mandan  has  about  95^  miles  of  street 
lighting  and  approximately  3^  miles  of 
paved  streets.  A  number  of  standards  were, 
of  course,  installed  along  unpaved  streets. 
In  these  cases  the  posts  were  placed  on  the 
curb  line  at  what  will  be  the  grade  and 
street  line  when  the  street  is  paved,  and  6- 
foot  sections  of  curb  were  set  in  for  protec- 
tion. All  the  cable  was  laid  12  inches  below 
the  paving  grade  on  unpaved  streets,  j'ust 
under  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk  where  the 
sidewalk  extended  to  the  curb,  and  across 
streets  at  right  angles  to  the  center  of  the 
street  in  2-inch  iron  conduit  pipes.  All  pipes 
crossing  paved  streets  were  pushed  across, 
and  no  pavement  was  cut.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  in  making  the  installation,  ap- 
proximately two  car-loads  of  cement,  1,200 
cubic  yards  of  concrete,  and  140,000  feet  of 
No.  8  single  conductor  cable  were  used. 

All  the  lamps  are  operated  until  9:30 
P.  M.  The  corner  lights  are  then  turned 
out,  and  only  the  intermediate  lamps  are 
burned  until  morning,  except  on  Saturday 
nights  and  special  occasions,  when  the  en- 
tire system  is  operated.  The  cost  of  main- 
tenance and  operation  is  paid  out  of  the 
general  fund  for  street  lighting  made  by  the 


usual  levy.  Power  for  operating  the  sys- 
tem is  supplied  by  the  Mandan  Electric 
Company,  a  privately  owned  corporation, 
but  the  city  installed  and  owns  the  switch- 
board panels,  meters,  etc.  The  lights  are 
controlled  by  employees  of  the  company  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  City  Commission. 
The  rate  paid  is  5  cents  per  kilowatt  hour. 

The  lighting  schedule  and  the  consump- 
tion of  current  for  the  first  half  of  the  year 
were  as  follows: 

Kw.  Hr. 

January— 5  :00  P.  M.  to  7 :00  A.  M 11,750 

February— 5:30  P.  M.  to  6:20  A.  M 10,080 

March— C  :00  P.  M.  to  5 :00  A.  M 8,540 

April— 6 :30  P.  M.  to  4 :00  A.  M 7,470 

May— 7  :00  P.  M.  to  3 :00  A.  M 5,500 

June— 8 :00  P.  M.  to  2  :40  A.  M 5,400 

The  job  was  divided  into  three  contracts, 
other  districts  petitioning  for  the  improve- 
ment after  the  first  contract  was  under  way. 
The  total  of  the  three  was  $95,721.84,  in- 
cluding engineering,  assessing,  and  adver- 
tising as  required  by  the  laws  of  the  state. 
The  cost  of  the  installations  was  met  by 
special  assessment  against  the  property  di- 
rectly benefited.  It  was  then  decided  by  the 
special  assessment  commission  that  all  lots 
were  equally  benefited  whether  or  not  there 
was  a  light  directly  in  front  of  the  lot  or 
opposite,  provided  they  were  equally  spaced 
on  the  street  around  the  entire  block.  The 
cost  per  lot  was  higher  on  the  last  two  con- 
tracts let,  and  the  average  for  a  50  x  140- 
foot  lot  in  the  residential  section  on  the 
main  contract  was  $90.16,  and  on  a  25  x  140- 
foot  business  lot,  $48.63,  these  costs  being 
based  on  cash  payment.  The  assessment  was 
spread  over  a  period  of  five  years,  and  war- 
rants were  issued  bearing  interest  at  6  per 
cent.  In  the  residential  section  the  assess- 
ment commission  held  that  a  corner  lot  re- 
ceived no  more  benefit  than  an  inside  lot, 
even  though  there  might  be  lights  on  the 
side;  but  in  the  business  district  the  corner 
lots  stood  the  cost  of  the  light  on  both  sides. 


Your  Neighbor's  Yard 


Proper  disposal  of  our  waste  materials 
will  reduce  fly  incidence,  and  hence  reduce 
the  prevalence  of  diseases  and  increase  pub- 
lic health.  On  the  other  hand,  improper  and 
incomplete  waste  disposal  increases  the 
number  of  flies,  increases  the  danger  from 
disease,  increases  the  incidence  of  diseases, 
lowers  the  public  health,  favors  the  spread 
of  epidemics,  and  increases  the  death-rate. 


If  you  value  the  lives  of  your  own  family 
and  your  own  friends,  you  will  take  proper 
care  of  the  health  of  the  poorest  and  most 
illiterate  of  your  neighbors,  and  will  insist 
that  his  premises  be  as  free  of  dangerous 
waste  materials  as  you  keep  your  own. 

If  you  let  your  neighbor  have  filthy  prem- 
ises, you  may  pay  for  it  by  death  and  disease 
in  your  own  family. 


145 


Plan  for  Promotion  of  Municipal  Skating 

By  Bobby  McLean 

Former  Champion  Speed  Skater  of  the  World 


THERE  is  opportunity  in  many  towns 
to  render  a  community  service  by  put- 
ting forward  a  plan  to  provide  safe 
and  convenient  public  skating  places  for  the 
boys  and  girls  and  their  older  brothers  and 
sisters.  This  is  not  a  new  idea,  but  has  al- 
ready been  carried  out  in  many  towns  and 
cities  and  will  be  found  practical  in  any 
place  where  ice  forms  during  the  cold  sea- 
son. The  time  and  attention  necessary  to 
insure  the  success  of  such  a  project  will  be 
slight  in  proportion  to  the  returns  and  satis- 
faction achieved. 

Boston,  Mass.,  has  eighteen  municipal 
rinks  when  the  weather  is  cold  enough,  and 
some  of  these  rinks  are  large  enough  to  ac- 
commodate thousands  of  skaters.  These  are 
not  the  only  skating  places  in  Boston,  but 
the  ones  that  the  city  takes  charge  of. 
Springfield,  Mass.,  has  twenty  municipal 
skating-rinks  under  the  direction  of  the 
School  Board  and  the  Park  Commission. 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  utilizes  its  playgrounds  as 
skating  centers,  as  do  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
Worcester,  Mass.,  Columbus,  Cleveland  and 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Baltimore,  Md.,  Lake- 
wood,  N.  J.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  Chicago, 
111.,  and  these  places  in  New  York  State: 
Waterford,  Albany,  Cohoes,  Troy,  Roches- 
ter, Buffalo,  Brooklyn,  Plattsburgh,  Green 
Island,  Watervliet,  Rennselaer  and  Batavia. 

Chicago  has  the  greatest  number  of  free 
skating-rinks.  The  city  has  flooded  70  play- 
grounds and  329  vacant  lots — 399  skating 
places.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  and  around 
Chicago  there  are  600  open-air  skating- 
rinks.  Quite  naturally,  Chicago  develops 
more  skaters  than  any  other  city.  The  city 
gives  a  trophy  for  competitions  in  each  of 
these  rinks,  encourages  dual  club  meets,  and 
winds  up  with  a  race  for  the  championship 
of  Chicago  in  which  the  best  skater  of  every 
district,  selected  by  elimination  contests,  par- 
ticipates. One  race  in  Chicago  last  year  had 
452  entries. 

It  is  estimated  that  30,000  persons  skate 
on  the  Buffalo  municipal  skating  ponds  daily, 
and  in  quite  a  number  of  cities,  we  believe, 
the  figures  are  higher  than  this.  Minneap- 
olis has  a  number  of  rinks  for  the  smaller 


children,  and  Milwaukee  has  a  hockey 
league  playing  on  the  larger  rinks. 

The  skating-rank  at  Plattsburgh,  •  N.  Y,, 
promoted  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  was 
described  on  page  407  of  The  American 
City  for  November,  1921. 

Skating  was  held  back  for  years  through 
the  scarcity  of  indoor  rinks,  but  with  mu- 
nicipal rinks  outdoors  the  sport  can  be  de- 
veloped to  its  fullest  extent  and  at  the  same 
time  provide  healthful  recreation  for  many. 
It  is  the  greatest  of  outdoor  winter  sports. 

Some  One  Person  Must  Start  It 

It  is  necessary  for  some  live  individual  to 
take  hold  of  this  municipal  plan  to  put  it 
over.  Although  not  absolutely  essential,  it 
is  well  to  organize  a  committee  of  interested 
citizens  to  work  in  making  the  plan  a  suc- 
cess. If  the  live  wire  can  interest  some 
well-known  civic  or  athletic  organization,  he 
can  choose  his  committee  from  its  members 
and  thus  lend  prestige  to  the  idea.  After 
choosing  the  committee,  the  first  step  in  pro- 
moting municipal  skating  is  to  make  a  sur- 
vey of  the  town  and  determine  the  park 
locations  and  other  places  suitable  for  flood- 
ing and  turning  into  skating-rinks  for  the 
children.  These  locations  should  be  as  near 
the  center  of  the  town  as  possible.  A  loca- 
tion near  a  schoolhouse  will  give  the  chil- 
dren plenty  of  opportunity  to  skate  after 
hours.  In  addition  to  parks  and  play- 
grounds, one  can  usually  find  vacant  lots  of 
suitable  size  which  the  owners  will  gladly 
allow  to  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Tennis 
courts  are  especially  desirable,  as  they  have 
a  clay  foundation  and  are  easily  flooded. 

The  next  step  is  to  take  the  matter  up 
with  the  mayor  or  chief  executive  of  the 
town.  It  is  best  to  present  the  proposition 
to  him  verbally  and  suggest  the  locations 
you  have  selected  as  desirable  for  flooding. 
You  can  later  confirm  your  statements  by  a 
letter  outlining  the  entire  plan.  This  he  will 
use  in  presenting  the  proposition  to  other 
municipal  officials  who  are  interested.  Point 
out  to  him  what  has  already  been  done  in 
some  places,  the  benefits  to  be  derived,  and 
the  necessity  for  providing  safe  and  con- 
venient skating-rinks  for  the  young  people 


146 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


THE   PUBLIC    SKA.TING  RINK  AT   PIiATTSBUBGH,  N.  T. 
This  rink,  on  the  athletic  field  of  the  High  School,  was  promoted  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 


of  your  town.  Suggest  that  he  submit  a 
plan  to  the  city  council  to  provide  the  neces- 
sary means  for  preparing  and  flooding 
parks,  playgrounds,  and  other  vacant  areas 
and  keeping  them  in  condition  for  skating. 
This  can  ordinarily  be  taken  care  of  by  the 
local  fire  or  public  works  department.  The 
governing  body  of  the  town  usually  is  will- 
ing to  cooperate  with  the  chief  executive  on 
a  proposition  of  this  kind,  because  it  does 
not  require  a  large  outlay  of  money  and  at 
the  same  time  gives  the  members  an  oppor- 
timity  to  show  that  they  are  taking  an  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  public. 

The  matter  may  be  helped  along  by  inter- 
viewing various  members  of  the  city  or 
town  council  whom  you  know  personally, 
and  gaining  their  approval  before  the  mat- 
ter is  brought  up  to  them  by  the  mayor.  In 
a  great  many  cases  it  is  unnecessary  for  the 
council  to  act.  Sometimes  a  letter  from  the 
mayor  to  the  commissioners  of  each  park 
board  and  the  fire  commission  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  accomplish  the  desired  result. 

Publicity  Tiirough  the  Press 

The  newspapers  are  always  willing  to  co- 
operate on  a  proposition  of  this  nature,  and 
there  is  no  better  way  of  creating  public 
sentiment.  Before  taking  the  matter  up 
with  the  mayor,  it  is  advisable  to  have  the 
newspapers  print  an  article  advocating  the 
plan,  in  order  to  create  advance  interest.  It 
is  also  well  to  forward  to  the  newspapers  a 


copy  of  your  letter  to  the  mayor  and  the 
mayor's  letter  to  the  park  commissioners. 

As  soon  as  the  initial  steps  have  been 
taken  and  several  parks  or  playgrounds 
have  teen  flooded,  an  effort  should  be  made 
to  provide  the  proper  supervision  over  them. 
The  supervisor  should  be  the  athletic  direc- 
tor of  schools  or  some  capable  boy  leader 
who  will  arrange  the  sports  program  and 
look  after  the  general  interest  of  the  skaters. 
He  should  have  a  corps  of  assistants  who 
will  each  have  supervision  over  one  or  more 
rinks.  Volunteers  can  usually  be  obtained 
for  this  work,  to  serve  for  a  few  hours  each 
day  or  week. 

Skating  contests  should  be  provided,  also 
hockey  games,  fancy  skating  events,  and 
instruction  for  those  who  are  learning  to 
skate.  Hockey  players  should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  interfere  with  the  other  skaters; 
where  possible,  special  rinks  should  be  pro- 
vided for  this  particular  sport.  A  local 
championship  contest  is  a  feature  that 
creates  much  interest.  Merchants  about 
town  are  usually  willing  to  donate  certain 
articles  as  prizes  for  skating  events.  These 
need  not  be  expensive.  Skating  medals  can 
be  purchased  at  a  low  figure  for  adult  events, 
and  ribbons  can  be  used  for  the  children's 
events.  Contests  can  be  staged  between 
wards  or  sections  of  the  town,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  season  a  carnival  can  be  held  at 
which  the  city  championship  wrill  be  de- 
termined. 


147 


Handling  Liquid  Chlorine 

Suggestions  and  Cautions  for  Water- Works  Operators 

By  D.  K.  Bartlett 


CHLORINE  in  liquid  form  has  now 
been  used  in  this  country  since  1907. 
As  in  the  case  of  other  compressed 
gases,  there  are  very  definite  and  careful 
regulations  drawn  by  the  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission  governing  its  transpor- 
tation. Under  these  regulations  there  are 
four  accepted  containers  in  which  the  ma- 
terial may  be  moved,  namely,  those  which 
carry  100  pounds,  150  pounds,  2,000  pounds, 
and  30,000  pounds.  As  there  have  been  no 
accidents  in  interstate  commerce  since  the 
regulations  have  been  in  force,  it  seems 
proper  to  assume  that  the  regulations  are 
right,  as  they  now  stand. 

The  use  of  chlorine  has  become  very 
wide-spread  through  the  textile  industry, 
the  public  water-supply  system,  the  flour 
industry,  the  chemical  industry,  and  the  pulp 
and  paper  industry.  Liquid  chlorine  is  to- 
day stored  at  from  4,000  to  5, 000  different 
points  in  quantities  of  from  a  few  cylinders 
to  many  thousand  pounds.  So  far,  such 
regulations  covering  storage  as  have  been 
in  force  are  simply  those  recommended  by 
the  producer  to  the  consumer.  Safety  is  of 
prime  importance  to  the  producer  as  well 
as  the  consumer,  and  while  the  hazard  is 
much  less  than  is  commonly  supposed,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  sufficient  to  cause  the  pro- 
ducers to  adhere  to  and  recommend  regula- 
tions which  make  the  use  of  this  material 
safe. 

It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  consider 
briefly  the  hazards  of  compressed  gases  in 
general. 

As  long  as  the  gas  remains  in  the  con- 
tainer, it  is  obvious  that  it  can  do  no  harm, 
irrespective  of  its  effect  when  released.  It 
is  therefore  necessary  to  consider  the  prob- 
ability of  escape  of  gas  from  the  container, 
as  well  as  the  qualities  of  the  gas  itself.  An 
escape  of  gas  from  a  container  may  be  due 
to— 

A.  A  true  explosion 

B.  An   increase   of   pressure,   due   to  heat, 

sufficient  to  rupture  the  container 

C.  Leaks 


If  the  gas  escapes  from  the  container,  the 
resulting  hazard  may  be  due  to — 

1.  Inflammability 

2.  Poisonous  effects 

3.  Irritating  effects,  with  interference   with 

sight  or  respiration 

Considering  now  the  specific  case  of 
chlorine,  we  can  eliminate  "A,"  since  it  is 
non-explosive.  The  chance  of  a  rupture  due 
to  "B"  is  very  slight  on  account  of  the  high 
critical  temperature  of  chlorine.  The  fol- 
lowing table  gives  this  temperature  for  a 
number  of  common  gases : 

Chlorine    146 

Ammonia     132 

Acetylene    36.5 

Nitrous  oxide 36.5 

Carbon   dioxide    31 

Oxvgen    — 118 

Hydrogen    — 240 

By  Interstate  Commerce  Commission 
regulations  all  cylinders  and  ton  drums  are 
provided  with  fusible  plugs  which  melt  at 
158  degrees  Fahrenheit,  at  which  tempera- 
ture the  pressure  is  about  half  the  test 
pressure  of  ton  drums  at  time  of  manufac- 
ture and  a  quarter  of  the  test  pressure  of 
the  smaller  cylinders. 

There  has  never  been  an  instance  of 
bursting  of  a  container  in  transit,  or  in  a 
user's  plant. 

There  have  been  four  or  five  cases  of  the 
rupture  of  containers  in  the  manufacturer's 
plant  due  to  the  presence  of  foreign  material 
in  the  container  which  reacted  with  the 
chlorine.  To  guard  against  a  repetition  o'f 
such  accidents,  all  manufacturers  now  have 
in  force  a  rigid  system  of  inspection  of 
empty  containers.  Even  should  a  container 
with  such  foreign  material  be  filled,  any 
trouble  resulting  will  necessarily  develop 
within  a  few  hours,  so  that  any  hazard 
existing  from  this  cause  concerns  only  the 
manufacturer — not  the  user  or  the  carrier. 

There  have  also  been  a  few  cases  of  fire 
where  a  large  quantity  of  chlorine  has  been 
stored.  In  each  case  the  upward  draft  due 
to  the  heat  of  conflagration  has  been  strong 
enough  to  carry  the  gas  upward  and  cause 


148 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


a  sufficient  dilution  so  that  the  fire-fighters 
experienced  no  inconvenience  in  their  work. 

This  brings  us  to  leaks.  Here  the  evil 
smell  of  chlorine  is  its  greatest  safety  fac- 
tor. Its  presence  in  the  atmosphere  can  be 
detected  in  very  minute  quantities  through 
the  sense  of  smell.  After  the  person  in 
charge  of  the  use  of  the  chlorine  in  any 
plant  has  had  his  first  considerable  whiff, 
he  is  quite  ready — from  then  on — to  exercise 
reasonable  care,  take  necessary  precautions, 
and  follow  the  instructions  laid  down  by  the 
manufacturer. 

The  next  safety  factor  is  the  slow  absorp- 
tion of  the  heat  necessary  to  evaporate  the 
liquid  into  a  gas.  The  following  table  gives 
the  rise  of  temperature  of  the  liquid  chlorine 
in  a  tank  car  during  a  period  of  96  hours: 

Changl 
Change  During  During 

Time  Temp.  Contents     Period       Pressure  Perioa 

(Start)  (—9     deg.  C.)         —  (64  lbs.)      — 

End  24  hrs.  —2  deg.  C.  7  deg.  C.  76  lbs.  12  lbs 
End48hrs.  +3.5  deg.  C.  5.5  deg.  C.  88  lbs.  12  lbs 
End  74  hrs.  +6  deg.  C.  2.5  deg.  C.  93  lbs.  5  lbs 
End  96  hrs.      +8.5  deg.  C.     2.5  deg.  C.     98  lbs.       5  lbs. 

When  the  odor  of  chlorine  is  noticed,  the 
source  should  immediately  be  located.  Never 
hunt  a  leak  through  the  sense  of  smell. 
Always  have  a  gas  mask  handy  and  be  sure 
you  have  fresh  canisters.  The  mask  is  not 
apt  to  be  used,  but  it  gives  confidence  to  the 
one  hunting  the  leak.  Have  a  bottle  of  aqua 
ammonia  and  a  piece  of  waste  fastened  to 
the  end  of  a  short  stick.  Dip  the  waste  into 
the  ammonia  and  start  your  search.  The 
moment  you  come  to  chlorine  in  the  air,  a 
white  fume  of  ammonium  chloride  will  ap- 
pear. As  you  reach  a  denser  volume  of 
chlorine,  the  white  fumes  are  denser.  Thus 
the  leak  is  quickly  located.  If  this  leak  is 
in  the  piping,  etc.,  shut  oflf  the  valves  at  the 
containers  and  repair.    If  in  a  valve  on  the 


container  or  the  container  itself,  and  it  can- 
not be  stopped,  connect  the  gas  valve  from 
the  container  to  your  absorption  system 
and  begin  to  operate.  The  liquid  cannot 
evaporate  in  the  containers,  without  the  ap- 
plication of  heat,  as  fast  as  the  gas  is  ab- 
sorbed in  your  system,  and  thus  the  leak 
quickly  stops. 

As  to  the  properties  of  chlorine,  it  is  non- 
inflammable,  and  not  poisonous  in  the  sense 
that  carbon  monoxide  or  phosgene,  for  in- 
stance, is  poisonous.  We  can  therefore 
eliminate  Nos.  i  and  2,  and  confine  ourselves 
to  No.  3. 

The  immediate  result  of  inhaling  a  large 
quantity  of  chlorine  gas  is  the  inflammation 
of  the  tissues  lining  the  throat,  with  result- 
ing coughing  and  nausea.  While  it  is  highly 
irritating  and  extremely  uncomfortable,  it 
is  never  fatal — unless  the  subject  remains 
for  a  considerable  period  in  an  atmosphere 
of  highly  concentrated  gas. 

Should  a  person  be  affected  by  chlorine 
gas  we  recommend  the  following  treatment : 
Remove  at  once  to  the  open  air  and  away 
from  all  gas  fumes.  Place  the  patient  flat 
on  his  back  with  head  slightly  elevated,  and 
give  a  half-teaspoonful  of  essence  of  pep- 
permint, or  a  moderate  dose  of  bromo 
seltzer  or  whiskey.  This  will  relieve  the 
tendency  to  cough  and  soothe  the  inflamed 
membranes,  allowing  the  passage  of  air  and 
promoting  the  action  of  the  respiratory 
organs.  The  person  affected  should  him- 
self resist  as  much  as  possible  the  impulse 
to  cough.  A  mustard  plaster  on  the  chest 
will  give  prompt  relief.  While  there  are 
never  any  .serious  after-effects,  a  physician 
should  always  be  called. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  paper  read  before  the 
National   Safety   Council  Congress,   Boston,  Mass. 


Street  Cleaning  Troubles  in  New  York  City  in  1770 


That  municipalities  had  their  street- 
cleaning  troubles  in  the  very  early  days  is 
indicated  by  the  following  item  which  ap- 
peared in  the  New  York  Gazette,  a  little 
newspaper  of  200  years  ago: 

"The  Assistant  Aldermen  of  the  different 
wards  were  instructed  to  call  on  the  several  in- 
habitants in  their  respective  wards  and  ascer- 
tain what  they  are  willing  to  pay  toward  clean- 
ing the  streets  and  carrying  away  the  dirt;  but 


this  method  not  meeting  with  a  proper  response 
on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants,  an  order  was 
made  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  on  every 
Friday  sweep  the  dirt  in  heaps  before  their 
premises  in  order  that  it  may  be  carted  away 
on  Saturday  by  the  city  cartmen.  To  com- 
pensate the  latter  the  inhabitants  were  ordered  to- 
I»y  them  for  every  load  threepence  if  loaded 
by  the  inhabitants  themselves.  The  only  street 
cleaned  at  public  expense  is  Broad  street.  A 
public  scavenger  is  appointed  for  this  purpose, 
who  receives  a  salary  of  $40  per  annum. 


I« 


Child  Health  and  the  Public  Schools 

By  Julius  Kuhnert 

Director  of  Physical  Education,  Public  Schools,  Raton,  N.  Mex. 


IT  has  been  fully  demonstrated  that  school 
progress  and  contentment  rest  largely 
upon  health.  Many  states  have  compul- 
sory medical  inspection  laws  for  school 
children  which  require  not  only  a  school 
physician  but  also  a  school  nurse. 

Before  a  child  begins  school  he  leads  a 
comparatively  free  life.  He  is  out  of  doors 
playing  and  developing  physically.  When 
he  enters  school,  this  is  all  changed,  be- 
cause the  modern  school  requires  that  free- 
dom be  restricted.  In  most  cases  children 
are  required  to  sit  for  long  periods  with 
two  sessions  per  day.  This,  as  authorities 
tell  us,  is  detrimental  to  the  normal  activity 
of  the  heart  and  lungs  and  must  result  in  an 
impoverished  state  of  the  blood.  A  child 
stunted  at  this  time  by  lack  of  physical  ac- 
tivity and  hygienic  habits  will  be  stunted 
for  life. 

Parents,  as  well  as  teachers,  must  study 
that  great  branch  of  medicine,  hygiene, 
which  is  often  termed  preventive  medicine. 
Hygiene  seeks  to  preserve  health — in  other 
words,  to  prevent  disease — through  obedi- 
ence to  laws  of  health.  The  child,  unaided, 
cannot  understand  these  laws,  and  he  must 
have  the  wise  counsel  of  his  parents, 
teacher,  nurse,  and  physician. 

Schools  Should  Be  Sanitary 

One  of  the  greatest  duties  of  the  teacher 
is  to  seek  and  maintain  sanitary  conditions 
in  her  room,  school  and  grounds.  This  is 
not  only  for  the  child's  benefit,  but  also  for 
her  own.  In  a  recent  survey  made  in  the 
schools  of  an  eastern  state  the  following 
conditions  were  revealed:  66.2  per  cent  of 
the  2,169  teachers  questioned  reported  in- 
sanitary conditions  in  the  schools.  Of  this 
number,  46.7  per  cent  reported  defective 
ventilation;  41.6  per  cent  reported  insuffi- 
cient toilet  facilities;  35.9  per  cent  reported 
dust  in  the  room  from  dirty  blackboards; 
28.3  per  cent  reported  lack  of  drinking 
water  dispensed  in  a  sanitary  way.  Many 
other  insanitary  conditions  were  reported  in 
smaller  percentages.  Such  conditions  are 
far  more  responsible  for  the  poor  health  of 
children   and  the  transmission  of  disease 


than  any  other  cause.  Everyone  recognizes 
the  fact  that  the  common  drinking  cup  and 
towel  are  dangerous;  dirty  toilets  are  the 
breeding-places  of  disease;  and  a  poorly 
•ventilated  room  saps  the  life,  energy  and 
vitality  of  the  child,  hindering  his  school 
progress  and  breaking  down  his  resistance 
to  disease. 

In  "Health  and  the  School,"  by  Burke,  it 
is  stated  that  60  per  cent  of  the  school 
children  in  the  United  States  are  suffering 
from  defects  which  are  remedial  and  which 
retard  the  school  progress  of  the  children 
9  per  cent.  Some  authorities  estimate  that 
as  many  as  three  out  of  every  four  children 
are  suffering  from  physical  defects  which 
might  be  prevented  or  corrected.  Assuming 
that  the  approximate  cost  of  education  in 
1915  was  $600,000,000,  and  that,  as  Burke 
states,  "60  per  cent  of  the  school  children 
are  retarded  9  per  cent,"  it  costs  approxi- 
mately $32,000,000  per  year  for  this  re- 
tardation. Dr.  Ayers  also  points  out  that 
it  is  cheaper  to  keep  the  children  repeating 
in  the  lower  grades  than  in  the  higher 
grades.  Dr.  McCurdy  states  that  85  per 
cent  of  the  defects  of  school  children  are 
remedial:  i.  e.,  carious  teeth,  diseased  ton- 
sils, adenoid.s,  defective  vision,  deficient 
musculature,  and  malnutrition. 

Postural  defects  in  school  children  are 
caused  by  weak  musculature,  poor  hygiene 
in  the  home,  defective  vision,  bad  air  in  the 
home  and  the  school,  general  lack  of  exer- 
cise, and  long-continued  periods  of  flexion, 
that  is,  reading  with  the  head  and  shoulders 
tipped  forward.  Underweight  may  be 
caused  by  the  same  conditions,  including 
also  carious  teeth,  diseased  tonsils,  adenoids, 
and  any  curvature,  which  is  nothing  more 
than  a  postural  defect.  In  practically  every 
case,  deficient  musculature  is  caused  directly 
or  indirectly  by  underweight  or  malnutrition. 

A  System  of  Health  Instruction 

In  order  that  school  may  be  a  decisive 
factor  in  improving  the  race  and  lowering 
the  great  percentage  of  physical  defectives, 
a  comprehensive  system  of  health  instruc- 
tion, combined  with  physical  activity,  should 


f5o 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


A    SCENE   IN  THE  ITHACA,   N.   T.,    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS'  MEDICAL  OFFICE 

Sncb  clinics  can  render  Invaluable  service  In  detecting  defects  in  their  early  stages  and  preventing  the 

disastrous  consequences  of  neglect 


be  instituted  in  all  schools.  This  health  in- 
struction should  include,  as  Dr.  McCurdy 
states  in  "Physical  Education  and  National 
Efficiency,"  the  ''knowledge  of  the  elemen- 
tary problems  which  concern  health,  i.  e., 
diet,  care  of  the  teeth,  bathing,  sex,  exercise, 
and  the  general  conditions  related  to  health : 
for  example,  room  temperature,  ventilation, 
dust,  school  seating,  posture ;  also  the  public 
health  problems  like  sewage  disposal,  milk 
and  water  supplies  and  the  general  control 
of  infectious  diseases."* 

Malnutrition  and  postural  defects  among 
school  children  should  be  taken  care  of  at 
once.  A  malnourished  child  is  always  an 
underweight  child  and  one  who  suffers  more 
from  postural  defects  and  is  more  sus- 
ceptible to  diseases  than  the  normal  child. 
Underweight  in  a  child  is  a  serious  matter, 
and  many  parents  and  teachers  do  not  un- 
derstand that  this  condition  is  often  de- 
scribed by  such  terms  as  "frail,"  "no  appe- 
tite," "run  down,"  "low  vitality,"  "skinny," 
"not  himself,"  "nervous,"  "easily  upset," 
"growing  too  fast,"  "always  tired."  Mal- 
nutrition and  postural  defects  are  remedial. 
The  essential  thing  is  to  place  the  child  un- 
der a  strict  hygienic  regime,  both  at  home 
and  in  the  school.  In  these  cases  the  teacher 
holds  a  very  important  place,  because  she  is 
largely  instrumental  in  molding  the  school 
and  after-school  life  of  the  child. 


•  American   Physical   Education   Review,    December, 
1919. 


It  is  absolutely  essential  that  all  children 
suffering  from  any  serious  physical  defect 
should  have  medical  attention.  The  one 
great  group  of  children  that  should  be  given 
first  attention  is  the  malnourished  group. 
Malnutrition  is  a  definite  departure  from 
health  and  should  be  recognized  as  a  dis- 
ease. It  has  certain  causes  and  there  are 
certain  after-effects.  Some  of  these  after- 
effects can  never  be  entirely  overcome,  be- 
cause a  malnourished  child  is  never  as 
strong  and  capable  as  though  he  were  nor- 
mal. These  children  are  often  pale  and 
anemic,  inattentive,  Hstless  in  their  studies, 
and  do  not  care  to  run  and  play.  Mental 
and  physical  work  easily  fatigues  them  and 
they  are  often  retarded  in  school.  The  at- 
tempt to  educate  the  malnourished  child 
often  results  in  the  waste  of  time  and  money 
by  the  teacher  and  the  school  board,  and 
there  is  failure  and  discouragement  on  the 
part  of  the  child  who  cannot  keep  up  with 
his  mates. 

Remove  the  Causes  of  Malnutrition 

Some  of  the  causes  of  malnutrition  are 
poverty,  overcrowding,  bad  home  habits, 
faulty  school  hygiene  and  disease.  The 
cause  of  malnutrition  in  each  child  should 
be  sought,  and  removed  by  medical  attention 
and  education  in  hygienic  living,  especially 
with  regard  to  food  and  correct  food  habits. 
Every  remedial  defect  should  be  removed. 
A   child  suffering  with   enlarged  adenoids 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


151 


cannot  breathe  through  his  nose  and  it  is  use- 
less to  teil  him  to  do  so ;  the  adenoids  should 
be  removed.  A  child  with  carious  teeth 
cannot  masticate  his  food;  his  teeth  defects 
must  be  corrected  first.  Eyestrain  often 
causes  nausea  and  loss  of  appetite,  resulting 
in  malnutrition.  The  physical  condition  of 
the  child  is  also  affected  by  lack  of  fresh  air 
while  sleeping  and  exercising,  lack  of  clean- 
liness and  proper  clothing,  fast  eating,  in- 
dulgence in  candy  and  sweets  between  meals, 
and  the  constant  drinking  of  tea  and  coffee. 
The  teacher  can  do  a  great  deal  to  correct 
these  conditions,  but  the  home  must  assist 
and  cooperate. 

Spinal  curvature  and  postural  defects  are 
often  the  direct  results  of  malnutrition, 
which  in  many  cases  is  due  to  improper  care 
and  feeding  in  the  first  years  of  life.  De- 
formities of  the  bones,  such  as  pigeon- 
breast,  bow-legs,  knock-knees,  weak  and  flat 
feet,  are  often  the  results  of  rickets,  a  dis- 
ease of  poor  nutrition  and  hygiene.  In  an 
investigation  of  717  cripples  under  sixteen 
years  of  age,  10  per  cent  of  the  deformities 
were  found  to  be  due  to  rickets.  In  an  in- 
vestigation of  22,000  school  children  in  Lon- 
don, 2  per  cent  showed  some  eye  disease, 
three-fourths  of  which  was  due  to  unwashed 
faces  and  dirty  hands.  Fifteen  per  cent  of 
all  eye  troubles  of  school  children  are  due 
to  a  disease  of  the  eyelids  and  the  cornea 
which  is  often  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of 
blindness.  This  disease  is  often  found 
among  malnourished  children.  Eighty-four 
per  cent  of  blindness  in  children  is  caused 
by  ophthalmia  neonatorum,  which  can  be 
practically  eliminated  by  proper  child  hy- 
giene and  medical  inspection. 

Effective  child  hygiene  includes  all  ac- 
tivities that  are  necessary  for  the  protection 
of  the  life  and  happiness  of  the  child.  All 
agencies  that  deal  with  the  mental  and 
physical  well-being  of  the  child  must  co- 
operate. Conditions  which  require  doctors, 
clinics,  mediciU'C,  crutches  and  braces  should 
not  be  tolerated  when  right  living  and 
healthful  environment  can  prevent  their 
need.  It  is  not  economy  to  spend  money 
for  the  treatment  of  the  few  when  the  same 
amount  of  money  will  maintain  the  health  of 
the  many.  Nor  is  it  wise  to  spend  money 
for  the  discovery  of  the  defects  of  school 
children  when  these  defects  can  be  pre- 
vented by  proper  hygienic  conditions. 


The  greatest  concern  of  every  parent  and 
teacher  should  be  to  see  that  the  child  has 
the  proper  size  seat  in  school,  that  there  is 
plenty  of  fresh  air,  and  that  all  conditions 
surrounding  the  child  are  as  perfect  as  they 
can  be  made.  Parents  should  consult  with 
the  teachers  in  regard  to  the  health  condi- 
t  ons  of  their  children,  and  both  should  co- 
operate to  make  the  school  a  healthy  place 
for  the  child  to  be  in.  The  board  of  educa- 
tion must  also  cooperate  in  changing  the 
seating,  ventilation  system  and  toilet  facil- 
ities, if  necessary,  to  make  the  school  a 
healthful  place  for  the  children. 

Every  school  system  should  have  a  paid 
school  nurse  who  can  look  after  the  health 
of  the  children,  not  only  in  the  school  but 
also  in  the  home.  Parents  respect  the  knowl- 
edge of  an  experienced  nurse  and  will  often 
assist  her  as  well  as  teachers  in  relieving 
unhygienic  conditions.  A  nurse  can  find 
many  abnormal  conditions  in  children  which 
parents  do  not  think  exist,  because  the  child 
acts  normal  in  every  way.  The  nurse  and 
the  doctor  are  the  important  links  between 
the  physical  fitness  of  the  child  and  his  men- 
tality, and  their  importance  should  be  recog- 
nized by  the  community  and  the  school 
board. 


iSir^  a  song  of  tooth-paste 
At  morning  and  at  nidht. 
Twenty  healthy  httJe  fcerfi 
Strong  and  shmind  white. 
Every  dsy  I  brush  wem 
To  tecp  Ihera  mce  and  clean. 
Aren't  they  a  set  of  pearls 
fit  for  any  queen? 


W^*fiaB 


Courtesy    National    Child    Welfare    Association, 


152 


A  Fair  Wage  Versus  a  Chance  Wage 

An  Analysis  of  Salaries  in  the  County   Institutions  of  a  Mid-Western  State 

By  William  E.  Mosher 

Of  the  National  Institute  of  Public  Administration 

Editorial  Note. — The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  wage  scale  paid  the  employees  in  the 
county  homes  of  one  of  our  most  prosperous  states.  A  similar  analysis  might  be  made  of  the 
wages  received  by  the  mixed  group  of  workers  in  the  employment  of  any  one  of  a  large  number 
of  counties  and  municipalities.  The  factors  that  go  to  determine  a  fair  wage  policy  as  out- 
lined in  the  latter  part  of  this  analysis  are  equally  significant  for  the  city,  county  or  state  that 
aims  to  maintain  a  more  or  less  permanent  and  efficient  working  force.  In  the  name  of  good 
business  administration  it  is  now  necessary  for  any  employer,  whether  public  or  private,  to  give 
intelligent  consideration  to  so  vital  a  rnatter  as  his  wage  policy. 


A  PLACARD  posted  on  the  bulletin 
board  in  the  main  building  of  the 
Post  Office  Department  in  Washing- 
ton makes  the  striking  announcement  that 
the  Postmaster  General  is  going  to  take  the 
300,000  postal  workers  into  partnership 
w^ith  him,  and  in  support  of  this  policy  as- 
serts that  "labor  is  not  a  commodity,  be- 
cause that  idea  was  abandoned  1921  years 

„  » 

ago. 

A  careful  survey  was  made  in  1919  of  the 
salary  conditions  of  the  90,000-odd  workers 
in  Washington.  It  went  to  prove  that  28,000 
were  receiving  less  than  $3  per  day,  which 
was  considered  at  that  time  to  be  a  min- 
imum wage.  In  spite  of  the  facts  brought 
out  by  this  survey,  Congress  did  not  then, 
and  has  not  yet,  seen  fit  to  take  action  as 
to  this  important  matter.  As  a  matter,  of 
principle,  the  Government  may  subscribe  to 
the  doctrine  that  labor  is  not  a  commodity; 
as  a  matter  of  practice,  it  is  a  long  way 
from  adopting  it. 

The  Government  Policy  of  Drift 

The  Federal  Government  typifies  on  a 
large  scale  what  has  been  happening  in 
smaller  governmental  units  all  over  the 
country.  Like  the  great  body  of  private 
employers,  our  local  governments  have  no 
wage  policy.  To  them,  labor  is  still  a  com- 
modity. They  pay  what  they  have  to.  If 
the  workers  are  unorganized  and  if  there 
are  no  means  of  bringing  pressure  to  bear 
on  the  government-employer,  the  latter  is 
likely  to  pay  what  it  always  has  paid.* 
Generally  speaking,  no  one  in  government 

•  Compare  the  salary  scale  as  well  as  the  recent 
salary  increases  paid  to  the  policemen  and  firemen 
with  what  is  received  by  the  clerical  force  in  the 
same   municipal  government. 


has  official  responsibility  for  maintaining 
wage  or  other  standard  with  reference  to 
personal  service,  even  though  almost  any 
governmental  unit  is  investing  more  of  the 
people's  tax  money  in  its  pay-roll  than  in 
any  other  item  of  expense.  The  inevitable 
consequence  of  lack  of  policy  has  been  in- 
justice, the  breeder  of  discontent.  This  In 
turn  has  led  to  lowered  standards  of  effi- 
ciency, either  because  of  indifference  to- 
ward the  work  or  of  the  large  number  of 
voluntary  "quits." 

Wide-awake  employers  have  come  to  real- 
ize since  1914-1915  that  the  wage  scale  will 
nor  take  care  of  itself.  In  its  dealings  with 
industry,  the  Federal  Government  itself  did 
much  to  stimulate  rational  consideration  of 
what  a  fair  wage  is.  Its  wage  boards,  coal 
commissions,  minimum  wage  commission, 
and  the  like,  called  attention  to  the  out- 
standing factors  that  go  to  determine  such 
a  wage.  They  made  current,  for  instance, 
the  doctrine  that  the  worker  has  a  right  to 
a  living  wage,  and  they  then  helped  develop 
the  ways  and  means  of  determining  what  a 
living  wage  is.  This  led  to  the  growing  ap- 
preciation of  the  difference  between  real 
wages  and  nominal  wages.  In  many  quar- 
ters, the  analysis  of  the  work  done  served 
as  the  basis  for  establishing  equal  pay  for 
equal  work,  and  the  relative  value  of  dif- 
ferent types  of  work  was  also  given  due 
emphasis. 

There  are  a  few  cities  in  the  country, 
three  or  four  counties,  and  four  or  five 
states  that  have  approached  the  question  of 
a  fair  wage  scale  along  the  lines  of  the 
principles  stated.  In  the  main,  however,  the 
policy  of  drift  is  the  accepted  policy  of  the 
government-employer.    As  a  result,  incon- 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


*53 


sistencies  abound  and  underpayment  is  the 
order  of  the  day. 

The  salary  conditions  of  a  mixed  group 
of  workers  employed  in  forty  to  fifty  county 
institutions  of  one  of  the  Mid-Western 
States  were  recently  analyzed  with  reference 
to  present  practice  and  also  with  reference 
to  the  factors  that  constitute  a  fair  wage.  As 
these  conditions  typify  what  may  be  found 
almost  anywhere  in  the  country,  a  brief 
summary  is  here  brought  together.  It  will 
be  seen  that  in  spite  of  all  statements  to  the 
contrary,  the  worker  is  treated  as  a  com- 
modity; his  price  is  determined  not  by  the 
worth  of  his  contribution  as  computed  by 
any  known  method,  and  least  of  all  with  re- 
gard to  what  it  costs  him  to  live  on,  to  keep 
well  on  and  to  retire  on. 

The  county  or  children's  home  is  a  well- 
known  establishment  in  a  number  of  our 
states.  It  is  ugually  situated  outside  the 
small  city  or  town  and  is  often  surrounded 
by  open  grounds  that  may  or  may  not  be 
cultivated.  Ordinarily,  the  children  are  sent 
to  the  schools  of  the  neighboring  com- 
munity, although  a  few  of  the  larger  organi- 
zations have  their  own  school  plant.  The 
staff  of  the  typical  institution  consists  of  a 
superintendent,  a  matron  or  assistant  super- 
intendent, who  is  usually  the  wife  of  the 
superintendent,  two  governesses,  one  in 
charge  of  the  boys,  and  one,  of  the  girls,  and 
a  varying  group  of  other  helpers,  such  as 
a  cook,  kitchen  and  chamber  maids,  a  farm 
hand  and  a  janitor. 

Salary  data  were  collected  for  all  the 
members  of  the  staff  in  the  forty  homes. 
In  order  to  make  sound  comparisons,  other 
information  was  also  brought  together.  This 
included  the  total  annual  pay-roll  and  all 
other  expenditures,  the  average  number  of 
children  cared  for,  and  the  acreage  under 
cultivation.  It  may  be  sufficient  for  the  pur- 
pose of  our  inquiry  to  compare  the  salaries 
paid  superintendents,  matrons  and  gov- 
ernesses with  reference  to  their  responsi- 
bilities and  other  factors  that  properly  affect 
wages. 

Many  Inconsistencies 

The  maximum  salary  paid  any  superin- 
tendent, according  to  the  reports,  is  $2,400.* 
The  superintendent  receiving  this  salary  is 
responsible  for  200  children,  he  expends 
over  $64,000  a  year  and  has  a  salary  roll  of 

•  Board,  lodging  and  laundry  form  a  part  of  the 
remuneration   in   all    cases. 


nearly  $14,000.  In  all  these  matters  this  in- 
stitution stands  near  the  very  top  of  the  list. 
Manifestly,  this  is  as  it  should  be.  Not  that 
the  salary  is  sufficient,  but  it  does  bear  a 
certain  relation  to  the  salaries  and  respon- 
sibilities of  other  superintendents.  But  the 
superintendent  getting  the  minimum  salary 
of  $425  a  year  is  responsible  for  an  ex- 
penditure of  $16,000,  a  total  well  up  in  the 
whole  list,  his  pay-roll  is  $2,169,  about  the 
middle  of  the  list,  and  his  institution  has 
on  the  average  20  children.  In  this  it  is 
third  from  the  lowest.  Apart  from  the  last 
factor,  it  is  evident  that  these  records  do 
not  warrant  payment  of  the  lowest  salary  in 
the  scale.  That  a  man  responsible  for  the 
proper  expenditure  of  $16,000  should  be  paid 
at  the  rate  of  $425  per  year  is,  on  the  face 
of  it,  indefensible. 

Turning  to  the  group  of  superintendents 
receiving  the  most  common  salary — in  view 
of  the  small  number  an  average  is  likely  to 
be  misleading.  This  is  made  up  of  those 
receiving  from  $840  to  $960  per  year.  Nine 
superintendents  of  the  forty  reporting  are 
found  in  this  group.  The  annual  expendi- 
tures for  which  they  are  responsible  range 
from  $9,000  to  $29,000  per  year.  In  most 
of  the  nine  cases,  the  total  expenditures  ex- 
ceed the  most  common  total  spent  by  forty 
homes,  which  is  between  $5,000  and  $14,000. 
The  pay-rolls  for  the  nine  institutions  run 
from  $1,440  to  $5,341,  the  number  of  chil- 
dren cared  for  from  21  (there  are  only  three 
institutions  having  less)  to  86  (there  are 
only  seven  having  more)  ;  finally,  the  acre- 
age cultivated  ranges  from  y^  to  150  acres 
(there  are  two  having  larger  acreage).  The 
incongruities  are  evident — these  nine  super- 
intendents receive  about  the  same  salary, 
but  according  to  any  other  standard — num- 
ber of  children  or  subordinates,  amount  of 
annual  budget  or  acreage — they  cover  nearly 
the  whole  scale  from  top  to  bottom. 

For  the  matrons  the  same  inconsistencies 
appear.  Limiting  our  attention  again  to  the 
most  common  group  for  which  the  average 
wage  is  between  $400  and  $499  P^r  year, 
that  is,  $33  to  $41  per  month,  we  find  that 
there  are  nine  matrons  paid  at  this  rate. 
But  the  number  of  children  cared  for  in  the 
nine  institutions  ranges  from  15  to  83.  Fif- 
teen is  absolutely  the  smallest  number  in  the 
forty  homes,  and  83  the  eleventh  from  the 
top.  The  anual  pay-rolls  in  the  institutions 
which  these  matrons  help  to  manage  run 


154 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  2 


from  ^^27  to  $5,341  per  year.  Of  these 
pay-rolls,  five  are  below  and  the  rest  arc 
either  in  or  above  the  amount  of  the  pay- 
rolls in  the  most  common  group.  Again 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  relation  of 
the  matron's  salary  to  the  superintendent's 
salary  for  the  nine,  institutions,  the  former 
ranges  from  16  per  cent  to  87  per  cent  of 
the  latter.  Finally,  to  compare  with  the 
salary  paid  the  cook,  in  five  of  the  nine 
cases  the  matrons  receive  more  than  the 
cook;  in,  two  of  the  four  cases  where  they 
leceive  less,  one  matron  responsible  for  a 
home  providing  for  63  children  receives  $10 
per  month  less  than  the  cook;  and  in  an  in- 
stitution of  83  children  the  matron  receives 
$15  less  than  the  cook. 

A  similar  absence  of  a  fair  standard  is 
found  in  the  case  of  governesses,  the 
mothers  of  the  home.  The  most  common 
wage  paid  to  governesses  is  $30  per  month. 
This  is  $1  per  day,  for  the  typical  governess 
v/orks  thirty  days  a  month.  Like  the  mother 
of  a  family,  she  is  subject  to  call  at  any 
hour  of  the  night.  For  this  service  she 
usually  receives  less  than  is  paid  the  cook 
in  the  kitchen  and  much  less  than  is  now 
necessary  for  maintaining  the  most  modest 
standard  of  life.  This  is  a  striking  instance 
of  labor  exploitation,  for  there  is  manifestly 
no  proper  relation  between  the  service  ren- 
dered and  the  compensation  paid. 

Underpayment  Is  Unprofitable' 

But  entirely  apart  from  the  human  justice 
or  injustice  involved  in  the  salary  conditions 
just  outlined,  there  is  the  very  serious  ques- 
tion of  the  efficiency  sacrificed  because  of 
the  current  policy.  All  experience  goes  to 
prove  that  labor  exploitation  does  not  pay 
in  the  long  run.  Generally  speaking,  the 
well-paid  trades  are  the  prosperous  trades, 
just  as  the  high- wage  countries  are  the  pros- 
perous countries.  Underpayment  means  un- 
derservice.  It  means  a  low-spirited  organi- 
zation, high  labor  losses  through  turnover,  a 
restricted  field  for  recruitment,  and,  taken 
all  in  all,  makes  for  a  contiuous  deteriora- 
tion of  working  standards. 

It  would  be  an  object  lesson  well  worth 
while  to  compile  a  table  showing  for  the 
past  five  years  the  number  of  separations 
and  conditions  for  recruitment,  for  instance, 
among  governesses  in  country  homes.  The 
average  cost  of  replacement  should  be  es- 
timated by  taking  into  account  the  amount 
of  time  and  money  spent  by  superintendents 


in  the  course  of  a  year  in  unearthing  re- 
cruits, and  the  cost  of  training  newcomers 
into  the  duties  of  the  position.  The  amount 
of  time  the  place  was  vacant  or  filled  by  an 
overworked  matron  or  a  temporary  make- 
shift worker  should  also  be  computed  as  a 
part  of  the  cost  of  replacement.  All  of  the 
above  might  be  estimated  on  a  conservative 
basis,  just  as  employment  managers  compute 
the  cost  of  labor  turnover  in  the  factory. 
But  of  course  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
estimate  the  intangible  losses  sustained  by 
the  children  because  of  repeated  changes, 
particularly  when  the  new  recruit  did  not 
measure  up  to  her  predecessor  in  person- 
ality, character  and  force. 

On  the  whole,  it  might  safely  be  assumed 
in  advance  that  any  investigation  of  the 
turnover  among  governesses  or  similar 
workers  would  be  concluded  with  a  state- 
ment as  to  the  deterioration  of  the  service 
rendered.  With  the  keen  competition  for 
labor  on  the  one  hand  and,  so  far  as  pur- 
chasing power  is  concerned,  the  decline  of 
the  wage  scale  during  the  past  five  years  on 
the  other,  there  has  undoubtedly  been  a 
steady  deterioration  of  the  force.  This  has 
been  a  matter  of  common  observation  among 
those  who  have  come  in  contact  with  almost 
any  group  of  government  workers. 

Analysis  of  the  pay-rolls  of  the  county 
homes  warrants  this  conclusion,  therefore, 
that,  taken  as  a  whole,  they  have  no  intel- 
ligent wage  policy.  The  policy  of  no  wage 
policy  applies  to  the  whole  corps  of  workers. 
According  to  any  standard,  the  amount  of 
annual  budgets,  the  number  of  children  in 
a  home,  the  annual  pay-roll,  the  amount  of 
acreage  under  cultivation,  the  cost  of  living, 
wages  paid  elsewhere,  there  seems  to  be 
neither  rhyme  nor  reason  in  the  wages  paid 
to  superintendent,  janitor,  or  assistant  cook. 
The  results  of  this  policy  of  .drift  may  be 
measured  in  terms  of  impaired  service  and 
serious  labor  losses. 

Wage  Standardization 

A  fair  analysis  of  the  salary  policy  that 
is  operating  in  most  of  our  governmental 
jurisdictions  would,  beyond  the  shadow  of 
a  doubt,  give  support  to  the  conclusion  just 
reached.  It  would  constitute  an  indictment 
of  existing  conditions  and  a  challenge  for 
constructive  action.  Practically  every  in- 
vestigation of  employment  conditions  that 
hap  been  made  public  in  the  past  decade 
goes  to  prove  this.     As  is  well  known,  a 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


iSS 


number  of  states,  cities  and  counties,  as  well 
as  the  Federal  Government,  have  caused 
such  investigations  to  be  made.  The  remedy 
that  has  been  worked  out  in  many  cases  and 
adopted  in  an  increasing  number  is  wage 
standardization.  The  initial  step  in  this 
procedure  is  classification,  that  is,  the  group- 
ing together  of  similar  positions  on  the 
basis  of  qualifications  and  duties.  The  out- 
standing features  of  a  standard  wage  scale 
are  then  the  following: 

1.  Of  fundamental  importance  is  a  living 
v/age  for  the  lowest-paid  position.  In  these 
days  of  fluctuating  money  values,  further 
provisions  should  be  made  for  revising  the 
minimum  wage  whenever  material  changes 
in  the  purchasing  power  of  money  occur,  as 
this  is  evidenced  in  official  cost-of-living  in- 
dex figures.  In  this  way  the  first  rung  of 
the  ladder,  the  minimum  wage,  would  al- 
ways be  above  the  surface  of  the  water 
whatever  the  height  of  the  tide.  If  the 
first  rung  is  higher  or  lower,  all  the  others 
would  be  correspondingly  higher  or  lower. 

2.  The  second  principle  is  that  of  equal 
pay  for  equal  work.  Its  corollary  is  that 
attention  should  be  given  to  relative  values 
so  that  differences  in  responsibility,  skill, 
difficulty  and  hazard  shall  be  reflected  in  the 
wage  scale. 

3.  Under  wage  standardization  there 
should  then  be  considered  the  "going 
wage,"  that  is,  what  is  paid,  first,  for  the 
same  work  elsewhere,  and  second,  for 
similar  types  of  work  paid  by  similar  public 
and  private  institutions.  Certain  cities  and 
states,  where  there  is  a  standardized  wage 
scale,  would  supply  valuable  information  on 
this  score.  For  example,  for  the  type  of 
institution  which  we  have  been  considering, 
it  would  also  be  important  to  learn  what  is 
paid  teachers,  cooks,  housemaids  and  farm 
hands  by  first-class  employers  in  the  vari- 
ous communities  similar  to  those  in  which 
the  county  institutions  are  situated.  Com- 
parative data  of  this  sort  are  indispensable, 
because  institutional  workers  are  drawn 
from  the  same  reservoirs  of  supply. 

4.  Finally,  provision  should  be  made  for 
what  might  be  called  efficiency  increases ; 
that  is,  a  range  should  be  set  for  each 
one  of  the  positions  in  the  group,  making 
possible  recognition  of  seniority  and  in- 
creasing efficiency.  The  entering  wage 
should  normally  be  the  lowest  wage. 

On  the  basis  of  the  above  information,  a 
defensible  wage  scale  could  be  set  up  that 


would  be  bound  to  commend  itself  to  the 
appropriating  bodies  and  the  public  in  gen- 
eral. In  this  way,  the  question  of  a  fair 
v/age  could  be  considered  on  its  merits  and 
taken  out  of  the  realm  of  tradition  on  the 
one  hand  and  personal  opinion  on  the  other. 

Some  one  has  remarked  that  retrenchment 
may  take  on  two  forms;  saving  and  wise 
spending,  and  that'  the  latter  is  more  im- 
portant than  the  former.  The  establishment 
of  a  fair  wage  is  recommended  in  the  name 
of  wise  spending. 

A  committee  of  the  Engineering  Council 
completed,  a  few  months  ago,  a  study  of 
the  conditions  in  typical  plants  of  six  basic 
industries.  According  to  this  report,  bear- 
ing the  title  "Waste  in  Industry,"  these  in- 
dustries are  reaching  only  about  .50  per 
cent  of  practicable  production.  The  com- 
mittee considers  that  more  than  one-half  of 
the  waste  is  to  be  charged  to  the  account 
of  management,  and  in  this  account  faulty 
labor  control  is  one  of  the  outstanding  items. 
Among  other  things,  reference  is  made  to 
the  lack  of  a  well-consfdered  wage  policy, 
lack  of  attention  to  labor  conditions,  and 
to  the  causes  of  voluntary  withdrawals.  All 
of  these  charges  are  directly  applicable  to 
the  business  of  government. 

Perhaps  inspired  by  this  report,  the  chair- 
man of  the  legislative  committee  on  taxa- 
tion of  New  York  State  recently  pointed  out 
that  lack  of  attention  to  waste  may  easily 
precipitate  a  "financial  crisis  in  government 
of  more  far-reaching  effect  than  a  financial 
crisis  in  industry."  This  is  a  timely  warn- 
ing and  one  that  comes  from  an  authorita- 
tive source.  It  has  direct  bearing  on  the 
topic  under  consideration.  For  if  an  in- 
vestigation were  carried  on  similar  to  the 
one  just  completed  by  the  committee  of  the 
Engineering  Council,  it  would  undoubtedly 
prove  that  even  a  larger  portion  of  waste 
was  due  to  faulty  employment  control  in 
government  than  in  industry,  because  the 
costs  for  personal  service  in  public  admin- 
istration absorb  a  larger  per  cent  of  the 
annual  budget  than  in  private  enterprises. 
Such  an  investigation  would  certainly  show 
that  the  most  obvious  fault  in  the  employ- 
ment policy  of  the  typical  county,  city  or 
state  in  this  country  is  the  absence  of  a  well- 
balanced  and  up-to-date  salary  scale.  It  is, 
therefore,  in  the  name  of  real  retrenchment 
that  attention  is  directed  to  the  principles 
cf  an  intelligent  salary  policy  as  a  substitute 
for  the  traditional  practice  of  drift. 


156 


Motors  Protect  and  Effectively  Serve 
Municipal  Interests 


A    KINNEY  ROAD-OILEE   MOUNTED    ON  A   KELLY-SPRINGFIELD    TRUCK    OPERATED   BY 
MARION  COUNTY,   OHIO,   IN  MAINTAINING  ITS   ROADS 


THE  MOTOR-CYCLE  SQUAD   OF  LITTLE  ROCK,   ARK.,  MOUNTED   ON  HARLEY-DAVIDSON 

MACHINES 
Fhotograpli  furnished  through  courtesy  of  B.  C.  Roteuberry,  Chief,  Folice  Department,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 


February,  1922 


THE 


AMERICAN    CITY 


157 


What  Does  It  Cost  to  Run  Your  Motor  T'ucjs^?,  ^ 

?Sc  stand  So^wU  operating  costs^ 


T^^z:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^''^^ 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


An  Event  "^rth 


GRAND  OPENING 

[the  white  way] 

Program 

7:00  Pt  M. Serenading  Detroit  Realtors  at  Presbyterian  Church 

7:30       _       Opening  of    the    Big    Carnival   of    Fun    by    Pagoda 
Band  and  singing  of  America,  Court  House  Square. 

7:35       .       Songs,  Lelaud  Olmstead  and  Band,  Solo,  "The  Bells 
of  St  Mary's 

7:40    ,    .       Address,  Oscar  C  Lungerliausen 

7:45   ..   .     Turning  on  New  Boulevard  Lights,  Mayor  Sams 


Only  a  few  months  ago,  Mt.  Clemens, 
Mich.,  celebrated  the  opening  of  its 
new  White  Way,  in  which  King  stand- 
ards were  used.  The  feeling  of  civic 
pride,  increased  safety  and  improved 
trade  from  such  an  installation,  may 
be  possessed  by  any  city.  Our  Engi- 
neering Department  is  available  to 
help  solve  your  lighting  problems  at 
any  time. 

King  Manufacturing  Co. 


53  West  JacKson  Blvd. 


Chicago,  Illinois 


69 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


159 


How  Some  Cities  are  Controlling  Their 

Motor  Fleets 

Interesting  Data  Compiled  by  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  Toronto 


IN  an  endeavor  to  bring  about  the  use  of 
motor  vehicles  of  all  types  by  the  various 
city  departments  in  Toronto,  the  Bureau 
of  Municipal  Research  of  that  city  made  an 
examination  of  the  methods  employed  by 
other  cities.  Toronto's  fleet  is  composed  of 
38  motor-cycles,  dy  passenger  cars,  43  com- 
mercial trucks,  12  ambulances,  etc.,  and  26 
pieces  of  fire  department  apparatus. 

New  York  City  found  that  the  old  method 
of  department  control  of  motor  trucks  w^as 
extravagant  of  equipment  and  wasteful  of 
time  and  money.  A  municipal  garage  was 
established  in  1916,  but  the  system  of  as- 
signing cars  was  objectionable  owing  to  the 
time  wasted  in  waiting  for  cars,  and  on 
August  3,  1921,  a  new  system  was  inaugu- 
rated with  approximately  25  municipal  taxi- 
cabs.  The  service  is  operated  just  like  that 
of  a  private  company.  The  taxicab  stand  is 
located  just  outside  of  the  Municipal  Build- 
ing, and  cars  start  from  the  head  of  the  line. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  result  of  this  innova- 
tion is  a  more  economical  and  efficient 
system. 

Oakland,  Calif.,  as  an  efficiency  measure 
to  provide  easy  transportation  for  municipal 
employees  at  a  minimum  cost  to  the  taxpayer, 
established  a  municipal  garage  in  1913  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Streets.  The  operation  of  the  garage  has 
exceeded  the  expectations  of  the  department, 
and,  while  it  is  not  considered  100  per  cent 
efficient,  it  is  as  nearly  so  as  could  be  ex- 
pected when  consideration  is  given  to  the 
variety  of  makes  of  cars  that  are  handled. 
All  motor  apparatus  owned  by  this  city,  in- 
cluding fire  apparatus  and  Board  of  Educa- 
tion equipment,  is  repaired  by  the  municipal 
garage. 

Detroit,  Mich.,  has  organized  its  motor 
service  under  the  Superintendent  of  Trans- 
portation, who  reports  directly  to  the 
Mayor.  The  equipment  of  the  Board  of 
Education  and  the  Fire  Commission  is  not 
controlled  by  the  Superintendent  of  Trans- 
portation. The  amount  of  saving  to  the 
city  has  not  been  computed,  but  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  economy  efifected  is  sub- 
stantial. 


Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  Canada,  strictly 
speaking,  does  not  operate  a  municipal 
garage,  but  the  hydro-electric  system  there 
built  and  operates  a  garage  in  which 
vehicles  belonging  to  other  city  departments 
are  cared  for  and  repairs  executed  at  cost 
plus  a  percentage  to  cover  the  up-keep  of 
the  building. 

San  Francisco,  Calif.,  has  over  100  city- 
owned  cars,  but  no  municipal  garage,  and  is 
seriously  considering  the  establishment  of 
one  to  efifect  a  saving  in  the  maintenance  of 
its  machines. 

Suggestions  for  Toronto  of  General 
Interest 

Toronto  has  experimented  with  the  mu- 
nicipal garage  idea.  The  city  recently 
rented  floor  space  in  a  privately  owned  gar- 
age and  under  the  Division  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Property  cares  for  31  passenger 
cars,  13  motor-cycles  and  2  trucks.  Records 
of  cost,  mileage  traveled,  etc.,  are  not  kept 
for  each  car,  nor  for  the  entire  fleet.  The 
suggestions  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Mu- 
nicipal Research  for  Toronto  are  pertinent 
and  worthy  of  study  by  municipal  officials 
throughout  this  country  and  in  Canada. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Toronto  City 
Hall  courtyard  be  used  as  a  taxi  stand  for  a 
number  of  the  municipal  passenger  cars 
now  assigned  to  departments  but  not  in  con- 
stant use.  These,  when  wanted,  might  be 
dispatched  from  the  central  office  in  the 
City  Hall,  driven  either  by  one  of  the  stafif 
of  chauffeurs  or  by  the  city  official  requir- 
ing transportation,  and  return  to  the  stand 
on  completion  of  the  run,  ready  for  the  next 
call.  Such  a  plan  might  at  least  provide 
some  departments  with  motor  transportation 
of  which  they  are  now  in  need  without  re- 
ducing that  of  other  departments.  This 
taxi  service  should,  of  course,  be  restricted 
to  important  public  business. 

It  is  further  suggested  that  the  present 
departmental  garages  and  machine  shops 
could  always  be  used  as  the  framework  on 
which  eventually  to  build  up  on  central 
management  a  more  fully  coordinated  sys- 
tem.   This  does  not  mean  that  the  operation 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


HtLLi 

L I  a  h  "t  i  n 


THE  exclusive  resi 
dential  community 
of  White  Fish  Bay,  Wis., 
has  installed  "Hollow- 
spun"  reinforced  concrete 
lighting  standards  in  pref- 
erence to  all  other  types. 

Our  new  catalog  supple- 
ment No.  9,  containing 
full  information  on  this 
type  of  standard  will  be 
sent  on  request. 

M  a  8  s  e  y  Concrete 
Products  Corporation 

Peoples  Gas  Bldg.        Chicago 


70 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


i6i 


of  all  motor  equipment  should  be  centrally 
controlled,  nor  that  equipment  need  be 
brought  to  one  central  garage  for  repair  or 
storage.  The  police  department  should 
probably  attain  full  control  of  the  operation 
of  police  vehicles.  Minor  repairs  and  ad- 
justments to  fire  department  equipment 
should  usually  be  made  at  the  fire  station. 
All  equipment,  wherever  held,  should  be 
subjected  to  inspection  from  fully  qualified 
motor  mechanics  operating  from  a  central 
division.  The  major  repairs  should  be  made 
by,  or  under  the  supervision  of,  this  division. 
Requests  for  replacement  of,  or  additions 
to,  department  motor  equipment  should  be 
referred  to  the  central  division,  where  a  re- 


port could  be  obtained  as  to  whether  equip- 
ment already  owned  by  the  city  would  be 
available.  The  head  of  the  division  should 
set  standards  of  quality  before  purchase, 
and  pass  on  quality  after  delivery  and  be- 
fore acceptance  by  the  city.  It  is  not  prob- 
able that  with  centralized  management  of 
city  garages  and  motor  equipment  subject 
to  the  modifications  above  mentioned  and 
with  adequate  records  of  cost,  service,  etc., 
a  less  sum  than  $275,000  would  be  required 
for  the  city's  motor  fleet,  and  in  all  prob- 
ability a  more  effective  use  of  the  city's 
motor  equipment  would  result  from  central- 
ized management  and  unified  control  of  the 
entire  fleet. 


A  Competitive  Bid  Must  Conform  Exactly 
to  the  Advertisement 


AN  award  by  a  public  body  of  a  con- 
tract for  the  doing  of  work  or  the 
purchase  of  supplies,  made  after  ad- 
vertisement and  competitive  bidding,  must 
be  according  to  the  terms  advertised  to  pros- 
pective bidders,  so  that  all  may  be  on  the 
same  footing,  holds  the  New  Jersey  Su- 
preme Court  in  the  case  of  Pew  v.  Commis- 
sioners of  Fire  District  No.  i,  Chester 
Township,  114  Atlantic  Reporter,  151.  Ac- 
cordingly, it  was  decided' that,  where  an  ad- 
vertisement for  bids  to  furnish  a  fire  truck 
with  complete  fire  pumping  apparatus  re- 
quired separate  specification  of  prices  as  to 


each  part  proposed  to  be  furnished,  an  award 
could  not  be  made  on  a  lump  sum  bid. 

The  opinion  adds,  in  passing,  that  it  was 
to  be  doubted  whether  a  restriction  of  bid- 
ders to  "well-known  manufacturers  or  dis- 
tributors of  fire  apparatus"  is  a  proper 
restriction  in  an  invitation  for  bids.  It  is 
suggested  that  this  "purports  to  shut  out 
the  concern  of  high  standards  whose  equip- 
ment may  be  entirely  satisfactory  to  the 
underwriters  and  whose  responsibility  may 
be  unquestionable,  but  which  has  not  yet 
been  long  enough  in  the  business  to  account 
as  a  'well-known'  concern." 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


Febkuary  17. — Trfnton,  N.  J. 

New    Jersey    Sewage    Works    Association.      Annual 
meeting.      Secretary-Treasurer,    Myron    E.    Fuller,    170 
Broadway,    New   York,    N.   Y. 
Makch   1. — Chicago,   III. 

National    Community    Center    Association.       Annual 
meeting.  Secretary,  Le  Roy  E.  Bowman,  503  Kent  Hall, 
Columbia  University,   New  York,    N.   Y. 
March    1-2. — Washington,    D.    C. 

National  Rivers  and  Harbors  Congress.    Annual  con- 
z/cnti'in.      Secretary,    S.    A.    Thompson,    824    Colorado 
Building,   Washington,   D.   C. 
March  14-16. — London,  England. 

International  Garden   Cities  and  Town  Planning  As- 
sociation.     International    conference.      Honorary    Sec- 
retary,   C.    B.    Purdom,    3    Grays    Inn    Place,    London, 
W.   C,  England. 
April  10. — New  York,  N.  Y. 

National   Committee    on   Prison.t  and   Prison  Labor. 
Annual   meeting.      Secretary,   J.   K.   Jaffray,   Broadway 
and    116th    Street,    New    York,   N.   Y. 
April  19-21. — Spartanburg,   S.   C. 

Tri-Statc  Water  and  Light  Association  of  the  Caro- 


Unas  and  Georgia.     Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  W.  F'. 

Stieglitz,   Columbia,   S.   C. 

May  9-11. — Atlantic  City,  N.   J. 

National  Fire  Protection  As.<!ociation.     Annual  meet- 
ing.      Secretary,    Franklin    H.     Went  worth,    87    Milk 
Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
May  15-19. — Philadelphia,  Pa. 

American  Water  Works  Association.  Annual  con- 
vention. Secretary,  J.  M.  Diven,  153  West  71st  Street, 
New  York.  N.  Y. 

May  15-21. — Washington,   D.   C. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of 
America.  Annual  meeting.  Secretary,  D.  A.  Skinner, 
Mills   Building,   Washington,    D.   C. 

August    9-18. — San    Francisco,    Cal. 

International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers.  Annual 
meeting.  Secretary,  James  J.  Mulcahey,  City  Hall, 
Yonkers,   N.    Y. 

October   9-13. — Cleveland,    Ohio. 

American  Society  for  Municipal  Improvements. 
Annual  convention.  Secretary,  Charles  Carroll  Brown, 
P.  O.  Box  234,  St.  Petersburg,  Fla. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Making  School 
House  Steps  Safe 

Architectural  attractiveness  was  a  factor 
— it  was  essential  that  every  step  be  made 
slip-proof  and  safe — the  steps  had  to  be 
made  durable — maintenance  costs  had  to 
be  eliminated — 

The  architects  (Frost  &  Chamberlain)  of 
the  Worcester  Girls'  Trade  School, 
Worcester,  Mass.,  a  beautiful  $350,000 
building,  solved  this  stairway  problem 
with  ALUNDUM  SAFETY  TILE.  The 
stairtreads  are  cast  iron  with  steel  risers. 
The  cast  iron  tread  is  depressed  to  receive 
the  tile  which  is  set  in  cement  mortar. 

Thus  every  step  in  the  building,  two  sets 
of  stairways  from  shower  baths  to  the  top 
floor,  are  made  slip-proof,  trip-proof  and 
wear-proof  and  the  architects  were  able  to 
get  the  desired  harmonious  effects. 

ALUNDUM  SAFETY  TILE  is  manu- 
factured by 

NORTON  COMPANY 

Worcester,  Mau. 

New  York  Chicago 

151  Cbamberg  St  1 1  No.  Jeaemon  St. 

Detroit,  233  W.  confieas  St. 


71 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City, 


i63 


'f=ff=f 


Where  Fires  Are  EmbarrassiDg 

Indianapolis,  Ind. — The  fire  prevention 
program  of  Indianapolis  resulted  in  reduc- 
ing fire  losses  for  the  first  ten  months  of 
1921  from  $1,500,000  to  $900,000.  This  pro- 
gram was  carried  out  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Fire  Prevention  Committee  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  with  the  hearty  co- 
operation of  the  Indianapolis  Fire  Depart- 
ment. 

The  first  official  move  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Fire  Pre- 
vention Committee.  A  city-wide  survey 
with  photographs  was  made,  and  the  records 
were  analyzed  to  show  the  causes  of  fires. 
The  Committee  sponsored  a  "fire  prevention 
organization,''  which  has  grown  until  it  now 
numbers  more  than  a  thousand  persons  in 
all  parts  of  the  city.  Realizing  that  it  is 
impossible  to  keep  everybody  continuously 
at  white  heat  on  a  subject,  the  Committee 
made  the  campaign  a  series  of  efforts,  com- 
ing back  to  the  old  idea  time  after  time,  and 
driving  it  home  with  new  force. 

The  first  move  was  made  in  June,  when 
every  home  in  the  city  was  inspected  by  a 
fire  department  official.  With  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  the  entire 
city  was  combed  and  cleaned  up.  Notices 
were  given  to  a  large  number  of  property 
owners,  and  it  was  necessary  to  conduct 
about  20  prosecutions,  but  it  resulted  in  the 
elimination  of  practically  every  fire  hazard 
in  Indianapolis. 

The  next  campaign  was  in  the  fall,  cul- 
minating in  the  observance  of  the  national 
Fire  Prevention  Day.  Large  posters  were 
placed  conspicuously  all  over  the  city. 
Thousands  of  pledge  cards  were  distributed, 
with  the  result  that  there  are  now  in  the 
Committee's  office  40,000  signed  cards  from 
children  and  adults  pledging  the  signers  to 
cooperate  in  every  way  to  make  Indianapolis 
a  cleaner,  safer,  healthier  city.  In  the  work 
of  arousing  interest,  essays  were  written  in 
all  the  public  schools,  and  daily  stories  were 


carried  in  the  newspapers  for  more  than 
six  weeks. 

On  Fire  Prevention  Day  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment conducted  a  parade  of  its  apparatus. 
During  the  ten  days  previous,  more  than 
700  speeches  were  delivered  before  civic 
meetings  of  one  kind  or  another. 

The  campaign  that  is  now  on,  centers 
around  the  12-foot  dial  shown  in  the  picture. 
"Watch  the  Dial"  is  the  advice  on  the  board, 
which  records  the  fire  loss  in  comparison 
with  the  previous  year.  Each  day  at  12 130 
the  hands  are  moved.  Beneath  the  clock  is 
kept  a  daily  record  of  fires,  with  the  cause 
of  each.  It  is  estimated  that  of  the  fires 
recorded,  2^  were  from  unavoidable  causes, 
such  as  lightning,  and  the  remainder,  nearly 
3,000,  were  due  to  negligence  or  carelessness. 

Fire  prevention  in  Indianapolis  has  just 
started.    The  committee  does  not  expect  to 


A   PIECE    OF   EFFECTIVE.    CONTINUOUS    PUB- 
LICITY   FOR    FIRE    PREVENTION   IN    INDIAN- 
APOLIS, IND. 


H    MUELLER  MFG^COMPftNY^ SKSHir^'J «,..,.. ... ^'""^'■•"-'' 

t  Die  Castings  in  w  niic .   ■    .    ■    i    I    I  ■  I  ■!  il  1 1  ll  1 1 


When  .vriting  to  Advertisers 


please  mention  The  American 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


i6S 


get  its  maximum  results  for  two  or  three 
years ;  and  it  hopes  to  bring  public  sentiment 
to  such  a  plane  that  the  person  who  has  a 
fire  will  be  ashamed  of  it,  rather  than  feel- 
ing himself  the  victim  of  an  accident.  The 
people  of  Indianapolis  have  come  to  believe 
that  fires  are  preventable.  The  committee 
has  their  complete  cooperation.  That  is  the 
biggest  tangible  result  of  the  movement. 

FRANK  A.  JORDAN, 
Chairman,     Fire     Prevention    Committee,     Indian- 
apolis Chamber  of  Commerce. 

A  Woodland  Swimming  Pool 

Frostburg,  Md. — The  accompanying  pic- 
ture shows  a  section  of  the  new  community 
pool  just  completed  by  the  Commercial  Club 
of  Frostburg,  Md.  More  than  4,000  people 
attended  the  opening  of  the  pool  on  August 
24,  at  which  speeches  were  made  by  Presi- 
dent Gillette  of  the  Commercial  Club  and 
Mayor  O.  R.  Rice.  The  pool  is  used  for 
swimming  in  summer  and  skating  in  winter. 

Contractors  estimated  it  would  cost  $10,- 
000  to  build  this  pool ;  it  was,  however,  con- 
structed by  the  Commercial  Club  at  an  ac- 
tual expenditure  of  $2,300.  Most  of  the 
labor  was  voluntary  on  the  part  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  town;  as  many  as  200  men  and 


boys  on  several  occasions  worked  all  day 
without  pay,  and  the  ladies  of  the  town 
served  ample  dinners  on  these  occasions. 

The  pool  is  about  140  feet  square,  has 
concrete  side-walls  and  bottom,  and  slopes 
down  to  a  depth  of  8  feet.  The  shallow 
corner  of  the  pool  is  fenced  off  for  the 
children,  who  are  also  provided  with  a 
large  sand-pile.  A  small  creek  fed  by 
springs  furnishes  water  for  the  pool.  The 
bed  of  this  creek  was  excavated  and  a  dam 
built;  in  this  way  running  water  constantly 
renews  the  pool,  keeping  it  sanitary  and 
fresh. 

The  setting  for  the  pool  is  particularly 
beautiful,  in  a  large  grove  at  the  foot  of  a 
tall  mountain.  Large,  beautiful  trees  border 
three  sides,  and  next  spring  a  regular  play- 
ground will  be  established  near  the  pool. 

The  land  on  which  the  park  and  pool  are 
located  is  leased  by  the  Commercial  Club. 
While  the  pool  is  entirely  free,  the  Club 
issues  admission  cards  to  all  who  wish  to 
enjoy  its  privileges.  These  cards  may  be 
taken  up  if  the  holders  insist  on  breakiri'g 
the  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  use 
of  the  property. 

T.  C.  CARRINGTON, 

Secretary,    Frostburg    Commercial    Club. 


CONSTRXTCTED  AT   SMALL  COST   BY  THE  FROSTBtTRG,    MD.,   COMMERCIAL  CLUB,   THE  POOL 
PROVIDES  A  SKATINa-RINK  IN  WINTER  AND  A  SWIMMING  POOL  IN  SUMMER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


tlOREWM  EVE  HUNDRED  CITIES 


NUMBER  500  is  on  the  job  in 
literally  hundreds  of  cities : 
Big  cities,  little  cities,  cities 
where  in  winter  the  streets  are  full 
of  snow,  and  others  where  snow  is 
unknown,  doing  a  good,  honest  job 
of  it  in  helping  keep  the  streets  clean. 

It  is  a  splendid  municipal  push 
broom  —  just  one  of  the  line  — but 
judging  by  the  sales  records  and  the 
testimony  of  its  friends,  it  is  by  far 
the  best  broom  on  the  market  for 
street  cleaning. 


¥ 


Now  Using 

OSB  ORN 

Push  Brooms 


BROOMS 

LARGEST    MANUFACTURERS    of    INDUSTRIAL    BRUSHES    AND    BROOMS 


73 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amkkican  City. 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


167 


A  Novel  Way  of  Financing  a 
Chamber  of  Commerce  Building 

Sacramento,  Calif. — Would  one  person 
out  of  every  100  in  your  city  pay  half  of  his 
dues  in  your  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  ten 
years  in  advance?  If  so,  your  city  can  have 
its  own  Chamber  of  Commerce  building. 

Sacramento,  capital  of  California,  has 
such  a  building  financed  by  such  a  plan.  It 
is  the  realization  of  a  hope  harbored  in  the 
minds  of  Sacramento  citizens  for  twenty 
years.  Each  year  of  the  twenty  witnessed 
a  spasmodic  attempt  to  make  the  dream  of  a 
Chamber  of  Commerce  building  an  actuality. 
Then  came  1921,  and  in  twelve  months  the 
building  was  completed  and  occupied — a 
year,  to  the  day,  from  the  time  the  movement 
was  launched! 

The  Sacramento  Chamber  had,  for  many 
years,  occupied  a  rented  room  on  a  side 
street,  scarcely  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
store.  To-day,  in  its  three-story  home,  in 
the  heart  of  the  business  district,  the  Cham- 
ber has :  a  spacious  office  room  amply  hous- 
ing the  organization's  nine  departments;  an 
auditorium  with  a  seating  capacity  of  500; 
a  board  of  directors'  room  with  accommo- 
dations for  fifty  persons;  three  office  rooms 
on  the  mezzanine  floor;  a  committee  room 
with  a  capacity  of  100  persons;  a  mailing 
room;  two  stock-rooms;  a  fully  equipped 
kitchen  with  dumb-waiter  making  service 
easy  to  committee  rooms  in  various  parts  of 
the  building;  a  photographic  department;  a 
printing  department ;  a  storage  room,  check- 
ing rooms,  lockers,  closets,  etc. 

The  auditorium  is  used  also  for  dinners 
and  dances,  and  the  main  office,  by  the 
simple  process  of  removing  the  bronze  posts 
and  plush-covered  ropes  which  separate  the 
departments,  can  be  quickly  converted  into 
a  reception  room. 

There  is  not  a  more  attractive  office  build- 
ing in  Sacramento,  exterior  and  interior, 
than  the  new  Chamber  of  Commerce  build- 
ing. But  it  is  more  than  a  fine  building; 
it  is  the  embodiment  of  the  highest  type  of 
community   spirit. 

The  site  upon  which  the  building  was 
erected  was  acquired  by  the  Sacramento 
Chamber  a  number  of  years  ago.  The 
building  and  equipment  cost  $80,000,  this 
being  met  by  the  prepayment  of  dues.  So 
the  site  and  structure  stand  to-day  entirely 
free  of  debt  and  rated  at  $130,000  in  the 
Chamber's   assets.     The   fine   spirit  which 


EXTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  SAUKAMENTO  CHAM- 
BER  OF  COMMERCE   BUILDING 

financed  the  building  did  not  stop  with  the 
prepayment  of  dues.  Some  of  the  contrac- 
tors made  a  reduction  in  their  charges, 
much  of  the  equipment  was  provided  at  a 
figure  below  the  usual  cost,  and  there  were 
a  number  of  items  contributed. 

In  its  new  home  the  Sacramento  Chamber 
is  able  to  extend  its  scope  of  activity.  Its 
service  is  not  limited  to  Sacramento,  but 
reaches  out  through  the  agricultural  sec- 
tions of  the  Sacramento  Valley.  Twenty 
chambers  of  commerce  in  Northern  Cali- 
fornia use  the  building  as  their  central 
meeting  place.  Parent-teacher  associations 
of  Northern  California  counties  held  their 
convention  in  it.  Fruit  growers  and  farm- 
ers gather  here.  Its  facilities  make  possible 
the  successful  organization  and  operation  of 
state  societies,  bringing  the  people  of  Sacra- 
mento and  vicinity  into  closer  touch. 
Through  a  unique  checking  service,  country 
.shoppers  are  relieved  of  the  disagreeable 
features  which  attend  the  delivery  of  ar- 
ticles. The  Rotary  Club  of  Sacramento 
holds  its  regular  luncheon-meetings  in  the 
commodious  auditorium.  The  membership 
of  the  Chamber  is  brought  into  closer  re- 
lationship by  entertainments,  dances  and 
.social  events  "in  their  own  big  home." 
These  are  but  a  few  of  the  score  of  features 
wherein  the  Chamber's  service  is  more  ex- 
tensive and  its  activities  more  effective 
through  the  erection  of  the  new  building. 

The  wider  service  thus  made  possible  an- 
swers the  question:  "What  will  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  do  to  overcome  the  loss  in 
annual  revenue  brought  about  by  the  pre- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Spreading  the  Gospel 
of  Mudless,  Dustless, 
All-year  Roads— 

WHEREVER  you  have  seen  one  of  these  trucks 
at  work  you  may  6e  sure  that  GOOD  ROADS 
have  come  to  that  community.  For  the  Tarvia 
Truck  Sprayer  is  the  heirald  of  smooth,  dustless, 
mudless  "all-year"  roads  that  are  less  expensive  to 
build  and  maintain  than  any  other  type  of  modern 
highway,. 

How  about  the  roads  in  your  community? 

if  you  haye^an^road  problems — either  construe- 
tionf  maintenance  or  repairs^ — put  them  up  today  to 
""^tiie^  enginecf^  of  our.  Special  Service  Department. 
^,'Their  advice /based  on  wide  experience  with  every 
'■type  of  highway  construction,  is  free  for  the  asking — 
,'  and  it  involves  no  obligation  whatever  on  your  part. 
Please  address  your  letter  to  our  nearest  branch. 


Hew  York  Chicago  Philadelphia   Buston 

Detroit  New  Orleans  Birmingham   Kansas  City 

SaltLakeCily  Seattle  Peoria  Atlanta 

Johnstown         Lebanon  ^•oungsto^vn   Toledo 

Elizabeth  Buffalo  Baltimore        Omaha 

THE    BARRETT   COMPANY,   Limited  Montreal 


Jhe 


St    Louis  Cleveland 

/-«  Minneapolis  Dallas 

(-'Ompdny     IJuluth  Milwaukee 

Columbus  Richmond 

Houston  Denver 


Winnipeg 


Vancouv 


Si.  J  oh 


C  "mcinnali      Pittsburgh 
Nashville       Syracuse 
Bangor  Washington 

l.atrobe  Bethlehem 

Jacksonville 
1,  N.  B.  Halifax,  N.  S. 


74 


Wbcn  writing  to  Advertisen  please  mention  Tbk  Amkucan  City. 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


169 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  SACRAMENTO  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 
MODEL    FOR   CHAMBERS    THROUGHOUT    THE    UNITED    STATES 


THIS  IS  A 


payment  of  dues  .for  the  financing  of  the 
building?"  At  first  glance,  that  might  ap- 
pear to  be  a  serious  detriment.  The  fact 
that  a  large  number  of  members  have  paid 
half  their  dues  in  advance — in  the  case  of 
Sacramento  the  annual  dues  are  $25 — should 
of  course  be  taken  into  consideration.  It 
means  that  the  Chamber  gets  only  $12.50  in 
cash  from  each  member  who  subscribed  to 
the  building,  for  annual  operating  expenses. 
But  in  the  case  of  Sacramento,  there  still 
remained  approximately  1,000  members  who 
paid  the  full  $25,  while  the  Chamber  has  an 
additional  $45,000  income  from  its  "Service 
Fund,"  subscribed  by  the  banks  and  business 
institutions.  Moreover,  the  wider  service 
meant  wider  interest  in  the  Chamber's  work 
and  consequently  a  sufficient  number  of  new 
members  to  meet  the  apparent  reduction  in 
income.  This,  coupled  with  the  increased 
interest  in  the  Chamber's  work,  and  the 
feeling  of  pride  which  the  erection  of  the 
building  has  created,  makes  the  Chamber  a 
substantial  and  active  institution,  with  its 
successful  future  operation  definitely  as- 
sured. 

Sacramento  citizens  point  with  pride  to 
the  fact  that  their  city  is  the  first  on  record 
to  secure  a  chamber  of  commerce  building 
by  the  unique  method  of  financing  worked 
out  by  A.  S.  Dudley,  Secretary-Manager  of 
the  Chamber.  Erection  of  the  structure 
has  impressed  upon  them  a  higher  and 
broader  meaning  of  the  words  "Chamber  of 
Commerce."  Each  member  of  the  Chamber 
feels  he  is  a  stockholder  in  one  of  the  big- 


gest projects  in  his  city.  And  he  has  a 
world  of  satisfaction,  too,  in  knowing  that 
he  has  been  a  factor  in  providing  for  all 
groups  of  citizens  working  for  the  direct 
welfare  of  Sacramento,  every  facility  for 
efficient  community  service. 


Assistant      Secretary, 
Commerce. 


IRVIN  ENGLER. 
Sacramento     Chamber     of 


Chamber  of  Commerce  Encour- 
ages Municipal  Music 

Memphis,  Tenn. — In  January,  1921,  the 
Park  Commission  of  Memphis  inaugurated  a 
Division  of  Municipal  Music  and  Dramatic 
Art,  under  the  joint  support  and  supervision 
of  the  Park  Commission  and  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  In  this  department  this  city 
can  boast  of  a  civic  venture  of  an  artistic 
type  probably  never  before  attempted  in  this 
section. 

Arthur  Nevin,  appointed  Director,  began 
to  form  a  chorus  and  iorchestraK  The 
chorus  began  with  approximately  thirty- 
seven  members  and  has  increased  its  enroll- 
ment to  two  hundred  or  more.  The  orches- 
tra numbered  about  seven  at  the  first  re- 
hearsal and  finished  the  season  (three  and 
one-half  months)  with  an  enrollment  of  over 
forty  of  both  professional  and  non-profes- 
sional musicians.  The  orchestra,  combining 
with  the  Municipal  Choral  Society,  gave 
five  public  concerts  at  the  leading  theater  in 
Memphis.  These  performances  have  grad- 
ually gained  the  interest  of  the  people  to 
such  an  extent  that  next  season  the  orches- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


/ME 


OR.T 


CULVEI^TS 


These  culverts,  known  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the 
other,  are  made  of  genuine  open-hearth  iron  (99.875  percent 
PURE  IRON  COPPER  ALLOY).  We  have  sold  thousands 
of  feet  of  them  with  no  other  exterior  protection  than  a  coat 
of  asphalt  rubber  paint.  Were  it  not  for  the  copper  content 
of  this  extremely  pure  iron,  we  would  not  dare  sell  these 
culverts  without  a  heavy  coating  of  spelter  or  galvanizing, 
as  in  the  case  of  those  companies  who  sell  pipe  made  of  just 
pure  iron.  Newport  Culverts  are  the  most  rust-resisting 
and  strongest  culverts  on  the  market  today. 

Newport  genuine  open-hearth  iron  culverts  are  guaranteed  to 
last  longer  under  identical  conditions  than  any  other  corru- 
gated metal  culvert  pipe.  It  is  made  in  full-round  and  half- 
round  types  in  order  that  city,  county,  or  state  oflOicial  may 
have  a  culvert  adaptable  to  every  condition. 

Illustrated  literature  free  on  request, 

NEWPORT  CULVERT  CO. 

542  WEST  10th  ST.,   NEWPORT,  KENTUCKY 


yMEWP.On2,T 


CUCV^R.TS 


75  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


171 


tra  will  have  fifty  members,  and  the  Choral 
Society  has  doubled  its  number  to  nearly 
four  hundred  voices.  Steps  have  now  been 
taken  for  the  building  of  an  open-air  theater 
in  one  of  the  largest  parks,  modeled  after 
the  municipal  theater  in  Forest  Park,  St. 
Louis,  in  which  grand  opera  and  other 
musical  attractions  on  a  large  scale  can  be 
given. 

By  carefully  preparing  his  program,  giv- 
ing at  the  start  only  such  music  as  the  gen- 
eral public  can  understand,  Mr.  Nevin  is 
bringing  the  people  to  an  appreciation  of  the 
best  music.  To  know  the  character  of 
music  that  is  given  to  the  people,  one  has 
but  to  glance  at  the  list  of  composers  on 
the  programs — Beethoven,  Verdi,  Grieg, 
Bizet,  Wagner,  and  many  others.  The  idea 
of  this  work  is  very  unusual.  It  recalls  the 
spirit  of  the  Old  World,  in  having  national 
opera  houses  supported  by  public  funds. 

The  Music  Committee  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  has  for  years  endeavored  to  pro- 
mote a  higher  appreciation  of  music  and  also 
better  opportunities  for  all  the  people  to 
gain  the  cultural  advantages  that  good 
music  gives  to  a  people.  The  cooperative 
arrangements  with  the  city  through  the 
Memphis  Park  Commission  is  the  latest  step 
in  this  direction.  The  Director's  salary  and 
the  expenses  incident  to  this  past  season's 
work,  in  addition  to  income  from  the  con- 


certs, have  been  jointly  borne  by  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  the  city.  It  is  prob- 
able that  the  entire  expense  of  the  Division 
of  Municipal  Music  and  Dramatic  Art  will 
be  assumed  by  the  city  next  season  and  that 
the  Chamber  will  be  left  free  to  devote  its 
efforts  to  further  experimental  extension 
work  in  cooperation  with  the  city. 


Assistant     Manager, 
merce. 


WM.    C.   HEADRICK, 
Memphis     Chamber    of     Com- 


An  Effective  Collection  Letter 

Sharon,  Pa. — The  accompanying  illus- 
tration shows  the  front  and  back  pages  of  a 
four-page  collection  letter  successfully  em- 
ployed by  the  Sharon  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  first  page  is  the  usual  Chamber 
letterhead,  with  its  request  for  the  prompt 
payment  of  dues.  The  othei  three  pages 
are  devoted  to  an  attractive  series  of  pic- 
tures, accompanied  by  brief,  telling  sen- 
tences describing  some  of  the  objects  for 
which  the  Chamber  needs  money.  In  this 
letter  special  emphasis  was  laid  on  the  de- 
sires of  the  Chamber  to  provide  better  play- 
ground facilities  for  the  city's  children. 

The  letter  is  distinctly  out  of  the  ordinary 
in  its  graphic  method  of  appeal,  and  its 
circulation  has  met  with  a  very  favorable 
response. 

P.   A.  JONES, 
Executive  Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


V 


i^l  "4 


Chambeir  of  commerce 


T-irtfiiatiLac    !%■  pwrjM*  l 


THE  "DUNNING  LETTER' 


OF  THE  SHARON,  PA.,  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  WOULD  BE  HARD 
TO  RESIST 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Northern  Fire  Apparatus 


Reo  Speed-wagon,  Triple  Combination,   In  Service  Clarion,  Pa. 

Read  "The  Evidence" 

^^  THEN  buying  fire  apparatus  you  want  to  know  what  it  will 
^  ^  do  largely  by  what  it  has  done  during  its  years  in  the 
field.  You  want  to  know  what  other  cities  have  found  out  about 
Northern  Fire  Apparatus. 

We  have  prepared  a  collection  of  letters  from  users  of  the 
Northern — actual  copies  of  the  complete  letter  in  every  case. 
You  will  find  them  not  only  interesting,  but  full  of  valuable, 
helpful  buying  information. — Write   for  your  copy. 

Sales  Offices:  Every  Truck  Dealer,  Everywhere 


Northern  Fire  Apparatus  Co. 


2420  University  Ave.,  S.  E. 


Minneapolis,  Minn. 


76 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


^7Z 


The  Preparation  of  a  Layout  Plan 


MUCH  has  been  written  on  the  subject 
of  the  general  principles  which 
should  govern  the  planning  of  a 
housing  scheme,  but  the  application  of  these 
principles  to  a  specific  site  is  not  always  the 
simple  process  that  it  might  superficially 
appear  to  be.  A  short  description  of  the 
progressive  stages  of  the  design  for  the  lay- 


THE  LARGE  AREA  REPRESENTS  A  CITT,   AND   THE   SMALLER,   A 
500-ACRE  TRACT   SELECTED  POR  SUBURBAN  DEVELOPMENT 


out  of  an  actual  site  may  be,  therefore,  not 
without  interest. 

The  site  in  question  is  situated  on  the  out- 
skirts of  a  large  city.  It  comprises  an  area 
of  about  500  acres  of  very  undulating  land, 
bounded  on  the  north  and  south  by  main 
roads  which  are  also  tramway  routes,  on 
the  east  by  a  railway,  and  on  the  west  by  a 
road  of  some  importance  as  a  connecting 
link  between  the  two  main  roads. 

Upon    examination    of 

the   area    in    its    relation  ^;b=:— j( 

to  the  city,  it  became  evi- 
dent that  the  function  of 
a  housing  scheme  in  this 
position  was  likely  to  be 
that  of  a  suburb  rather 
than  that  of  a  self-con- 
tained town,  and  the  prob- 
lem was  approached,  ac- 
cordingly, from  this  point 
of  view.  Now,  assuming 
the  suitability  of  the  site 
in  other  respects,  the  most 
important  requir  e  m  e  n  t 
of  a  suburb  is  the  ade- 
quacy of  its  transport  fa- 
cilities. In  this  case  there 
was  ample  provision,  for. 


in  addition  to  the  two  tramway  routes  already 
referred  to,  there  were  four  railway  stations 
situated  at  convenient  points  outside  the 
estate;  and  the  traffic  problem  therefore  re- 
solved itself  into  the  provision  of  suitable 
connections  between  the  two  main  roads 
and  convenient  means  of  access  within  the 
scheme  itself. 

Two  main  ridges  tra- 
verse the  area  from  east 
to  west,  with  a  stream  in 
the  valley  between;  a 
chain  of  four  knolls 
crosses  the  site  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  while 
there  is  an  irregular- 
shaped  depression  in  the 
southwest  corner.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  natural  fea- 
tures, consideration  has 
to  be  given  to  the  exis- 
tence of  a  colliery  (the 
productive  life  of  which  is 
likely  to  terminate  com- 
paratively soon),  two  old 
the  sporadic  development 
which  has  already  taken  place.  The  slope 
of  the  land  is  such  that  advantage  has  to 
be  taken,  in  locating  the  roads,  of  every 
assistance  that  nature  affords,  and  the  final 
scheme  provides  roads  giving  access  across 
and  from  corner  to  corner  of  the  site. 

In  describing  the  preparation  of  a  layout 
it  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  treatment  of 
each  factor  separately,  and  though  the  loca- 


quarries. 


and 


Sfe 


MS( 


taK?i 


THE    SMALL    TRACT    PLANNED    FOR   A    SPECIFIED    PURPOSE- 
CONVENIENT  SUBURB  TO  A  GREAT  CITY 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 

i^i!llllillllllllllllllllllll!lHIIIII!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII|||||||||||||y 


llllllllllllllllllllllllllll' 


WORTHINGTO\  MOWER  COMPANY 


Worthington  Tractor  and  ''Convertible  Quint" 

SPECIAL  FEATURES 

Third  Section  may  be  attached  to  any  Worthington  Triple  at  present  in 
service  and  instantly  detached  by  removing  a  single  kingbolt. 
Triple  mower  cuts  a  swath  of  seven  feet. 

With  Convertible  Quint  attachment  cuts  a  swath  of  eleven  feet,  four 
inches. 

A  gain  of  65%. 

A  FEW  PROMINENT  CLUBS  USING  WORTHINGTON  TRACTORS  IN  COMBINAT  ON 
WITH  WORTHINGTON  GANG  MOWERS.  SHAWNEE  MODEL: 


I  Oakland  G.  C. 

g  St.  Andrews  G.  C. 

m  National   Golf  Link 

M  Links  G.  C. 

M  Nassau   C.    C. 

=  Siwanoy  G.  C. 

1  Tuxedo  G.  C. 

g  Pelham  Manor  C.  C 

M  Piping   Rock  Club 


Sleepy  Hollow  C.  C. 
Hollywood   G.   C. 
Deal  G.  C. 
Somerset  Hills  G.  C. 
Englewood  C.  C. 
Upper  Montclair  C.  C. 
Shackamaxon  C.  C. 
Essex  Co.  C.  C. 
Knickerbocker  C.  C. 


Rumson  C.  C. 
Morris  Co.   G.  C. 
Baltusrol  G.  C. 
White  Marsh  Valley 

C.  C. 
Old  York  Road  C.  C. 
Shawnee  C.  C. 
Philadelphia  C.  C. 
New  Haven  C.  C. 


Myopia  Hunt  C. 
Brae  Burn  C  .C. 
Essex   C.    C. 
St.  Louis  C.  C. 
Midwick  C.  C. 
Wilshire  C.  C. 
Royal  Montreal  C.  C 
C.  C.   of  Montreal 


SRECIAL    IMOTICE 

The  public  is  advised  that  the  combination  of  gang  lawn  mowers  with  motor 
tractor,  either  of  the  draft  or  push  type,  is  fully  and  broadly  covered  by  U.  S. 
Patents  issued  and  pending,  owned  or  controlled  by  this  Company;  that  the  sale 
of  any  tractor  used  in  combination  with  a  gang  mower  may  render  the  vendor 
or  user  liable  for  infringement.     This  Company  will  protect  its  rights. 

WORTHINGTON   MOWER   COMPANY 

Shawnee-on-Delaware,   Pa. 


77 


^hen  writing  tQ  A4y?rtiseri  please  mention  f  gf  ^iiekican   City. 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


175 


tion  of  the  main  roads  has  been  dealt  with 
without  reference  to  the  placing  of  the  pub- 
lic buildings,  open  spaces  and  other  im- 
portant components  of  the  scheme,  it  will 
be  realized  that  all  these  matters  are  inti- 
mately related  and  must  be  considered  con- 
currently. Thus  the  principal  feature,  which 
takes  the  form  of  a  wide  boulevard  stopped 
at  one  end  by  a  market  and  shopping  center 
and  at  the  other  by  a  group  of  public 
buildings,  was  determined  by  a  considera- 
tion of  its  central  position  and  relation  to 
the  intersection  of  the  main  roads,  the  domi- 
nating nature  of  the  site  chosen  for  the  pub- 
lic buildings,  and  the  value  of  the  stream  as 
a  decorative  adjunct.  In  a  similar  way  sub- 
sidiary social  centers  were  placed  at  points 
where  convenience  of  access  and  a  natural 
prominence  or  special  suitability  of  charac- 
ter at  once  suggested  the  appropriateness  of 
the  position.     See  the  second  illustration. 

Parks  and  playing  fields  also  received 
careful  consideration  on  the  same  lines,  and 
the  site  for  each  was  chosen  with  particular 
regard  to  its  natural  suitability  and  proper 
place  in  the  general  scheme.  The  two  dis- 
used quarries,  for  instance,  were  admirably 
fitted  for  development  as  public  gardens; 
the  stream  in  the  valley  called  for  a  narrow 
belt  of  park  land  running  right  through  the 


estate;    and    the    few   comparatively    level 
sites  were  used  for  playing  fields. 

The  framework  of  the  scheme  being  set- 
tled, the  planning  of  the  subsidiary  roads 
now  claimed  attention.  Here  the  problem 
was  one  of  providing  the  most  convenient, 
economical  and  attractive  sites  for  houses, 
and  a  close  study  of  the  contours  was  es- 
sential. On  steeply  sloping  ground  of  this 
kind  the  roads  naturally  followed  the  con- 
tours to  a  large  extent,  and  an  irregular  de- 
velopment resulted,  which  is  in  harmony 
with  the  character  of  the  site  and  contrasts 
agreeably  with  the  more  formal  treatment 
of  the  centers.  Provision  was  made  for 
houses  of  all  types,  for  in  a  scheme  of  this 
size  it  was  obvious  that  many  larger  houses 
would  be  required,  and  sites  for  these  were 
reserved  in  suitable  parts  of  the  estate. 

In  this  way  the  layout  was  gradually  built 
up,  and  though  it  is  impossible  in  such  a 
brief  description  to  do  more  than  touch 
upon  the  progressive  stages  through  which 
it  passed,  some  indication  has,  perhaps,  been 
given  of  the  particular  application  of  the 
general  principles  which  govern  the  prepa- 
ration of  all  housing  schemes. 

F.  L.  T. 

Acknowledgment. — Prepared  from  the  Site  Planning 
Number  of  Housing,  published  in  London,  Eng. 


If  Some  One  Thinks  of  It  in  Time,  Your 
City  May  Have  a  Street  Like  This 


AVENUE   DA  LTBEBSADE,   LISBON,   PORTUGAL 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Pennsylvania  TRIO ;  a 
time  and  labor  saver  for 
golf  course,  parks,  large 
estates  86  in.  swath. 


Pennsylvania  GOLF ; 
closest  cutting  for  pat- 
ting greens,  tennis 
courts  and  £ixe  lawns. 


"YY  7  HETHER  used  in  gangs  or  singly,  each  mower  repre- 
^^  sents  the  utmost  in  mechanical  perfection.  Exclusive 
features  such  as  self-sharpening,  interchangeable  parts, 
automobile  type  ball  bearings,  assure  ease  and  accuracy  in 
operation. 

Their  long  record  of  service  is  due  to  the  use  of  finest 
materials  in  making.  For  instance,  all  blades,  not  just  one, 
as  in  ordinary  mowers,  are  made  of  crucible,  tool  steel; 
doubly  tempered. 

Write  for  "Pennsylvania  TRIO  Book" 

Pennsylvania   Lawn   Mower   Works,    Inc. 

1615   North  23rd  Street,  Philadelphia 


iiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii mil iiiiiiiniiiiiiniiiiiiininiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiira 

78  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


177 


Arson  and  Some  of  Its  Causes 

With  a  Discussion  of  What  Constitutes  Evidence  in  Prosecutions  for  Arson 

By  J.  A.  Tracy 

State  Fire  Marshal,  Des  Moines,  la. 


THE  crime  of  arson  is  about  as  common 
nowadays  as  convictions  for  arson  are 
uncommon.  It  is  a  difficult  crime  to 
prove.  The  more  complete  the  burning,  the 
less  evidence  can  be  secured. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  crimes  called 
arson:  i,  setting  fire  to  another's  property 
for  revenge;  2,  setting  fire  to  cover  up 
crime;  3,  burning  or  causing  to  be  burned  a 
person's  own  property  to  collect  insurance 
in  excess  of  the  value  of  the  property. 

While  the  insurance  companies  are  liable 
only  for  the  replacement  value,  or  the  value 
of  the  property  destroyed,  they  are  at  the 
mercy  of  the  assured  when  a  total  loss  oc- 
curs, by  reason  of  padded  claims,  especially 
if  the  case  goes  to  court.  The  percentage  of 
arson  cases  for  revenge  only  or  to  cover  up 
crime  is  very  small  compared  to  that  of  fires 
set  for  gain  by  the  assured. 

It  is  so  easy  to  get  insurance  in  almost 
any  amount  on  almost  any  kind  of  property, 
that  many  persons  plan  for  the  destruction 
of  property,  await  the  proper  time  to  set 
the  fire,  and  cover  up  their  w^hereabouts 
with  a  perfect  alibi.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  fires  can  be  set  to  burn  at  a  certain 
time — usually  in  the  night,  often  destroying 
the  plant  and  leaving  no  evidence  to  prove 
that  the  fire  was  set  by  design.  Then  we 
must  prove  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt  who 
set  the  fire  or  had  it  set. 

If  the  case  is  one  of  conspiracy  between 
two  persons,  the  confession  of  one  con- 
spirator is  not  sufficient  to  convict  the  other 
conspirator  unless  it  can  be  proved  by  cor- 
roborative evidence  that  a  conspiracy  did 
exist  and  that  the  fire  was  set  with  the  in- 
tent to  burn.  A  motive  might  also  be  proved 
on  account  of  over-insurance  and  bad  finan- 
cial condition,  but  that  is  not  sufficient,  be- 
cause the  practice  of  writing  over-insurance 
is  common  and  has  brought  about  one  of  the 
most  aJarmirig  situations  confronting  us 
during 'thfs  time  of  depression. 

Under-' the  Fire  Marshal  Law  of  Iowa 
every  fire  chief  Is,  in  fact,  an  Assistant  State 
Fire  Marshal,  as  he  is  required  by  law  to 


make  investigations  and  report  all  facts  to 
the  State  Fire  Marshal. 

Securing  Evidence 

Every  effort  should  be  made  to  find  out 
where  the  fire  started  and  its  cause,  if  pos- 
sible, to  preserve  all  evidence  and  call  the 
attention  of  helpers  to  suspicious  circum- 
stances and  visible  evidence,  that  they  may 
make  competent  witnesses  in  case  of  trial. 
The  evidence  may  be  of  value  to  the  state  in 
case  of  prosecution,  or  of  value  to  the  prop- 
erty owner  to  relieve  him  of  suspicion,  the 
purpose  of  the  law  being  to  get  all  the  facts 
possible  in  order  to  protect  the  rights  of  all. 

In  case  evidence  is  found  to  warrant  the 
assumption  that  the  fire  was  set  by  design, 
a  guard  should  be  put  over  the  property  so 
that  nothing  can  be  disturbed  until  a  thor- 
ough investigation  can  be  made  by  the 
sheriff,  the  police  department,  the  county 
attorney  or  the  state  department. 

In  case  oil  cans  or  jugs  or  explosives  are 
found,  they  should  be  removed  and  locked 
up.  The  owner  or  occupant  should  be  inter- 
viewed as  soon  as  possible  as  to  the  time  he 
left  the  place  and  as  to  who  advised  him  of 
the  fire,  and  how  he  was  advised.  All  evi- 
dence should  be  noted  in  a  memorandum 
book  and  not  left  to  memory.  If  this  is 
done,  it  will  be  helpful  to  the  department 
and  have  a  tendency  to  decrease  arson. 

The  best  way  to  fight  fire  is  to  fight  it  be- 
fore it  occurs.  This  can  be  done  in  many 
cases  by  careful  inspection,  and  should  a 
fire  hazard  be  found,  orders  to  remedy  it  at 
once  should  be  issued.  If  the  order  is  not 
obeyed,  the  facts  must  be  reported  to  the 
State  Fire  Marshal,  giving  the  name  and 
address  of  the  owner,  name  of  occupant, 
kind  of  occupancy,  and  general  description 
of  defects  found.  This  information  is  nec- 
essary in  order  to  get  legal  service  on  the 
owner  and  occupant. 

In  case  over-insurance  on  any  property  is 
found,  the  insurance  agents  or  the  insurance 
companies  should  be  informed. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  paper  read  before  the 
Iowa  State  Firemen's  Association,   November,   1921. 


tH£    AMERICAN    CItY 


How  Large  Parks 
Can    Save    Money 

Many  city  parks  throughout  the  country  have 
greatly  reduced  the  expense  of  keeping  their 
lawns  in  condition  by  the  use  of  Ideal  Power 
Lawn  Mowers. 

These  power  mowing  machines  are  truly  great 
labor  savers.  This  statement  is  borne  out  by 
the  fact  that  many  park  superintendents  are 
now  using  several  Ideal  Mowers  as  a  result  of 
the  big  saving  that  their  first  Ideal  enabled 
them  to  make. 

In  fact,  it  is  the  repeat  orders  that  say  more 

for 


Power 
Lawn  Mowers 

than  anything  we  might  write. 

Moreover,  the  more  grass  you  have  to  cut  the 
more  you  can  save.  For  extra  large  parks 
where  there  are  big  areas  of  grass  to  be  cut 
the  Ideal  Triplex  Power  Mower  has  no  equal. 
It  will  mow  from  30  to  35  acres  a  day,  is  easily 
operated  and  absolutely  dependable. 

Then  we  make  our  standard  30-inch  Ideal 
Power  Mower  and  the  Ideal  "Junior"  Power 
Mower,  both  of  these  machines  are  great  labor 
savers  in  park  work  and  there  are  thousands 
of  them  in  use. 

Write  and  get  all  the  facts  about  the  complete 
line  of  Ideal  Power  Mowing  equipment.  We 
will  gladly  advise  you  in  selecting  the  most 
suitable  equipment  for  your  needs. 


Just  A  Simple  Problem  In  Arithmetic 

The  saving  that  can  be  made  with  Ideal  Power 
Lawn  Mowers  is  just  about  as  simple  as  2  times  2. 
One  man  with  a  hand  mower  can  average  about  ^ 
of  an  acre  per  day. 

One  man  with  a  30"  Ideal  Mower  will  mow  at  least 
5  acres  per  day. 

To  figure  out  the  actual  saving  we  will  place  a 
moderate  estimate  upon  the  wages  saved.  We  will 
allow  liberal  pay  for  the  machine  operator  and 
more  than  enough  for  mechanical  up-keep,  oil  and 
gas,  interest  on  investment,  etc. 
Wages  of  6  men  at  $3.00  per  day 

working  with  hand  mowers ...     $18 .  00 
Wages  of  one  man  at  $5.00  per 
day  working  with  Ideal  Mower    _6 .  00 

$13760 

For  mechamcal  up-keep,  oil  and 
gas,  interest  on  investment, 

ment,  etc 1.00 

Net  daily  saving $12.00 

Estimated  cost  of  Ideal  Power 
Lawn  Mowers $350.00 

12(350)29 

24 

110 

108 
2/12 
The  answer  is  simple  indeed— less  than  30  days 
saving  pays  the  entire  cost  of  the  mower. 
We-will  leave  it  to  you  whether  a  machine  that  will 
actually  pay  its  own  cost  in  a  month's  time  is  well 
worth  investigating. 


IDEAL    POWER   LAWN   MOWER   CO. 

R.  E.  Olds,  Chairman 

400  Kalamazoo  St,  Lansing,  Mich. 
World's  Largest  Builders  of  Pomer  Laxon  Mothers 
CHICAGO,  ILL.         11  E.  Harrison  St. 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y.  270  West  St. 

BOSTON,  MASS.  52  N.  Market  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA.  709  Arch  St. 
LOS  ANGELES,  CAL. 

222  N.  Los  Angeles  St. 
NEW  ORLEANS,  LA.       130  Camp  St. 


PITTSBURGH.  PA.  108  West  Parkway 
CLEVELAND,  OHIO 

1500  Lakeade  Ave. 
DENVER,  COLO.  28th  and  Waiiee  Sts. 
ST.  LOUIS,  MO.  412-414  No.  4th  St. 
TORONTO,  CANADA 

17  Temperance  St. 


Ideal  Junior 

Power  Mower 


179 


System  in  Naming  and  Marking  Streets 


By  A.  M 

Tulsa, 

AN  interesting  system  of  naming  the 
streets  was  started  by  the  town  offi- 
cials of  Tulsa,  Okla.,  some  ten  or 
fifteen  years  ago,  and  the  method  of  mark- 
ing them  was  established  by  the  present 
street  commissioner.  A  stranger  finds  no 
difficulty  in  locating  any  address  in  the  city 
by  means  of  this  system  of  naming  and 
marking. 

The  plan  of  naming  the  streets  is  com- 
mendable in  its  simplicity.  The  streets  run- 
ning north  and  south  are  named  after  Amer- 
ican cities,  except  Main  Street,  which  forms 
the  base  line  for  the  eastern  and  western 
sections  of  the  city.  The  streets  east  of 
Main  and  parallel  to  it  are  named  after 
eastern  cities  and  in  alphabetical  order,  as 
Boston,  Cincinnati,  Detroit,  etc.,  while  those 
west  of  Main  are  named  after  western 
cities  and  also  in  alphabetical  order, 
as  Boulder,  Cheyenne,  Denver,  etc. 
Traversing  Main  Street  at  right 
angles  are  the  Sante  Fe  and  Frisco 
railroad  tracks.  These  mark  the 
division  between  the  northern  and 
southern  sections  of  the  town  and 
form  the  base  line  for  the  number- 
ing of  the  old  streets,  as  First 
Street,  Second,  Third,  etc.  East 
of  Main  Street,  First  Street  is 
called  East  First  Street,  while  west 
of  Main  it  is  West  First  Street. 
In  like  manner,  the  streets  named 
after     cities     are    termed     North 


.  Husted 

Okla. 

Boston  or  North  Cincinnati  when  north  of 
the  tracks,  and  South  Boston  or  South  Cin- 
cinnati when  south  of  the  tracks. 

Such  a  comprehensive  system  of  naming 
streets  would  be  of  little  value  to  a  stranger 
unless  the  streets  were  properly  marked. 
Through  necessity,  a  cheap  and  efficient  sys- 
tem of  marking  the  streets  was  discovered 
by  the  street  department.  All  street  names 
are  stenciled  in  black  on  a  white  back- 
ground painted  on  the  curbs,  as  shown  in 
the  accompanying  illustration.  They  are 
painted  only  on  the  right-hand  opposite 
corner,  so  that  one  driving  down  a  street 
will  be  able  to  read  the  name  of  a  cross- 
street  while  approaching  it.  It  is  estimated 
that  these  signs  cost  considerably  less  than 
the  standard  type  of  street  markers  in 
Tulsa. 


STBEET   NAME    PAINTED    ON    CTTBB 


Two  Changes  in  City  Managers 

On  January  i,  J.  Walter  Ackerman  be-     municipal    field    as    Chief 


came  City  Manager  of  Watertown,  N.  Y., 
succeeding  C.  A.  Bingham,  who  has  taken 
the  managership  of  Lima,  Ohio.  Mr. 
Ackerman  is  a  civil  engineer,  and  was  for 
six  years  city  engineer  of  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
during  which  period  he  built  one  of  the  first 
municipal  conduit  systems.  After  an  inter- 
val during  which  he  was  resident  engineer 
of  the  Ithaca  Short  Line,  he  returned  to  the 


as  Utiiet  Engineer  and 
Superintendent  of  the  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  water- 
works. Under  his  management  the  system 
has  been  extended  and  a  filtration  plant  in- 
stalled. Mr.  Bingham  was  welcomed  to  his 
new  position  in  Lima,  Ohio,  by  a  large  ban- 
quet given  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
The  Lions  and  Kiwanis  Clubs  offered 
specialties,  and  an  excellent  spirit  of  co- 
operation was  evident. 


Finances  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa 

Revised   figures    received    from    the    Census  camber,  1921,  should  read  as  follows: 

Bureau  show  that  the  sums  given  for  the  re-  Per  capita  costs  for  year  ending  March  31, 

ceipts  and  expenditures  of   Sioux  City,  Iowa,  1921,  were  $44.70;  per  capita  receipts,  $37.68, 

on  page  511  of  The  American  City  for  De-  leaving  an  apparent  deficit  of  $7.03. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Paid    Their  Way    Since    1914 
in  Tampa,  Florida 

Tampa's  Police  Department  tried  out  several  makes  of 
motorcycles  before  it  was  decided  to  use  Harley-Davidsons 
exclusively-  Novs',  seven  Harley-Davidsons  (including 
three  1 922  models)  are  on  duty  in  this  progressive  southern 
city.  I  111 

For  emergency  calls  and  messenger  service,  patrolling  work, 
regulating  traffic,  enforcing  parking  rules,  chasing  auto- 
mobile speeders,  running  down  "motorized  crooks" — on 
any  kiiid  of  roads  and  in  any  weather — you  can't  beat  a 
Harley-Davidson.  Many  cities  have  actually  paid  for  one 
or  more  machines  in  a  few  weeks  from  the  increased  revenue 
a  motorcycle  has  brought  in. 

A  Harley-Davidson's  ruggedness  and  durability  assure 
years  of  dependable  service,  with  surprisingly  small  upkeep 
cost.  Far  cheaper  to  run  than  the  most  economical  auto- 
mobile— in  fact,  the  maintenance  and  operation  expense  of 
a  Harley-Davidson  is  even  less  than  the  cost  of  keeping  a 
horse. 

See  the  1922  models  at  your  local  dealer's.    Get  the 

new  Harley-Davidson  prices   (25%   reduction)   and 

ask   for   free    demonstration. 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON   MOTOR   GO. 

MILWAUKEE  WISCONSIN 


City  officials  and  those  in- 
terested in  police  depart- 
ment efficiency  should  have 
our  new  book,  "Motorcycles 
for  Police  and  Sundry 
Purposes."  Write  on  your 
letterhead  for  your  compli- 
mentary copy,  and  see  how 
other  cities  are  using  motor- 
cycles to  increase  police 
efficiency. 


"UJorld^s  Champion  Motorcycle 


80 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thb  Amekican  City. 


i8i 


BONDING 


Municipal  Finance 

ACCOUNTING 


TAXATION 


Some  Things  Which  the  Business  Man 
Should  Know  About  His  City 

By  Thomas  R.  Lili 

Of  Searle,  Nicholson,  Oakley  &  Lill,  Certified  Public  Accountants,  New  York 


THE  business  man  of  the  past,  whatever 
he  thought  of  his  city  as  a  political 
unit,  did  so  in  a  contemplative  manner, 
as  though  he  were  looking  at  a  map  show- 
ing the  new  territorial  boundaries  of  the 
countries  in  Europe,  as  something  aside 
and  apart  from  his  active  interest.  He  re- 
garded his  contributions  to  the  support  of 
the  city  administration  in  much  the  same 
light  as  his  contributions  to  the  starving 
Belgians  or  to  the  Near  East  Relief. 

The  business  man  of  to-day  is  showing 
increasing  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
home  city,  although  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
this  interest  is  frequently  the  result  of  his 
greatly  increased  contributions  in  the  shape 
of  taxes  rather  than  of  a  realization  of  his 
duties  as  a  citizen. 

The  cost  of  operating  a  city  has,  almost 
without  exception,  increased  even  more, 
proportionately,  than  has  that  of  its  busi- 
ness enterprises.  Because  of  competitive 
features  and  the  absolute  necessity  for 
profits  in  order  to  continue  in  business,  the 
business  man  has  been  going  through  a 
period  of  deflation  about  as  strenuous  as  the 
period  of  inflation,  but  not  so  exhilarating. 
Governmental  deflation  has  not  yet  gener- 
ally come  about,  and,  to  a  very  large  extent, 
cities  are  spending  more  money  now  for 
current  operations  than  ever  before  in  their 
history.  If  business  men  desire  to  reduce 
their  taxes,  they  must  give  the  same  quality 
of  attention  to  the  administration  of  their 
city  affairs  that  they  give  to  the  administra- 
tion of  their  own  affairs. 

A  city  is  not  an  extraneous  enterprise 
forced  upon  the  public  by  an  agent  of  his 
Satanic  Majesty.  It  is  merely  a  cooperative 
society  of  which  each  business  man  is   a 


member,  formed  for  the  purpose  of  provid- 
ing certain  services  which  can  better  be 
done  through  collective  rather  than  indi- 
vidual effort.  The  administration  of  this 
cooperative  society  has  become  very  highly 
specialized,  and  few  business  men  have  the 
requisite  knowledge,  even  if  they  had  the 
time,  to  make  a  comprehensive  study  of  it 
and  prepare  a  diagnosis  of  its  afflictions. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  thing  for 
the  business  man  to  do  is  to  employ  those 
who  have  specialized  in  the  organization  and 
administration  of  municipal  government, 
just  as  he  would  employ  a  lawyer,  a  public 
accountant  or  an  engineer  in  his  own  busi- 
ness. Such  an  undertaking  requires  the 
study  of  a  large  variety  of  subjects,  such  as 
the  following. 

Some   Pertinent  Questions 

Is  the  form  of  corporate  organization  the 
best,  and  does  it  permit  of  effective  and 
economical  operation? 

Is  the  personnel  employed  of  good  qual- 
ity? And  is  it  doing  a  day's  work  for  a 
day's  pay? 

Are  the  rates  of  pay,  from  the  mayor 
down  to  the  scrubwoman,  fair  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  conditions  prevailing  in 
other  lines  of  industry? 

Are  the  streets  being  built  with  the  type 
of  pavement  best  suited  to  the  kind  of  traf- 
fic using  them?  Are  streets  being  repaired 
as  they  should  be?  Are  they  being  cleaned 
as  they  should  be? 

How  many  policemen  has  the  city,  and 
how  many  should  it  have  ?  How  many  fire- 
men should  it  have? 

Is  adequate  provision  being  made  for 
schools  and  proper  ecjuc^tion  of  its  citizens? 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


HARD  THIS 
WAY,  BUT- 


EASY  ON  A  TRACK 
THECUTRACWAY 


Comes  Through  in  the  Pinch    j 

JUST  a  year  ago  this  month  New  York  City 
experienced  one  of  the  biggest  snow  storms 
in  its  history — and  fought  it  to  a  standstill  with 
the  aid  of  lOO  Cletracs.  These  never-tiring 
tractors  worked  48  hours  without  a  let-up  to 
keep  traffic  moving.  And  they  were  success- 
ful— they  came  through  in  the  pinch. 

Cletrac  is  serving  hundreds  of  cities  and  towns  keeping 
streets  and  sidewalks  clear  of  snow  in  winter  and  improving 
roads  in  summer.  Its  record  will  bear  the  closest  scrutiny. 
Investigate  this  tractor's  year-'round  usefulness. 

Your  local  Cletrac  dealer  will  be  glad  to  demonstrate,  or 
write  direct  to  us  for  further  information. 

THE  CLEVELAND  TRACTOR  CO. 

Largest  Producers  ofTank-Tyfe  Tractors  in  the  IVorld 

19205  EUCLID  AVENfUE  CLEVELAND,  OHIO 


81 


Wh«n  WfHInj!  to  Advertisers  please  meqtion  Tp?  Ampkjcan  City. 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


183 


Are  taxes  being  levied  equitably?  Or 
are  some  taxpayers  paying  more  than  they 
should  while  others  pay  less?  Are  taxes 
being  collected  promptly?  Are  interest  and 
penalty  being  exacted  from  all  delinquents 
alike  without  favoritism  to  any? 

Has  the  city  a  storehouse?  Does  it  buy 
materials  and  supplies  in  piecemeal  or  in 
bulk? 

Does  it  buy  in  open  competition  or  from 
a  favored  few?  Are  the  specifications  for 
contracts  properly  drawn  up  and  are  the 
contracts  properly  let  by  competitive  bid- 
ding. 

Has  the  city  a  purchasing  agent  to  pur- 
chase for  all  departments  of  the  city  or  does 
each  department,  bureau  or  office  purchase 
its  own  supplies? 

Is  the  movable  property  of  the  city  prop- 
erly protected  and  accounted  for,  or  is  it  be- 
ing lost  through  carelessness  or  other 
causes  ? 


Does  the  city  prepare  and  publish  monthly 
the  same  kind  of  financial  statements  that 
the  business  man  is  accustomed  to  receive 
in  connection  with  his  own  business? 

What  is  the  total  debt  of  the  city?  Has 
the  safe  limit  of  borrowing  been  reached? 
Has  proper  provision  been  made  for  the  re- 
payment of  the  debt  ?  Have  the  bonds  issued 
been  issued  for  proper  periods? 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  studies  made  of  the 
various  matters  referred  to,  by  trained 
specialists,  will  go  far  towards  bringing 
about  a  more  effective  cooperation  between 
the  city  administration  and  the  city  business 
man,  with  resultant  reduction  in  taxes,  and 
better  service. 

EniTORiAL  Note. — The  author  of  this  article  is  a 
public  accountnnt  whose  experience  has  not  been  con- 
fined to  financial,  manufacturing  and  commercial  or- 
ganizations, but  has  extended  into  the  highest  depart- 
ments of  governmental  activities,  national  and  munici- 
pal. His  professional  services  have  been  availed  of  by 
many  cities  in  questions  involving  finance,  accounting 
and   organization. 


Municipal  Bond  News 


AFTER  the  rapid  advance  which 
marked  the  closing  weeks  of  the  last 
year,  the  municipal  bond  market  has 
stopped  to  catch  its  breath.  The  number  of 
new  issues  shows  a  marked  decrease,  though 
the  rates  hold  about  at  the  levels  reached 
in  December.  Such  a  sequence  is  entirely 
natural. 

The  city  of  Qiicago  has  been  the  heaviest 
municipal  borrower,  with  two  issues — one 
of  $7,725,000  general  corporation  bonds,  ma- 
turing serially,  1923-47,  offered  at  a  price 
to  yield  4.40-4.50,  the  other  of  $5,000,000 
Sanitary  District  bonds,  maturing  serially 
from  1923  to  1941,  with  a  yield  of  4.30-4.60. 
Both  of  these  issues  carried  a  5  per  cent 
coupon. 

The  next  largest  issue  during  the  month 
was  that  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  of  $2,295,- 
000  improvement  bonds.  These  carried  a 
4^  coupon,  mature  from  1923  to  1952,  and 
are  issued  to  yield  4.35  to  4.65.  Very  few 
other  issues  exceeded  the  million-dollar 
mark.  Among  these  are  the  following: 
$1,000,000  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  improvement 
5's,  1930-53,  to  yield  4.60  to  4.75;  $1,000,000 
Providence,  R.  I.,  41^  water  bonds,  due  in 
1962,  to  yield  4.10;  $1,850,000  El  Paso,  Tex., 
5's,  1927-52,  to  yield  4.70  to  4.90;  $1,600,000 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  6  per  cent  World  War 
Memorial  bonds,  due  in  1927,  to  yield  4.65; 
$1,000,000  Oakland  School  and  High  School 
District  5's,  1922-59,  to  yield  4.';'^  to  4.70. 


Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  also  issued  $1,750,000 
5^  anticipation  notes  due  in  December, 
1922,  to  yield  4.75. 

Of  the  smaller  issues,  that  of  Brookline, 
Mass.,  of  $241,000  for  general  improve- 
ments, is  of  particular  interest  on  account 
of  its  low  interest  rate.  Carrying  a  4^4  per 
cent  coupon,  these  were  offered  to  yield  from 
3.90  to  3.95,  as  they  mature  serially  from 
1923  to  1941.  This  is  the  first  time  in  many 
months  that  the  4  per  cent  line  has  been 
crossed. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  comparatively 
few  of  the  issues  now  appearing  provide 
for  retirement  by  means  of  a  sinking  fund. 
The  serial  bond  is  far  more  commonly  met, 
seeming  to  meet  with  greater  favor  both 
among  investors  and  with  the  issuing  mu- 
nicipalities. 

The  Bond  Market  Twenty  Years  Ago 

A  pamphlet  issued  by  Harris,  Forbes  and 
Company  of  New  York  gives  an  interesting 
list  of  municipal  bonds  being  offered  20 
years  ago.  The  list  shows  the  changes  in 
the  municipal  bond  market  as  compared 
with  1901.  Of  the  36  issues  in  the  list,  only 
12  are  serial  bonds.  The  coupon  rate  was 
3^2  or  4  in  a  majority  of  cases,  a  few  being  ,,-^ 
issued  at  3  per  cent  and  one  at  6.  These 
were  offered  to  investors  at  rates  ranging 
from  2.55  per  cent  for  the  lowest  to  3.875 
for  the  highest. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  "  Caterpillar's  "  * 
Held  of  usefulness  is  by 
no  means  limited  to 
dirt  moving  and  road 
making.  For  snow  re- 
moval, hauling  garbage 
disposal  trains  and 
other  civic  work — wher- 
ever power  and  endur- 
ance is  at  a  premium, 
the  "Caterpillar"*  has 
no  real  competitor. 


HOLT 

PEORIA^       ILL. 
STOCKTON.  CALIF. 


Fixing  Up  Chicago's  Front  Yard 

After  exhaustive  investigation,  the  South  Park 
Commissioners  selected  "Caterpillar"*  Tractors 
for  grading  Grant  Park,  Chicago's  famous  front 
yard.  With  "Caterpillars"*,  every  phase  of  the 
work  is  being  speeded  up,  greater  daily  yardages 
arej^  being  handled  and  real  savings  over  other 
methods  are  being  shown.  It  is  significant  that 
after  a  similar  study  of  machines,  methods  and 
costs,  "Caterpillars"*  have  been  adopted  by  New 
York,  Duluth,  Memphis,  Dallas,  Minneapolis, 
Spokane  and  many  other  cities  and  towns  for 
public  works  of  all  kinds  where  economy  is  the 
great  essential.  Let  us  arrange  to  show  you  our 
new  motion  picture,  "Bureau  County  Knows 
How"  or  send  you  our  booklet,  "  Caterpillar* 
Performance." 

*There  is  but  one  "Caterpillar" — Holt  builds  it 
THE  HOLT  MFG.  CO.,  Inc.,  PEORIA,  ILL. 

Branches  and  service  stations  all  over  the  world 

Eastern  Division:     50  Church  St.,  New  York 
2499   Farnam   St.,    Omaha,    Nebr.  305   Merchants   Bank   Bldg., 

417  Washington  Ave.  N.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  2045-47  Main  St.,  Kansas  City,    Mo. 

5th  and  Court  Sts.,  Des  Moines,  la.     Holt  Company  of  Texas,  Dallas,  Tex. 
Canadian  Holt  Co.,  Ltd.,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 


When  writitiff  to  Advertisers  olease  mention   The  American   City. 


i85 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information   for  City  Attorneys  and   Other  Municipal  Officers,   Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 


Municipal    Censorship    Powers    Over 
Newspapers  Defined 

The  right  of  a  city  to  suppress  the  sale 
of  specific  newspapers  on  the  streets  while 
others  are  permitted  to  be  sold  is  limited  to 
prosecuting  for  consummated  violations  of 
an  ordinance  forbidding  the  sale  of  obscene, 
scandalous,  etc.,  publications.  The  sale  of 
a  certain  newspaper  cannot  be  validly  pro- 
hibited generally  in  such  way  as  to  operate 
as  a  censorship  in  advance  of  publication. 
These  conclusions  were  reached  by  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  North- 
ern District  Court  of  Ohio  in  the  late  case 
of  Dearborn  Publishing  Co.  vs.  Fitzgerald, 
271  Federal  Reporter,  479. 

Holding  that  Henry  Ford's  Dearborn  In- 
dependent was  not  an  indecent,  obscene  or 
scandalous  publication,  within  the  meaning 
a  Cleveland  ordinance  which  forbids  the 
sale  of  such  publications,  by  reason  of  the 
Independent's  attacks  on  the  Jewish  race, 
the  Court  said : 

"The  publication  complained  of  cannot  by  any 
stretch  of  the  imagination  be  classified  as  in- 
decent, obscene,  or  scandalous;  but,  if  it  were, 
the  limit  of  the  city's  power  would  be  to  conduct 
a  prosecution  for  the  specific  offense  thus  com- 
mitted, and  not  the  establishment  of  a  censor- 
ship in  advance  of  future  publications,  and  pro- 
hibition generally  of  the  sale  thereof  upon  the 
streets,  in  the  same  manner  as  other  publications 
may  be  sold.  That  the  real  basis  of  defendants' 
action  is  not  the  indecent,  obscene,  or  scandal- 
ous character  of  the  publication  is  further 
evidenced  by  their  action  in  permitting  its  sale 
at  news-stands  or  in  shops,  without  any  effort 
to  prosecute  therefor;  whereas,  under  section 
1770,  it  would  be  as  much  an  offense  to  sell  at 
a  news-stand  or  in  a  shop  an  indecent,  obscene, 
or  scandalous  publication  as  it  is  to  sell  it  upon 
the  city  streets. 

"That  the  publication  has  a  tendency  to  create 
breaches  of  the  peace  is  equally  without  founda- 
tion in  fact  or  in  law.  Assuming  that  section 
1770  is  sufficiently  definite  in  this  respect  to  be 
valid — an  assumption  which  may  well  be  doubted, 
in  view  of  the  adjudged  cases  ...  its 
language  was  never  intended  to  apply  to  a  news- 
paper article  of  the  kind  in  question.  The 
affidavits  conclusively  show  that  no  disorder  or 
excitement  was  created  on  the  streets  by  the 


sales  in  question.  Nothing  appears  to  indicate 
who  were  or  might  be  excited  by  its  sale  to 
break  the  peace.  It  would  be  a  libel,  it  seems 
to  me,  on  people  of  the  Jewish  race  to  assume 
that  they  are  imbued  with  such  a  spirit  of  law- 
lessness. If  it  be  assumed  that  the  article  might 
tend  to  excite  others  to  breaches  of  the  peace 
against  people  of  the  Jewish  race,  the  reply  is 
plain,  it  is  the  duty  of  all  officials  charged 
with  preserving  the  peace  to  suppress  firmly  and 
promptly  all  persons  guilty  of  disturbing  it,  and 
not  to  forbid  innocent  persons  to  exercise  their 
lawful  and  equal  rights." 

Award  of  Contract  After  Competitive 
Bidding  Must  Be  According  to  Ad= 
vertised  Terms 

An  award  by  a  public  body  of  a  contract 
for  the  doing  of  work  or  the  purchase  of 
supplies,  made  after  advertisement  and  com- 
petitive bidding,  must  be  according  to  the 
terms  advertised  to  prospective  bidders,  so 
that  all  may  be  on  the  same  footing.  An 
advertisement  for  competitive  bids  to  fur- 
nish a  fire  engine  called  for  a  truck  with  a 
pumping  system  and  body  to  carry  1,250 
feet  of  hose,  "each  part  proposed  to  be 
furnished  to  be  separately  specified  by  the 
bidder  and  separately  priced."  Held,  that 
the  contract  could  not  be  awarded  on  a  lump 
bid  for  the  entire  apparatus.  (New  Jersey 
Supreme  Court,  Pew  vs.  Commissioners  of 
Fire  Dist.  No.  i  in  Chester  Tp.  et  al.,  114 
Atlantic  Reporter,  150.) 

Municipal  Bonds  May  Not  Be  Issued 
Unless  Power  to  Do  So  Is  Conferred 
by  Legislative  Authority 

Holding  that  defendant  city's  charter  was 
insufficient  to  authorize  issuance  of  street 
improvement  bonds  covering  the  cost  of 
paving  street  intersections,  etc.,  where  the 
city  elected  to  pay  the  cost  out  of  its  gen- 
eral revenues,  the  Oklahoma  Supreme  Court 
said,  in  the  case  of  Byrum  vs.  City  of 
Shawnee,  200  Pacific  Reporter,  183: 

"It  is  well  settled  that  municipal  corporations 
cannot  issue  bonds  or  other  like  securities  un- 
less the  power  to  do  so  is  conferred  by  legisla- 
tive authority,  either  express  or  clearly  implied." 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Cheaper  power  with  tractors 

Tractors  are  proving  profitable  equipment  for  road- 
builders  in  all  parts  of  the  country — profitable  because 
of  the  time  saved  on  a  given  piece  of  work,  and  because 
of  the  fewer  hands  required. 

With  a  Best  Tracklayer  Tractor  the  contractor 
can  go  ahead  with  his  work  in  most  any  weather.  He 
moves  more  earth  and  makes  a  better,  smoother  job.  His 
power  is  steady,  dependable,  flexible  and  compact.  He 
can  negotiate  grades  without  difficulty,  and  in  faster  time. 

Best  Tractors  have  proven  their  mettle  over  a  period 
of  many  years  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  They  have 
earned  a  reputation  for  dependability,  power  and  low 
cost  of  operation.  BEST  design  and  workmanship  have 
been  established  by  time  and  the  test  of  actual,  practi- 
cal usage  on  a  large  -variety  of  heavy-duty  work. 

Write  for  full  data,  prices  and  the  names  of  our 
nearest  dealers.  Let  us  give  you  the  details  of  how 
Best  Tractors  are  serving  road -builders. 


*BEST 

TRADE     MARK 


REGISTERED 


C.  L.  BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO,  CALIFORNIA 


tRACTORS 


"Cruiser''  (60) 


There  are  three  modets  of 
Best  Tracklayer  Tractors 
as  shown  above.  oHllare 
factory  built-not  assembled 


83 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


February,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


187 


Municipal  Contractor  is  Not  Responsi- 
ble for  Defects  in  Plans  Not  Pre- 
pared by  Him 

A  contractor  constructing  a  reservoir  for 
a  city  under  plans  and  specifications  fur- 
nished him  by  the  city  was  not  responsi- 
ble for  insufficiency  of  the  work  resulting 
from  a  defect  in  the  plan  arising  from  the 
character  of  the  soil  of  the  site.  Reaching 
this  conclusion  in  the  case  of  Walsh  Con- 
struction Co.  vs.  City  of  Cleveland,  271 
Federal  Reporter,  701,  the  United  States 
District  Court  for  the  Northern  District  of 
Ohio  said: 

"The  site  was  selected  by  the  city.  The 
plans  and  specifications  were  designed  and  pre- 
pared by  the  city.  The  entire  design  of  the 
reservoir  was  prepared  by  the  city.  The  con- 
tractor was  bound  to  furnish  material  and  per- 
form labor  only  in  constructing  a  reservoir  of 
that  design  and  upon  that  site,  without  any 
power  to  modify  the  designs  or  plans  to  meet 
unexpected  conditions.  If  the  contractor  should 
undertake  so  to  do  in  order  to  produce  a  better 
structure,  such,  for  instance,  as  providing  pile 
foundations  or  making  the  concrete  bottom  or 
walls  of  additional  thickness,  the  work  would 
have  been  wholly  outside  of  his  contract  and 
contrary  to  the  plans  and  specifications.  The 
contractor,  neither  expressly  nor  impliedly, 
guaranteed  or  warranted  that  a  reservoir  con- 
structed on  that  site  and  according  to  the  de- 
sign and  plans  would  answer  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  intended.  The  city  or  its  officials 
could  make  changes,  if  any  were  deemed  neces- 
sary to  correct  the  faults  of  the  design;  but 
the  contractor  was  not  at  liberty  so  to  do.  The 
contractor  was  bound  to  build  as  had  been 
agreed  and  as  he  was  from  time  to  time  di- 
rected. The  contractor  here  is  not  in  the  posi- 
tion of  one  who  undertakes  to  construct  a  build- 
ing or  to  produce  a  given  result  and  has  free 
choice  of  the  means  whereby  that  result  may 
be  accomplished.  In  cases  of  this  character  it 
is  settled  law  that  if  a  contractor  performs  his 
contract  according  to  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tions, he  is  not  responsible  for  the  failure  of 
the  structure  because  of  faulty  design,  or  be- 
cause the  structure  as  designed  and  built  will 
not  answer  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  in- 
tended." 

Not  Negligence  to  Permit  Pole  Neces- 
sary for  Public  Convenience  to  Be 
Erected  Within  Street  Limits 

Holding  that  neither  the  city  of  Biloxi 
nor  a  traction  company  was  liable  for  the 
death  of  a  motor-cyclist  who  collided  with  a 
guy  wire  post  maintained  in  a  street  in  con- 
nection with  the  traction  company's  trolley 
system,  the  Mississippi  Supreme  Court  said 
in  the  case  of  Gulfport  &  Mississippi  Coast 
Traction  Co.  vs.  Manuel,  85  Southern  Re- 
porter, 308; 


"It  is  insisted  by  the  plaintiff  that  it  was  neg- 
ligence for  the  city  and  the  traction  company 
to  erect  within  the  limits  of  the  street  the  poles 
in  question;  that  the  street  must  be  kept  in  a 
reasonably  safe  condition  for  travel.  While 
the  streets  must  be  used  for  public  purposes,  it 
is  not  necessary  for  the  entire  space  to  be  kept 
in  condition  for  travel.  The  city  may  lawfully 
use  the  street  for  the  construction  of  sewers, 
for  drainage,  to  lay  gas  or  water  pipes,  or  to 
erect  poles  or  string  wires  for  electric  lights, 
or  to  construct  a  wharf  at  tlie  terminus  of  the 
street,  or  convert  a  promenade  into  wharves,  or 
set  apart  for  a  boulevard  a  portion  of  a  street 
not  devoted  to  business  purposes.     28  Cyc.  853. 

"It  is  permissible  for  the  city  to  set  apart  a 
portion  of  the  street  for  the  erection  of  poles  to 
support  light,  telephone,  and  trolley  wires.  The 
electric  street  car  system  is  a  convenience  and 
necessity  which  serves  the  public  interest,  and 
it  is  not  negligence  to  erect  poles  between  the 
sidewalk  and  the  traveled  parts  of  the  street. 
The  traveled  part  of  the  street  was  practically 
18  feet  wide  and  is  sufficient  for  the  travel  ac- 
cording to  the  record  before,  us.  The  pole  in 
question  was  located  some  2^  feet  beyond  the 
edges  of  the  traveled  way  as  ordinarily  used  by 
the  traveling  public.  The  extent  of  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  city  in  working  its  streets  is  to  keep 
them  reasonably  safe  for  general  use.  It  is  not 
required  to  have  them  in  such  condition  as  to 
insure  the  safety  of  reckless  drivers.  .  .  . 
A  user  of  vehicles  is  not  entitled  to  the  entire 
street  from  property  line  to  property  line.  The 
street  not  only  serves  the  needs  of  the  traveling 
public,  but  serves  also  the  purpose  of  furnishing 
the  public  the  conveniences  above  set  out." 

Railroad  Employee  Held  Disqualified 
Under  Statute  to  Hold  Municipal 
Office 

Where  a  railroad  company  uses  certain 
streets  and  alleys  in  a  city  under  ordinances 
granting  it  the  right  to  occupy  them  with  its 
tracks  upon  condition  that  it  shall  conform 
to  certain  requirements  including  the  keep- 
ing the  track  in  good  condition  with  respect 
to  general  travel,  the  paving  of  the  track  be- 
tween the  rails,  and  the  maintaining  of  a 
driveway  and  sidewalk  for  the  public,  one 
who  is  employed  by  such  company  as  a 
boiler  maker  is  disqualified  to  hold  the 
office  of  city  commissioner,  under  a  statute 
which  provides  that  no  employee  of  a  rail- 
way corporation  operating  under  a  franchise 
granted  by  a  city,  or  having  any  contract 
with  it,  shall  hold  any  city  office.  The  term 
"franchise"  is  used  in  such  statute  in  a 
broad  and  general  rather  than  a  narrow  and 
technical  sense,  and  covers  rights  acquired 
under  such  ordinances,  and  the  relations  of 
the  city  and  railway  company  under  such 
ordinances  are  contractual.  (Kansas  Su- 
preme Court,  State  vs.  Grove,  201  Pacific, 
Reporter,  82.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  Mack  Light  Bituminous 
Material  Distributor 


Your  road  maintenance 
next  Spring 

Now  is  the  time  to  get  ready 

INCLUDED  in  our  unusual  line  of  special  motor- 
ized equipment  for  municipalities,  counties 
and  contractors  is  this  Mack  Light  Bituminous 
Material  Distributor. 

This  equipment  is  a  fool-proof  machine  for  hand- 
ling cold  material  and  requires  only  a  driver  for 
its  operation.  The  elimination  of  the  extra 
operator  which  is  usually  needed  on  ordinary 
machines,  means  economy  for  its  owner. 

The  tank  body  can  be  demounted  when  its  particular  work 
is  done  and  a  dump  body  substituted.  This  continuous 
chassis  use  effects  large  savings  and  many  highway  boards 
and  commissioners  are  finding  this  a  practical  way  to 
economize  on  their  road  maintenance  equipment. 

INTERNATIONAL  MOTOR  COMPANY 

25  Broadway,  New  York 

PERFORMANCE  COUNTS 


Capacities: 

Vh  to  7'/2  tons. 
Tractors  to  15  tons. 


84 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Tb»  Amwicah  City. 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


189 


Ordinance  Requiring  License  for 
Business  of  Selling  or  Delivering 
Soft  Drinks— Held  Void 

In  the  case  of  Village  of  Westville  v. 
Rainwater,  128  Northeastern  Reporter,  492, 
the  Illinois  Supreme  Court  declared  the  fol- 
lowing ordinance  to  be  void,  as  applied  to 
one  engaged  in  delivering  soft  drinks  to 
retail  dealers: 

"It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person,  firm  or 
corporation  in  said  village,  either  by  himself  or 
agents,  or  for  any  agents,  dispensers,  clerks, 
servants  or  other  persons,  to  sell  any  malt, 
cereal,  grain  or  fruit  beverages,  extracts  or 
substitutes  thereof,  or  to  sell  or  offer  for  sale 
any  ice  cream,  ice  cream  sodas,  pop  or  ginger 
ale,  or  any  other  drinks  known  as  soft  drinks, 
without  first  having  obtained  license  to  do  so, 
which  said  license  shall  be  known  as  a  retail 
soft  drink  license.  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any 
person  or  persons  to  deliver  any  of  the  above- 
mentioned  articles,  or  act  as  agents  or  dispensers 
of  the  same,  without  first  having  obtained  a 
license  which  is  hereby  denominated  as  a  whole- 
sale license ;  provided,  that  nothing  herein  con- 
tained shall  be  construed  as  operating  to  grant 
the  right  to  sell  beverages  containing  more  than 
one-half  (^)  of  one  (i)  per  cent  alcohol." 

The  gist  of  the  opinion  of  the  Court  is 
as  follows: 

"The  health,  safety,  welfare,  and  comfort  of 
the  population  of  cities  and  villages  are  proper 
subjects  for  the  exercise  of  the  police  power, 
and  under  a  delegation  of  the  power  they  may 
regulate  any  occupation  or  business  the  unre- 
strained pursuit  of  which  might  injuriously 
affect  the  public  in  the  respects  mentioned,  but 
ordinances  requiring  a  business  or  occupation 
to  be  licensed  must  in  some  degree  tend  toward 
the  prevention  of  some  evil,  and  have  for  their 
aim  the  protection  of  the  public  health,  safety, 
morals,  or  welfare.  Wilkie  v.  City  of  Chicago, 
188  111.,  444,  58  N.  E.  1004,  80  Am.  St.  Rep.  182. 
What  kind  of  business  or  occupation  injuriously 
affects  the  public  interests  is  primarily  for  the 
consideration  of  the  municipal  authorities,  but 
the  power  to  control  or  regulate  must  be  ex- 
pressly or  impliedly  delegated  and  be  exercised 
in  good  faith  and  within  reasonable  bounds. 
The  business  of  delivering  to  the  purchaser  bev- 
erages containing  less  than  one-half  of  i  per 
cent  alcohol  by  volume  was  a  lawful  business, 
and  the  authority  to  require  appellee  to  take 
out  a  license  is  not  expressly  or  impliedly  con- 
ferred on  municipalities  by  the  Cities  and  Vil- 
lages Act. 

"In  this  decision  we  have  not  considered  the 
power  of  the  municipality  to  require  the  person 
who  keeps  a  place  for  the  retail  of  soft  drinks 
to  customers  to  take  out  a  license.  That  ques- 
tion is  in  no  way  involved,  for  the  only  business 
appellee  was  engaged  in  was  driving  a  truck  for 
the  delivery  of  non-intoxicating  beverages  to 
the  retail  dealer." 


Municipality  May  by  Ordinance 
Regulate  PooURooms  and  May  Re- 
quire Written  Applications  and 
Bonds  for  License 

The  decision  of  the  Georgia  Supreme 
Court  in  the  case  of  Purvis  v.  City  of  Ocilla, 
102  Southeastern  Reporter,  241,  deals  with 
the  validity  of  various  municipal  measures 
designed  to  keep  public  pool-  or  billiard- 
rooms  in  proper  subjection.  The  Court  lays 
down  the  following  propositions: 

The  operation  of  such  places  is  subject 
to  strict  regulation  under  the  police  power. 
But  where  there  is  charter  power  merely 
to  regulate — not  prohibit — their  operation, 
that  power  must  be  exercised  reasonably. 
And  a  clause  in  an  ordinance  limiting  the 
operation  of  pool-  or  billiard-rooms  to  a 
certain  district  will  be  held  to  be  void  where 
it  appears  that  it  is  intended  as  a  virtual 
prohibition  against  the  operation  of  such 
places. 

But  a  licensing  ordinance  may  require 
written  application  for  a  license  to  be  filed, 
the  giving  of  bond  conditioned  to  keep  an 
orderly  room,  observe  all  local  regulations, 
and-  pay  any  fines  assessed  for  their  viola- 
tion. 

And,  under  the  usual  general  welfare 
clause,  a  municipality  may  provide  that 
such  establishments  shall  not  be  kept  open 
between  the  hours  of  7  p.  m.  and  6  a.  m., 
nor  on  Sundays  or  holidays. 

A  provision  making  it  unlawful  to  sell 
merchandise  in  a  pool-room,  or  to  conduct 
any  other  business,  trade,  or  calling  there, 
is  reasonable. 

An  annual  license  tax  (as  distinguished 
from  a  tax  for  revenue)  of  $125  on  the  first 
table,  $100  on  the  second,  and  $75  on  each 
additional  table  operated  is  not  invalid  as 
being  excessive. 

City  in  Improving  Street  Bound  to 
Guard   Against   Heavy   Rainfall 

In  improving  a  street  and  thereby  divert- 
ing the  flow  of  surface  water,  a  city  is 
bound  to  foresee  the  consequence  of  a  heavy 
rainfall  in  flooding  private  property,  and 
guard  against  it,  where  the  overflow  reas- 
onably may  be  expected  and  anticipated, 
although  rainfalls  of  such  severity  may  be 
infrequent.  (North  Carolina  Supreme 
Court,  Shaw  v.  City  of  Greensboro,  loi 
Southeastern  Reporter,  27.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


^enml  Motor^ltadcs 


BUFFALO  POLICE  PATROLS  TELL  THEIR  OWN  STORY 


"Because  of  the  low  repair  cost  of  the  first 
GMC  truck  purchased  for  the  Police  Depart- 
ment, we  have  added  five  others,"  says  Mr. 
Henry  W.  Alt,  Superintendent  of  motive  power 
of  the  Buffalo  Police  Department. 

"Our  first  GMC  was  purchased  in  November, 
1917.  During  its  first  year  of  operation  the  total 
cost  of  repairs  was  $19.00  which  is  about  25  per 
cent  of  the  lowest  cost  of  any  of  our  other  trucks 
during  the  same  period.  Encouraged  by  this 
splendid  record,  we  purchased  five  more  GMC's 
and  put  them  in  our  sub- stations  for  patrol 
wagons. 

"The  original  GMC  is  equipped  as  an  electri- 
cal repair  wagon  and  takes  care  of  all  the  re- 
pairs on  the  electrical  equipment  used  by  the 
police  department.  It  has  been  given  extremely 
hard  usage,  standing  up  remarkably  well. 

40  Miles  Daily 

"The  five  newer  GMC  trucks  are  equipped 
with  standard  patrol  wagon  bodies.  They  op- 
erate from  the  police  stations  in  different  parts 
of  the  city  and  answer  calls  when  arrests  are 
made.  In  the  morning  they  take  prisoners  to 
and  from  court  to  the  penitentiary  or  out  to  the 
farm.    These  trucks  operate  seven  days  a  week 


and  average  about  40  miles  a  day.  They  are 
certainly  well  suited  for  their  work  and  we 
have  found  them  very  dependable." 

GMC  trucks  are  designed  and  built  to  meet 
hauling  problems.  Not  only  are  they  trucks  of 
established  ability,  but  they  are  far  in  advance 
of  the  general  trend  of  motor  truck  design  in 
their  features  of  construction  which  make  for 
more  econoinical  operating  costs  and  rapid  and 
inexpensive  replacements. 

Many  Improvements 

With  such  improvements  as  the  new  two- 
range  transmission,  removable  cylinder  walls, 
pressure  lubrication,  removable  valve  lifter  as- 
semblies, instantaneous  centrifugal  governor, 
and  dual  cooling  system,  GMC  trucks  offer  the 
motor  truck  user  every  possible  advantage. 
Moreover  the  complete  line  of  GMC  trucks 
from  one  to  five  tons  capacity  has  recently  been 
reduced  in  price  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  the 
times  and  substantial  reductions  also  have  been 
made  upon  all  service  parts. 

Write  direct  to  the  factory  or  ask  your  GMC 
dealer  for  detailed  information  about  GMC 
trucks. 


General  Motors  Truck  Company 

Division  of  General  Motors  Corporation 

Pontiac,    Michigan 

DEAIiEBS  AND  SEBVICE  IK  PRINCIPAL  CITIES 


191 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


DRAINAGE  AND   SANITATION 

E.  H.  Blake,  Vice-President,  Institution  of  Sanitary- 
Engineers,    London,    England.       D.    Van    Nostrand 
Company,  New  York  City.     1921.     Second  Edition. 
XII  +  519  pp.     379  illustrations.     $4.50. 
An  interesting  book  on  domestic  sanitation,  including 
the  planning,   construction,  and  prevention  of  dampness 
in  buildings;  their  ventilation,  heating  and  lighting,  and 
water-supply;   sanitary  fittings  and  waste  pipe;  exterior 
and    interior   drainage;    sewage    disposal;    the   materials 
used   in    sanitary   work ;    sanitary   surveys    and  reports ; 
refuse     disposal ;     disinfection     and     smoke     abatement. 
There  is  also   a   chapter  of  legal  notes  regarding  statu- 
tory enactments  governing  sanitary  matters  in  England. 
PLUMBING    FIXTURE    TRAPS— VENTED    AND    UN- 
VENTED  TRAPS 

A.  E.  Hansen,  Hydraulic  and  Sanitary  Engineer,  2 
Rector    Street,    New    York,    author    and    publisher. 
1921.      83  pp.      Illustrated.      $2.00. 
This  book  has  been  prepared  as  the  result  of  an  his- 
torical, statistical  and  experimental  engineering  research 
on  vented  and  unvented  traps.     It  gives  a  very  detailed 
discussion  of  the  history,  uses  and  value  of  the  various 
types  of  traps  in  use  in  the  United  States  to-day.   Tables 
are   included  showing   the    types    of   traps   permitted   in 
different   cities.     The  book  is   particularly  valuable  for 
the  municipal    official   or   the   department   which   has   in 
mind  the  revision  of  its  plumbing  code. 
BUDGET  MAKING 

Arthur  Eugene   Buck,   of  the   National   Institute   of 
Public  Administration  and  the  New  York  Bureau  of 
Municipal    Research.      D.    Appleton    and    Company, 
New  York.     1921.     VII  +  234  pp.     $3.00. 
This   volume   presents    a    comprehensive   discussion   of 
the  methods  of  budget  making  with  illustrations  drawn 
from  state  and  city  budget  practices.     It  contains  a  set 
of  model    estimate   forms   and   exhibits    of   the   essential 
statements  of  the  budget  document.     Although  designed 
with  special  reference  to  states,  it  is  equally  applicable 
in  principles  to  the  preparation  of  municipal  budgets. 
PRINCIPLES    OF    PUBLIC    PERSONNEL    ADMINIS- 
TRATION 

Arthur   W.    Proctor.      Published   for    the   Institute 
for  G-overnment  Research.      D.   Appleton  and  Com- 
pany,   New    York.      1921.      242    pp.      $3.00. 
The  author  has  long  been   connected  with  the  study 
of  problems  of  personnel   administration,    as   a   member 
of    the    late    President's    Commission    on    Economy    and 
Efficiency,   the  New  York  Bureau  of  Governmental   Re- 
search,   and    the    Institute    for    Government    Research. 
The  volume  has  been  prepared  as  a  guide  to  the  study 
of   the    subject,    and    includes    the   state    and   municipal 
as  well  as  th^  Federal  and  civil  service.     The   chapter 
on  "The  Conduct  of  a  Standardization  Inquiry"   covers 
a  most  important   phase  of  municipal   administration. 
PENOLOGY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Louis   N.  Robinson,   Ph.D.,   Chief  Probation  Officer, 
Municipal  Court  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.     The  John  C. 
Winston    Company,    Philadelphia.      1921.      344   pp. 
$3.00. 
A  comprehensive  work  by  a  well-known  authority  on 
penologry.      It  discusses   in   detail   such  topics  as  Jails, 
penitentiaries,   reformatories,   prison   labor  and   compen- 
sation, and  probation  and  parole.     The  chapters  on  jails 
and  the  probation  and  parole  systems  will  be  of  especial 
interest  and  value  to  municipal   officials. 
COMMUNITY  LIFE  AND  CIVIC  PROBLEMS 

Howard  Copeland  Hill.  Head  of  the  Department  of 
Social  Science,  University  of  Chicago  High  School. 
Ginn  and   Company,  Boston.   Mass.      1921.     XX   -f 
528  pp.,   index  and  appendix.      Illustrated.      $1.40. 
This  book  is  in  the  nature  of  a  civics  textbook,  large 
parts  having  been  used  for  some  time,  in  mimeographed 
form,    in    the    laboratory    schools    of    the    University    of 
Chicago.     It  is  also  well  suited  for  evening  school  work, 
especially  before  classes  of  aliens  preparing  for  citizen- 
ship. 
RURAL    COMMUNITY   ORGANIZATION 

Augustus  W.  Hayes,  Assistant  Professor  of  Sociol- 
ogy,   Tulane   University,    of    Louisiana.      Published 
by  The  University  of  Chicago  Press,   Chicago,  111. 
1921      XI  -f   127  pp.     Maps.     $1.50. 
The   author  discusses   the  organization  of  such   units 
as  the  Trade  Area,   the  Rural   School  District,  and  the 
Consolidated    School   District. 


COMMERCIAL  REGISTER  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

30th  Edition,   S.  E.  Hendricks  Company,  Inc.,  New 

York.  2,324  pp.  $12.50. 
Published  in  the  standard  size  of  SJ/a  x  liyi  inches, 
Hendricks'  Commercial  Register  is  even  more  valuable 
than  before.  Its  lists  completely  cover  the  electrical, 
engineering,  machinery,  building,  manufacturing,  chem- 
ical and  similar  industries.  This  book  is  comprehensive, 
well  arranged,  and  thoroughly  indexed  for  instant  refer- 
ence, and  is  an  invaluable  guide  in  purchasing  and 
selling. 

MARKETING  AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS 

Benjamin  H.  Hibbard,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Agricul- 
tural Economics,  University  of  Wisconsin.     D.  Ap- 
pleton   and    Company,    New    York.      1921.      XV    -4- 
389  pp.      $2.50. 
A   timely   volume   on   a   subject   of   great   importance. 
It  includes  an  expert  analysis   of  the  growing  coopera- 
tive  movement,    giving   accomplishments    and   prospects. 
CITY  PLANNING  IN  HAMILTON,   OHIO 

"The  City  Plan  of  Hamilton,  Ohio."  Published  by 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  66  pp.  Maps  and  Illustra- 
tions. 1920.  Description  of  the  plan  prepared  by-Har- 
land  Bartholomew,  of  St.  Louis.  (Apply  to  Louis  H 
Prechthng,  Secretary,  City  Planning  Commission, 
Hamilton,  Ohio.) 

THE  PROPER  LOCATION  OF  A  CITY  HALL 

"Report  on  Proposed  Location  for  Town  Hall  To- 
gether with  Other  Changes  Suggested  in  Watertown 
Square.  Prepared    by    John    Nolen,    Town    Planner, 

Cambridge,  Mass.     A  survey  made  for  Watertown,  Mass' 
It  pp.  and  map.     1921.     (Apply  to  John  Nolen,  Harvard 
Square,   Cambridge,   Mass.) 
COMMUNITY  TRUST  FOR  NEWARK 

"Community    Trust    for    Newark    and    Its    Vicinity" 
published  by  the  Fidelity  Union  Trust  Company,  Trustee 
Newark,  N.  J      21  pp.     Describes  the  organization  and 
purpose  of  the  trust.      (Apply  to  publishers.) 
NEW  JERSEY  INDUSTRIES 

"Industrial  Opportunities  in  New  Jersey,"  published 
by  tlio  Land  Registry,  Department  of  Conservation  and 
Development,  State  House,  Trenton,  N.  J.  32  pp  Maps 
and  illustrations.  Describes  the  facilities  of  the  state 
and  its  resources.  (Apply  to  L.  Q.  Gillam,  Chief,  Land 
Registry,  address  above.) 
ROAD  BUILDERS'  ASSOCIATION 

"Proceedings  of  the  Eighteenth  Annual  Convention  of 
the  American  Road  Builders'  Association,"  held  at 
Chicago.  111.,  February  9-12,  1921.  Published  by  the 
American  Road  Builders'  Association.  154  pp  Com- 
plete proceedings  with  lists  of  officers  and  directors 
(Apply  to  the  American  Road  Builders'  Association,  11 
Waverly  Place,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 
FEDERAL  ROAD  BUILDING 

'"The  Organization  and  Work  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Public  Roads."  Published  by  the  American  Road 
Builders  Association,  11  Waverly  Place,  New  York 
llshe^s  *"  ^^'  •^""^*'"**®^-  1922.  (Apply  to  pub- 
STIMULATING  SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE 

"Better  Attendance  in  Delaware  Schools  "  being  a 
series  of  newspaper  articles  and  statistical  tables  used 
during  School  Attendance  Week  to  emphasize  the  need 
of  better  attendance  in  Delaware  Schools.  Prepared  by 
Richard  Watson  Cooper,  Director,  Bureau  of  Education 
Ihe  Service  Citizens  of  Delaware,  and  published  by 
them.  02  pp.  1921.  (Apply  to  H.  V.  Holloway,  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Dover  Del  ) 
KINDERGARTENS  .      ^'  / 

T,  'i.',T*l®  ^^°"^'"^  *°d  Equipment  of  Kindergartens" 
Published  as  Bulletin  No.  13,  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, Bureau  of  Education.  27  pp.  1921.  10  cents 
This  bulletin  was  prepared  with  the  cooperation  of  a 
committee  of  the  International  Kindergarten  Union 
Miss  Grace  L.  Brown,  Chairman,  and  with  the  help  of 
Miss  Grace  M.  Janney.  (Apply  to  P.  P.  Claxton,  Com- 
missioner, Department  of  the  Interior,  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion. Washineton,  D.  C.) 
CITY  PLANNING  IN  BRISTOL,  CONN. 

"Local  Survey  and  City  Planning  Proposals  for  Bris- 
tol, Conn."  35  pp.  Maps.  1920.  Account  of  plans 
prepared  by  John  Nolen,  of  Cambridge,  Mass  (Apply 
to  Joseph  F.  Dntton,   Mayor,   Bristol,  Conn  ) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Plan   Now 

for  that 

Street  Flusher 


All  the  cities  that  are  likely 
to  require  Street  Flushing 
Apparatus  this  year  will 
find  it  hard  to  get  equip- 
ment, if  they  defer  the 
matter  until  after  winter 
abates. 

Much    new 

pavement  is 

being    built, 

—  pavement 

which  should 

be    protected    by    proper 

cleaning. 


TIFFIN 

Combination  Flusher 
and  Sprinkler 

Licensed  under  Ottofy  Pat.  No.  795059 


The  machine  that  has 
shown  itself  most  effective, 
most  economical  and  most 
durable,  is  the  TIFFIN 
TWO-MOTOR-SYSTEM 
FLUSHER. 

Start  to 
make  your 
arrange- 
ments  now 
for  that 
flusher. 


The  sanitary  way  and  the 
way  of  greatest  economy 
is  by  flushing  with  water. 


Let  us  submit  data  and 
specifications,  records 
and  references.  It  will 
certainly  pay  you  to  act 
now. 


The  TIFFIN  WAGON  Company 

TIFFIN,  OHIO 
Makers,  also,  of  Tiffin  Municipal  Trucks,  Dump  and  Farm  Wagons,  etc.,   etc. 
Representatives  in  Principal  Cities. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thk  Amxxican  City. 


February,  1922  THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


193 


MODERN  SCHOOL  BUILDINGS 

"Concrete  School  Houses,"   published  by  the  Lehigh 
Portland  Cement  Company,  Allentown,  Pa.      12  pp.     Il- 
lustrated.      Describes    the    advantages    of    concrete    for 
construction  of  this  sort.      (Apply  to  publishers.) 
MUNICIPAL  BUDGETS 

"City  Budget  Facts,"  based  upon  the  official  esti- 
mates of  the  city  of  Toronto.  Issaea  by  the  Toronto 
Bureau  of  Municipal  Research.  28  pp.  1921.  De- 
tailed presentation  of  the  Toronto  Budget,  with  graphic 
analysis.  (Apply  to  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  189 
Church  Street,  Toronto,  Ont.) 
CHARITY  IN   CHICAGO 

"Charity  Service  Reports,"  of  Cook  County,  111.  336 
pp.  Illustrated.  For  the  fiscal  year  1920.  Includes 
reports  of  the  Department  of  Poor  Relief,  the  County 
Hospital,  the  Institutions  at  Oak  Forest,  the  Juvenile 
Detention  Home,  the  Bureau  of  Social  Service,  and  tlie 
Adult  Probation  Department,  together  with  the  annual 
message  of  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners- 
of  Cook  County.  (Apply  to  Robert  M.  Sweitzer,  Clerk 
of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Cook  County,  Chicago, 
111.) 
MUNICIPAL  FORESTRY 

"The  Forest  Preserves  of  Cook  County,  111.,"  pre- 
pared by  the  Board  of  Forest  Preserve  Comissioners  of 
Cook  County.  223  pp.  Illustrated.  1921.  Descrip- 
tions of  the  Preserve  and  the  activities  centered  there. 
(Apply  to  William  Gorihley,  Secretary,  Board  of  Forest 
Preserve  Commissioners  of  Cook  County,  Chicago,  111.) 
TRACTION  PROBLEM  IN  CHICAGO 

"A  Discussion  of  the  Traction  Problem  in  Chicago, 
with  a  Proposal  of  a  Financial  Plan  for  Municipal  Ac- 
quisition of  the  Properties  and  the  Operation  Thereof." 
Submitted  by  Ulysses  S.  Schwartz,  Chairman,  Committee 
on  Local  Transportation,  City  Council  of  Chicago.  35 
pp.  1921.  (Apply  to  author.  City  Hall,  Chicago,  111.) 
UNEMPLOYMENT   RELIEF  FOR  CHICAGO 

"An  Appeal  to  Business  Men,"  being  suggestions  for 
providing  work  for  the  unemployed,  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  relation  of  national  prosperity  to  city  plan- 
ning, and  the  relations  between  business  and  the  Chicago 
Plan,  by  Charles  H.  Wacker,  Chairman,  Chicago  Plan 
Commission.  18  pp.  1921.  (Apply  to  author,  Chicago 
Plan  Commission,  Hotel  Shtiman,  Chicago,  111.) 
FORESTRY  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA 

,"The  Forest  Problem  in  North  Carolina,"  by  W.  Dar- 
ro'w  Clark,  Chief  Forest  Fire  Warden.  Published  by 
the  North  Carolina  Geologic  and  Economic  Survey  as 
Circular  No.  1.  14  pp.  1922.  A  discussion  of  forest 
fires  and  their  prevention.  (Apply  to  author.  Chapel 
Hill,  N.  C.) 
TEE  PROPER  CONSTRUCTION  OF  CHIMNEYS 

"An  Ordinance  for  the  Construction  of  Chimneys," 
suitable  for  use  in  cities  and  towns  of  any  size,  or  as  a 
state  law.  Recommended  by  the  National  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters,  Committee  of  Construction  of  Buildings. 
Second  Edition,  revised.  20  pp.  Illustrated.  1921. 
(Apply    to    Ira    H.    Woolson,    Consulting    Engineer,    Na- 


tional Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,    76  William   Street, 
New   York,   N.  Y.) 

A     SURVEY     OF     EDUCATION     IN     THE     UNITED 
STATES 

"Higher  Education,"  by  George  F.  Zook,  Specialist 
in  Higher  Education,  Bureau  of  Education,  Department 
of  the  Interior.  Published  as  Department  Bulletin  No. 
21.  45  pp.  1921.  5  cents.  These  are  advance  sheets 
from  the  Biennial  Survey  of  Education  in  the  United 
States,  1918-20.  (Apply  to  author,  address  above.) 
INDUSTRIAL   CONDITIONS    IN   NEW   YORK   STATE 

"The  Industrial  Bulletin,"  issued  monthly  by  the 
Industrial  Commissioner  of  New  York  State,  Vol.  1,  No. 
1,  October,  1921.  This  is  a  combination  of  the  Bulletin 
of  the  State  Labor  Department  and  the  Labor  Market 
Bulletin.  (Apply  to  Victor  T.  Holland,  Editor,  The 
Industrial  Bulletin,  Albany,  N.  Y.) 
PROGRESS   IN   AMERICAN   COMMUNITIES 

"A  Hundred  Milestones  of  Commercial  Organization 
Progress."  1921.  64  pp.  The  stories  of  one  dis- 
tinctive achievement  in  each  of  a  hundred  American 
communities  within  a  year,  told  by  the  Secretaries,  at 
the  Seventh  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Commercial  Organization  Secretaries,  New  Or- 
leans, October,  1921.  (Apply  to  R.  H.  Faxon,  Sec- 
retary, the  Mississippi  Valley  Association,  New  Or- 
leans,  La.) 

NATIONAL    ASSOCIATION    OF     COMMERCIAL    OR- 
GANIZATION SECRETARIES 

'  'Proceedings  of  the  Seventh  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
National  Association  of  Commercial  Organization  Sec- 
retaries," at  New  Orleans,  La.,  October  24-26,  1921. 
294  pp.  Complete  proceedings,  with  list  of  those  in 
attendance.  (Apply  to  John  E.  Northway,  Secretary- 
Treasurer  of  the  National  Association,  Secretary,  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Hamilton,  Ohio.) 
SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  CINCINNATI 

"Community  Resi)onsibility, "  a  review  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Social  Unit  Experiment,  by  Courtenay  Dinwiddie, 
with  statistics  of  Health  Services  in  the  Unit  District,  by 
Bennet  L.  Mead.  Published  by  the  New  York  School 
of  Social  Work,  105  East  22nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
1921.  171  pp.  35  cents,  postage  included.  A  mono- 
graph on  the  experience  of  the  Social  Unit  in  Cincin- 
nati during  the  three  years  ending  July  1,  1920.  Al- 
though this  experiment  terminated  some  time  ago,  no 
such  complete  account  has  hitherto  appeared.  (Apply 
to  publishers.) 
RURAL   DEVELOPMENT 

"Lifting  the  Country  Community  by  Its  Own  Boot- 
straps," by  Nat  T.  Frame,  Director  Agricultural  Ex- 
tension, College  of  Agriculture,  West  Virginia  Uni- 
versity, Morgantown,  W.  Va.,  in  cooperation  with  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.  Published 
as  Circular  No.  255  of  the  Extension  Division.  October, 
1921.  15  pp.  Illustrated.  Gives  method  of  scoring 
country  communities,  especially  for  use  in  connection 
with  country  life  conferences.  (Apply  to  author,  ad- 
dress above.) 


Municipal  Reports 


Baltimore,  Md. — Annual  Report  of  the  Comptroller  of 
Baltimore  City  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  December  31, 
1920.  (Apply  to  Peter  E.  Tome,  Comptroller,  Baltimore, 
Md.) 

Cleveland,  Ohio. — Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Board 
of  Park  Commissioners  of  the  Cleveland  Metropolitan 
Park  District,  for  the  year  1920.  (Apply  to  Stephen  H. 
Hazelwood,  Secretary,  Board  of  Park  Commissioners, 
Old  Court  House,  Cleveland,  Ohio.) 

Erie,  Pa. — Fifty-fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Water  Works,  for  the  year  ending  December 
31,  1920.  (Apply  to  George  C.  (Jensheimer,  Secretary, 
Commissioners  of  Water  Works,  Erie,  Pa.) 

Fltchburg,  Mass.— Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Public  Works,  for  year  ending  November 
30,  1920.  (Apply  to  David  A.  Hartwell,  Commissioner 
of  Public  Works,  Fitchburg,  Mass.) 

Greenwood,  S.  C. — Twenty-second  Annual  Report  of 
the  Water  and  Electric  Light  Plant,  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  1921.  (Apply  to  A.  J.  Sproles,  Superin- 
tendent,   Greenwood,    S.   C.) 

Louisvlllo,  Ky. — Annual  Report  of  the  President, 
Board  of  Park  Commissioners  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
August  31,  1921.  (Apply  to  Harry  G.  Evans,  Secre- 
tary, Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  601  Columbia 
Building,  Louisville,  Ky.) 

New  Orleans,  La. — Forty-second  Semi-annual  Report 
of  the  Sewerage  and  Water  Board  for  the  period  ending 
December  31,  1920.  (Api)ly  to  George  G.  Earl.  General 
Superintendent,  Sewerage  and  Water  Board,  City  Hall 
Annex,  New  Orleans,  La.) 

Kewport,  R.  I. — Annual  Report  of  the  Highway  De- 
partment, for  the  year  1920.  (Apply  to  John  F.  Sulli- 
van,  Street  Commissioner,  Newport,  R.  I.) 


Newton,  Mass. — Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  of  Police, 
for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1920.  (Apply  to 
Frederic  M.  Mitchell,  Chief  of  Police.  Newton,  Mass.) 

New  York,  N.  T. — Preliminary  Report  of  a  Special 
Committee  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 
concerning  the  Brooklyn-Richmond  Freight  and  Pas- 
senger Tunnel.  (Apply  to  Arthur  S.  Tuttle,  Chief 
Engineer,  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  New 
York,   N.  Y.) 

Pasadena,  Calif. — Fourteenth  Annual  Report  of  Pasa- 
dena's Municipal  Lighting  Works  Department  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1921.  (Apply  to  C.  W.  Koiner, 
City  Manager,  Pasadena,   Calif.) 

Philadelphia,  Pa. — Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of 
Surveys,  Department  of  Public  Works,  for  the  year 
1920.  (Apply  to  Charles  Frommer,  Acting  Chief  Engi- 
neer, Bureau  of  Surveys,  Philadelphia,  Pa.) 

Philadelphia,  Pa. — Fifteenth  Annual  Report  of  the 
Civil  Service  Commission,  for  the  year  ending  December 
31,  1920.  (Apply  to  Charles  J.  Shaughnessy,  Chief 
Examiner,  Civil  Service  Commission,  875  City  Hall, 
Philadelphia,  Pa.) 

Philadelphia,  Pa. — Seventh  Annual  Report  of  the 
Municipal  Court,  for  the  year  1920.  (Apply  to  Frank 
S.  Drown.  Statistician,  The  Statistical  Department, 
Philadelphia,  Pa.) 

St.  Paul,  Minn. — Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Public  Works  for  the  year  ending  December  31.  1920. 
(Apply  to  H.  C.  Wenzel,  Commissioner  of  Public  Works, 
St.   Paul.   Minn.) 

Wilmington,  Del. — Fifty-first  Report  of  the  Board  of 
Water  Commissioners,  for  the  fiscal  year  1919-1920. 
(Apply  to  James  I.  Ford,  President,  Board  of  Water 
Commissioners,   Wilmington,   Del.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


BRANCH  OFFICES ■■  BOSTON,  MASS.-NEW  YORK,Ny-PHlLADELPHIA,PA  - P)nSBUReH,PA,-CHICAeOJLL 
AT,  A»TA  /--A-..^A^y^«|^^|^Y**^-'*^»^*  ^"^"^  /Aoc^^w-^cAM  FRANCISCO  AND  LOS  ANGELES. CAL, 


87 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Tuk  Amexican  Citt. 


195 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for   City  and   County   Engineers,  City   Managers,   Water-Works   Super- 
intendents, City   Controllers,  Park  Superintendents,  Purchasing  Agents,   and 
Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  Efficient  Operation  of 
Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


Preparing  and  Certifying  Municipal  Bonds 
By  Frank  J.  Parsons 

Vice-President,  United  States  Mortgage  &  Trust  Company 


ONE  of  the  notable  developments  of  the 
past  twelve  months  has  been  the  revival 
of  activity  in  all  classes  of  bonds,  and  the 
growing  desire  of  investors  to  avail  themselves 
of  opportunities  for  placing  their  fluids  in  sound 
securities  yielding  an  attractive  return,  before 
the  cost  of  money  shall  recede  approximately  to 
the  level  of  former  decades.  Of  no  class  of 
investments  has  this  been  more  true  than  of 
municipal  bonds.  Twenty  years  ago  the  highest 
net  yield  obtainable  from  conservatively  selected 
securities  of  this  class  ranged  from  2.55  per 
cent  to  3.875  per  cent.  To-day  it  is  entirely  pos- 
sible to  secure  4J4  per  cent  to  sH  per  cent 
with  equal  safety.  The  present  trend  toward 
lower  money  rates  points  clearly,  however,  to 
the  fact  that  the  period  of  high-interest-bearing 
bonds  is  rapidly  passing. 

There  has  never  been  a  time  when  the  prefer- 
ence of  executors,  trustees,  savings  banks  and 
insurance  companies  for  sound  "municipals"  has 
been  more  marked  than  at  present.  The  reason 
is  not  far  to  seek.  In  point  of  security  and 
marketability  these  issues  rank  next  to  national 
and  state  bonds.  In  addition,  their  exemption 
from  Federal  and  other  income  taxation  consti- 
tutes a  strong  appeal  to  the  investor.  The  vital 
importance  of  surrounding  with  every  possible 
safeguard  the  holdings  of  estates,  individuals 
and  life  insurance  companies,  made  up  as  they 
are  so  largely  of  municipal  Ijonds,  requires  no 
demonstration,  and  is  being  more  and  more  in- 
sisted upon,  not  only  by  investors  and  by  bond 
houses,  but  by  the  municipalities  themselves. 

A  consideration  of  the  numerous  cases  of 
forgery  and  fraud  in  this  respect  induced  the 
United  States  Mortgage  &  Trust  Company  some 
twenty-five  years  ago  to  inaugurate  a  plan  for 
preparing  and  certifying  municipal  bonds  which 
would  safeguard  not  only  the  municipality  but 
the  reputable  dealer  and  the  investing  public  as 
well,  while  relieving  the  municipal  official  in 
charge  of  all  detail  in  connection  with  their 
preparation. 

In  1893  and  1894  the  Quigley  forgeries  were 
perpetrated,  involving  securities  of  several 
cities,  and  were  so  cleverly  executed  that  they 
were  accepted  as  collateral  for  loans  by  New 
York  banks.  Again  in  1906  the  Prior  forgeries, 
comprising  bonds  of  cities  in  three  states  and 


aggregating  $1,200,000,  were  discovered,  and 
again  during  the  years  1919  and  1921  the  im- 
portance of  the  certification  by  responsible  dis- 
interested parties  such  as  a  trust  company,  has 
been  further  emphasized  by  the  disclosure  of  a 
fraud  perpetrated  by  a  Chicago  bond  dealer 
who  forged  securities  amounting  to  $600,000, 
and  a  Spokane  bond  dealer  whose  forgeries 
amounted  to  $350,000.  The  victims  numbered 
prominent  banking  houses  as  well  as  individual 
mvestors,  and  the  early  success  of  the  forgeries 
was  due  primarily  to  the  fact  that  insufficient 
care  was  given  to  the  matter  of  preparing  and 
certifying  the  bonds  which  they  had  bought  from 
the  issuing  mimicipalities. 

It  will  be  noted  that  a  further  motive  for  the 
company's  activities  in  this  field  has  been  a  de- 
sire to  raise  the  material  standard  of  preparation 
of  such  issues,  many  municipalities  having  in 
the  past  been  contented  with  a  carelessly  printed 
or  lithographed  bond  easily  forged  and  present- 
ing an  unattractive  appearance  to  discriminating 
purchasers.  In  this  it  is  believed  that  a 
measurable  amount  of  success  has  been  at- 
tained, and  while  the  work  done  has  been  but  a 
small  part  of  the  total,  the  general  standard  of 
preparation  has  been  raised. 

With  a  view  to  further  standardization  of  the 
details  surrounding  the  issuance  of  municipal 
bonds  and  as  a  matter  of  convenience  for  mu- 
nicipalities, dealers  and  attorneys,  this  company 
in  1917,  following  a  close  association  with  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Investment  Bankers  Asso- 
ciation, consented  to  act  as  the  official  depository 
for  legal  papers  and  opinions  rendered  in  con- 
nection with  municipal  bond  issues.  The  num- 
ber of  attorneys'  opinions  and  legal  papers  now 
on  file  with  this  company  aggregate  some  thou- 
sands, and  the  files  are  constantly  being  added 
to.  Under  this  plan  it  is  possible  for  any  mem- 
ber of  the  Investment  Bankers  Association  to 
procure  promptly  and  at  small  cost  certified 
copies  of  opinions  and  legal  papers  which  would 
otherwise  be  difficult  and  sometimes  impossible 
to  obtain. 

The  United  States  Mortgage  &  Trust  Com- 
pany places  at  the  disposal  of  such  officials  in 
all  parts  of  the  country  the  benefits  of  its  ex- 
perience, facilities  and  service  in  the  satisfactory 
handling  of  their  problems  of  this  nature. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Easy  to  operate — easy  to  repair 
and  chock  fall  of  power 

That's  why  the  New  Iroquois  Macadam  Roller  ends  macadam  roller 
troubles.  It  was  designed  by  engineers  who  use  street  and  road-building 
equipment. 

The  working  parts  of  the  New  Iroquois  are  not  just  hung  together. 
Each  is  a  separate  unit  resting  on  a  steel  frame.  Rack  and  strain, 
especially  on  the  boiler,  are  thus  eliminated. 

The  New  Iroquois  Macadam  Roller  was  built  to  stand  hard  service. 
Its  great  power  comes  from  higher  steam  pressure  and  larger  engine 
cylinders. 

Write  now  for  details  regarding  this  wonderful  roller.  If  you  need  a 
roller  at  once,  a  telegram  will  start  a  New  Iroquois  to  you  without  delay. 

The  Iroquois  line  includes  every  tool  needed  in  asphalt  paving  work. 
Ask  for  Bulletins  Nos.  8,  6  and  5. 

Iroquois  Sales  Department 

New  York        ^^^  BARBER  ASPHALT 

Chicago  P 

Pittsburgh 


C  O  NI  F»A.TSr"^ 


PHIL-ADEUPHIA 


St.  Louis 

Kama*  City 

Atlanta 

San  Francisco 


When  writine  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City. 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


197 


A  New  Street  Lighting  Unit 

The  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manufacturing 
Company,  East  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  has  recently  de- 
veloped a  highly  efficient  post  top  of  novel  de- 
sign for  use  virith  Mazda  "C"  Lamps,  in  which 
upper  and  lower  parabolic  reflectors  are  used 
to  direct  the  light  on  to  the  plane  of  illumina- 
tion. The  quality  of  the  light  emitted  by  the 
Reflecto-Lux  units  is  brilliant  and  sparkling, 
and  they  have  been  designed  to  distribute  a  flood 
of  light  on  the  streets,  with  a  small  amount  up- 
wards to  light  the  fronts  of  the  adjacent  build- 
ings. 

The  maximum  light  is  emitted  at  approx- 
imately 20  degrees  below  the  horizontal,  and  the 
distribution  is  ideal  for  mounting  heights  and 
spacings  customary  with  ornamental  street  light- 
ing.   The  distribution  is  obtained  by  upper  and 


A  LIGHT  TOP  OF  NOVEL  DESIGN 

lower  parabolic  reflectors,  which  direct  the  light 
outwards,  and,  in  addition,  a  portion  of  the 
light  in  the  upper  hemisphere  is  redirected  by  an 
opal  glass  band  around  the  upper  hemisphere 
of  the  lamp,  or  by  a  band  of  enamel  on  the 
lamp  itself. 

The  construction  of  the  Reflecto-Lux  units  is 
rugged,  the  frame  is  of  galvanized  cast  iron, 
and  the  glass  panels  are  set  in  felt  gaskets, 
making  the  whole  thoroughly  dust-proof.  In 
the  post  top,  the  lamp  burns  in  a  "tip  up"  posi- 
tion and  is  readily  accessible  for  cleaning  and 
replacement  through  the  hinged  top  cover.  In 
the  pendant  unit,  the  lamp  burns  "tip  down," 
and  access  is  obtained  to  the  interior  of  the 
lantern  through  the  bottom  casting,  which  is 
hinged. 

Street  Lighting  at  Miami 
Beach,  Fla. 

On  page  465  of  the  December,  1921,  issue  of 
The  American  City,  appeared  an  attractive  il- 
lustration bearing  the  caption  "A  Light  Stand- 


ard Located  on  the  Sidewalk  and  Harmonizing 
with  the  Surroundings  at  Miami,  Fla."  We  are 
advised  by  Charles  W.  Chase,  Sr.,  Associate 
Secretary,  Miami  Beach  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Fla.,  that  this  photograph  was  taken  at  Miami 
Beach  and  not  in  Miami,  Fla. 


Landscape  Architect's  Work 
on  Private  Estates 

B.  Ashburton  Tripp,  landscape  architect  and 
town  planner,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  has  been  en- 
gaged to  design  the  estate  of  Don  A.  Goodwin, 
hotel  owner,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  at  Silver  Lake 
Village,  and  also  to  lay  out  the  estate  of  E. 
Arthur  Ball  of  the  Ball  Glass  Manufacturing 
Company,  Muncie,  Ind. 

Mt.  Clemens'  New  Street 
Lighting  System 

Mt.  Clemens,  Mich.,  has  recently  completed 
the  installation  of  an  attractive  White  Way  sys- 
tem, with  an  appropriate  celebration  on  the 
opening  night.  An  extensive  program  of  fes- 
tivities was  arranged  to  initiate  the  turning  on  of 
the  boulevard  lights  over  ^A  miles  of  the  city 
streets.  The  standards  for  these  lights  were 
furnished  by  the  King  Manufacturing  Company, 
53  West  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. 

The  first  electric  lighting  in  Mt.  Clemens  was 
in  the  fountain  bath-house  and  was  furnished  by 
a  small  electric  light  plant  installed  by  R.  O. 
Meldrum  &  Sons  in  1888.  On  December  16, 
1889,  an  ordinance  was  passed  authorizing  the 
establishment  of  electric  works  in  the  city,  with 
permission  to  use  the  streets  for  poles  and  wires. 
The  capacity  of  the  first  plant  consisted  of  one 
500-candle-power  generator  of  the  single-phase, 
alternating-current  type,  and  one  direct-current 
series  generator  machine  of  a  capacity  of  30 
lights.  From  that  time  the  use  of  electric  cur- 
rent in  the  city  has  increased  and  the  apprecia- 
tion of  well-illuminated  streets  has  grown,  until 
this  past  fall  boulevard  lights  were  installed, 
much  to  the  delight  and  satisfaction  of  the  tax- 
payers. 

Merger  of  Pipe  Companies 

An  agreement  has  recently  been  reached  be- 
tween the  East  Jersey  Pipe  Company,  7  Dey 
Street,  New  York  City,  and  the  Riter-Conley 
Company,  Leetsdale,  Pa.,  whereby  Lock-Bar 
steel  pipe,  which  has  been  exclusively  controlled 
by  the  East  Jersey  Pipe  Company  since  its  in- 
troduction in  this  country  in  1905,  and  has  been 
hitherto  manufactured  by  the  East  Jersey  Pipe 
Company  at  its  plant  at  Paterson,  N.  J.,  will 
hereafter  be  fabricated  in  the  Pittsburgh  dis- 
trict by  the  Riter-Conley  Company  at  its  Leets- 
dale plant.  This  is  regarded  as  a  step  forward 
by  both  parties  and  will  permit  considerable 
saving  in  freight  rates  and  economy  in  manu- 
facturing. The  sale  of  Lock-Bar  steel  pipe 
will  continue  to  be  exclusively  in  the  hands  of 
the  East  Jersey  Pipe  Company. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


l"5f5)S?o«  Fire  TrucH  l .r* 


Here  is  a  pressed-on  tire  that  Provides 
Here  is  <i  f^V        r^-rn    everv  quality 

aUndTorJ:rbV^--Sed  fi. 

departments. 

It  is  the  Goodyear  SC  Cushion  T,re. 


T    •    u  -u  nf  an  improved  rubber  con 

It  IS  built  ot  an  impr  .  •  g 

pound  that  puts  up  a  surprising 

Lee  to  wear,  weather  and  age. 

.  .  ,his  exceptionally  efficient  fire  tru< 

^Str^hTLarestGoodye^^^^ 

Or,  if  more  co^^^"^%'?  r&  Rubb 

-'^'^''Akrt'oC  or  Los  Angel 
Company,  Akron,  wiuu, 

California. 


The  underwriters  ^-^-'-:^^^^ttrZ^fly 
Jacket  Fire  Hose  and  Goody ea^^^^^^.^^ 


SintU  Jacket 

Underwriters  Fire  Hoie 


Chemical  nu*^,  "  urwtinc  corrosive  acuu» 
sist  satisfactorily  the  bmng,^^^^^^ 

of  chemicals  and  that  botn  w^  ^^^^^ 

pressure  per  squa^^m^^^'^e  has  enabled  the 
Sf  manufacturing  experience  na^.^^  ^^^ 

production  of  hose  ^^J^P^hich  will  render 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


199 


BUCK-Ex  jOUivLfiJNU  A   IjUAu   Vf  MINE-BUN  COAL   AFTER   CAR- 
RYING IT   OVER   120  FEET  FROM  CAR 


Goal-  and  Ash-Handling 
Machinery 

The  handling  of  coal  from  bottom-dump  cars 
to  coal  storage  overhead  bins  and  the  rehandling 
of  the  same  coal  in  the  form  of  ash  are  im- 
portant matters  in  any  power-plant.  The  God- 
frey conveyor,  manufactured  by  the  Godfrey 
Conveyor  Company,  Elkhart,  Ind.,  is  well 
known  to  many  power-plant  engineers.  The 
principle  of  the  Godfrey  system  is  to  get  coal 
from  bottom-dump  cars  to  a  chute  underneath 
the  railroad  track,  the  chute  conveying  it  by 
gravity  into  a  bucket,  in  which  it  is  elevated 
and  carried  to  a  storage  pile  or 
an  elevated  bin  or  conveyance. 
The  mechanical  units  consist  of 
a  bucket  of  approximately  i-ton 
capacity,  a  2-drum  reversible 
hoist,  operated  by  electric  or 
other  suitable  power,  a  trolley 
operating  on  a  monorail  or 
cableway,  a  steel  chute  with 
gates  to  control  the  flow  of  the 
coal,  and  the  necessary  sheaves, 
cables,  etc.,  for  making  the  con- 
nection of  the  various  units. 
The  two  types  of  overhead 
tracks,  namely,  the  I-beam  and 
the  cableway,  make  the  equip- 
ment easily  adaptable  to  any  one 
of  a  large  variety  of  conditions. 
The  principle  and  operation  of 
both  types  are  the  same,  while 
the  choice  depends  entirely  upon 
the  local  conditions  which  have 
to  be  met. 

The  entire  operation  is  con- 
trolled by  one  man  stationed  at 
the  hoist,  which  is  located  near 
the  mouth  of  the  track  qhute. 
This  enables  the  operator  to 
open  and  close  the  gate  of  the 


chute  which  controls  the  flow 
of  coal  into  the  bucket.  The 
hoist  is  mounted  on  a  cast  iron 
base  and  is  of  ample  proportion 
to  carry  the  load.  The  opera- 
tion of  the  two  drums  on  the 
hoist  is  controlled  by  clutches, 
insuring  speed  and  safety  with 
ease  of  operation.  The  main  or 
hoisting  drum  is  used  to  elevate 
the  bucket  to  the  desired  height, 
and  the  traction  drum  moves  the 
trolley  in  either  direction  on  the 
conveyor  track.  The  trolley 
supports  the  hoisting  cable  on 
which  the  bucket  sheaves  roll. 
This  enables  the  man  at  the 
hoist  to  lower  the  bucket  at  any 
desired  point  under  the  conveyor 
track  without  making  any 
changes  or  adjustments  on  the 
equipment. 

In  the  operation  of  the  con- 
veyor, the  coal  when  emptied 
out  of  the  cars  falls  by  gravity 
through  a  specially  constructed 
steel  chute  into  the  i-ton  con- 
veying bucket  suspended  on  guide-rails  in  a 'pit 
on  the  side  of  the  track.  When  the  bucket  is 
filled,  the  hoist  operator  closes  the  gate  in  the 
chute,  thereby  shutting  off^  the  flow  of  coal  into 
the  bucket.  The  hoisting  drum  is  then  engaged 
and  raises  the  bucket  to  the  required  height. 
The  operation  of  the  traction  drum  of  the  hoist 
then  moves  the  bucket  along  the  conveyor  track 
to  the  point  where  the  operator  wishes  to  dump 
the  coal. 

The  bucket  is  then  lowered  until  it  comes  in 
contact  with  the  coal  pile.  The  contact  releases 
a  latch  on  the  bottom  of  the  bucket,  which  opens 
it,  hereby  permitting  the  coal  to  flow  gently  out 


INTERIOR  OF  BOILER  ROOM  WITH  BUCKET  UNLOADING  AT 
MOUTH    OF    SELF-FEEDING   HOPPER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


MUSHROOM  TRAFFIC  LIGHT 


The  Milwaukee  Type  Mushroom  Traffic  Light  is  the  most  efficient  and  depend- 
able traffic  control  unit  on  the  market  today.  It  is  made  of  cast  steel  and  is 
suitable  for  installation  at  street  crossings,  on  heavy  traffic  streets  and 
boulevards.  When  illuminated,  it  is  a  bright  spot  on  the  road  without  glare. 
The  unit  stands  only  eight  inches  high,  but  it  is  large  enough  to  be  noticed 
and  respected.  The  Milwaukee  Type  Mushroom  Light  is  accident-proof.  Its 
lighting  system   is  in   duplicate,   thus   insuring   constant  service. 

ELECTRICAL    &    SPECIALTY    SUPPLY    COMPANY 

Chicago,  Illinois 


NOW'S  THE  TIME 

To    Consider    Your    Sprayer    Needs   for    This    Year 


The  selection  of  the  proper  sprayer  for  your  parks 
and  shade  trees  is  not  a  matter  of  a  moment. 
It  requires  careful  investigation  and  consideration 
from  all  angles. 

Many  cities  went  into  the  matter  at  great  length 
last  year  and  decided  on  the  BEAN  Park  Sprayer 
because  of  the  superfine  features  insuring  econ- 
omy, efficiency  and  dependability — 3  vital  points. 

These  three  features  mean  long  life  and  really 
make  the  BEAN  the  cheapest  sprayer  to  buy  in 
the  long  run. 

Start  the  ball  rolling  now.  Get  in  touch  with 
us  and  let  us  figure  with  you.     A  card  today. 


BEAN  SPRAY  PUMP  CO. 


Shade  Tree  Spraying  in  Miincie  Lansing,  Mich. 


San  Jose,  Calif. 


90 


When  writinp;  to  Advertisers  please  meotiop  Th^  AjtWlCAjj  CiTY. 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


201 


v;ithout  any  breakage,  and  consequeaily  wWi  no 
degradation.  This  means  of  tripping  the  bucket 
when  in  contact  with  the  pile  is  a  patented  fea- 
ture of  Godfrey  equipment.  The  bucket  can  be 
lowered  or  hoisted  at  any  point,  no  stops  or 
trippers  being  required.  The  largest  lump  as 
well  as  the  finest  screenings  can  be  handled. 
The  coal  is  emptied  as  the  bucket  is  raised,  and 
the  bottom  closes  automatically.  The  bucket 
then  travels  on  the  monorail  back  to  the  pit  for 
another  load.  Ashes,  sand,  crushed  rock,  gravel 
and  similar  materials  can  be  handled  in  the 
same  way  and  as  cheaply.  In  many  cases  the 
same  equipment  is  used  to  unload,  store  and 
convey  coal  to  the  boiler-room  and  remove  ashes 
to  cars  or  hoppers.  Coal  can  be  reclaimed  from 
open  storage,  or  flat-bottom  cars  unloaded  by 
changing  the  conveying  bucket  for  a  hook-on 
clam-shell  bucket. 

A  Completely  Equipped 
Motor  Pumper 

The  illustration  below,  furnished  through  the 
courtesy  of  Dr.  I.  Lukens,  Fire  Chief,  Tekamah, 
Nebr.,  shows  a  GMC  truck  equipped  by  the 
Northern  Fire  Apparatus  Company,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  for  delivery  several  months  ago. 


would  have  been  opened  but  for  his  efforts. 
More  than  160  feet  of  snow  fell  on  Mount 
Rainier  last  winter,  according  to  government 
records  taken  from  day  to  day.  This  precipita- 
tion settled  into  an  icy  mass  averaging  15  feet 
deep  on  the  level.  The  only  steam  shovel  avail- 
able was  too  wide  lor  the  mountain  roads,  and 
so  TNT  was  resorted  to.  Twenty-five  tons  was 
used  in  shots,  averaging  from  35  to  50  pounds 
each,  spaced  about  10  feet  apart. 

After  the  snow  was  blown  up,  shovelers  re- 
moved the  bulk  of  it,  enough  to  make  a  clear 
space,  and  then  a  Reo  truck  with  a  Cletrac 
tractor  was  sent  through  to  break  the  way. 
Ropes  and  chains  were  wound  around  the  truck 
wheels,  and  with  both  engines  working,  the  way 
was  negotiated  on  July  9.  The  next  day  the  big 
White  truck  stages  which  are  used  to  transport 
passengers  came  through  on  the  road  with  their 
wheels  wound  with  rope. 

One  of  the  principal  difficulties,  once  the 
road  was  cleared,  was  to  find  parking  space  for 
the  hundreds  of  cars  that  flocked  to  the  park 
when  the  road  opening  was  announced.  Long 
alleys  were  dug  in  the  snow,  and  the  road 
was  gradually  widened  to  make  places  for  them. 
In  the  usual  parking  space  around  Paradise  Inn 


A   2-TON   GMC  TRUCK  EQUIPPED   FOR  FIRE   FIGHTING 


The  Northern  equipment  is  the  standard  for  a 
type  C  2-ton  GMC  truck.  Among  the  detailed 
fixtures  furnished  with  this  truck,  all  nickel- 
plated,  are  a  drain  for  the  suction  base,  dis- 
charge valves,  a  21^-inch  hose  nipple  and  cap, 
a  iJ4-inch  hand  churn  by-pass,  and  a  ly^-'mch 
sure  release  by-pass.  There  is  also  included  a 
screen  for  the  suction  base  and  a  hard  suc- 
tion set  with  hose  fittings,  as  follows :  s'E^-inch 
lo-foot  suction  hose,  3V2-inch  strainer  set,  sVz 
inch  adapter  holder,  with  hose  hanger  set.  The 
cost  of  this  outfit  was  $3,260,  and  the  total  price, 
equipped,  $6,000. 

The  Tractor  in  Rainier 
National  Park 

Moving  mountains  of  snow  in  order  to  open 
Rainier  National  Park,  Washington,  for  tour- 
ists this  season,  has  been  the  task  of  W.  H. 
Peters,  Superintendent  of  the  Park,  who  has 
faced  the  heaviest  snowfall  in  years  and  opened 
the  roads  at  least  six  weeks  earlier  than  they 


there  was  10  feet  of  snow  in  the  middle  of  July, 
and  the  guests  were  unloaded  and  taken  into  the 
lobby  through  a  tunnel  in  the  huge  drift  on 
the  mountain  side  of  the  building. 

The  front  cover  of  this  issue  of  The  Ameri- 
can City  shows  the  work  of  opening  the  roads 
in  progress. 

Kennedy  Valve 
Shifts  Representatives 

Several  changes  in  the  organization  of  the 
Kennedy  Valve  Manufacturing  Company,  El- 
mira,  N.  Y.,  have  been  effected  recently.  H.  D. 
Kane  has  been  appointed  assistant  to  C.  A. 
Burgess  as  Traveling  Representative  with  head- 
quarters at  Elmira;  James  P.  Murphy  has  been 
appointed  assistant  to  S.  C.  Mead,  Chicago 
Branch  Manager,  and  John  J.  Milliken,  who 
was  formerly  in  the  Chicago  office,  has  been 
appointed  assistant  to  E.  H.  Koons,  Eastern 
Sales  Manager.  A  new  office  has  been  opened 
in  the  L.  C.  Smith  Building,  Seattle,  Wash. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Nation-Wide  Move  for  Memorial  Trees 

In  Honoring  Heroes  Magnificent  Shaded  Highways  Are  Being 

Constructed 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Public  Ledger,  Phila. : 

Sir — We  want  to  thank  the  PUBLIC  LEDGER  very  much  for  the  editorial  you  had 
the  other  day,  "The  Boon  of  Shade  Roads."  The  day  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice  the 
American  Forestry  Association  began  a  campaign  for  memorial  tree-planting,  and  this  has 
spread  since  to  Roads  of  Remembrance  and  memorial  parks  in  hundreds  of  places. 

The  idea  has  been  taken  up  on  a  wide  scale  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  we  find 
that  such  States  as  yours  that  lead  in  forest  developments  are  all  the  more  keen  to  take 
up  such  plans. 

As  an  example  of  this,  may  I  cite  the  Rotary  Club  of  Tampa,  Fla.,  which  has  plarjted 
fifteen  miles  of  the  West  Coast  Highway  with  memorial  trees  in  honor  of  the  men  and 
women  of  Hillsborough  County  who  answered  their  country's  call  in  the  World  War? 
At  Minneapolis  a  six-mile  memorial  drive  has  just  been  planted  to  connect  two  parks. 
This  is  an  extremely  wide  avenue,  and  has  been  planted  with  New  England  elms  that 
have  been  in  training  for  three  years  to  take  the  shape  they  want  them  to  take  fifty 
years  from  now.  At  that  time  Minneapolis  will  have  one  of  the  sights  of  the  North 
American  Continent. 

The  various  motor  highways  have  been  planted  with  trees  in  many  places.  An  interest- 
ing example  of  this  is  at  Canton,  Ohio,  where  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Highway  Association, 
an  organization  of  women,  has  planted  several  miles  of  that  highway,  and  this  fall  is  com- 
pleting a  memorial  avenue  of  the  Presidents  which  connects  the  Lincoln  Highway  and  the 
tomb  of  William  McKinley,  a  short  distance  away.  These  women  now  plan  to  continue 
the  planting  of  the  home  of  "Mother  McKinley,"  which  is  on  the  Lincoln  Highway.    *    *    * 

Your  fine  co-operation  with  us  in  this  educational  campaign  is  valued  highly. 

Charles  Lathrop  Pack,  President 
American   Forestry   Association 
August  17,  1921.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Wherever  you  go,  and  in  almost  every  paper  or  magazine  you  pick  up  you  hear 
or  read  of  "Memorial  Trees"  being  planted  for  the  "boys"  who  gave  their  lives  in 
the  World  War. 

And  what  is  more  fitting  to  perpetuate  this  memory  than  a  noble  tree  which 
will  not  only  be  a  monument  to  those  who  have  passed  away,  but  will  likevTise 
give  shade  and  comfort  to  the  increasing  numbers  who  are  now  daily  using  the 
highways. 

Care,  however,  must  be  made  in  the  selection  of  the  proper  kind  of  trees  for 
this  purpose.  A  variety  that  will  flourish  in  one  section  of  the  country  will  not 
always  prove  satisfactory  in  another.  Again,  soft  wooded  trees  are  not  long 
lived.  Selections  should  be  made  of  such  varieties  that  will  stand  as  monuments 
when  our  children's  children  need  their  shade. 

The  Pin  Oak,  the  Red  Oak  and  the  Sugar  Maple  are  trees  which  will  floiu-ish 
almost  everywhere,  and  are  singularly  more  free  from  insect  attacks  than  almost 
any  other  tree. 

We  would  be  very  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  offer  our  many  years  of  experience 
in  assisting  in  the  proper  selection  of  trees  required  for  this  or  any  other  purpose. 
Catalogue  on  application. 

THOMAS     B.    MEEHAN     CO. 

Wholesale   Nurserymen 
DRESHER,   PENNSYLVANIA 


21  When  writing  to  Advertiiers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


203 


A  Device  for 
Transplanting 
Small  Trees 

The  losses  which  many 
park  superintendents  have 
had  in  transplanting  small 
pines  and  other  trees  are 
overcome  by  a  device  made 
by  Lionel  Weil,  Goldsboro, 
N.  C.  The  device  consists 
of  two  curved  pieces  of 
sheet-iron  hinged  together  on 
one  side  and  strapped  to- 
gether at  the  other  side. 
These  semi  -  circular  side- 
walls  are  preferably  of  less 
width  at  the  lower  than  at 
the  upper  edges,  thus  pro- 
viding a  receptacle  of  taper- 
ing construction.  In  order 
to  transplant  trees,  it  is  first 
necessary  to  dig  a  circle 
around  the  tree,  a  small  frac- 
tion less  than  the  size  of  the 
top  of  the  receptacle,  and, 
bearing  in  mind  its  general 
outline,  dig  down  until  the  large  roots  disap- 
pear, the  depth  not  to  exceed  the  depth  of 
the  receptacle.  The  transplanting  receptacle  is 
then  opened  and  placed  around  the  column  of  soil, 
and  the  roots  are  secured  by  drawing  together 
the  straps  through  the  buckles.  The  bottom  is 
then  inserted  by  projecting  two  iron  pins 
through  holes  in  front  at  the  bottom  of  the  re- 
ceptacle. These  pins  penetrate  the  column  of 
soil  and  rest  in  slots  on  the  same  level  at  the 
back  of  the  receptacle.  The  pins  form  the  main 
support  for  four  slides,  which  are  then  inserted 
through  slots  in  the  walls  and  driven  through 
the  column  of  soil.  The  slots  are  placed  at 
intervals  of  about  90  degrees,  and  when  the 
slides  are  inserted  a  receptacle  is  formed  cover- 
ing sufficient  surface  and  sufficiently  rigid  to 
prevent  displacement  of  the  soil  or  roots.  The 
plant  is  then  ready  to  be  taken  up  and  trans- 
planted. 

This  operation  is  quite  simple.  A  hole  is  dug 
of  sufficient  size  not  only  to  admit  the  recepta- 
cle, but  to  provide  for  the  withdrawal  of  the 
pins  and  slides  forming  the  bottom.  The  re- 
ceptacle, containing  the  tree,  is  placed  in  the 
hole,  so  that  the  original  soil  line  will  be  about 
il4  inches  lower  than  the  new  soil  line.  The 
pins  and  slides  are  then  withdrawn.  The  space 
immediately  surrounding  the  receptacle  should 
be  filled  with  fine  fertile  soil  up  to  the  first 
buckle  and  tamped.  Then  the  buckle  is  opened. 
The  next  fill  is  up  to  the  second  buckle,  which 
is  then  released,  and  so  on  to  the  last  buckle, 
which  is  then  opened  and  the  walls  of  the  opened 
receptacle  withdrawn.  The  new  soil  should  be 
well  watered  after  filling  in. 

Error  in  January  Issue 

On.  page  65  of  tlie  January,  1922,  issue  of 
The  American  City,  there  appeared  a  typo- 
graphical  error  in  the  omission  of  the  trade- 


A   RECEPTACLE    FOR  TRANSPLANTING   SMALL   TREES 


mark  notice  of  "Dustoline  for  Roads"  made 
by  the  Dustoline  for  Roads  Company,  Summit, 
N.J. 

Annual  Meeting  of  Manufacturers 
of  Water  Purifying  Equipment 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Associated  Manufacturers  of  Water  Purify- 
ing Equipment,  held  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  in  Janu- 
ary, it  was  decided  to  hold  the  annual  meeting 
at  the  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  on  February  7,  1922.  A  full  attendance  is 
expected,  as  several  matters  of  importance  will 
be  taken  up  for  final  determination. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  matters 
is  the  adoption  of  standard  specifications  for 
pressure  filters  for  various  services,  to  the  end 
that  architects  and  engineers  may  have  a  stand- 
ard to  which  all  bidders  must  comply.  In  the 
past  there  have  often  been  as  many  different 
size  filters  for  the  same  required  service  as  there 
were  bidders,  confusing  the  purchaser  as  to  which 
was  the  most  suitable  for  his  requirement,  and 
often  resulting  in  the  purchase  of  an  apparatus 
entirely  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory  to  the 
purchaser  and  detrimental  to  the  business. 

The  present  officers  of  the  society  are  M.  F. 
Newman,  W.  B.  Scaife  &  Sons  Company,  Presi- 
dent; G.  F.  Hodkinson,  American  Water  Soft- 
ener Company,  Vice-President;  H.  G.  Tate,  of 
the  Borromite  Company  of  America,  Secretary. 

Hauck  Moves 
Philadelphia  Office 

The  Hauck  Manufacturing  Company,  126-134 
Tenth  street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has  announced 
the  removal  of  its  Philadelphia  office  to  1726 
Sansome  Street.  Herbert  Vogelsang,  who  has 
been  connected  with  the  Hauck  Manufacturing 
Company  for  six  years  in  the  sale  of  portable  oil 
burners,  torches,  furnaces,  etc.,  will  be  in  charge. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


VERIICOSIANT 

Drinking  Fountains 


Are  Sanitary 
and — 

thoroughly  satisfactory  and  conven- 
ient from  every  standpoint.  The 
slight  angle  of  the  Vertico-Slant  foun- 
tain obviates  the  necessity  of  the  spe- 
cial valve  for  drawing  water  to  fill 
the  glass  or  cup,  as  an  individual 
drinking  cup  may  be  readily  filled  as 
from  a  faucet.  Finger  contamination 
is  practically  eliminated,  as  the  nozzle 
as  located  at  the  bottom  of  a  recess 
protected  by  a  wall  on  either  side  dis- 
courages the  attempt. 

Lips  Cannot 
ToucH  the  Nozzle 

Full  descriptive  literature  and  a  copy 
df  our  new  bubbling  fountain  catalog 
ipill  be  gent  to  any  city  officials  or 
industrial  plants  free  upon   request. 

Rundle  Spence  Mfg.  Co. 

MILWACKEE,  WIS. 


No  matter  WHAT  drinking 
fountain  you  may  put 

INDOORS 
^ This 

The  MURDOCK 

PATENTED 

i^ANTl- FREEZING-^ 
BUBBLE-FONT 

IS  THE  ONLY  ONE  THAT  IS  SAFE 
TO  INSTAL  OUTDOORS  BECAUSE 

it  is  the  only  drinking  fountain 
made  that  was  designed  and  is 
built  solely  for  outdoor  use.  It 
does  not  have  to  be  turned  off 
at  the  approach  of  cold  weather. 

THE  ONLY  FOUNTAIN  MADE 
THAT  IS  STRONG  ENOUGH 
TO  WITHSTAND  PUBLIC 
ABUSE. 

Write  for  fully  illustrated  literature  to 

The  HDRDOCK  MFG.  &  SUPPLY  CO. 

FIRE  HYDRANTS 
YARD  HYDRANTS 
HOSE      BOXES 

CINCINNATI. OHIO 

Builders  of  Water  Serrice  devices  since  1863 


THE  CALIFORNIA  BENCHES 

Patented  1913-1914-1916-1917-1921-anci  pending 

These  benches  are  a  high  class  finished  product,  the 
above  being  one  of  seven  refined  designs  originated 
by  us.  The  seat  and  back  are  of  two  by  four  clear 
wood  properly  finished  and  fastened  through  the  con- 
crete ends  with  wooden  wedge  pins. 

In  order  that  Park  Boards  and  individuals  may  now 
obtain  this  fine  product  at  commercial  prices  every- 
where, we  have  arranged  that  local  concrete  products 
manufacturers  in  various  districts  of  the  country  may 
obtain  the  Patent  Rights  and  the  perfected  iron  mold- 
ing machines  for  same  at  reasonable  cost. 

Hundreds  of  these  benches  are  in  use  by  the  Cities, 
Parks,  Resorts  and  Universities,  famous  upon  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  their  utmost  utility,  permanence, 
and  attractiveness  appeals  to  all. 

Your  valued  inquiry  might  include  name  of  a  local 
firm,  or  we  will  endeavor  to  establish  its  manufacture 
through  your  Chamber  of  Commerce  or  advise  you 
nearest   factory. 

ART     CONCRETE     WORKS 

Originators    and    manufacturers    for    35    years. 
340-364  So.  Fair  Oaks  Ave.,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


02 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


205 


TRAFFIC    CENSUS 

Taken  from  /S  o/AM  Saturday /tprif  30-''  to  laoOfUdnight  Monday  May Z«/9e/ 

3to/Vo 

rem 

Location  of  Station 

3atfipril30^ 

Sunday  tloy  1  ^ 

Monday  May  Z  2? 

Total                1 

Pleasure 

Commtrciol 

Pleasure 

Cmmercial 

Pleasure 

Comixrcial 

fYeosure 

Cotnmercial 

1^ 

J 

OnSouthtxjry  side  about  1000 
feet  from  Fbmeraug  Bridge 

99a 

Its 

Z 

td 

^f  junction  of  Newtovyn  and 
AMnr  t^ilfOrd  Road  in  Danbury 

/eat 

eat 

J 

z 

fit  junction  of  New  Mil  ford 
ana  t/ewtown  ffoodm  Chnbury 

1739 

e7a 

■a- 

et> 

fit  east  end  of  tonghi  Contract, 
til'/  Ptoin  Cut-off  in  Dant>ury 

1963 

344 

5 

I3-/4 

SOOfeet  txyond  Boordman'3 
Bridge  Schoot-tiouse 

169 

e& 

e 

I-4- 

Ttiree-guarter^  ofan?i/e  out- 
side of  t/eyv  /^i  1  ford  Village 

1377 

/ae> 

7 

13 

One  ttolfmik  outside  of  A'eiv 
till  ford  Village 

434 

89 

e 

es-4^ 

Oerty-eiizatietf,  Street 

6173 

I0B4- 

46T>}- 

19a 

3S3/ 

//e9 

i-*,37a 

24'^S 

9 

ae 

Derby  fi venue  near  City  Line 

aoo^* 

709 

esaa 

30/ 

eoao 

S9a 

aoe,7 

/6oa 

10 

-i<7 

Woodbridge  -  Seymour  3taoe 
ffoadot  New  Ma^en  City  One 

511 

lOZ 

70Z 

S4- 

453 

fl3 

167/ 

3/S 

1/ 

e 

Martford  Road-  grand  orKf 
Quinnipioc  fJyenue-J 

26^e 

1074- 

■4Z6S 

416 

2694- 

/ez4 

10,00s 

27/4 

TABULATION  OF  TBAFTIO  CENSUS  IN  CONNECTICUT 


Traffic  Studies  on  Our 
Roadways 

The  versatility  of  counting-machines  has  long 
been  recognized  by  business  men  generally.  In 
fact,  their  application  is  so  universal  and  the 
results  secured  by  their  use  so  reliable  that  their 
value  is  never  questioned.  There  are  many  offi- 
cials, however,  who  have  never  thought  of  the 
hand  tally  as  the  means  to  the  solution  of  the 
problem  facing  street  and  highway  departments 
in  counting  traffic  when  trying  to  reduce  the 
great  expense  of  maintaining  roads.  The  State 
Highway  Department  of  Connecticut  has  made 
a  most  extensive  study  of  the  roads  in  different 
parts  of  the  state  in  order  to  determine  the 
maintenance  costs  under  different  types  of  traf- 
fic at  different  points  throughout  the  state.  The 
Highway  Commissioner  determined  upon  the 
plan  of  taking  the  highway  traffic  census  at 
different  points  for  a  three-day  period.  Accord- 
ingly, one  hundred  hand  tallies  were  secured 
from  the  Root  Company,  Bristol,  Conn.,  manu- 
facturers of  various  types  of  counting-machines, 
and  operators  were  stationed  at  the  different 
points. 

The  results  of  this  investigation  were  then 
carefully  tabulated  according  to  whether  the 
traffic  was  of  a  pleasure  or  a  commercial  na- 
ture. By  referring  to  the  table  partially  re- 
produced herewith,  it  is  seen  that  an  accurate 
record  is  now  available  which  will  furnish  the 


sought-for  means  of  keeping  the  appropriate 
balance  between  the  cost  of  maintenance  and 
the  character  of  the  traffic.  It  will  serve  as  a 
check  on  the  character  of  work  done  by  those 
who  have  constructed  the  various  roads  in  the 
past,  and  will  furnish  a  means  of  determining 
those  road  builders  who  have  succeeded  in  build- 
ing roads  that  stand  up  under  the  service  test. 

A  Blade  Type  Snow-Plow 

The  snow-plow  illustrated  herewith  is  a  new 
development  of  the  blade  type  snow-plow  which 
has  been  brought  out  by  the  Wehr  Company, 
549  30th  Street,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  This  snow- 
plow  has  a  lo-foot  blade  set  at  an  angle  of  45 
degrees,  cutting  an  8-foot  swathe.  The  blade 
can  be  raised  or  lowered  at  either  end.  The 
runners,  which  carry  the  entire  weight  of  the 
plow,  are  4  feet  in  length  and  can  be  raised 
clear  of  the  road  so  that  the  wheels  carry  the 
plow  over  bare  places.  When  the  blade  is  raised 
from  the  ground,  it  clears  the  surface  by  18 
inches.  The  entire  weight  of  the  plow  is  2,000 
pounds,  including  an  additional  drift  wing.  The 
draft  of  the  plow  is  carried  to  the  end  of  the 
push-bar  connected  to  the  center  of  the  tractor 
for  pushing  the  plow,  so  that  side  draft  is  evenly 
distributed  to  all  four  wheels  of  the  tractor,  and 
thereby  practically  eliminated.  With  this  equip- 
ment it  is  possible  to  handle  12  inches  of  snow 
at  a  speed  of  8  to  10  miles  per  hour. 


A   TRACTOR-DRIVEN   BLADE    SNOW-PLOW   FOR   ROAD   WORK 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Speed  City  Haulage  Jobs 

With  Wood -Detroit  Equipment 

Wood-Detroit  hoists  and  bodies  are  used  by  cities 
from  coast  to  coast,  handling  garbage,  cinders, 
asphalt,  coal,  sand,  and  similar  loads;  for  we  have 
developed  special  equipment  for  each  need. 

Write  for  special  municipal  equipment  folder;  it 
gives  the  new  prices  and  tells  you  how  to  cut  costs. 


Wood  Hydraulic 
Hoist  &  Body  Co. 

4196  Bellevue  Ave.      Detroit 


Special  body  for  handling 
garbage — ivalerproof,  clean- 
dumping. 


The  ELGIN  Line 


of 


Motor  Driven  Machinery  for  Cleaning  Streets 


The  ELGIN  with  gutter  attachment 


THE  ELGI N — Sprays  the  street,  cleans  the  gutter,  sweeps  ten 
feet  of  pavement,  picks  up  the  refuse  and  carts  it  away.  Oper- 
ated by  one  man.  Known  for  its  willingness  to  clean  streets 
at  the  lowest  cost.    A  sk  for  Circular  A  -48. 

THE  AUTOSWEEPER — Sprays  the  pavement  and  sweeps  a 
seven  foot  path,  leaving  it  in  a  clean  condition.  Operated  by 
one  man.  Excellent  for  direct  displacement  of  horse-drawn 
sweepers  and  for  use  as  a  "feeder"  to  pick-up  machines.  Ask 
for  Circular  A-44 

THE  AUTO-EDUCTOR — Cleans  catch  basins  at  half  the  cost 
of  antiquated  and  unhealthful  methods.  Also  is  a  flusher  for 
street  cleaning.  May  be  equipped  with  sprinkling  heads  for 
sprinklingwork,etc.    Ask  for  Circular  A -SO. 


ELGIN  SALES  CORPORATION 


501  Fifth  Avenue 
NEW  YORK 


U.  S.  A. 


Old  Colony  Building 
CHICAGO 


Feb.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


207 


Motor-Cycles  for 
Police  Use 

The  organization  of  the 
Massachusetts  State  Police 
Patrol  has  been  of  great 
assistance  in  protecting 
farmers,  inhabitants  of  re- 
mote villages,  country 
storekeepers  and  others 
from  prowling  criminals. 
This  body  of  state  troopers 
was  formed  as  a  part  of 
the  great  machine  to  help 
make  the  beautiful  roads 
and  highways  of  the  state 
safe  from  reckless  and 
careless  motorists  and  to 
exercise  a  degree  of  su- 
pervision over  such  drivers, 
as  the  city  and  town  police 
do  within  the  limits  of  their 
mimicipalities. 

The  force  is  patterned  in 
many  respects  after  the 
Pennsylvania  and.  New  York  constabularies 
with  here  and  there  a  suggestion  of  the  Royal 
Northwest  practices.  Its  members  are  known  as 
patrolmen,  and  its  officers  are  sergeants,  lieuten- 
ants and  captains. 

The  man  who  has  been  mainly  responsible  for 
the  creation  of  this  force  is  Colonel  Alfred  F. 
Foote.  The  force  consists  of  50  men,  and  the 
appropriation  for  the  organization  amounted  to 
$47,000.  The  general  headquarters  are  located 
at  what  was  formerly  the  state  poor  farm  at 
Framingham,  Mass. 

The  question  of  transportation  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  force  was  of  great  importance.  After 
a  period  of  experimentation,  20  middleweight 
Indian  scouts  were  ordered  from  the  Hendee 
Manufacturing  Company,  Springfield,  Mass.,  and 
this  original  order  has  been  doubled,  so  that 
there  are  now  40  of  these  cycles  in  use.  It 
has  been  found  that  a  patrolman  on  a  motor- 
cycle can  cover  a  beat  of  approximately  100 
miles  in  each  working  day  without  any  hard- 
ships. Horses  are  used  when  the  winter  snows 
block  the  road  for  the  motor-cycles.  Probably 
not  more  than  a  few  days  a  year  will  see  the 
activities  of  the  force  curtailed  in  this  manner. 
It  is  expected  of  the  men  of  the  force,  that 
they  learn  to  handle  their  motor-cycles  as  well 
as  any  of  the  crack  drivers  of  the  motor-cycle 
sport. 

Manufacturer  Inaugurates 
Five-Day  Week 

Announcement  has  been  made  by  M.  E.  Gray, 
President,  Rochester  Can  Company,  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  that,  beginning  January  5,  1922,  the 
plant  has  been  working  8^  hours  each  day, 
closing  down  on  Friday  night  for  the  week,  al- 
lowing the  men  all  day  Saturday  for  recreation 
and  enjoyment.  In  this  way  the  men  work  the 
same  number  of  hours  and  draw  the  same 
amount  of  pay,  with  the  additional  advantage 
of  having  the  full  day  Saturday  to  themselves. 


A  SERGEANT  OF  THE  MASSACHUSETTS  STATE  POLICE  ASTBISE 
HIS    "STEED" 


The  Rochester  Can  Company  believes  that  it 
has  been  the  originator  of  the  "All  Day  Sat- 
urday Off"  idea,  at  least  in  Rochester.  The 
factory  has  just  completed  the  busiest  year  in 
its  history  and  started  in  1922  with  even  a 
greater  volume. 

Wallace  &  Tiernan  Personnel 

Wallace  &  Tiernan  Company,  Inc.,  Newark, 
N.  J.,  has  recently  opened  two  new  offices  and 
made  several  changes  in  its  personnel  and  ad- 
ditions to  the  staff.  An  office  has  been  opened  at 
1046  McKnight  Building,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  in 
charge  of  B.  M.  Conaty,  formerly  of  the  Chi- 
cago office.'  The  new  office  will  cover  the  states 
of  Minnesota,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota  and 
Montana,  and  the  Canadian  provinces  of  Al- 
berta, Saskatchewan  and  Manitoba.  E.  M. 
Lawson,  formerly  of  the  San  Francisco  office, 
has  been  transferred  to  the  Kansas  City  office, 
707  Commerce  Building,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  This 
district  covers  the  states  of  Missouri,  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Colorado  and  Wyoming.  R.  B. 
Mowry  has  recently  been  appointed  representa- 
tive for  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland 
(Eastern  Section),  District  of  Columbia,  and 
Virginia,  with  his  headquarters  at  the  home 
office. 

Wallace  &  Tiernan,  Ltd.,  was  recently  or- 
ganized, with  headquarters  at  T^  Adelaide  Street, 
East  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  J.  Van  Ben- 
schoten.  Manager. 

Several  additions  have  recently  been  made  to 
the  technical  staff,  including  S.  H.  Gregg  and 
G.  I.  Nelson,  who  will  be  attached  to  the 
personnel  of  the  Chicago  office;  W.  Van  Ben- 
schoten  is  n  jw  temporarily  attached  to  the  Chi- 
cago office ;  A  LoPrest  to  the  San  Francisco 
office,  and  R.  M.  Finch  to  the  home  office.  At 
the  home  office  sanitary  and  industrial  sales 
will  be  handled  separately.  L.  H.  Goebel  be- 
comes Manager  of  Industrial  Sales,  and  R.  V. 
Donnelly,  Manager  of  Sanitary  Sales. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


-^ 

'» 

^^B 

i. 

M 

The  Collection  of  Garbage 

in  municipalities  is  a  problem  that  we  can 
help  you  solve.  Heil's  Steel  Bodies  and 
Hoists  are  properly  designed  for  this  kind 
of  work.  Notice  the  tapered  end  of  this 
garbage  body,  the  steel  covers,  the  "under 
the  body"  Hoist  which  makes  for  easy 
loading. 

Tell  us  your  requirements  and  we  will 
send  you  complete  literature  on  Garbage 
Bodies  or  other  types  of  Dumping  Equip- 
ment. 


1242-60-26th  Ave.         Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Distributors  in  principal  cities 


Repair  Your  Streets  writb 

The  Lutz  Surface  Heater 

It  Boftena  asphalt  and  other  bituminous  pavements. 
It  vulcanizes  the  old  and  new  material  into  a  perfect 
bond.  It  cements  Asphalt  on  Granite,  Brick,  Cob- 
ble, or  other  hard  pavements.  It  makes  resurfacing 
and  maintenance  easy  and  inexpensive 

Illustrated  Particulars  on  Request 

Equitable  Asphalt  Maintenance  Co. 

1901  Campbell  St.  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


Repalriot  an  Asphalt 
Pavement.  New  York 


Bound  Volumes  of  THE  AMERICAN  CITY 

A  set  of  bound  volumes  of  THE  AMERICAN  CITY  makes  a  most  valuable  reference 
work  for  municipal  offices,  public  libraries,  etc.,  and  we  are  in  a  position  to  supply  all  volumes 
from  Volume  I  to  Volume  XXIV,  inclusive.  The  prices  of  the  volumes  vary  somewhat  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  some  of  the  issues  contained.  We  will  be  glad  to  quote  terms  on 
application.         ^j^j.  AMERICAN  CITY,  154  Nassau  St.,  New  York  City 


Road  buildini 
without  the 


wasteful  process 


BURCH  STONE  SPREADER 

Hitched  to  the  back  of  a  truck,  it  auto- 
matically spreads  stone  to  the  required 
width  and  depth,  doing  a  quicker  and  better 
job  than  men  can  do. 

The  saving  in  men  and  labor  is  great. 
This  spreader  often  pays  for  itself  in  a  mile 
of  construction.  Let  us  send  you  proofs 
and  description. 

THE  BURCH  PLOW  WORKS  CO. 

101  Bucyrus  St.,  Crestline,  Ohio 


STEEL   PAVING   GUARDS 

PROTECT  THE  EDGES 
OF  STREETS,  ROADS, 
CURBS,  STREET- 
RAILWAYS, 
ETC. 


Sizes 

nd  Shapes 

adaptabe  to 

all  types  of  paving. 

W.    S.    GODWIN    CO. 
BALTIMORE.        ■        •        MD. 


COIVIVERYS' 

Non-Leakable  Welded  -"Held  by  the  Weld" 

20  STYLES  10  TO  1000  GALLON  CAPACITY 

Constructed  for  Service  and   economy.     Our   most 

complete  stock  enables  you  to  obtain  any  size  and 

style  of  Heater  you  require. 

Kettles  for  class  of  fuels. 

Construction  and  repair  work  require  them. 

We  stock  them. 

Our  stock — Your  Service. 

Write  for  Catalogr  and  prices. 

CONNERY    &     CO.,     Inc. 

4000  North  Second  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


94 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


209 


A  New  Aid  in  City  Planning 

By  Nelson  P.  Lewis 

Consulting  City  Planning  Engineer 


IN  all  city  planning  work  a  knowledge  of 
the  topography  is  one  of  the  first  essen- 
tials. Where  the  surface  is  at  all  irregu- 
lar, a  quite  accurate  topographic  survey  is 
necessary  before  the  plan  can  be  worked  out 
in  detail,  and  it  is  obvious  that  such  a  sur- 
vey of  the  entire  area  would  be  of  much 


value  in  the  preliminary  study.  A  topo- 
graphic survey,  as  generally  understood, 
would,  however,  involve  large  expense, 
while  great  accuracy  is  unnecessary  during 
the  earlier  stages  of  city  planning. 

It  might  be  well  also  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  in  planning  new  territory  it  is  a 


PORTRAYING  THE  COMPARATIVE   DEVELOPMENT   ON   TWO  SIDES   OF  A  RIVER 

In  the  above  view,  note  the  many  industrial  plants  on  one  side  of  a  navigable  waterway  and  their  entire 
absence  on  the  other.  The  explanation  is  found  in  the  fact  that  one  side  has  trunk  line  railway  con- 
nections, while  the  other  has  none.     It  is  quite  obvious  what  is  needed  to  make  available  for  industries 

the  water-front  property  now  unused 


210 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


mistake  to  make  the  first  plans  in  great  de- 
tail. The  essential  thing  is  the  general 
character  of  the  plan,  which  should  be 
worked  out  in  a  logical  manner,  and  if  that 
be  done  with  the  existing  topographical 
conditions  as  a  basis,  the  plan  cannot  well 
be  spoiled  in  the  subsequent  elaboration  of 
detail.  But  instrumental  field  surveys,  even 
to  obtain  such  data  as  may  be  necessary  to 
lay  down  tentatively  the  general  structure 
of  the  plan,  not  only  require  much  time  and 
expense,  but  involve  some  work  which  must 
be  done  over  again  when  the  complete 
topographic  survey  is  made. 

A  Quick,  Comprehensive  Survey 

The  development  of  aerial  photography 
has  made  it  possible  to  secure  information 
of  very  great  value  at  relatively  small  ex- 
pense; such  information  as  will  make  it  pos- 
sible to  decide  both  quickly  and  intelligently 
upon  some  general  features  of  the  plan 
which  can  be  developed  most  economically 
and  with  best  adaptation  to  topography. 
One  can  ride,  or  even  walk,  over  the  terri- 
tory for  which  a  plan  is  desired;  he  may 
follow  the  valleys,  climb  over  the  ridges, 
observe  the  location  of  buildings  and  of 
wooded  tracts  available  for  public  play- 
grounds and  other  essential  features,  but  will 
retain  only  a  confused  idea  of  their  position 
with  respect  to  each  other.  Suppose,  how- 
ever, he  were  able  to  look  down  upon  this 
same  territory  from  a  height  of  one  or  two 
miles  and  to  carry  with  him  a  permanent 
and  accurate  record  of  what  he  saw,  how 
greatly  it  would  help  him  to  decide  upon  the 
general  scheme,  the  details  of  which  may  be 
developed  later. 

He  could  not,  of  course,  get  an  accurate 
impression  as  to  relative  elevations.  A  very 
good  idea  of  surface  irregularities,  however, 
can  be  secured  from  the  contour  maps  of  the 
Geological  Survey  and  from  occasional 
oblique  views  taken  from  the  same  or  a 
lower  elevation  than  that  from  which  were 
secured  the  vertical  views  which  when  put 
together  as  a  mosaic  make  the  sort  of  map 
which  the  writer  has  in  mind.  A  small  clus- 
ter of  houses,  or  other  buildings,  is  noted  on 
one  part  of  the  map,  a  larger  group  in  an- 
other, while  an  almost  continuous  line  of 
buildings  traverses  it  in  a  certain  direction. 
A  careful  examination  of  the  picture  will 
show  the  reason.  You  can  trace  a  railroad 
running  up  a  valley,  along  which  are  scat- 


tered these  different  groups  of  buildings; 
you  will  see  an  improved  road  along  which 
there  is  a  series  of  homes  and  outbuildings; 
the  sparkle  of  running  water  shows  an  inter- 
secting valley;  lakes  or  ponds  can  be  dis- 
covered either  in  the  open  or  surrounded 
by  what  appears  to  be  a  luxuriant  forest 
growth. 

Obviously,  the  opportunities  for  taking 
advantage  of  existing  conditions  in  develop- 
ing a  plan  for  the  territory  are  greatly  in- 
creased. In  following  a  navigable  water- 
way, one  side  is  found  to  be  quite  intensively 
used  as  sites  for  industrial  plants;  the  other 
is  almost  entirely  undeveloped.  What  is  the 
reason  for  this?  A  close  examination  of  the 
picture  will  probably  show  that  there  arc 
railroads  running  down  to  one  side  of  the 
waterway  and  there,  where  rail  and  water 
meet,  are  the  industrial  plants.  The  other 
side  of  the  stream  has  just  as  good  facil- 
ities for  water  transportation,  but  no  rail- 
roads. This  fact  will  give  a  valuable  hint 
to  one  studying  the  situation,  as  to  what  is 
needed  to  insure  better  use  of  natural  facil- 
ities for  transportation  and  to  promote  in- 
dustrial development. 

It  is  not  only  in  the  mapping  of  undevel- 
oped territory  or  of  new  additions  to  exist- 
ing towns  that  this  new  art  is  of  very  great 
assistance.  Much  of  the  work  of  city  plan- 
ning is  devoted  to  the  correction  of  mis- 
takes or  supplying  omissions  in  the  plans  of 
territory  already  intensively  developed.  We 
may  be  well  aware  of  the  defects  of  the 
present  plan,  may  realize  the  need  of  addi- 
tional thoroughfares  to  relieve  existing  con- 
gestion, may  appreciate  the  need  of  better 
connections  between  the  different  units  of 
our  park  system,  may  feel  that  our  water- 
front should  be  utilized  to  better  advantage  ; 
but  riding  or  walking  about  the  town  or  the 
careful  study  of  maps  will  not  give  us  such 
a  vivid  impression  of  the  existing  condi- 
tions or  help  us  to  arrive  at  a  possible  solu- 
tion, as  will  the  opportunity  to  look  down 
upon  the  city  from  an  elevation  sufficient  to 
give  a  distinct  view  of  the  area  as  a  whole, 
but  low  enough  to  enable  us  to  see  every  -m- 
portant  detail. 

Traffic  Conditions  Clearly  Seen 

There  are  the  long  lines  of  vehicles  col- 
lecting alternately  on  two  important  streets 
at  their  intersection,  while  at  another  point 
a  gyratory  movement  of  traffic  permits  all 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


211 


The  photograph  and  line  map  above  illustrate  the  advantage  of  an  aerial  photographic  survey  in  the 
development  of  a  city  plan.  The  features  of  the  photograph  to  be  retained  were  inked  in  on  the 
original;  the  photograph  was  then  bleached,  the  inked  lines  only  remaining.  A  study  of  both  photograph 
and  line  map  will  be  of  great  assistance  to  the  city  planner  in  determining  the  portions  of  the  existing 
layout  which  should  be  retained,  the  connections  and  additions  necessary  to  make  a  rational  plan,  and 
the  topographical  features  which  should  be  emphasized 


212 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


to  keep  going.  There  are  great  numbers  of 
trucks  which  should  be  moving,  but  which 
are  standing  at  certain  piers  and  railroad 
terminals,  indicating  that  some  improvement 
of  both  rail  and  vvrater  terminal  facilities  is 
greatly  needed.  There  are  parks,  within 
which  we  can  plainly  see  what  must  be  at- 
tractive drives,  but  even  at  this  vantage 
point  we  can  see  no  connections  between 
them  except  by  narrow  streets,  already 
crowded  by  miscellaneous  traffic,  so  that 
those  trying  to  go  from  one  park  to  another 
must  choose  between  streets  none  of  which 
have  the  character  of  parkways  or  give  the 
slightest  evidence  that  they  are  connections 
between  dififerent  integral  parts  of  a  park 
system. 

There  are  fragments  of  wide  streets  along 
the  water-front,  which  if  connected  with 
each  other  would  provide  a  wonderfully  in- 
\^  teresting  thoroughfare  and  afford  relief  to 
the  congested  streets  further  inland,  and  the 
picture  plan  made  from  above  indicates 
where  and  how  such  connections  can  be 
made  most  easily  and  least  expensively. 
Public  buildings  can  readily  be  located  and 
the  adequacy  or  inadequacy  of  their  sites 
as  to  extent  and  the  suitability  of  their 
locations  will  be  appreciated,  and  if  mis- 
takes have  been  made  they  can  be  avoided  in 
the  future  planning  of  streets  or  new  mu- 
nic'pal  buildings. 


For  Constructive  Work  in  Peace-Time 

We  know  that  aerial  surveys  and  mapping 
were  of  the  greatest  possible  use  during  the 
World  War  in  locating  points  within  the 
enemies'  lines  which  were  vulnerable  to 
attack,  but  we  have  found  that  this  same 
method  of  aerial  photographic  surveying 
will  disclose  the  logical  points  of  attack  for 
those  who  are  bent,  not  upon  destructive 
but  upon  important  constructive  work,  upon 
the  better  utilization  of  natural  conditions 
for  commerce,  for  homes  or  for  wholesome 
recreation.  A  relief  map  in  the  study  of  any 
territory  looking  to  its  best  development 
would  be  of  the  greatest  value,  but  that 
could  be  made  only  after  the  collection  of 
accurate  information  and  as  the  result  of 
field  surveys. 

If  then,  without  equipping  survey  parties 
and  spending  weeks  and  months  laboriously 
collecting  information  which  is  later  to  be 
used  in  preparing  maps  artd  making  relief 
models,  we  can,  in  as  many  days  as  the  other 
survey  would  require  months,  obtain  accu- 
rate information  as  to  existing  conditions, 
it  is  quite  evident  that  a  great  advance  has 
been  made  in  a  direction  which  will  be  of 
inestimable  value  to  those  planning  for  the 
future  development,  not  only  of  cities,  but  of 
suburban  and  rural  districts. 

Acknowledgment:  Photographs  by  courtesy  of  Fair- 
child  Aerial  Camera  Corporation,  New  York  City. 


Association  of  Merchants  Installs  Street 

Lighting  System 


By  A.  E.  Suker 

Lighting  Specialist 


ANEW  lighting  system  has  been  in- 
stalled in  Short  Street,  Lexington, 
Ky.,  as  the  result  of  the  energetic 
work  of  the  business  men  who  have  estab- 
lishments along  that  thoroughfare,  and  in- 
stead of  the  six  lamps  which  formerly  il- 
luminated it,  it  now  has  twenty-six.  Short 
Street,  which  is  in  the  business  section  of 
Lexington,  is  appropriately  named.  It  is 
only  six  blocks  long,  extending  parallel  to 
the  main  street  of  the  city  and  distant  one 
block  from  it.  It  is  a  street  of  numerous 
small  stores,  the  proprietors  of  which  felt 
that  in  order  to  compete  successfully  with 


those  on  Main  Street  the  thoroughfare 
would  have  to  be  inproved. 

The  Short  Street  Improvement  Associa- 
tion was  therefore  organized  and  the  work 
of  improvement  was  begun.  It  was  agreed, 
however,  that  an  adequate  lighting  system 
was  essential  to  any  such  program.  The 
suggestion  had  been  made  some  time  before 
that  this  was  needed,  but  it  was  felt  that  it 
could  not  be  carried  out  for  some  time  to 
come.  Nevertheless,  the  Association  began 
to  work  for  the  project. 

The  matter  was  taken  up  with  the  Utilities 
Company,  which  first  estimated  the  cost  at 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


213 


$25,000.  Later,  when  material  became 
cheaper,  this  was  reduced  to  $21,000.  Bonds 
for  meeting-  the  cost  were  issued,  and  the 
Association,  aided  by  the  Lions  Club,  began 
the  task  of  selling  them,  the  Lions  Club  dis- 
posing of  $12,600  worth.  According  to 
Maurice  Loevenhart,  President  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, the  entire  block  of  bonds  was  bought 
by  fewer  than  45  persons  who  own  property 
or  are  in  business  on  Short  Street. 

The  Association  chose  a  Form  6  General 
Electric  lighting  unit  equipped  with  diffus- 
ing globe  and  a  1,000-candle-power  lamp 
operated  from  a  transformer  placed  on  a 
cross-arm  near  the  top  of  the  pole.  Where 
tubular  steel  poles  are  used,  the  secondary 
wires  of  the  fixture  are  run  inside  the  pole 
through  a  cap  over  the  top,  and  where  the 
unit  is  installed  on  a  wooden  pole,  the 
secondary  wires  are  run  in  wooden  moulding 
down  the  side  of  the  pole,  and  the  wires  en- 
ter the  acorn-shaped  ornament  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  gooseneck  near  the  pole  plate. 

Twenty-six  of  these  units  were  purchased 
and  mounted  on  bishop's  crook  brackets  at- 
tached to  tubular  steel  poles  manufactured 
by  the  Electric  Railway  Equipment  Com- 
pany. These  poles  are  placed,  staggered,  at 
intervals  of  100  feet,  and  the  lamps  are 
mounted  at  a  height  of  17  feet  from  the 
street  to  the  light  source. 

When  the  new  system  was  completed  and 
ready  for  operation,  Short  Street  reintro- 
duced itself  to  the  people  of  Lexington  with 
a  program  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 

The  Lexington  Herald  of  December  4 
says  of  it: 

"The  culmination  of  several  months  of  pro- 
gressive effort  on  the  part  of  the  business  men 
along  Short  .Street  came  at  7  130  o'clock  Satur- 
day night,  when  tiie  new  'White  Way'  blazed 
forth  along  that  thoroughfare  amid  all  the 
noise  and  bustle  of  a  crowd  of  several  hundred, 
which  had  'gathered  for  the  celebration  that 
attended  the  event. 

"Twenty-six  powerful  electric  lights  suddenly 
took  the  place  of  the  six  that  have  served  to 
illuminate  this  section  for  many  years,  and 
Short  Street  immediately  jumped  into  greater 
popularity  with  the  people  of  Lexington. 

"The  old  lights  were  discontinued  at  7:20 
o'clock  in  order  to  make  the  appearance  of  the 
new  'White  Way'  even  more  effective,  and  the 
street  was  in  darkness  for  ten  minutes,  except 
for  the  glare  of  the  headlights  of  the  scores  of 
automobiles  that  crowded  the  ways  for  the  oc- 
casion. A  great  crowd  gathered  along  the 
length  of  the  street  from  Limestone  to  Broad- 
way to  await  the  inauguration  of  the  most  for- 
ward step  taken  by  Short  Street  business  houses 


TYPE   OF  NEW   STEEET   LIGHTS  IN  BUSINESS 
SECTION,    LEXINGTON,    KY. 


in  years.  After  the  lights  had  been  turned  on, 
the  crowd  gathered  on  the  plaza  at  the  court 
house  and  listened  to  a  number  of  selections  by 
Storm's  band,  which  had  been  engaged  especially 
for  the  event." 


^14 


City  and  Street  Railway  Company 
Cooperate  in  Paving 

Economy  Made  Necessary  by  War  Conditions  Produces  Attractive  Parkway 
Space  for  Street  Railway  Tracks 


SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  has  recently 
adopted  an  innovation  in  street  rail- 
way track  improvement  in  conjunction 
with  the  local  street  railway  company.  When 
the  paving  improvement  was  undertaken  on 
7th  East  Street,  between  5th  and  13th 
South  Streets,  the  question  of  the  improve- 
ment to  be  made  over  the  traction  company's 
double-track  right  of  way  was  considered. 
Under  a  municipal  statute  the  street   rail- 


finally  worked  out,  providing  a  center  park- 
ing space  26  feet  wide,  in  which  the  street 
railway  double  tracks  should  be  laid,  with  a 
paved  roadway  on  either  side  24  feet  in 
width.  For  the  lower  portion  of  7th  East 
Street,  the  double  tracks  were  moved  over 
to  the  west  side  of  the  street  along  the 
park,  partly  on  the  street  and  partly  on  park 
property,  this  leaving  a  36-foot  clear  road- 
way free  of  tracks. 


VIEW  ALONG  7TH  EAST  STREET,  SHOWING  NEW  PABK  AREA  FORMED  BT  MOVING  STREET 

RAILWAY    TRACKS 


way  company  is  required  to  pave  its  right 
of  way,  including  two  feet  outside  of  the 
outer  rails.  Because  of  the  company's  finan- 
cial status,  due  to  war  conditions,  it 
was  very  anxious  to  save  the  expense  of 
paving  its  entire  right  of  way.  In  addition, 
property  owners  were  desirous  of  h?iving 
center  parking  on  the  street  in  so  far  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit. 

The  upper  portion  of  this  street,  between 
5th  and  9th  South  Streets,  is  132  feet  wide, 
whereas  the  lower  portion  between  9th  and 
13th  South  Streets  along  Liberty  Park  is 
only  66  feet  wide.  After  a  careful  study  of 
the  matter,  a  plan  of  the  upper  portion  was 


As  a  consideration,  the  traction  company 
paJd  a  material  portion  of  the  cost  of  pav- 
ing, which  was  much  less,  however,  than 
would  have  been  the  cost  of  paving  the  en- 
tire right  of  way.  Since  the  work  was 
completed,  the  traction  company  has  planted 
lawn  grass  on  these  parkings,  which  is 
growing  very  nicely. 

The  consideration  shown  the  traction 
company  by  the  municipal  officials  is  com- 
mendatory, for  in  these  times  when  many 
traction  companies  are  operating  under  un- 
usual burdens,  strict  adherence  to  municipal 
statutes  and  franchises  may  cause  the  loss 
of  the  service  of  the  utility  to  the  city. 


215 


Open-Channel  Drainage  for  Malaria 

Control 

By  Fernald  E.  Hulse 

Sanitary  Engineer,  International  Health  Board 


ONE  of  the  most  practical  means  for 
the  physical  control  of  malaria  is  the 
prevention  of  the  breeding  of  the 
Anopheles  mosquito.  This  has  been  done 
with  considerable  success  for  some  time  by 
different  methods,  such  as  the  use  of  oil, 
larvicides,  subsoil  tile  drainage,  and  open 
ditches.  It  is  the  last-named  form  of  physi- 
cal control  which  will  be  discussed  in  this 
paper. 

Theoretically,  drainage  for  the  control  of 
mosquito  breeding  resolves  itself  into  math- 


engineer  is  ready  to  map  out  the  drainage 
system,  deciding  on  the  number,  size,  type, 
and  grade  of  the  ditches  and  channels  to 
insure  a  rapid  run-off.  The  size  of  the 
ditches  and  rechanneling  of  existing  water- 
courses can  be  determined  mathematically, 
but  it  is  reserved  for  the  engineer's  per- 
sonal observations  to  determine  the  type  of 
ditch  which  will  be  most  effective-  and 
have  the  longest  life  with  the  minimum  cost 
of  construction  and  maintenance. 

Mosquitoes  breed  in  great -abundance  in 


GOOD  EXAMPLE  OF  "V"  TYPE  DITCH  WITH  SLOPE  SLIGHTLY  STEEPER  THAN  45  DEGREES 


ematical  calculations  and  is  carried  out  on 
strictly  engineering  principles.  When  an 
area  for  control  has  been  specified,  an  ac- 
curate topographical  map  should  be  made, 
noting  all  possible  and  probable  breeding- 
places,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  kind  of 
vegetation  and  the  rapidity  of  its  growth, 
and  any  other  features  relative  to  drainage. 
Sufficient  rainfall  data  should  be  collected 
in  order  that  the  average  run-off  may  be 
calculated,  and  thus  the  amount  of  water 
that  must  be  drained  in  a  given  time  de- 
termined.    When  this  has  been  done,  the 


low,  flat-lying  are??  where  water  is  likely 
to  stand  for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time.  The 
most  serious  drainage  problems  relative  to 
malaria  control  will  therefore  be  found  in 
countries  where  differences  in  the  elevation 
of  the  terrain  are  very  slight.  For  exam- 
ple, in  the  Southern  States  along  the  Missis- 
sippi River  the  land  as  a  rule  is  low  and 
flat  and  in  most  cases  below  the  level  of 
the  river,  being  protected  by  levees.  These 
delta  lands  have  a  relatively  high  water- 
table,  and  the  seepage  is  slow.  They  are 
therefore   likely   to   be    difficult   to   drain. 


2l6 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


Another  example  of  similar  conditions  is 
thf  marsh-lands  along  the  New  Jersey  coast, 
where  also  differences  in  elevation  are  very 
slight  and  the  water-table  high,  because  of 
changes  of  the  tide.  Under  difficult  drain- 
age conditions  of  this  kind,  control  usually 
resolves  itself  into  ditching  and  the  use  of 
tide-gates  for  the  purpose  of  concentrating 
the  water,  with  no  actual  attempt  to  secure 
a  complete  run-off. 

In  the  delta  region  at  Mound,  La.,  the 
writer  observed  that  the  average  grade  of 
the  natural  watercourses  or  bayous  was  one 
foot  to  a  mile;  consequently  drainage  by 
ditching,  if  attempted,  would  necessarily  be 
a  precise  engineering  problem.  Moreover, 
conditions  in  Louisiana  are  more  or  less 
similar  to  those  in  the  tropics,  for  there  are 
distinct  wet  and  dry  seasons.  Ditches  must 
therefore  be  sp  constructed  as  to  produce  a 
rapid  run-ofif  during  the  heavy  and  extended 
rains.     Another  example  of  slightly  differ- 


ent conditions  is  found  in  the  Department 
of  Rivas  in  Nicaragua  close  to  the  shore  of 
Lake  Nicaragua.  This  territory  is  exceed- 
ingly malarious.  The  soil  has  a  fairly  rapid 
run-off  and  a  fair  rate  of  absorption,  but 
has  poor  natural  drainage  because  of  the 
topography  and  the  dense  vegetation. 

The  facts  governing  ditching  for  malaria 
control  may  be  presented  in  tabular  form: 

I.      Country 

Temrerate 
Semi-tropical 
Tropical 
II.     Rainfall 

Maximum  precipitation  yearly 

Maximum  precipitation  montlily 

Maximum  precipitation  in  twenty-four  hours 

III.  Nature   of   Terrain 

Elevation   above  sea-level 
Porosity   of   soil 
Vegetation 

IV.  Limitation    of    Funds    Available 

The  following  are  the  types   of   ditches 
that  may  be  employed: 
I. 


Concrete   Ditches 
Half-round 
"V"   ditch 


\47r10us   Cfoss  Secfjons  o-f  OJ'Hches 


jzr 


2X 


X    O/rf  b/^h,  j/o/>e  /:/  or  -^s* 

JT"  syve/>-yyt^Aych  -for  iVajf  yyot/ 
JT  3fva^ aho/>/7e/ <yTi>r/»  vyff'/'tfr 


Flume  or  Square  ditch 
II.     Open     Dirt     Channel 
Ditches 

"V"  type  ditch 
Broad     channel     with 

small    "V"    type    in 

the    bottom    for 

varied  flow 
Combination      of      the 

two  above 
Straight    side    ditches 

for     clay     soil     :in  1 

sandstone 
III.     Otl'.er    Forms 
Brick 
Stone 
Wooden 

The  following  are  the 
types  of  ditches  for  vari- 
ous conditions  in  the  order 
of  their  length  of  life: 

I.  Low,  flat  land  with  higli 
water-table  and  relatively 
poor   soil    absorption 

a.  Concrete  "V"  type  or 
half-round  type.  Ex. 
Canal  Zone  Panama, 
Le  Prince 

b.  "\'"  type,  dirt  sides, 
slope   4.5° 

II.      Same     as     I,     but     in     a 
sandy  soil 

a.  Concrete  "V"  type  or 
half-round  type  with 
wing-walls  and  weep- 
Iloles.  Ex.  Le  Prince, 
Canal   Zone,   Panama 

b.  "V"  type  natural 
open-channel  slope, 
IJ/^    or    2    on    1 

III.  Country  with  slight  dif- 
ference in  elevation,  but 
lieavy  precipitation,  soil 
porous   or  wet 

a.  Broad  channel  with 
small  "V"  type  or 
half-round  type  in 
bottom,   of   concrete 

b.  Same  as  a,  but  of 
dirt 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


217 


I\'.     Country  with  good  fall,  soil  sandy,  heavy  rains 
(Tropics) 
a".  Broad    channels,    frequent    wing-walls    to 
prevent   wash,    and    "V"    type    channel    in 
bottom    of   broad    channel 
V.     Same  as  IV,  with  firm  soil  and  average  rainfall 
a.   Open-channel  ditch   of  concrete  or  dirt  of 
strictly    "V"    type,    slope    45° 
\'I.     Flat   country,   firm  soil,   clay  or  "gumbo,"  with 
average  rainfall    (Louisiana) 

a.  Concrete    "V"    or    half-round    types 

b.  Small    "V"    type    ditch    with    slope    45° 

c.  Open   channel   flume   or   square   type 

A  few  of  the  points  to  watch  in  the  con- 
struction of  ditches  or  in  rechanneling 
natural  stream  courses  are  these: 

1.  Have  ditch  as  straight  as  possible;  the 
fewer  bends  the  better. 

2.  Bends  should  not  be  at  right  angles,  but 
over  130°  to  prevent  undercutting  of 
banks. 

3.  Where  bends  must  be  more  abrupt,  use 
baft]e-boards  or  widen  the  chaiuiel  to  re- 
duce the  current. 

4.  Avoid  too  sudden  a  change  in  grade,  to 
prevent  gouging  of  the  channel  bottom. 

5.  In  sandy  soil  and  on  steep  slopes  use 
wing-walls  to  prevent  side  wash  of  sand 
into  the  ditch; 

6.  Passing  through  culverts  and  under 
bridges,  widen  the  channel  at  the  approach, 
to  reduce  the  velocity  of  the  current. 

7.  Laterals  should  not  enter  the  main  ditch 
at  right  angles  to  main  ditch,  but  on  a 
large  bend  or  an  acute  angle  pointing  in 
the  direction  of  flow.  In  case  a  lateral 
enters  the  main  ditch  above  the  grade  of 
the  main  ditch,  a  stone  fill  is  necessary 
in  the  channel  of  the  main  ditch  to  prevent 
scouring  at  the  point  of  discharge.  This 
stone  fill  is  necessary  in  some  cases  in  the 
channel  of  the  ditch  at  the  point  of  a 
sudden  drop  in  grade,  to  prevent  scouring. 
Also  a  stone  ramp  or  fill  is  necessary  at 
the  down-stream  end  of  culverts  and 
small  bridges  where  the  channel  is  nar- 
rowed, thus  increasing  the  velocity  and 
possibly  causing  a  scouring  of  the  channel. 

Hints  on  Ditch  Construction 

To  increase  the  velocity  of  a  stream. — 
There  are  numerous  means  by  which  the 
velocity  of  a  stream  may  be  increased:  for 
example,  make  the  ditch   narrower  at  the 


point  where  the  increased  velocity  is  de- 
sired, either  in  the  original  construction  or 
by  a  plank  wall  on  either  side  of  the  chan- 
nel and  filled  behind;  increase  the  grade  or 
slope  of  the  channel;  or  make  the  sides  of 
the  ditch  more  nearly  perpendicular.  The 
last-named  method  can  only  be  employed 
where  the  nature  of  the  soil  will  permit. 

To  decrease  the  velocity  of  a  stream. — 
This  may  be  done  by  reducing  the  grade  of 
the  channel  or  by  widening  the  ditch  at  the 
desired  point,  and  in  some  instances  by  the 
use  of  baffles  in  the  stream  channel  itself. 
Unless  this  latter  method  is  applied  with 
caution  and  only  after  some  study,  scouring 
and  undercutting  of  the  banks  may  result. 

Maintenance  of  permanent  grade. — In 
open  dirt  ditches  a  very  good  method  of  re- 
taining the  original  grade  is  to  drive  stout 
flat-topped  stakes  into  the  bottom  of  the 
channel  at  intervals  of  ten  or  twelve  feet, 
the  tops  of  the  stakes  to  be  level  with  the 
bottom  of  the  channel.  In  case  the  ditch 
fills  with  sand,  it  is  a  comparatively  simple 
process  to  dig  down  to  one  of  these  stakes 
and  thus  find  the  grade,  then  follow  along 
to  the  next  stake,  and  so  on.  Where  open 
ditches  are  necessary  on  account  of  limited 
funds,  this  method  will  effect  considerable 
saving  in  the  cost  of  maintenance. 

Some  methods  of  filling. — The  use  of 
stone  with  gravel  firmly  packed  and  then 
cemented  with  a  thin  coat  of  neat  cement 
is  an  ideal  method.  Where  cement  is  not 
available,  clay  may  be  used  effectively  to 
fill  the  voids  of  the  cracked  stone.  In 
Nicaragua,  where  the  soil  is  loose  and  shift- 
ing, the  writer  found  that  driving  a  large 
number  of  stakes  to  grade  into  the  bed  of 
the  stream  and  then  filling  with  cracked 
stone,  the  whole  covered  with  earth  and 
packed  down  firmly,  resulted  in  a  very  good 
fill. 


Lignite  Replaces  High-Grade  Coal  in 
Municipal  Power-Plant 

Use  of  Low-Grade  Fuel  Made  Possible  by  Mechanical  Stokers 


ADJACENT  to  the  power-plant  of  the 
water  and  light  plant,  Moorhead, 
Minn.,  are  beds  of  lignite  and  other 
low-grade  coals.  In  spite  of  the  proximity 
of  these  fuels,  the  plant  was  burning 
Pocahontas  mine-run  under  its  200-horse- 
power   Stirling  boiler  because   no  effective 


means  of  making  use  of  the  low-grade  fuel 
had  been  found  by  the  management,  with- 
out endangering  the  plant's  ability  to  give 
uninterrupted  service  such  as  a  power-sta- 
tion of  this  type  must  give. 

After    considerable    investigation    it    was 
decided  that  these  fuels  could  be  efficiently 


2t8 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


burned  on  underfeed  stokers.  This  led  to 
the  installation  of  two  Jones  "Standard" 
stokers  which  are  similar  to  types  which 
have  been  used  elsewhere  for  burning  high- 
ash,  low-volatile  coals  with  relatively  high 
efficiency,  high  capacities  and  continuous 
operation.  The  stokers  were  immediately 
started,  using  Wilton,  North  Dakota,  lignite, 
a  coal  with  a  B.T.U.  of  only  6596  as  fired. 
A  series  of  three  tests  was  made  to  de- 
termine the  efficiency  of  the  stoker  and 
boiler  at  regular  loads,  heavy  loads,  and 
capacity.  The  results  are  shown  below  in 
tabular   form.     The    tests   determined   that 


there  was  an  efficiency  of  65.9  at  regular 
load,  and  64.5  at  heavy  overload.  In  the 
capacity  test  296.7  boiler  horse-power  was 
developed  in  the  200-horse-power  boilers, 
5,iving  148.4  per  cent  of  rated  capacity. 

After  this  combination  had  been  in  op- 
eration for  over  two  years,  tests  showed 
that  the  plant  gave  20  per  cent  maximum 
capacity  over  the  boiler  rating  with  65  to 
70  per  cent  efficiency,  the  draft  pressure 
being  ^4-inch  water.  The  installation 
of  the  stoker  had  cut  the  cost  of  fuel  $1 
per  ton,  equal  to  40  per  cent  in  cost,  through 
the  use  of  a  lower  grade. 


Results  of  Boiler  Test 
Coal  Burned:  Wilton,  Dakota,  Lignite 

At  Regular 
Load 

Coal  burned  per  hour  as  fired lbs.  1061 

Coal  burned  per  hour  per  retort lbs  531 

Water  evaporated  from  and  at  212°  per  hour lbs.  5246 

Water    evaporated    from    and    at    212°    per    sq.    ft.    of 

heating  surface  pier  hour lbs.  

Boiler    h.p.    developed    (average) b.h.p.         152.1 

Per   cent   of   rated   capacity   developed percent       76.1 

Water   evaporated   actual   per   pound   coal  as   fired.  ..  .lbs.  4.59 

Water  evaporated  from  and  at  212°   F.   per  pound  of 

coal    as    fired lbs.  4.94 

Water  evaporated   from  and  at  212°   F.   per  pound  of 

coal    dry    lbs.  7.37 

Water  evaporated    from  and  at  212°   F.  per  pound  of 

coal   combustible    lbs.  8.22 

Efficiency  of  boiler,   furnace  and   grate percent       68.9 


Under 
avy  Load 
1734 
867 
8007 

Capacity 

Test 

2533 

1267 
10237 

232.1* 
116.1 
4.27 

296.7  * 
148.4 

3.71 

4.62 

4.05 

6.88 

6.03 

7.67 
64.5 

6.72 
56.5 

A  Discussion  of  Stokers 


To  THE  Editor  of  The  American  City  : 

I  want  to  ask  for  .a  limited  space  in  The 
American  City  for  a  review  of  the  article, 
"Hand  Versus  Mechanical  Handling  of 
Coal  and  Ashes,"  by  W.  F.  Schaphorst, 
M.  E.,  in  October,  1921,  and  continued  in 
the  November  number.  I  have  been  familiar 
with  the  various  types  and  forms  of  stokers 
in  use  for  forty  years. 

The  author's  contribution  to  the  subjects 
treated  is  not  without  merit.  There  are, 
howevef,  some  quite  confidently  made  as- 
sertions which  are  misleading.  For  in- 
stance, stipulation  No.  2,  page  324,  of  ad- 
vantages of  stoker  over  hand  fire,  says  in 
part:  "It  is  independent  of  the  physical 
ability  of  the  mental  attitude  of  the  fireman 
or  his  assistants."  This  sounds  like  a  copy 
from  a  stoker-promotion  circular.  There 
are  at  least  five  distinctly  different  types  of 
stokers,  and  three  or  more  different  makes 
of  each  type,  with  the  operation  of  which 
I  am  quite  familiar.  I  have  never  yet  seen 
or  known  a  stoker  that  is  independent  of 
intelligent  supervision  to  secure  good  re- 
sults, even   in   a   single-boiler  plant,   much 


less  in  a  5,000-  or  7,000-h.p.  plant.  More- 
over, on  page  327,  in  the  fourth  of  his  stipu- 
lations of  disadvantages,  the  author  flatly 
contradicts  himself  as  follows:  "The 
mechanical  stoker  requires  human  atten- 
tion."   I  should  say,  intelligent  supervision. 

No  person  should  be  deceived  in  refef 
ence  to  necessary  attendance  even  with  use 
of  the  best  form  of  automatic  boiler  furnace, 
nor  should  any  believe  that  best  hand  firing 
on  tests  can  equal  best  operation  of  best 
completely  automatic  furnace,  much  less  in 
regular  daily  or  average  work. 

There  is  "no  such  animal"  as  a  municipal 
or  other  plant  too  small  for  advantageous 
use  of  a  stoker,  especially  one  of  the  over- 
feed type,  the  "Coal  Feeder,"  which  is  the 
only  type  of  stoker  that  can  be  properly 
designated  as  an  "over-feed."  It  scatters 
the  coal  over  the  fuel  bed  on  a  flat  grate. 

Just  why  a  stoker  is  not  as  advisable  in  a 
small  municipal  plant  as  in  a  non-municipal 
plant  is  not  stated. 

Mr.  Schaphorst  does  not  seem  to  be 
familiar  with  under-feed  stokers,  as  he  has 
asserted   that    "no    stoker    made    can    take 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


219 


care  of  all  grades  of  coal."  It  is,  as  he 
says,  not  only  "almost  impossible,"  but  it  is 
altogether  impossible  "to  prevent  some 
waste  of  unburned  fuel"  in  the  ashes,  but 
it  is  possible  to  have  as  clean  ash  from  a 
good  automatic  furnace  as  from  any  hand 
fire  work.  I  quite  agree  that  human  atten- 
tion is  necessary,  but  the  over-feed  "Coal 
Feeder"  referred  to  herewith  will  soon  save 
cost  of  installation,  and  up-keep  too,  in  any 
plant,  even  in  a  one-boiler  plant. 

The  fuel  economy  advantages  of  stoker 
firing  are  obviously  just  as  great  propor- 
tionately in  a  small  as  in  a  large  plant. 

The  Boston  engineer's  report  and  other 
cited  tests  of  saving  of  stoker  over  hand 
fire  are  not  phenomenal.  There  are  scores 
of  plants  where  the  saving  of  fuel  by  use 
of  automatic  furnace  amounts  to  15  to  25 
per  cent  or  more,  as  shown  on  the  monthly 
book  accounts  of  fuel  bills. 

Among  the  ".disadvantages"  stated  on 
page  327  is  the  following:  "Generally  stok- 
ers should  not  be  installed  unless  it  is  also 
decided  to  handle  ashes  and  coal  automati- 
cally." 

There  are  at  least  three  times  as  many 
plants  where  stokers  or  "automatic"  fur- 
naces are  in  paying  use  without  mechanical 
handling  of  ashes  as  where  ash-handling 
systems  are  used,  and  at  least  twice  as 
many  plants  equipped  with  what  he  errone- 
ously calls  "over-feed"  or  "opposed-feed" 
stokers,  where  neither  coal-  nor  ash-handling 
is  used,  as  where  either  is  in  use,  and, 
when  the  stoker  is  properly  operated,  there 
has  l>een  no  need  of  extra  "manual  labor" 
nor  "mechanical  agitators"  to  avoid  clogging 
of  coal  in  the  feed  opening  or  magazines. 

Mr.  Schaphorst's  description  of  the 
form  and  operation  of  what  he  calls  over- 
feed stokers  is  a  mixture  of  error  about  two 
distinctly    different    types,    viz.,    front-feed 


and  side-feed  types.  They  are  different  in 
construction  form,  in  operation  and  in  re- 
sults. He  says  over-feeds  are  more  liable 
to  smoke.  The  front-feed  is,  but  the  side- 
feed  has  no  equal  for  continuous  smokeless 
combustion,  nor  for  economy  of  fuel  and 
for  crowding  capacity,  and  this  form  has 
no  dump  grate,  but  is  continually  and  effi- 
ciently kept  clear  of  clogging  by  clinker 
and  other  refuse. 

In  the  operation  of  what  he  designates  as 
the  "opposed  feed  type,"  it  feeds  from  both 
sides,  but  rotatively  from  one  side  and  then 
the  other,  instead  of  "simultaneously,"  and 
the  coal  does  not  "rest,  for  a  short  time" 
on  plates  "where  the  volatile  gases  are 
driven  ofif."  The  plates  referred  to  as 
"coking  plates"  are  the  bed-plates  of  the 
coal  magazines.  The  coal  is  not  coked  until 
after  it  is  pushed  oflf  these  plates  onto  the 
grate.  If  coking  took  place  sooner,  it  would 
be  destructive  of  the  adjacent  parts  of  the 
magazine.  There  is  no  "lower  end"  to  this 
form  of  furnace;  exhaust  steam  is  show- 
ered underneath  the  grates  to  prevent  clinker 
from  running  or  sticking  to  the  grates,  and 
incidentally  it  prolongs  the  life  of  the 
grates,  which  are  the  only  parts  in  contact 
with  the  fire. 

I  do  not  care  to  note  the  statements  about 
chain  grate  type  nor  "under-feed  stokers," 
except  to  call  attention  to  the  evident  at- 
tempt to  make  a  virtue  out  of  the  necessity 
for  carrying  heavy  fires,  which  is  true  of  all 
fires  driven  by  a  blast,  and  to  correct  the 
error  about  higher  temperatures.  There  is 
no  possible  higher  boiler  furnace  tempera- 
ture in  an  under-feed  than  in  the  side-feed 
automatic  furnace,  except  that  from  lack 
of  suitable  suction  draft  there  may  be  a 
cumulative  heat  effect,  which  is  destructive 
of  furnace  walls. 

O.   n.   COTTON, 
Dayton,   Ohio, 


Our  Schools  Should  Be  Health  Builders 


We  believe  that  our  schools  have  met  with 
a  fair  measure  of  success  in  inspiring  moral 
living.  We  have  assumed  that  children 
may  and  do  improve  in  their  study  of  arith- 
metic, geography,  writing  and  reading. 
There  is  a  general  consensus  of  opinion, 
however,  that  our  experiments  in  building 
healthy  boys  and  girls  have  had  few  tangi- 
ble and  worthy  results.  We  have  never 
really  expected  that  children  would  gradu- 


ate from  school  in  as  good  or  better  condi- 
tion than  when  they  entered.  At  the  end 
of  each  year  we  have  expected  rather  that 
they  would  be  in  a  run-down  condition.  It 
is  time  we  began  seriou.sly  to  consider  the 
means  whereby  boys  and  girls  will  improve 
in  health  whenever  it  is  necessary,  in  the 
same  way  that  they  improve  in  drawing  or 
geography. 

DR.   J.    MACE   ANDRESS, 
U.    S.  Bureau   of   Education. 


220 


Experience  with  Bituminous  Gravel 

Streets 


Methods  of  Constructing  and   Maintaining  Streets  in  Richmond,  Indiana 

By  D.  B.  Davis 

City  Civil  Eagineer,  Richmond,  Ind. 

(Editorial  Note:  The  following  article  came  to  The  American  City  as  a  letter 
inspired  by  the  article  by  Harrison  L.  House  which  appeared  in  the  January,  1922, 
issue  under  the  title,  "Reinforcing  Gravel  Roads  for  Motor  Traffic") 


WHEN  the  streets  of  Richmond,  Ind., 
were  originally  improved,  the  great 
local  abundance  of  gravel  led  to  the 
decision  to  use  that  material  for  the  road- 
ways. The  gravel  was  laid  to  a  depth  of 
12  inches.  Cobblestone  gutters  were  laid  at 
the  same  time  and  were  later  replaced  by  a 
combined  cement  curb  and  gutter.  Partly 
because  of  a  slight  difference  in  elevation  of 
the  outer  edge  of  the  new  gutter  and  partly 
on  account  of  the  natural  wear  during  a 
period  of  some  20  years,  these  streets  be- 
came very  flat,  necessitating  resurfacing. 

It  was  the  practice  of  the  city  to  handle 
this  resurfacing  with  crushed  stone  at  its 
own  expense,  but  in  1918,  because  of  in- 
crease in  the  price  of  stone  and  in  freight 
rates,  resurfacing  with  that  material  became 
prohibitive,  and,  not  wishing  to  discontinue 
the  repair  of  streets,  we  decided  to  return 
to  the  use  of  gravel  and  to  continue  the 


same  methods  that  were  used  for  macadam. 
The  gravel  used  was   from  the  city   pit 
and  gave  approximately  the  following  screen 
test  : 

Passing  a  screen  Retained  on  screen 

iH-inch    lOO.O'/c 


Clay 


IJ-^-inch    54-inch. 

H-'mch   j4-inch . 

H-inch   J4-inch . 

J4-incli    J^-inch . 

^-inch  50 

50     


11.7% 
6.7% 
16.9% 
17.3% 
29.4% 
4.7% 


NORTH   21ST   STREET,   A   BITUMINOUS   GRAVEL    ROAD   IN 
RICHMOND,   IND. 


content     13.3% 

The   clay   appears   as  a   coating   on   the   pebbles   and 
not  as  lumps  in  the  mixture. 

The  following  methods  were  used  in  con- 
structing the  gravel  surface:  The  old  worn 
gravel  surface  was  first  loosened  to  a  depth 
of  3  inches  by  a  scarifier  attached  to  a  lo- 
ton  roller.  The  new  bank-run  gravel  was 
spread  in  one  course  to  a  depth  of  from 
4  to  5  inches.  A  finished  crown  of  about 
5^4-inch  to  the  foot  was  attained.  After 
thorough  harrowing,  the  gravel  was  damp- 
ened and  rolled.  After  once 
setting  it  with  the  roller,  it 
was  then  more  thoroughly 
wet  and  rolled  to  a  finish.  On 
the  final  rolling  the  surface 
was  brushed  by  a  steel  brush 
attached  to  the  roller;  this 
was  instrumental  in  filling 
the  voids  of  the  larger  aggre- 
gate and  giving  the  surface  a 
smooth  pebble-dash  finish. 

In  1919,  it  was  determined 
to  experiment  with  Tarvia  B 
surface  treatments  on  these 
gravel  streets.  North  21  st 
Street  and  North  17th  Street, 
comprising  about  550  square 
yards,  were  the  first  ones 
treated.  The  success  attained 
on  these  streets  resulted  in 
treating    others    each    year, 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


231 


n5*m   "8" 


/i.  2/ST  STREET-  LOCATIOfiS  OF  PATCHES    &. 
HOLES -SIZE   OF  EACH 


esoV-O 

340'   ft»7*« 


D.5o'|i,< 


04o'<(-a    i 

60"      2"' 


GRAVEL    STREET  SURFACE  TREATED 
LEtfGTH    945  Ft    HIND   OF  TREATMENT   TarVJS  B 
DATE   OF    TREAT/V1CNT    I9IQ  &  1920 
DATE   OF /fiSPECTION    F&b.6J922 

//iSPECTED  BY  Johti  £3ton 
coriDiTiOH   Good 
Patch 


O  Hole 


fi.l7tt   STREET—  LOCATION    OF  PATCHES    & 
HOLES -SIZE    OF  EACH 


l*Z*m 
m     /" 


275 


-''^Vo'   «/'7-' 


GRAVEL    STREET   SURFACE    TREATED 

Length  623'  kind  of  treatment  Thrvia  B 
DATE  OF  treatment  1919  A  1920 

DATE   OF  INSPECTION    Feb.  6   1922 

INSPECTED  BY  John  Eaton 

CONDITION    OOOO 

■  Patch 


PBINTS   SHOWING  RECORDS  OF  STREET  INSPECTIONS 

until  at  present  there  is  a  total  of  50,000  season.     It  is   absolutely  necessary  that  a 

square  yards.  second  treatment  be  applied  the  next  season, 

For  successful  results  it  has  been  our  ex-  and  if  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  can  be 

perience  that  the   gravel   surface   must  be  done,  it  is  not  advisable  to  apply  any  sur- 

hard   and   comparatively    smooth    prior   to  face  treatments  whatsoever  on  gravel, 
the   application   of   the    surface   treatment. 

The  application  of  these  treatments  the  next  Maintenance  Charts 

season  after  construction  allows  traffic  to  The     accompanying     charts     show     the 

more  thoroughly  compact  the  original  sur-  maintenance   required   on   North   21st   and 

face.    If  small  depressions  are  present  at  the  North  17th  Streets,  respectively,  during  the 

time  of  treating,  they  are  repaired  by  filling  three  years  since  1919.     No  treatments  will 

with  ^-inch  stone,  tamping  it  about  3/16-  be  necessary  for  these  streets  in  1922.  After 

inch  below  the  street  surface  and. sealing  two  successive  applications  of  the  original 

with  hot  Tarvia  X.    If  there  is  dust  on  the  binder,  additional  treatment  has  been  found 

surface,  it  can   be  removed  to  the   gutter  unnecessary  for  from  two  to  three  years, 

with   a   rotary   sweeper.     Otherwise,   good  Richmond,  Ind.,  has  a  population  of  about 

results  have  been  obtained  by  applying  the  27,000,  and  the  gravel   streets  treated  are 

material  directly  to  the  gravel.  those  which  are  closely  built  up  and   are 

The    original    bituminous    material    was  representative    of    the    average    residential 

applied  cold  by  means  of  a  pressure  distri-  cross-streets  and  not  the  thoroughfares, 

butor.    For  the  initial  treatment,  y^-  to  >4-  The  cost  of  resurfacing  with  gravel  at 

gallon  per  square  yard  was  used,  with  sub-  present  prices  is  approximately  as  follows : 

sequent  treatments  of  V^-  to  54 -gallon  per*  per  cu.  yd 

square  yard.     After  the   initial   treatment.  Cost  of  bank-run  gravel  at  the  pit. .                .35 

,              ^  fr.                                                         i.i^-a,i.i.«v,iit.  Hauling  by  teams,   6  loads  per  day,    IJ/J   yds. 

when    traffic    has    used    the    street    for    some  per  load,  team   at  65  cents    per  hour .72 

.^ ,t  r         J  •  111  Spreading  on  street  at  40  cents  per  hour 13 

months,  a  lew  depressions  may  develop,  due  Extra  man  at  pit  loading  at  40  cents  per  hour     .13 

either  to  an  excess  of  dust  or  to  a  damp,  n   ^    c          i          »     .                        "TTTT 

,  1  r  •  ,  Cost   of   gravel    on    street ; $1.33 

clayey  spot  on  the  surface  prior  to  the  ap-  per  sq.  yd. 

plication  of  the  binder.     These  are  of  little  2^t  f^^lf  T^rr^.  V\^^[^- y^r^s     '' 

consequence,  but  must  be   repaired  before         scarifying  and  rolling  with  roller. oe 

the  second  application  of  the  binder  next      Cost  of  resurfacing 85 


222                                         THEAMERICANCITY  Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 

The  binder  is  applied  by  the  city  forces  work  is  started.    In  order  to  encourage  the 

on  petition  by  the  people  who  reside  on  the  property  owners  to  have  the  streets  treated, 

street.    A  table  of  estimates  is  prepared  and  the  city  has  agreed  to  pay  one-third  of  the 

kept  on  file  in  the  engineer's  office  giving  total   cost  and  all  of  the  cost  of  intersec- 

the  estimated  cost  of  applying  the  binder  to  *^""f'     ^  „      .          , ,       •          ,            •        , 

,    , ,     ,       r            ,       J            J        -4.1,  The  followmg  table  gives  the  engmeer  s 

each  block  of  gravel  and  macadam  in  the  .      ^      -        ^       •   •^-  1    ^      ^       1       vt. 

„,.,,..               ,           ^,  estimate    for    the    initial    treatment    with 

city.     This   table   of   estimates    shows   the  ,.    ,            .                      i-     ,•          r  r/     „ii^ 

/,            ,            ,       ^         ,.,..,,.  binder,  using  one  application  of  J4 -gallon 

width   and   length  of   each   individual  city  square  yard: 

block,    together    with    the    rate    of    cost    per  ^^^.     ^^      ^^^      pea  "gravel     covering    at     $1.50 

lineal  foot  and  the  total  cost  to  the  prop-      „per  cu    yd 0.007 

,  ,     ,,      .         n^,  .  Binder  f.o.b.  track  at  13  cents  per  gallon 0.033 

erty   owners    for    each    block.       1  his   amount        Cleaning  and    application    0.015 

must  be  deposited  with  the  city  before  any     Estimate  per  square  yard 0.055 


Catch-Basin  Cleaning  in  Akron,  Ohio 

The  Cost  of  Sanitary  Cleaning  Methods  Greatly  Reduced 


EARLY  in  1918  the  city  of  Akron,  Ohio, 
put  into  commission  a  machine  of  the 
hydraulic  ejector  type  mounted  on  a 
5-ton  truck  for  cleaning  its  catch-basins. 
This  Otterson  Auto-Eductor  cleaned  1,044 
basins  in  the  first  seven  months  it  was  used. 
The  average  size  of  the  basins  was  4x5 
feet  X  7  feet  deep,  and  inasmuch  as  many 
of  the  basins  had  not  been  cleaned  for  sev- 
eral years,  they  were  filled  up  with  dirt,  and 
some  of  them  even  had  grass  growing  on 
the  surface. 


In  1921,  another  Otterson  two-stage 
Eductor,  mounted  on  a  Mack  5-ton  chassis, 
was  purchased.  The  table  below  gives 
interesting  comparative  figures  on  the  cost 
of  cleaning  the  basins,  the  average  being 
$2.94  per  basin  in  1921,  as  against  $3.50  per 
basin  in  1918.  These  figures,  which  include 
the  pay-roll,  materials  used,  interest  on  in- 
vestment, depreciation  and  overhead  charges, 
are  far  below  the  cost  of  cleaning  by  hand, 
which  averages  $5.00  per  basin  exclusive  of 
cartage. 


CLEANING    CATCH-BASINS 

,  Street  Cle.«ning, -1921 

No.   72  No.    64 

Kelly   5    T.    Chassis   -  Mack  5  T.   Chassis 

Otterson   Eductor  Otterson   2    Stage  Eductor 

1918    Model  1921  Model 

Performance: 

Number  of  Days  Operated    63  '  192 

Number  of  Hours  OperatiM 710  1,580 

Number  of    Catch-Basins    Cleaned.    873  2,322 

Dirt  Removed — Cubic   Yards 854  2,299 

Costs  : 

Driver — Wages    $1,100.50  $1,200.70 

Helpers — Wages     above  2,342.14 

Gas    and    Oil    303.00  549.23 

Total    Operating    $1,403.50  $4,092.07 

Repairs — Wages 100.15  382.24 

Repairs — Parts 522.11  359.73 

Total    Maintenance    622.26  741.97 

Tire  Cost 

Depreciation   @   5  Years 1,237.60 

Depreciation  @  Actual  Life,  3  Yrs.  820.00 

Interest 129.00.  343.79 

Total  Capital  Charges 949.00  1,581.39 

Total  Cost 2,974.76  6,415.43 

Units: 

Cost  Per  Catch-Basin 3.41  2.76 

Cost  per  Cu.  Yd.  Removed 3.48  2.79 

Cu.   Yds.  Dirt  Per  Catch-Basin 0.98  0.99 

Citch-Basins  Per  Hour 1.23  j.47 

Total  Cost  of  Cleaning  3195  Basins $9,390.19 

Co.st  Per  Basin    2.94 

Allowances   of    Supervision   and    Garage   Rental    not 
incl"4e4f 


223 


Municipal  Water  Rates — Part  I 

A  Thorough  Analysis  of  Present  Rates  and  Rate-Making 

By  E.  E.  Bankson,  D.  E.  Davis  and  C.  A.  Finley* 


THE  development  of  scientific  rate- 
making  has  followed  the  advent  of  the 
public  service  commission,  which  deals 
principally  with  the  relatively  small  privately 
owned  plants  susceptible  to  considerations  in 
operation  which  are  often  entirely  sub- 
merged and  of  little  importance  in  the  oper- 
ation of  the  much  larger  municipally  owned 
plants.  This  paper 
is  presented  with 
the  view  of  creat- 
ing further  interest 
in  this  much-neg- 
lected field. 

The  operation  of 
a  municipally 
owned  plant  af- 
fords the  oppor- 
tunity for  rate- 
making  on  the 
basis  of  true 
equity,  free  from 
tempt  a  t  i  o  n  s  to 
adopt     policies    of 

financial  expediency  appealing  to  privately 
owned  plants.  There  are  many  elements  in 
common  to  both  plants  creating  influences 
in  rate-making  which  are  often  reflected  in 
widely  varying  results,  due  to  the  radical 
differences  between  the  policy  adopted  by 
the  directors  of  a  private  corporation  and 
that  followed  by  the  legislators  of  a  mu- 
nicipality. 

The  operation  of  privately  owned  plants 
in  many  states  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  public  service  commission,  which  per- 
mits a  revenue  sufficient  to  provide  a  fair 
return  on  the  fair  value  of  the  property,  in 
addition  to  operating  expenses  and  an  allow- 
ance for  depreciation  of  plant.  The  reason- 
ableness of  rates  imposed  by  a  private  water 
company  would  necessarily  be  measured  by 
application  of  the  rulings  oi  th;  public  serv- 
ice commission. 

The  operation  of  municipally  owned 
plants  is  generally  not  under  the  control  of 

•  E.  E.  Bankson,  of  The  T.  N.  Chester  Engineers, 
PittsburRh.  Pa.:  D.  E.  Davis,  of  The  T.  N.  Chester 
Engineers,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  C.  A.  Finley.  Managing 
Engineer,   Bureau  of  Water,  City  of  Pittsburgh. 


A  municipality  may  operate  its  water 
plant  at  a  profit  as  a  separate  source  of 
municipal  revenue  if  it  is  disposed  to  do 
so  and  the  law  does  not  prevent.  Such 
operation  may  favor  the  property  owner 
who  does  not  take  water  in  proportion  to 
the  value  of  his  property,  such  as  vacant 
property  or  the  extremely  valuable  prop- 
erty requiring  a  small  quantity  of  water. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  plant  be  oper- 
ated at  a  loss  with  the  deficiency  repaired 
from  the  general  tax  levy,  the  water 
taker  or  consumer  as  such  would  then  be 
favored  at  the  expense  of  the  taxpayer. 


the  public  service  commission,  which  fact 
admits  that  different  principles  are  to  be 
applied  in  the  two  cases.  The  duty  of  the 
commission  is  to  protect  the  interests  both 
of  the  consumers,  as  members  of  the  com- 
munity, and  of  the  water  company,  as  a 
private  concern;  but  the  consumers  may 
exercise  their  control  of  a  municipally 
owned  plant 
through  the  power 
of  their  vote. 

An  opportunity 
for  variation  in 
municipal  rates 
arises  under  the 
question  as  to  the 
so-called  owner- 
ship  of  a  munici- 
pal plant,  depend- 
ing on  the  propor- 
tion of  the  invest- 
m  e  n  t  contributed 
by  property 
through  tax  assess- 
ments as  contrasted  to  excess  earnings 
gathered  from  water  revenue  and  invested 
in  plant.  The  reader  will  here  understand 
that  this  expression  of  so-called  ownership 
is  used  as  a  convenient  term  to  indicate  the 
source  of  money  that  built  the  plant.  Un- 
less this  factor  is  recognized  in  the  building 
of  the  rate  schedule,  some  discrimination 
may  result  towards  one  or  the  other  of  the 
contributors  of  the  plant  cost,  that  is,  the 
property  owner  on  the  one  side  or  the  water 
consumer  as  such  on  the  other  side,  and  the 
equity  of  rates  ittiposed  by  a  municipal  plant 
would  seem  to  depend  on  this  seat  of  so- 
called  ownership. 

A  municipality  may  operate  its  water 
plant  at  a  profit  as  a  separate  source  of 
municipal  revenue  if  it  is  disposed  to  do  so 
and  the  law  does  not  prevent.  Such  opera- 
tion may  favor  the  property  owner  who  does 
not  take  water  in  proportion  to  the  value  of 
his  property,  such  as  vacant  property  or  the 
extremely  valuable  property  reiquiring  a 
small  quantity  of  water.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  the  plant  be  operated  at  a  loss  with  the 


224 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


deficiency  repaired  from  the  general  tax 
levy,  the  water  taker  or  consumer  as  such 
would  then  be  favored' at  the  expense  of  the 
taxpayer. 

The  thought  often  exists  in  the  minds  of 
the  layman  that  substantial  justice  will  be 
done  if  all  revenue  is  derived  from  water 
sales,  since  the  consumer  and  the  property 
owner  are  substantially  one  and  the  same. 
That  this  is  not  strictly  true  is  evident  when 
considering  the  extreme  cases  such  as  the 
valuable  vacant  property  or  the  large  office 
building  which  enjoys  water  service,  fire 
protection,  and  increased  property  value  out 
of  all  proportion  to  the  relatively  small 
charges  for  water  used.  This  case  shows  a 
wide  contrast  with  that  of  the  very  large 
consumer  of  water  whose  business  is  housed 
within  a  relatively  inexpensive  building  or 
property. 

The  decision  to  operate  a  municipal  plant 
at  a  profit,  or  at  a  loss,  is,  however,  to  be 
determined  in  part  by  administrative  policy 
rather  than  entirely  by  scientific  rate-mak- 
ing, but  if  accurate  cost  analysis  is  to  play 
any  part  in  the  problem  of  rate-making,  it 
must  precede  and  remain  separate  from 
questions  of  administrative  policy,  except 
that  the  term  "cost  of  service"  may  be  suId- 
ject  to  different  interpretations  according 
to  the  administrative  policy  obtaining,  the 
purpose  of  cost  analysis  being  to  indicate 
or  mould  the  correct  administrative  ]X>licy 
in  this  respect.  Since  the  major  purpose  of 
this  discussion  is  to  determine  "total  cost  of 
service"  resulting  in  the  "rate  base,"  or  the 
total  "annual  burden"  and  the  equitable  dis- 
tribution of  this  burden  to  the  various  con- 
sumers of  a  municipally  owned  water  plant, 
any  mention  of  administrative  policy  in  con- 
nection with  cost  is  offered  only  as  con- 
tributory. 

Cost  of  Service 

Cost  of  water  service  as  deduced  from  the 
practice  of  public  utility  commissions  in 
their  control  of  privately  owned  plants  is 
made  up  as  follows: 

(A)  Fair  return  on  a  fair  plant  value 

(B)  An  allowance  for  plant  depreciation 

(C)  Cost  of  plant  operating  and  maintenance 

wherein  the  items  for  "fair  return"  cover 
any  profit  permitted  for  the  utility,  and  all 
three  items  are  based  on  used  and  useful 
plant  value. 

This  discussion  of  the  absolute  cost  of 
service  rendered  by  a  municipal  water  plant 


will  not  involve  an  item  of  profit,  and  con- 
sequently the  item  of  "fair  return"  for  a  pri- 
vate plant  will  be  replaced  by  an  item  which 
may  be  designated  as  interest  on  capital  in- 
vested. As  the  so-called  ownership  of  plant, 
bonded  indebtedness,  sinking  fund,  and  in- 
terest rate  paid  may  vary  with  each  plant, 
it  follows  that  the  total  cost  of  service  will 
vary  with  each  municipal  plant,  though  the 
terms  "depreciation  and  operation"  carry 
the  same  meaning  as  indicated  above,  and 
this  "cost  of  service"  as  distributed  to  the 
consumers  through  the  medium  of  the  rates 
charged  will  be  further  dealt  with  under  the 
heading  "Distribution  of  the  Burden." 

Ownership  of  Plant 

There  is  no  contention  that  the  city  does 
not  own  the  plant,  but  there  does  appear  to 
be  a  difference  in  equitable  rates,  dependent 
on  the  sources  of  funds  for  plant  purchase, 
these  being  the  general  tax  levy  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  charges  for  water  service  on 
the  other  hand,  as  illustrated  in  the  follow- 
ing comparisons. 

The  water-works  plant  of  the  city  of 
Toronto,  Canada,  appears  to  be  bonded  to 
more  than  its  present  value,  and  that  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  only  slightly  less,  as  indicated 
in  the  tabulation  on  "Rant  Statistics," 
which  means  in  a  sense  that  the  bondholders 
own  the  plant,  and  the  cost  of  service  must 
incorporate  the  total  interest  on  the  bonded 
debt,  and  unless  the  water  revenue  provides 
also  a  sinking  fund  for  retirement  of  bonds, 
the  water-takers  as  such  will  never  hold  any 
equity-  in  plant  account.  If  the  operating 
revenue,  in  this  case,  should  provide  a  sink- 
ing fund  in  addition  to  interest  and  operat- 
ing costs,  the  rates  would  ordinarily  need  to 
be  as  high  as,  or  higher  than,  those  per- 
mitted for  a  private  plant. 

The  water-works  plant  of  the  city  of 
Erie,  for  the  purposes  of  this  discussion, 
may  be  considered  free  of  debt,  and  since 
there  are  no  interest  or  sinking  fund  charges 
to  meet,  one  might  easily  and  erroneously 
conclude  that  the  water  rates  in  Erie  should 
be  very  much  less  than  in  Toronto.  But  such 
is  not  necessarily  the  case,  for  the  reason 
that  the  water  rates  in  Erie  provide  the  only 
source  of  revenue  for  plant  extension  and 
replacements.  In  other  words,  the  water- 
takers  in  Erie  are  paying  for  their  plant  as 
they  go  along,  and  for  the  past  ten  years 
this  cost  has  been  approximately  equal  to 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


225 


6  per  cent  on  the  plant  cost.  This  item, 
therefore,  takes  the  place  of  interest  and 
sinking  fund  for  a  bonded  plant  in  the  "cost 
of  service"-  for  Erie.  If  Erie  should  ever 
stop  growing,  however,  and  no  further  plant 
extensions  be  necessary,  this  item  would 
disappear  from  the  "cost  of  service"  and  the 
water  rates  should  decrease  accordingly, 
whereupon  the  advantage  of  this  position 
would  be  more  apparent.  From  the  above 
discussion,  it  is  evident  that  the  water-takers 
have  provided  the  funds  for  investment  cost 
of  the  Erie  plant,  and  in  the  spirit  of  this 
discussion  we  could  say  that  the  water- 
takers  or  consumers  own  the  Erie  plant. 

The  water  revenue  in  many  other  cases  is 
insufficient  to  carry  the  annual  burden,  and 
any  bonds  retired  would  indicate  a  credit  to 
the  general  tax  levy,  which  should  entitle 
the  tax  levy  to  the  regular  city  interest  rate 
on  all  plant  investment  actually  made,  and 
in  setting  up  the  "cost  of  service"  the  gen- 
eral tax  levy  should  receive  a  ledger  credit 
for  providing  these  funds,  resulting  in  a 
corresponding  charge  to  the  water-takers 
which  would  appear  in  the  "cost  of  service" 
distributed  to  the  individual  water  accounts 
through  the  rates  applied,  public  service  and 
fire  protection  carrying  a  proper  portion  of 
the  cost. 

We  understand  that  the  present  policy  in 
the  city  of  Cleveland  is  that  the  ownership 
of  small  distributing  street  mains  and  serv- 
ice lines  to  the  curb  is  vested  in  the  prop- 
erty owner,  or  he  foots  the  bill  and  carries 
that  entire  burden  by  direct  assessment,  as 
for  sewers  or  street  paving,  while  in  the  city 
of  Erie  that  total  burden  is  carried  by  the 
Water  Department,  thereby  creating  a  dif- 
ference in  the  basis  for  equitable  rates  in 
the  two  cases.  In  the  one  case  the  consumer 
has  gone  down  into  his  pocket  and  paid  out- 
right for  his  service  line  and  street  main,  or, 
if  a  renter,  he  meets  that  burden  through  his 
house  rent,  while  in  the  other  case  the  bur- 
den of  the  items  appears  in  the  water  rates, 
corresponding  to  return  on  investment,  this 
variation  resulting  from  the  different  loca- 
tion or  seat  of  plant  ownership  of  the  items 
in  question. 

'  The  city  of  Pittsburgh  offers  a  third  com- 
parison in  this  respect,  where  the  property 
owner  assumes  the  burden  of  the  service 
line  and  the  Water  Department  the  service 
mains.  Or,  again,  a  difference  as  to  owner- 
ship of  meters  offers  yet  another  compari- 


son. The  purpose  of  the  foregoing  com- 
parisons is  to  support  the  statement  that  the 
rates  charged  for  water  in  one  city  are  no 
evidence  of  equitable  rates  to  be  charged  in 
another  city  or  in  a  private  plant,  but  each 
case  must  be  analyzed  separately  and  stand 
on  its  own  merits  under  the  full  conditions 
obtaining. 

Again,  in  support  of  the  thought  that  each 
schedule  of  rates  stands  alone,  we  tabulate 
deductions  from  replies  to  questionnaires 
sent  to  several  cities.  This  tabulation  indi- 
cates among  other  things  that  the  bonded 
debt  and  resulting  fixed  charges  vary  from 
o  to  100  per  cent,  that  the  plant  value  varies 
from  $19.75  to  $88  per  capita,  and  that  the 
operating  cost  varies  from  $0.92  to  $3.22 
per  capita,  or  from  $18  to  $95  per  million 
gallons. 

Another  deduction  from  this  table  is  that 
an  average  plant  value  is  slightly  less  than 
$40  per  capita,  while  the  average  operating 
cost  for  1919  was  slightly  less  than  $40  per 
million  gallons,  although  this  figure  would 
be  reduced  in  normal  times. 

It  is  entirely  possible  that  there  may  be 
some  discrepancies  in  interpretation  of  both 
questions  and  answers  preliminary  to  the 
formation  of  this  table,  which  would  give 
erroneous  results,  but  we  have  no  evidence 
of  error  in  the  figures  submitted  and  here 
use  them  as  illustrative  of  this  position. 
The  results  should  remove  any  thought  that 
water  rates  in  different  cities  can  be  com- 
pared, because  a  comparison  in  total  means 
nothing. 

Service  Rendered 

The  function  of  a  water-works  plant  is 
admittedly  two-fold^that  of  furnishing  a 
water-supply  for  general  consumption  and 
for  fire  protection — and  since  this  discussion 
is  based  on  the  principle  that  "the  rates 
charged  for  any  service  should  be  in  pro- 
portion to  the  cost  of  such  service,"  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  make  a  careful  analysis 
of  all  functions  and  duties  assumed  by  the 
water  department  and  of  all  service 
rendered. 

Fire  protection  service  is  rendered  to 
property  or  to  property  owners  in  propor- 
tion to  the  value  of  the  property  protected, 
and  charges  should  be  entered  directly 
against  the  property  or  against  the  general 
tax  levy.  General  water  service  is  rendered 
to  persons  or  industries  largely  in  propor- 
tion to  the  water  delivery,  with  no  necessary 


226 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


WATER  PLANT  STATISTICS  FOR  1919-1920. 


City 

Popula- 
tion 

Plant 
Value 

Bonds 
Out- 
standing 

Plant 

Value 

perCap. 

Operat- 
ing 
Cost 

Operat. 

Cost 

per 

Capita 

Number 
Con- 
sumers! 

Operat. 

Cost 

per 

Cons. 

Mill. 

Gal. 

Daily. 

Operat. 

Cost 

per 

Mil. 

Gal. 

.990,000 
260,000 
510,000 
160,000 
600,000 
250,000 
132,000 
499,276 
171,000 
1,108,735 

30,000 
267,000 
112,568 
295,850 

90,000 
547,000 

98,000 
110,000 
300,000 

45,000 

$28,000,000 
12,500,000 
19,198,490 
10,000,000 
10,000,000 
7,443.707 
2,610,887 
16,000,000 
15,000,000 
23,583,428 

12,000,000 
1,915,000 

12,847,492 

9,000,000 

195,000 

2,407,000 

763,200 

16,209,316 
4,105,000 
2,855,114 

$28.39 
48.00 
37.60 
62.50 
20.00 
29.75 
19.75 
32.00 
88.00 
21:20 

$953,936 
382,335 
890,948 
267,000 
458,973 
247,722 
276,294 

1,150,599 
249,396 

1,169,333 
60.615 

$0.97 
1.47 
1.74 
1.67 
.92 
.99 
2.09 
2.30 
1.46 
1.06 
2.00 

108,702 
45,600 
76,268 
32,000 
66,422 
46,000 
21,169 

104,766 
25,460 

164,779 
5,600 
46,080 
20,674 
49,484 
22,000 
91,617 
13,401 
19,000 
61,000 
11,000 

$8.76 

8.40 

11.70 

8.35 

6.92 

6.40 

13.10 

11.00 

10.00 

7.00 

10.70 

"i7!56 
17.50 

"isiso 

7.36 
16.30 

"'7.66 

127 

28 
136 

20 

61.9 

17.6 
112 

75 

27.6 
152 
1    4 
,  29 

20 
|25 
1  13 
118.4 

9 

20.4 

27.5 
8.5 

i$20  50 

Toledo 

37.30 

Buffalo 

18  00 

36  50 

20  40 

St.  Paul 

Youngstown 

38.60 
63.00 
42  00 

26  00 

Detroit 

21  00 

41  50 

10,000,000 
3,099,000 

13,800,000 
3,000,000 

32,000,000 
3,650,776 
3,755,000 

11,000,000 
1,600,000 

Private 

1,520,850 
10,446,000 

1,500,000 
10,698,392 

2,424,000 

37.50 
27.50 
46.70 
33.30 
58.50 
37.20 
34.10 
36.70 
35.50 

Albany 

360,i66 
867,000 

3.22 
2.92 

49.30 
95.00 

Pittsburgh 

Duluth 

Erie 

1,422,762 

98,587 

310,000 

2.60 
1.00 
2.80 

32.80 
30.00 
41  60 

1,750,000 
Private 

Williamsport 

77,141 

1.71 

24.86 

Totals 

6,476,429 

$226,241,288 

$90,635,364 

$734 .  19 

$9,232,740 

$30.90 

1,030,902 

$182.47 

931.8 

$637.36 

Average 

$38.60 

$1.82 

$10.70 

$37.50 

relation  between  value  of  property  'and 
quantity  of  water  delivered;  therefore,  to 
make  a  proper  accounting  for  all  service 
rendered,  the  charge  for  water  cannot  prop- 
erly cover  fire  protection,  for  there  is  no 
necessary  relation  between  the  two,  and  in 
fairness  to  all  concerned,  a  charge  for  fire 
protection  must  appear  separate  in  a  com- 
plete set-up  for  equitable  rates. 

Providing  a  water-supply  for  fire  protec- 
tion service  creates  an  increase  in  plant  in- 
vestment and  in  plant  operation  over  and 
above  the  cost  which  would  be  sufficient  for 
general  water  service.  The  exact  cost  of 
fire  protection  service  has  been  somewhat 
in  doubt  within  the  limits  of  the  two  meth- 
ods of  competition  used,  that  is,  the  excess 
method  and  the  proportional  method,  but 
after  a  careful  analysis  has  been  made  of 


the  fire  protection  service  rendered  by  any 
plant,  a  cost  for  this  service  can  with  fair- 
ness be  established  and  a  charge  indicated. 
In  the  case  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  the 
ratio  chargeable  to  each  service  was  ob- 
tained from  available  records  of  actual  de- 
mands, and  the  result  was  fairly  checked  by 
the  equation  proposed  by  Metcalf,  Kuich- 
ling  and  Hawley  in  the  191 1  Proceedings  of 
the  American  Water  Works  Association. 

General  water  service  may  first  be  sepa- 
rated into  two  groups,  as  public  service  and 
private  service.  If  the  tax  levy  carries  the 
burden  of  plant  investment,  this  may  amount 
to  more  than  the  cost  of  the  public  service 
received  by  the  city  and  by  property  in 
general,    in  which   case  the   ledger    should 

(This  discussion  of  the  making  of  meter  rates  ivill 
be  continued  in  the  April  and  May  issues.) 


A  Chance  for  National  Economy 


Business  and  financial  leaders  are  telling 
the  public  to  stop  waste,  and  to  work  and 
save  in  order  to  restore  sound  conditions. 
The  public  could  make  a  good  beginning  by 
stopping  the  preventable  fire  waste  of  the 
country,  which  is  estimated  to  have  amounted 
to  $500,000,000  last  year,  or  approximately 
$1,370,000  a  day.  Carelessness  and  ignor- 
ance normally  figure  as  the  chief  causes  of 
our  fires,  but  there  is  also  the  mistaken  be- 


lief of  many  that  when  property  is  insured 
against  fire  the  insurance  companies  are  the 
only  ones  to  worry  if  it  burns.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  insurance  costs  are  so  closely  in- 
terwoven with  our  social  and  economic 
fabric  that  we  are  all  affected  by  the  fire 
waste. 

The  careless  or  ignorant  citizen  re- 
.sponsible  for  a  fire  taxes  himself  as  well  as 
his  fellows. 


227 


Diesel  Engine  in  Light  and  Water  Works 
in  Freeport,  N.  Y. 

By  Stanley  Wright 


THE  village  of  Free- 
port  made  its  orig- 
inal water  -  works 
installation  in  1894.  This 
equipment  sufficed  until 
about  1898,  when  electric 
lighting  equipment  was 
added  consisting  of  two 
70-horse-power  return 
tubular  boilers,  two  50- 
arc-light  machines,  and 
one  37>^-k.w.,  A  C.  gen- 
erator. Since  1898,  addi- 
tions have  been  made  to 
the  plant  continually,  so 
that  in  1920,  when  the 
population  of  the  town 
was  about  12,000,  the 
power  -  house  contained 
the  following  units :  four 
200-horse-power  boilers, 
one  300-k.w.  generator  direct-connected  to 
a  Hewes  &  Phillips  single-cylinder  Corliss 
engine,  one  200-k.w.  generator  belted  to 
a  single-cylinder  Fishkill  Corliss  engine, 
and  one  loo-k.w.  generator  belted  to  a  sin- 
gle-cylinder Fishkill  Corliss  engine,  totaling 
600  k.w.  in  maximum  capacity;  the  genera- 
tors being  all  alternating  current,  1,150- 
volt,  3-phase,  60-cycle  machines.  The  steam 
pumping  equipment  consisted  of  two  one- 
half-million  direct-acting  Worthington 
steam  pumps. 

In  1920  the  load  was  running  approx- 
imately as  follows :  during  the  day  an  aver- 
age of  about  200  k.w.;  during  the  evening 
about  500  k.w.  when  both  street  lights  and 
domestic  lights  were  on;  and  about  160 
k.w.  after  midnight  when  the  principal  load 
was  street  lights  alone.  This  street  lighting 
is  with  arc  lamps  in  the  usual  series  system, 
requiring  constant  current  transformers  at 
the  power-plant  to  regulate  the  voltage  in 
accordance  with  the  number  of  lamps  in 
use,  so  that  the  same  current  is  always 
maintained.  These  arc  lamps  as  they  be- 
come worn  out  are  being  replaced  by  nitro- 
gen-filled incandescent  lamps. 

The  water  pumping  in  1920  averaged 
500,000    gallons    per    24    hours,    which    is 


INTERIOR    OF    FREEPOBT,    L.    I.,    POWER-PLANT,     SHGWINQ 
DIESEL    ENGINE    INSTALLATION 


lower  than  for  the  average  town  of  this 
size,  and  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
there  are  several  independent  wells  scat- 
tered about  the  town  from  which  many 
families  obtain  their  supply. 

The  power-house  is  next  to  the  railroad, 
about  a  half-mile  west  of  the  station,  close 
to  the  wells  from  which  the  city  water  is 
drawn,  and  a  293,760-gallon  stand-pipe  is 
located  next  to  the  power-house  and  directly 
connected  to  the  mains,  so  that  the  pumps 
work  against  an  average  head  of  155  feet, 
which  is  the  approximate  level  of  water 
maintained.  The  village  fire  department 
owns  both  steam  and  motor  fire  engines, 
so  that  in  case  of  fire  the  pressure  from 
the  mains  is  supplemented  by  that  of  the 
fire  apparatus. 

The  Need  for  New  Equipment 

In  1920  the  electric  rates  for  house  light- 
ing were  on  a  flat  basis  of  10  cents  per  kilo- 
watt hour,  street  ^ghting  being  paid  for  by 
taxation.  During  the  summer  of  1920  it 
was  becoming  evident  that  additional  power 
equipment  would  have  to  be  installed  be- 
cause the  load  had  increased  to  a  point 
where  during  the  evening  peak  all  the  units 
in  the  plant  were  running  at  full  capacity 


228 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


and  there  was  nothing  in  reserve.  A  study 
of  this  increase  in  load  since  1898  showed 
the  interesting  fact  that  the  demand  for 
electricity  had  practically  doubled  itself 
every  four  years,  and  during  1920  was  in- 
creasing at  a  still  faster  rate.  It  became 
imperative  to  have  additional  generating 
equipment  as  soon  as  possible,  so  the  Vil- 
lage Trustees  immediately  began  an  investi- 
gation to  ascertain  what  type  of  new  equip- 
ment would  be  best  to  install  for  their  con- 
ditions. 

The  Diesel  engine  had  been  suggested, 
but  at  first  there  was  some  skepticism  con- 
cerning the  feasibility  of  putting  in  such  a 
machine  to  run  in  conjunction  with  exist- 
ing steam  equipment.  After  very  careful 
investigation  extending  over  a  period  of 
two  or  three  months,  supplemented  by  per- 
sonal visits  to  some  Diesel  installations,  the 
Board  became  convinced  that  it  would  be 
the  most  advantageous  thing  to  do.  It  was 
found  that  a  new  Diesel  engine  generating 
unit  could  readily  be  placed  in  the  existing 
power-house  without  an  addition  to  the 
building;  that  it  would  operate  in  parallel 
with  the  existing  steam  engines;  and  from 
the  Board's  inspection  of  other  Diesel  plants 
they  felt  sure  that  considerable  savings 
could  be  made  over  "all  steam"  operation. 

The  Board  purchased  a  365-b.h.p.  verti- 
cal, 4-cylinder  Busch-Sulzer  engine  with  a 
250-k.w.  direct-connected  General  Electric 
alternator.  The  installation  was  completed 
in  the  spring  of  1921,  including  a  45-foot 
overhead  hand  travelling  crane  of  lo-ton 
capacity;  also,  a  panel  was  added  to  the 
switchboard,  and  the  arc-light  transform- 
ers were  transferred  to  a  platform  especially 
constructed  in  the  engine-room. 

Since  the  new  unit  was  put  in  regular 
service  it  has  been  running  on  a  24-hour 
schedule,  including  Sundays.  In  general, 
the  engine  is  run  two  weeks  without  a  stop, 
and  some  longer  runs  of  thirty  full  days 
have  been  made.  It  is  of  special  interest 
to  note  that  since  the  Diesel  engine  has  been 
installed  it  has  been  operated  fully  95  per 
cent  of  the  total  elapsed  time,  including 
Sundays  and  holidays.  In  other  words,  in- 
stead of  keeping  the  Diesel  unit  to  carry 
over  peak  loads  and  for  emergency,  the 
steam  equipment  is  kept  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  Diesel  grinds  away  on  steady  load 
both  day  and  night. 

The  savings  over  previous  operation  by 
steam  alone  are  greater  than  had  been  an- 


ticipated, and  the  records  show  that  the 
new  unit  has  been  giving  Freeport  a  net 
saving  of  over  a  thousand  dollars  for  every 
month,  compared  with  the  previous  cost  of 
current  generated  by  steam  alone.  The  two 
direct-acting  steam  pumps  are  now  being  re- 
placed by  40-horse-power  and  60-horse- 
power  Alberger  centrifugal  pumps  with  G. 
E.  m"otors. 

Operation  of  the  Engine 

The  engine-generator  unit  forms  a  com- 
plete power-plant  in  itself  on  a  single 
foundation.  Aside  from  its  economy  of 
operation,  this  type  of  prime  mover  is  ad- 
vantageous in  requiring  no  boilers  or  boiler- 
room  equipment,  nor  the  building  space  and 
labor  for  it.  Moreover,  it  is  clean,  compact, 
readily  accessible,  and  has  no  standby 
losses.  The  same  operators  who  take  care 
of  the  steam  engine  take  care  of  the  Diesel, 
so  no  additional  labor  is  required. 

The  fuel  oil  storage  capacity  consists  of 
one  10,000-gallon  and  one  12,000-gallon  un- 
derground tank,  located  just  west  of  the 
plant  and  on  a  railroad  siding.  At  these 
tanks  there  is  a  motor-driven  pump,  also 
an  emergency  steam  pump  for  transferring 
the  oil  to  the  engine-room  auxiliary  tank. 
The  pipe  in  which  this  oil  is  transferred  is 
laid  in  a  small  trench,  concreted  and  cov- 
ered, in  which  there  is  also  laid  a  steam 
line  so  that  in  extremely  cold  weather  it 
can  be  kept  sufficiently  warm  to  prevent  any 
stoppage  of  fuel  due  to  congealing  from 
low  temperature.  The  motor-driven  pump 
is  controlled  by  a  small  switch  in  the  engine- 
room  on  the  wall  beneath  the  auxiliary  tank, 
so  that  as  soon  as  this  tank  is  filled  the  op- 
erator cuts  ofif  the  motor.  From  the  aux- 
iliary tank  in  the  engine-room  the  fuel 
flows  by  gravity  to  the  pump  on  the  engine, 
and  from  there  it  is  delivered  to  the  fuel 
valve  of  each  cylinder.  As  the  fuel  valves 
open,  a  blast  of  air  from  the  compressor 
forces  the  fuel  through  the  atomizers  into 
the  cylinders.  In  full  Diesel  engines  pure 
air  only  is  compressed,  and  by  compression 
becomes  sufficiently  hot  to  burn  the  finely 
divided  fuel  as  it  is  forced  into  the  cylinder 
by  the  air  blast,  incidentally  eliminating  any 
electrical  ignition  system  or  other  ignition 
device.  To  start  the  engine  there  are  pro- 
vided two  starting  air  tanks,  in  which  air 
is  kept  stored  at  high  pressure  at  all  times. 
The  air  for  fuel  injection,  which  must  nec- 
essarily be  at  a  higher  pressure  than  the 


M  \K(1I, 


1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


229 


PLANT    OPERATING    RECORD 
Village   of   Freeport,    Long   Island,   New    York 

«  'il  5  >   &  (U  f^ 

KWH  Generated  in  Month       Fuel   Consumption  Fuel  Cost  uSccrv^^-"        m- 

1921  Diesel         Steam         Total       Gallons       Pounds     Diesel     Steam—  Total  o  S.'"-"  °     ^    c"? 

Oil—         Coal—      Oil  @     Coal®  •*'0'"«g>^g   '>  o 

Diesel  Steam         7c.      $8.35  per  « --jfe  g     -3.  J5S 

2240  lbs.  Mg«_cS 

June     91,070  27,317  118,387  10,068  288,126  $700  $1074  $1774  $2440  $666 

July      94,610  30,981  125,591  10,242  278,946  717  1040  1757  2590  833 

August     107,430  35,680  143,110  11,513  324,440  806  1210  2016  2950  934 

September     110,320  45,321  155,641  11,480  338,472  804  1263  2067  3210  1143 

October     112,700  81,139  193,839  11,898  503,460  832  1875  2707  3990  1283 

November 123,500  85,888  209,388  12,916  495,072  903  1845  2748  4320  1572 

December    128,050  112,997  241,047  13,190  569,664  923  2122  3045  4970  1925 

compression  in  the  cylinder,  is  furnished  by  a   completely  enclosed   forced   feed   system 

a  three-stage  air  compressor  directly  driven  in  which  the  oil  is  circulated  under  regu- 

from  the  main   crank-shaft  of  the   Diesel  lated   pressure   to    all    the   main    bearings, 

engine.  crank  pins  and  piston  pins.     After  leaving 

The  system  of  lubrication  on  the  Free-  these  points  it  drains  from  the  engine  bed 

port  engine  is  one  deserving  of  close  at-  plate  through  a  two-way  filter,  and  after 

tention ;  all  engineers  know  that  this  feature  passing  through  the  cooler  located  under  the 

is  of  the  highest  importance  for  the  sue-  filters    is    again   pumped    into   the    system, 

cessful    and   continuous    operation   of    any  Oil   for  the  pistons  is  provided  by  forced 

engine.     Most  of  the  troubles  with  Diesel  feed  mechanical  lubricator,  the  distributing 

,  engines  of  earlier  design  can  be  traced  di-  lines  feeding  oil  to  six  points  on  the  circum- 

rectly   or    indirectly   to   faulty    lubrication.  ference.     The  cam  .shaft  is  entirely  housed 

On  the  engine  at  Freeport  there  is  provided  in,  and  the  cams  dip  in  an  oil  bath. 


L.- 


Courtesy    Elecfrtcol   Merchandising 

TWO   DANGERS  TO  HIGHWAY  TRAVEL  AT  NIGHT — THE   BLINDING  HEADLIGHT 

AND  THE  ONE-LIGHT  CAR 

proper  highway  lighting  would  eliminate  both  dangers,  not  to  mention  others 


230 


Suggested  Ordinances  for  Interim  Zoning 

By  Edward  M.  Bassett 

Counsel,  Zoning  Committee  of  New  York 


AFTER  the  Legislature  had  empowered 
New  York  to  establish  zoning  regula- 
tions, and  a  commission  had  been  ap- 
pointed, insistent  requests  came  from  many 
localities  to  protect  them  pending  the  prepa- 
ration and  adoption  of  the  all-city  plan. 
Private  one-family  dwelling  restrictions  in 
Fiske  Terrace  expired  January  i,  1916,  and 
this  locality  petitioned  the  Zoning  Commis- 
sion for  immediate  protection  against 
stores.  The  Commission  refused,  because  such 
piecemeal  zoning  treated  certain  selected 
land  preferentially  and  was  therefore  dan- 
gerous, because  it  might  have  started  zoning 
with  a  critical  lawsuit,  and  because  first 
one  locality  and  then  another  might  be  thus 
protected  and  withdraw  its  assistance  from 
the  comprehensive  plan.  Before  the  zoning 
resolution  went  into  effect  on  July  25,  191 6, 
a  row  of  brick  stores  was  erected,  injuring 
Fiske  Terrace  somewhat.  If,  however, 
piecemeal  ordinances  had  been  passed  for 
this  and  other  petitioning  localities,  the  com- 
prehensive plan  would  have  been  delayed 
and  perhaps  defeated. 

Although  one  may  not  recommend  any 
method  of  preliminary  zoning,  one  may  per- 
haps point  out  the  line  of  least  danger. 
Piecemeal  zoning  should  be  avoided.  In- 
terim zoning  of  a  comprehensive  or  all-city 
sort  is  safer.    Here  is  an  example : 

"Wherever  four-fifths  of  the  frontage  of  the 
lots  on  any  street  between  two  intersecting 
streets  contain  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  this 
ordinance  structures  exclusively  residential,  no 
structure  shall  be  built  or  altered  for  business 
or  factory  purposes  therein." 

Such  an  ordinance  is  at  least  comprehen- 
sive. It  covers  the  whole  city  and  after  a 
fashion  treats  all  alike  who  are  similarly 
situated.  If  the  Legislature  has  given  the 
city  the  power  of  zoning,  the  courts  would  be 
quite  likely  to  uphold  such  an  ordinance, 
except  perhaps  in  some  particular  case  of 
extreme  hardship.  It  has  the  demerit  that 
all  preliminary  and  quickly  written  zoning 
ordinances  must  have — it  is  arbitrary.  The 
matured  zoning  maps  will  recognize  the  dif- 
ferent needs  of  different  residential  streets 
and  will  take  away  nine-tenths  of  the  ar- 
bitrariness. 


The  suggested  form  can  be  altered  as  re- 
gards the  fraction,  the  present  use,  and  the 
prohibited  use.  It  may  be  adapted  to  set- 
backs. It  is  merely  to  illustrate  the  direction 
of  safety.  The  provision  fixing  the  status 
of  the  protected  district  as  of  the  time  of 
the  ordinance  prevents  what  may  be  called 
traveling  districts  or  set-backs.  Most  in- 
terim ordinances  have  allowed  the  district 
to  be  altered  by  the  erection  of  new  build- 
ings or  the  jdestruction  of  old  ones.  This 
transitory  application  of  the  police  power 
has  undoubtedly  affected  adversely  the  views 
of  the  courts  in  some  cases. 

There  is  always  a  temptation  to  make  an 
interim  ordinance  adaptable  to  each  locality 
by  introducing  a  majority  consent.  Here  is 
an  illustration : 

"Wherever  four-fifths  of  the  frontage  of  the 
lots  on  any  street  between  two  intersecting 
streets  contain  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  this 
ordinance  structures  exclusively  residential,  be- 
fore a  permit  shall  issue  for  any  building  or 
alteration  for  business  or  factory  purposes 
therein  there  shall  be  on  file  with  the  building 
commission  the  written  consent  of  the  owners 
of  three- fourths  of  the  entire  frontage." 

Such  a  provision  is  ineffective  and  the 
courts  will  set  it  aside.  Police  power  regu- 
lations are  governmental  and  not  like  con- 
tracts between  persons.  Majority  consents 
of  owners  cannot  give  an  official  the  power 
to  regulate.  The  local  legislature  must  do 
the  prohibiting. 

The  United  States  Supreme  Court  has, 
however,  declared  that,  if  the  police  power 
regulation  prohibits  the  objectionable  struc- 
ture, a  provision  for  a  majority  consent  to 
make  an  exception  does  not  invalidate  the 
ordinance.  The  following  ordinance  is  sub- 
mitted as  comparatively  safe : 

"Wherever  four-fifths  of  the  frontage  of  the 
lots  on  any  street  between  two  intersecting 
streets  contain  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of 
this  ordinance  structures  exclusively  residen- 
tial, no  structure  shall  be  built  or  altered 
for  business  or  factory  purposes  therein,  unless 
the  written  consent  of  the  owners  of  three- 
fourths  of  the  entire  frontage  shall  be  on  file 
with  the  building  commissioner  at  the  time  of 
the  issue  of  a  permit." 

An  interim  ordinance  should  always  refer 
to  the  zoning  enabling  act  in  its  preamble. 


231 


Insuring  the  Maximum  Life  of  Block 

Pavements 

By  A.  J.  Moynihan 


THERE  are  millions  of  yards  of  blocks 
laid  each  year,  and  in  the  construction 
of  block  pavements,  whether  granite, 
wood,  or  brick,  one  feature  which  always 
demands  the  most  careful  consideration  is 
the  filling  of  the  joints.  Filling  the  joints 
either  adds  to  or  detracts  from  the  average 
life  of  the  pavement.  The  completed  pave- 
ment will  give  results  in  proportion  to  the 
type  of  filler  and  the  method  of  application ; 
therefore,  as  much  care  should  be  exercised 
in  the  selection  of  the  filler  as  is  taken  in 
the  selection  of  the  blocks. 

The  consensus  of  opinion  among  engi- 
neers and  road  builders  is  in  favor  of  the 
so-called  flexible  fillers.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  the  filler  must  be  of  such  a  nature  as 
to  allow  for  expansion  and  contraction  of 
the  blocks  due  to  climatic  and  temperature 
changes  and  to  moisture.  Experience  has 
demonstrated  that  a  properly  prepared  as- 
phalt is  one  of  the  best  fillers;  however,  the 
mere  fact  that  a  flexible  filler  is  specified 
does  not  mean  that  the  problem  of  filling 


the  joints  is  solved,  as  there  are  characteris- 
tics which  the  filler  itself  must  possess,  as 
well  as  provisions  which  should  be  included 
in  the  detailed  construction  specifications  for 
the  proper  methods  of  application. 

In  order  to  secure  most  satisfactory  re- 
sults, the  filler  must  be  of  relatively  high 
melting-point,  adhesive,  and  malleable;  a 
product  which  will  not  soften  materially 
when  subjected  to  high  temperatures  nor 
become  brittle  at  low  temperatures.  It  must 
Be  wear-resisting  and  impervious  to  water 
and  street  liquids.  An  asphalt  filler  of  this 
nature  properly  applied  at  a  temperature  of 
between  350°  and  425'^  F.  by  a  combination 
of  the  poured  and  squeegee  methods  for 
granite  block  because  of  their  depth,  and 
by  the  squeegee  method  alone  for  brick  and 
wood  block,  will  insure  long  life  to  the  pave- 
ment. 

In  applying  the  asphalt  filler,  the  filler 
gang  should  follow  the  pavers  as  close  as 
possible,  and  in  no  case  should  they  leave  the 
pavement    over    night    without    completely 


APPLYING  A  FLUSH  COAT  TO  GRANITE  BLOCK  PAVEMENT  ON  SECOND  STREET, 

CINCINNATI,    OHIO 
The  flush  coat  consisted  of  et^ual  parts  of  Texaco  asphalt  and  sand  by  volume 


232 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI.  No.  3 


THE  FINISHED  PAVEMENT  ON  SECOND  STREET,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 

On  this  job  the  joints  in  the  granite  block  pavement  were  three-quarters  filled  with  pebbles  and  asphalt. 
The  work  was  finished  with  a  mastic  flush  coat,  which  filled  the  joints  and  left  a  thin  protective  mat 

on  top  of  the   block 


filling  the  joints.  In  case  of  rain,  the  pave- 
ment should  be  covered  with  tarpaulins  so 
as  to  keep  water  out  of  the  joints  before  ap- 
plication of  the  filler,  as  it  is  essential  to 
have  the  joints  dry  and  clean  before  pouring 
the  asphalt. 

Methods  of  Filling  Joints 

Granite  block. — Clean,  dry  pebbles  passing 
a  J/2-inch  screen  and  retained  on  a  3/16-inch 
screen  are  hand-swept  into  the  joints.  The 
blocks  are  then  rolled  with  a  tandem  roller 
(either  8-  or  lo-ton)  so  that  the  pebbles  are 
shaken  to  thoroughly  key  the  blocks,  leaving 
the  joints  about  two-thirds  filled.  The  as- 
phalt filler  is  then  poured  into  the  joints 
until  the  voids  in  the  pebbles  are  completely 
filled  and  the  asphalt  is  within  an  inch  of 
the  top  of  the  blocks.  A  flush  coat  made  up 
of  equal  parts,  by  volume,  of  clean,  dry,  fine 
sand  and  asphalt  agitated  so  as  to  be  thor- 
oughly mixed,  is  floated  over  the  entire  sur- 
face of  the  pavement,  completely  filling  the 
joints,  leaving  a  light  coat  of  the  mix  on 
top  of  the  blocks.  A  j4-i"ch  covering  of 
dry  pebbles,  passing  a  ^-inch  and  retained 
on  an  J/^-inch  screen,  is  then  evenly  applied 
over  the  surface.  The  completed  pavement 
can  be  opened  to  traffic  immediately. 

Brick. — After  the  brick  have  been  thor- 
oughly rolled,  they  should  be  swept  clean  by 
hand  brooming.    The  joints  should  be  com- 


pletely filled  with  an  asphaltic  filler  applied 
by  the  squeegee  method.  In  floating  the  as- 
phalt over  the  surface  of  the  brick,  sufficient 
material  is  allowed  to  remain  on  the  brick 
so  as  to  form  a  carpet  coat.  A  covering  of 
dry,  coarse  sand  is  then  evenly  applied  over 
the  entire  surface. 

Wood  block. — Best  results  are  obtained  by 
floating  the  asphaltic  filler  on  the  surface 
of  the  blocks,  squeegeeing  back  and  forth 
until  the  joints  are  completely  filled.  A 
covering  of  clean,  fine,  dry  sand  is  then 
evenly  applied  over  the  surface. 

Preparing  the  Filler 

There  are  many  details  which  should  not 
be  overlooked  in  preparing  a  flexible  filler 
for  application.  One  of  the  most  important 
features  is  the  heating.  The  material 
should  be  heated  at  a  uniform  rate;  upon 
reaching  the  temperature  where  best  results 
can  be  obtained,  between  350°  and  425°  F., 
depending  on  the  season  of  the  year,  the 
filler  should  be  applied  as  soon  as  possible. 
When  it  is  necessary  to  hold  for  any  length 
of  time  material  which  has  been  heated  in 
the  kettle,  the  fire  should  be  banked  and  the 
material  agitated  from  time  to  time  so  that 
there  will  be  no  danger  of  coking  or  over- 
heating, as  this  tends  to  harden  the  material. 
The  heating  kettle  should  be  fitted  with  a 
thermometer,  so  that  uniform  heating  is  as- 


M\ucH,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


233 


sured   and   the  material    is  applied  at  the 
proper  temperature. 

To  properly  charge  a  kettle,  the  asphalt, 
which  is  shipped  in  drums  or  barrels,  should 
be  quartered  and  placed  in  the  kettle  so  as 
to  half  fill  it.  A  slow  fire  is  then  started. 
As  soon  as  the  asphalt  is  melted  sufficiently 
to  cover  the  entire  surface  of  the  bottom  of 
the  kettle,  the  fire  can  be  gradually  increased 
and  the  kettle  completely  filled.  The  filler 
should  be  agitated  at  regular  intervals 
throughout  the  heating  to  avoid  burning. 


Many  users  fill  a  cold  kettle  with  material 
and  then  fire  it  as  hard  as  possible  in  order 
to  melt  the  filler  quickly.  This  is  very  bad 
practice,  as  it  will  warp  the  kettle  and  ruin 
it  in  a  very  short  time. 

The  kettle  should  be  kept  clean  from  car- 
bon and  sand  which  collects  on  the  bottom ; 
otherwise  this  crust  acts  as  an  insulator, 
confining  the  heat,  rendering  it  difficult  to 
melt  the  asphalt,  and  causing  the  bottom  of 
the  kettle  to  burn  out,  greatly  shortening 
the  life  of  even  the  best  kettles. 


The  Value  of  an  Efficient  Fire-Fighting 

Organization 

Training  and  Organization  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Fire  Department  Greatly 
Reduces  Annual  Fire  Loss 

By  L.  J.  Jellison 

Dubuque,   lo-wa 


WITH  a  population  of  42,000  and  a 
fire  department  which  has  been 
practically  reorganized  within  the 
last  twenty  months,  Dubuque  has  held  its 
fire  loss  down  to  $75.72  per  fire  for  the  last 
year.  The  fire  department  records  show  the 
following  data  for  the  years  1916-1920: 


No.  of  Fires 

1916 220 

1917 226 

1918 258 

1919 311 

1920' 82 

In    January,    1921, 


Loss 

$642,000 

226,000 

55,000 

374,000 

502,813 


Average 

Loss  Each 

Fire 

$2,918 

1,000 

213 

1,203 

1,735 


the    city,    operating 


A   CRACK   COMPANY  OF   THE   DUBUQUE   FIRE    DEPARTMENT   WITH   ITS 
AMERICAN-LA  FRANCE   MACHINE 


234 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


under  the  city  manager  form  of  govern- 
ment, placed  an  experienced  fire  fighter  in 
charge  of  the  department.  Chief  Joseph 
Fisher's  records  for  the  period  March,  1921, 
to  December  i,  192 1,  showed  240  fires,  total 
loss  $18,173;  average  loss  per  fire  $75.72. 
This  record  indicates  a  potential  saving  in 
fire  loss,  basing  the  deduction  on  the  losses 
in  previous  years,  amounting  to  $373,507.20 
for  eight  months,  or  $560,260.38  for  twelve. 

The  Reorganization 

Before  the  advent  of  Chief  Fisher,  the 
Dubuque  Fire  Department  was  completely 
motorized,  yet  it  was  inadequate,  for  the 
want  of  trained  men  to  handle  the  equip- 
ment. There  were  ten  pieces  of  apparatus, 
with  two  men,  not  counting  the  officers,  to 
each  machine.  The  first  thing  that  the  new 
chief  did  was  to  ask  for  more  men,  and 
twenty  new  men  were  added  to  the  force. 
Then  the  department  was  reorganized,  and 
men  who  had  served  between  20  and  32 
years  were  asked  to  resign  and  were  placed 
upon  the  pension  roll. 

A  training  course  was  instituted,  includ- 
ing ladder  climbing,  laying  hose,  spott'ng 
pumpers  at  hydrants,  ladder  raising,  and 
carrying  of  hose.  Each  company  was 
brought  down  to  headquarters  daily  to 
train.     And  then,  in  order  to  increase  the 


interest  of  the  men  in  their  work,  inter- 
company contests  were  held.  The  various 
companies  reached  such  a  degree  of  effi- 
ciency that  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  public 
demonstration  and  contest.  Business  men 
offered  trophies  for  the  winners  of  vari- 
ous contests,  such  as  making  a  long  run, 
coupling  to  a  hydrant,  laying  200  feet  of 
hose  and  throwing  water,  also  ladder  climb- 
ing and  hose  coupling. 

The  training  of  the  men  included  mental 
as  well  as  physical  exercise.  An  athletic 
director  was  appointed,  and  certain  periods 
of  the  day  were  given  over  to  wrestling, 
boxing  and  bag  punching.  A  school  was  or- 
ganized and  lectures  were  given  by  captains 
and  other  officers  of  the  various  companies. 
Mondays  and  Tuesdays  were  devoted  to 
examinations,  and  the  men  were  given  writ- 
ten tests  on  the  location  of  hydrants,  prom- 
inent buildings,  elevators,  fire-escapes  and 
exits  of  various  buildings,  fire  alarm  boxes, 
sprinkler  alarms,  etc.  The  city  was  di- 
vided into  districts,  and  a  test  was  g'ven  on 
each  district.  That  Dubuque  has  defin'tely 
proved  that  efficiency  in  a  fire  department, 
coupled  with  thorough  inspection  by  uni- 
formed members  of  the  force,  is  well  worth 
while,  is  demonstrated  by  its  fire  loss  of 
only  $75.72  per  fire  since  the  reorganization 
of  the  Fire  Department. 


HOW  SOME  PARK  DEPARTMENTS  ARE  REPLACING  DECAYING  TREES  AND  THUS  PRESERVING 

THE  BEAUTY  OF  THE  PARK  AREA 


235 


Fraser  Town— A  Plague-proof  Town 

in  India 

Sanitary  Improvements  at  the  Civil  and  Military  Station  of  Bangalore 
in  the  Mysore  Province,  South  India 

By  J.  H.  Stephens 

Engineer,  Bangalore,  India 


IT  was  in  i8:j8  that  plague  first  broke  out 
in  Blackpully,  India,  in  its  most  virulent 
form.  It  afterwards  continued  in  a 
milder  degree,  making  its  unwelcome  pres- 
ence felt  every  cold  season,  when  it  claimed 
the  most  victims.  The  construction  of 
Fraser    Town — a    plague-proof   town — was 


a  kind  of  spell  upon  them,  for  while  so 
many  Mohammedans  died,  the  plague  hardly 
touched  the  English.  It  took  some  time  for 
these  people  to  understand  that  the  principal 
cause  of  all  the  trouble  was  insanitary 
habits  and  manner  of  living.  The  unedu- 
cated   Hindu    mind    is    very    superstitious. 


A   GENERAL  VIEW   OF  A   CONGESTED  INDIAN   CITY  WITH  CLOSELY   ABUTTING  HOUSES 


not  sanctioned  till  the  beginning  of  1906. 
This  interval  of  eight  years  was  not  lost. 
The  plague  was  carefully  watched  year  by 
year  and  its  peculiarities  were  studied. 
Nearly  every  plague-infected  house  was 
minutely  inspected,  and  an  intelligent  reason 
ascertained  as  to  why  the  plague  had  af- 
flicted that  house  in  preference  to  those 
around  it,  and  thus  this  vile  pestilence  be- 
trayed itself  and  it  became  possible  to  adopt 
uiles  for  its  permanent  exclusion. 

The  scenes  of  sorrow  and  distress  one  wit- 
nessed when  inspecting  the  plague-infected 
houses  are  indescribable.  The  more  ignorant 
class  thought  that  the  English  were  working 


Evil  and  good  spirits  enter  into  all  his 
social  and  domestic  relationships.  It  was 
therefore  necessary  to  assure  him  that  the 
Plague  Demon  and  the  other  demons  of 
Hindu  diseases  would  be  effectually  ex- 
cluded from  this  new  town  in  which  he  was 
invited  to  locate.  The  plague  has  not  been 
an  unmixed  evil.  It  has  shaken  the  faith  of 
the  people  in  the  protecting  and  purifying 
efficacy  of  rites  and  sacrifices,  and  prepared 
them  for  the  gospel  of  fresh  air  and  sani- 
tation. 

A  little  consideration  of  ancient  Hindu 
town  planning  and  town  building  will  show 
how   great    was   the    spell   of    superstition 


236 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


BLOCKS  or  BUILDINGS  UNDER  CONSTRUCTION  IN  FRASER  TOWN 


which  obscured  the  naturally  acute  Indian 
mind,  and  the  ancient  nature  of  the  covering 
made  it  all  the  more  sacred  and  secure  and 
difficult  to  remove.  Ancient  Hindu  town 
planning  and  town  building  are  found  in  old 
mutilated  manuscripts,  difficult  to  decipher 
and  hard  to  explain,  except  by  learned  pun- 
dits. They  were  said  to  contain  revelations 
made  by  the  deities  at  different  times  to 
Rishis,  or  holy  men  who  lived  in  the  earliest 
days. 

Except  for  the  small  minority  of  the  edu- 
cated classes,  India  was  very  much  as  it  was 
centuries  ago.  Rites  and  sacrifices  were  still 
considered  the  purifiers  of  a  town,  and  im- 
pure and  filthy  surroundings  were  contem- 
plated with  passive  calmness  as  almost  a 
necessary  part  of  existence.  Any  change 
was  looked  upon  as  an  unhealthful  break  of 
old  traditions.  Till  the  plague  came !  This 
dreadful  experience  convinced  the  Hindus 
as  nothing  else  could  have  done.  They  saw 
that  the  English  people  living  in  their  new 
town,  but  under  better  sanitary  conditions, 
were  almost  untouched  by  the  plague,  while 
Indians  died  in  thousands,  so  the  more 
wealthy  who  could  afiford  it  rushed  off  to  live 
in  the  English  sections  of  the  town.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  rules  of  the  land  to  pre- 
vent their  doing  so.  It  was  only  their  caste 
prejudices  which  kept  the  Indians  together, 
but  the  law  of  self-preservation  was  found 
to  be  stronger  than  the  law  of  caste.  Thus 
the  plague  was  not  only  a  teacher,  but  a 
reformer. 

The  Plan  of  Fraser  Town 

The  relief  of  congestion  in  the  Indian 
sections  of  Bangalore  could  not  be  started 
till  accommodation  was  found  for  the 
evicted  people  in  some  other  locality.    About 


50  acres  of  high  agricultural  land  about  ij^ 
miles  north  of  Blackpully  were  acquired  for 
building  about  500  houses,  most  of  which 
were  intended  for  the  poorer  classes.  The 
site  was  w^ell  chosen,  it  was  well  drained 
with  falls  of  about  j  in  75,  so  that  the  drains 
would  have  self-cleaning  slopes,  and  it  was 
higher  than  most  other  parts  of  Bangalore. 
It  was  bounded  by  the  railway  on  the  north 
and  by  important  public  roads  on  the  other 
three  sides.  The  soil  consisted  of  red  loam 
for  the  upper  2  feet  and  hard  gravel  be- 
neath. Its  greater  length  faced  south,  the 
direction  of  the  prevailing  breezes,  so  that  it 
was  a  high,  well-drained,  wind-swept, 
healthful  locality.  This  tract  was  broken 
up  into  one-acre  building  blocks  by  inter- 
secting roads  and  streets.  The  main  roads 
were  made  99  feet  wide;  the  other  roads 
were  66  feet  and  the  streets  33  feet.  Each 
acre  was  divided  into  20  building  sites,  and 
sold  under  certain  conditions  and  rules. 
Those  who  desired  it  could  build  a  larger 
house  on  two  plots  only.  More  than  two 
plots  was  "not  allowed  for  one  house.  This 
gave  2,178  square  feet  for  the  smaller  plots, 
and  4,356  square  feet  for  the  larger  plots. 
Of  these  areas,  only  one-third  was  to  be 
built  on,  and  two-thirds  was  to  be  kept  as 
an  open  space  all  around  the  building.  That 
is,  for  the  smaller  houses  726  square  feet 
would  be  the  area  of  the  building,  and  1,452 
square  feet  the  open  area  all  around  the 
building:  in  the  larger  houses  1,452  square 
feet  would  be  the  area  of  the  building,  and 
2,904  square  feet  the  open  space  all  around 
the  building.  In  practice  this  worked  out 
that  the  larger  houses  were  at  the  ends  of 
the  block  and  the  smaller  houses  in  the  m'd- 
dle,  as  shown  in  the  photograph  of  blocks 
under  construction. 


Makch,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CIT-Y 


237 


The  areas  for  the  new  buildings  were  de- 
cided on  after  carefully  measuring  up  the 
spaces  actually  occupied  by  the  poor  in  the 
congested  parts  of  the  town  and  allowing  a 
certa'n  proportion  of  increase.  There  was 
some  difficulty  in  carrying  this  out.  Some 
purchasers  of  plots  did  not  understand  why 
they  should  not  cover  the  ground  entirely 
with  buildings,  as  used,  to  be  done  in  most 
other  places.  They  had  to  be  reminded  that 
this  was  one  of  the  rules  on  which  land  was 
sold  to  them,  and  it  required  great  watch- 
fulness to  see  that  the  rule  was  not  broken. 
In  modern  times,  when  garden  cities  are 
building  almost  everywhere,  with  open  areas 
around  each  house,  that  which  has  been  de- 
scribed may  be  considered  as  ordinary  sani- 
tary improvements,  but  sanitary  advances 
have  to  be  combined  with  the  plague-proof 
rules  to  make  them  effective,  as  will  be  de- 
scribed. 

Fleas  on  dead  •  rats  or  squirrels  convey 
■the  plague  to  man.  They  are  the  propagating 
medium,  and  not  the  originating  cause  of 
plague.  The  germinating  cause  infects  the 
rodent,  and  the  flea  from  the  rodent  conveys 
the  disease  to  man. 

The  "Plague-proof  Rules" 

Continuous  observation  for  about  seven 
years  connects  moisture,  stagnation  and 
damp  with  the  originating  cause  of  plague 
in  Bangalore.  Therefore,  the  first  and  most 
important   plagik-proof  rule  which  was  to 


make  and  keep  Fraser  Town  free  from  the 
plague  was  that  it  should  be  free  from  damp. 
For  this  reason  all  its  roads  and  its  streets 
were  countersunk  about  1^  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  natural  ground.  This  made  the 
one-acre  building-blocks  like  hillocks  sur- 
rounded by  the  countersunk  roads  and 
streets.  Even  the  natural  percolation  in  the 
upper  soil  was  cut  short  at  each  acre-block 
by  the  countersunk  roads  and  street,  thus 
keeping  the  buildings  quite  dry  even  after 
the  heaviest  rains.  This  was  the  first  and 
most  important  plague-proof  rule. 

The  second  rule  extended  from  the  orig- 
inating cause  to  the  propagating  medium. 
It  ordered  that  the  basements  of  all  the 
houses  were  to  be  not  less  than  13^  feet  high 
and  were  to  be  built  of  coarse  granite  rub- 
ble jointed  with  good  cement.  Coarse  gran- 
ite rubble  is  both  plentiful  and  cheap  in 
Bangalore,  so  that  this  rule  was  no  hard- 
ship to  the  builders.  Many  Indians  do  not 
care  for  high  basements,  as  they  destroy  that 
privacy  which  they  consider  so  important  for 
their  women.  The  plague-proof  reason  for 
the  stone  basements  was  to  prevent  the  rat 
from  burrowing  into  the  houses;  also,  it 
helped  in  keeping  the  house  dry.  An  ordi- 
nary sanitary  improvement  and  the  plague- 
proof  rule  in  this  case  ran  together. 

The  third  plague-proof  rule  was  that  the 
floors  of  all  the  houses  should  be  of  stone 
slabs,  or  of  hard,  compressed  tiles,  so  that 
lats  m'ght  not  burrow  holes   through  the 


TWO   COMPLETED  COTTAGES  IN  FRASEE  TOWN,  WITH  THE   OWNEE 


238 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


floor,  or  vermin  of  any  kind  find  lodgment 
in  it.  This  rule  many  considered  a  great 
hardship  in  houses  intended  for  Indians. 
The  orthodox  Hindu  had  an  old-time  way 
of  making  floors,  in  which  religion  was 
mixed  up  with  a  dirty  habit.  But  Eraser 
Town  was  to  be  kept  pure  by  sanitation,  and 
not  by  old  religious  rites,  and  so  the  stone 
floors  were  insisted  on — and  stone  was 
cheap.  These  floors  contributed  to  making 
the  houses  rat-proof  and  vermin-proof,  and 
thus  plague-proof. 

The  fourth  and  last  plague-proof  rule  was 
that  all  the  roofs  should  be  covered  with 
Mangalore  tiles.  This  is  the  old  Roman 
interlocking  tile.  It  is  water-proof,  but  not 
air-proof.  All  its  joints  are  open.  No 
cement  or  mortar  or  nails  are  needed  in  its 
fixing.  The  air  passes  freely  through  the 
joints  and  keeps  up  a  continual  circulation 
day  and  night.  The  houses  are  provided 
with  abundant  doors,  windows  and  ven- 
tilators. Indians  have  a  way  of  keeping 
these  safely  closed,  but  they  cannot  close 
the  joints  between  the  tiles,  and  so  circula- 
tion goes  on  continually,  and  the  people  are 
learning  to  appreciate  its  value. 

It  is  now  about  twelve  years  since  Eraser 
Town  was  erected  as  a  plague-proof  town. 
Sir  Harcourt  Butler,  the  then  head  of  the 
Sanitary  Department  for  all  India,  said  at 
the    first    All-India    Sanitary    Conference, 


"Eraser  Town  is  the  only  plague-proof 
town  in  all  India."  Many  from  other  places 
in  India  wished  to  know  how  this  was  done, 
and  explanations  were  given.  The  good 
people  who  built  the  houses  in  Eraser  Town 
were  principally  Indians.  It  was  brave  of 
them  to  risk  their  money  in  building  on  these 
new  and  untried  rules.  It  has  turned  out 
a  great  financial  success.  Whenever  there 
is  a  plague  anywhere  around,  people  flock 
to  Eraser  Town  as  to  a  city  of  refuge,  and 
it  has  not  disappointed  them.  What  is  per- 
haps also  very  important  is  that  the  poorer 
class  of  Indians  are  being  taught  a  new 
manner  of  living.  The  children  are  strong 
and  healthy.  Each  one  has  his  own  little 
yard  to  play  in  and  appreciates  it;  it  is  not 
now  necessary  to  play  in  the  gutter. 

After  a  trial  of  12  years.  Eraser  Town 
has  passed  the  period  of  apprenticeship. 
There  should  now  be  no  going  back  to  the 
old  Indian  method  of  erecting  abutting 
buildings  with  no  voids  between.  This  is  an 
ordinary  sanitary  improvement  known  all 
over  the  world,  and  land  is  comparatively 
cheap  in  Bangalore.  The  plague-proof  rules 
supply  a  special  want,  and  should  be  ob- 
served in  all  plague-infected  countries, 
though  they  also  help  in  improved  sanitation 
and  may  be  adopted  in  a  modified  form  to 
suit  special  places  where  new  towns  are 
projected.' 


Port  Development 


NEARLY  all  the  large  cities  of  this 
country  are  located  on  navigable 
waterways,  many  of  them  being  situ- 
ated on  deep  estuaries  leading  direct  to  the 
ocean.  The  World  War  resulted  in  the 
creation  of  a  great  international  trade  be- 
tween this  and  foreign  countries.  To  main- 
tain this  trade  successfully  in  competition 
with  other  countries,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
most  modern  facilities  for  handling  and 
shipping  goods  shall  be  provided.  Port  au- 
thorities in  every  city  on  the  Atlantic, 
Pacific  and  Gulf  Coasts,  and  on  our  Great 
Lakes,  anxious  to  share  in  this  foreign 
trade,  have  been  actively  engaged  during  the 
past  few  years  in  developing  their  terminal 
facilities  and  are  now  planning  greater  ex- 
tensions to  handle  the  additional  water- 
borne  cargoes.  In  order  that  a  port  may 
compete  in  the  world  trade,  it  is  essential 
that  provision  shall  be  madfe  in  the  planning 
of  the  city  for  the  great  trunk  railroads  to 


reach  the  water-front,  either  directly  or  over 
a  belt  line  railroad  system,  so  that  the  cars 
may  deliver  cargo  at  the  ship's  side.  It  is 
also  necessary  that  a  system  of  traffic  streets 
shall  be  laid  out  and  developed  in  the  rear 
of  the  piers  and  along  the  water-front,  to 
give  highway  facilities  for  motor  trucks 
and  vehicles  to  make  deliveries  to  and 
from  the  industries,  warehouses,  and  stores 
located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  water 
terminal. 

The  authority  to  plan  and  administer  the 
ports  of  this  country  is  vested  generally  in 
the  officials  of  the  city,  although  there  are 
several  instances  where  ports  are  under  the 
control  of  state  commissions;  but  in  all 
cases  the  development  of  the  land  side  of 
the  port  is  a  proper  task  for  men  skilled  in 
both  city  planning  and  other  municipal 
work. — "Municipal  Engineering,"  George  S. 
Webster.  Trans.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E.,  1921, 
page  516. 


239 


forward  ^tops 

in 

Municipal  Jiffairs 


Police 

Departments 


The  Duties  of  a  *'City  Mother'* 

Los  AngeleSj  Calif. — After  many  years 
of  experience  in  police  and  juvenile  work, 
the  writer  conceived  the  idea  of  a  confi- 
dential office  located  away  from  the  depress- 
ing- atmosphere  of  Police  Headquarters, 
where  troubled  parents  might  come  for 
advice  and  assistance  in  the  management 
of  children  who  were  beyond  their  control, 
thus  saving  to  society  many  children  who 
might  become  a  menace  or  a  burden. 

The  title  "C'ty  Mother"  has  inspired  con- 
fidence in  the  hearts  not  only  of  parents 
but  of  boys  and  girls  as  vv^ell,  who  might, 
through  reticence  or  fear,  remain  away 
from  the  Police  Station  proper.  While  the 
officers  of  the  City  Mothers'  Bureau  have 
police  authority,  they  refrain  from  using  it 
except  when  absolutely  necessary.  They 
try  through  love,  sympathy,  encouragement, 
and  personal  interest  to  teach  children  their 
duty  to  parents  and  to  society,  and  by  this 
same  method  to  awaken  parents  to  their 
duty  and  responsibility. 

The  City  Mothers  have  found  that,  by 
gaining  the  confidence  and  holding  the  in- 
terest of  boys  and  girls  until  they  have 
reached  the  age  of  discretion,  they  usually 
become  good  citizens.  By  this  method 
many  very  serious  cases  are  uncovered 
which  probably  never  would  have  been 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Police  De- 
partment. 

Many  parents  seem  to  be  asleep  to  the 
dangers  which  surround  their  children. 
Dangers  have  multiplied  a  hundred-fold  in 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  parents  are  employed  largely  outside 
the  home.  The  multiplied  means  of  easy 
communication,  swift  travel  and  diversified 


amusements  constitute  nothing  less  than 
menaces  to  morality. 

It  has  been  found  that  the  lack  of  under- 
standing between  the  parent  and  the  child  is 
often  responsible  for  children's  becoming 
indifferent  to  obedience — and  disobedience 
as  a  rule  is  the  first  step  to  delinquency. 
There  are  other  cases  where  the  children 
have  gotten  beyond  the  control  of  the  par- 
ents before  they  realize  it,  and  not  infre- 
quently have  gone  astray.  TKfn  the  dis- 
tracted parents  in  desperation  reach  out  for 
aid,  and  it  is  here  the  City  Mothers  extend 
a  helping  hand  and  assist  in  bringing*  the 
strayed  ones  back  into  the  fold. 

Another  great  cause  of  delinquency  is  the 
broken  and  unprotected  home.  Recently 
the  City  Mothers  had  occasion  to  make  an 
investigation  and  they  found  the  children  of 
an  entire  community  demoralized  by  a 
family  of  children  whose  parents  were  em- 
ployed during  the  day.  This  home  became 
the  rendezvous  of  all  the  children  in  the 
neighborhood. 

The  work  of  the  City  Mothers'  Bureau  is 
largely  preventive,  forestalling  crime, 
thereby  saving  the  city  annually  many  hun- 
dreds of  dollars,  besides  preserving  that 
which  is  of  far  greater  value — the  morals 
of  our  girls  and  boys.  A  large  number  of 
the  cases  are  reported  direct  from  the 
schools. 

This  Bureau  has  been  quite  successful  as 
a  "Domestic  Relations  Court,"  bringing  to- 
gether parents  who,  by  their  estrangement, 
had  broken  up  their  homes  and  placed  an 
additional  burden  on  the  community.  In 
cases  of  failure  to  provide,  a  technicality 
sometimes  prevents  prosecution,  and  we  are 
often  able  to  secure  the  desired  results  with- 
out going  into  court,  frequently  bringing 
about  a  reconciliation  of  the  parents  and 
reuniting  broken  homes. 

The  City  Mothers  have  established  a  day 
nursery  where  working  mothers  may  leave 
their  babies  for  the  small  sum  of  ten  cents 


240 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


per  day.  There  are  four  trained  nurses  in 
charge  of  this  nursery  and  here  an  average 
of  fifty  children  are  cared  for  daily. 

The  City  Mother  has  two  assistants  and 
an  advisory  board  of  ten  representative 
women,  who  have  helped  to  create  a  fund 
with  which  to  carry  on  the  work  of  this 
Bureau,  as  there  is  no  appropriation  from 
the  city  other  than  the  salaries  of  the  office 
force. 

Owing  to  the  growth  of  the  Bureau  and 
the  numerous  outside  interests  involved,  a 
legal  adviser  was  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
over  a  year  ago. 

MRS.    ALETHA   GILBERT, 

City  Motlver. 


Recreation 
Departments 


Where  Those  Who  Work 
Can  Play 

Newport,  R.  I. — One  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult things  in  the  world  is  to  maintain  a 
proper  balance  between  work  and  play — ^to 
enable  work  and  play  to  be  seen  in  their 
right  relation  to  each  other. 

Living,  as  we  do,  in  the  age  of  machinery 
and  specialized  industry,  there  is  little  op- 
portunity for  seeing  adults,  especially  men, 
at  productive  work.  The  boys  see  their 
fathers  around  home,  smoking,  reading,  or 
loafing,  rather  than  at  work  in  store  or  fac- 
tory. When  father  comes  home,  growling 
about  the  job,  the  impression  that  work  is 
something  to  be  avoided  as  much  as  possi- 
ble becomes  fixed  in  the  adolescent  mind. 

A  recreation  system  where  everything  to 


CAN  we  SAVe  THG  TRG€S  ? 


WATCH 

THe 

CHILDREN'S    CATGRPILLAR  CONTG5T 


A    POSTER   USED    IN    THE    NEWPORT,    R.    I.,    CHILDREN'S    CAM 
PAIGN  AGAINST  INSECT  PESTS 


play  with  is  furnished  gratis  for  the  asking 
tends  to  deepen  this  impression.  Play  can 
best  be  appreciated  when  it  follows  work.  A 
system  of  recreation  will  render  a  great 
service  to  its  city  if,  in  some  way,  it  can 
fix  in  the  minds  of  the  boys  and  girls  that 
only  those  who  work  can  play,  and  that  no 
one  deserves  to  play,  or  can  play,  unless  he 
works.  People  come  to  Newport  to  play, 
not  to  work;  therefore,  it  is  especially  diffi- 
cult in  this  city  to  glorify  work  and  to  im- 
press upon  the  youthful  mind  that  work  is 
a  good  thing,  and  to  correlate  work  and 
play. 

There  is  much  work  to  be  done  in  the 
care  and  maintenance  of  a  playground  and 
ball  park,  and  much  of  this  work  can  be 
done  by  children.  Of  course,  it  is  a  very 
wonderful  idea  that  they  should  do  it  from 
civic  spirit,  but  after  a  children's  crusade 
against  caterpillars  which  saved  the  city's 
trees  and  saved  the  city  an  immense  amount 
of  money,  no  adequate  reward  had  been  re- 
ceived by  the  children  in  the  form  of  greatly 
increased  recreation  facilities,  so  that  it  ap- 
peared to  the  writer  that  work  and  play 
should  be  harnessed  up  a  little  more  closely. 
A  work  ticket  was  printed,  which  says  in 
large  letters,  'Those  Who  Work  Can  Play — 
5  cents,"  and  in  small  letters,  "This  can  be 
exchanged  for  athletic  supplies  at  any  spon- 
ing  goods  store  in  Newport  when  properly 
stamped."  Those  who  do  work  about  the 
playgrounds  are  paid  by  means  of  these 
tickets  as  much  as  it  would  cost  to  have  the 
work  done  by  men.  We  furnish  very  few 
athletic  supplies,  but  furnish  the  opportunity 
for  every  team  to  work  and  purchase  what- 
ever supplies  it  needs.  The  plan  is  resulting 
very  satisfactorily.  The  continual  sight  of 
this  motto,  "Those  who  work  can  play,"  can- 
not fail  to  impress  the 
^^^^^^ij^^  idea  upon  the  minds  of 
the  children.  The  tickets 
are  all  numbered,  and  a 
record  is  kept  of  the 
numbers  given  out  to  the 
director  of  each  play- 
ground, together  with  de- 
tailed instructions  for 
their  disbursement. 

It  is  suggested  that  a 
boy  or  a  girl  under  10 
ought  to  be  worth  from 
5  to  10  cents  per  hour, 
and  a  boy  or  a  girl  from 
10  to  14  should  be  worth 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


241 


from  10  to  20  cents  an  hour,  according  to 
his  ability.  A  boy  or  a  girl  from  15  to  17 
should  be  worth  from  20  to  25  cents  an 
hour,  and  boys  and  girls  over  17  ought 
to  be  worth  from  30  to  40  cents  an  hour, 
according  to  ability  and  application.  The 
director  of  each  playground  is  to  see 
that  he  gets  his  money's  worth  for  tickets 
issued,  and  that  there  is  no  loafing  on  the 
job;  he  must  also  be  able  to  explain  to  the 
Superintendent  of  Recreation  what  was  ac- 
complished for  the  tickets  given  out.  These 
tickets  can  be  exchanged  for  athletic  sup- 
plies at  any  sporting  goods  store  in  New- 
port, or  they  will  be  exchanged,  at  cost,  at 
the   Recreation  Office   for  any   supplies   in 

stock.  ARTHUR  LELAND. 

Recreation    Consultant; 
Superintendent    of   Recreation. 


Ptthlic^elfare 
£)epartments 


Introducing  the  Community  to 
the  Citizens 

Boulder,  Colo. — Know  Your  Community 
Week  was  recently  held  in  Boulder  to  ac- 


quaint the  rank  and  file  of  the  citizens  with 
the  social,  economic  and  scenic  resources  of 
the  community.  It  was  sponsored  by  the 
Director  of  the  City  Department  of  Public 
Welfare,  the  Commercial  Association,  and 
the  University  Extension  Division.  Many 
other  agencies  and  organizations  cooperated. 
The  exhibit  was  held  in  a  large  hall  cen- 
trally located.  Thirty  portable  canvas 
booths  were  furnished  by  the  University 
Extension  Division  and  were  arranged  on 
the  one-way  plan,  so  that  all  visitors  entered 
at  one  door  and  passed  all  the  booths  before 
reaching  the  exit.  A  brief  description  of 
some  of  the  principal  sections  of  the  exhibit 
may  be  of  interest : 

1.  The  Pioneer  Section,  consisting  of 
exhibits  prepared  by  pioneers  of  this  com- 
munity and  comprising  such  things  as  a 
model  of  the  first  schoolhouse  built  in  Boul- 
der; the  first  melodion;  the  first  chair,  and 
many  other  items  that  were  the  first  of  their 
kinds  brought  to  the  community.  These 
pioneer  exhibits  were  intensely  interesting, 
not  only  to  the  older  folks,  but  also  to  the 
younger  ones. 

2,  The  Photographic  Section,  compris- 
ing five  booths  showing  exclusively  scenic 
pictures   of   Boulder  and   Boulder   County. 


THESE    TESTS    WERE    APPLIED     TO    BOULDER,    COLO.       THEY    SUM    UP    THE    ESSENTIAL 
QUESTIONS  ASKED  ABOUT   ANY   TOWN 


242 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


3.  The  Public  Health  Section,  dealing 
with  the  milk,  water  and  food  supplies,  as 
well  as  giving  an  analysis  of  the  vital  sta- 
tistics of  the  community.  The  data  for  the 
vital  statistics  and  some  of  the  other  sub- 
jects were  secured  from  a  social  survey  just 
completed  by  the  University  Extension  Divi- 
sion and  the  American  Red  Cross. 

4.  The  Recreation  Section,  containing 
among  other  things  a  miniature  playground 
illustrative  of  the  type  of  playground  that 
any  community  could  and  should  have.  This 
playground  had  exactly  100  dolls  on  it. 
Many  of  the  pieces  of  apparatus,  such  as  the 
giant  stride,  slide,  swings,  teeters,  etc.,  were 
operated  mechanically. 

5.  The  Education  Section,  in  which  the 
public  schools  displayed  samples  of  sewing, 
cooking  and  manual  art  work.  Many  of  the 
visitors  had  had  but  little  conception  of 
these  phases  of  public  school  work. 

The  most  convincing  evidence  of  the  in- 
terest shown  in  the  exhibit  is  the  record  of 
the  attendance,  which  was  as  follows:  first 
day,  1,187;  second  day,  1,559;  third  day, 
1,845;  fourth  day,  3,030;  making  a  total  of 
7,621  in  a  community  whose  population  is 
approximately  11,000. 

Meetings  so  arranged  as  not  to  conflict 
with  the  exhibit  hours  were  held  in  the 
afternoons  and  evenings.  At  many  of  these, 
illustrated  talks  were  given. 

The  services  of  practically  all  in  connec- 
tion with  the  exhibit  and  meetings  were 
gi-ven  free,  but  what  little  expense,  was  nec- 
essarily incurred  was  borne  largely  by  the 
City  Department  of  Public  Welfare. 

CHARLES  I.  MADISON, 
University     Extension     Division,     University     ot 
Colorado 


Park 

Departments 


A  Municipal  Auto    Caaip   at   the 
Gateway  of  a  National  Playground 

Pueblo,  Colo. — This  city  is  admirably 
located  to  attract  the  tourist.  The  Santa  Fe 
Trail  passes  through  it,  and  it  has  four 
other  surfaced  roadways  leading  to  various 
other  cities,  towns  and  summer  resorts  in 
the  mountains. 

The  municipal  auto  camping  ground  is 
located  just  far  enough  from  the  business 
district  to  afford  it  some  privacy,  and  still 
near  enough  for  the  purchase  of  gasoline, 
oil,  tires,  spare  parts,  groceries  and  other 
necessities  for  the  motorists.  In  the  camp 
is  a  large,  sheltered  community  stove,  for 
which  fuel  is  furnished  free,  and  also  a 
sanitary  building,  completely  equipped. 
Abundant  water  is  supplied  by  the  hydrants. 
No  charge  of  any  kind  is  made  to  tourists. 
In  the  near  future  it  is  planned  to  erect  a 
building  and  equip  it  with  shower-baths  and 
facilities  for  washing  clothes. 

Colorado  has  the  San  Isabel  National 
Forest,  with  its  wonderful  attractions  of 
climate,  mountain  scenery,  roads  and  fishing. 
The  forest  covers  practically  the  entire 
mountain  range  within  the  state  and  has 
many  creeks,  rivers,  lakes,  waterfalls  and 
other  natural  scenic  features.  A  road  sys- 
tem is  planned  to  cover  the  entire  area  and 
connect  it  with  state  and  county  highways, 
making  it  possible  to  visit  practically  every 
city  and  town  in  the  state  and  enjoy  the 
mountain  scenery  on  the  way.  Much  of  this 
roadway  is  completed  and 
more  is  under  construc- 
tion. 

It  is  planned  to  provide 
means  by  which  ground  in 
the  National  Forest  may 
be  leased  from  the  Gov- 
ernment for  sites  for  sum- 
mer homes.  The  building 
of  community  houses  and 
shelter  houses  is  among 
other  improvements 
started  uncler  the  direction 
of  the  U.  S.  Forest  Serv- 
ice. 


SANITARY   COMFORT   STATION,    LIKE    THE    ONE    AT   PUEBLO, 
COLO,,  IS  THE  FIRST  REQUISITE  OF  A  GOOD  AUTO  CAMP 


E.  E.  COLBY, 
Superintendent  of  Parks. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


243 


Healih 

Doparimenis 


The  Work  of  a  Municipal 
Flycatcher 

Riverside,  Calif. — This  city  will  soon  be 
known  as  "The  Flyless  City"  if  its  Mu- 
nicipal Flycatcher  continues  with  his  scien- 
tific fighting  of  this  pest  with  trap  and 
spray.  Last  year  E.  S.  Beebe  kept  150 
traps,  well  baited  with  old  bananas,  melons, 
milk,  and  occasionally  old  meat,  at  impor- 
tant centers,  collecting  in  his  daily  tour  of 
inspection  millions  of  flies.  This  year  he 
is  adding  to  the  trap  campaign  a  daily  visit 
to  garbage  cans,  stables,  dairies  and  such 
gathering  places  of  these  obnoxious  pests, 
where  with  a  spraying  machine  he  dis- 
patches countless  hordes.  His  methods 
should  be  of  interest  to  every  city. 

Mr.  Beebe,  in  behalf  of  Riverside's  Board 
of  Health,  uses  three  sizes  of  traps,  the 
middle-sized  one  being  the  most  popular. 
This  is  simply  a  wire  cage  three  feet  long 
by  one  foot  square,  raised  from  the  ground 
about  one  inch.  The  bottom  is  made  of  wire 
in  the  form  of  a  V,  with  holes  in  the  top 
of  the  V  through  which  the  flies  easily 
crawl  into  the  trap.  All  food  is  placed  on 
the  ground  or  on  a  board  outside,  but  di- 
rectly under,  the  trap;  thus  the  traps  are 
always  clean.  All  traps  are  placed  on  the 
ground,  for  flies  prefer  to  feed  on  the 
ground.  After  eating,  they  naturally  fly 
upward  into  the  trap.  Mr.  Beebe,  acting 
on  the  fact  that  flies  are  much  like  humans 
in  some  ways,  places  the  traps  in  the  shade 
on  hot  days  and  in  the  sun  on  cold  days. 
Often  requests  for  traps  come  to  him  from 
garage  owners,  restaurant  keepers,  butcher- 
shop  or  fruit-stand  proprietors,  who  will- 
ingly take  care  of  them  and  thus  extend 
the  scope  of  the  Municipal  Flycatcher. 

For  spraying  he  uses  an  ordinary  tree 
sprayer,  and  the  mixture  consists  of  one 
part  creosote  to  six  parts  distillate  of  coal 
oil.  Flies  breathe  through  their  bodies,  and 
this  mixture  kills  them  instantly.  One  il- 
lustration shows  Mr.  Beebe  spraying  a 
garbage  can  in  an  alley.  All  alleys  are  sys- 
tematically visited  during  the  feeding  hours, 
which  are  early  morning  and  evening. 
Boxes  of  refuse,  manure  piles,  oil  stations, 


A  MUNIOIPAli  PLT-TBAP 

are  also  visited  daily.  Millions  of  flies  are 
thus  destroyed  every  day  during  the  breed- 
ing season.  Though  the  Public  Health 
Board  began  its  fight  for  a  flyless  city  only 
last  summer,  there  is  a  most  noticeable 
diminution  of  flies  in  the  streets,  places  of 
business  and  private  homes. 

W.   B.   WELLS,   M.    D., 
Health  Officer. 


ETERNAL     VIGILANCE     IS     THE     FBICE     OP 
FLYLESSNESS 


244 


Street  Cleaning  in  California 

Suiting  the  Method  of  Treatment  to  Street  Mileage  and  Surface 


A  SURVEY  of  the  street  cleaning 
methods  of  eighteen  California  com- 
munities shows  that  while  some 
flushing  is  done,  the  pick-up  type  of  sweeper 
is  the  principal  piece  of  motor-driven  ap- 
paratus used.  More  than  half  of  these  com- 
munities have  not  yet  made  use  of  motor- 
propelled  street  cleaning  apparatus.  White 
wings  still  predominate  as  a  means  of  clean- 
ing pavements. 

The  following  statistics  were  furnished  by 
municipal  officials  in  the  various  cities  men- 
tioned : 

Alhamhra  has  55  miles  of  paved  streets, 
chiefly  oiled  macadam,  averaging  30  feet 
in  width.  For  cleaning,  5  white  wings  are 
employed  and  i  horse-drawn  sweeper. 

Anaheim,  with  8  miles  of  42-foot  sheet 
asphalt,  employs  2  white  wings  for  gutter 
cleaning  and  i  Elgin  sweeper  and  i  motor- 
driven  flusher  to  keep  its  broad  avenues  in 
good  condition. 

Berkeley,  with  20  miles  of  paved  streets, 
and  160  miles  of  oiled  macadam  on  asphaltic 
concrete  base  with  an  average  width  of  36 
feet,  employs  40  white  wings  and  i  Elgin 
sweeper  to  cover  the  entire  city. 

Chico,  with  only  5  miles  of  asphalt  sur- 
facing on  a  concrete  base,  and  with  streets 
averaging  70  feet  in  width,  employs  3  horse- 
drawn  sprinklers  and  i  horse-drawn  flusher. 

Corona,  having  35  miles  of  30-  to  80-foot 
width  macadam,  has  2  white  wings,  2  horse- 
drawn  sprinklers,  i  horse-drawn  sweeper, 
and  I  motor-sweeper  to  maintain  its  pave- 
ments in  a  cleanly  condition. 

Colton,  with  only  3  miles  of  paved  54-foot 
cement  concrete  road,  cleans  its  streets  solely 
by  hand  and  employs  i  horse-drawn  sprin- 
kler to  keep  down  the  dust. 

Eureka,  with  8  miles  of  bituminous  pave- 
ments from  36  to  51  feet  in  width,  has  i 
motor-driven  flusher. 

Modesto,  with  19  miles  of  asphaltic  con- 
crete roads  of  40-foot  width,  relies  chiefly 


on  flushing  and  3  white  wings,  3  horse- 
drawn  sprinklers,  and  i  horse-drawn  flusher. 

Oxnard,  with  9  miles  of  Warrenite  paving 
80  feet  wide,  employs  from  4  to  8  white 
wings,  2  horse-drawn  sprinklers,  and  i 
horse-drawn  sweeper. 

Redding  has  40  miles  of  56-foot  asphaltic 
concrete  roads  and  relies  solely  on  its  motor- 
sweeper  for  handling  the  street  cleaning 
problem. 

San  Diego  has  80  miles  of  80-foot  con- 
crete road,  which  is  kept  clean  by  12  white 
wings  and  i  Elgin  pick-up  sweeper. 

Santa  Barbara  has  45  miles  of  60- foot  as- 
phalt paving  on  a  concrete  base  and  uses  8 
white  wings,  2  motor  sprinklers  and  2  ma- 
chine sweepers  which  are  drawn  by  Fordson 
tractors. 

Santa  Monica. — The  20  miles  of  asphaltic 
concrete  paving  averages  52  feet  in  width 
and  is  cleaned  by  6  white  wings. 

Santa  Maria  has  4  miles  of  macadam  and 
concrete  streets,  averaging  88  feet  in  width, 
and  uses  i  horse-drawn  sprinkler  and  i 
horse-drawn  sweeper. 

San  Jose,  having  30  miles  of  asphalt  pav- 
ing averaging  50  feet  in  width,  employs  20 
white  wings,  2  horse-drawn  sweepers,  and  i 
horse-drawn  flusher. 

Stockton,  with  130  miles  of  asphalt  pave- 
ment, averaging  60  to  80  feet  in  width,  main- 
tains 80  white  wings,  10  horse-drawn  sprin- 
klers, 2  horse-drawn  sweepers  and  4  horse- 
drawn  flushers,  motor-driven  apparatus  be- 
ing entirely  absent. 

San  Bernandino  has  30  miles  of  concrete 
and  Warrenite  paving,  averaging  483^  feet 
in  width.  The  street  cleaning  force  consists 
of  3  white  wings,  3  horse-drawn  sprinklers, 
I  horse-drawn  sweeper  and  i  horse-drawn 
flusher. 

Vallejo,  with  25.  miles  of  asphalt  paving 
on  a  concrete  base,  averaging  32  to  40  feet 
in  width,  has  5  white  wings  and  i  Elgin 
pick-up  sweeper. 


A  Glance  Ahead 

The  matter  of  sewage  disposal  is  one  of  the  most  import.int  ones  in  connection  with 
the  maintenance  of  public  sanitary  conditions  at  every  summer  resort.  Unfortunately,  in  a 
great  number  of  instances  the  reputation  of  particular  localities  has  been  ruined  by  the 
serious  results  that  have  followed  lack  of  education  concerning  this  important  detail  in 
modern  sanitation.— Pttfc/tV  Health,  State  Department  of  Health,  Lansing    Mich 


245 


Sewage  Disposal  by  Fine  Screening 
at  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Installation  of  Riensch-Wurl  Screens  Prepares  Sewage  for  Ultimate  Disposal 

by  Dilution 


A  VISIT  to  the  sewage  treatment  plant 
located  on  the  southwest  edge  of  the 
well-populated  district  in  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  impresses  the  engineer  with  the  thor- 
ough attention  given  to  detail,  the  excel- 
lence of  the  concrete  work,  and  the  value  of 
this  method  of  treatment  as  applied  to 
Bridgeport  conditions. 

The  flow  line  of  the  interceptor  at  the 
plant  is  at  elevation  lOO,  or  22  feet  below  the 
street  level  and  10  feet  below  mean  low 
water.  In  the  original  studies,  several  com- 
binations of  screens  and  pumps  were  con- 
sidered, including  the  plan  of  having  the 
high-level  screens  following  the  pumps,  so 
that  the  screened  effluent  would  flow  by 
gravity  to  the  outfall.  This  scheme  would 
have  saved  something  on  the  cost  of  con- 
struction of  the  station,  but  it  was  discarded 
mainly  because  the  screens  would  be  more 
effective  if  installed  ahead  of  the  pumps. 

In  the  plant  as  finally  decided  upon  and 
installed,  the  sewage  from  the  71-inch  in- 
terceptor flows  through  the  sluice-gate  to  a 


bar  screen  at  elevation  100,  and  thence 
through  a  concrete  channel  to  the  Riensch- 
Wurl  screens.  The  screened  effluent  flows 
over  an  adjustable  weir  to  the  sump  at  ele- 
vation 80,  and  is  then  lifted  by  the  pumps 
to  the  force  main  at  elevation  105. 

The  plant  is  designed  for  three  Riensch- 
Wurl  screens  to  handle  a  total  dry-weather 
flow  of  35,000,000  gallons  per  day.  The  esti- 
mated population  of  the  district  when  fully 
developed  is  180,000.  As  the  present  popula- 
tion of  the  district  is  in  the  neighborhood 
of  100,000,  two  screens  have  been  installed 
and  a  third  will  be  when  needed.  Each 
screen  consists  of  a  circular  disk  22  feet  in 
diameter  and  inclined  to  an  angle  of  15  de- 
grees from  the  horizontal.  A  truncated 
cone  12  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  is  cen- 
trally mounted  on  the  disc.  The  surface  of 
both  disc  and  cone  consists  of  a  number  of 
removable  bronze  plates  perforated  with 
slots  2  inches  long  and  3/64-inch  wide.  The 
lowest  point  of  the  disc  is  set  at  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  influent,  and  the  slope  is  such 


A  CONSTRUCTION  VIEW,   SHOWING  METHOD   OF   POURING  CONCRETE  FOR  CIRCULAR  FOUNDATION 


246 


">         THE    AMERICAN    CITY  Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


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SECTIONAL  VIEW  OF  BRIDGEPORT  SEWAGE   SCREENING  PLANT 


that  about  one-third  of  the  disc  is  above  the 
surface  of  the  water. 

The  sewage  flows  onto  the  screen,  which 
is  revolving  at  the  rate  of  about  one  revolu- 
tion in  two  minutes.  The  liquid  passes 
through  the  perforations  on  the  disc  and 
flows  over  the  weir  into  the  pump  sump. 
The  suspended  solids  which  are  retained 
on  the  screen  are  lifted  out  of  the  water 
as  the  screen  revolves  and  are  brushed  off 
the  screen  into  the  hopper  of  the  screening 
conveyor  system.  The  brushes  are  cylindri- 
cal and  are  carried  on  a  revolving  spider, 
which  is  mounted  on  a  shaft  parallel  with 
the  main  disc  shaft.  These  brushes  work 
on  the  same  principle  as  a  street  sweeper, 
which  is  carried  along  the  street  mounted 
on  a  truck  and  at  the  same  time  is  revolving 
and  brushing  the  refuse  ahead  of  it. 

The  screenings  are  conveyed  from  the 
hopper  to  the  storage  tanks  by  a  pneumatic 
system,  which  does  away  with  the  necessity 
of  handling  it  in  open  cans  on  an  open  con- 
veyor belt.  From  the  storage  tank,  which 
is  located  10  feet  above  the  street  level, 
the     screenings    are    dropped     into    tank 


wagons,  carted  to  the  town  farm  and  buried. 
The  pumping  equipment  of  the  station 
consists  of  two  20-inch  horizontal  centrif- 
ugal pumps,  each  having  a  capacity  of  15,- 
000,000  gallons  per  day,  and  two  15-inch 
horizontal  centrifugal  pumps  with  a  capacity 
of  8,000,000  gallons  per  day  each.  These 
pumps  are  direct-connected  to  electric  motors 
controlled  by  floats  in  the  pump  sump.  The 
floats  are  adjustable  and  electrically  con- 
nected to  switches  and  automatic  motor 
starters,  mounted  on  panels  of  the  main 
switchboard.  A  Venturi  tube  is  installed  on 
the  outfall,  with  the  record  chart  and  regis- 
ter located  on  one  of  the  main  switchboard 
panels.  The  60-inch  gate-valve,  electrically 
operated,  is  installed  in  a  gate-house  at  the 
discharge  end  of  the  Venturi  tube.  The 
building  contains  a  complete  system  for 
heating,  ventilating  and  plumbing,  includ- 
ing toilets  and  shower-baths. 

Method  of  Construction  of  Plant 

The  original  plans  for  the  plant  itself 
were  approved  by  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
and  construction  started  about  the  first  of 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


247 


19 19.  The  substructure  is  a  reinforced  con- 
crete caisson,  80  feet  inside  diameter  and  45 
feet  deep.  The  cylindrical  shell  forming  the 
outside  wall  is  constructed  of  a  series  of 
rings  10  feet  high.  The  rings  were  cast 
above  ground,  and  after  the  concrete  in  each 
ring  was  properly  set,  the  forms  were  re- 
moved and  the  ring  sunk  until  the  top  was 
approximately  a  foot  above  the  ground. 
The  forms  were  then  reassembled  and  the 
next  section  cast.  When  the  caisson  had 
reached  the  predetermined  depth,  the  bottom 
was  placed  under  water.  After  the  concrete 
bottom  was  set,  the  caisson  was  unwatered, 
and  the  bottom  made  smooth  and  fin- 
ished to  a  surface.  Following  this,  the  inside 
walls,  partitions,  beams  and  floor  slabs  were 
built.  The  rectangular  superstructure  is  of 
tapestry  brick  with  stone  trimmings  and  a 
red  tile  roof. 

The  lowest  ring,  which  contains  475  cubic 
yards  of  1-2-4  concrete  and  30  tons  of  steel, 
was  completed  in  March,  1919.  After  a 
few  days  the  forms  were  removed  and  set 
for  the  second  ring.  The  same  forms  were 
used  for  all  five  rings.  The  second,  third 
and  fourth  rings,  each  containing  500  cubic 
yards  of  concrete  and  16  tons  of  steel,  were 
finished  by  June  i,  the  concrete  being  poured 
in  continuous  operations  of  about  8  hours 
for  each  ring. 

After  the  first  ring  had  been  poured  and 
the  forms  removed,  the  ring  was  allowed  to 
sink  by  excavating  the  material  from  the 
interior.  Two  ^-yard  clam-shell  buckets 
and  two  65-foot  boom  stiff-leg  derricks,  set 
up  on  opposite  sides  of  the  caisson,  aver- 
aged about  200  cubic  yards  of  excavation  a 
day.  One  derrick  was  placed  on  the  north 
side  of  the  caisson,  the  other  on  the  south. 


On  the  east  side  toward  Bostwick  Avenue 
were  two  one-yard  mixers  and  an  80-foot 
double  hoisting  tower,  from  which  the  con- 
crete could  be  delivered  through  chutes  to 
any  part  of  the  ring.  Just  north  of  the 
tower  was  another  derrick  which  supplied 
sand  and  gravel  to  hoppers  located  above 
the  mixers.  As  the  excavation  proceeded, 
levels  were  taken  at  frequent  intervals  each 
day  on  the  top  of  the  shell,  and  if  one  side 
was  found  to  be  sinking  too  fast,  excavation 
was  stopped  on  that  side  and  continued  near 
the  other  side  until  the  ring  was  level  again. 
At  no  time  was  the  caisson  more  than  9 
inches  out  of  level. 

In  the  completed  structure  the  absence  of 
unnecessary  holes  in  the  concrete  partitions 
and  of  places  where  concrete  had  been 
chipped  out  after  the  forms  were  removed, 
and  of  other  such  unsightly  jobs,  shows  the 
care  given  to  the  design  of  the  complete 
structure  and  to  the  excellence  of  the  work 
by  the  contractor.  It  is  seldom  that  a  piece 
of  work  of  this  type  can  go  through  from 
beginning  to  end  without*  a  considerable 
number  of  changes  in  design  which  show  in 
patchy  work  when  the  whole  structure  is 
completed. 

George  W.  Fuller  and  George  A.  John- 
son, New  York  City,  were  the  associated 
consulting  engineers  for  this  work.  The 
general  contractor  was  the  Eastern  Engi- 
neering and  Construction  Company,  Bridge- 
port, Conn.  The  sewage  treatment  appa- 
ratus and  mechanical  equipment  was  fur- 
nished and  installed  by  the  Sanitation  Cor- 
poration, New  York  City,  and  the  plant  is 
now  operated  by  the  Department  of  Pub- 
lic Works,  of  which  J.  A.  Courtade  is 
Director. 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


March   22-23. — Indianapolis,   Ind. 

Indiana    Sanitarv    and    Water    Siij)i>ly    Association. 
Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  C.  K.  Calvert,  1902  North 
New  Jersej-   Street,   Indianapolis,    Ind. 
April   19-21. — Spartanburg,    S.   C. 

Tri-State   Water  and  Liaht  Association  of  the  Caro- 
Unas  and  Georgia.     Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  W.  F. 
Stieglitz,  Columbia,   S.   C. 
May  1-4. — Nashville,  Tenn. 

Southern    Commercial   Secretaries   Association.      An- 
nual   convention.      Secretary,    Roger    Miller,    Chamber 
of  Commerce,  Macon,  Ga. 
May  9-11. — Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

National  Fire  Protection  Association.     Annual  meet- 
ing.     Secretary,    Franklin    H.    Wentworth,    87    Milk 
Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
May  15;19. — Philadelphia,  Pa. 

American    Water   Works   Association.      Annual   con- 
vention.     Secretary.    T.    M.    Diven,    153    West    171st 
Street.   Nevir  York,  N.   Y. 
May  15-19. — Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

National   Electric   Light   Association.      Annual   con- 


venticn.      Executive    Manager,   M.    H.   Aylesworth,   29 
West  SOth  Street.  New  York,  N.  Y. 
May  15-21. — Washington,  D.  C. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States.   Annual 
meeting.      Secretary.    D.    A.    Skinner,    Mills   Building, 
Washington,   D.   C. 
June  4-6. — Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

American    A .t.^ociation    of    F.ngineers.      Annual    con- 
vention.     Secretary,    C.    F..    Drayer,    63    East    Adams 
Street.  Chicago,  111. 
June  13-17. — V^ictoria,  B.   C. 

Canadian    Good    Roads    As.tociation.      Annual    con- 
veniion.      Secretary.    George   A.    McNamee,    909    New 
Birks   Building,   Montreal,   Quebec,   Canada. 
August   9-18. — San   Francisco,   Calif. 

International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers.     Annual 
meetinfj.      Secretary,    James    J.    Mulcaiey,    City    Hall, 
Yonkers,  N.   Y. 
October   9-13. — Cleveland,  Ohio. 

American  Society  for  Municipal  Improvements. 
Annual  convention.  Secretary,  Charles  Carroll  Brown, 
P.  O.  Box  234,  Petersburg,  Fla. 


248 


What  Is  a  Fair  Salary  for  a  Fire  Chief? 


THE  accompanying  table  was  prepared 
from  the  returns  on  a  questionnaire 
sent  out  by  The  American  City.  In 
analysing  the  figures  given  in  a  table  of 
this  sort  great  care  must  be  taken  to  avoid 
jumping  to  conclusions.  The  simple  fig- 
ures of  population  and  dollars  cannot  state 
the  whole  case  in  regard  to  a  given  city. 
For  instance,  the  cost  of  living  varies  widely 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  naturally 
imposing  different  standards  of  pay. 

The  most  striking  fact  to  be  learned  from 
a  table  of  this  sort  is  the  want  of  standard- 
ization of  salaries,  which  was  demonstrated 
by  William  E.  Mosher  in  the  article,  "A 
Fair  Wage  Versus  a  Chance  Wage"  in 
The  American  City  for  February.  Look- 
ing down  the  table,  we  note  that  of  two 
Massachusetts  cities  of  over  50,000,  Brock- 
ton and  Cambridge,  it  is  the  smaller  city 
that  pays  the  larger  salary.  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.,  Brockton,  Mass.,  and  Allentown,  Pa., 
are  nearly  equal  i»  size,  yet  the  Allentown 
salary  is  not  much  more  than  half  of  the 
Brockton  figure,  while  Binghamton  is  mid- 
way between.  Yonkers,  N,  Y.,  is  little 
smaller  than  Cambridge,  Mass.,  yet  its  sal- 
ary is  $1,000  greater,  and  is  double  that  paid 
in  Reading,  Pa.*  Possibly  the  character  of 
the"  industries  of  these  cities  accounts  for  a 
variation  of  the  size  of  the  department  re- 
quired and  the  consequent  demands  on  the 
Chief. 

Passing  to  the  cities  between  25,000  and 
50,000,  the  table  shows  a  greater  amount  of 
uniformity.  The  largest  salary  reported  is 
in  Lorain,  Ohio,  $3,000,  the  smallest,  in 
Irvington,  N.  J.,  $1,800,  though  there  is  a 
considerable  difference  in  the  size  of  the 
towns.  There  is  a  sharp  contrast  between 
Lima,  Ohio,  and  Lorain,  Ohio,  the  cities 
being  nearly  of  a  size. 

Among  the  cities  between  10,000  and  25,- 
000,  comparisons  are  more  difficult,  as  such 
cities  vary  widely  in  character:  some  are 
largely  manufacturing,  others  mostly  resi- 
dential. The  character  of  the  manufactur- 
ing carried  on  might  involve  great  differ- 
ence of  fire  hazard,  yet  in  this  group  there 
is  surprising  uniformity  of  salary.  The 
largest  reported  salary  is  that  of  Corning, 
N.   Y.,   $2,040,    and   the    smallest,   Fulton, 

•  A  volunteer  department. 


N.  Y.,  $780,  although  these  places  are  of 
nearly  equal  population. 

Among  cities  of  less  than  10,000  there 
are  great  contrasts  of  salary.  This  is  due 
primarily  to  the  fact  that  some  have  volun- 
teer departments,  while  others  have  full- 
time  crews.  For  example,  Suffolk,  Va., 
pays  $1,800  a  year,  and  Saranac  Lake, 
N.  Y.,  with  a  population  but  little  smaller, 
pays  the  Chief  nothing.  In  general,  through- 
out this  group  the  salary  is  nominal,  $100 
being  a  figure  frequently  met. 

The  group  of  places  under  5,000  offers 
the  widest  discrepancies  in  salary.  Popula- 
tion figures  are  given  for  places  over  2,000 
under  the  1920  census,  while  those  for  which 
no  population  is  given  have  less  than  that 
number.  In  most  cases  here,  the  salary  is 
nominal,  there  being  a  few  notable  excep- 
tions. Ocean  City,  N.  J.,  may  be  regarded 
as  a  peculiar  case,  owing  to  its  character 
as  a  seaside  resort,  with  a  fluctuating  popu- 
lation. An  interesting  feature  is  the  salary 
in  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  $30  a  year,  with  an  al- 
lowance of  $2  per  call  answered.  Other  ex- 
ceptions are  the  allowance  in  Wheaton, 
Minn.,  of  $1  an  hour  for  time  actually  con- 
sumed in  fire-fighting,  and  in  Clarkston, 
Wash.,  of  $5  per  fire. 

It  is  unusual  for  a  city  to  call  to  head  its 
department  a  man  who  has  made  a  record 
as  fire  chief  of.  another  city.  As  a  rule,  the 
chief  is  chosen  from  the  fire  department  of 
his  city,  after  years  of  service.  Owing  to 
his  specialized  profession,  there  is  no  free 
market  for  his  services — the  city  is  not 
obliged  to  bid  for  his  service  against  com- 
petitors within  itself,  as  in  the  case  of  a  city 
attorney  or  engineer.  From  the  very  na- 
ture of  his  profession,  the  chief  is  obliged 
in  many  instances,  to  accept  what  his  city 
chooses  to  offer  him. 

It  is  impossible  to  look  through  the  ac- 
companying table  and  say,  "This  city  pays 
too  much,"  or  "That  city  pays  too  little." 
Special  circumstances  may  control  what 
seem  to  be  the  most  serious  injustices.  But 
the  tables  do  show  that  some  cities  are 
paying  less  than  what  may  be  termed  an 
average  salary  for  cities  of  their  class;  and 
such  a  statistical  tabulation  is  of  value  in 
showing  such  cities  how  they  stand  in  com- 
parison with  other  cities  where  approx- 
imately the  same  conditions  prevail. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


249 


SALARIES    OF   FIRE    CHIEFS 

Figures    State   Annual    Salary.    Unless 

Otherwise    Specified 


State   and   City 


Over 

Population  50,000  25-50,000       10-25,000 


5-10,000 


Under  5,000 


Iowa: 

Harlan ..  2,831 

Marshalltown 15,731 

Tipton     2,142 

Kansa  S.- 
Kingman      2,407 

Massachusetts: 

Brockton      66,254 

Cambridge   109,694 

Hudson     7,807 

Salem    42,529 

Michigan: 

Battle   Creek 36,164 

Grand  Rapids....  137,634 

Minnesota: 

Albert    Lea 8,056 

Benson    2,111 

Wheaton 

Missouri: 

Kirksville     7,213 

Marceline     3,760 

Warrensburg  ....  4,811 

Montana: 

Bozeman 6,183 

Nebraska: 

Hastings     11,647 

New  Jersey: 

Irvington    25,480 

New   Brunswick..  32,779 

Ocean  City 

Princeton    6,917 

New  York: 

Auburn     36,192 

Batavia   13,541 

Binghamton 66,800 

Corning 15,820 

E.     Syracuse 4,106 

Pulton   13,043 

Granville    3,024 

Herkimer    10,453 

Jamestown    38,917 

Little    Falls 13,029 

Middleburg    

N.   Tonawanda...  15,482 

Rochester 295,750 

Saranac  Lake....  5,174 

Saratoga   Springs.  13,181 

Watervliet    16,073 

Yonkers   100,176 

Champlain    

North    C'Rolina: 
Spring  Hope 

North    Dakota: 
Casselton    

Ohio: 

Ada   2,321 

Akron     208,435 

Bryan    4,252 

Covinc!ton   

E.    Palestine    5,750 

Hicksville 2,378 

Hillsbovo    4,356 

Lima   41,306 

Lorain 37,295 

Marietta     15,140 

Middletown      23,594 

Ravenna   7,219 

Tiffin   14,375 

Oklahoma: 

Enid    16,576 

Geary    

Stillwater   4,701 

Oregon  : 

Baker    7,729 

Salem    17,679 

•  While  fighting  fires. 
••  Plus  $2  per  call. 


$130  per  mo. 


$37 

None 

$1 


$3,500 
3,000 


3,273.76 


$2,275 
2,400 


$1,550 


$1,800 


$1,800 
$2,700 


$150 

$75  per  mo. 

$152.50 

$50 


$60 

$1  per  hr.' 


$5       per  mo. 
$100  per  mo. 


$112.60  per  mo. 


$2,760 


$2,400 


$2,200 


$4,200 


$4,000 


$1,650 
$2,040 
$780 
$1,560 
$1,680 
$1,800 


$2,000 
$1,600 


None 


$200 
None 

None 


None 


$4,500 


$2,112 
$3,000 


$125  per  mo. 
$2,000 

$1,800 


$100 


$100 


None 

None 

$60 

$1,800 
None 

$60 
$80»» 


$200  per  mo. 


$1,800 


$66 
$116 


$150 


250 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


Salaries 

OF    Fire    Chiefs    (.Co, 

ntinued) 

Over 

State  and  City 

Population 

50,000 

25-50,000       10-25,000 

5-10,000 

Under  5,000 

Pennsylvania: 

AUentown    .... 

73,502 

$2,000 

Belief  onte    

3,996 

None 

'     Bristol     

10,278 

None 

Brockwayville    . 

None 

Brookville     .... 

3,272 

None 

Carbondale    . . . 

18,640 

$360 

Harrisburg  .... 

75,917 

$2,500 

Oil  City   

21,274 

$1,740 

Philadelphia  ... 

..   1,823,779 

$5,000 

Pottsville    

21,876 

$1,500 

Reading    

..       107,784 

$2,000 

Warren 

14,256 
47,512 

$2,100 
$2,000 

York    

Rhode   Island: 

Central     Falls.. 

24,174 

$1,400 

Providence  .... 

. .      273,595 

$70  per  wk. 

South  Dakota: 

Aberdeen    

14,537 

$145  per 

month 

Mitchell    

8,478 

$100 

Tennessee: 

Jellico     '. 

1,875 

$60 

Virginia: 

Portsmouth    . . . , 

54,387 

$2,520 

Suflfolk    

9,123 

$1,800 

Vermont: 

Rutland    , 

14,954 

$1,550 

Washington: 

Clarkston   

$5  per  fire 

Spokane  

'.'      104,437 

$3,105 

West  Virginia: 

Bluefield 

15,282 

$175  per 

month 

Martinsburg    . . , 

12,615 

$1,500 

Wisconsin: 

Eau  Claire 

20,880 

$2,400 

Municipal  Lodging  House  Useless  Unless  Run  as 
"Human  Repair  Shop'* 


EXPERIENCE  with  the  municipal  lodg- 
ing-house in  New  York  City  during 
the  past  four  years  is  a  warning  to 
other  cities  that  it  is  a  costly  and  ineffective 
institution  if  operated  as  a  mere  shelter, 
instead  of  as  a  "human  repair  shop"  and 
clearing-house  for  unemployed  and  home- 
less men  and  women. 

This  statement  is  made  by  Stuart  A. 
Rice,  formerly  superintendent  of  the  New 
York  Municipal  Lodging  House,  in  the 
American  Labor  Legislation  Review. 

"Completed  in  1909  at  a  cost  of  nearly 
$400,000,  with  a  'model'  plant  and  equip- 
ment, the  institution  quickly  became  known 
throughout  the  world  and  might  reasonably 
have  been  expected  to  provoke  extensive 
imitation.  The  expectation  has  not  been 
realized.  Not  to  exceed  half  a  dozen  Ameri- 
can cities  have  a  municipal  lodging-house, 
and  even  in  these,  the  question  of  its  discon- 
tinuance is  periodically  brought  forward." 

Failure  to  distinguish  between  "unemploy- 
able" persons,  such  as  the  sick  and  defective, 
and  the  "unemployed,"  whose  only  need  is  a 
job,  is  a  serious  fault  of  municipal  lodging- 
house   administration.     Separate  treatment 


for  the  two  classes  is  essential.  Two  dis- 
tinct problems  arise  when  "a  temporary  de- 
mand for  emergency  shelter  for  unemployed 
men  is  periodically  superimposed  upon  a 
continuing  demand  for  the  classification  and 
treatment  of  unemployable  men." 

Official  reports  show  that  the  daily  per 
capita  cost  for  each  lodger  at  the  New  York 
Municipal  Lodging-House  during  1918  and 
1919  was  $1.50.  "One  dollar  and  a  half  a 
day,"  says  Mr.  Rice,  "would  be  a  reasona- 
ble per  capita  expenditure  for  a  'human  re- 
pair shop/  such  as  was  visualized  by  Com- 
missioner John  A.  Kingsbury  in  his  1914  re- 
port to  Mayor  Mitchel.  But  when  New 
York  City  spends  $1.50  in  providing  a  30- 
cent  'flop'  to  its  guests,  the  absence  of  imita- 
tors among  municipalities  can  readily  be 
explained. 

"A  'clearing-house'  for  homeless  men  and 
women — such  as  a  municipal  lodging-house 
should  be — would  make  a  thorough-going 
effort  to  understand  the  ills — physical,  men- 
tal and  social — that  afflicted  each  of  its  in- 
mates. In  brief,  its  end  would  be  the  per- 
tnanent  solution  of  the  human  problem  with 
which  it  is  confronted." 


551 


A  Successful  Municipal  Abattoir 


The  Community  Value  of  the  Paris,  Texas,  Abattoir  Shows   Great  Possibilities 

for   These   Public   Utilities 


By  Cora  Lee  Moore 

Secretary  to  the  Mayor,  Paris,  Texas 


ABOUT  88  per  cent  of  the  fresh  meat 
used  in  Paris,  Texas,  is  slaughtered 
at  the  municipal  abattoir.  The  cattle 
and  hogs  which  are  slaughtered  are  brought 
in  from  the  surrounding  country,  and  in 
that  way  the  city  furnishes  a  market  for 
the  live  stock  raised  by  the  small  farmer. 
Without  this,  the  farmer  in  selling  or  dis- 
posing of  his  live  stock  would  have  to  pay 
for  freight  and  not  receive  any  more  per 
pound  after  shipping  to  outside  buyers.  The 
abattoir  not  only  provides  a  market  for  ani- 
mals but  also  enables  the  people  of  Paris 
to  obtain  a  first-class  quality  of  meat  at  a 
price  considerably  lower  than  could  be  ob- 
tained if  this  meat  had  to  be  imported  from 
the  packing-houses. 


At  the  abattoir  the  most  scrupulous  sani- 
tation is  observed,  as  well  as  careful  screen- 
ing and  good  ventilation.  Hogs  are  brought 
in  from  the  yard,  killed,  scalded,  scraped, 
properly  cut  up  and  dressed;  the  carcasses 
are  placed  in  the  cooler  and  remain  there 
for  12  hours,  at  40  degrees  Fahrenheit.  At 
the  end  of  this  period,  following  the  usual 
order  of  things,  they  are  placed  in  the  "big 
box,"  a  refrigerating  room  kept  at  a  tem- 
perature ranging  from  32  to  36  degrees. 
Four  days'  free  storage  is  allowed  each  cus- 
tomer, the  charges  being  as  follows: 

City  Meat  Markets. — Beeves,  $2.50  each; 
hogs  and  calves,  $1.50  each;  sheep  and 
goats,  $1.00  each,  including  inspection.  Ten 
cents  per  day  is  charged  after  four  days. 


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252 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVt,  No.  3 


Private  killings. — Beeves,  $2.50  each; 
hogs  and  calves,  $1.50  each;  sheep  and 
goats,  $1.00  each,  inckiding  inspection. 
Hogs  when  cut  up  and  salted  down,  $2.50 
each.  Five  cents  per  day  storage  after  the 
first  four  days.  Salt  is  furnished  by  the 
city. 

It  is  a  rule  that  everything  brought  to  the 
Paris  abattoir  must  be  brought  alive,  to 
enable  the  expert  veterinarian  employed  by 
the  city  to  make  the  inspection  of  animals  on 
the  hoof,  as  required.  Another  inspection  of 
the  carcass  is  made  by  a  second  official.  No 
meat  may  be  offered  for  sale  within  the 
corporate  limits  that  does  not  bear  the  stamp 
of  the  city  inspector.  This  applies  even  to 
all  shipments  of  meat  or  fish  that  may  be 
brought  in  by  rail  from  packers  or  others. 
In  this  way  the  health  of  the  public  is  pro- 
tected from  tuberculosis  and  other  diseases, 
and  the  best  quality  of  meat  is  insured.  A 
salary  of  $100  a  month  is  paid  the  veteri- 
narian for  his  services  of  inspection,  which 
occupy  only  a  portion  of  his  time. 

Besides  the  veterinarian,  the  force  em- 
ployed at  the  Paris  abattoir  consists  of  a 
bookkeeper  who  looks  after  the  general 
management  of  the  plant,  collecting,  etc., 
an  engineer  for  the  refrigerating  machi- 
nery, and  three  butchers  or  skinners,  one  of 
whom  makes  deliveries  to  the  retail  butch- 
ers in  the  city. 

The  Plant  Incinerator 

Animals  that  are  rejected  by  the  veteri- 
nary are  consumed  in  the  huge  incinerator 
operated  in  connection  with  the  abattoir. 
It  is  often  necessary  for  an  attendant  to 
stand  by  to  restrain  negroes  from  snatching 
part  of  the  condemned  meat  from  the 
flames.  The  incinerator  serves  other  useful 
purposes.  All  combustible  trash,  city  gar- 
bage, dead  dogs,  cats,  chickens,  and  waste 
of  every  description  is  hauled  by  the  city 
free  of  charge  and  destroyed  in  the  large 
burners.  The  incinerator  is  so  arranged 
that  no  other  fuel  is  required  than  the  trash 
gathered  from  the  city.  This  entirely  elim- 
inates the  unsightly  paper  and  trash  dumps 
so  commonly  seen  around  towns  and  cities 
that  would  otherwise  be  beautiful.  The  in- 
cinerator is  never  without  a  useful  job  to 
do. 

The  Curing  Plant 

A  curing  plant  is  run  in  connection  with 
the   abattoir.     This  addition   cost   approx- 


imately $5,000  and  was  made  to  meet  the 
urgent  need  of  farmers  who  desired  to  be 
able  to  kill  hogs  at  any  time  during  the 
year.  This  curing  plant,  maintained  at  a 
temperature  of  40  degrees,  is  fully  equipped 
in  accordance  with  modern  practice,  and 
each  customer  has  his  own  bin,  upon  which 
he  may  place  a  padlock  if  he  so  desires. 
His  name  and  tag  are  on  the  box.  He  calls 
and  checks  out  his  meat  whenever  he 
chooses;  or  if  he  so  desires,  he  may  check 
out  any  portion  of  the  meat,  leaving  the 
remainder  in  cold  storage.  Any  citizen  of 
the  town  or  surrounding  country  can  have 
his  meat  slaughtered  and  stored  here  any 
day  during  the  year,  and  the  farmers  par- 
ticularly are  taking  advantage  of  this  ser- 
vice, so  that  this  part  of  the  plant  is  gen- 
erally well  filled. 

The  whole  plant  is  housed  in  a  one-story 
wooden  building  and  cost  when  constructed 
about  $10,000.  Some  parts  of  the  equip- 
ment, however,  have  been  replaced. 

The  Paris  abattoir  made  its  errors,  but 
persistence  and  careful  management  have 
placed  it  on  a  paying  basis.  For  several 
years,  at  the  start,  the  abattoir  failed  to 
pay.  It  was  discovered  that  its  volume  of 
business  did  not  justify  the  operation  of  the 
fertilizer  plant  which  had  been  installed. 
Also,  it  soon  became  apparent  that  the 
charges  were  too  low,  and  when  they  were 
raised  to  a  point  where  they  would  make 
an  adequate  return,  there  were  no  com- 
plaints from  the  customers.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  minor  changes,  all  tending  toward 
the  betterment  of  the  abattoir,  both  mate- 
rially and  financially,  took  place  in  the  first 
year  of  operation.  Each  year  finds  room 
for  improvement,  adding  here  and  there 
more  modern  equipment,  etc.  The  last  few 
years  have  been  very  profitable  ones  for 
the  plant.  In  1919  the  cost  of  operation 
was  $9,514.56,  which  included  $2,000  for  re- 
modeling. The  receipts  amounted  to  $10,- 
730.54»  and  in  1920  the  receipts  exceeded 
$12,000. 

Hog  Raising 

A  unique  but  nevertheless  profitable 
feature  is  the  raising  of  hogs  on  the  offal 
of  the  plant.  Their  feed  consists  only  of 
the  clean  waste  from  the  beeves  slaughtered 
by  the  city,  and  some  corn.  Sales  are  made 
in  small  lots  usually.  In  the  latter  part  of 
1919,  however,  one  retail  butcher  bought 
hogs    from    the    city    for    which    he    paid 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


253 


879.45;  a  few  months  later  another  sale 
was  made  amounting  to  $654.90 ;  another  in 
1920,  $1,215,  and  still  another  for  $290. 
This  is  practically  clear  money,  As  there  is 
very  little  expense  attached  to  this  depart- 
ment. In  the  last  few  months  the  market 
has  fallen  off  considerably  and  there  are 
very  few  sales  made  from  the  abattoir  pens. 
There  are  on  hand  at  present  about  37  hogs 
weighing  from  250  to  350  pounds,  and  107 
ranging  from  100  to  175  pounds. 

After  twelve  years  of  trial,  the  Paris 
abattoir  is  giving  genuine  satisfaction  to 
the  city  and  the  surrounding  territory,  and 
it  is  believed  that  the  community  would  not 
do  without  this  advantage  to  the  general 
welfare  through  the  output  of  clean,  whole- 


some and  sanitary  meats.  The  plant  is 
claimed  to  be  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the 
United  States  and  should  serve  as  a  basis 
on  which  every  town  and  city  with  a  popu- 
lation of  5,000  or  more  can  base  a  like  in- 
stitution, especially  where  there  is  a  chance 
of  giving  a  market  to  the  small  producer 
and  of  improving  the  quality  and  lowering 
the  price  of  meats  to  the  consumer.  It  is 
hoped  within  a  few  years  to  build  a  brick 
structure  which  will  have  a  more  commodi- 
ous cooling  room,  refrigerating  room  and 
curing  plant,  and  perhaps  a  smoke-house 
and  other  new  features.  The  cost  of  a  new 
plant  would  mean  a  far  greater  expenditure 
than  the  present  successfully  operating  abat- 
toir represents. 


New  Street  Signs  in  San  Francisco 

Definite   Replacement   Program   Will   Give   Entire   City   These  New  Signs  in  a 

Few  Years 


THE  long-heralded  and  urgently  needed 
new  street  signs  to  guide  the  stranger 
and  assure  the  native  of  his  destina- 
tion have  appeared  in  San  Francisco.  Con- 
venient and  understandable  street  signs  in 
San  Francisco  have  been  a  matter  that  has 
been  agitated  by  civic  organizations  and 
automobile  clubs  for  a  long  time,  and  when 
all  the  signs  are  installed  it  is  expected  that 
the  streets  of  this  city  w'ill  be  marked  as 
conveniently  and  thoroughly  as  those  of  any 
metropolis  in  the  country. 

In  the  past  the  signs  have  been  placed  at 
various  elevations  and  upon  different  types 
of  supports,  including  telegraph  poles,  lamp- 
posts and  buildings.  The  result  has  been  far 
from  satisfactory,  and  the  appropriations 
made  for  this  work  have  not  resulted  in  a 
standardized  system  of  any  pronounced 
effect. 

The  new  sign,  made  by  the  California 
Metal  Enameling  Company,  Los  Angeles,  is 
of  the  criss-cross  type  and  consists  of  four 
porcelain  plates  5  inches  by  22  inches  with 
3-inch  letters  mounted  in  a  channel  iron 
frame  j4-inch  by  i  inch.  The  complete 
frames  and  plates  are  in  turn  mounted  on  a 
3-inch  standard  pipe  support  measuring  9 
feet  from  the  ground  to  the  bottom  of  the 
lower  sign.  The  letters  are  of  white  on  a 
background  of  dark  blue.  One  standard 
complete  with  signs  erected  cost  $18. 


TYPE  OF  NEW  SIGNS  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO 

According  to  the  program  of  City  Engi- 
neer M.  M.  O'Shaughnessy,  it  is  the  inten- 
tion to  place  these  signs  first  in  the  down- 
town section  of  the  city,  and  each  year  to 
carry  out  the  work  in  the  other  sections  un- 
til every  unit  of  the  city  is  equipped  with 
proper  and  conspicuous  street  signs.  The 
signs  in  the  down-town  section  will  make 
their  first  appearance  from  the  Embarcadero 
to  Van  Ness  Avenue. 

The  1921-22  budget  provides  for  an  ap- 
propriation of  $7,500  for  street  signs  for  this 
fiscal  year,  and  will  carry  the  same  allow- 
ance each  year  as  long  as  needed. 


254 


The  New  American  Falls,  Idaho — 
A  Town  Reborn 


By  Russell  VanNest  Black 

Town  Planner 


INSTANCES  of  planning  the  growth  of 
cities  from  the  beginning  are  exceedingly 
rare.  Most  planning  efforts  are  occu- 
pied with  the  patching  of  hopelessly  jum- 
bled grown  cities — not  planning,  but  re- 
planning.  When  the  rare  opportunity  comes 
to  build  a  town  from  the  ground  up,  it  is 
hailed  with  delight.  The  planning  for  the 
new  American  Falls  has  been  just  such  a 
pleasing  problem. 

After  the  days  of  the  mining  booms,  men 
settled  back  into  the  fertile  valleys.  There 
towns  grew  upon  the  firm  foundation  of 
agriculture.  Irrigation,  sheep  and  cattle 
raising,  dry-farming  of  wheat,  and,  later, 
hydro-electric  power,  were  the  largest  fac- 
tors of  growth.  Wherever  railroads  tapped 
these  resources,  towns  sprang  into  existence. 

Such  a  community  is  the  old  American 
Falls,  county-seat  of  Power  County,  Idaho. 
It  was  founded  with  the  coming  of  the  rail- 
road and  lies  in  the  very  fertile  but  arid 
Snake  River  Valley  at  the  point  where  the 
Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  crosses  the 
river.  The  original  town,  now  a  community 
of  1,554  people,  was  built  without  plan  or 
foresight,  partially  upon  land  ill  adapted  to 
civic  growth. 

Moving  the  City 

In  developing  plans  for  the  utilization  of 
the  hydraulic  resources  of  the  upper  Snake 
River  watershed,  it  has  been  found  that  a 
maximum  development  will  involve  the  con- 
struction of  a  dam  at  American  Falls,  where 
topographic  conditions  render  feasible  the 
most  efficient  control  of  the  stream.  This 
dam  will  create  a  reservoir  125  square  miles 
in  area,  impounding  water  sufficient  to  ir- 
rigate 300,000  acres  of  very  fertile  land. 
The  work  is  planned  to  be  financed  largely 
by  contributions  from  local  interests  under 
the  direction  of  the  United  States  Reclama- 
tion Service.  Preliminary  to  undertaking 
actual  construction  and  in  addition  to  the 
work  outlined  in  this  article,  the  Reclama- 
tion Service  has  completed  diamond  drill 
borings  at  the  proposed  dam  site  and  has 
made    extensive    surveys    and    engineering 


studies.  It  is  estimated  that  the  cost  of 
the  reservoir  may  exceed  $13,000,000. 

More  than  four-fifths  of  the  old  American 
Falls  lies  within  the  area  to  be  submerged. 
In  all,  there  must  be  moved  or  wrecked: 
344  residences,  46  business  houses,  3  hotels, 
2  schools,  5  churches,  i  hospital,  6  grain 
elevators,  i  flour  mill,  and  numerous  shacks 
and  sheds.  The  railroad,  which  now  passes 
through  the  center  of  the  town,  also  falls 
for  a  short  distance  within  the  reservoir 
right  of  way,  and  must  be  moved  a  maxi- 
mum distance  of  1,600  feet  back  from  its 
present  location. 

Rather  than  risk  the  results  of  private 
initiative,  the  Government  has  undertaken 
the  relocation  of  the  community.  Six  hun- 
dred acres  of  virgin  land  adjacent  to  a 
small  part  of  the  old  town,  which  need  not 
be  greatly  disturbed,  was  purchased  as  a 
site,  and  the  writer  wais  engaged  to  prepare 
complete  plans  for  the  new  town. 

The  new  site  is  on  the  higher  ground,  ap- 
proximately a  half-mile  east  of  the  old  busi- 
ness center.  Comparatively  level  and  un- 
broken except  by  one  or  two  shallow  draws, 
and  sloping  gradually  from  the  reservoir 
back  to  the  low,  irregular  hills,  it  is  almost 
ideally  adapted  to  civic  development.  The 
only  difficult  adaptation  is  an  adequate  con- 
nection with  the  surviving  small,  ill- 
arranged  section  of  the  old  town. 

A  chief  problem  lay  in  the  size  of  com- 
munity for  which  to  plan.  In  the  building 
of  cities  there  is  but  one  thing  apt  to  do 
greater  injury  than  the  neglect  to  plan  and 
provide  for  the  future,  and  that  is,  to  pro- 
mote a  city  where  no  power  on  earth  could 
properly  maintain  more  than  a  hamlet. 

The  Town's  Probable  Future 

Thorough  investigation  has  been  made  of 
the  apparent  resources  of  the  district  and 
their  probable  influence  upon  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  new  town.  Thousands  of 
acres  of  undeveloped  irrigable  land  within 
the  zone  of  influence;  vast  extent  of  wheat 
lands  that  may  be  dry-farmed  to  greater 


MarciIj  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


25s 


MAP   OF  AMERICAN  FALLS,   IDAHO,   SHOWING  THE   OLD  AND   THE  NEW  SECTIONS 

It  is  rare  that  the  town  planner  can  plan  for  an  entirely  new  city.    American  Falls,  Idaho,  must  be 
entirely  rebuilt,    on  account  of  the  needs  of  reservoir  construction.    The  head  of  the  arrow,   at  the 

extreme  right,  indicates  north 


advantage;  the  continued  and  possibly  in- 
creased raising  of  cattle  and  sheep;  un- 
limited electric  power  and  the  possibility  of 
the  development  of  such  industries  as  flour 
mills  and  wool-scouring  mills  in  this  com- 
munity, central  to  so  much  wheat  and  wool 
production;  the  increasing  importance  of  the 
town  as  county-seat ;  the  reservoir  as  an  en- 
gineering accomplishment  of  broad  interest, 
and  possibly  as  something  of  a  pleasure  re- 
sort, attracting  visitors  from  far  and  near; 
and  the  thousands  of  workers  to  be  brought 
in  during  construction  of  the  dam,  some  of 
whom  will  inevitably  remain — all  point  to  a 
bright  future  for  the  community.  Leaving 
out  of  consideration  the  not  improbable  dis- 
covery of  some  undeveloped  natural  re- 
source, it  is  not  difficult  to  see  the  ultimate 
town  grown  to  a  thriving  community  of  not 
less  than  10,000  people. 

This  possible  population  has  been  assumed 
as  a  basis  for  the  plan,  which,  however,  is 
of  an  expansive  nature,  comfortable  for  the 
few  as  well  as  for  the  many.  If  for  any  un- 
foreseen reason  the  city  does  not  grow,  it 
will  be  comfortably  accommodated  near  the 
center  of  the  new  site.  If  it  needs  to  expand, 
land  and  streets  are  provided  to  permit  of 
development  along  the  most  logical  lines  at 
a  minimum  of  inconvenience. 


Determining  Factors 

The  general  character  of  the  street  system 
is  largely  determined  by  the  location  of  the 
railroad,  fixed  by  grade,  the  reservoir  on  the 
west,  and  the  low,  irregular  hills  on  the  east. 
Other  factors  are  the  surviving  section  of 
the  old  town  and  the  highways  entering 
from  the  surrounding  country.  The  three 
chief  highways  are:  from  Pocatello,  the 
nearest  considerable  community,  30  miles  to 
the  north;  from  Rockland  and  the  dry- 
farming  districts  to  the  south;  and  from  the 
territory  across  the  river  to  the  west. 

The  hills  and  reservoir  have  forced  a  plan 
somewhat  elongated  northeast  and  south- 
west. This  happens  also  to  be  the  general 
direction  of  the  heaviest  traffic  flow,  up  and 
down  the  valley,  and  is  the  most  logical 
trend  of  growth.  Each  of  the 'main  high- 
ways is  brought  into  town  with  considera- 
tion of  its  greatest  use,  and  is  distributed  as 
directly  as  possible  to  the  various  centers — 
residential,  business,  industrial,  and  social. 
Effort  has  been  made  to  lead  these  highways 
into,  rather  than  through,  the  community, 
necessitating  that  every  traveler  obtain  at 
least  a  glimpse  into  the  heart  of  the  town. 

The  location  of  the  railroad  has  been  a 
large  factor  in  laying  the  first  foundations. 
To  obtain  suitable  grade,  it  is  necessary  that 


256 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


the  railroad  skirt  the  reservoir.  Since  this 
eliminates  the  possibility  of  its  ever  cutting 
through  the  community,  and  since  for  the 
greater  distance  through  the  town  it  passes 
unobtrusively  through  a  deep  cut,  this  loca- 
tion is  not  undesirable. 

Approaching  from  the  M^est,  the  railroad 
enters  upon  a  heavy  grade  which  places  the 
westernmost  practical  location  for  the  pas- 
senger depot  approximately  as  indicated  on 
the  plan.  It  is  desirable  that  the  business 
center  of  the  community  be  located  in  some 
convenient  relation  to  the  depot.  Coinci- 
dentally,  the  area  directly  east  of  the  pro- 
posed depot  location,  being  comparatively 
level  and  centrally  located,  is  well  adapted 
to  development  as  the  business  and  social 
center. 

The  Various  Sections  of  the  Town 

A  broad  avenue,  designed  as  the  chief  re- 
tail business  street,  is  carried  from  the  rail- 
road and  reservoir  back  some  1,400  feet  to  a 
large  public  square,  terminating  in  the  court 
house  beyond.  This  public  square  is  planned 
to  become  the  recreation  center  of  the  com- 
munity, and  sites  have  been  reserved  on  its 
four  sides  for  the  various  public  and  semi- 
public  buildings,  including:  the  court  house, 
Federal  building,  recreation  hall,  churches, 
hotel,  and  theater. 

In  the  northwest  section  of  the  site,  ad- 
jacent to  the  railroad  and  the  freight  depot 
and  to  the  leeward  of  the  rest  of  the  com- 
munity, an  adequate  tract  has  been  reserved 
for  storage  warehouses,  grain  elevators, 
loading-pens,  heavy  bus'ness,  and  whatever 
mills  or  industries  may  desire  accommoda- 
tion. Blocks  in  this  district  have  been 
turned  in  a  contrary  direction,  to  make  them 
more  accessible  to  spur  tracks  and  to  afiford 
somewhat  of  separation  from  the  second- 
class  residential  district  located  on  the  level, 
fertile  land  directly  east  of  and  accessible 
to  the  industrial  district  and  readily  adapt- 
able to  the  economical  development  of  homes 
and  gardens. 

South  and  southeast  of  the  public  square 
and  separated  from  the  second-class  area  by 
a  large  combined  school  and  playground,  is 
the  first-class  residential  district.  This 
largely  occupies  the  first  level  of  low,  ir- 
regular hills,  more  adapted  to  the  better 
class  of  development. 

Complete  restrictions  defining  the  various 
are  to  be  placed  in  the  land  con- 


tracts until  such  time  as  a  zoning  ordinance, 
based  upon  these  restrictions,  can  be  put  into 
effect.  First-  and  second-class  residential 
districts  are  to  be  differentiated  by  construc- 
tion only.  The  retail  business  district,  in- 
cluding the  broad  avenue  mentioned  above 
and  the  flanking  streets  on  either  side,  has 
also  been  divided  into  first  and  second 
classes,  the  differentiation  being  based  upon 
construction  and  use.  The  section  of  the 
old  town  to  be  retained,  not  being  the  prop- 
erty of  the  United  States,  must  remain  un- 
restricted until  a  zoning  ordinance-  is  ob- 
tained, but  it  is  of  a  character  unlikely  to  be 
of  appreciable  influence  upon  the  remaining 
development. 

The   Streets 

The  average  lot  size  in  the  second-class 
residential  district  is  60  x  135  feet,  and  is 
but  slightly  larger  in  the  better-class  district, 
comparative  size  throughout  being  based 
upon  adaptability  to  use.  Business  lots  aver- 
age 25  X  125  feet,  and  the  industrial  area  is 
divided  into  50-foot  frontages  for  con- 
venience of  sale. 

Street  widths  vary  from  50  feet  for  minor 
residential  streets  to  80,  90  and  100  feet  for 
the  m.ain  traffic  leads,  and  120  feet  for  the 
short  business  street.  All  streets,  in  cross- 
section,  have  been  arranged  upon  an  elastic 
plan,  with  trees  set  to  permit  pavement 
widening  as  need  demands.  To  obtain  de- 
sired openness  and  space  between  houses, 
set-back  lines  varying  from  15  to  30  feet  are 
established  throughout  the  residential  dis- 
tricts. All  streets  have  been  arranged  with 
a  feeling  for  topography,  to  the  end  that 
there  are  no  excessive  grades  or  side-hill 
cuts. 

Because  the  district  is  accustomed  to  their 
orderly  use  and  is  not  of  a  type  in  which 
they  are  likely  to  become  dangerous,  public 
alleys  have  been  used  throughout.  They 
are  to  carry  the  electric  light  and  telephone 
poles  and  other  public  utilities,  including 
sewer  and  water. 

Water  will  be  obtained  from  wells  driven 
in  the  higher  ground  east  of  the  city.  This 
source  failing,  large  flowing  springs  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river  will  provide  a  boun- 
teous supply. 

Because  of  the  low  rainfall,  about  15 
inches,  the  surface  run-off  can  be  cared  for 
without  any  great  extent  of  storm-water 
sewer.  Sanitary  sewage  will  be  treated  in 
septic  tanks. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


257 


Provision  for  Parks  and   Playgrounds 

Adequate  areas  are  reserved  in  the  plan 
for  parks  and  playgrounds.  The  public 
square  is  to  become  a  restful  area  of  cool 
shade  and  greensward,  furnished  with  a 
band-stand,  a  bit  of  splashing  water  and  a 
wading  pool  for  the  youngsters.  It  is  to 
be,  in  every  sense,  the  recreation  center  of 
the  community. 

A  shallow  draw,  a  stream-bed  dry  during 
most  of  the  year,  extends  through  the  south- 
erly portion  of  the  new  site  from  the  rail- 
road to  the  hills.  This  draw  is  ill  adapted 
to  residential  use.  It  is  to  be  developed  as  a 
naturalistic  park  with  flanking  park-like 
streets  and  walks,  and  planted  to  a  few  of 
the  more  hardy  local  native  evergreens  and 
shrubs.  In  this  mecca  of  the  automobile 
tourist  it  has  become  incumbent  upon  all 
communities  to  provide  tourists'  camping 
parks.  An  area  between  the  main  highway 
from  the  south  and  the  railroad  is  well 
adapted  to  this  use  and  has  been  reserved 
for  that  purpose. 

This  is  the  present  extent  of  park  land, 
with  the  exception  that  it  has  been  recom- 


mended that,  as  the  community  grows,  atten- 
tion be  given  to  the  preservation  and  de- 
velopment of  the  reservoir  shore  and  river 
bank. 

Two  new  school  sites  have  been  re- 
served, each  with  area  adequate  for  play- 
grounds to  serve  the  whole  community. 

Trees  have  been  recommended  for  all 
streets,  including  those  of  the  business  dis- 
trict. The  poplar  is  the  favorite  tree  in 
most  parts  of  the  Snake  River  Valley.  How- 
ever, experimental  planting  has  proved  that 
the  better  trees,  such  as  oak,  elm  and  linden, 
if  given  water,  will  thrive  even  more  vigor- 
ously here  than  in  the  East.  The  better 
trees  have  been  recommended  throughout 
the  entire  community. 

To  insure  the  comfort  of  the  present  small 
town  in  the  full-grown  plan  and  to  provide 
that  the  community  shall  be  conveniently 
and  economically  condensed  throughout  its 
various  periods  of  growth,  a  considerable 
number  of  blocks  of  the  extremities  of  the 
platted  area  will  be  temporarily  withheld 
from  sale,  and  the  first  public  improvements 
will  be  installed  only  in  the  district  of  logical 
earliest  development  and  will  be  extended 
little  in  advance  of  demand. 


A  Beautiful  Example  of  Library 
Architecture 


VERMONT    SQUARE    BRANCH   LIBRARY,    LOS    ANGELES,    CALIF. 


258 


^ba^^^^^^^^rfM^i^i 


Municipal  Finance 

BONDING  ACCOUNTING  TAXATION 


Detailed  Revenues  in  New  Jersey  Cities 

By  Sedley  Hopkins  Phinney 

Executive  Secretary,  New  Jersey  State  League  of  Municipalities 


THE  tables  accompanying  this  article 
are  two  selected  from  six  original 
compilations  made  by  the  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Information  conducted  by  the 
New  Jersey  State  League  of  Municipalities. 
They  appear  in  the  Appendix  of  a  45-page 
study  of  "New  Sources  of  Municipal  Rev- 
enue" intended  as  an  aid  to  the  harassed 
city  official  seeking  new  revenues.  They  are 
practical  demonstrations  of  actual  revenue 
possibilities  disclosed  by  the  experience  of 
cities  of  various  sizes. 

Table  I  is  entitled  "Classified  Revenues  of 
New  Jersey  Cities  in  1920."  It  was  com- 
piled from  the  latest  municipal  audits  avail- 
able, on  file  in  the  State  Department  of 
Municipal  Accounts.  The  figures  are  rev- 
enue accruals,  not  actual  cash  receipts,  and 
the  classification  used  is  that  of  the  United 
States  Census  Bureau  slightly  modified.  As 
the  audits  failed  to  report  fully  on  certain 
classes  of  revenue,  the  following  were 
omitted  from  the  tabulation,  and  the  indi- 
vidual figures  were  given  in  the  text :  Spe- 
cial Assessments,  Subventions  and  Grants, 
Donations  and  Gifts,  Rates,  Highway  Priv- 
ileges, and  Rentals  of.  Equipment. 

The  individual  figures  were  built  up  by  a 
classification  of  all  the  items  appearing  in 
the  audits,  usually  necessitating  going  into 
the  cash  receipts  of  the  mayor,  city  clerk, 
city  engineer,  health  department,  library, 
etc.  In  many  casesr,it  was  not  possible  to 
be  sure  of  the  proper  classification  of  an 
item,  and  many  figures  given  were  lump 
figures  which  could  not  be  divided.  The 
table  represents  the  best  that  could  be  done 
with  the  material  at  hand. 

Since  the  cities  have  been  arranged  in 
order  of  population,  cities  of  comparable 
size  are  automatically  brought  together,  and 
the  city  official  can  readily  run  his  eye  over 


the  columns  and  see  how  his  revenues  in 
each  class  compare  with  those  of  other  cities. 
By  quick  computations  the  actual  per  capita 
comparisons  can  be  made  of  striking  figures. 

Take  a  few  examples  of  the  use  of  the 
tables  by  a  city  official.  Camden  and  Tren- 
ton are  nearly  the  same  size,  and  their  total 
revenues  are  almost  identical,  yet  for  Tren- 
ton the  interest  on  bank  balances  is  twice 
that  for  Camden,  while  the  item  "All  Other 
Interest  and  Costs"  is  six  times  as  great. 
What  is  the  reason  for  this?  The  Camden 
official  who  is  curious  about  this  item  would 
make  a  careful  survey  of  all  factors  in- 
volved,, interest  rates,  amounts  of  money  on 
deposit,  whether  short-term  or  long-term 
deposits,  stringency  of  enforcing  interest 
and  cost  charges  on  delinquent  taxes,  and 
other  similar  matters.  The  chances  are  that 
this  search  would  disclose  wastes  or  unused 
revenue  possibilities.  Inequalities  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  poll  tax  are  still  more  star- 
tling. Jersey  City,  with  a  population  of 
three-quarters  that  of  Newark,  collects  about 
one-fourteenth  as  much  poll  tax;  and  only 
one-quarter  of  the  amount  collected  by 
Trenton,  which  has  about  one-half  of  Jersey 
City's  population.  Other  inequalities  sug- 
gest either  laxity  of  collection  or  an  in- 
herent defect  in  this  form  of  tax,  probably 
both.  The  purely  nominal  amount  of  rentals 
of  land  and  buildings  in  some  cases  raises 
a  query.  For  instance,  what  is  it  that 
Bayonne  rents  for  $75  per  annum,  and 
South  Amboy  for  $25  ?  Could  not  full  mar- 
ket values  be  charged  for  these  properties? 
It  must  be  understood  that  these  questions 
are  purely  illustrative  and  are  not  criticisms 
of  these  particular  administrations. 

Probably  the  most  significant  and  most 
fruitful  of  enhanced  revenues  are  the  col- 
umns  "Fees  and   Charges"  and  "Licenses 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


259 


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THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  3 


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March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


261 


and  Permits."  The  variations  here  are  a 
reflection  of  the  facts  brought  out  in  other 
tables  in  the  Appendix  which  show  the 
actual  license  fees  charged  for  almost  every 
conceivable  purpose  in  New  Jersey  cities 
and  towns.  We  find  Atlantic  City,  with  a 
population  one-quarter  greater  than  Perth 
Amboy,  having  a  revenue  from  licenses 
thirty-four  times  greater  than  the  latter. 
When  we  consider  the  resort  character  of 
Atlantic  City  and  the  scale  of  fees  charged 
there,  the  difference  is  understandable. 
There  are  other  differences,  however,  that 
are  only  explainable  by  variations  in  scope 
and  amount  of  licensing  and  that  represent 
huge  revenue  possibilities  if  the  officials 
choose  to  follow  the  example  of  their  neigh- 
bors. 

In  an  attempt  to  analyze  these  differences, 
Table  V  was  prepared.  The  individual 
items  from  which  the  various  totals  of  rev- 
enues from  licenses  and  permits  were  made 
were  distributed  among  eleven  main  groups, 
as  follows: 

1.  Amusements. — Includes     pool,     bowling, 

dance  halls,  carnivals,  but  not  theaters. 

2.  Trade  and  mercantile. — Includes  all  trades 

and  mercantiles  not  shown  elsewhere. 

3.  Pawnbrokers,    etc. — Includes     pawnbrok- 

ers, auctioneers,  junk  dealers,  and  ped- 
dlers. 

4.  Transportation. — Includes  auto,  jitney  bus, 

horse-drawn  vehicle,  street  car,  taxi- 
cab,  hack  and  express. 

5.  Hazardous  occupations. — Includes  all  pur- 

suits involving  risk  to  the  community, 
such  as  garage,  blastings,  gas  tanks,  ex- 
plosives, firearms,  gasoline  pumps  and 
tanks,  and  hoisting. 

6.  Advertising. — Includes   bill-boards,    signs, 

bill  posting  and  distributing. 

7.  Sewer  and  street  openings. — Also  includes 

water. 

8.  Theaters  and  moving  pictures. 

9.  Health. — All    occupations    involving    in- 

spections by  health  authorities.  Milk 
and  ice  dealers,  scavengers,  pig  raisers, 
cesspools  and  dump  picking. 

TO.  Building. — Also  electrical  and  plumbing 
permits. 

II.     Miscellaneous  and  unscgregated. 

Although  the  incompleteness  of  the  origi- 
nal data  has  prevented  the  complete  detail- 
ing of  this  table,  enough  is  shown  to  form 
many    interesting   comparisons.       For   ex- 


ample, why  did  East  Orange,  population 
50,000,  get  only  $100  from  amusement 
licenses  while  New  Brunswick,  population 
33,000,  received  $910?  Does  Paterson  have 
more  pawnbrokers  and  auctioneers  than 
Camden?  Although  the  cities  have  nearly 
the  same  population,  their  respective  rev- 
enues from  this  source  were  $13,665  and 
$1,640.  And  why  did  Jersey  City  get  $36,- 
743  from  transportation  fees  and  Paterson 
only  $1,420?  The  most  striking  contrast  is 
that  of  Atlantic  City's  revenues  from  trade 
and  mercantile  licenses,  of  $132,404  against 
the  same  item  of  $50.  from  the  residential 
city  of  Orange.  The  difference  is  readily 
understood  in  this  case  because  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  two  cities. 

When  it  is  considered  that  city  adminis- 
trators are  largely  amateurs,  coming  and 
going  with  political  changes,  and  that  few 
agencies  of  standardization  and  information 
like  the  Bureau  are  in  existence,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  there  are  the  variations 
brought  out  in  these  tables;  it  is  surprising 
that  there  is  not  more  variation.  This  re- 
port is  one  of  fifty  published  by  the  Bureau 
during  the  year  which  are  intended  to  help 
officials  toward  uniformity  of  practice  and 
scientific  methods.  Within  a  month  of  pub- 
lishing the  report,  one  mayor  reported  a 
complete  revamping  of  his  city's  scale  of 
license  and  permit  fees,  and  said  that  this 
one  report  alone  had  been  worth  to  his  city 
more  than  their  share  of  the  cost  of  main- 
taining the  Bureau. 

The  most  important  single  conclusion 
reached  in  the  preparation  of  these  tables  is 
that  there  ought  to  be  a  state-wide  compul- 
sory uniform  system  of  municipal  account- 
ing, so  that  comparisons  of  this  sort  can  be 
made  regularly  and  currently  by  newspapers 
and  citizens'  organizations  without  the  labor 
involved  in  this  case.  Figures  should  be 
comparable  and  accounts  mean  the  same 
thing,  thus  enabling  citizens  to  compare 
revenues  and  costs  of  their  government  with 
others,  and  one  year  with  another.  An  en- 
lightened citizenry  is  necessary  for  true 
democracy  and  sound  municipal  account- 
ing will  do  much  to  sweep  the  cobwebs 
away. 


262  ^ 


Motor  Service  for  City  Work 


HOLT  CATERPILLAR  TRACTOR  HAULING  TROY  TRAILERS  IN  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE 
VICTORY  MEMORIAL  DRIVE  BY  THE  BOARD  OF  PARK  COMMISSIONERS  OF  MINNEAPOLIS, 

MINNESOTA 


A   BUCYRUS    DRAG-LINE    BACKFILLING   ON    THE    WETHERBY    SEWER,    DETROIT,   MICH. 

Blaw-Knox  coUapsible  steel  fonnu  are  teing  used  on  this  Job  by  the  contractors,  Nash  Brothers, 

Chicago,  m. 


IMarch,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


263 


AN  AMERICAN-LA  FRANCE  ENGINE  OF  THE  GRINNELL,  IOWA,   DEPARTMENT  MAKES   SHORT 

WORK  OF  A  JANUARY  FIRE 

This  truck  carries  a  65-gaUon  chemical  tank,  3,500  feet  of  hose,  two  50-foot  ladders,  one  40-foot  ladder, 
one  10-foot  roof  ladder,  and  one  20-foot  roof  ladder 


A   GRAMM-BERNSTEIN   SPEED   TRUCK  EQUIPPED   FOR   ALL  ROUND    SERVICE  IN  THE 

ELECTRICAL   DIVISION   OF    THE    LYNN,    MASS.,    FIRE    DEPARTMENT 

This  truck  answers  all  alarms  to  look  after  the  wiring  of  the  Fire  and  Police  Departments 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Five  years  trom  now  go  out  anS  try 
to  find  soft  spots  in  that  concrete! 


For  over  twenty  years  the  General 
Chemical  Company  has  been  at  the  fore - 
front  of  chemical  research  and  manu- 
facture in  this  country.  Hard-n-tyte 
is  the  latest  contribution  of  its  splendid 
staff  of  chemists.  It  is  the  successful 
result  of  long  search  for  a  concrete  hard- 
ener that  really  hardens  the  surface  and 
materially  increases  tts  life.  It  enables 
engineers  and  contractors  to  deliver 
a  quality  of  concrete  work  far  in  ad- 
vance of  anything  that  has  been  pos- 
sible heretofore. 


Don't  take  my  word  for  it — just 
watch  that  road  stand  up  under  traf- 
fic. Give  it  a  good  "going  over"  every 
six  months.  Don't  just  sit  in  your 
car — get  out  and  walk,  so  you  can 
see  better.  You've  probably  got  a 
cold  chisel  in  your  tool  box — take  it 
out  and  see  how  much  dust  you  can 
raise  on  that  road  with  it.  That's  one 
way  to  find  out  what  the  Hard-n-tyte 
Road  Treatment  really  does  for  a 
concrete  road. 

The  other  way  is  to  do  just  as  the 
General  Chemical  Company  engi- 
neers did,  and  grind  standard  con- 
crete road  slabs,  1:2:3  concrete,  for 
1,800  revolutions  in  a  Talbot-Jones 
rattler  charged  with  200  lbs.  of  iron 
shot.  Half  the  slabs  were  treated  with 
Hard-n-tyte,  just  as  this  road,  has 
been  treated.  Half  o^  them  were  left 
untreated.     When  the  test  was  fin-^ 


ished,  the  slabs  treated  with  Hard-n-tyte 
showed  30%  less  wear  than  the  others. 

Hard-n-tyte  is  the  trade  name  ap- 
plied to  pure  white  crystals  of  mag- 
nesium zinc  fluosilicate.  When  these 
crystals  are  dissolved  in  water  and 
the  solution  flushed  over  a  concrete 
road,  the  surface  becomes  flint  hard. 
This  condition  is  caused  by  the  for- 
mation of  insoluble  and  extremely 
durable  silicates  and  fluorides  within 
the  concrete  itself. 

Hard-n-tyte  is  cheaply  applied  by 
common  labor.  Concrete  roads  treat- 
ed with  Hard-n-tyte  wear  like  mosaic. 

Send  us  your  name  and  address  and 
let  us  help  you  eliminate  raveling,  soft 
spots  and  ruts  in  the  concrete  roads 
you  build  this  year. 

General  Chemical  Company 
1711  Broad  Exchange  Building,  New  York  City 


C9 


■makes  concrete  rogd^  wear  longer 

When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mShtlon'.'PHB  American  City. 


26s 


f=ff=^ 


Summer  Schools  at  Evanstoo,  111., 
and  Palo  Alto,  Calif. 

The  decision  having  been  reached  that  the 
National  School  for  Commercial  Secretaries, 
established  in  1921  under  the  joint  auspices 
of  the  National  Association  of  Commercial 
Organization  Secretaries,  the  Chamber  of 
"Commerce  of  the  United  States,  and  North- 
western University  at  Evanston,  111.,  is  to  be 
continued  as  a  regoilar  institution,  the  Amer- 
ican City  Bureau  has  announced  its  belief 
that  the  welfare  of  the  profession  can  iest 
be  served  by  its  withdrawal  from  the  na- 
tional summer  school  field. 

The  Bureau  has  volunteered  to  place  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of 
the  National  School  its  seven  years  of  ex- 
perience in  the  conduct  of  Summer  Schools 
for  commercial  organization  secretaries,  and 
subscribes  to  the  principle  that  the  profes- 
sion— which  is  now  in  a  position  to  do  so — 
should  control  the  courses  of  training  to  be 
provided. 

The  National  School,  under  the  same 
auspices  as  last  year,  will  be  held  at  Evans- 
ton,  August  21  to  September  2  inclusive.  To 
make  Summer  School  training  available  for 
secretaries  in  the  Far  Western  States,  the 
Bureau's  Western  School  of  Community 
Leadership  will  be  held  at  the  same  time 
at  Stanford  University,  Palo  Alto,  Calif. 
For  detailed  information  regarding  the  Na- 
tional School,  requests  should  be  addressed 
to  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Managers, 
Robert  B.  Beach,  Business  Manager,  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  Chicago;  and  par- 
ticulars of  the  Western  School  may  be  ob- 
tained from  the  American  City  Bureau, 
Merchants  Exchange  Building,  San  Fran- 


Gommunity  Advertising  by  Means 
of  Films 

San  Jose,  Calif. — The  San  Jose  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  in  November,  1920,  was 
the  first  organization  of  the  kind  to  present 


its  annual  report  to  its  members  and  the 
community  in  film  form,  and  it  is  now  the 
first  city  in  the  United  States  to  conduct  a 
nation-wide  publicity  campaign  by  similar 
means.  The  latter  idea  is  not  strictly  new, 
but  in  this  case  it  has  been  utilized  on  so 
stupendous  a  scale  that  it  is  worthy  of  note. 
The  Chamber's  film  report  attracted  atten- 
tion throughout  the  country,  and  so  great 
was  the  demand  for  use  of  the  film  that 
several  prints  were  made  and  they  are  still 
being  circulated  in  many  western  and  east- 
ern states.  Encouraged  by  this  success,  the 
manager  of  the  Chamber  engaged  the  serv- 
ices of  an  expert  film  photographer  and 
personally  superintended  the  taking  of 
pictures  in  all  parts  of  the  Santa  Clara 
Valley,  of  which  San  Jose  is  the  chief  city, 
showing  every  phase  of  the  valley's  attrac- 
tions and  advantages,  and  making  up  a  film 
of  2,000  feet,  under  the  title,  "Journeys 
Through  the  Valley  of  Heart's  Delight." 
Several  prints,  of  this  film  were  made,  one 
of  which  is  running  daily  in  the  California 
State  Exposition  Building  at  Los  Angeles, 
through  which  a  quarter  of  a  million  tour- 
ists pass  during  the  year. 

Since  the  film  was  produced,  communica- 
tions have  been  received  from  many  of  the 
largest  distributing  organizations  in  the 
United  States  offering  to  distribute  copies 
to  the  public  they  serve,  free  of  charge  to 
the  Chamber.  The  Photographic  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ford  Motor  Company,  after  in- 
specting a  print  of  the  film,  urgently  re- 
quested 76  prints,  to  be  delivered  within 
three  weeks.  The  big  job  of  making  the 
152,000  feet  required  was  completed  in  four 
weeks,  and  soon  thereafter  the  prints  were 
released  through  32  Ford  exchanges  in  this 
country  to  2,500  theaters.  The  Ford  people 
estimate  that  these  prints  will  be  seen  by 
approximately  40,000,000  persons,  so  that 
at  least  30.000,000  would  be  a  conservative 
number.  The  76  prints  cost  the  Chamber 
$7,000  for  the  making,  or  about  45^  cents 
per  foot,  to  which  should  be  added  about 


K 


ANSAS     City     selected 
-       this  beautiful  Flemisli 
design   standard   created  by 
tbe    General   Electric   Com- 
pany  and  manufactured  by 
tbe     King     Manufacturing 
Company  for  its  Park,  Street 

and  Boulevard  ligbtmg. 


..Mi\ 


1^'mg  Manufacturinq  L.a 

5 3 W.  Jackson  Boulevard  C hica^o.  Ill 

«„  «,Uin,  .0  Ad«nU.s  p...  »«..«»  T„  AM.K.C.K  C.v. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


267 


$500  for  taking  the  pictures.    The  distribu- 
tion costs  the  Chamber  nothing. 

The  number  of  prints  that  could  be  util- 
ized without  further  expense  to  the  Cham- 
ber beyond  the  cost  of  production  seems  to 
be  limited  only  by  that  organization's  ability 
to  finance  the  prints.  Francis  Holley,  of 
the  Bureau  of  Cbmmercial  Economics, 
Washington,  D,  C,  has  requested  20  copies ; 
The  National  Non-Theatrical  Motion  Pic- 
tures Company  asks  for  five  copies;  the 
Union  Steamship  Company  of  New  Zealand 
offers  to  run  the  film  in  the  best  picture 
houses  in  New  Zealand,  Australia,  England, 
India,  and  possibly  South  Africa;  prints  are 
being  circulated  by  the  Bureau  of  Visual 
Instruction  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  University 
of  California,  and  several  other  large  dis- 
tributing organizations  stand  ready  to  cir- 
culate prints  as  soon  as  they  can  be  sup- 
plied. 

ROSCOE  D,  WYATT, 
Manager,  San  Jos6  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Auto  Tourists  Appreciate  City's 
Hospitality 

Corpus  Christi,  Tex. — Although  Corpus 
Christi  has  for  years  been  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  well-patronized  health  and 
pleasure  resorts  of  the  Southern  coast,  until 
recently  it  was  without  a  public  camping 
park  where  tourists  could  camp  while  on 
their  vacation. 

The  Commercial  Association,  after  its  re- 
organization in  May,  began  to  consider  the 
advisability  of  establishing  a  free  tourist 
park.  A  committee  was  set  to  work  to  as- 
certain how  many  tourists  visited  the  city  in 
automobiles  and  camped,  and  what  percent- 
age   of   them   left  the   city   because   camp 


grounds  were  not  afforded.  The  committee 
called  into  conference  a  number  of  business 
men  and  officials  of  the  Rotary,  Kiwanis  and 
Automobile  Clubs.  The  proposition  was  put 
up  to  the  meeting  and  the  survey  read. 

At  this  meeting  it  was  decided  that  a  fund 
of  $600  would  be  raised  to  secure  a  five-year 
lease  on  a  certain  tract  of  land  within  ten 
blocks  of  the  business  section  of  the  city 
and  situated  on  and  overlooking  Corpus 
Christi  Bay,  and  to  equip  it  with  toilets, 
water,  electric  lights,  gas  and  other  con- 
veniences. The  Commercial  Association 
contributed  $300,  the  Rotary,  Kiwanis  and 
Automobile  Clubs  $100  each,  thereby  sub- 
scribing the  money  necessary  within  thirty 
minutes.  Plans  had  already  been  drawn, 
and  work  upon  the  new  tourist  park  started 
the  following  morning,  with  the  result  that 
within  a  week  after  the  committee  meeting, 
Corpus  Christi  had  one  of  the  most  complete 
and  up-to-date  free  parks  in  the  South. 

The  tourists  have  organized  what  is 
known  as  the  "Tin  Can  Tourist  Club"  and 
hold  meetings  nightly,  in  the  interest  of 
sanitation,  safety  and  comfort. 

The  city  furnishes  water  free,  the  elec- 
tric light  company  cuts  its  rates  in  half,  and 
$200  maintains  the  camp  grounds  for  a  year. 
Corpus  Christi's  tourist  traffic  has  already 
picked  up  50  per  cent,  and  local  merchants, 
declare  their  trade  has  advanced  accord- 
ingly. It  is  conservatively  estimated  that 
the  camp  ground,  which  cost  $800,  including 
one  year's  maintenance,  has  in  the  first 
three  months  resulted  in  $60,000  being  spent 
in  the  city  which  otherwise  would  have  gone 
elsewhere. 

J.  C.  CARTER, 
General     Secretary,     Corpus     Christi     Commercial 
Association. 


CORPUS   CHRISTI,   TEX.,   HAS   JOINED   THE  LIST   OF  THOSE    CITIES  WHICH  PROVIDE   REAL 

HOSPITALITY  FOR  TOURISTS 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Making  School 
House  Steps  Safe 

Architectural  attractiveness  was  a  fartor 
_U  was  essential  that  every  step  be  rnadc 
slip-proof  and  safe-the  steps  had  t°  be 
made  durable-maintenance  costs  had  to 
be  eliminated — 

the  tne  which  is  set  in  cement  mortar. 

Thus  every  step  in  the  building,  two  sets 

of  Smay^from  shower  baths  to  the  top 

flo^r   ^e  made  slip-proof,  tfipproof  a"d 

■  wTsJr-proof  and  the  architects  were  able  to 

get  the  desired  harmonious  effects. 

ALVNDUM  SAFETY  TILE  is  manu- 
factured by 

NORTON  COMPANY 


Worcester,  Mass. 


New  York  „ 
151  Cbambere  St 


Chicago 
11  No.  Jefleraon  St. 

Detroit.  233  W.  Contress  St.  ^^ 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thk  Amkk.c.k  Cxxv. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


269 


Elizabeth     Chamber     Backs     Big 
Public  Improvement  Program 

Elizabeth,  N.  J. — The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce is  supporting  a  number  of  move- 
ments, which,  if  carried  into  effect,  will 
mean  important  developments  in  the  city. 
The  Chamber  encouraged  and  finally  en- 
dorsed an  elaborate  plan  of  the  Board  of 
Works  for  the  purification,  widening  and 
deepening  of  the  Elizabeth  River.  The 
plan  will  cost  about  $3,000,000,  and  this  ex- 
penditure might  be  distributed  over  a  period 
of  years  without  disturbing  ttie  value  of  the 
plans. 

Having  successfully  sponsored  a  zoning 
plan,  which  was  officially  adopted  by  the 
City  Council  on  February  6  for  the  city,  the 
Chamber  is  now  bending  its  efforts  toward 
the  adoption  of  a  general  city  plan.  A 
committee  is  at  work  on  this  proposition. 

By  organizing  a  new  association  known 
as  the  Union  County  Park  Association  and 
working  under  that  name,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  Committee  was  instrumental  in 
securing  the  appointment  of  a  Union  County 
Park  Commission,  which  will  develop  parks 
and  playgrounds  throughout  the  entire 
county. 

The  Chamber  is  also  active  in  protecting 
the  interests  of  the  city  under  the  changes 
contemplated  by  the  Authority  of  the  Port 


of  New  York.  The  specific  demands  are 
that  any  alterations  in  existing  conditions 
must  keep  the  transportation  facilities  of 
Elizabeth  as  good  as,  or  better  than,  they  are 
at  present,  as  upon  transportation  depends 
the  continued  growth  of  the  city. 

M.  D.  GRIFFITH, 
Secretary,    Elizabeth    Chamber   of    Commerce. 

Two  Towns  Unite  to  Provide 
Tourist  Gamp 

Albany,  Ala. — As  a  result  of  the  activi- 
ties of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  public- 
spirited  citizens  of  Albany  and  Decatur 
have  fitted  up  a  tourist  camp. 

This  differs  from  most  other  such  camps 
in  that  it  is  entirely  enclosed  and  covered. 
The  former  "Bob  Jones  Tabernacle"  was 
purchased,  and  fitted  to  accommodate  fifty 
cars.  All  conveniences  are  provided,  such 
as  a  gas  stove  for  cooking,  a  coal  stove 
for  heating  in  cold  weather,  and  running 
water.  Inside  the  tabernacle,  another  room, 
20  by  20  feet,  is  enclosed,  which  is  comforta- 
ble even  on  the  coldest  days. 

Under  the  name  of  the  Albany-Decatur 
Community  Club,  the  camp  is  supported 
by  the  citizens  of  both  towns,  funds  for 
maintenance  being  provided  by  donations 
and  subscriptions. 

W.  W.  RAHN, 
Vice  President,  Albany   Chamber  of  Commerce. 


AN  INVITATION  TO  STAY  OUT  AN   INVITATION   TO   COME  IN 

Tlie  Cbamber  of  Commerce  of  Springfield,  111.,  has  been  active  in  making  the  second  picture  possible 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Mueller 

Wiped  Joint  Goose  Necks 

Made  in  all  sizes  from  %  to  2"— w^ith  lead  pipe  18  to  36  in. 
long  —  and  come  singly  as  sho-wn  and  ^vith  2,  3,  4,  6  and  8 
branches  —  they  are  standard  connections  for  service  work. 

The  fact  that  the  -wiped  joints  are  made  by  -workmen 
-whodothisone thing  well  day  in  and  day  out  insures  uniform 
quality  —  and  a  better  and  less  costly  job  than  could  be  done 
on  the  ground. 

Write  for  descriptions  and  prices. 
H.  MUELLER  MFG.  COMPANV.  DECATUR.  ILL..  PHONE  BELL  153 

Water,  Plumbing  and  Gat  Bras*  Goods  and  Tool* 
New  York  City.  Itf  W.  30th  St.,  Phon*  Watklns  5397  San  Francisco,  635  Mission  St..  Phone  Sutter  3577 

Sarnia,  Ontario,  Canada 
Mueller  Metals  Co.,  Port  Huron,  Micli.,  Makers  of  "Red  Tip"  Brass  Rod;  Bras* 
and  Copper  Tubing;   Forgings  and  Castings  in  Brass,  Bronze  and  Aluminumi  . 

Die  Castings  in  White  Metal  and  Aluminum;  also  Screw  Machined  Product*.  y^ 


72 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


271 


Telling  the  Public  About  Its  Roads 

Johnstown,  Pa. — The  Johnstown  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  is  conducting  an  educa- 
tional campaign  to  interest  the  people  of 
Cambria  County  in  road  construction.  On 
the  back  of  the  Chamber  letter  paper  is  a 
county  road  map,  the  roads  being  printed  in 
different  colors.  By  means  of  the  key,  one 
can  quickly  see  what  part  of  the  county  pro- 
gram has  been  finished,  what  is  under  con- 
struction, and  by  whom  and  at  whose  ex- 
pense the  work  is  being  done.  Purple  lines 
represent  county  aid  roads  near  completion ; 
red  lines,  state  aid  roads  in  process  or  com- 
pleted; green  lines,  state  aid  roads  applied 
for  by  the  County  Commissioners;  and  yel- 
low lines,  roads  for  which  county  aid  has 
been  applied  for  by  the  Supervisors. 

Cambria  County  is  in  a  mountainous  dis- 
trict in  the  heart  of  the  soft-coal  region. 
Its  good  roads  program  got  a  late  start,  but 
there  are  now  115  miles  of  hard  roads  fin- 
ished and  enough  funds  available  to  com- 
plete a  comprehensive  program  reaching 
all  centers  of  population  or  industry. 


Managing      Secretary, 
Commerce. 


JOHN  E.  GABLE, 
Johnstown     Chamber     of 


Turning  Waste  Space  Into  a 
Memorial  Park 

Calumet,  Mich. — The  Keweenaw  Penin- 
sula has  long  been  known  for  its  wild  life, 
its  scenic  beauty  and  its  copper  mines,  yet 
the  district  has  been  lacking  in  parks  made 
and  maintained  in  the  cities  and  towns  of 
the  little  wonderland. 

At  Calumet,  which  is  the  metropolis  of 
the  district,  the  mines  are  segregated  from 
the  town  by  a  field  of  17 
acres.  This  space  was 
made  after  the  town  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire  half 
a  century  ago.  Residents 
of  Calumet  at  that  time 
believed  that  the  space  be- 
tween the  mines  and  the 
town  would  prevent  the 
spread  of  another  fire. 

For  years  this  open 
space  was  used  as  a  base- 
ball field  and  playground. 
Over  a  year  ago  the  min- 
ing company  engaged  a 
landscape  artist  to  build  a 
park  on  the  ground  in 
memory  of  the  founder  of 


the  mines,  Alexander  Agassiz,  the  famous 
geologist. 

The  sketch  shows  the  park  as  it  will  ap- 
pear when  completed.  In  the  center  of  the 
circle  from  which  all  lanes  lead  will  be  a 
large  monument  of  Mr.  Agassiz,  and  the 
pathway  will  be  lined  with  birch,  maple,  elm 
and  oaks.  The  exterior  trees  are  evergreens 
from  the  forests  surrounding  Calumet,  and 
the  interior  rows  are  poplars.  Wild  flowers 
and  shrubs  will  be  planted  along  the  outside 
of  the  park  parallel  with  the  evergreens,  and 
cultivated  flowers  will  be  planted  in  the  in- 
terior, where  they  will  receive  more  sun- 
shine. 

The  park  will  be  thoroughly  supplied  with 
modern  equipment.  A  large  gridiron  and 
baseball  diamond  is  planned  for  the  northern 
end  to  take  the  place  of  the  present  field. 
An  amphitheater  and  a  band-stand  will  be 
erected  at  the  southerly  end  near  the  Colos- 
seum, which  is  one  of  the  largest  ice  skating- 
rinks  in  the  country.  Near  the  band-stand 
will  be  an  auto  park  large  enough  to  ac- 
commodate several  hundred  automobiles.  A 
picnic  shelter  and  numerous  tables  are 
planned. 

The  Calumet  Chamber  of  Commerce  is 
planning  a  Community  Planting  Day  at 
which  all  school  children  in  Calumet  will  be 
allowed  to  bring  cultivated  and  wild  flowers 
to  plant  in  the  park.  The  planting  will  be 
attended  to  by  citizens  of  the  town,  and 
after  the  work  is  done  the  children  will  be 
allowed  to  take  care  of  their  own  plants  and 
study  the  growth. 

G.  T.  MURPHY, 
Secretary,  Calumet  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


PLAN  OF  AGAd-JIZ 
CALunE.T"nm 

WABBEN   H  riANNlNC    OFTlCEiJ    INC 
NORTH    BIlilRICA.   tIAOJL 


NOTC— DCTAIL  Of  COnnUNlH  »Y  PLANTING   JMOWN     IN    JtCTlON 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


A  natter  of 


FROM  the  sublime  of  California 
on  a  March  day,  not  to  thejri^ 
idiculous,  but  to  the  cold,  snOw; 
sleet  and  slush  of  late  winter  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  country ,Osborn 
Push  Brotfms  are  cleaning  streets.' 

Our  line  is  complete.  You  will  find 
push  brooms  for  heavy  Snow  and 
others  made 'of^combinations 
of  rattan,  bamboo  and  africait  bass, 
each  one  made  to  fit  particular  con- 
ditions. And  then^the  line  includes 
the  old  reliable  Number  500,  the 
best  I  all  f  service  "municipal  push 
broom  you  can  buy. 


Write  for  descriptive  matter  and  prices 

The  OsbornMfg.  Co. 

tMCOPPOPA  r£0 

New  York  CLEVELAND  Detroit 

Chicago  San  Francisco 


BROOMS 

LARGEST    MANUFACTURERS    of    INDUSTRIAL    BRUSHES    AND     BROOM 


73 


When  writirfg  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Auksican  City. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


273 


Americanization  in  Rochester 

Rochester,  N.  Y.— The  Rochester  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  organized  a  Council  for 
Better  Citizenship  in  1920.  One  of  its  ainis 
is  to  impress  upon  the  new  citizens  their 
privileges  and  responsibilities  and  to  interest 
the  native-born  in  his  new  brother.  The 
Council  consists  of  five  committees:  New 
Citizens  Committee,  Service  Bureau  Com- 
mittee, Education  Committee,  Legislation 
Committee  and  Racial  Advisory  Committee. 

The  members  of  the  New  Citizens  Com- 
mittee appear  at  court  on  naturalization 
days  and  greet  the  newly-made  citizens. 
During  the  year  five  big  dinners  are  given 
at  the  Chamber,  to  which  the  new  citizens 
are  invited.  Here  the  Chamber  members 
mix  with  the  new  citizens  in  the  proportion 
of  about  two  or  three  to  six.  Exercises  are 
held  and  the  final  certificates  of  citizenship 
delivered.  In  1921  over  1,370  new  citizens 
were  greeted,  and  of  this  number  about 
1,000  attended  the  dinners. 

The  Service  Bureau  during  1921  main- 
tained a  central  office  at  the  Chamber  for 
the  help  and  information  of  the  foreign- 
born.  Also  three  part-time  offices  were  run 
at  local  centers  one  evening  a  week  in  the 
schoolhouses.  During  the  year  there  were 
over  5,000  callers  at  the  Bureau.  Assist- 
ance was  extended  in  about  400  instances 
to  families  or  individuals  who  needed  help 
in  reuniting  families.  Other  service  included 
information  as  to  citizenship  papers ;  trans- 
lating letters;  encouraging  the  learning  of 
English;  directing  unemployed;  obtaining 
money  on  undelivered  money  orders,  unused 
steamship  tickets,  and  twice-paid  bills; 
tracing  telegrams  and  express  shipments; 
and  correspondence  with  American  consuls 
and  state  department  officials. 

The  Education  Committee  recently  con- 
ducted a  "Learn  English"  drive.  In  the 
Chamber,  250  teams  were  formed,  consist- 
ing of  one  Chamber  or  Council  member 
and  an  interpreter  or  team-mate.  The 
pledges  taken  covered  promises  to  join  a 
class  in  English  or  citizenship.  Reports 
show  that  approximately  2,000  pledged 
themselves  and  that  already  half  of  these 
have  registered  in  classes. 

The  Racial  Advisory  Committee  has  con- 
ducted "Know  Your  Country"  meetings  in 
foreign  sections  of  the  city.  Speakers  and 
entertainment  are  provided.  During  the 
fall  of  1921  over  9,000  persons  attended  the 


12  meetings  held;  and  6  more  meetings  with 
an  attendance  of  approximately  5,500  were 
held  in  January,  1922.  The  report  for  the 
year  shows  that  there  were  more  than  20,000 
personal  contacts. 

Miss  M.  E.  Bingeman,  Secretary  of  the 
Council  for  Better  Citizenship,  is  the  direct- 
ing force,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  Chamber.  No  other 
movement  or  enterprise  in  Rochester  has 
such  a  command  upon  the  time  and  energies 
of  the  best  and  most  active  men  in  the 
Chamber  and  among  the  citizenship  in  gen- 
eral, and  no  other  inspires  such  enthusiasm 
as  does  this  undertaking. 

The  Council's  plans  for  the  future  are 
ambitious,  among  them  one  that  will  follow 
up  the  work  in  the  past  to  see  just  what 
the  effect  has  been.  The  idea  is  not  to  keep 
any  surveillance  over  new  citizens  or  for- 
eign-born, but  merely  to  continue  the 
friendly  relationship  and  practical  assist- 
ance which  makes  for  confidence  and  com- 
munity good-will. 

JULIAN   KILMAK, 
federal   Naturalization  Examiner. 

The  "Made  and  Trade  in  Brockton" 
Exhibit  at  the  Brockton  Fair 

Brockton,  Mass. — Any  community  wish- 
ing to  give  itself  a  boost  will  do  well  to  read 
the  chapter  just  written  by  the  Brockton, 
Mass.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  connection 
with  the  big  "Made  and  Trade  in  Brockton" 
exhibit  at  the  Brockton  Fair. 

This  exhibit  has  brought  Brockton  manu- 
facturers and  merchants  into  an  intimacy  of 
business  relationship  which  has  greatly 
benefited  the  city's  industrial  and  com- 
mercial life.  Manufacturers  have  learned, 
through  the  various  displays,  that  they  can 
secure  made-in-Brockton  materials  which 
heretofore  they  have  purchased  outside  the 
city.  The  same  is  true  of  the  merchants,  who, 
as  a  result  of  the  exhibit,  now  know  that 
there  are  local  manufacturers  who  can  sup- 
ply their  needs  in  sundry  kinds  of  mer- 
chandise. For  example,  one  of  our  shoe 
manufacturers,  employing  more  than  3,500 
operatives,  learned  from  one  of  the  displays 
that  another  Brockton  manufacturer  made 
shoe  accessories.  The  shoe  manufacturer 
immediately  placed  a  large  order  with  his 
fellow  business  man.  Of  Brockton's  annual 
business  of  $125,000,000,  it  is  estimated  that 
at  least  $30,000,000  goes  for  purchases 
from  outside  sources.    It  is  our  intention  to 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Dundee  Road,  Elgin  Town- 
ship, Elgin,  III.,  gravel 
■macadam  maintained  with 
"Tarvia-B" 


Save  the  old  roads — 
then  on  with  the  new — 


Typical  Spring  conditions  on  a   soft-surfaced  road 


Every  Spring  finds  scores  of  communi- 
ties inaugurating  systematic  programs  of 
salvaging  the  roads  already  built — ^put- 
ting them  in  shape  to  handle  the  growing 
traffic  before  nevsr  construction  is  begun. 

The  economy  of  such  a  sound  Good 
Roads  Program  appeals  to  taxpayers 
everywhere. 

How  about  the  roads  in  your  com- 
munity? Quite  likely  the  old,  worn-out 
macadam  that  you  have  thought  worth- 
less can  be  quickly  and  cheaply  restored 
to  usefulness  by  a  traffic-proof  Tarvia 

top.  ;  i 


For  Road  Construction 
Repair  and  Maintenance 


There  may  be  other  stretches  tha 
need  nothing  more  than  the  time  of  { 
patrol  crew  to  patch  them  with  "Tarvia 
KP" — or  a  simple  treatment  of  "Tarvia 
B"  to  preserve  the  surface  and  make  i 
traffic-proof  and  weather-resisting. 

Tarvia  roads  are  mudless,  dustless 
waterproof  and  automobile-proof  36f 
days  in  the  year.  Their  low  first  cost  anc 
economy  of  maintenance  places  gooc 
roads  and  their  many  advantages  withii 
reach   of   the   most   modest   community 

Illustrated    booklets     descriptive    of     the 
Various  Tarvia  treatments  free  on  request. 


Special  Service  Department 

This  company  has  a  corps  of  trained  en- 
gineers   and    chemists    who    have    given 
years  of  study  to  modern  road  problems. 
The  advice  of  these  men  may  be  had  for 
the  asking  by  anyone  interested.      If 
you  will  write  to  the  nearest  office 
regarding  road   problems   and  condi- 
tions   in    your    vicinity,    the    matter  P 
will  be  given  prompt  attention. 


NewYotk 

YoliDCtown 
Btjiimor. 

Chicaro 
N<wOrlai» 

Toledo 
Omnha 

PI>[I.deli>h 

BinTiinshan 

Dululk 

Columbu. 

lickaonvill 

THE  BARRETT  COMPAHY,  Un 

il.<l 

: 

Company   fc£^'" 


aeveland 

D«U>. 

VCiahinnoi 


74  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Tbb  Aubucan  Citt. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


27s 


'   'Nn«i 

P*^                                    4-...  '^J.'T'^-' "~ 

LOOKING  DOWN  THE  AISLE  OP  THE  EDUCATIONAL  BUILDING  OF  THE  BBOCKTON,  MASS.,  FAIB 


increase  the  volume  of  at-home  purchases 
until  possibly  one-half  of  the  $30,000,000  can 
be  retained  in  this  city. 

Brockton  is  a  natural  trading  center  for 
250,000  people.  More  than  300,000  people 
attended  the  Brockton  Fair.  Practically  all 
these  visitors  at  one  time  or  another  during 
the  four  days  of  the  Fair  turned  their  steps 
to  the  Educational  Building.  It  was  in  this 
great  structure,  containing  some  50,000 
square  feet  of  floor  space,  that  the  "Made 
and  Trade  in  Brockton"  exhibit  was  pre- 
sented. '  i 

Brockton  is  known  far  and  wide  as  "the 
city  where  they  make  the  shoes" ;  naturally, 
the  shoe  industry  played  a  leading  part  in 
the  exhibit.  In  miniature,  the  Brockton 
District  shoe  industry  was  shown  in  actual 
operation — workers  at  their  machines  pro- 
ducing made-in-Brockton  shoes.  Each  ma- 
chine was  driven  by  an  individual  electric 
motor.  Visitors  were  privileged  to  witness 
in  action  all  the  various  operations  which 
go  to  make  a  pair  of  shoes. 

Possibly  the  outstanding  fe/iture  of  the 
entire  exhibit  was  the  "Style  Show  and 
Trade-in-Brockton"  exhibit,  in  which  the 
manufacturers  and  merchants  combined, 
Brockton  is  the  first  city  to  present  a  Style 


Show  in  connection  with  an  agricultural  or 
county  fair.  It  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  novel  of  these  displays  ever  held.  The 
runway  for  the  40  models  is  the  largest  in 
the  country,  permitting  displays  of  shoes 
and  garments  being  put  to  the  actual  use  for 
which  they  were  manufactured — dancing, 
tennis,  golf,  etc. 

While  it  is  admittedly  difficult  to  trace  re- 
sults directly  to  the  Fair  displays,  local  busi- 
ness men  have  stated  that  from  unsolicited 
quarters  orders  and  new  business  have  come 
to  them  which  are  clearly  the  result  of  their 
advertising  at  the  Brockton  Fair. 

This  trend  of  afifairs,  which  may  be  taken 
to  imply  more  business  in  the  future  as  the 
"Made  and  Trade  in  Brockton"  exhibit 
grows  in  size,  quality  and  reputation,  quite 
naturally  interests  the  exhibitors,  who  at 
first  held  to  the  belief  that  they  could  hope 
for*  no  results  other  than  of  doing  their  part 
as  citizens  to  make  the  Fair  bigger  and  bet- 
ter. It  has  also  been  most  encouraging  to 
the  committee  in  charge,  the  members  of 
which  are  approaching  this  year's  exhibit 
with  renewed  confidence  both  in  the  quality 
of  the  show  to  be  staged  and  the  commercial 
results  which  will  follow. 

FRED  E.  HILTON, 
Secretary,  Brockton  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


OLLOWSPUN 

Liahiinc) 
Siandards 


\ 


!^*Ns»^ 


;ti 


PSSEX  County.  New 
Jersey,  has  used 
Hollowspun  reinforced 
concrete  lighting  stand- 
ards both  for  the  court 
house  in  Newark  and  for 
park  Hghting  at  Nutley. 
Our  new  catalog  supple- 
ment No.  9,  containing 
full  information  on  this 
type  of  standard  will  be 
sent  on  request. 

Massey  Concrete 
Products  Corporation 

Peoples   Gas   Bldg,,   Chicago 


76 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thk  Amekican  City. 


^7? 


Street  Markets  in  the  United  States 

By  Caroline  B.  Sherman 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Markets  and  Crop  Estimates 


THE  picturesque  street  markets  found 
in  some  of  our  small  American  towns 
compete  with  European  market 
squares  in  individuality  and  charm.  The 
exploring  traveller  comes  across  them  in 
unexpected  places  and  finds  a  day  spent  in 
one  of  them  full  of  interest  and  local  color. 
The  street  markets  in  Benton  Harbor  and 
St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  constitute  an  interesting 
development.  These  cities  are  surrounded 
by  many  extensive  vineyards,  and  the  large 
number  of  growers  probably  had  an  im- 
portant bearing  on  the  establishment  of  the 
type  of  market  at  these  points,  for  while  in 
neighboring  counties  cooperation  m  market- 
ing has  developed  among  the  grape  growers, 
in  the  street  markets  of  Benton  and  St. 
Joseph  there  is  an  extreme  development  of 
competition  among  buyers. 

A  Grape  Market 

Each  day  the  farmers  drive  in  to  certain 
crowded  street  corners  with  wagon-loads  of 
grapes — nothing  but  grapes.  Informal  regu- 
lations are  tacitly  agreed  to — the  farmers' 
wagons  form  in  lines  at  these  corners,  and 
no  buyers  pass  beyond  the  lines.  The  buy- 
ers crowd  around  each  wagon  as  the  line 
moves  up,  and  each  makes  a  bid;  the  high- 
est is  usually  accepted.  Sometimes  when 
buyers  have  car-loads  or  boat-loads  nearly 
complete  for  shipments,  bidding  is  very 
brisk.  But  if  the  farmer  thinks  he  can  se- 
cure larger  returns  by  consigning  his  load 
by  freight  or  express  to  some  city  market, 
he  refuses  even  the  highest  bid  and  drives 
on  independently  to  the  railroad  station. 

There  is  much  controversy  in  this  region 
as  to  whether  the  returns  from  cooperative 
associations  or  from  street  sales  net  the 
greater  profit  to  the  grower.  Study  shows 
that  naturally  the  output  of  the  associations 
maintaining  inspection  brings  the  higher 
average  prices,  but  that  the  street  prices 
usually  reflect  very  closely  the  daily  quota- 
tions from  the  tributary  terminal  markets. 

A  Social  Market  for  Broom-Corn 

The  farmers  of  the  broom-corn  section  of 
Oklahoma  are  not  so  sure  of  the  competitive 


conditions  in  the  street  market  of  Lindsay, 
which  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the  sale  of 
broom-corn.  But  here  they  bring  their 
product  year  after  year,  many  of  them 
pressing  neighbors  and  neighbors'  teams 
into  service,  that  they  may  take  their  entire 
crop  to  this  market  on  a  single  day.  So 
short  is  the  broom-corn  season  that  this 
crop  has  often  been  harvested  by  dint  of 
night  work  with  shifts  of  "broom-corn 
Johnnies,"  as  the  immigrant  labor  that  drifts 
into  this  region  at  harvest  time  is  locally 
known. 

In  Lindsay  at  the  height  of  the  broom- 
corn  season  the  streets  are  filled  from  curb 
to  curb  by  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
often  before  that  time.  Many  haul  at  night 
in  order  to  get  a  good  location  where  they 
can  more  readily  attract  the  attention  of 
buyers. 

Days  on  this  market  vary  greatly.  There 
are  times  when  buyers  are  everywhere  in 
evidence,  jpassing  from  wagon  to  wagon,  ex- 
amining the  bales,  sampling  the  corn  and 
dickering  with  the  farmers.  When  bids  are 
made  by  buyers,  they  are  usually  consid- 
ered binding  for  the  day,  and  the  farmer 
usually  stays  on  to  see  if  he  can  secure  a 
higher  bid.  Hundreds  of  buyers  come  to 
Lindsay  each  year  representing  manufac- 
turers, wholesale  dealers  and  commission 
houses. 

Roanoke,  Va.,  is  planning  a  modern  en- 
closed market  building  with  steel  sheds  to 
shelter  growers'  wagons,  but  there  are  those 
who  will  regret  to  see  the  passing  of  the 
old  market  square.  Here  near  the  center  of 
the  city,  on  land  donated  for  the  purpose, 
every  type  of  farm  wagon  congregates  to 
offer  its  simple  wares,  from  the  prairie- 
schooner  of  the  mountaineer  to  the  one- 
mule  team  of  the  local  negro.  One  wagon 
may  be  filled  entirely  with  corn  in  the  husk, 
another  with  the  unsorted  apples  of  the 
small  backwoods  farm.  Others  have  well- 
assorted  first-class  produce  attractively  dis- 
played in  convenient  containers.  Here  and 
there  are  baskets  bright  with  field  flowers 
or  the  nosegays  from  old-fashioned  gardens 
— goldenrod,  asters,  phlox,   marigolds  and 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Main  Street,  Arcade,  K.  T., 
showing  some  of  the  build- 
ings heated  by  steam  from 
the  Electric  Light  Plant. 

Interior  and  Exterior  of 
Municipal  Light  and  Heat 
Plant,  Arcade,  N.  Y. 

Circular  insert  shows  main 
leaving  Light  and  Heat 
Plant  for  School  Buildings, 
across  the  street. 


wtherCanDd 


4  4 COMMUNITY  Water  Supply,"   "Community 
1^    Electricity,"   "Community  Gas,"  are  so  com- 
■  monplace  you  give  them  no  more  than  a  passing 

thought.  Are  you  equally  familiar  with  "Community 
Heating?" 

Arcade,  N.  Y.  heats  the  business  buildings  and  the 
schoolhouse,  using  exhaust  steam  from  the  municipal 
electric  light  plant.  The  system  will  fully  pay  for  itself 
in  a  very  few  years,  and  then  will  return  about  $5,000 
net  profit  per  year  from  a  product  formerly  wasted. 

But  the  profit  is  greater  than  this!  There  are  reduced 
insurance  rates,  lessened  fire  risk,  freedom  from  furnace- 
tending,  no  coal  deliveries  or  ash  collections. 

For  40  years  we  have  been  installing  "Community  Heat- 
ing" Systems  for  Industrial  Plants,  Institutions,  groups 
of  residences,  distributing  steam  through  mains  like  water, 
gas,  electricity ;  paid  for  similarly  by  meter. 

Write  for  complete  data  regarding  cost,  operation  and 
profits.  Is  there  exhaust  steam  being  wasted  by  any 
plant  in  your  neighborhood? 

Ask  for  Bulletin  No.  20- AC  on  "Adsco  Community 
Heating."  Bulletin  No.  158-AC  describes  "Adsco 
Heating"  for  individual  buildings;  Name  of  your  archi- 
tect appreciated. 

American  District  Steam  foiPANY 

GENERAL  OrriceS  AND  WORKS 

l^ORTH  TONAW,VNDA.N.Y 

Branches : 

First  National  Bank  Building 

CHICAGO 
30  Church  Street,  Hoge  Building, 

NEW  YORK  SEATTLE 


ADSCO    HEATING 


76 


When  writing  to  Advertiseri  please  mention  Thk  Amxkican  City. 


March^  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


^79 


THE    SIMPLEST   KIND    OF  MAEKET,    WITHOUT    STRUCTURES — SUITED    TO    THE   NEEDS    OF 

TOWNS  AND   SMAiLER   CITIES 


coreopsis.  Gay  advertising  umbrellas  are  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  quaint  hoods  of 
the  large  farm  wagons,  even  as  the  gay 
bandanna  on  the  head  of  an  old-time  negress 
emphasizes  the  decorum  of  the  faded  sun- 
bonnet  of  the  mountaineer.  And  in  addi- 
tion to  its  pictorial  quality,  this  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  most  successful  curb  markets. 


Whether  devoted  to  the  single  product  of 
a  one-crop  region  or  to  the  flotsam  and  jet- 
sam of  many  farms  run  by  diverse  people, 
these  and  other  unique  market  centers,  de- 
veloped by  local  custom  through  the  years, 
constitute  increasingly  important  commer- 
cial features  of  American  cities. 


Why  Zoning  Pays 

Zoning  sells  a  town.    An  unzoned  town  is  like  a  dead  stock  of  goods  on  the  shelves. 

Zoning  is  a  flexible  harness  in  which  city  expansion  works;  it  may  be  adjusted  in 
case  it  galls  or  frets  at  any  point. 

Zoning  will  flatten  out  the  human  pyramid,  which  congestion  has  created  in  a  crowded 
portion  of  the  city. 

Zoning  substitutes  method  for  chance,  symmetry  for  confusion,  progression  for  patch- 
work, and  order  for  chaos  in  city  development. 

Zoning  affords  for  the  poor  man  such  security  from  nuisances  and  invasions  as  the 
rich  may  provide  at  great  expense. —  Charles  B.  Ball  in  the  Chicago  City  Club  Bulletin. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


11 


The 

Recognized 
Textbook  on 
Playground 
Planning   - 


This  128-Page  Medart  Catalog  is  recog- 
nized everywhere  as  a  text-book  on  Play- 
ground Planning  and  Installations.  It 
shows  in  detail  just  what  apparatus  is  best 
suited  for  boys,  for  girls  and  for  smaller 
children.  It  shows  ideal  playground  lay- 
outs, where  cost  is  secondary  to  service 
and  it  shows,  too,  what  combinations  are 
most  desirable  for  smaller  communities  or 
centers  where  only  a  limited  appropriation 
is  available. 

And,  of  course,  it  points  out  convincingly 
just  why  you  should  always  specify 
Medart  Playground  Equipment. 

Add  this  elaborate  book  to  your  library — 
it  is  an  actual  help  to  anyone  interested  in 
Playgrounds  and  Playground  Planning. 
Sent  promptly  on  request. 


FRED  MEDART  MFG.  CO. 

Potomac  &  De  Kalb,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

New  York  San  Francisco 

52  Vanderbilt  Ave.  Rialto  Bldg. 

Chicago,  326  W.  Madison  St. 


When  writine  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Tsr  AMRBTrAw  Tttv 


2$I 


9jt  w£^ Jnte^e6t  ycu  Mx  Srwur  tAat -- 


The  right  of  a  citizen  to  inspect  municipal 
business,  including  records  and  data,  has 
been  upheld  by  the  courts  in  the  recent  con- 
test between  the  San  Francisco  Bureau  of 
Governmental  Research  and  the  city  of 
San  Francisco. 

In  191 7,  the  Bureau  wished  to  make  an 
independent  study  of  the  Hetch-Hetchy 
project.  Informal  and  formal  requests  for 
access  to  certain  information  relative  to 
diamond  drill  borings,  dam  location  plans, 
cost  estimates,  etc.,  were  denied  by  the 
Chief  Engineer.  This  position  was  sup- 
ported by  the  Mayor  and  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  Suits  were  filed,  one  by  the 
Bureau  and  one  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Bureau  as  a  taxpayer. 

The  right  of  access  was  established  by  the 
decision,  which  orders  that  there  shall  be 
included  within  the  writ  of  mandate  for 
citizen  inspection  all  preliminary  estimates 
and  details  which  form  uncompleted  data, 
even  though  such  matters  may  not  have 
been  formally  dignified  by  official  sanction 
as  public  records;  and  further,  that  citizen 
inspection  of  records  and  "other  matters" 
cannot  be  prevented  on  the  ground  that 
they  are  "confidential"  by  the  circumstance 
of  the  City  Engineer's  having  communicated 
them  to  the  City  Attorney. 


some  form  of  moving  sidewalk  can  be  de- 
signed with  frequent  stations  through  those 
sections  now  most  congested  with  foot  traf- 
fic, and  giving  transportation  at  a  rate  of 
about  10  miles  an  hour. 


The  City  Planning  Commission  of  Ashe- 
ville,  N.  C,  is  undertaking  the  preparation 
of  a  comprehensive  city  plan.  This  will  in- 
clude a  planning  survey,  general  city  plans 
and  report  covering :  main  streets  and  roads, 
with  typical  street  sections,  giving  their 
width  ^nd  subdivision ;  right  of  way  for  rail- 
roads and  locations  for  stations ;  parks,  play- 
grounds and  other  open  spaces,  with  loca- 
tion, use  and  general  character  of  develop- 
ment proposed;  approximate  locations  of 
districts  or  zones  for  various  classes  of  de- 
velopment with  proposed  restrictions;  and 
locations  for  the  principal  public  buildings. 

The  Montclair,  N.  J.,  Board  of  Health 
has  extended  the  work  of  its  laboratory  to 
include  the  Wasserman  reaction.  This  work 
will  be  under  the  direction  of  Helen  G. 
Jacobs,  B.  S.,  who  has  recently  been  study- 
ing the  technique  of  the  test  at  the  research 
laboratories  of  the  New  York  City  Health 
Department  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam H.  Park  and  Miss  M.  A.  Wilson. 


Kenosha,  Wis.,  adopted  the  city  manager 
plan  at  the  January  election.  The  council, 
of  five  members  elected  at  large  for  a  term 
of  two  years,  will  choose  the  city  manager 
for  an  indefinite  term.  Kenosha  is  the  first 
city  in  Wisconsin  to  adopt  this  form  of  mu- 
nicipal government. 


The  municipal  government  of  Paris, 
France,  is  seriously  considering  the  possibil- 
ities of  installing  moving  sidewalks.  Prizes 
have  been  offered  for  the  best  designs,  the 
competition  being  open  until  September  20 
of  this  year.  The  greatest  freedom  is  given 
contestants,  though  it  is  understood  that  it 
would  be  most  desirable  to  have  the  pro- 
posed sidewalks  underground,  rather  than 
on  the  surface.     It  is  believed  possible  that 


Hightstown,  N.  J.,  is  making  preparations 
for  a  comprehensive  town  plan,  including 
studies  in  street  extension,  widening  and 
improvement,  zoning,  parks  and  play- 
grounds, location  of  public  buildings,  and 
street  tree  survey.  The  work  is  being 
financed  jointly  by  the  town,  the  Board  of 
Trade,  and  the  Peddie  Institute,  a  private 
school  for  boys,  located  in  the  community. 

The  New  York  Times  states: 

"Mayor  Frank  Pulver,  of  St.  Petersburg, 
Fla.,  had  a  request  from  the  St.  Petersburg 
Purity  League  that  he  appoint  a  bathing 
suit  inspector,  a  formal  communication  from 
the  organization  stating  that  the  league  'in- 
tends to  protect  the  married  men  from  the 
wiles  of  the  sea  vamp.* " 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


SO  Los  Angeles  Bought  Four  More 


For  years,  motorcycles  have  been  profitable 
and  efficient  members  of  Los  Angeles  County's 
splendid  police  department.  But  the  Harley- 
Davidson  did  not  join  the  force  until  early 
last  Fall,  when  ten  1922  machines  began  to 
run  down  "motorized  crooks,"  chase  speeders 
and  hurry  relief  and  emergency  calls. 

So  successful  were  these  ten  that  on  November 
22,  the  Los  Angeles  County  Police  Depart- 
ment  bought  jour  more   Harley-Davidsons! 

Hundreds  of  cities,  towns  and  counties  find 
the  Harley-Davidson  not  only  indispensable, 
but  a  real  profit-maker.  It  soon  pays  for 
itself  by  the  additional  revenue  it  earns  for 
the  police  department,  and  its  famed  dur- 
ability and  economy  of  operation  make  it  a 
profitable  investment  that  lasts  for  years. 

Ask  your  local  dealer  for  free  demonstration  of 
the  1922  Harley-Davidson.  Get  the  new, 
lower  prices,  and  write  us  for  special,  illus- 
trated literature  on  police  use  of  motorcycles  in 
many    American    cities.      No    obligation   to    you. 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON    MOTOR   CO. 

MILWAUKEE,  WISCONSIN 


IiIsiiPle^«ID^'^fl(!]ls(Diia 

*'XOorWs  Champion  Mx>torcycle 


283 


Hope  for  the  City  Jobless 

By  R.  L.  Foster 

Major,  Quartermaster  Corps,  U.  S.  Army;  Publicity  Director,  The  President's 
Conference  on  Unemployment 


^  r'  I  ^HE  problem  of  meeting  the  emer- 

I       gency    of    unemployment    is    pri- 

marily  a  community  problem.    The 

responsibility    for    leadership    is    with    the 

mayor  and  should  be  immediately  assumed 

by  him." 

This,  in  a  paragraph,  is  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  one  of  the  most  important  recom- 
mendations of  the  President's  Conference  on 
Unemployment,  to  meet  a  nation-wide  emer- 
gency. How  well  that  emergency  has  been 
met  can  best  be  determined  to-day  by  the 
reports  from  the  various  municipalities 
which  have  found  themselves  confronted 
with  the  serious  situation  of  joblessness  and 
business  stagnation,  and  the  more  poignant 
one  of  acute  suffering  and  bitter  distress. 

The  Conference  is  concerned  mostly  with 
methods.  Thinking  persons  did  not  expect 
the  nation's  unemployed  to  be  restored  to  a 
job  in  some  miraculous  fashion,  but  one 
big  thing  was  accomplished — the  Conference 
did  stimulate  a  sense  of  community  responsi- 
bility of  such  nation-wide  proportions  that 
to-day  there  are  hundreds  of  cities  and 
towns  in  every  state  in  the  Union  reporting 
to  the  working  committee  in  Washington. 
They  tell  that  they  have  the  situation  in 
hand,  either  by  having  an  organization  to 
meet  it  or  by  so  speeding  up  business  and 
industry  as  to  provide  some  sort  of  em- 
ployment for  every  man  to  whom  jobless- 
ness might  mean  hunger  and  cold,  or  worse. 

The  peak  in  unemployment  is  ordinarily 
reached  in  mid-winter.  The  President's 
Conference  took  time  by  the  forelock  and 
spurred  on  the  more  sizeable  communities 
to  a  full  realization  of  the  task  ahead  of 
them.    It  recommended: 

"The  basis  of  organization  should  be  an  Emer- 
gency Committee  representing  the  various  ele- 
ments in  the  community.  This  committee  should 
develop  and  carry  through  a  community  plan 
for  meeting  the  emergency,  using  existing  agen- 
cies and  local  groups  as  far  as  practicable.  One 
immediate  step  should  be  to  coordinate  and  es- 
tablish efficient  public  employment  agencies  and 
to  register  all  those  desiring  work.  It  should 
coordinate  the  work  of  the  various  charitable 
institutions.  Registration  for  relief  should  be 
entirely  separate  from  that  for  employment." 


To-day  we  find  that  the  average  munici- 
pality is  accordingly  prepared  for  this  work, 
because  it  visualized  ahead  of  time  the  prob- 
lem of  finding  work  for  idle  but  willing 
hands  to  do.  The  President's  Conference  on 
Unemployment  is  responsible  for  this  prepa- 
ration. To  the  cities  of  the  country  must 
go  the  praise  and  credit  for  the  accomplish- 
ment. 

In  a  general  way  their  achievements  are 
something  to  be  proud  of.  There  are  ex- 
ceptions, but  the  far  greater  majority  did 
something — they  sold  municipal  bonds  and 
speeded  up  public  work;  they  organized 
workmanlike  committees  headed  by  the 
mayor,  and  created  jobs  for  the  jobless;  they 
helped  local  industries  by  staging  sales  of 
home-made  products;  they  set  projects  go- 
ing in  winter  which  are  generally  put  off 
until  spring  or  summer;  they  raised  sub- 
stantial sums  to  buy  meat  and  groceries,  to 
pay  the  rent,  to  bring  medical  care,  to  put 
shoes  on  children's  feet,  to  furnish  shawls 
and  overcoats  and  woolen  socks. 

As  a  result,  the  progressive  cities  of  the 
United  States  are  to-day  in  a  position  of 
readiness  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  op- 
portunities which  will  soon  be  theirs  in  the 
improved  order  of  things,  and  at  the  same 
time  they  have  demonstrated  in  the  best  pos- 
sible manner  their  concern  for  the  unem- 
ployment of  the  home  town  folks. 

Referring  again  to  the  recommendations 
of  the  Conference,  the  cities  united  in  agree- 
ing that  the  relief  of  unemployment  was  a 
local  problem ;  that  it  must  be  borne  by  local 
authorities  and  citizens.  From  Washington 
came  the  news  to  all  of  them  that  the  Con- 
ference had  originated  a  clearing-house  for 
the  exchange  of  information,  while  it  urged 
the  commencement  of  public  projects,  no 
matter  how  tight  the  money  market  or  severe 
the  winter  weather. 

And  the  cities  have  "come  across."  There 
are  still  thousands  of  unemployed,  but  their 
army  would  have  been  greater  had  the  Con- 
ference never  been  held.  Those  who  criti- 
cise its  work  because  we  have  not  reached  a 
Utopian  world,  where  everybody  has  pre- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  12  Hour  Underwriters' 
Test—How  Made  and  Why 

The  machine  to  be  tested  by  the  Underwriters'  Engineer  is  re- 
quired to  pump  continuously  throughout  the  twelve  hours.  It 
must  deliver  its  rated  capacity  in  gallons  against  120  pounds  net 
pump  pressure  for  six  hours;  half  its  rated  capacity  against  200 
lbs.  pressure  for  three  hours  and  one-third  against  250  lbs.  for 
three  hours.     Tests  must  be  made  drafting  water. 

These  tests  are  made  to  protect  the  purchasers  of  fire  trucks  against 
unreliable  and  over-rated  pumpers,  and  to  establish  the  value  of 
a  type.  All  future  machines  of  the  same  make  and  type  will  be 
approved  by  passing  a  three  hour  test. 


Pomps  g^ 

"MORE  GALLONS  PER  HORSE  POWER" 

The   Pump    That 
Made  This  Success 


The  Reo-Northern  pictured  passed  the  12- 
hour  Underwriters'  test  at  300  gallons' 
capacity  and  at  the  close  of  the  12-hour 
test,  without  stopping,  delivered  344  gal- 
lons against  122  lbs.  pressure  for  an  addi- 
tional 30-minute  run.  This  established 
the  IR-eo-Northern  in  the  approved  class. 
The  Underwriters  must  give  credit  for  Reo- 
Northern  installations  proportionate  to  its 
rated  capacity — They  wrote  the  specifica- 
tions of  the  test,  they  made  this  test,  they 
gave  out  the  figures. 

The  Reo-Northern  is  a  decidedly  practical 
and  effective  fire  truck  for  outlying  dis- 
tricts of  even  our  largest  cities,  as  well  as 
for  smaller  communities. 


|J2^H£^ 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA.  U.S.A. 


79 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Ahekican  City. 


March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


285 


cisely  the  job  he  yearns  for,  may  well  pause 
to  consider  the  immeasurably  greater 
wretchedness  and  idleness  we  should  be  ex- 
periencing now  had  there  been  no  Confer- 
ence. 

Its  delegates  did  not  do  away  with  hard 
times  by  the  mere  waving  of  a  wand,  nor 
did  they  point  the  way  to  perfect  prosperity 
at  a  high  and  lovely  level.  But  they  did  re- 
lieve a  lot  of  men  and  women  who  wanted 
a  job — any  kind  of  job — who  would  be 
roaming  the  streets  to-day  and  half  starving 
through  the  winter,  if  the  Conference  had 
not  been  held.  Let  us  see  how  some  of  the 
cities  have  set  about  solving  their  own 
peculiar  problems. 

Creating  Jobs 

An  "Odd  Job  Campaign"  has  seemed  to 
many  to  be  one  of  the  sure-fire  schemes. 
How  were  these  desirable  jobs  created  ?  For 
example,  here  are .  some  city  reports  to 
Colonel  Arthur  Woods,  Chairman  of  the 
Emergency  Committee  of  the  Conference : 

Chicago  has  made  a  house-to-house  can- 
vass under  the  direction  of  the  23  battalion 
fire  chiefs,  to  compel  householders  to  remove 
from  their  premises  all  combustible  material 
and  refuse,  as  a  fire  prevention  measure. 
This  campaign  has  created  many  short-time 
jobs.  The  Women's  City  Club  has  divided 
the  city  into  35  districts,  each  in  charge  of 
a  woman  chairman,  who  devotes  specified 
hours  each  day  to  getting  jobs  through  its 
membership. 

Dallas,  Texas,  took  a  church  census  of  its 
190,000  population,  and  each  householder 
was  asked  if  some  special  odd  job — painting, 
carpentry,  gardening,  or  cleaning — could  be 
furnished  the  unemployed.  A  record  was 
kept  of  the  replies  and  addresses,  with  the 
result  that  a  large  number  of  days  of  work 
were  secured  for  the  most  needy. 

Kearny,  N.  J.,  has  an  agent  out  every 
afternoon,  covering  the  town  with  several 
helpers,  in  automobiles.  They  visit  build- 
ings under  construction,  look  over  streets  be- 
ing paved,  and  call  at  all  industrial  plants 
and  railroad  shops,  offering  the  cooperation 
of  the  local  employment  bureau,  and  ascer- 
taining exactly  what  kind  of  help  is  needed. 
Each  ward  in  Rockford,  111.,  has  a  com- 
mittee with  the  two  aldermen  as  chairmen. 
These  committees  in  turn  have  organized 
precinct  committees  with  a  member  in 
charge  of  each  city  block.  Personal  contact 
like  this  has  resulted  in  a  very  successful 


campaign  to  provide  jobs  and  relieve  dis- 
tress. 

Fort  Smith,  Ark,,  has  a  rock-pile  where 
men  break  big  stones  into  little  ones,  to  be 
mixed  with  cement  and  sand  to  improve  the 
local  streets.  Gloucester,  Mass.,  and  Evans- 
ton,  111.,  pay  the  jobless  to  chop  down  con- 
demned city  timber,  which  is  sold  for  fuel. 

Youngstown,  Ohio,  has  sold  municipal 
bonds  and  provides  work  in  the  city  parks 
for  men  with  families.  They  are  divided 
into  two  groups,  and  work  in  two-week 
shifts.  The  election  officials  lent  their  ma- 
chinery, and  a  day  was  set  apart  for  the 
registration  of  the  unemployed.  AUentown, 
Pa.,  is  continuing  all  public  work  regardless 
of  weather  conditions,  and  a  special  drive 
has  been  made  to  remodel  store  fronts  in 
order  to  give  work  to  builders.  A  "Cheap 
Homes  Campaign"  has  also  stimulated  em- 
ployment and  solved  the  housing  problem. 

Pittsfield,  Mass.,  has  a  "flying  shovel 
squadron"  which  reports  immediately  to  any 
citizen  who  telephones,  and  clears  the  snow 
from  his  sidewalk  in  a  jiffy. 

This  is  one  way. 

Bringing  Man  and  Job  Together 

A  second  grouping  of  cities  has  succeeded 
by  matching  up  the  man  and  the  job,  with 
the  least  possible  friction  and  delay. 

In  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  advertisements  were 
published  in  the  newspapers,  and  the  unem- 
ployed were  asked  to  fill  out  and  send  in 
blanks.  These  were  turned  over  to  the 
local  employment  agency,  and  local  indus- 
tries secured  the  help  they  needed. 

Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  has  taken  care  of  its 
own  problem  by  bond  issues  for  public  im- 
provements, and  the  city  officials  are  enforc- 
ing rigidly  such  ordinances  as  snow  removal, 
which  is  done  under  city  supervision  and 
charged  on  tax  bills  of  all  derelict  property 
owners. 

Atlanta,  Ga.,  has  formed  a  club  of  500 
citizens,  each  of  whom  has  pledged  the  build- 
ing of  a  dwelling  to  be  rented  at  a  reason- 
able figure,  thus  giving  employment  to  many, 
and  also  helping  the  housing  situation. 

Boston,  Mass.,  has  asked  all  employers  to 
increase  the  number  of  their  employees  by 
at  least  one,  and  as  many  more  as  is  possibly 
New  London,  Conn.,  runs  special  entertain- 
ments in  the  theaters  with  local  talent.  The 
unemployed  are  allowed  to  sell  tickets  and 
retain  a  good  percentage  of  the  proceeds. 
Civil  service  rules  are  suspended  in  Cam- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Single  Jacket  Underwriters  Fire  Hose 


Copyright  1922.  by  The  Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  Co.,  Inc 


Goodyear  Single  Jacket  Fire  Hose  bears 
two  marks  that  prove  its  high  quality 
— the  Underwriters'  label  and  the  name  of 
Goodyear.  In  many  communities  it  can  be 
used  efficiently  instead  of  more  expensive, 
heavier,  double-jacket  hose. 

Goodyear  Monterey  Chemical  Hose  also  car- 
ries the  Underwriters'  approval— a  guarantee 


that  this  hose  will  withstand  definite  pressures 
and  resist  effectively  the  action  of  acids.  Its 
design  and  the  materials  of  which  it  is  made 
insure  long,  satisfactory  wear. 

Goodyear  builds  other  types  of  hose  for 
municipal  needs.  For  detailed  information 
about  any  of  them,  write  to  Goodyear,  Akron, 
Ohio,  or  Los  Angeles,  California. 


Goodyear'8  complete  line  of  tires 
for  fire  apparatus  and  other  trucks 
includes  a  type  for  every  need. 
For  straight  chemical  or  hose, 
combination  chemical  and  hose, 
triple  combination  and  ladder 
trucks,  operating:  over  -wide  areas, 
■we  recommend  Goodyear  Cord 
Pneumatics.  The  same  apparatus, 
operated  in  smaller  areas,  over 
hard  roads  only,  should  use  either 


Goodyear  Cords  or  Goodyeai 
Cushions.  The  SC  Cushion  is  s 
pressed-ontire  especially  good  f  oi 
such  use.  For  heavy  pumpers 
tractors  and  aerial  trucks,  which 
seldom  leave  hard  pavement,  w< 
suggest  Goodyear  All-Weathei 
Tread  Solids.  Tell  us  your  truck- 
ing conditions  and  we  will  gladb 
specify  the  most  efficient  tires  foi 
your  work. 


SO 


Wbeo  writing  to  Adyeitis^rs  pl^s?  motion  T^e  American  City. 


March,  1922  '         THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


287 


bridge,  Mass.,  so  that  many  persons  may 
rotate  in  the  same  jobs. 

Houston,  Texas,  maintains  a  gang  of 
laborers  ranging  in  number  from  200  to  600, 
paying  them  $1.25  per  day  and,  if  they  have 
dependents,  supplementing  this  by  charity. 
Employers  are  urged  to  apply  to  the  city  for 
labor,  which  is  supplied  from  this  gang. 

Public-spirited  citizens  in  Rock  Island,  111., 
have  banded  together  to  hire  one  man  one 
day  a  week  to  keep  him  from  becoming  an 
object  of  charity.  In  Erie,  Pa.,  a  drive  has 
been  made  to  push  the  sale  of  "Erie-made" 
products,  in  order  to  provide  local  employ- 
ment. Lima,  Ohio,  has  put  100  men  to  work 
two  or  three  days  a  week,  paying  them  in 
orders  on  grocery  stores  for  food.  Butte, 
Mont.,  raises  $60,000  each  month,  and  ex- 
tends some  sort  of  aid  to  2,500  families. 
Unemployed  single  men  can  get  two  meals 
a  day  of  beef  stew,  vegetables,  bread  and 
butter,  and  coffee,  out  of  this  fund.  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  has  put  $100,000  into  water-mains, 
and  work  has  gone  on  right  through  the 
winter,  while  the  town  provides  lodging  and 
food  for  the  destitute. 

Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  reports  that  jobless 
miners  are  working  abandoned  coal  mines  in 
the  vicinity,  which  has  given  them  a  living 
and  reduced  the  price  of  coal  at  the  same 
time.  Red  Oak,  Iowa,  has  opened  a  stone 
quarry  and  hauls  the  rock  to  the  locations 
where  it  will  be  used  in  the  spring. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  has  established  a 
municipal  wood-yard,  where  old  railroad  ties 
and  discarded  telephone  and  electric  light 
poles  are  sawed  into  firewood  by  the  unem- 
ployed, at  25  cents  an  hour.  They  are  paid 
in  lodging  and  meal  tickets,  and  the  kin- 
dling is  sold. 

Funds  for  Relief 

A  third  grouping  includes  those  cities 
which  have  appropriated  funds,  in  addition 
to  the  regular  budget,  to  relieve  distress  and 
suffering. 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  is  raising  a  commu- 
nity chest  of  $500,000,  which  includes  an 
item  of  $50,000  for  an  emergency  fund  for 
the  unemployed.  In  Hartford,  Conn.,  small 
sums  are  advanced  to  unemployed  persons 
on  their  notes  in  favor  of  the  city  for  re- 
payment. This  keeps  borrowers  from  being 
put  on  the  pauper  list  and  jobless  workers 
retain  their  self-respect. 

Indianapolis  has  had  an  audit  of  city 
funds,    and,    with    $163,000   available,   has 


commenced  work  on  parks  and  streets,  with 
a  constantly  increasing  pay-roll  of  deserving 
men,  which  now  aggregates  1,200.  In  addi- 
tion, $120,000  was  raised  in  four  hours  for 
the  relief  of  the  unemployed. 

Cleveland's  community  chest  organization 
raised  its  quota  of  $3,500,000  in  one  week, 
and  it  reports  that  enough  more  will  be 
forthcoming  to  prevent  extensive  suffering 
in  the  present  emergency.  In  Cincinnati, 
the  City  Council  has  appropriated  $10,000 
for  the  Mayor's  Unemployment  Committee. 

The  Finance  Committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  will 
lend  up  to  $100  to  any  unemployed  man  of 
reputable  character,  and  accept  his  note  for 
90  days  at  reasonable  interest  charged  to 
make  up  for  any  loss  which  may  occur 
through    failure   to  pay. 

The  City  Council  of  Racine,  Wis.,  has 
turned  over  $50,000  from  its  general  fund 
to  the  central  association  for  the  needy, 
sick  and  unemployed.  Applicants  sign 
notes  and  are  expected  to  repay  when  they 
get  a  job. 

Buffalo  has  set  aside  $70,000  for  groceries 
and  other  necessities  for  the  relief  of  1,113 
families.  Detroit  is  lending  out  of  emer- 
gency funds  $1,750,000  as  necessity  arises 
to  applicants  for  relief,  some  of  whom  return 
it  in  work  performed  for  the  city.  Kansas 
City  has  raised  $290,000  in  a  charity  drive. 
Boise,  Ida.,  has  opened  a  municipal  wood- 
yard,  where  wages  are  not  as  high  as  the 
scale,  but  grocers  have  pledged  themselves 
to  supply  food  at  cost  to  men  who  take  this 
work,  thereby  making  the  money  earned  ap- 
proximate the  regular  wage. 

St.  Paul,  under  an  emergency  clause  in  its 
charter,  is  authorized  to  borrow  $100,000  to 
give  employment  to  men  with  families,  for 
sewer  building,  bridge  repair,  and  snow  re- 
moval. Other  cities  which  have  made  ap- 
propriations for  public  works,  because  of 
the  emergency,  are:  Los  Angeles,  Calif.,. 
$2,000,000;  Savannah,  Ga.,  $300,000;  Balti- 
more, Md.,  $250,000;  Dayton,  Ohio,  $500,- 
000;  Hazleton,  Pa.,  $250,000. 

With  the  Conference  linking  up  the  nu- 
merous municipalities  in  a  nation-wide  effort 
to  combat  idleness  and  relieve  distress,  with 
the  municipalities  backing  the  movement 
with  patriotism,  initiative,  and  full  knowl- 
edge of  conditions,  is  it  not  fair  to  assume 
that  before  many  months  have  gone  by,  un- 
employment and  its  twin  brother,  unrest, 
will  seem  like  ^  bad  dream? 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


X  TO  MATTER  what  kind  of  a  job  they  have  been  put 
^  ^  up  against,  Pennsylvania  QuaHty  Mow^ers  have  more 
than  met  every  requirement. 

Their  record  shows  longest,  most  satisfactory  service, 
least  upkeep  cost  and  greatest  durability  in  lawn  mower 
history. 

Exclusive  features,  self-sharpening,  crucible,  tool  steel 
blades,  automobile  type  ball  bearings,  selected  material  and 
specialized  manufacturing  processes  assure  the  most  satis- 
factory and  the  most  economical  service. 

Write  for  **Pennsylvania  TRIO  Book" 

Pennsylvania   Lawn   Mower   Works,    Inc. 

1615  North  23rd  Street,  Philadelphia 

iiinBnMininnnn»iiinnnmmniiHn»iinniiiniMiiiiiiiiiiMiiMininii»niMHiin»inninniniiminnmmitmininnmnimiiiiriirtmiiiiiiiiriiriiii^ 

81  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thb  American  City. 


289 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information  for  City  Attorneys  and  Other  Municipal  Officers,  Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 


Ordinance  Requiring  Hospitals  to  Be  Con- 
structed of  Non-inflammable  Materials 
Upheld  Under  the  General  Law-Making 
Powers  of  Charter 

Under  the  charter  granted  by  the  fjeneral 
assembly  to  the  city  of  Dublin,  Ga.,  author- 
ity was  granted  to  the  mayor  and  aldermen 
to  make  and  establish  such  rules,  laws,  or- 
dinances, regulatiofts,  and  orders  as  may  to 
them  seem  right  and  proper,  respecting  all 
and  every  such  matter  and  thing  whatso- 
ever "that  may  be  by  them  considered  neces- 
sary or  proper  or  incident  to  the  good  gov- 
ernment of  said  city,  and  to  the  peace, 
security,  health,  happiness,  welfare,  pro- 
tection, or  convenience  of  the  inhabitants 
of  said  city,  and  for  preserving  the  peace, 
good  order,  and  dignity  of  said  govern- 
ment." They  were  also  granted  therein  all 
other  powers  necessary  or  incident  to  mu- 
nicipal government,  not  in  conflict  with  any 
other  special  power  or  authority  given  said 
city.  Held,  that  the  powers  above  expressed 
were  sufficient  to  authorize  the  mayor  and 
aldermen  to  pass  an  ordinance  prescribing 
that  buildings  to  be  used  for  hospital  pur- 
poses should  be  constructed  of  brick  or 
other  non-inflammable  material.  (Georgia 
Supreme  Court,  Brigham  et  al.  vs.  Mayor 
and  Council  of  City  of  Dublin,  108  South- 
eastern Reporter,  532.) 

Advertising  for  Bids  Prior  to  Resolution's 
Becoming  Effective — Held  Not  to  Make 
Proceeding  Defective 

In  a  case  lately  before  the  Iowa  Supreme 
Court  (Messer  v.  Marsh,  183  Northwestern 
Reporter,  602)  it  appears  that  the  City 
Council  at  Jefferson,  Iowa,  adopted  a  reso- 
lution for  the  paving  of  certain  streets. 
The  Mayor  was  not  present,  but  knew  that 
the  resolution  was  to  be  adopted  and  he  did 
not  veto  it.  Under  the  city's  charter  a 
resolution  not  signed  or  vetoed  becomes  ef- 
fective at  the  end  of  14  days.  Before  that 
period  had  expired,  the  City  Clerk  adver- 


tised for  bids,  pursuant  to  the  resolution, 
and  it  was  sought  by  plaintiff  taxpayers  to 
enjoin  performance  of  a  contract  awarded 
under  such  advertisement,  on  the  ground 
that  the  advertising  was  premature.  Hold- 
ing that  there  was  no  jurisdictional  defect 
in  the  proceedings,  the  Supreme  Court  says: 

"The  Council  had  duly  adopted  the  resolu- 
tion of  necessity,  and  thereby  gained  jurisdic- 
tion to  make  the  improvement.  The  Council, 
by  a  unanimous  vote,  had  passed  a  resolution 
ordering  the  construction  of  the  improvement. 
In  the  same  resolution  in  which  the  Council 
ordered  the  construction  of  the  improvement, 
the  Council  also  instructed  the  Clerk  to  adver- 
tise for  bids.  .  .  .  One  publication  of 
the  notice  for  bids  was  made  before  the  resolu- 
tion of  construction  became  operative,  which 
was  not  more  than  a  mere  irregularity,  that 
did  not  deprive  the  city  of  jurisdiction  to  order 
the  improvement." 

Public  Utility  Company  and  Municipality 
May  by  Agreement  Reduce  Rates,  But 
Burden  Is  on  Municipality  to  Show  Such 
Agreement 

Speaking  concerning  rights  under  the  mu- 
nicipal franchise  of  an  electric  lighting  and 
power  company,  the  Virginia  Supreme 
Court  of  Appeals  said  in  the  case  of  Ap- 
palachian Power  Company  vs.  Town  of 
Pulaski,  108  Southeastern  Reporter,  885: 

"It  cannot  be  fairly  doubted,  we  think,  that 
the  municipal  authorities  and  the  company 
could,  by  agreement,  amend  the  ordinance  and 
reduce  the  maximum  rate  thereby  authorized 
and  no  further  or  additional  consideration  to 
the  company  would  be  needed  to  support  such 
an  amendment  other  than  the  continuing  priv- 
ilege during  the  term  of  the  ordinance  to  con- 
duct its  business  thereunder.  We  have,  how- 
ever, a  statute  (Code  1919,  sec.  3022)  which  it 
would  be  necessary  to  pursue  if  it  were  proposed 
to  increase  the  rates  authorized  by  such  a 
franchise,  but  this  statute  would  not  preclude  a 
decrease   of   such   rates  by  mutual   agreement. 

"The  crucial  inquiry  in  the  case  is  whether 
or  not  section  7  of  the  franchise  has  been  re- 
scinded and  the  [lower]  rates  named  in  the 
communication  of  August  12,  1911,  substituted 
therefor.    This  being  claimed  by  the  town,  the 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Large  Diameters 
Easily  Handled 


:)\CMEliWESTABLE) 

^  <TONCAN> 


Made  in  2-ft.  upper  and  lower  sec- 
tions. Shipped  knocked-down, 
nested  into  bundles  as  shown 
above.  Even  the  larger  diameters 
of  "ACMES"  such  as  48"  and  60" 
can  be  handled  in  sections  by  only 
two  men  and  hauled  on  an  ordi- 


nary farm  wagon  or  light  truck. 
And  when  installed  "ACMES" 
meet  all  requirements.  Made  of 
anti-corrosive  Toncan  Metal,  they 
endure !  Thousands  of  feet  now  in 
use  under  highways  and  railroads. 
Write  for  Catalog  M-78. 


THt.0^TQN:0JLyERT6SlLO(py 

•       G-AN^dNiQmo^ijS-A,  Hit  I 

I'lytimmmmmmrnHLi 


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82 


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March,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


291 


burden  is  upon  it  to  show  that  the  franchise 
contract  has  thus  been  amended.  Like  other 
contracts,  a  franchise  of  this  character  cannot 
be  amended  without  the  consent  of  both  con- 
tracting parties." 

If  Necessary  for  Purpose  Primarily  In- 
tended, Proposed  Auttiorized  Bond  Issue 
Will  Not  Be  Enjoined  Because  Addi- 
tional Incidental  Purpose  May  Also  Be 
Accomplished 

A  municipality  will  not  be  enjoined,  at  the 
instance  of  a  taxpayer,  from  proceeding  to 
issue  bonds  authorized  to  be  issued  for  a 
given  purpose  (in  this  case  to  establish  a 
water- works  system)  on  the  ground  that 
another  purpose  (in  this  case  operation  of 
an  electric  light  plant)  will  be  incidentally 
accomplished,  if  the  incidental  object  will 
not  interfere  with  the  accomplishment  of  the 
primary  one.  This  was  decided  by  the  New 
Mexico  Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of  Page 
vs.  Town  of  Gallup,  191  Pacific  Reporter, 
460.    The  Court  remarked: 

"A  municipality  in  its  discretion  may  author- 
ize its  property  to  be  used  incidentally  for  a 
purpose  other  than  that  for  which  it  is  primarily 
purchased  or  constructed,  if  the  use  for  inci- 
dental purposes  does  not  interfere  with  the  use 
for  the  primary  purpose.  .  .  .  If  it  was 
true,  as  alleged  in  the  answer,  that  the  machinery 
which  it  was  proposed  to  install  was  necessary 
for  the  present  and  reasonably  anticipated  needs 
of  the  town  for  pumping  water,  the  fact  that 
the  town  proposed  to  use  the  machinery  in  con- 
nection with  some  other  municipal  use  could  not 
operate  to  prevent  the  town  from  installing  the 
machinery.  A  moment's  consideration  will 
demonstrate  the  unsoundness  of  appellee's  posi- 
tion in  this  regard.  It  was  a  question  of  fact, 
of  course,  as  to  whether  the  machinery  in  ques- 
tion was  necessary  for  the  operation  of  the 
water  plant,  or  whether  the  council  in  good 
faith  had  determined  that  it  was  necessary. 
Suppose,  for  example,  that  the  court  after  hear- 
ing evidence  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  said  machinery  was  proper  and  necessary 
for  such  purpose.  Would  it  have  enjoined  the 
town  from  installing  it  simply  because  the  town 
proposed  incidentally  to  use  it  in  connection 
with  some  other  use  while  not  being  used  in 
pumping  water?  If  so,  then  the  town  would  be 
precluded  from  installing  any  kind  of  machinery 
or  equipment  that  might  be  used  incidentally 
for  any  other  purpose." 

Scope    of    Municipal    Power    to    Furnish 
Public  Service  Beyond  Its  Boundaries 

A  city  establishing  an  electric  light  plant 
was  under  a  "duty  to  pay  due  regard  to  the 
future  and  provide  for  the  probable  neces- 
sities of  a  rapidly  increasing  population," 
holds  the  Utah  Supreme  Court  in  the  case 


of  Muir  vs,  Murray  City,  186  Pacific  Re- 
porter, 433.  And  if,  acting  in  good  faith,  a 
city  has  a  large  surplus  of  current,  it  may 
legitimately  run  a  transmission  line  beyond 
its  boundaries  to  a  near-by  city  and  sell  the 
surplus.  But  the  municipality  cannot  de- 
fend its  action  in  exceeding  its  charter 
powers  by  engaging  in  non-governmental 
enterprises  on  the  mere  ground  of  profit. 
"Cities  are  not  organized  primarily  for  the 
purpose  of  engaging  in  commercial  enter- 
prises, however  profitable  they  may  appear 
or  even  prove  to  be."  But  while  "cities  are 
not  organized  primarily  as  profit-making 
concerns,  yet  when  it  is  incidental,  as  in  the 
instant  case,  to  a  proper  exercise  of  its 
legitimate  powers,  the  making  of  the  enter- 
prise a  profitable  one  was  highly  commend- 
able." And  the  Court  adds  that  where 
money  is  borrowed  for  a  corporate  purpose 
and  is  profitably  and  judiciously  expended, 
to  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants,  the  city  will 
not  be  permitted  to  defeat  liability  on  the 
loan  through  the  circumstance  that  the 
transaction  may  have  been  somewhat  ir- 
regular. 

Combination  to  Prevent  Competitive  Bid- 
ding is  Contrary  to  Public  Policy 

"It  is  the  settled  rule  of  the  law  that  ar- 
rangerpents  and  combinations  among  pro- 
spective bidders  for  municipal  contracts  to 
prevent  competition  among  themselves,  and 
to  bring  about  an  award  at  a  figure  which 
is  not  the  result  of  an  honest  competition, 
are  contrary  to  public  policy  and  void." 
This  observation  was  made  by  the  Texas 
Court  of  Civil  Appeals  in  the  case  of  City 
National  Bank  of  Corpus  Christi  v.  City 
of  Corpus  Christi,  233  Southwestern  Re- 
porter, 375.) 

City  Not  Liable  Under  Provisions  of  Con- 
tract Where  Contract  is  Void  by  Reason 
of  Not  Being  Awarded  to  Lowest  Bidder 

A  contract  for  a  street  improvement 
being  void  because  not  awarded  to  the  low- 
est bidder,  as  required  by  the  municipal 
charter,  the  city  cannot  be  held  liable  under 
a  provision  in  the  contract,  to  the  effect 
that  the  improvement  should  be  paid  for 
out  of  a  special  assessment  fund,  but  that 
on  the  city's  failure  to  make  a  valid  assess- 
ment it  should  become  liable.  (Oregon  Su- 
preme Court,  Montague-O'Reilly  Company 
V.  Town  of  Milwaukee,  199  Pacific  Re- 
porter, 605.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


NEWPORT 
CULVERTS 

Made  of  Strongest  Iron 
Procurable 

Newport  Culverts  are  guaranteed  to  be 
composed  of  99.875%  pure  iron-copper, 
alloy  with  copper  content  not  less  than 
25%.  In  addition,  each  square  foot  of 
exposed  surface  carries  not  less  than 
2  ozs.  of  spelter. 

These  are  the  reasons  Newport  Culverts 
endure  the  ravages  of  time  and  rough 
usage  for  decades. 

Let  us  explain  further  why  we  thoroughly 
believe  there  is  no  better  culvert  made. 
Send  us  your  name  and  address. 

Newport    Culvert    Co.,    Inc. 

542  W.  10th  St.,       Newport,  Ky. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City. 


293 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


SEWERAGE  AND  SEWAGE  TREATMENT 

Harold  E.  Babbit,  Professor  of  Municipal  and  Sani- 
tary Engineering,  University  of  Illinois.  John 
Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc.,  New  York.  1922.  XII  +  531 
pp.  Tables,  diagrams  and  illustrations.  $5. 
A  very  thorough  treatise  on  the  subject,  prepared  by 
a  teacher  primarily  for  instruction  purposes,  covering 
the  entire  fields  of  sewerage  and  sewage  treatment.  It 
contains  reports  of  tests  on  leaping  and  overflow  weirs 
performed  at  the  University  of  Illinois  and  not  pub- 
lished elsewhere.  The  leading  chapters  cover  the  work 
preliminary  to  design,  the  computation  of  quantity  of 
sewage,  the  hydraulics  of  sewers  and  design  of  sewerage 
systems  and  their  appurtenances,  pumps  and  pumping 
stations,  materials  for  sewers,  design  of  the  sewer  ring, 
contracts  and  specifications,  construction  and  main- 
tenance of  sewers,  sewage  and  its  disposal,  with  special 
reference  to  disposal  by  dilution,  screening  and  sedi- 
mentation, septicization,  filtration  and  irrigation,  acti- 
vated sludge,  acid  precipitation,  lime  and  electricity  and 
disinfection,  the  disposal  of  sludge,  and  the  use  of 
automatic  dosing  devices. 

CONSTRUCTION   COST  KEEPING  AND  MANAGE- 
MENT 

H.  P.  Gillette  and  R.  T.  Dana,  members  American 
Society    of    Civil    Engineers.      McGraw-Hill     Book 
Company,    Inc.,    New   York.     1922.     First    Edition. 
XVII    +    572   pp.      Charts,   diagrams    and   illustra- 
tions,   $5. 
A  book  intended  to  assist  engineers,  contractors  and 
superintendents    in    reducing    construction    costs    to    a 
minimum  through  the  science  of  management,  cost  keep- 
ing  and    forms.      Specific    chapters    are   devoted    to   the 
laws   of  management,    the  rules   for   securing   minimum 
costs,  piece  rates,  bonus  and  other  systems  of  payment, 
measuring  the  output  of  workmen,  cost  keeping,   book- 
keeping   for    small    contractors,    office    appliances    and 
methods,  and  miscellaneous   cost  report  blanks  and  sys- 
tems of  cost  keeping. 

SEWERAGE  AND  SEWAGE  DISPOSAL 

Leonard  Metcalf  and  Harrison  P.  Eddy,  Consulting 
Engineers,  Boston,  Mass.      McGraw-Hill  Book  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  New  York.      1922.     First  edition.    XIV 
+  598  pp.     Tables,  diagrams  and  illustrations.    $5. 
While     not     a     successor     to     the     valuable     three- 
volume   treatise,    "American    Sewerage  Practice,"    pub- 
lished   in    1914    and    1915,    this    book    contains    much 
later  data  and    valuable   material    based    on    the   rapid 
advance   of   sewage  treatment   practice    since    1914.     A 
book  most  heartily  to  be  recommended  to  new  students 
of   sewerage    and   sewage    treatment    processes,    and    a 
valuable  reference  for  any  municipal  library. 

THE  COMMTJNITT 

Edouard     C.     Lindeman,     Professor    of     Sociology, 
North   Carolina  College  for  Women.     The  Associa- 
tion Press,  New  York.  1921.  222  pp.  $1.75,  postage 
included. 
An    analysis   of   the    forces   which  must   be  reckoned 
with    in     influencing    public     opinion     and     community 
action.      The   book   was    written  primarily   to    interpret 
the      Community      Movement      to      teachers,       pastors, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  secretaries  and  others  in- 
terested in  community  leadership. 

RURAL  ORGANIZATION 

Walter  Burr,  Professor  of  Sociology,  Kansas  State 

Agricultural     College.       The    Macmillan    Company, 

New  York.    1921.    XI  -f  250  pp.    $2.25. 

The  book   considers   the   rural   community  both   from 

the  economic  and  the  human  side.    It  t&kes  up  in  detail 

Buch    subjects    as    farm   production,    marketing,    finance 

and  transportation.      Under  community  social  functions 

it  discusses  education,  sanitation  and  health,  recreation, 

beautification  and   home  making. 

ROAD  GUIDE  OP  THE  LINCOLN  HIGHWAY 

The  Lincoln   Highway   Association   National   Head- 
quarters,   Detroit,    Mich.      1921.     Fourth    EdiHon. 
336  pp.      Maps.    $2.50. 
This   official   road   guide   contains   a   complete  history 
of  the  Lincoln  Highway  and  full  information  regarding 
mileage  and  places  of  interest  along  this  f^iqov^  trans- 
continental roadf 


THE  PLAY  MOVEMENT  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
Clarence     E.     Rainwater,     Ph.D.,     Assistant     Pro- 
fessor   of   Sociology,   University    of   Southern   Cali- 
fornia.    The  University  of  Chicago  Press,  Chicago, 
lU.      1922.      XI    +     371    pp.     Illustrated.     $2.90, 
postage  included. 
The   author  w^s  for  a  number  of  years   Director  of 
the  Hamilton   Park  Recreation   Center  in  Chicago,  and 
later  Dean  of  The  American  College  of  Physical  Educa- 
tion in   the  same    city.     The  volume  is  an  analysis   of 
the  play  movement  in  the  United   States,  including  the 
activities    occurring   in    social    and    community    centers, 
in  community  music,  drama,  and  pageantry,  and  in  com- 
munity service  and  organization. 

LAND  DRAINAGE 

W.  L.  Powers,  M.  S.,  and  T.  A.  H.  Teeter,   B.   S. 
John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc.,  New  York.    1922.    IX  + 
270  pp.    Tables,  diagrams  and  illustrations.    $2.75. 
While  this   book  deals   with  the  subject   of  drainage 
primarily  from  the  agricultural  standpoint,   it   contains 
much  of  value  to  the  contractor  and  engineer  who  has  to 
do   with   the  reclamation   of   arid  and  wet   land.     It  is 
intended  principally  as  a  text-book  for  students  of  gen- 
eral agriculture   and   agricultural  engineers,    as   a  refe- 
rence book  for  practical  farmers,  and  as  an  aid  to  own- 
ers of  wet,  overflowed,  marsh,  swamp  or  alkaline  land, 
and  to  contractors  who  would  improve  this  type  of  land 
area. 

SPECIAL  LIBRARIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

"Special  Libraries  Directory,"  edited  by  Dorsey  W. 
Hyde,  Jr.,  President  of  the  Special  Libraries  Associa- 
tion. 1921.  123  pp.  The  libraries  are  listed  alpha- 
betically by  name,  and  also  geographically  by  states  and 
cities.  An  explanatory  paragraph  describes  the  particu- 
lar services  each  library  is  equipped  to  render.  (Apply 
to  Dorsey  W.  Hyde,  Jr.,  President,  Special  Libraries 
Association,  3363  16th  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington. 
D.  C.) 

BITUMINOUS  PAVEMENTS 

"Bituminous  Pavement  Investigations  in  Certain 
Texas  Cities,"  Part  II,  by  Roy  M.  Green,  Manager 
Westfrn  Laboratories,  Inc.,  Lincoln,  Nebr.  Published 
as  Bulletin  No.  24,  Texas  Engineering  Experiment  Sta- 
tion, by  the  Mechanical  and  Agricultural  College  of 
Texas,  Central  Station,  Tex.  1921.  120  pp.  Illus- 
trated. Discusses  asphaltic  concrete,  sheet  asphalt, 
Uvalde  rock  asphalt,  and  Oklahoma  rock  asphalt.  (Ap- 
ply to  J.  C.  Nagle,  Director,  Texas  Engineering  Experi- 
ment Station,  Mechanical  and  Agricultural  College  of 
Texas,  Central  Station,  Tex.) 
WATER  PURIFICATION 

"Water  Purification  in  Iowa,"  by  Jack  J.  Hinman, 
Jr.,  8  pp.  1921.  Reprinted  from  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Thirty-third  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Iowa  Engineering 
Society,  Des  Moines,  January,  1921.  (Apply  to  author. 
State  University  of  Iowa,  Ames,  Iowa.) 
COUNTY  HIGHWAYS  IN  DELAWARE 

Eighth  Biennial  Report  of  the  New  Castle  County 
State  Highway  Commissioner,  of  New  Castle  County, 
Delaware,  for  the  years  1919  and  1920.  28  pp.  Maps 
and  illustrations.  (Apply  to  Charles  E.  Gmbb,  New 
Castle  County  State  Highway  Commissioner,  Wilming- 
ton, Del.) 

SAFETY  FIRST  FOR  THE   PUBLIC. 

"An  Analysis  of   Public  Accidents."     Published   by 
the  National  Safety  Council,  168  North  Michigan  Ave 
Chicago,  111.    1921.    10  pp.     Includes  an  argument  for 
the  adoption  of  uniform  public  accident  report  forms 
(Apply  to  publishers.) 
TUBERCULOSIS  PREVENTION  IN  CANADA 

"Twenty-first  Annual  Report  of  the  Canadian  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis,"  including 
transactions  of  the  annual  meeting  held  in  Toronto 
May  21  1921.  139  pp.  (Apply  to  Robert  E.  Wode- 
house,  M.  D.,  O.B.E.,  Bank  Street  Chambers,  Ottawa. 
Can.) 

THE  FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT  AND  EDUCATION 

Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  the 
year  ended  June  30,  1921.  42  pp.  (Apply  to  Dr.  John 
James  Tigert,  Commissioner  of  Education,  Washingtpfl, 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Keeps  Roads  In  Shape 

All  Through  The  Year 

^T7"H ETHER  it's  scraping  roads  in  Spring 
^  ^  and  Summer  or  clearing  away  snow  and  ice 
in  winter,  Cletrac  "fills  the  bill"  on  every  job 
it  tackles.  Its  combination  of  good  work  a.ndfasi 
work  has  given  Cletrac  the  call  in  hundreds  of 
cities  and  towns  in  all  parts  of  the   country. 

Cletrac's  common  sense,  crawler-type  con- 
struction enables  it  to  work  right  through  the 
year  on  any  street  cleaning,  excavating,  road 
building  and  maintenance  or  heavy  haulage  job 
you  put  up  to  it.  When  you  buy  a  Cletrac  you 
get  a  power  unit  that  works  30  days  a  month, 
1 2  months  a  year. 

We  have  some  mighty  interesting  facts  and 
figures  on  Cletrac  upkeep  cost  in  comparison 
with  horses.  We'll  gladly  send  them  on  request 
together  with  any  other  information  you  desire. 

The  Cleveland  Tractor  Co. 

Largest  Producers  of  Tank-Type  Tractors  in  the  World 
19205  Euclid  Ave.  Cleveland,  Ohio 


EASY  ON  A  TRACK 
THE  CLETRAC  WAY 


84  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  T^E  Aw^^^CAN  City. 


March,  192^ 


tnt    AMERICAN    CITY 


^95 


CHILD  WELFARE  WORK  IN  CHICAGO. 

"Fighting  to  Make  Chicago  Safe  for  Children,"  by 
Louise  de  Koven  Bowen.  1920.  13  pp.  Account  of  the 
work  of  the  Juvenile  Protective  Association  of  Chicago, 
111.  Also  the  Nineteenth  Annual  Report  of  The  Juve- 
nile Protective  Association  of  Chicago  for  the  period 
from  November  1,  1919,  to  November  1,  1920,  together 
with  synopsis  of  the  work  for  1920  and  1921.  39  pp. 
(Apply  to  Albert  E.  Webster,  Acting  Superintendent, 
816  South  Halsted  Street,  Chicago,  111.) 
PROPER  FOOD  FOR  SCHOOL  CHILDREN 

The  School  I<unch,"  by  Mary  Pack.  Published  by 
the  Extension  Service  in  Agriculture  and  Home  Eco- 
nomics, College  of  Agriculture,  University  of  Illinois, 
Urban*,  111.,  as  Circular  No.  41.  1921.  23  pp.  Illus- 
trated. Applicable  especially  in  rural  districts.  (Apply 
to  author,  address  above.) 
A  SHORT  COURSE  IN  CIVICS 

"Active  Citizenship — A  Study  Outline,"  prepared 
by  Charles  Davidson,  Ph.D.  H.  W.  Wilson  Company, 
New  York,  N.  Y.  1921.  51  pp.  50  cents.  Not  a 
text-book,  but  an  outline  designed  for  the  use  of  clubs 
or  classes.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
CANADIAN  HIGHWAYS 

Annual  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  High- 
ways, Ontario,  1919.  1921.  101  pp.  Illustrated. 
Published  by  order  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  On- 
tario. (Apply  to  r.  0.  Biggs,  Minister  of  Public  Works 
and  Highways,  Toronto,  Ont. 

PUBLIC  HEALTH  INSTITUTES  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES 
Preliminary  Announcement  of  a  Series  of  Public 
Health  Institutes  to  be  held  during  1921-22.  Pub- 
lished as  Official  Circular  V.  D.  No.  2  of  the  United 
States  Public  Health  Service.  1921.  39  pp.  List  of 
cities  in  which  such  institutes  will  be  held,  together 
with  programs.  (Apply  to  The  United  States  Public 
Health   Service,   16  Seventh  Street,   S.  W.,  Washington, 

SOURCES   OF  MUNICIPAL   REVENUE 

"New  Sources  of  Revenue  for  New  Jersey  Munici- 
palities," compiled  by  The  Bureau  of  Municipal  In- 
formation of  the  New  Jersey  State  League  of  Mu- 
nicipalities, as  Report  No.  48.  31  pp.  and  appendix. 
$1.  A  careful  tabulation  of  revenues  with  discussion 
and  deductions  from  them.  Two  of  the  tables  from  the 
appendix  are  reproduced  elsewhere  in  this  issue.  (Apply 
to  Sedley  H.  Phinney,  Executive  Secretary,  New  Jer- 
sey State  League  of  Municipalities,  712  American  Me- 
chanic Building,  Trenton,  N.  J.) 
WATER  RESOURCES   OF  NEW  JERSEY 

"Report  on  the  Water  Resources  of  the  State  and 
Their  Development,"  made  by  Hazen,  Whipple  &  Fuller, 
for  the  Department  of  Conservation  and  Development 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  1922.  36  pp.  Maps  and 
illustrations.  A  thorough  and  detailed  survey  of  the 
population  and  water  requirements  of  the  New  Jersey 
Metropolitan  District  and  the  water  resources  which  will 
meet  those  requirements  for  the  next  fifty  years.  (Apply 
to  Hazen,  Whipple  &  Fuller,  30  East  42nd  Street,  New 
York,   N.    Y.) 

THE  FINANCES   OF  KANSAS   CITY,  MO. 

"Report  on  a  Study  of  the  Finance  and  Accounting 
Offices  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,"  prepared  by  the  Kansas 
City  Public  Service  Institute.  1922.  103  pp.  The 
information  presented  and  the  recommendations  made 
are  the  result  of  nearly  a  year's  study  of  the  organiza- 
tion, methods  and  procedure  of  Kansas  City  and  other 
cities,  largely  by  Ray  W.  Wilson,  Accountant  of  the  In- 
stitute. It  offers  suggestions  which,  it  is  believed, 
•would  promote  economy  and  efficiency.  (Apply  to  the 
Kansas  City  Public  Service  Institute,  715  Kansas  City 
Life  Building,  Kansas  City,  Mo.) 
STREET  SANITATION  CONFERENCE 

Report  of  Proceedings  of  the  Second  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  International  Association  of  Street  Sani- 
tation Officials,  held  in  Chicago  in  August,  1921.  43  pp. 
Illustrated.  (Apply  to  A.  M.  Anderson,  Secretary,  37 
West  Van  Buren  Street,  Chicago,  111.) 
PROPOSED  CHARTER  FOR  NEW  YORK  CITT 

Home  Rule  Charter  for  the  City  of  New  York,  pro- 
posed to  the  Charter  Revision  Commission  by  Charles 
L.  Craig,  Comptroller  of  the  City  of  New  York,  1922. 
29  pp.  (Apply  to  Charles  L.  Craig,  Comptroller,  New 
York,   N.  Y.) 

NEW  JERSEY  SEWAGE  WORKS  ASSOCIATION 

Proceedings  of  the  Sixth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  New- 
Jersey  Sewage  Works  Association,  held  in  Trenton, 
February,  1921.  24  pp.  (Apply  to  Myron  E.  Fuller, 
Secretary-Treasurer,    170    Broadway,    New    York   City). 


HOUSING   CONDITIONS    IN  WINNIPEG 

"Report  on  Housing  Survey  of  Certain  Selected 
Areas,"  made  in  March  and  April,  1921,  by  Ernest 
W.  J.  Hague,  Assistant  Chief  Health  Inspector,  1921. 
101  pp.  Illustrated.  Also  the  "Report  on  a  Survey  of 
Vacant  Houses  in  the  City,"  made  in  January,  1922. 
11  pp.  (Apply  to  Dr.  A.  J.  Douglas,  Health  Officer, 
Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  Can.) 
AMERICAN  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION  CONFERENCE 

Papers  and  Proceedings  of  the  Forty-third  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association,  held  in 
Swampscott,  Mass.,  June,  1921.  Published  as  the  July 
number  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation. 200  pp.  Free  to  members.  (Apply  to  Carl 
H.  Milam,  Secretary,  American  Library  Association,  78 
East  Washington  Street,  Chicago,  111.) 
EDUCATION  BUDGET   FOR  DETROIT 

"An  Analysis  of  the  1922-23  Budget  Requirements 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  City  of  Detroit,"  by  Arthur 
B.  Moehlman,  .T.  F.  Thomas  and  H.  W.  Anderson.  Pub- 
lished as  the  February,  1922,  number  of  The  Detroit 
Educational  Bulletin.  64  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply  to 
The  Detroit  Educational  Bulletin,  Board  of  Education, 
Detroit,  Mich.) 
RURAL   SANITATION 

"Sanitation  and  Sewage  Disposal  for  Farmsteads  and 
Country  Estates,"  by  William  Paul  Gerhard,  C.  E., 
Dr.  Eng.,  Member  American  Public  Health  Association, 
1922.  12  pp.  30  cents.  (Apply  to  author,  17  West 
42nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 
HEALTH    SURVEY   OF    LAFAYETTE,    IND. 

'  'Public  Health  Survey  of  Lafayette,  ^nd.,  and  Tippe- 
canoe County,  Ind.,"  by  Murray  P.  Horwood,  Ph.D. 
Chapter  I,  "Water  Supply,"  1921.  23  pp.  Illustrated. 
Published  by  the  Tippecanoe  County  Tuberculosis  As- 
sociation, Lafayette,  Ind.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
CHARTER  REVISION  IN  NEW  YORK 

"The  New  York  City  Charter — Report  on  Charter 
Revision,"  prepared  by  the  City  Club  of  New  York, 
for  submission  to  the  New  York  Charter  Commission, 
1921.  40  pp.  (Apply  to  Raymond  V.  Ingersoll,  Sec- 
retary, City  Club,  55  West  44th  Street,  New  York, 
N.  Y.) 
FOREST   FIRES   IN  NORTH   CAROLINA 

"Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  during  1918,  1919, 
and  1920.  and  Forest  Protection  in  North  Carolina," 
by  J.  S.  Holmes,  State  Forester.  Published  as  Economic 
Paper  No.  51,  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey,  1921.  82  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply  to  Joseph 
Hyde  Pratt,  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey,   Raleigh,   N.   C.) 

MINNESOTA  STATE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT  ASSOCIA- 
TION 

"Proceedings  of  the  Forty- Ninth  Annual  Convention 
of  the  Minnesota  State  Fire  Department  Association," 
held  at  International  Falls,  Minn.,  June,  1921.  (Apply 
to  Chief  John  A.  Gross,  Secretary,  Red  Wing,  Minn.) 
PUBLIC  MARKETS 

"Open  Types  of  Public  Markets,"  by  McFall  Kerbey. 
Published  as  Bulletin  No.  1002,  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  1921.  18  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply 
to  Bureau  of  Markets  and  Crop  Estimates,  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C.) 
SHIPPING   WATER    SAMPLES 

"A  New  Water  Sample  Shipping  Case,"  with  some 
observations  on  the  changes  that  take  place  in  stored 
samples  of  water,  by  R.  R.  Spencer,  Assistant  Surgeon, 
and  H.  P.  Letton,  Sanitary  Engineer,  United  States 
Public  Health  Service.  Reprint  No.  425,  Public  Health 
Reports.  8  pp.  Illustrated.  (Xpply  to  the  United 
States  Public  Health   Service,   Washington,   D.   C.) 

FIRE  PREVENTION  IN  DETROIT 

Report  of  the  Fire  Prevention  Committee  of  the 
Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  on  Fire  Prevention  Week, 
October  2-9,  1921.  (Apply  to  J.  Robbins,  Secretary, 
Fire  Prevention  Committee,  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce, 
Detroit,   Mich.) 

OHIO    STATE    FIRE    MARSHAL'S    BULLETIN 

Official  Bulletin,  Ohio  State  Fire  Marshal's  Depart- 
ment. October,  1921.  32  pp.  (Apply  to  H.  A.  Dyke- 
man,,  State  Fire  Marshal,  Wyandotte  Building,  Colum- 
bus,  Ohio.) 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  CHILD  HEALTH 

Books  on  Health,  as  related  to  the  School  Child. 
Second  Edition,  Revised.  Bibliography  Bulletin  69, 
New  York  State  Library.  Published  by  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  1921.  37  pp.  (Apply  to 
James  I.  Wyer,  Ph.  D.,  Director  of  the  State  Library, 
Albany,  N.  Y.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The    "  Caterpillar's"  * 
usefulness  is  not  lim- 
ited to  hauling  garbage. 
For  grading  streets  and 
roads,  removing  snow, 
working    on    farm     or 
ranch,  in  the  mining, 
oil  and  [lumber  indus- 
tries —  wherever  power 
and  endurance  is  at  a 
premium,    the  "Cater- 
pillar"*   has    no    real 
[competitor.       There   is 
la  "Caterpillar"  of  size 
fand  capacity  for  every 
*power  need,   ■ 


HOLT 


PEORIA>       ILL. 
STOCKTON.  CAUR 


Making  Good  in  Minneapolis 

Because  their  officials  have  proved  the  "Caterpillar"* 
method  the  most  practical  and  cheapest  way  of  grad= 
ing  and  maintaining  roads,  removing  snow,  and  haul' 
ing  materials,  Minneapolis  and  Hennepin  County, 
Minnesota,  are  now  operating  a  fleet  of  11  "Caterpil- 
lars."* New  York,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  Akron, 
Dallas,  Spokane  and  scores  of  other  cities  and  towns 
are  "Caterpillar"*-equipped  in  order  to  cut  the  cost 
of  public  works  to  the  lowest  figure.  We  shall  be 
glad  to  exhibit  motion  pictures  of  "Caterpillars"*  in 
action  on  jobs  like  yours,  or  send  you  a  copy  of  our 
new  booklet,  "Caterpillar"*  Performance. 

*There  is  hut  one  ** Caterpillar"— Holt  builds  it 
THE  HOLT  MFG.  CO.,  /nc,  PEORIA,  ILL. 

Branches  and  service  stations  all  over  the  world 

Eastern  Division:     50  Church  St.,  New  York 
2429   Farnam   St.,   Omaha,   Nebr.  305   MerchanU  Bank   BIdgr., 

417  Washington  Ave.  N.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  2045-47  Main  St.,  Kansas  City,   Mo. 

5th  and  Court  Sts.,  Des  Moines,  la.     Holt  Company  of  Texas,  Dallas,  Tex. 
Canadian  Holt  Co.,  Ltd.,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 


86 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amebican  City, 


297 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for   City  and   County   Engineers,  City  Managers,  Water-Works   Super- 
intendents, City   Controllers,  Park  Superintendents,  Purchasing  Agents,   and 
Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  Efficient  Operation  of 
Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


Waterproofed  Cement  for 
Outdoor  Swimming  Pools 

The  construction  of  swimming  pools  by  vari- 
ous communities  has  become  one  of  the  most 
interesting  studies  among  engineers  and  mu- 
nicipal officials.  One  of  the  chief  problems  en- 
countered is  building  a  pool  which  will  be 
water-tight,  white,  and  will  not  stain. 

The  use  of  Medusa  waterproofed  white  Port- 
land cement,  manufactured  by  the  Sandusky 
Cement  Company,  626  Engineers  Building, 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  has  overcome  these  difficulties 
in  a  number  of  pools.  There  are  two  outdoor 
pools  where  the  use  of  this  cement  has  been 
particularly  notable.  Both  have  plaster  coats 
over  a  reinforced  gray  Portland  cement  base, 
one  using  the  plain  white  cement  and  the  other 
the  waterproofed  cement. 

The  outdoor  pool  at  Riverside  Park,  near 
Springfield,  Mass.,  is  of  the  saucer  type,  built 
with  reinforced  concrete,  and  is  some  300  feet 
in  diameter.  A  finish  plaster  coat  of  Medusa  plain 
white  cement,  white  bank  sand  and  hydrated 
lime  was  used.  This  pool  has  been  in  use  about 
six  years,  and  the  white  cement  finish  has  with- 
stood the  severe  weather  of  that  part  of  the 
country,  frequently  reaching  far  below  the  zero 
mark;  but  in  this  case  the  cement  has  become 
discolored  through  the  absorption  of  vegetable 
matter  contained  in  the  water  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  although  the  hydrated  lime  was  supposed 
to  make  it  impervious.  If  Medusa  white  water- 
proofed cement  had  been  used  in  this  work,  at  a 
cost  of  about  $90  additional,  this  cause  of  dis- 
coloration by  water  coming  up  from  beneath 
would  have  been  overcome. 

Another  swimming  pool  which  represents 
about  the  best  in  pool  construction  to-day  is  an 


outdoor  pool,  60  X  40  feet,  on  the  Henry  Phipps 
estate,  Westbury,  L.  I.  This  pool  was  built  of 
concrete  with  a  finished  plaster  coat  of  Medusa 
waterproofed  white  Portland  cement  and  white 
crushed  marble  in  a  i  to  2  mix.  After  the 
forms  were  stripped  and  the  surface  roughened, 
the  plaster  was  applied  in  thin  coats  until  a 
thickness  of  i  inch  was  reached  for  the  side 
walls.  The  floor  was  laid  in  one  operation  at 
a  thickness  of  2  inches.  Expansion  joints  were 
placed  perpendicularly  on  the  side  walls  and 
across  the  floors,  10  feet  on  centers  to  a  depth 
of  J^-inch  on  walls  and  i  inch  in  the  floors. 
After  three  days,  when  the  plaster  had  become 
sufficiently  hardened,  the  entire  surface  was 
gone  over  carefully  with  a  fine  carborundum 
stone,  sufficiently  to  remove  the  trowel  marks, 
and  then  brush-coated  with  clear  cement.  This 
cement  coating  was  allowed  to  remain  until  the 
operation  was  about  completed,  at  which  time 
it  was  again  gone  over  with  a  fine  carborundum 
stone  with  plenty  of  clean  water,  until  a  per- 
fectly smooth  surface  was  reached.  This  pool 
is  very  pleasing  in  appearance,  and,  after  five 
years,  resembles  white  marble. 

The  above  operation  may  at  first  thought  ap- 
pear expensive.  The  first  stone  rubbing  is  the 
most  costly,  but  when  done  at  the  proper  time 
a  square  yard  can  be  rubbed  by  hand  in  ten 
minutes.  In  the  finish  rubbing  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  remove  the  cement  film  to  bring  up  a 
smooth  surface.  Most  of  this  can  be  done  by 
machine  on  good-sized  operations. 

Medusa  waterproofed  white  Portland  cement 
has  been  tested  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Construc- 
tion Department  of  New  York  City  for  absorp- 
tion and  discoloration  from  the  body  oils,  and 
after  three  weeks'  tryout  at  the  indoor  pool  at 
58th  Street  and  8th  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
it  was  pronounced  a  success. 


CONCBETE  SWIMMINO  FOOL  BXTIIiT  WITH  WHITE  WATEB-FBOOF  CEMENT,  HASTINaS,  NEBB. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


'■afrCSiL- ■■'{''' r'-.V-. 


*^T£^-(-..;  v.v: 


i.f-^.i':,:-,h">0- 


Tractors 

for  power,  speed,  economy 

Preparing  streets  for  repaying,  breaking  up  old  pavements,  making  new 
thoroughfares,  all  require  an  abundance  of  steady,  dependable  power. 

Scarifiers,  plows,  drills,  levelers,  scrapers,  graders,  etc.,  do  their  best 
work,  and  more  of  it,  when  propelled  by  good  tractors.  This  is  because 
the  tractor  has  the  reserve  power  to  keep  the  tool  moving  constantly 
at  proper  speeds  and  with  proper  adjustments  for  maximum  results. 

Tractors  like  the  BEST  concentrate  the  pulling  power  of  a  large 
number  of  animals  within  a  small  unit  which  is  easy  to  manage,  easy 
to  maneuver,  and  which  has  none  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh. 

Best  Tractors  are  famous  for  stamina,  power  and  dependability,  and 
their  cost  for  up-keep  and  operation  is  small.  That  is  why  they  are 
being  adopted  more  and  more  by  municipal,  county  and  state  officials 
for  road  and  street  making  and  maintenance. 

Let  us  send  you  further  details  on  the  use  of  tractors  for  road  and  street 
work.     Write  for  catalogs,  prices  and  names  of  our  nearest  dealers. 

C.L.BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO  -  CALIFORNIA 

There  are  three  models  of  Best  Tractors — the  "Sixty,"  the"  Thirty" 
and   the   "Cruiser"    (60).     All  are  factory-built — not  assembled. 


^9* 


^?'- 


"Sixty" 


"Thirty" 


Cruiser" 


8« 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  Cjty. 


Mar.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


299 


A    TYPICAL    ZEOLITE    SOFTENING    AND    ±il.i±iitiNa 
EQUIPMENT 


Water-Softening  for  Municipal 
Supplies  and  Boiler  Feed 

The    softening   of    municipal    drinking-water 
supplies  is  receiving  the  attention  of  many  cities 
and  towns  where  reduction  in  the  hardness  of 
water  is  proving  to  be  an  economic  and  indus- 
trial necessity.     P'or  the  solution  of  such  prob- 
lems,    the     Permutit     Company,     440     Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York  City,  has  had  on  the  Ameri- 
can market  for  a  number  of  years  its  zeolite 
method  of  automatically  softening  water  by  ex- 
tracting  all   of   the   hardness    from   the   water 
without  the  addition  of  chemicals  'or  the  applica- 
tion of  heat.     A  zeolite  is  a  sodium  aluminum 
silicate  compound  which  possesses  the  remarkable 
property  of  exchanging  its  sodium  for  lime  or 
magnesia  when  these  elements  come  in  contact 
with  it  in  the  form  of  hardness  in  water.   Some 
of  the  properties  of  zeolite  have  been  known  to 
science  for  many    years,  but  the  first  important 
advance    was    made    by    Dr.    Robert 
Cans,  who  produced  a  stable  artificial 
zeolite  of  high  exchange  value,  and  an 
apparatus    for  its  practical  use,  thus 
paving  the  way  for  rapid  commercial 
development. 

Zeolite  water-softeners  are  made  in 
pressure  and  gravity  types  constructed 
with  steel,  concrete  or  wooden  shells. 
Water  to  be  softened  flows  slowly 
through  the  tank  downward,  its  hard- 
ness being  automatically  removed. 
When  the  zeolite  material  needs  re- 
newing, all  that  is  necessary  is  to  flush 
it  with  a  salt  solution  and  then  back- 
wash with  some  of  the  softened  water. 
Then  the  material  is  aS  good  as  new. 

Economic  and  satisfactory  power- 
plant  operation  demands  that  boilers  be 
fed  with  water  that  is  free  from  all 
scale,  sludge  and  mud-forming  im- 
purities. For  the  prevention  of  scale, 
the  Permutit  Company  offers  a  water- 
softening  equipment  of  the  zeolite  type 
which  is  in  use  in  several  thousands  of 
power-plants  to-day  and  is  effectively 
perventing  the  formation  of  any  scale 
whatsoever.  The  complete  removal  of 
all  scale-forming  impurities  from 
boiler  feed  water  before  it  enters  the 
boiler  is  the   logical   correct  way  to 


keep  the  boiler-heating  surfaces  clean. 
Simplicity,  ease  of  operation  and  sure  re- 
sults are  necessary,  and  are  provided  by 
this  method.  Sludge  and  mud-forming 
impurities  can  best  be  removed  from 
boiler  feed  water  by  correct  filtration. 

Permutit  water  rectification  apparatus 
is  also  made  for  the  removal  of  iron  and 
manganese,  oil,  excess  chlorine  and  am- 
monia. 

New  Engineering  Firm 

Under  the  firm  name  of  Hudson  & 
Myron,  Engineers,  Messrs.  Leo  Hudson 
and  John  P.  Myron  have  formed  a  part- 
nership for  the  practice  of  engineering, 
with  offices  at  808-810  Wabash  Building,  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  Mr.  Hudson  has  been  in  private 
practice  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  principally  in 
water-works,  sewerage,  power-plants,  valuations 
and  rates.  Mr.  Myron,  until  recently,  was 
connected  with  the  Pittsburgh  Filter  and  Engi- 
neering Company. 

Price  With  Kirkgasser 

It  has  been  announced  that  H.  B.  Price, 
formerly  Advertising  Manager  of  the  Belden 
Manufacturing  Company,  Chicago,  111.,  who  has 
been  connected  with  that  company  for  several 
years  in  various  engineering,  production  and 
sales  capacities,  has  resigned  and  joined  the  ad- 
vertising agency  of  George  J.  Kirkgasser  & 
Company.  Mr.  Price  will  specialize  in  electri- 
cal and  technical  advertising,  and  in  addition  to 
an  engineering  education  brings  to  his  new  work 
a  wide  practical  experience  in  engineering,  con- 
struction, sales  and  operation. 


f 


TYPICAL 


2i-HQUB    BOILER    FEED-WATEB 
PLANT 


SOPTSNINa 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Street   Flushers   and   Trucks 

MORE  MACHINES  IN  USE  THAN  ANY  OTHER  MAKE,  BECAUSE 

THEY  GET  RESULTS.    REAL  MERIT  ALWAYS  COUNTS 

ASK  FOR  CATALOGS.     THE  TIFFIN  WAGON  CO.,  TIFFIN,  O. 


Makers,  also,  of  Tiffin 
Motor  Trucks,  Farm  and 
Dump  wagons,  and  Munic- 
ipal Vehicles. 


Have  Good 
Streets  Cheap 
All  Year' Round 


Avery  One-Man  "Road- 
Razer"  is  the  fastest,  most 
satisfactory  and  economical 
machine  made  for  keeping 
roads  and  streets  good.  One 
man  and  this  machine  can 
keep  many  miles  of  city 
streets  in  good  condition  the 
year  'round.  Also  solves  the 
snow  problem. 

It  shaves  the  roughest,  ruttiest  dirt  streets 
in  a  few  minutes'  time.  On  rock  and  gravel 
roads,  the  scarifier  attachment  loosens  up  the 
surface  and  the  "Road-Razer"  blade  shaves 
it  down  to  a  hard,  smooth  surface  leaving  the 
road  better  than  new. 

No  other  machine  like  it — a  self-contained 


VERY 

Road  Building  and  Road 
Maintenance  Machinery 


unit — blades  and  power  in  one  machine. 
Turns  in  its  own  tracks  in  three  seconds. 
Backs  up  instantly.  Has  wide,  flexible,  three 
section  12-foot  blade  that  fits  or  shapes  any 
curve  or  crown  of  the  street.  Equipped  with 
powerful  six-cylinder  motor. 

Sold  on  approval,  subject  to  demonstra- 
tion. Strongly  guaranteed.  Saves  money  for 
tax  payers  and  solves  the  problem  of  road 
and  street  officials,  the  country  over.  .Write 
to-day  for  prices  and  complete  information. 

AVERY  COMPANY 

223  Iowa  St.  Peoria,  111. 


87 


When  writirg  to  Advertisers  please  mentioQ  Tqs  Amesican  City* 


Mar.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


301 


A  Pneumatic  Tire  That 
Ruts  Do  Not  Harm 

Ruts  need  have  no  menace  for  the  life  of  cord 
truck  tires  now  that  Goodyear  has  perfected  and 
is  marketing  a  "rut-proof"  cord  pneumatic  truck 
tire. 

Spectacular  proof  that  this  tire  is  practicable 
was  afforded  by  a  test  in  which  these  tires  on  a 
Goodyear  Heights  bus  were  run  against  the 
curbing  for  500  miles.  At  the  end  of  the  test 
the  sidewalls  were  not  worn  through.  Ordinary 
pneumatic  truck  tires  were  worn  through  the 
sidewalls  in  less  than  five  miles  when  run  against 
the  curb. 


SECTION   OP    NEW    PNEUMATIC    TIEE 

A — The  Bead,   B — Sidewall,  0 — Plies,  D — ^Alr  Vol- 
ume,   E — Breaker   Strip,   F — Tread,    G — The   Cure. 


The  Goodyear  "rust-proof"  pneumatic  truck 
tire  is  the  result  of  objections  to  thej  use  of 
pneumatic  truck  tires  in  some  rural  districts  be- 
cause of  the  premature  wear  of  sidewalls,  re- 
sulting from  the  contact  of  these  large  tires  with 
the  frozen  ruts  of  winter  and  the  sun-baked 
ruts  of  summer.  This  became  more  prominent 
as  the  use  of  motor  trucks  increased  for  inter- 
city hauling  over  unimproved  highways,  and 
Goodyear  engineers  immediately  started  a  thor- 
ough investigation  of  these  conditions  so  as  to 
make  pneumatic  truck  tires  more  efficient  for 
this  class  of  service. 

The  engineers  picked  for  development  work 
a  section  of  Ohio  in  and  around  New  Philadel- 
phia where  there  were  a  large  number  of  pneu- 
matic-tired trucks  engaged  in  hauling  coal. 
This  particular  section  of  Ohio  seems  to  be  a 
little  backward  in  the  improvement  of  highways, 
and  road  conditions  were  very  severe  during  the 
fall,  winter  and  spring  months,  as  the  dirt 
and  clay  roads  would  get  soft  with  the  heavy 
rains  and  then  freeze  with  the  cold  weather. 
Ruts  ran  from  6  to  12  inches  deep,  so  that  if 
pneumatic-tired  trucks  traveled  over  the  roads, 
the  tires  were  running  on  the  edge  of  the  frozen 
ruts,  constantly  wearing  away  the  sidewalls. 

The  engineers  developed  a  tire  with  a  specially 
compounded  sidewall  much  thicker  than  the  side- 
wall  used  on  regular  pneumatic  truck  tires,  and 
put  a  number  of  these  tires  into  use  on  these 
coal  trucks.  The  results  were  declared  to  be 
very  gratifying,  and  the  idea  was  constantly 
improved,  resulting  in  the  Goodyear  "Rut- 
Proof"  cord  pneumatic  truck  tires  for  use  on 
trucks  which  are  forced  to  use  unimproved 
highways. 

Tubular  Steel  Flag  Poles 

Many  artistically  executed  flagpole  monu- 
ments have  lately  been  erected  by  leading  archi- 
tects who,  no  longer  handicapped  by  the  insuffi- 
ciencies of  the  wooden  pole,  have  used  its  suc- 
cessor, the  tubular  steel  pole,  for  this  purpose. 
This  product  appeared  about  1900  in  New  York 
and  was  taken  up  as  an  exclusive  specialty  by  the 
Pole  &  Tube  Works,  Inc.,  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
The  first  few  poles  proving  unduly  expensive, 
a  special  hydraulic  swaging  machine  capable  of 
handling  all  sizes  of  steel  pipe  from  18  inches 
to  2  feet  in  diameter,  was  built.  In  this  manner 
tubular  poles  are  produced  so  nearly  resembling 
the  time-honored  wood  poles  as  to  be  almost  in- 
distinguishable in  appearance,  and  of  such  con- 
struction as  to  remain  permanently  air-tight. 

Under  the  constant  vibration  and  occasionally 
severe  deflections  during  hurricanes,  none  but 
the  best-designed  joint  will  remain  tight;  lead 
caulking  will  "creep";  pins  or  screws  will 
loosen  and  open  the  way  for  moisture  to  attack 
the  broken  paint  film.  The  appearance  of  a 
jointed  tubular  pole  depends  on  the  greatest 
number  of  least  visible  reductions  to  effect  the 
taper — the  greater  the  taper  the  better.  The 
well-known  tubular  steel  poles  are  second  to 
the  "continuous  taper  welded"  type,  which  has 
been  chosen  by  fastidious  architects  for  monu- 
mental purposes,  as  shown  in  the  photograph  of 
the  monument  at  Duluth,  Minn.,  of  which  Cass 


tHE    AMERICAN    CItY 


Klacliiiiery  plays  such  a  large  part  iu  the  work  of  building  and 
uiaintaiuing  public  highways,  that  it  is  important  to  select 
machines  that  will  give  tlie  most  satisfactory  service.  Here 
are  a  few  suggestions: 

First.  Buy  from  a  reliable,  well-established  concern  that  lias 
the  will  and  the  organization  to  treat  you  right  and  to  furnish 
service. 

Second.  Buy  a  machine  that  will  stand  up  under  all  condi- 
tions.   The  machine  that  lasts  is  the  one  that  is  profitable  to  use. 

Third.  Don't  be  too  much  concerned  about  price.  Get  your 
money's  worth,  but  above  all,  get  a  good,  Serviceable  machine. 


Keystone  Corrugated  Metal  Culvert  Pipe. 
Furnished  in  diameters  from  8  to  72  inches 
any   length   desired.     Guaranteed   25    years. 


Monarch    Pressure    Oil     Distributor.      Fur- 
nished either  in  the  horse-drawn  type  or  for 
mounting  on  motor  trucks. 


The  Monarch  Steam  Road  Roller  with  Steam 
Pressure  Scarifier.    A  durable  and  depend- 
able  3-wheeled    10-Ion   roller. 


Champion  Steel  Rork  Crusher.  Mounted  with  Elevator,  Screen 

and  Portable  Stone  Bin.  Made  in  several  sizes,  15  to  300  to^s 

daily. 


The  Winner  Highway  Patrol  Road  Grader,  made  in  six  dif- 
ferent sizes.    A  one-man,  two-horse  machine  for  maintaining 
dirt  and  gravel  roads.    Weight  1150  pounds.  _^  Blade  6  feet 
■\.long.  ' 


j^sk^for  our  new  cata/o^ 

^'^verythin^  for  the  Rose/maker* 


BRANCH 

offices: 

boston.  mass 

NEWYORK.NY  KENNETTSQUARE\, 


GOOD  ROADS 
MACHINERY  C? 


I  CHICAGO, ILL. 

ATLANTA,GA. 

PiTTSBURGH;^- 

'PENNSYLVANIA  KANSAS  CITY, MO. 


PORTLAND,  OREGON -PHILADELPHIA.  PA. -- SAN  FRANCISCO  Cr^  LOS  ANGELES.  CAL. 


88 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


When  You  Decide  On 

GRANITE 

For 

CURBING  OR   PAVING 

You  Settle  the  Problem 

FOREVER 


IVrite  to  any  of  the  following  firms : 


members  of  the 

Granite  Paving  Block  Manufacturers'  Association 
OF  THE  United  States,  Inc. 


AicvBiA  Granite  Co. 

605  Gould  Building 

Atlanta,  Georgia 

108  Bell  Block 

Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Booth  Brothers  and  Hurri- 
cane Isi.E  Granite  Company 
208  Broadway,  New  York 

Cape  Ann  Granite  Co. 
Lanesville,  Massachusetts 

Central  Contracting  Co. 

Salisbury,  North  Carolina 

Davidson  Granite  Co. 
Lithonia,  Georgia 

H.  E.  Fletcher  Co. 
West  Chelmsford, 

Massachusetts 

Groton  Granite  Co. 
10  Faneuil  Hall  Square 
Boston,  Mass 

Guilford  and  Waltersville 
Granite  Company 

Law  Building 
Baltimore,  Maryland 


Hildreth  Granite  Co. 

Main  Office 

3 1  State  Street, 

Boston,  Massachusetts 

Branch  Office 

150  Nassau  Street,  New  York 

St.  George  Granite  Co. 

90  West  Street 

New  York,  New  York 

J.  Leopold  &  Co.,  Inc. 
233  Broadway,  New  York 

Maine  and  New  Hampshire 

Granite  Corporation 

North  Jay,  Maine 

Frank  A.  Malorey 
694  School  Street 
Lowell,  Massachusetts 

R.  B.  Marrott  and  Son 
Oneco,  Connecticut 

John  Meehan  &  Son 

912  West  Dauphin  Street 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

74  Cortlandt  Street 
New  York,  New  York 


New  England  Granite  Co. 
Westerly,  Rhode  Island 

North  Carolina  Granite  Co. 

Mount  Airy,  North  Carolina 

Pine  Mountain  Granite  Co. 
Central  Building,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Rockport  Granite  Co. 

31  State  Street 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

13  Park  Row 
New  York,  New  York 

Roberts  Harbor  Granite 
Company 

Care  of  Booth  Brothers 
208  Broadway,  New  York 

Salisbury  Granite  Co. 
Salisbury,  North  Carolina 

Stone  Mountain  Granite  Co. 

Stone  Mountain,  Georgia 


VVlun  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The   American   City. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


This  signal  placed 
in  roadway  at  street 
intersection. 


'Bring   Your  Traffic  Problems   to   Us'' 

Federal  Signal   Company 

ALBANY,  N.  Y. 


90 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Mar.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


30 


TUBULAR      STEEL     FLAGPOLE     AT     DULUTH, 
MINNNESOTA 

Gilbert  of  New  York  is  the  architect.  Another 
monument  of  this  type,  designed  by  Henry 
Bacon,  New  York  architect,  was  recently  dedi- 
cated at  Naugatuck,  Conn.  This  iio-foot  pole 
is  novel  in  so  far  as  it  is  bronze- jacketed 
throughout  its  entire  height  of  88  feet  above  the 
bronze  socle.  The  jacket  was  spirally  wound 
under  great  tension,  over  the  steel  pipe,  and 
seam-soldered,  and  will  remain  a  permanent  pro- 
tection. Harmonizing  with  the  bronze  orna- 
mentation, it  presents  an  appearance  of  great 
beauty. 

A  Meter  with  Breakable  Cast 
Iron  Frost  Bottom 

The    Buffalo    Meter    Company,    2917    Main 


Street,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  has  been  manufacturing 
disc  water  meters  exclusively  for  30  years,  and 
its  American  meter  in  the  present  form  was 
first  placed  on  the  market  18  years  ago.  To 
meet  the  demand  of  numerous  water-works 
superintendents  for  meters  with  breakable  frost 
bottoms,  the  Buffalo  Meter  Company  is  now 
making  the  American  meter  so  that  it  can  be 
supplied  in  that  style  of  outside  case.  It  is  not 
the  intention  that  this  construction  shall  super- 
sede the  older  styles  of  casings  in  which  the 
meter  has  been  supplied  for  many  years.  The 
frost-proof  casing  simply  provides  another  type 
of  casing  so  that  that  type  most  suitable  for  the 
service  conditions  may  be  supplied. 

When  the  meter  with  a  breakable  frost  bot- 
tom casing  freezes  up  and  the  pressure  in  the 
pipe  reaches  450  pounds,  the  bottom  casing 
breaks  out  at  the  disc  chamber  seat.  This  per- 
mits all  four  parts  of  the  disc  chamber  to 
separate  and  the  intermediate  gearing  to  sepa- 


WATER  METER   WITH   BREAK- 
ABLE  FROST  BOTTOM 

rate  at  three  points,  thereby  relieving  each  work- 
ing part  from  injurious  strain.  Protection  of 
the  intermediate  gearing  by  freedom  of  its  parts 
to  separate  and  move  with  the  ice  is  patented. 
The  disc  chamber  is  supported  in  a  shallow  seat, 
so  there  is  no  possibility  that  it  will  stick  or 
jam  when  necessary  to  remove  it  for  inspection 
or  cleaning.  The  disc  chamber  seat  is  entirely 
in  the  breakable  bottom,  so  after  each  freezing 
a  new  and  accurately  machined  seat  is  provided 
It  is  claimed  that  the  American  meter  is  the 
only  meter  with  breakable  frost  bottom  that  as- 
sembles right  side  up,  that  is,  the  assembly 
starts  by  placing  the  disc  chamber  in  the  break- 
able bottom  casing.  The  flange  bolts  may  be 
drawn  up  unevenly  or  excessively  tight  and  there 
is  no  chance  of  breaking  the  frost  bottom  or  dis- 
torting the  measuring  chamber,  because  the  pres- 
sure comes  entirely  on  the  flange  gasket.  All 
the  features  that  have  added  to  the  accuracy  of 
the  Niagara  and  American  meters  have  been  re- 
tained in  this  new  frost-proof  model.  The 
pivot  bearing,  intermediate  gears,  thick  rein- 
forced measuring  disc,  adjustment  for  high  and 
low  pressures,  submerged  bearings  protected 
against  sand  and  sediment,  interchangeable  round 
reading  and  straight  reading  registers  are  all 
found  in  the  frost-proof  model. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


tp*"-.    i-»  ■— ^<^a«i|(p^fc. 


'- .i  '  !■>■ 


imm"*    «i\,'*-mr'- 


CUT  STREET  CLEANING  COSTS 
SQUARELY  IN  HALF! 


The   AUTOSWEEPER 


The    ELGIN 


Works  at  twice  the  speed  of  horse-drawn 
sweepers.  One  AUTOSWEEPER  does  the 
work  of  two  horse-drawn  sweepers. 

Sprays  the  street  and  sweeps  it. 

Placed  near  center  of  street,  it  is  unequalled  as 
a  "feeder"  to  a  pick-up  sweeper. 

Circular  No.  A-44  tells  all  about  the  AUTO- 
SWEEPER. 


A  sentence  from  a  sample  letter: — 

"We  have  made  50%  saving  in  street  cleaning  since 
introducing  the  ELGIN,  Aug.  20,  1918."  Name 
on  request. 

You'll  find  "The  Eventual  Method"  in  The 
ELGIN:  the  machine  that  sprays  the  street,  cleans 
the  gutter,  sweeps  I  0  ft.  of  pavement,  collects  the 
refuse  and  carts  it  away. 

1 63  owners  have  284  Elgin  machines. 

Circular  No.  A-4S  describes  The  ELGIN. 


The 
AUTO-EDUCTOR 


During  last  September,  Chicago's  7  AUTO- 
EDUCTORS  cleaned  2.809  catch  basins  at 
$1.90  each. 

In  the  same  month,  Chicago  cleaned  1 , 1 65 
catch  basins  by  hand.   These  cost  $4.41  each. 

The  AUTO-EDUCTOR  saved  $2.51  per 
catch  basin. 

Without  alteration,  and  with  little  additional  equipment,  the 
AUTO-EDUCTOR  becomes  a  flusher,  sprinkler,  tree- 
sprayer,  snow  plow,  ordinary  truck,  etc.  Can  be  used  365 
days  a  year,  both  day  and  night. 

Circular  No  A'50  tells  how. 


THE    ELGIN    LINE    COMPRISES    AMERICA'S    LEADERS 

ELGIN  SALES  CORPORATION 

501   Fifth  Avenue,  Old  Colony  Building, 


NEW  YORK 


U.  S.  A. 


CHICAGO 


91 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Mar.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


305 


Elgin  to  Sell  Otterson  Eductor 

Announcement  has  been  made  by  George  C. 
Dodge,  President,  Elgin  Sales  Corporation,  501 
Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  that  the  Otter- 
son  Auto-Eductor  for  cleaning  catch-basins  has 
been  taken  over  by  the  Elgin  organization.  It 
will  be  manufactured  at  Elgin,  111.,  by  the  Elgin 
Street  Sweeper  Company  and  w[ll  be  sold  by 
the  Elgin  Sales  Corporation  and  its  representa- 
tives throughout  the  United  States.  The  right 
of  the  Elgin  Company  in  the  Auto-Eductor 
cover  only  the  United  States  and  its  possessions. 
Sales  will  be  handled  in  exactly  the  same  man- 
ner as  those  of  the  Elgin  motor  sweeper  and 
other  machines  of  the  Elgin  organizations. 

Norwood  Engineeriag 
Company  Reorganized 

On  February  15,  1922,  the  Norwood  Engineer- 
ing Company,  of  Florence,  Mass.,  underwent  a 
reorganization.  The  major  portion  of  the  capi- 
tal stock  is  owned  by  G.  Wilson  MacDow,  of 
Boston.  The  business  of  the  company  will  be 
conducted  along  the  same  lines  and  under  the 
same  management  as  at  present,  with  a  possible 
expansion  if  business  warrants.  Officers  were 
elected  as  follows :  President  and  Treasurer, 
Warren  M.  King;  Vice-President  and  General 
Manager,  H.  W.  Hosford ;  Clerk,  H.  B.  Hayen ; 
Assistant  Treasurer,  G.  Wilson  MacDow.  H.  P. 
Otis  of  Florence,  L.  C.  Perrin  and  R.  N. 
Smithers  of  Boston,  with  the  officers  above 
named,  comprise  the  Board  of  Directors. 


Lang  Retires  as  President 
of  Lakewood 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Lakewood  Engi- 
neering Company,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Charles  F. 
Lang  retired  f roin  the  presidency.  Reports  from 
the  field  force  show  every  indication  of  an 
increase  of  business  in  all  departments,  par- 
ticularly in  the  paving  and  general  construction 
fields.  It  has  already  been  necessary  to  in- 
crease the  factory  force  to  meet  the  improved 
demand. 

What  Antigo  Found  in 
its  Sewers 

Not  very  long  ago  the  city  of  Antigo,  Wis , 
was  thinking  of  digging  up  450  feet  of  24-inch 
sewer  to  remove  the  material  that  was  clogging 
if.  At  that  time  the  city  got  in  touch  with  the 
Turbine  Sewer  Machine  Company,  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  and  a  demonstration  was  given  in  wljich 
2,000  feet  of  sewer  was  cleaned  the  first  day 
The  sewer  was  found  grown  full  of  roots  and 
clogged  with  sticks  and  mud,  and  the  only  way 
out  of  the  trouble  would  have  been  to  dig  a  new 
trench  along  the  sewer  and  lay  a  new  line,  all  of 
which  would  have  cost  a  large  sum  of  money. 
The  purchase  of  a  Turbine  machine  saved  the 
cost  of  laying  this  new  sewer.  It  took  three 
men  to  hoist  chunks  of  roots  and  rubbish  from 
the  manholes. 

In  addition  to  root  growths,  these  machines 
have  removed  excess  cement  at  joints  and  vitre- 
ous deposits  from  sewers  in  other  cities. 


A  MASS   or  IiABOE  ROOTS  TAKEN   FROM  A   24-INCH   SEWER  AT   ANTIGO,   WIS. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


(yenml  Motor^ltadlcsi 


Keeping  Austin,  Minn.,  Roads  In  Good  Condition 


In  Austin,  Minnesota,  as  in  almost  every 
other  hustling  community,  they  appreciate  the 
fact  that  good  roads  always  lead  to  better  busi- 
ness. And  what's  more,  they  have  backed  up 
their  faith  with  works  as  well  as  words. 

So  nowadays  when  one  drives  into  Austin, 
he  is  impressed  at  once  by  the  "spic  and  span" 
appearance  of  the  place  which  is  traced  im- 
mediately to  the  well-built,  clean-kept  roads. 
They  leave  such  a  pleasing  impression  with  the 
visitor  that  he  cannot  help  but  become  an  en- 
thusiastic booster  for  the  town. 

Keeping  these  good  Austin  streets  clean  and 
dustless  has  been  the  task  allotted  to  the  G  M  C 
truck  shown  in  the  photograph  above.  And  it 
has  done  this  work  faithfully  and  well,  provid- 
ing the  same  dependable  service  day  after  day 
with  uniformly  low  operating  costs. 

Many  other  towns,  cities  and  villages  are 
using  G  M  C  trucks  with  the  same  satisfying 
and  economical  results.  For  the  G  M  C  engine 
was  designed  exclusively  for  motor  truck  usage 
with  full  appreciation  of  all  the  essential  quali- 
ties necessary  for  the  success  of  such  an  engine 
under  all  conditions — economy  of  operation — 
surplus  power — and  quick  accessibility  for  re- 
adjustment and  replacement,  with  the  conse- 
quential lowered  costs  for  this  work. 

Removable  Cylinder  Sleeves 

As  an  example  of  the  practical  accessibility  of 
G  M  C  construction  it  is  possible  to  remove  a 
cylinder   sleeve   from   the    G  M  C   engine   and 


replace  it  in  a  few  hours.  This  eliminates  the 
heavy  repair  expenses  that  follows  when  the 
entire  cylinder  block  must  be  taken  from  the 
truck  and  remachined,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
common  type  of  engine. 

Each  cylinder  in  a  G  M  C  engine  is  a  separate 
sleeve  which  is  pressed  into  place  in  the  cylinder 
block.  The  sleeves  are  machined  on  both  sides 
to  accurate  thickness  and  the  expansion  and 
construction  of  the  walls  under  temperature 
changes,  is  consequently  spread  evenly,  prevent- 
ing the  cylinder  from  becoming  out  of  round  and 
causing  excessive  wear. 

No  Lost  Compression 

Moreover  this  type  of  cylinder  construction 
insures  an  absolute  and  continuous  fit  of  piston 
rings  and  pistons,  preventing  any  loss  of  com- 
pression as  is  the  case  of  the  common  type  of 
engine  when  cylinders  become   out   of  round. 

This  is  only  one  of  the  many  improved  fea- 
tures of  G  M  C  construction  that  truck  buyers 
everywhere  appreciate  because  they  insure  more 
and  better  motor  truck  service  at  a  lower  cost 
for  maintenance  and  operation. 

Furthermore,  with  all  these  improvements, 
substantial  reductions  have  also  been  made  on 
the  complete  line  of  G  M  C  trucks  from  one  to 
five  tons  capacity  which  increase  still  further 
their  practical  economy  for  all  hauling  re- 
quirements. Write  for  a  copy  of  our  special 
truck  book,  it  will  be  sent  to  you  promptly  with- 
out obligation. 


«a 


General  Motors  Truck  Company 

Division  of  General  Motors  Corporation 

Pontiac,   Michigan 

DEAUBBS   AND   SEBVICE   IN  MOST   OOMlVnTNITIES 
When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


307 


What  Are  Your  Municipal  Problems? 

A  Series  of  Questions  Relating  to  Activities  Now  Receiving  the 
Attention  of  American  Cities 


FOR  the  purpose  of  assisting  mayors  and 
other  city  officials,  especially  those 
newly  elected,  in  preparing  their  mu- 
nicipal programs,  The  American  City  pre- 
sents a  list  of  important  activities  and  prob- 
lems that  concern  progressive  cities.  In 
view  of  varying  conditions  and  circum- 
stances in  different  cities,  the  adoption  of 
all  these  suggestions  by  any  one  city  is  not 
urged,  but  municipal  officials  may  gain 
valuable  ideas  from  a  study  of  these  ques- 
tions. 

Administration 

Does  your  charter  need  revising  in  whole 
or  in  part?  Many  cities  have  been  able  to 
more  economically  administer  their  cor- 
porate business  by  judicious  changes  in 
their  charters,  enabling  them  to  adopt  com- 
mission government  or  the  city  manager 
plan. 

Are  your  local  ordinances  in  need  of  re- 
vision and  codification?  Several  cities  have 
revised  and  codified  their  ordinances  in  the 
last  year  or  two  for  the  clarification  of  mu- 
nicipal business  and  administration. 

Is  the  election  machinery  in  your  city 
effective  and  operated  at  a  minimum  cost? 
This  problem  is  receiving  special  study,  and 
where  election  machinery  is  controlled  by 
the  state,  action  is  being  taken  to  reduce  the 
cost  of  elections  within  cities  without  im- 
pairing the  efficiency  of  the  election  ma- 
chinery. The  adoption  of  voting  machines 
in  many  places  has  been  one  great  step  in 
this  direction. 


Is  the  organization  of  your  city  depart- 
ments effective,  and  are  the  blank  forms 
used  by  them  satisfactory?  Many  cities  are 
still  using  obsolete  and  unnecessarily  in- 
tricate forms  in  their  health,  fire,  police, 
building,  inspection,  tax,  purchasing,  street 
cleaning  and  other  departments  and  bureaus. 
The  use  of  carefully  designed  forms  and  of 
machine  addressing  frequently  makes  big 
savings  in  departmental  budgets. 

Taxes  and  Assessments 

Does  your  board,  bureau  or  department 
of  assessment  and  taxation  need  to  be  re- 
organized? In  some  states  a  city  is  per- 
mitted by  ordinance  to  abolish  its  elective 
assessors  and  to  establish  a  department  of 
assessment  and  taxation  with  a  single  head 
appointed  by  the  mayor  and  a  board  of 
review. 

Does  your  method  of  assessing  real  and 
personal  property  need  to  be  revised?  A 
large  number  of  cities  within  the  last  two 
years  have  reorganized  their  methods  of 
assessment  and  are  now  operating  on  a 
much  more  efficient  basis.  A  number  of 
large  cities  have  also  increased  their  as- 
sessed valuation,  so  that  real  property  is 
now  assessed  at  or  near  loo  per  cent  of  its 
true  value. 

Does  your  method  of  levying  special  as- 
sessments for  local  improvements  need  to 
be  changed?  This  is  a  matter  which  has 
been  brought  up  for  serious  consideration 
in  nearly  200  American  cities  within  the 
last  few  years. 


3o8 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


Do  you  need  to  improve  your  method  of 
collecting  delinquent  taxes?  Tax  collection 
is  usually  a  knotty  problem  with  city  offi- 
cials, and  a  careful  study  of  it  may  mean 
immediate  and  larger  returns  to  the  city  and 
a  lessening  of  tax  sales. 

Finance 

Has  your  city  adopted  a  uniform  account- 
ing and  budget  system?  Many  cities  have 
made  notable  progress  in  this  work  within 
the  last  two  years,  reducing  the  labor  of 
accounting  systems  through  loose-leaf  ledg- 
ers and  other  devices  and  effecting  greater 
economies  through  proper  budgeting. 

Has  your  city  adopted  central  purchasing 
for  the  various  department  bureaus  and  offi- 
cials? A  large  number  of  Mid-Western 
and  Western  cities  have  adopted  central 
purchasing  and  effected  gieat  economies  in 
the  buying  of  office  supplies,  machinery, 
etc.,  for  municipal  work. 

Is  your  city  receiving  a  fair  rate  of  in- 
terest on  its  daily  bank  balances  and  time 
deposits?  This  is  a  great  source  of  trouble 
in  some  municipalities  and  results  in  the 
loss  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
each  year  if  daily  bank  balances  and  the  in- 
terest thereon  are  not  checked  up. 

Is  your  city  adequately  regulating  and 
licensing  businesses  and  private  activities? 
Several  cities  within  the  last  year  have  re- 
vised their  license  ordinances  so  to  provide 
more  effective  regulation  and  more  ade- 
quately reimburse  the  city  for  the  cost  of 
the  licensing.  This  is  one  satisfactory  and 
proper  method  for  increasing  municipal 
revenue. 

Salaries  and  Pensions 

Are  you  paying  your  city  officials  and  em- 
ployees too  little,  or  too  much?  The 
American  City  has  given  much  time  and 
space  to  the  investigation  of  this  subject  and 
has  published  extensive  tables  giving  the 
salaries  paid  to  municipal  officials  in  various 
offices  throughout  the  country. 

Are  your  municipal  pension  systems  and 
funds  for  policemen,  firemen  and  other  em- 
ployees effective  and  in  satisfactory  condi- 
tion? In  many  states  the  employers'  liabil- 
ity laws  apply  to  cities  as  well  as  to  private 
employers.  Proper  care  should  be  taken  to 
finance  pensions  and  compensation  funds 
either  through  a  reliable  company  or 
through  municipal  insurance. 


Has  your  city  adopted  the  most  econom- 
ical methods  of  insuring  municipal  em- 
ployees? There  are  several  methods  in  use 
to-day  which  can  be  studied  to  advantage 
by  municipal  officials. 

School  Finance 

Are  your  relations  with  the  school  au- 
thorities as  to  management  and  financial 
control  satisfactory?  Inasmuch  as  educa- 
tion is  usually  the  leading  item  in  a  mu- 
nicipal budget,  great  care  must  be  exercised 
in  the  expenditure  and  the  methods  of  con- 
trol and  management  of  school  funds,  and 
systems  should  be  studied  with  a  view  to 
making  more  effective  use  of  the  money  and 
to  increasing  the  value  of  the  educational 
system  of  the  community. 

Health 

Does  your  city  health  work  need  to  be  re- 
organized? In  some  states,  laws  have  been 
passed  permitting  the  abolition  of  the  bu- 
reau or  board  of  health  and  the  creating  and 
maintaining  of  a  department  of  health  with 
a  single  head  appointed  by  the  mayor.  In- 
asmuch as  the  health  department  is  one  of 
the  most  important  to  the  welfare  of  the 
city,  a  full-time  health  officer  with  adequate 
appropriations  should  be  maintained. 

Is  it  the  practice  in  your  city  to  destroy 
school  books  and  supplies  furnished  at  pub- 
lic expense  and  used  by  pupils  with  con- 
tagious disease?  If  after  investigation,  it  is 
found  that  your  city  is  doing  so,  the  matter 
should  be  taken  up  at  once  with  your  board 
of  health  to  determ'ne  whether  it  is  possible 
to  eliminate  this  item  of  expense  through 
disinfection. 

Is  your  city  effectively  regulating  soft- 
drink  places?  Model  ordinances  on  this 
subject  have  been  prepared  and  careful 
studies  of  the  subject  made  by  cities,  with 
regard  both  to  health  and  to  finance. 

Street  Paving,  Lighting  and  Cleaning 

Are  your  streets  properly  paved  to  handle 
the  type  and  volume  of  traffic  they  are  called 
upon  to  carry?  A  careful  study  must  be 
made  of  the  volume  of  traffic  in  each  part 
of  the  community,  to  decide  whether  dirt 
roads,  water-bound  macadam,  bituminous 
types,  Portland  cement  concrete,  brick  or 
other  type  block  roads  are  necessary  to 
carry  local  or  through  traffic  as  the  case 
may  be. 

Are  your  business  streets  and  residential 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


309 


districts  adequately  lighted?  In  order  to 
protect  your  city  from  crime  and  accident, 
ample  street  lighting  is  necessary.  The 
higher-value  business  districts  are  made 
even  more  valuable  through  ornamental 
lighting,  which  lengthens  the  business  day 
and  brings  added  prosperity  to  the  com- 
munity. 

Is  your  method  of  street  cleaning  effec- 
tive and  economical^  Many  cities  in  the 
United  States  are  revising  the  organization 
of  their  street  cleaning  departments  and 
methods  of  street  cleaning  through  the 
adoption  of  more  modern  apparatus. 

Fire  Department 

Is  your  fire  department  efficient  and  oper- 
ating at  a  minimum  cost?  One  of  the  prob- 
lems now  receiving  the  consideration  of 
officials  interested  in  fire  fighting  is  the 
motorization  of  fire  apparatus,  the  establish- 
ing of  the  two-platoon  system  and  the  ex- 
tension of  fire  prevention  work. 

Is  your  city  effectively  regulating  the  in- 
stallation of  gasoline  curb  pumps  and  gaso- 
line tanks?  As  installations  of  this  type  in 
automobile  service  stations  may  be  a  great 
source  of  danger  to  life  and  property,  ade- 
quate attention  and  proper  regulation  are 
vital. 

Police 

Is  your  police  department  efficient  and 
operating  at  a  minimum  cost?  Crime  pre- 
vention is  an  important  problem  now  being 
studied  by  many  American  cities.  The  use  of 
motor  vehicles  by  criminals  is  forcing  many 
cities  to  revolutionize  their  methods  of 
patrolling  streets  and  highways.  Traffic 
regulation  and  parking  of  vehicles  are  also 
problems  that  have  increased  in  importance 
in  the  last  year  or  two. 

Is  your  city  effectively  regulating  pool 
and  billiard  rooms?  A  careful  regulation 
is  necessary  in  places  of  this  type  to  prevent 
their  becoming  gambling  establishments  or 
gathering-places  for  criminals. 

Traffic  Control  and  Accidents 

Do  you  have  any  difficulty  in  handling 
traffic  at  congested  points?  From  the  small- 
est village  to  the  largest  city,  the  problem 
of  traffic  regulation  is  assuming  added  im- 
portance. Suitable  silent  policemen  or  dif- 
ferent types  of  traffic  signals  should  be 
Studied  carefully,  as  they  do  much  to  pre- 


vent accident  and  expedite  the  movement  of 
traffic. 

Are  there  any  grade  crossings  in  your  city 
wltere  accidents  may  occur?  The  elimina- 
tion of  grade  crossings  is  one  of  the  vital 
problems  in  many  American  cities  to-day. 
With  the  increasing  number  of  motor  cars 
carrying  more  people  out  on  the  highways, 
grade  crossings  are  a  constant  source  of 
danger  and  should  be  eliminated  by  judi- 
cious handling  of  the  question  of  ways  and 
means  with  the  railroad. 

Water 

Have  you  tafien  cognisance  of  the  fact 
that  adequate  filtration  and  sterilization  of 
your  water-supply  is  necessary  to  protect 
public  health?  A  study  of  municipar water- 
supplies  shows  that  there  are  practically 
none  which  can  do  without  either  filtration 
or  sterilization  as  a  protection  against 
water-borne  disease. 

Is  your  municipal  waterslied  completely 
reforested?  The  reforestation  of  municipal 
watersheds  is  not  expensive,  and  with 
proper  care  the  revenue  which  can  be  de- 
rived therefrom  increases  as  time  goes  on. 

Zoning  and  Building 

Is  your  city  zoned?  Proper  and  judicious 
restrictions  placed  on  various  districts  as  to 
the  types  of  structure  and  business  which 
may  be  conducted  in  those  zones  go  far  to 
stabilize  real  estate  value. 

Are  the  plumbing,  building  and  sanitary 
codes  of  your  city  effective  and  up-to-date? 
A  study  of  the  codes  of  other  cities  may  be 
of  great  assistance  in  producing  a  more 
effective  code  for  your  city.  It  may  mean 
more  economical  construction,  which  will 
have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  solution  of  the 
housing  problem. 

Parks  and  Playgrounds 

Is  your  parfi  area  sufficient  to  provide  a 
breathing  space  for  all  living  in  the  con- 
gested portions  of  your  city?  Adequate 
breathing  spaces  in  the  form  of  parks,  both 
large  and  small,  need  to  be  provided  in 
every  city  for  the  well-to-do  as  well  as  the 
poor.  Such  spaces  increase  the  healthful- 
ness  of  the  community  and  add  to  its  ma- 
terial happiness. 

Have  you  well-equipped  playgrounds  for 
children?    On?  of  (he  best  ways  to  contrgl 


310 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


the  old  "gang  spirit"  and  to  build  up  the 
moral  and  physical  health  of  children  living 
in  the  congested  districts  is  through  well- 
equipped  playgrounds  judiciously  distrib- 
uted throughout  the  town  or  city. 

Waste    Disposal 

Is  your  method  of  collection  and  disposal 
of  municipal  garbage  satisfactory  and  eco- 
nomical f  One  of  the  livest  questions  in 
municipalities  to-day  is  the  proper  method 
of  collecting  and  disposing  of  garbage. 
There  are  a  number  of  systems  of  collection 
and  methods  of  disposal  to  choose  from, 
which  each  city  must  study  from  the  stand- 
point of  local  conditions. 

Is  your  method  of  sezvage  disposal  effec- 
tive, or  do  you  need  to  adopt  some  new  sys- 
tem f  Sewage  disposal  has  undergone  al- 
most revolutionary  changes  within  the  last 
ten  years,  so  that  now  the  sewage  of  a  large 
city  may  be  disposed  of  in  a  much  smaller 
area  than  heretofore  and  with  less  nuisance, 


and  the  sewage  of  a  small  city  can  be  treated 
properly  in  an  exceedingly  small  area  or 
within  one  inconspicuous  building. 

Municipal  Markets 

Have  you  municipal  markets,  and,  if  so, 
are  they  satisfactory?  An  increasingly 
large  number  of  American  cities  have  insti- 
tuted markets  under  the  direct  control  and 
supervision  of  the  city.  These  have  greatly 
reduced  prices  and  have  gone  a  long  way 
towards  helping  the  taxpayer  of  moderate 
means  during  the  period  of  high  prices. 

City  Automobiles 

Does  your  city  effectively  and  economi- 
cally care  for  and  regulate  the  use  of  auto- 
mobiles ozvned  by  it  and  used  by  officials  and 
employees?  This  is  an  important  matter, 
and  the  adoption  of  a  municipal  taxi  service 
has  proved  of  great  economy  in  a  large 
number  of  cities. 


Cooperation  and  Planning  Bring  Many 

Improvements 

New  Water  Pipe,  Street  Lighting  and  Gas-Mains  for  Prescott,  Arizona 

By  M.  R.  Hirshfeld 


THE  business  streets  of  the  city  of  Pres- 
cott, Ariz.,  for  a  number  of  months 
resembled  nothing  else  so  much  as  a 
shell-torn  village  in  Belgium  during  the  late 
World  War,  with  this  exception — the  tear- 
ing up  and  the  work  done  were  constructive 
rather  than  destructive. 

Preparatory  to  paving  fourteen  blocks  of 
the  business  district,  the  city  installed  new 
water-mains,  $22,000  worth  of  lo-inch  cast 
iron  pipe  being  put  in  at  a  cost  of  $10,000 
for  labor.  Despite  about  two  weeks  of  very 
wet  weather,  when  the  trenches  had  to  be 
drained  numerous  times  and  much  trouble 
with  caving  trenches  was  encountered,  the 
work  was  completed  well  within  the  speci- 
fied time  limit.  With  the  filling  in  of  the 
trenches,  Prescott  streets  began  to  resume 
a  normal  appearance. 

While  the  city  was  installing  these  new 
water-mains  to  replace  the  steel  pipe  that 
had  been  laid  nearly  40  years  ago,  the  Pres- 


cott Gas  and  Electric  Company  installed  in 
the  business  district  gas-mains  large  enough 
to  serve  the  city  of  Prescott  until  it  has  in- 
creased in  size  three  times.  The  gas  com- 
pany also  made  repairs  and  replacements 
where  necessary  in,  the  residence  districts. 
The  result  is  that  now  that  the  street  paving 
has  finally  been  done,  it  is  down  for  good, 
and  little  tearing  will  have  to  be  done  later 
to  permit  laying  or  repairing  gas-  or  water- 
mains. 

Better-Lighted  Streets 

Next  on  the  program  of  civic  improve- 
ments was  the  street  lighting.  Prescott's 
streets  were  illuminated  with  the  old-fash- 
ioned high  swinging  lights  placed  at  the 
intersections  of  the  streets,  save  in  a  part 
of  the  residence  district,  where  modern 
ornamental  iron  standards  had  already  been 
installed.  The  City  Council  let  a  contract 
calling    for   ornamental    standards   for   the 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


311 


A  TYPICAL  SCENE  IN  PRESOOTT  WHEN  GAS  AND  WATER  MAINS  WERE  BEING  LAID  OR 
RENEWED  PRIOR   TO  PAVING  BUSINESS   STREETS 


business  district  and  for  a  few  additional 
blocks  in  the  residence  district.  Novalux 
globes  were  specified  for  use  in  the  down- 
town district.  A  local  electrical  company 
was  given  the  contract  for  the  lighting,  at 
a  price  of  approximately  $12,000. 

Following  the  installation  of  the  lights 
will  come  the  paving  of  all  the  down-town 
streets.  It  had  been  hoped  to  have  that 
work  completed  by  January,  1922,  but  the 
City  Council  found  the  bids  of  local  and  for- 
eign contractors  were  too  high.  The  lowest 
bid,  of  $3.68  a  square  foot,  was  refused,  and 
the  Council  decided  it  was  too  late  in  the 
fall  to  ask  for  new  bids.  Now  the  work 
must  necessarily  be  delayed  until  the  early 
spring,  at  which  time  it  is  the  plan  of  the 
city  to  rush  it  to  completion.  In  the  mean- 
time, Arthur  J.  Kline,  the  City  Engineer, 
has  been  instructed  to  obtain  figures  on  all- 
concrete,  concrete  with  bitulithic  base,  and 
black  base  paving.  The  sum  of  $200,000 
has  been  set  aside  by  the  city  to  be  expended 
on  the  paving.  Some  paving  work  has  al- 
ready been  done  this  year  on  one  of  the 
residence  streets.  Warrenite-Bitulithic  sur- 
facing having  been  used.  The  cost  was 
$85,000,  and  ornamental  lights  on  the  same 
street  were  installed  at  a  cost  of  $7,260. 

In  the  early  spring  one  new  bridge  is  to 
be  constructed,  a  reinforced  concrete  struc- 
ture, for  which  a  sum  of  $20,000  has  been 
appropriated.  A  group  of  local  construc- 
tion engineers  have  entered  bids  for  its 
construction. 


On  the  city  budget  for  the  current  year, 
provision  was  made  for  a  children's  play- 
ground, sufficient  funds  having  Ijeen  appro- 
priated to  make  the  first  purchase  of  play- 
ground equipment.  This  is  to  be  supple- 
mented by  popular  subscription  during  the 
winter,  and  early  spring  should  see  the  city 
ready  to  install  such  equipment. 

Heretofore,  the  supply  of  water  in  the 
city  of  Prescott  during  the  dry  summer 
months  has  been  something  of  a  problem. 
Following  the  planning  of  the  other  civic 
improvements,  the  city  last  year  voted  $350,- 
000  water  bonds.  This  sum  is  to  be  ex- 
pended in  the  construction  of  three  addi- 
tional reservoir  dams  and  pumping  plants. 
About  $50,000  is  to  be  used  on  a  reservoir 
dam  at  Banning  Creek,  three  miles  from 
Prescott,  an  additional  $16,000  has  been  set 
aside  for  replacing  old  pipe  and  laying  new, 
and  the  remaining  $275,000  will  be  used  to 
dam  Granite  Creek  and  the  Hassayampa 
River. 

That  the  United  States  Government  in- 
tends to  cooperate  with  the  city  of  Prescott 
in  this  elaborate  program  of  municipal  im- 
provement can  be  seen  in  the  tentative  plans 
being  prepared  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
post  office,  one  that  will  be  in  keeping  with 
the  state  and  county  buildings  in  the  city. 
The  Government  already  has  purchased  a 
site  for  the  new  post  office  directly  opposite 
the  county  court  house,  which  is  situated  in 
the  center  of  a  parked  block  in  the  heart  of 
the  city. 


312 


New  Swimming  Pools  in  Birmingham, 

Alabama 

City  and  Local  Manufacturer  Jointly  Finance  Two  Large  Concrete  Swimming 

Pools  Near  Industrial  Section 

By  Helen  Bethea 


IN  the  summer  of  1921  the  city  of  Birming- 
ham, Ala.,  and  the  Tennessee  Iron  and 
Coal  Company  completed  two  swimming 
pools  at  Ensley,  within  the  limits  of  the  city 
and  at  a  convenient  walking  distance  from 
the  industrial  section,  supported  by  the  plants 
and  the  mining  interests  of  the  company. 
The  completed  pools  cost  $45,000,  tfie  com- 
pany furnishing  $25,000  and  the  city  paying 
the  remainder  of  the  expense.  The  pools 
measure  50  x  100  feet  each  and  are 
3j4  feet  deep  at  the  shallow  end  and  9  feet 
deep  at  the  other.  They  are  separated  by  a 
12-foot  concrete  walk. 

The  pools  are  not  covered,  but  buildings 
practically  surround  them.  At  one  end  is 
the  filtration  plant  and  at  the  other  the  gal- 


piping  is  so  arranged  that  the  water  is  re- 
turned to  the  pool  through  four  orifices 
located  at  the  shallow  end  of  each  pool 
near  the  floor.  By  this  means  almost  perfect 
circulation  is  maintained,  as  is  demonstrated 
by  the  fact  that  bathing  caps,  belts  and 
other  articles  lost  in  any  part  of  the  pools 
always  drift  rapidly  to  the  grating  over  the 
suction  pipe  to  the  pump. 

The  water  in  both  pools  is  turned  over 
every  24  hours,  and  although  the  attendance 
is  from  300  to  2,000  per  day,  bacteriological 
tests  have  shown  the  water  to  be  satisfac- 
tory at  all  times.  Since  the  pools  have  been 
in  use,  they  have  been  emptied  and  scrubbed 
every  two  weeks.  This  is  not  necessary 
from  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  but  is  highly 


THESE   TWO    POOLS   FURNISH   SAFE   RECREATION    TO    THE   PEOPLE   OF   BIRMINGHAM,   ALA. 


lery  for  spectators.  On  both  sides  are  the 
bath-houses,  administration  building,  and 
lockers,  so  that  the  pools  are  entirely  sur- 
rounded and  are  accessible  only  through 
doors  and  passages. 

The  capacity  of  each  pool  is  approxi- 
mately 250,000  gallons  of  water.  They  are 
filled  with  filtered  water  from  the  city  sup- 
ply. The  water  is  then  pumped  from  the 
lowest  point  in  each  pool  by  a  centrifugal 
pump  and  forced  through  pressure  filters  and 
thence  to  the  ultra  violet  ray  sterilizers, 
from  which  it  is  returned  to  the  pool.    The 


desirable  because,  since  the  pool  is  not  cov- 
ered, moss  or  algae  grow  along  the  sides, 
making  the  water  appear  very  dark  in  color 
even  though  samples  taken  from  the  pool 
are  perfectly  clear  when  examined  in  a 
glass  cylinder. 

When  the  pools  are  emptied,  the  sides  and 
bottom  are  washed  and  scrubbed  with 
brooms  and  scoured  with  a  hose.  Chloride 
of  lime  is  sprinkled  over  the  exposed  sur- 
faces. The  addition  of  a  small  amount  of 
bluestone  to  the  water  has  been  found  to 
materially  retard  the  growth  of  the  moss. 


313 


Interest  in  Annual  Reports 

A  City  Manager  and  a  Water- Works  Superintendent  Strive  for  Reader  Interest 


THE  first  semi-annual  report  of  Harri- 
son G.  Otis,  City  Manager,  Clarks- 
burg, W.  Va.,  to  the  City  Council  has 
recently  appeared  in  pamphlet  form  and 
contains  features  that  are  somewhat  out  of 
the  ordinary.  This  report  was  ordered  pub- 
lished by  the  City 
Council,  and  5,- 
000  copies  were 
distributed  from 
house  to  house  by 
the  Boy  Scouts 
without  charge. 
Each  copy  con- 
tained a  reply 
card  addressed  to 
theCity  Manager 
and  provided 
with  space  for 
the  filing  of  sug- 
g  e  s  t  i  o  n  s  and 
complaints. 

The  report  is 
only  24  pages  in 
length  and  is 
written  in  simple 
language,  with 
short  paragraphs 
and  frequent 
headlines,  and 
with  only  the 
small  amount  of 
figures  necessary 
to  bring  out  the 
desired  compari- 
sons. At  the  be- 
ginning is  a  full 
list  of  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  city 

government,  followed  by  an  alphabetical 
schedule  of  all  the  items  connected  with  the 
operation  of  the  municipal  government  con- 
cerning which  the  public  most  often  seek  in- 
formation. With  this  schedule  the  telephone 
number  and  the  official  to  be  called  in  each 
case  are  given. 

Following  the  list  of  city  officials  comes 
a  "Foreword  and  Summary,"  epitomizing 
in  single  sentences  the  chief  points  of  in- 
terest in  the  report  proper.  The  report  it- 
self sets  forth  the  progress  which  has  been 


"DO  DBOPS" 


To  Refresh  the  Memory  and  to  Revive  the  Spirit  of  Co-operation 

Do  drop  the  habit  of  making  messenger  boys  of  your  Councilman ; 
Phone  "92"  instead. 

Do  drop  around  to  the  Colonial  Building  and  get  acquainted  with 
your  city  employees. 

Do  drop  a  line  to  the  City  Manager,  making  suggestions  and  com- 
plaints, but  do  not  forget  to  sign  your  name. 

Do  drop  the  custom  of  calling  up  city  officials  at  their  homes,  out- 
side of  office  hours,  except  in  emergency  cases. 

Do  drop  in  and  make  the  City  Treasurer  glad  by  squaring  up  old 
accounts,  if  you  owe  the  City  money. 

Do  drop  the  idea  that  the  police  can  make  and  keep  the  town  clean 
morally,  without  your  help. 

Do  drop  a  hint  to  the  police  judge  when  you  suspect  law  violation; 
your  confidence  will  be  respecteid  if  requested. 

Do  drop  a  card  to  the  City  Physician,  or  call  "331,"  whenever  you 
learn  of  any  reportable  disease,  even  a  very  mild  case 

Do  drop  the  notion  that  the  Health  Department  is  designed  as  a 
spite  bureau,  for  use  in  "neighborly"  altercations. 

Do  drop  your  garbage  and  other  trash  in  proper  cans  for  city  col- 
lection, and  not  in  the  alley  or  over  the  river  bdnk. 

Do  drop  the  hope  that  all  street  and  sewer  complaints  can  be  given 
immediate  attention ;  there  are  28,000  other  folks  in  town. 

Do  drop  the  theory  that  a  few  soft  coal  cinders  on  a  soft  mud 
road  will  make  a  good  pavement. 

Do  drop  over  on  Hewes  Street  and  see-  our  "central  fire  station." 
Then  work  for  one  we  need  not  be  ashamed  of. 

Do  drop  in  at  the  Public  Library  some  afternoon  or  evening  and 
see  what  we  have  and  what  we  need. 

Do  drop  your  work  for  two  minutes  more  and  lend  a  constructive 
thought  to  your  city  government. 

Do  drop  the  attached  coupon  into  the  mail  box  or  bring  it  with  you 
when  you  call  at  the  Colonial  Building 

Do  drop  your  "hammer"  and  pick  op  your  "saw"  and  "Let's  go." 


made  under  the  new  form  of  government. 
Frequent  bold-faced  subheads  separate  the 
stories  into  easily  digestible  portions. 

A  tentative  program  for  street  improve- 
ment lists  about  eighty  streets  which  it  is 
hoped  the  city  will  be  able  to  pave  during  the 

next    two    years. 

This  is  followed 
by  a  detailed  out- 
line of  the  pro- 
posed bond  issue 
and  a  schedule 
of  improvement 
procedure  which 
boils  down  sev- 
eral pages  of 
legal  red  tape 
into  fifteen  short 
sentences.  The 
back  page  of  the 
report  is  devoted 
to  "Do  Drops"  as 
presented  here- 
with. 

The  reaction 
of  the  taxpayer 
to  this  informal 
plea  for  coopera- 
tion is  exceed- 
ingly interesting. 
The  City  Man- 
ager has  received 
scores  of  reply 
cards  which  have 
been  mailed  by 
citizens  after 
reading  the  re- 
port. The  sug- 
gest i  o  n  s  deal 
with  almost  all  the  stages  of  municipal  con- 
struction and  administration.  Requests  for 
street  lights,  street  and  sewer  repair  and 
improvements  of  various  sorts  are  common. 
One  lady  suggests  "Fifty  dogs  less  in  Goff 
Plaza"  as  a  desirable  city  improvement. 
Several  new  customers  for  the  city's  waste 
collection  system  have  resulted  from  the 
"Do  Drops."  The  proposed  bond  issue  is 
the  basis  of  many  of  the  replies  received. 

In  addition  to  the  written  complaints  and 
suggestions    received,    a    large   number    of 


P4 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


citizens,  who  very  likely  have  learned 
through  the  report  who  are  the  proper  offi- 
cials to  deal  with  various  matters,  have 
visited  the  city  offices  for  personal  inter- 
views. The  experiment  of  printing  and  dis- 
tributing a  reasonably  interesting  and  easily 
read  city  report  has  resulted  in  increasing 
the  number  of  contacts  between  the  city 
government  and  the  citizens  and  has  been 
found  quite  worth  while.  City  official's  in- 
terested in  securing  copies  of  this  report  as 
a  sample  for  consideration  and  study,  may 
write  to  Harrison  G.  Otis,  City  Manager, 
Clarksburg,  W.  Va.,  for  a  copy. 

Finding  Out  Who  Read  the  Report 

The  extent  to  which  citizens  usually  read 
municipal  reports  is  well  illustrated  in  a 
recent  example  cited  by  Beekman  C.  Little, 
Superintendent  of  Water-Works,  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.  Year  after  year  he  had  been 
v/riting  what  is  called  an  "Annual  Report 
of  the  Water  Bureau"  for  the  Mayor's  an- 
nual message.  He  had  the  idea  that  nobody 
ever  read  the  report,  and  wanted  to  test 
that  statement,  so,  hunting  through  the  dic- 


tionary for  some  outlandish  word  which 
might  attract  atteiTtion,  he  found  the  word 
'gallimaufry"  [a  hash  or  hodge-podge,  Ed.] 
and  used  it  in  describing  an  old  small  water- 
works plant  which  the  city  had  absorbed  in 
extending  its  territory.  He  found  out  very 
quickly  that  the  reporters  at  least  read  the 
message,  for  they  jumped  at  that  word  like 
a  trout  at  a  fly  and,  through  the  locals  col- 
umns and  the  editorials  of  the  Rochester 
papers,  a  great  deal  of  publicity  was  given 
to  "gallimaufry"  and  the  Water-Works 
Superintendent.  Mr.  Little  states,  however, 
that  in  spite  of  this,  not  many  people  read 
the  report. 

City  departmental  reports  are  frequently 
garbled  in  the  newspapers,  and  therefore 
the  preparation  of  a  short,  interesting  report 
which  can  be  distributed  at  little  or  no  ex- 
pense through  the  cooperation  of  that  ad- 
mirable organization,  the  Boy  Scouts,  opens 
a  field  for  the  serious  consideration  of  mu- 
nicipal officials.  By  distributing  the  report 
direct  to  the  homes,  the  city  official  is  sure 
that  his  message  has  reached  the  citizen  and 
the  taxpayer  in  exactly  the  form  in  which  it 
was  prepared. 


School  Buildings  Make  Costly  Bonfires 

A  Warning— Most  of  These  Fires  Occurred  in  Small  Towns  and  Cities 

By  Norman  M.  Stineman 


A  FAIRLY  close  watch  on  newspapers 
during  December  and  parts  of  No- 
vember and  January,  when  the  cold 
weather  season  was  upon  us,  revealed  the 
complete  destruction  by  fire  of  thirty-one 
school  buildings  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States,  with  a  total  reported  loss  of 
$2,600,000.  A  number  of  other  school  fires 
v^hich  caused  damage  of  varying  degrees 
without  causing  complete  destruction  are 
not  included  in  the  foregoing  figures.  While 
these  reports  are  unofficial,  it  is  altogether 
likely  that  the  cost  of  replacing  the  de- 
stroyed buildings  will  be  far  greater  than 
the  value  of  the  old  structures.  For  in- 
stance, the  loss  reported  on  the  high  school 
at  Millinocket,  Me.,  was  $60,000,  while  the 
school  board  is  now  having  plans  prepared 
for   a    fire-proof  building   of   much   larger 


dimensions  and  greatly  improved  facilities, 
v/hich  will  cost  several  times  that  amount. 
The   schools   reported  as   completely   de- 
stroyed by  fire  are  the  following: 

High  scliool  at  England,  Ark.,  destroyed  November 
10,    1921.      Loss   $50,000. 

lligh  school  at  Millinocket,  Me.,  destroyed  Novem- 
ber 13.  Loss  $60,000.  Fire  started  in  furnace  room. 
Plans  under  preparation  for  much  larger  fire-proof 
building. 

High  school  at  Venus,  Tex.,  destroyed  November  19. 
Loss   $45,000. 

High  school  at  Lake  Odessa,  Mich.,  destroyed  Decem- 
bef  4.  Loss  $60,000;  insurance  $42,000.  School  offi- 
cials having  plans  prepared  for  a  fire-proof  building. 

High  school  at  Cold  Springy  Ky.,  destroyed  Decem- 
ber 6.  Loss  $30,000;  insurance  only  $3,000.  This 
was  a  two-story  brick  building  built  in  1850. 

Village  public  school  at  Aberdeen,  Tex.,  destroyed 
December  6.     Loss  $3,000.     Cause  of  fire  unknown. 

High  school  at  Marshall,  Mo.,  destroyed  December  7. 
Loss' $70,000;  insurance  $36,000.  Cause  of  fire  un- 
known. 

College  building  at  Wilberforce  University,  Wilber- 
force,  Ohio,  destroyed  December  7.  Loss  $300,000. 
Cause  imknown. 

High  school  at  Scotts,  N.  C,  destroyed  December  8. 
Loss  $20,000;   insurance  $12,500.     Fire  started  in  fur- 


Atril^  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


315 


nace  room.  The  building  had  just  been  completed  in 
time  for  the  opening  of  school  last  fall  and  was  one 
of  tlie  best-equipped  high  schools  in  that  section  of 
the   state. 

High  school  at  Roy,  N.  Mex.,  destroyed  December  9. 
Loss  $45,000;  insurance  carried  by  the  contractor. 
The  building  was  \mder  construction  and  nearly  com- 
pleted, and  was  to  be  occupied  January  2,   1922. 

High  school  at  Santa  Rosa,  Calif.,  destroyed  Decem- 
ber 17.     Loss  $75,000. 

High  school  at  Houghton,  Mich.,  destroyed  Decem- 
ber 18.  Loss  $150,000;  insurance  $115,000.  Fire 
started  in  basement.      Built  in   1899. 

High  school  at  Presque  Isle,  Me.,  destroyed  Decem- 
ber 23.     Loss  $60,000. 

Kentucky  Military  Institute  at  Lyndon,  Ky.,  de- 
stroyed  in   December.      Loss   $100,000. 

Henry  Lord  Grammar  School  at  Fall  River,  Mass., 
destroyed  December  26.  Loss  $300,000.  The  building 
was  under  construction  and  nearly  completed.  Fire 
probably    due  to    defective   wiring. 

Nine  room  high  scliool  at  Sinking  Springs,  Pa.,  de- 
stroyed   December   26.      Loss   $60,000. 

Lewis  and  Clark  Grade  School  at  Wenatchee,  Wash., 
destroyed  December  27.  Loss  $30,000;  fully  insured. 
Fire  started  in  upper  part  of  building,  probably  from 
defective  wiring. 

High  school  at  Maquoketa,  Iowa,  destroyed  Decem- 
ber 29.     Loss   $80,000.     Fire  started  in   fuel  room. 

Administration  building  of  Lyndon  Institute,  Lyn- 
donville,  V't.,  destroyed  January  3.  Loss  $70,000;  in- 
surance  $42,000.      Cause   unknown. 

High  school  at  Troy,  Pa.,  destroyed  January  6.  Loss 
$100,000;  insurance  $65,000.  Caused  by  defective 
chimney. 

Independent  school  at  Itasca,  Tex.,  destroyed  Janu- 
ary 6,      Loss   $10,000;    insurance   carried. 

Blackstone  College  for  Girls  at  Blackstone,  Va.,  de- 
stroyed January  9.  Loss  $175,000;  insured.  Building 
destroyed  was  only  one  remaining,  a  companion  struc- 
ture having  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  May,  1920.  Will 
rebuild   fire-proof. 

Building  of  Morristown  Normal  and  Industrial  Col- 
lege, Morristown,  Tenn.,  destroyed  January  10.  Loss 
$100,000. 

High  and  grade  school  at  Barnum,  Minn.,  destroyed 
early   in   January.      Loss   $75,000. 

High  and  grade  school  at  Clarksburg,  Tenn.,  de- 
stroyed January  12.  Loss  $10,000;  insurance  $5,000. 
School  was  built  only  five  years  ago. 

High  and  grade  school  at  Otter  Lake,  Mich.,  de- 
stroyed January  13.  Loss  $40,000.  Building  was 
completed  only  two  years  ago.  Cause  of  fire  un- 
determined. 

Administration  building  of  Blackstone  Military  In- 
stitute, Blackstone,  \'a.,  destroyed  January  14.  Loss 
$150,000.  Probably  due  to  defective  wiring.  Fire 
occurred  only  five  days  after  burning  of  a  girls'  school 
in   the   same  city. 

St.     Bartholomew's    school    at    Columbus,    Ind.,    de- 
stioyed    January     17.       Amount    of    loss    not    reported. 
Fire    started    in    basement.       First    intimation    of    fire 
came  when   flames  and   smoke  burst   through   classroom  * 
floors  occupied   by  the  children. 

High  school  at  Wallowa.  Ore.,  destroyed  January  10. 
Less  $50,000:  insurance  $34,000.  Built  in  1910,  and 
one  of  the  best-equipped  high  schools  in  eastern  Oregon. 
High  school  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  destroyed  Janu- 
ary 24.  Loss  $200,000;  insured.  Fire  started  in 
chemistry  laboratory. 

Eight-room  public  school  at  Port  Morris,  N.  J.,  de- 
stroyed January  25.  Loss  $00,000;  insurance  $28,000. 
Caused   by  defective   chimney. 

Perhaps  the  most  noticeable  fact  regard- 
ing these  fires  is  that,  with  two  exceptions, 
all  of  them  occurred  in  comparatively  small 
cities  and  towns.  This  bears  out  the  state- 
ment made  in  an  article  on  page  469  of  the 
November,  1920,  issue  of  The  American 
City  to  the  effect  that  fire-proof  construc- 
tion for  school  buildings  is  even  more  neces- 


sary in  smaller  towns  and  cities  and  in  the 
open  country  than  in  larger  cities.  In  the 
smaller  communities  fire  protection  is  either 
entirely  absent  or,  at  the  most,  is  not  as 
prompt  or  effective  as  in  large  cities  having 
well-organized  fire  departments.  This  is 
not  an  argument  for  non-fire-proof  con- 
struction of  schools  in  large  cities,  for 
even  in  those  communities  an  occasional 
disastrous  fire  proves  the  need  of  fire-safe 
schools.  Then,  too,  reports  are  not  lacking 
oi  instances  where  fire-proof  construction 
prevented  the  spread  of  school  fires  that 
might  otherwise  have  resulted  in  costly 
damage  or  complete  destruction,  thereby 
proving  that  fire-proof  construction  is  a 
good  investment. 

It  is  extremely  unfortunate  that  we  con- 
tinue to  burn  up  our  schools  while  many 
cities  are  putting  forth  every  effort  toward 
the  raising  of  funds  for  new  schools,  in  the 
attempt  to  catch  up  with  the  increased 
school  population.  It  is  still  more  unfor- 
tunate that  many  school  boards  continue 
the  penny-wise  and  pound-foolish  policy  of 
building  new  schools  of  combustible  con- 
struction, on  the  theory  that  they  can  be 
built  for  less  money.  Perhaps  they  can  be; 
but  J;he  slight  saving  in  first  cost  is  out  of 
all  proportion  to  the  advantages  that  might 
be  gained  by  spending  a  little  more  money 
oil  first  cost,  thereby  giving  the  community 
a  school  that  will  not  burn,  that  will  be  a 
permanent  investment,  will  command  low 
insurance  rates  and  require  but  small  main- 
tenance expenditures. 

Other  school  boards  are  awake  to  the  les- 
sons taught  by  the  fires,  for  news  comes 
from  Millinocket,  Me.,  and  Lake  Odessa, 
Mich.,  to  the  effect  that  the  new  schools 
planned  to  replace  the  destroyed  buildings 
will  be  as  fire-proof  as  modern  design  and 
construction  methods  can  make  them.  At 
Champaign,  111.,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
has  decided  not  to  wait  for  a  disastrous  fire, 
for  a  committee  of  the  Chamber  is  investi- 
gating existing  schools  with  the  idea  of 
m.aking  them  more  fire-resistive.  In  view  of 
the  conditions  so  forcibly  demonstrated  by 
the  long  casualty  list  of  destroyed  buildings, 
school  boards  that  continue  to  build  com- 
bustible structures  are  failing  utterly  in 
their  duty  to  the  community. 


3i6 


The  Municipal  Forest  of  Malone,  N.  Y. 

By  J.  H.  King 

Chairman  Forestry  Commission,  Malone,  N.  Y. 


UNDER  a  New  York  State  law  of  1914, 
the  village  of  Malone  took  up  the  re- 
forestation of  35  acres  of  denuded 
pine  land,  given  to  the  village  by  the  Malone 
Light  and  Power  Company.  The  state  fur- 
nished free  of  charge,  with  the  exception 
of  transportation,  300,000  four-year-old 
transplants,  made  up  of  white  and  Scotch 
pine  and  some  500  North  Carolina  poplar 
cuttings.  The  young  trees  were  set  out  in 
seven  hours  by  some  fifty  high  school  boys 
working  under  the  supervision  of  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  State  College  of  Forestry 
at  Syracuse.    This  was  in  April,  1920.   The 


tended  to  reforest,  so  that  in  the  end  there 
will  be  a  forest  of  not  less  than  100,000 
trees,  and  in  time  the  village  will  have  a 
source  of  revenue  in  the  reforested  area  if 
it  is  handled  properly. 

The  high  hill  on  which  the  village  reser- 
voir is  located,  known  as  the  Pinnacle,  is 
to  be  covered  with  trees.  When  this  is 
completed,  it  will  be  one  of  the  beauty  spots 
of  the  town. 

The  municipal  or  town  forest  idea  is  a 
rather  new  thing  in  the  United  States,  but 
it  has  been  tried  and  found  profitable  in 
Europe,  where  many  towns  derive  sufficient 


PLANTING  TEEES  IN  A  DISTRICT  NEAR  LACONIA,  N.  T.,  ON  LAND  SIMILAR  TO  THE  MALONE 

PLANTATION 


spring  of  1921  found  the  poplars  all  dead, 
and  all  but  about  3  per  cent  of  the  pines 
living.  The  result  was  so  encouraging  that 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  planned  to  con- 
tinue the  reforestation  last  spring.  It  was, 
however,  impossible  to  secure  suitable  plant- 
ing stock.  On  account  of  the  dry  season 
it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  plant  in  the 
fall,  so  the  Chamber  planned  to  go  on  with 
the  work  this  spring. 

There  are  probably  35  acres  more  of  the 
same  type  of  barren  land  in  the  gift  of  the 
Light  and  Power  Company,  which  it  is  in- 


revenue  from  their  public  forests  to  largely 
offset  the  taxes.  Many  small  towns  in  the 
Black  Forest  of  Germany  have  no  taxes  to 
pay,  because  of  their  public  forests,  and  in 
some  instances  the  citizens  even  receive  a 
dividend  instead  of  a  tax  bill. 

On  account  of  the  large  amount  of  idle 
land  suitable  only  for  forest  growth  in 
many  sections  of  New  York,  and  also  be- 
cause of  the  scarcity  of  our  timber  supply, 
it  is  believed  that  other  towns  could  well 
follow  the  example  of  Malone  in  establish- 
ing a  municipal  forest. 


PLANT  MUNICIPAL  FORESTS  AND  PROTECT  THEM 
One  tree  will  make  a  million  matches;  one  match  may  destroy  a  million  trees. 


317 


Oavorind  a  Concrete  Reservoir 

laves  Aonejj 


New  Reservoir  Reduces  Fire  Hazard — Covering  Protects  Health 

By  L.  J.  Jellison 


THE  city  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  has  ade- 
quately protected  its  main  business 
district  from  the  scourge  of  fire  and 
provided  for  the  health  of  citizens  through 
the  completion  of  a  7,500,000-gallon  covered 
reservoir  located  on  an  eminence  250  feet 
above  the  valley  business  center  and  a  few 
blocks  away  from  main  factories  and  busi- 
ness places.  This  concrete  reservoir  with 
its  slightly  arched  cover  is  180  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  41  feet  in  depth.  The  cost  for  the 
reservoir  proper  was  $82,000,  and  the  con- 
crete cover  was  $32,000,  a  total  of  $114,000. 
The  reservoir  tank  was  completed  several 
years  ago,  but  because  of  its  open  top  it 
was  impossible  to  keep  the  water  clean.  In 
summer  it  was  necessary  to  clean  the  tank 
every  ten  days.  The  fire  hazard,  due  to 
putting  the  tank  out  of  commission,  was  in- 
creased. Thus  the  reservoir  was  an  expen- 
sive proposition,  through  labor  and  loss  of 
water  incident  to  the  cleaning  process.  The 
full  7,500,000-gallon  storage  capacity  now 
insures  a  main  pressure  of  from  85  to  95 
pounds,  whereas  under  old  conditions  65 
to  75  pounds  pressure  was  all  that  could  be 
maintained  with  safety. 

Benefits  to  the  city  from  the  improvement 
have  been  four-fold.  The  town  has  been 
given  a  clean  bill  of  health.  Future  expense 
of  cleaning  the  reservoir  during  the  summer 
months  has  been  done  away  with,  through 
elimination  of  algae  growth  and  possible 
contamination.  Fire  underwriters  have 
given  the  city  a  number  of  credit  points  that 
will  in  time  reduce  insurance  rates.  The 
construction  of  the  arched  top  is  such  that 
at  some  future  date  it  can  be  utilized  as  the 


foundation  of  a  community  building,  or  as 
a  skating  rink. 

Construction  of  the  Reservoir 

The  reservoir  was  hewn  from  practically 
solid  rock,  and  thus  a  saving  of  $80,000 
was  effected  through  its  location  at  the 
present  site.  Proposals  made  at  the  time  it 
was  contemplated  favored  a  high  bluff,  ad- 
jacent to  the  water-works  plant  near  Eagle 
Point,  and  removed  from  the  territory  to  be 
served  by  more  than  two  miles.  With  fric- 
tion losses  so  high  in  pumping  such  a  dis- 
tance, engineers  determined  the  greater 
value  of  the  present  site  overlooking  the 
business  artery  of  the  city,  obviating  the 
necessity  of  pumping  the  water  a  second 
time,  and  allowing  transference  of  many 
patrons  from  high  to  low  service. 

The  main  pumping  station  of  the  city  is 
located  at  Eagle  Point,  where  sheer  bluffs 
rise  along  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  The  water-supply  is  obtained  from 
sand  and  gravel  wells  ranging  in  depth  from 
100  feet  downward.  A  surface  storage 
reservoir  of  650,000-gallon  capacity  acts  as 
a  mediary  to  the  distribution  system.  There 
are  two  services,  high  and  low.  Formerly 
the  low  service  was  limited  by  the  level  of 
water  in  a  reservoir  of  1,000,000-gallon  ca- 
pacity built  to  impound  water  from  mine 
workings.  High-service  pumps,  electrically 
driven,  took  the  water  from  the  level  reser- 
voir. 

With  the  reservoir  completed  and  in  its 
present  location,  the  high  friction  loss  as  a 
result  of  the  long-distance  flow  has  been 
eliminated.     An  almost  perfect  balance  is 


3i8 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


maintained  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  according 
to  needs,  and  with  only  a  3-pound  pressure 
loss  as  against  a  41 -pound  pressure  loss  had 
the  reservoir  been  erected  on  the  site  first 
chosen. 

In  constructing  the  reservoir,  contractors 
were  confronted  with  a  limestone  rock  and 
homogeneous  clay  formation.  A  circular 
reservoir  was  decided  upon  because  of  ex- 
cellent approach  to  property,  plat  and  allow- 
ance for  a  new  high-service  pumping  sta- 
tion to  be  built  in  the  future. 

The  reservoir  bottom  was  made  level  with 
rock  strata  and  with  only  enough  pitch  to 
drain.  The  lower  wall  was  built  solidly 
against  rock.  Despite  the  fact  that  the  up- 
per portions  of  the  wall  were  to  be  sur- 
rounded with  clay  and  rock  to  its  top,  the 
v/all  was  made  just  as  strong  as  though  no 


earth  were  to  l>e  against  it.  A  thin  wall, 
practically  without  horizontal  reinforce- 
ment wherever  it  was  against  solid  rock, 
was  erected.  Stresses  in  the  wall  above  the 
rock  were  transmitted  to  solid  rock  by 
means  of  buttresses.  Steel  dams  %  x  8 
inches,  to  prevent  seepage,  were  provided 
for  4-foot  concrete  wall  sections  extending 
without  break  around  the  reservoir. 

A  24-inch  cast  iron  pipe  acts  as  inlet  and 
outlet  for  the  reservoir.  A  check  valve 
opens  in  and  out  of  the  reservoir.  Incom- 
ing water  is  circulated  around  the  reservoir, 
and  produces  as  much  stirring  as  possible 
without  artificial  means.  The  flow  out  of 
the  reservoir  is  from  all  directions.  The 
valve  arrangement  is  such  as  to  give  ade- 
quate circulation  within  the  reservoir  at 
minimum  cost. 


Enforcing  the  Standard  Weight  Bread 
Law  in  Los  Angeles  County 


AT  the  Fourteenth  Annual  Conference 
on  Weights  and  Measures,  the  sub- 
stance of  which  has  just  been  made 
public  by  the  Bureau  of  Standards  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  in  Miscellaneous 
Publication  No.  48,  Weights  and  Measures, 
Charles  M.  Fuller,  Sealer  of  Weights  and 
Measures  of  Los  Angeles  County,  Calif., 
gave  some  interesting  data  in  regard  to  the 
enforcement  of  bread  legislation,  including 
tolerances,  the  result  of  five  years'  success- 
ful enforcement  of  a  standard  weight  bread 
law. 

The  law  provides  that  the  standard  weight 
of  all  loaves  of  bread  within  12  hours  after 
baking  shall  be  16  ounces,  24  ounces,  or 
multiples  of  the  i6-ounce  size.  A  tolerance 
of  one  ounce  above  the  standard  weight  is 
allowed  for  each  i6-ounce  unit,  but  no  stated 
tolerance  below  the  standard  weight  is  al- 
lowed, because,  were  there  such  a  tolerance, 
certain  unscrupulous  bakers  would  not  hesi- 
tate to  scale  their  bread  that  amount  short. 
At  least  25  loaves  are  weighed,  and  the 
average  taken  is  established  as  the  standard 
weight.     If   there  is  any  doubt  about  the 


average  weight,  several  hundred  loaves  are 
often  scaled. 

When  the  bread  is  found  short  and  the 
baker  has  had  a  previous  good  record,  all 
bread  as  much  as  an  ounce  under  weight  is 
seized  for  distribution  to  charitable  institu- 
tions, and  the  baker  is  given  a  warning.  If 
the  offense  is  repeated,  the  bread  is  con- 
fiscated and  the  baker  is  prosecuted  as  well. 
All  weighings  are  entered  on  cards  printed 
for  that  purpose,  and  these  are  filed  under 
the  name  of  the  bakery  so  that  a  record  of 
every  place  of  business  is  readily  available. 

In  the  enforcement  of  this  act,  25  bakers 
have  been  convicted,  $535  in  fines  has  been 
collected,  and  several  thousand  loaves  of 
bread  have  been  confiscated  and  turned  over 
to  charity.  The  act  has  worked  out  so  suc- 
cessfully in  eliminating  the  unfair  competi- 
tion of  bakers  who  would  cut  the  price  by 
selling  an  underweight  loaf,  that  e\ren  those 
firms  that  were  first  opposed  to  the  stand- 
ard weight  bread  law  are  now  in  favor  of  it. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Wholesale  Retail  Bakers 
Association  of  California,  a  unanimous 
resolution  was  passed  endorsing  this  law. 


Municipal  Tennis  Courts  in  London 

An  example  of  the  interest  shown  in  tennis  in  England  is  gleaned  from  the  fact 
that  London  has  589  tennis  courts  under  municipal  control,  and  although  the  fee  for 
playing  is  quite  small,  the  receipts  from  these  courts  last  year  totaled  $40,000. 


319 


The  Use  of  Local  Mineral  Aggregate  in 
Bituminous  Macadam  Roads 

By  Major  W.  A.  Welch 

Chief  Engineer  and  General  Manager  of  the  Pah'sades  Interstate  Park  Commission  of 

New  York  and  New  Jersey 


THE  proper  use  of  local  mineral  aggre- 
gate in  bituminous  road  construction 
means  great  economy  in  these  days  of 
high  transportation  and  labor  costs.  It  is 
possible  to  build  good  bituminous  macadam 
toad  surfaces  with  practically  any  stone  or 
coarse  gravel  found  in  the  United  States, 
provided  this  aggre- 
gate is  free  from 
loam,  dust  and  silt 
when  used. 


The  Subgrade  Is 
the  Real  Road 

The  bituminous 
mixture  is,  at  best,  a 
wearing  surface, 
like  the  rails  of  a 
railroad,  and  it  must 
be  thoroughly  and 
properly  supported 
by  the  subgrade  or 
it  will  fail.  The  sub- 
grade  is  the  real 
road.  It  must  be 
properly  placed, 
thoroughly  drained, 
well  settled  and 
compacted,  and  on 
such  a  subgrade,  ex- 
cept on  main  trunk  roads,  a  bituminous 
surface  can  be  laid  successfully  with  a 
mineral  aggregate  of  comparatively  low 
crushing  strength.  It  is,  of  course,  very 
necessary  to  thoroughly  bond  this  aggregate 
and  keep  it  free  from  moisture,  dirt  and 
dust,  for  these  are  the  greatest  enemies  of 
proper  bonding. 

A  railway  engineer  establishes  the  size 
and  weight  of  his  rails  in  accordance  with 
the  weight  and  speed  of  his  traffic.  On 
main  trunk  lines  these  rails  are  made  heavy 
enough  to  carry  the  heavy,  fast  traffic,  in 
spite  of  minor  defects  in  the  subgrade,  but 
on  the  branch  lines  and  feeders  the  rails 
are  lighter  for  economy's  sake.  Experience 
has  taught  these  things  and  many  others 


It  would  seem  much  wiser  for  the 
engineer  to  carefully  study  all  availa- 
ble local  mineral  aggregates  and  pre- 
pare his  specifications  to  permit  the 
greatest  possible  use  of  them  in  his 
surfaces  than  to  fall  into  the  easier 
method  of  copying  standard  specifica- 
tions, thus  compelling  contractors  to 
import  these  aggregates  and  so 
greatly  increase  costs.  Better  put  this 
extra  money  in  your  subgrade  work, 
as  that  is  really  your  road. 

It  is  possible  to  build  good  bitu- 
minous macadam  road  surfaces  with 
practically  any  stone  or  coarse  gravel 
found  in  the  United  States,  provided 
this  aggregate  is  free  from  loam,  dust 
and  silt  when  used. 


to  the  railway  builders,  and  the  highway  en- 
gineer should  profit  by  these  years  of  ex- 
perience and  experiment,  for  our  highways 
have  become  very  like  our  railway?^.  Main 
trunk  lines  should  have  wearing  surfaces 
which  will  carry  any  traffic  and  any  speed, 
without  failure,  in  spite  of  minor  defects 
in  the  subgrade,  but 
such  surfaces  are 
not  necessary  on 
minor  roads,  and  it 
is  not  economy  to 
build  them. 

The  safe  crushing 
strength  of  trap 
rock  or  basalt  aver- 
ages approximately 
350  tons  per  square 
foot ;  granites,  350 
tons  per  square 
foot ;  limestones  and 
marbles,  300  tons 
per  square  foot; 
sandstones,  215  tons 
per  square  foot; 
good  air-cooled  slag, 
300  tons  per  square 
foot ;  and  ordinary 
chalk,  15  tons  per 
square  foot. 
Practically  all  the  stone  in  this  country 
comes  within  these  limits,  and  all  of  it,  save 
the  chalk  and  very  soft  sandstones,  will 
make  good  bituminous  macadam  road  sur- 
faces. Specifications  must  vary  with  thq 
types ;  the  softer  aggregates  must  be  used 
in  larger  sizes,  greater  care  must  be  exer- 
cised with  them  to  keep  out  the  dust,  and 
the  rolling  nmst  be  governed  by  the  type  of 
aggregate.  The  harder  stone  can  De  thor- 
oughly compacted  by  heavy  rollers  and  still 
be  penetrated  and  thoroughly  bonded  by  the 
asphalt  or  tar,  but  the  softer  stones,  when 
used  in  penetration  work,  must  not  be  rolled 
as  hard,  or  they  will  not  allow  the  binder 
to  properly  fill  the  voids.  Care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  the  aggregate  even,  as  many 


320 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


quarries  have  seams  or  strata  of  soft  shaley 
stone,  which,  if  put  in  with  the  better  ma- 
terial, will  cause  trouble.  More  care  must 
be  taken  with  the  top  course  or  seal  coat 
when  the  softer  aggregates  are  used,  to  in- 
sure a  thorough  coating  on  the  actual  wear- 
ing surface. 

The  Cause  of  Failures 

There  is  little  accurate  information  ob- 


Other  failures  were  plainly  due  to  im- 
proper mixing  or  penetration,  from  care- 
less workmanship ;  others  to  the  careless  use 
of  dirty  aggregate,  so  full  of  loam,  silt  or 
dust  that  the  binder  was  not  able  to  reach 
the  stone;  or  the  aggregate  was  badly 
graded ;  or  the  binder  was  bad  or  improperly 
heated.  One  sheet  asphalt  failure  was  due 
to  the  use  of  glacial  silt  as  the  only  aggre- 
gate, ground  as  fine  as  cement. 


LAYING  THE  TELFORD  BASE  OF  A  BITTTMINOUS  MACADAM  PAVEMENT  IN  A  HEAVILY 

TRAVELED   SECTION  OP  THE  INTERSTATE  PALISADES 

PARK  RESERVATION,  NEW  JERSEY 


tainable  on  this  subject.  Few  experimental 
sections  of  such  surfaces  have  been  laid 
and  watched.  Of  all  the  failures  of  bitu- 
n;inous  macadam  surfaces  which  have  come 
to  the  writer's  notice,  none  have  been  due 
in  any  way  to  the  character  of  the  mineral 
aggregate.  By  far  the  greater  number  of 
these  failures  are  due  to  bad  subgrade,  and 
the  others  to  poor  workmanship,  dirt  and 
dust  in  the  aggregate  or  poor  bonding,  be- 
cause of  improper  rolling  and  penetration. 

Many  of  these  failures  are  caused  by  frost 
action  in  the  subgrade  and  by  improper 
drainage,  which  permits  this  frost  to  heave 
up  the  surface;  or  by  the  gradual  accumu- 
lation of  moisture  in  poorly  drained  places 
in  the  subgrade,  which  destroys  the  support 
ol  the  wearing  surface  through  no  fault  of 
that  surface. 


Some  Successful  Instances 

I  know  of  one  piece  of  penetration  surface 
in  which  three  experimental  sections  were 
laid,  each  of  about  500  feet.  In  these  sec- 
tions were  used  trap  rock  or  very  hard 
basalt,  limestone,  just  an  average  grade,  and 
sandstone  of  good  character,  while  on  all 
the  rest  of  the  road  granite  of  good  grade 
was  used.  This  surface  was  laid  in  three 
layers  of  2  inches,  2  inches  and  i  inch. 
Two  years  after  opening,  a  seal  coat  was 
put  on,  and  nothing  has  been  done  with  it 
in  the  last  six  years.  The  same  materials 
Vv'ere  used  on  the  seal  coat,  and  I  can  dis- 
tinguish no  difference  at  all  in  these  four 
sections  of  pavement.  This  road  has  car- 
ried as  many  as  400,000  cars  and  trucks  per 
season  of  8  months,  and  the  pavement  is  in 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


321 


perfect  condition;  but  it  is  laid  on  a  perfect 
subgrade  and  18  inches  of  Telford. 

Between  the  entrance  to  a  ferry  c:lip  and 
the  foot  of  a  mile-and-a-half-long  hill,  brick 
paved  on  concrete  base,  with  grades  from 
5  to  8  per  cent,  there  is  a  rock  fill  300  feet 
long.  As  this  fill  was  expected  to  settle,  it 
was  decided  to  lay  a  temporary  cinder  sur- 
face on  it.  Three  inches  of  clean  steam 
cinders  were  spread  and  rolled  with  a  1,000- 
pound  roller,  and  bituminous  binder  was  ap- 
plied at  the  rate  of  one  gallon  per  yard 
and  lightly  covered  with  more  cinders.  Two 
years  later  another  application  of  J/^-gallon 
per  yard  of  binder  was  made  and  lightly 
covered  with  cinders,  and  at  the  end  of 
another  two  years  this  300  feet  of  temporary 
surface  is  in  perfect  condition.  More  than 
330,000  cars  and  trucks  used  it  during  the 
last  8  months,  and  yet  the  crushing  strength 
of  cinders  is  not  great. 

In  eastern  Ohio  and  western  Pennsyl- 
vania, much  slag  has  been  used  and,  when 
treated  like  limestone,  has  made  good  sur- 
faces. Many  surfaces  have  been  laid  with 
crushed  gravel,  which  is,  of  course,  just  like 
good  crushed  stone,  if  properly  screened  and 
v/ashed  before  crushing.     The  usual  speci- 


fication for  this  aggregate  requires  60  per 
cent  more  of  material  to  have  angular 
fragments,  but  some  surfaces  have  been  laid 
with  gravel  without  crushing,  and  when  the 
aggregate  was  clean,  properly  sized  and 
bonded,  the  surfaces  have  been  good.  In 
Massachusetts  and  other  New  England 
states,  this  uncrushed  gravel  aggregate  has 
been  extensively  used  in  the  so-called  tar 
concrete  pavements,  with  success  when  the 
workmanship  was  good.  Many  old  gravel 
roads  have  been  successfully  surfaced  with 
only  gravel  aggregate.  Good  workmanship 
nieans  more  in  bituminous  macadam  sur- 
faces than  mineral  aggregate  does. 

It  would  seem  much  wiser  for  the  engi- 
neer to  carefully  study  all  available  local 
mineral  aggregate  and  prepare  his  specifica- 
tions to  permit  the  greatest  possible  use  of 
it  in  his  surface,  than  to  fall  into  the  easier 
method  of  copying  standard  specifications 
and  so  compelling  contractors  to  import 
these  aggregates  and  thus  greatly  increase 
costs. 

Better  put  this  extra  money  into  your  sub- 
grade  work,  for  that  is  really  your  road. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  paper  read  at  the  Good 
Roads  Congress,  Chicago,  111.,  January,  1922. 


Changes  in  Road  Surfaces 


When  Adam  Mac  Adam  in  1770  developed 
the  road  surface  which  to  this  day  bears 
his  name,  he  was  so  far  in  advance  of  the 
age  that  people  demurred  at  using  so  ex- 
pensive and  unnecessarily  hard  a  type  of 
surface.  To-day  we  find  that  macadam 
paving  ranks  with  the  cheaper  and  "soft" 
types  entirely  unsuitable  for  much  of  the 
traffic  which  passes  over  it.  We  must  also 
bear  in  mind  that  traffic  has  changed.  The 
horse-drawn  vehicle  has  almost  entirely 
passed  out  of  existence  and  has  been  re- 
placed by  the  gasoline-propelled  vehicle, 
which  carries  loads  many  times  in  excess 
of  those  carried  by  the  horse-drawn  type. 

The  macadam  road,  like  the  horse-drawn 
vehicle,  is  "out  of  date,"  and  surfaces  are 
required  to-day  which  will  withstand  the 
weight  of  the  present-day  traffic,  although 
in  some  localities  where  the  traffic  is  no 
greater  in  comparison  than  that  of  the 
"horse,  mule  or  ox"  age,  macadam  can  still 
be  used  with  entire  satisfaction,  as  are 
gravel,  sand,  clay  and  other  "soft"  types. 


In  the  past  ten  years  there  has  been  a 
great  change  in  the  types  of  roads  suitable 
for  traffic  conditions  on  main  travelled  high- 
ways. In  1910,  plain  and  surface-treated 
macadam  were  considered  among  the  high- 
est types  of  paving  for  country  roads,  and 
a  large  percentage  of  the  mileage  was  of 
the  two  types.  There  was  a  small  mileage 
of  brick  and  concrete  and  a  somewhat 
greater  mileage  of  bituminous  macadam, 
but  plain  and  surface-treated  macadam  were 
the  predominant  types  of  hard-treated 
roads.  How  great  the  change  has  been  is 
shown  by  figures  recently  issued  by  the  Bu- 
reau of  Public  Roads.  On  Federal  Aid 
roads  completed  between  1916  and  1920  only 
2.9  per  cent  of  the  total  area  paved  was 
plain  and  surface-treated  macadam.  The 
types  which  formerly  constituted  such  a 
small  part  of  the  mileage  were  as  follows: 
bituminous  macadam,  3.1  per  cent;  bitumi- 
nous concrete,  6.;^  per  cent;  cement  concrete, 
19.3  per  cent;  brick,  4.1  per  cent. — Highway 
News  Digest. 


322 


An  Infant  Hygiene  Record  Card 

By  Dr.  A.  O.  Peters 

Commissioner  of  Health,  Dayton,  Ohio 


DAYTON'S  public  health  nursing  ser- 
vice operates  with  ten  nurses  of  the 
Visiting  Nurses'  Association  and  ten 
city  nurses  under  the  supervision  of  the  Vis- 
iting Nurses'  Association  and  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Health.  The  nurses  do  all  kinds 
of  nursing  in  their  districts  except  school 


work.  The  card  shown  below,  with  a  cer- 
tificate of  birth,  is  taken  to  the  home  of 
every  child — whether  of  well-to-do  or  of 
indigent  family — whose  birth  is  reported. 
This  gives  the  nurse  entry  into  every  such 
home,  as  the  infant  hygiene  record  cards 
can  be  obtained  in  no  other  way. 


D 

NaiiM 
Paren 
EycP 
Regul 
Houn 
Is  Vat 

ivision  of  Health  and  gL  Visiting  Nurses  Association 

dayton7J(o  H  r  o 
INFANT    HYGIENE    RECORD 

Is    - - _ ^ No.  of  C£iU. -Delivi^rril 

tophylactic 
stion  of  Lj{ 
o(  Sleep 

r 

.  Bre.st.fedf 

.  InterTak „ 

Jt'.ll. 

'' ' 

-  Temp „ VenliladoD 

-  How  Bathedr  .- 

SaniUiion _..., 

- 

^nation  in 

Circumstances 

Reaction  to  V 

iait- __ 

REMi 

RKS' 

■• "       1 

- „ _ ^.... 

: 

Re-visits 

Name  of  Nurac 

REPORT                                                                                                          1 

1                                                                                                                     1 



HELP    SAVE    THE    BABIES 

Through  the  cooperation  of  the  medical  profession  and  parents  with  the  Division  of  Health  and  the  Visiting  !*iurses  Association,  the  infant  death  rate  in  Daytori 
has  been  reduced  from  124  per  one  thousand  living  birtfis  in  1913  to  83  in  1920.     This  is  a  saving  of  130  infant  lives  every  year.                             ,      '*' 

It  is  well  known  that  any  infant  death  rate  above  50  or  60  indicates  that  some  babies  are  dying  from  preventable  causes.    This  means  that  every  year  Dayton  u 
still  losing  from  60  to  100  babies  whose  lives  should  be  saved.    Every  baby— no  matter  how  well  he  may  seem— needs  as  constant  owe  TO  KEEP  HIM  WELL  as  any 
sick  person  needs  to  restore  health.   If  you  will  faithfully  keep  the  records  on  this  chart  for  which  it  provides,  i(  will  greatly  assist  your  physician  in  treating  your 
baby  should  it  become  sich  and  will  help  him  to  prescribe  proper  care  to  prevent  sickness.    At  any  time  the  visiting  nurse  will  gladly  assist  you  in  carrying  out  the 
orders  given  by  your  physician  for  the  care  of  your  baby.    Call  Main  2466. 

CHART  BELOW  THE  WEIGHT  OF  YOUR  CHU.D  FROM  WEEK  TO  WEEK  AND  COMPARE  WITH  THE  AVERAGE  CURVE 
The  curved  line  showB  the  average  weight  of  an  infant  during  the  first  fifty-two  weeks. 

REMINDERS: 

0«E 

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V 

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1 

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(1)  Regular  feed- 
ing,    bathing 
and  sleep 

(2)  Regular  bowel 

'3)  Weigh  each 
week.    There 
should    be    a 
padual     gaia 
in  weight 

U)  Give  plenty  of 
cool,  boiled 

6)   'Jseproper 

clothing. 
(r)  Don't    use 

paciftcra. 
Ce)   Forbid  mouth 

kissing 
(9)    Keep  baby  off 

dirty   floor 
flO)  Have  plenty 

o£  ventilation 

— nig*it  and 

day 
(ir  No  food  nor 

tept  that  pre- 
scribed by  the 
physician 
(13)  Krfep    flies 

fl3)  Regular   m- 

(monthly     or 
oftener),    by 
the  physician 

Wok 

3 

4 

t 

10 

11 

13 

17 

19 

23 

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Note  in  apace  to 
the  right  any  ill- 
neiB    contracted- 
by   your   child. 

phyiician'a  nam*, 
if  called.and  other 
facta 

-^ 

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3^3 


Making  the  City  Plan  Effective 

By  Leo  J.  Buettner 

Secretary,  City  Planning  Commission,  Johnstown,  Pa. 


tN  the  early  stages  of  the  city  planning 
work  in  the  city  of  Johnstown,  Pa.,  in 
the  year  1914,  the  Planning  Commission 
realized  that  it  was  necessary  to  have  some 
sort  of  guide  in  its  work  and  requested  that 
the  City  Council  make  an  appropriation  for 
this  purpose.  An  appropriation  was  made, 
and  the  Commission  employed  experts  to 
make  a  comprehensive  plan  and  report  of  the 
city  of  Johnstown  and  surrounding  bor- 
oughs. 

When  these  experts  started  to  work,  the 
Commission  concluded  that  the  report  and 
recommendations  would  have  to  be  made  in 
such  a  way  as  to  appeal  to  the  citizens  of 
the  community.  With  this  idea  in  mind,  it 
was  suggested  that  only  Johnstown  views  be 
used  to  illustrate  the  plan  and  report;  in 
other  words,  that  photographs  be  taken  of 
•conditions  in  this  city  as  they  existed,  and 
that  white  lines  on  the  photographs  show 
what  was  recommended  in  the  way  of  im- 
provement. 


When  a  citizen  of  Johnstown  opens  this 
book,  he  immediately  recognizes  the  place 
where  some  improvement  is  planned  and 
also  gets  an  idea  of  the  effect  of  the  im- 
provement. This  method  of  illustrating 
fixes  the  proposed  change  or  improvement 
in  the  mind  of  the  citizen  so  clearly  that  he 
will  not  easily  forget  it.  Many  other  cities 
are  now  following  with  great  success  this 
idea  of  illustrating  city  planning  projects. 

The  report  and  plan  was  printed  and  dis- 
tributed  among  the  leading  citizens  and 
business  men  of  the  city.  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  Commission  made  the  mistake 
that  many  others  have  made — of  not  having 
enough  copies  of  the  report  printed.  It  is 
when  the  report  is  first  published  that  citi- 
zens are  anxious  to  get  copies  and  are  inr 
terested  in  knowing  what  it  contains.  After 
the  first  edition  is  exhausted,  it  is  usually 
hard  to  get  another  appropriation  to  cover 
the  cost  of  printing  additional  copies,  and 
the  citizens  do  not  display  the  same  degree 


JAY-WALKEKS,  MAIN  AND  FEANKLIN   STREETS,   JOHNSTOWN,   I-A. 

1.  Tlie  source  of  the  trouble:  diagonal  entrance  to  Central  Park.  2.  The  remedy:  eliminate  diag^-ial 
entrance;  create  side  entrances;  establish  permanent  pedestrian  lanes;  introduce  semaphore  system, 
illuminated  at  night.     3.  Future  car  tracks. 


324 


tHE    AMtRtCAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


of  interest  that  they  did  when  the  first  edi- 
tion was  being  distributed. 

In  connection  with  the  report  and  plan, 
the  experts  made  a  large  map,  10  x  15  feet 
in  size.  This  map  was  erected  in  the  city 
planning  headquarters  and  covers  one  side  of 
the  room.  On  this  map  every  recommenda- 
tion made  in  the  report  is  shown  in  colors. 
The  map  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  educat- 
ing the  people  of  the  city  as  to  the  various 
improvements  that  have  been  proposed.  The 
Commission  never  misses  an  opportunity  of 
showing  this  map  to  the  citizens,  as  this  is 
one  of  the  methods  of  making  the  city  plan 
efifective.  It  makes  plain  the  practical  side 
of  city  planning,  and  also  shows  that  the 
comprehensive  plan  and  report  of  Johns- 
town does  not  mean  "tying  pink  ribbons  on 
lamp  posts."  In  Johnstown,  as  in  other 
cities,  a  great  many  people  have  the  idea 
that  city  planning  means  the  spending  of 
millions  of  dollars  to  create  a  "City  Beauti- 
ful." This  method  of  illustrating  helps  to 
offset  such  ideas  to  a  great  extent. 

The  Taxpayers  Have  to  Be  "Shown" 

It  has  been  found  that  the  taxpayers  are 
always  willing  to  pay  the  bill  provided  that 
they  can  see  what  they  are  getting  for  their 
money.     The  education  of  the  taxpayer  is 
the  solution  of  the  whole  problem  of  making 
the  city  plan  effective.    A  great  many  of  the 
proposed    improvements    in   Johnstown,    as 
well  as  in  other  cities,  will  have  to  be  paid 
for  out  of  funds  realized  from  the  sale  of 
bonds.    In  order  to  do  this  in  Pennsylvania 
cities,  it  is  necessary,  after  a  certain  per- 
centage  of   bonded   indebtedness   has   been 
reached,  to  get  the  consent  of  the  electors 
to   increase  the   bonded   indebtedness.      By 
keeping  the  city  plan  continually  before  the 
electors  and  showing  them  the  practical  side 
of  it,  a  planning  commission  makes  them 
thoroughly   acquainted   with    it,    and    when 
.  they  are  asked  to  vote  in  favor  of  a  bond 
,iissue  to  pay  for  some  improvement  recom- 
[-'  mended  in  the  city  plan,  there  is  no  argu- 
!}ment.    It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the 
taxpayers  and  citizens  of  our  cities  are  the 
ones  that  elect  our  ofificials,  and,  if  familiar 
j   with   the  provisions  of  the   comprehensive 
i   plan,  will  support  candidates  for  city  and 
county  offices  who  are  pledged  to  carry  out 
the  city  plan. 

It  is  always  a  question  of  "Why?"  with 
the  taxpayer.     In  order  to  show  the  tax- 


payer why,  Johnstown  has  a  complete  set  of 
lantern  slides  of  all  the  pictures  and  maps  in 
the  comprehensive  plan  and  survey.  With 
these  the  Commission  goes  before  any  club, 
Sunday  school,  lodge,  social  organization, 
parent-teachers'  association,  and  any  other 
gathering  of  people  who  desire  to  hear 
about  the  proposed  improvements.  This  lec- 
ture on  the  comprehensive  plan  can  be  had 
upon  application  to  the  Commission,  with- 
out cost  or  expense  to  the  organization  or 
gathering.  The  lectures  help  to  get  a  great 
deal  of  public  sentiment  back  of  the  plan. 

Intelligent  Use  of  Local  Newspapers 

The  newspapers  are  also  a  great  factor 
in  making  the  city  plan  effective.  The 
Johnstown  newspapers  are  to  be  very  highly 
commended  for  the  splendid  manner  in 
which  they  cooperate  with  with  the  Plan- 
ning Commission  in  giving  its  recommenda- 
tions unlimited  space  and  in  often  comment- 
ing editorially  upon  the  recommendations. 
In  giving  newspaper  publicity  to  a  compre- 
hensive plan,  however,  great  care  must  be 
taken  in  writing  the  articles  and  in  making 
statements  of  the  probable  cost  of  the  pro- 
posed improvement.  The  best  method  is  to 
"make  haste  slowly."  It  is  very  easy  to 
scare  the  citizens  of  smaller  cities  regarding 
the  carrying  out  of  the  provisions  of  the 
comprehensive  plan,  especially  if  they  see 
headlines  like  this:  "$10,000,000  Will  Com- 
plete City  Plan."  When  an  approximate 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  any  improvement  is 
published  in  a  newspaper,  the  article  should 
also,  if  possible,  carry  with  it  an  approxi- 
mate estimate  of  the  increased  valuation 
that  will  result  from  the  proposed  improve- 
ment. This  will  show  that  city  planning  is 
really  a  paying  investment.  If  cities  would 
estimate  the  increased  values  of  the  sur- 
rounding properties  that  are  derived  by 
making  improvements,  there  would  be  little 
or  no  trouble  in  actually  carrying  out  a  large 
number  of  the  proposed  improvements 
within  a  comparatively  short  time. 

The  Schools  the  Most  Effective  Ally 

All  of  the  foregoing  will  help  to  make  the 
city  plan  effective,  but  the  very  best  method 
is  the  use  of  the  schools.  A  city  planning 
commission  can  with  a  little  assistance  or 
cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  school 
authorities  obtain  wonderful  results.  In 
Johnstown  the  Commission  has  been  very 
successful  with  the  plan  in  the  schools.    In 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


325 


STREET   OBSTRUCTIONS 


1.  Actual    space   between   obstructions, 
projecting  steps.     4.  Crates,  etc. 


2.  Legal   width   of    sidewalk,    13    feet.      3.  Cellar    entrances, 


the  fall  of  1920  it  was  suggested  to  the 
superintendent  of  grammar  grade  schools 
that  the  comprehensive  plan  be  used  in  the 
schools  in  some  way  so  that  the  pupils  as 
well  as  the  city  would  get  the  benefit.  As  a 
result  the  comprehensive  plan  and  survey 
was  adopted  by  the  teachers  of  the  eighth 
grades  as  the  subject  for  the  study  of  the 
English  language  under  the  title  of  "Future 
Johnstown."  This  was  done  in  the  follow- 
ing manner : 

First  of  all,  the  Commission  held  a  meet- 
ing with  the  teachers  and  lectured  to  them, 
showing  them  the  various  slides.  The  plan 
was  then  divided  into  six  parts  as  follows : 

Commission,  jurisdiction,  duties  and  object 

The  plan  as  a  whole 

Thoroughfares 

Rivers  and  bridges 

Parks  and  playgrounds 

Municipal  buildings 

One  subject  was  assigned  to  each  of  the 
six  grammar  grade  schools.  Next,  the  Com- 
mission took  the  slides  into  the  schools  and 
lectured  to  the  children.  Each  slide  was 
shown  and  briefly  explained.  The  children 
were  allowed  to  ask  questions,  in  order  to 
make  sure  that  the  pupils  understood  the 
proposed   improvement   thoroughly.      Then 


the  children  were  taken  to  the  sites  of  the 
proposed  improvements.  Every  child  was 
required  to  make  an  oral  report  and  later  a 
written  report  of  the  improvement.  The 
pupils  thus  were  learning  how  to  use  Eng- 
lish correctly  and  at  the  same  time  learning 
the  needs  of  their  city.  The  children  wrote 
original  stories  about  the  proposed  improve- 
ments, as  no  printed  matter  was  given  them. 
The  object  of  this  method  was  to  get  the 
children  to  ask  questions,  and  this  is  where 
the  valuable  part  of  the  school  work  came  in. 
Mother,  father,  sister,  brother,  relatives  and 
friends  were  interviewed  on  these  subjects 
by  the  little  folks.  Usually,  the  adult  was 
not  familiar  with  the  plan  and  gave  the  child 
some  excuse  or  put  off  answering  its  ques- 
tions until  such  time  as  he  could  come  to  the 
City  Hall  and  find  out  about  the  improve- 
ment upon  which  the  student  desired  in- 
formation. In  this  way  the  large  map  was 
again  used  to  make  friends  for  the  plan. 

As  the  work  in  the  school  progressed, 
speakers  were  developed,  and  one  of  the 
pupils  was  selected  from  each  class  as  its 
speaker  on  "Future  Johnstown,"  at  the  com- 
mencement exercises.  On  the  evening  of 
the  commencement  exercises  these  pupils 
gave  an  illustrated  lecture  on  the  needs  of 


328 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


If  you  see  caterpillars  stripping  willows, 
poplars,  aspens  and  cottonwoods,  don't  go 
by  on  the  other  side.  Stop  and  obtain  some 
specimens  and  mail  them  in  a  box,  secure 
against  breakage,  to  your  state  entomologist, 
or  write  and  tell  him  what  you  have  seen. 

The  satin  moths  have  pure  white  wings, 
and  their  bodies  are  covered  with  long 
white  hairs,  so  that  the  whole  appearance  is 
as  of  satin.  The  males  are  a  little  smaller 
than  the  females,  and  the  body  length  varies 
from  15  to  20  millimeters  in  the  male  and 
20  to  25  millimeters  in  th6  female,  with  the 
wing  expanse  varying  from  35  to  55  milli- 
meters. In  other  words,  they  are  almost  an 
inch  long  and  the  wings  spread  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  width. 

The  eggs  are  laid  in  conspicuous  patches 
from  one-half  to  one  inch  in  length  and  are 
covered  with  a  white  secretion.  A  single 
female  may  lay  as  many  as  550  eggs.  Most 
of  the  egg-laying  is  done  in  the  middle  of 
July.  In  Europe  these  eggs  may  not  hatch 
until  the  next  spring,  but  in  Massachusetts 
they  were  observed  to  hatch  in  hot  weather 
in  about  15  days. 

The  larvae  have  many  tubercles  bearing 
long  hairs  and  are  conspicuously  marked 
with  large  whitish  patches  on  the  dorsum 
of  the  segments.  The  young  larvae  feed  on 
the  epidermis  of  the  leaves,  giving  them  a 
skeletonized  appearance.  When  they  reach 
about  the  third  stage  of  development,  they 
construct  little  silken  hibernating  pockets 
in  the  crevices  of  the  bark,  and  here  they 
remain  dormant  until  the  spring  foliage 
comes  out,  when  they  appear  and  feed  until 
fully  developed  in  June  or  July.  They  seek 
shelter  and  construct  cocoons  on  the  trees 
or  sides  of  houses.  The  pupal  stage  lasts 
about  nine  days.  The  first  moths  have  been 
observed  in  New  England  about  July  2,  and 
from  then  on  they  become  very  abundant. 

The  new  bulletin  is  entitled,  "The  Satin 
Moth:  An  Introduced  Enemy  of  Poplars 
and  Willows,"  by  A.  F.  Burgess,  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  Department  Cir- 
cular 167,  May,  1921,  and  can  be  obtained 
on  application  to  the  Bureau  of  Entomology, 
Washington,  D.  C.  It  was  not  primarily  the 
purpose  of  this  article  to  discuss  the  new 
pest,  but  rather  to  draw  a  lesson  from  its 
arrival  and  establishment. 

The  Menace  of  Foreign  Pests 

The  whole  record  of  American  shade  tree 
troubles  proves  to  us  that  our  trees  are  most 


endangered  by  the  foreign  importations.  It 
seems  to  be  a  biological  law  that  a  pest  es- 
caped from  its  natural  environment  and  its 
normal  enemies,  and  transplanted  into  a 
favorable  climate  with  the  proper  food,  will 
become  far  more  serious  than  in  its  native 
habitat. 

We  have  but  to  mention  again  the  gipsy 
moth,  which  came  to  America  about  thirty 
years  ago,  and  the  brown  tail  moth,  which 
appeared  a  little  later;  these  two  species 
nearly  devastated  the  trees  of  New  England, 
and  were  fast  advanc'ng  on  New  York  when 
vigorous  measures  were  taken  to  suppress 
them.  We  will  cite  the  elm  leaf  beetle,  the 
willow  leaf  beetle,  the  Japanese  beetle,  the 
horse  chestnut  borer,  the  San  Jose  scale, 
and  many  other  scales,  the  pine  shoot  moth, 
the  elm  sawfly,  the  poplar  borer,  the  poplar 
curculio,  as  prominent  among  the  forest  and 
shade  tree  pests  that  have  come  to  our  shores 
uninvited  and  taken  possession  of  our  price- 
less heritage. 

In  1917  the  writer  edited  for  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  a  volume  known  as  the 
"Manual  of  Dangerous  Insects  Likely  to  Be 
Imported."  The  purpose  and  intent  of  this 
volume  was  to  call  the  attention  of  our 
American  authorities  to  the  numerous  pests 
of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia  and 
South  America  which  might  in  our  great 
extending  commerce  reach  our  shores  and 
become  pests.  The  time  is  coming  when  our 
nation  must  have  outposts  in  all  lands 
whence  come  our  imports,  stationed  there  to 
observe  the  dangerous  pests  and  warn  our 
authorities,  as  well  as  guard  our  coinmerce 
by  preventing  the  importation  of  dangerous 
products.  Such  action  will  have  the  whole- 
some effect  of  forcing  importing  nations  to 
effect  control  of  their  pests  in  order  to  save 
their  commerce. 

The  Need  of  Local  Vigilance 

This  event  must  emphasize  more  than 
ever  the  need  of  national,  state  and  mu- 
nicipal vigilance,  if  we  are  to  save  for 
future  generations  the  trees  we  love  so 
well.  It  will  not  do  to  rely  on  the  meager 
Federal  and  state  appropriations  to  keep 
pests  from  reaching  our  shores  and  spread- 
ing. Every  city  must  have  expert  forces 
constantly  engaged  in  watching  and  caring 
for  its  trees  and  shrubbery.  They  must  be 
men  who  know  what  to  guard  against  and 
what  they  must  do  in  emergency. 

Pest  control  is  a  highly  developed  science. 


April,  19^^ 


TME    AMERICAN     CI  t  Y 


3i^ 


I 


At  present  it  involves 
a  tremendous  amount 
of  technical  training. 
No  two  pests  can  be 
controlled  in  exactly 
the  same  manner,  and 
the  entomologist  must 
know  the  diiiferent 
methods  available  and 
exercise  his  judgment 
and  past  experience  in 
meeting  the  tree  prob- 
lems under  his  jurisdic- 
tion. 

The  glory  of  every 
city  is  the  mantle  of 
green  formed  by  its 
shade  trees,  those 
blessed  companions  of 
man,  which  give  him 
shade  and  shelter  and 
relieve  his  eycjstrain 
caused  by  the  glare  of 
city  streets.  The  ti*ees 
are  the  most  important 
agency  in  clarifying 
the  atmosphere.  They 
are  the  pride  of  the 
householder,  the  mod- 
els of  the  artist,  the  in- 
spirers  of  the  poet. 
Such  of  our  cities  as  have  become  congested 
and  pushed  their  house  lines  on  the  side- 
walks, long  since  found  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  creating  frequent  breathing  spaces, 
where  green  grass  and  beautiful  trees  could 
be  grown,  to  give  relief  to  the  dweller  in 
the  closely  packed  sections. 

The  parks  are  the  resting-places  of  the 
populace.  Residential  sections  with  park- 
ings of  trees  are  the  most  highly  prized  by 
home  owners,  and,  in  fact,  the  presence  of  a 
beautiful  tree  on  a  property  is  a  distinct 
asset  from  the  real-estate  standpoint. 

If  the  citizens  prize  the  trees  so  highly, 
why  are  our  cities  often  so  negligent  of  the 
health  of  their  shade  trees  ?  When  a  mem- 
ber of  our  family  is  sick,  we  call  in  a  spe- 
cialist and  expect  him  to  cure  the  disease. 
For  every  trouble  we  consult  men  who  know 
what  to  do,  except  when  our  trees  are  in 
danger;  then  we  seem  to  pass  the  responsi- 
bility on  to  some  one  else,  or  shrug  our 
shoulders,  and  say,  "It  is  too  bad" — but  in 
many  cities  no  action  results.  That  is  why 
these  new  pests  get  a  strangle-hold  on  the 


I'OT'LARS    IN    A    MASSACHUSETTS    TOWN,    DENUDED  BY 
THE    SATIN  MOTH 


nation.  If  the  men  of  Watertown  and  Cam- 
bridge who  observed  the  satin  moth  in  1918 
and  1919  had  truly  done  their  duty,  we 
should  not  have  in  New  England  a  pest 
threatening  the  poplars  and  willows  of 
America. 

The  control  of  your  shade  tree  pests 
should  be  confided  only  to  reputable  tech- 
nical men  who  can  show  by  diploma  or  other 
credential  that  they  are  qualified  as  experts 
to  handle  these  problems.  Every  different 
species  of  tree  has  its  own  distinct  types  of 
pests.  All  of  the  pests  of  a  single  tree  can- 
not be  handled  by  any  one  or  two  standard 
m.ethods,  nor  can  they  all  be  reached  at  the 
same  time  of  the  year.  Only  certain  pests 
can  be  reached  by  lime-sulphur  sprays; 
some  must  be  treated  with  nicotines,  arsen- 
icals,  oils,  etc.;  some  must  be  guarded 
against  by  banding;  others  work  in  the 
heart  of  the  tree  or  branch  and  present 
extremely  serious  problems.  Who  but  a 
technically  trained  man  can  be  expected  to 
know  how  to  go  about  solving  these  prob- 
lems and  effecting  control? 


330 


What  Is  a  Fair  Salary  for  a  City  Clerk? 


THE  following  tables,  prepared  from  a 
questionnaire  sent  out  by  The  Amer- 
ican City,  cover  a  distribution  of  re- 
plies wide  enough  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  the 
current  salaries  of  city  clerks.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  compare  the  salaries  of  city  clerks. 
Their  duties  differ  considerably  in  various 
localities,  making  it  necessary  to  be  careful 
not  to  draw  hasty  conclusions  from  these 
figures. 

Among  the  large  cities  reporting,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  pays  the  highest  salary — 
$4,500.  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  which  is  larger 
than  Minneapolis,  pays  but  $3,600.  There 
are  considerable  differences  in  the  salaries 
paid  in  the  cities  of  about  100,000  popula- 
tion: Lawrence,  Mass.,  $2,800;  Lowell, 
Mass.,  the  same;  Trenton,  N.  J.,  $2,400; 
Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  $3,000;  Erie,  Pa., 
$2,500;  Reading,  Pa.,  $2,400;  Scranton,  Pa., 
$2,300;  Nashville,  Tenn.,  $3,000.  Wide 
divergences  appear  in  the  75,C)00  group. 
Sioux  City,  la.,  reports  $175  a  month,  a 
rate  of  $2,100  a  year;  Wichita,  Kans., 
$2,400;  Holyoke,  Mass.,  $3,000;  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  $1,800;  Allentown,  Pa.,  $2,000; 
Charleston,  S.  C,  $2,400.  In  the  30-50,000 
group  are  such  figures  as  that  of  Stamford, 
Conn.,  $3,500,  which  compares  favorably 
with  the  salary  paid  in  much  larger  places; 
Decatur,  111.,  $1,800  and  fees;  Gary,  Ind., 
$3,000;  Lewiston,  Me.,  $1,800;  Salem, 
Mass.,  $2,400;  Bay  City,  Mich.,  $2,000; 
Jackson,  Mich.,  $2,500;  and  Lansing,  Mich., 
$2,400.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Mont- 
clair,  N.  J.,  pays  $3,900,  while  Orange,  N. 
J.,  slightly  larger,  pays  but  $2,400,  and 
Union,  N.  J.,  with  a  still  smaller  population, 
$4,000. 

In  the  smaller  cities  and  towns  compari- 
son is  very  difficult.  In  most  villages,  and 
in  many  places  of  considerable  size,  the  city 
clerk  is  expected  to  devote  only  a  portion 
of  his  time  to  the  duties  of  that  office.  For 
instance,  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  the  city  clerk 
draws  no  salary  as  such,  his  office  being 
combined  with  that  of  city  auditor.  In  fact, 
combinations  of  offices  are  frequently  met, 
although  these  are  not  Indicated  on  the 
tables.  A  few  of  the  typical  ones  may  be 
noted,  as  they  may  suggest  feasible  combi- 
nations for  other  cities : 

In  Weiser,   Idaho,  the  city  clerk  is  also 


police  judge.  In  Hymera,  Ind.,  his  office  is 
combined  with  that  of  city  treasurer;  in 
Atlantic,  Iowa,  which  pays  $290  a  month, 
he  is  also  superintendent  of  utilities.  In 
Tipton,  la.,  he  is  weight  master  and  col- 
lector. Combinations  of  the  offices  of  city 
clerk  and  city  auditor  or  city  treasurer  are 
common.  In  Westfield,  Mass.,  the  city  clerk 
is  also  clerk  of  registrars;  in  Forsyth, 
Mont.,  city  attorney;  in  West  View,  Pa., 
street  commissioner  and  building  inspector; 
in  Orange,  Texas,  city  treasurer,  tax  asses- 
sor and  collector.  City  clerks  act  as  city 
purchasing  agents  in  many  places,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  Tekoa,  Wash., 
Aliquippa,  Pa.,  Farrell,  Pa.  Two  cities  re- 
port that  the  city  manager  performs  the 
duties  of  city  clerk:  Franklin,  N.  Y.  (where 
he  is  also  purchasing  agent),  and  Black- 
stone,  Va.  In  places  of  small  size,  where 
there  are  a  number  of  duties  no  one  of 
which  requires  full  time,  and  yet  where 
each  requires  considerable  attention,  such 
combinations  work  out  very  well  and  are 
to  be  recommended 

A  number  of  cities  report  that  the  city 
clerk  is  partly  paid  from  fees  or  commis- 
sions of  various  sorts.  Welsh,  La.,  Bar 
Harbor,  Maine,  and  Bath,  Maine,  report 
that  the  clerk  is  paid  no  regular  salary,  but 
receives  fees  only. 

SALARIES    OF   CITY   CLERKS 

Unless    Otherwise    Stated,    Figures    Represent 
Yearly  Salary 


State  and   City       Population 
Alabama 

Albany      7,652 

Brewton     2,682 

Arizona 

Bisbee     9,205 

Globe     7,044 

Mesa     3,036 

Miami     6,689 

Prescott    4,300 

Tucson    20,292 

California 

Grass     Valley 4,006 

Huntington    P'k 4,513 

Sawtelle      

Colorado 

Durango     4,116 

Greeley     10,833 

Monte   Vista 2,367 

Montrose    3,581 

Paonia    

*  m — per  month. 
**  f — plus    fees. 


Over 

10,000 

Under 
10,000 

$    180  m* 
45  f** 

400 

200  m 
200  m 
250  m 
105  m 
225  m 

1,320 

150 

50 

125  m 

2,100 

400' 
110 
100  m 

Al'KIL,    1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


331 


I 


State  and   City       Population 

Pueblo     42,908 

Rockv     Ford 3,746 

Salida    4,689 

Trinidad     10,906 

Connecticut 

Stamford     35,086 

Torrington     20,623 

Florida 

Miami     29,549 

Miami    Beach 

Georgia 

Perry    

Thomasville     8,196 

\'aldosta     10,783 

Idaho 

Lewiston    6,574 

Paris     

Payette     

Rexburg      3,569 

Wallace    2,816 

Weiser    

Illinois 

Abington    2,721 

Arlington   H'ts 

Carbondale     6,267 

Clinton      5,898 

Decatur     43,818 

Eureka    •     ' 

Golconda    

Harvard     3,294 

La   Grange    

I.a    Grange    P'k .... 

Mascoutah    2,343 

Mound    City    2,756 

Oregon    2,227 

Princeton     4,126 

Zion    5,580 

Indiana 

Covingfton     

Crown   Point 3,232 

Frankfort     11,585 

Gary    56,375 

Hymera    

Mishawaka     15,195 

Mt.    Vernon    5,284 

Salem    2,836 

Tell    City    4,086 

Winchester     4,021 

Iowa 

Afton    

Atlantic    5,329 

Relle    Plaine 3,887 

Chariton     5,175 

Cherokee    5,824 

Clear    Lake 2,804 

Elkadcr     

Fort    Madison     12,066 

C.lenwood      3,862 

Guthrie     Center.... 

Hawarden     2,491 

Humboldt     

Manchester    3,111 

Muscatine     16,068 

Oelwein    7,455 

Osceola     2,684 

Perry    5,642 

Rock  Rapids 2,172 

Sheldon    3,488 

Shenandoah      5,255 

Sidney     

Sioux     City 71,227 

Spirit   Lake 

Tama     2,601 

Tipton     2,142 

Kansas 

Anthony     2,740 

P.aldwin    City 

Cherry  vale     4,698 

CofTeyville    13,452 

Conway     Springs.  .  . 

Dodge   City 5,061 


Over 

10,000 
2,280 

150  ni 


3,500 
37.50  wk. 


Under 
10,000 


300 
125  m 


150  m 


1,800  f 


1,000 
3,000 

1,700 


1,800 


1,500 


225  m 


60 

135 

m 

160 

m 

400 

1,200 

1,800 

1,000 

145 

1,200 

125 

100 

m 

600 

200 

50 

f 

25 

m 

70 

m 

250 

300 

100 

mf 

1,500 

165 

m 

900 

450 

500 

180 


135  m 


850 

200 

250 

700 

100 

f 

290 

m 

115 

m 

90 

m 

900 

20 

m 

100 

300 

35 

m 

175 

m 

200 

130 

m 

70 

m 

400 

100 

m 

150 

150 

m 

125 

m 

50 

60O 

175 

135 

m 

150 

70 

m 

110 

m 

60 

,800 

State  and   City       Population 

Douglass     

Ellis    

Fort    Scott     10,693 

Fredonia     3,954 

Harper    

Hays    3,165 

Hillsboro    

Hoisington     2,395 

Horton    4,009 

Hutchinson     23,298 

Kinsley     

Lebanon    

Marion    

Marvsville    3,048 

Olat'he     3,268 

Ottawa    9,018 

Parsons     16,028 

Peabody      2,455 

Pittsburg    18,052 

Protection    

Stafford    

Troy    

Weir    1,945 

Wellington     7,048 

Wichita    72,217 

Wilson    

Kentucky 

Cvnthiana     3,857 

Hickman     2,633 

Somerset    4,672 

Louisiana 

Colfax     

Honaldsonville    ....  3,745 

Thibodaux    3,526 

Vivian    

Welsh     

Maine 

Bar    Harbor 3,622 

Bath    14,731 

Brewer    6,064 

Lewiston     31,707 

Maryland 

Chcstertown     2,537 

Easton 3,442 

Port  Deposit 

Westernport    2,977 

Massachusetts 

Attleboro    19,731 

Blackstone    4,836 

Dracut    5,280 

Gloucester    22,9J7 

Holbronk    3,101 

Holyoke    60,203 

I^wrence    94,270 

Lowell     112,759 

Ludlow     7,470 

Montague     7,675 

Marblehead      7,324 

Melrose     18,204 

Millbury     5,652 

Northbridge     10,074 

Pepperell     2,468 

Salem    42,515 

Sutton      2,578 

Taunton    37,137 

Uxbridge      5,384 

Westfield    18.603 

Wej-mouth      15,057 

Wiliiamstown     3.707 

Winchester     10,391 

Winthrop      15,446 

Michigan 

Allegan     3,637 

Alma     7,542 

Bay   City    47,554 

Bessemer    5,482 

Big    Rapids 4,558 

Blissfield     

Cadillac     9,734 

Kast    Jordan 2,428 

Hancock     7,527 

Harbor    Beach 

Holland 12,166 


Over 

10,000 


1,800 


1,800 
1,800 


2,400 


fees  only 
1,800 


1,800 


1,500 

3,000 
2,800 
2,800 


1,800 

35  m 

2,400 

2,500 

2,000 
250  f 

812.50 
520  f 


2,000 


2,600 


Under 

10,000 

50' 

m 

600 

100 

m 

75 

m 

140 

m 

35 

m 

75 

m 

100 

m 

60 

m 

65 

85 

75 

m 

100 

m 

1,500 

50 

m 

37.50 

m 

150 

m 

420 

300 

125 

m 

95 

150 
300 


75 

40  m 
120 
15  m 
fees  only 


fees  only 
520  f 


420 

1,500 

50 

300 


75  f 
200 

200 

600 
400  f 
abiout  800 

200 

200 

100  f 

800 

300 


150  m 
3,000 

1,800 
1,200 

100 
2,000 
35  m 

135  m 
1,500 


2,2,2 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


State  and   City       Population 

Iron   Mountain 8,251 

Ishpeming    10,500 

Jackson     48,374 

Jonesville     

Lansing    57,327 

Ludington    8,810 

Marine    City 3,731 

Marquette    12,718 

Menominee    8,907 

Niles     7,311 

Royal     Oak 

St.    Clair    3,204 

Sparta     

Wyandotte     13,851 

Minnesota 

Bertha    

Jackson     2,144 

Le    Sueur    

Minneapolis     380,582 

Renville    

St.    Charles    

Mississippi 

Amory    2,801 

Pontotoc     

Tupelo    5,065 

Missouri 

Butler     2,702 

Carthage     10,068 

Charleston    3,410 

Columbia    10,379 

Farmington    2,886 

Greenfield     

Harrisonville     2,073 

Higginsville     2,724 

Joplin      . 29,902 

Monroe  Citv   

Poplar  Bluff    8,042 

St.    Joseph    77,939 

Sarcoxie     

Sedalia    21,144 

Sikeston    3,797 

Slater     3,797 

Montana 

Big  Timber 

Forsyth     

Glasgow    2,059 

Glendive     3,816 

Great    Falls 24,121 

Havre   5,429 

Red    Lodge 4,515 

Kalispell     5,147 

Livingston    6,326 

Miles     City 7,937 

Roundup     2,409 

Whitefish      2,867 

Nebraska 

Bloomfield    

Clay    Center    

College    View 2,249 

Crawford    

Grand    Island 13,960 

Hebron     

Loup    Citv 

McCook  '. 4,303 

Norfolk    8,634 

Osceola     

Ralston     

Stromsburg    

Wahoo    2,338 

Wayne    ^...      2,115 

Wilber    

Nevada 

Reno     12,016 

Sparks    3,238 

New  nAMPsiiiRE 

Berlin    16,104 

Concord    22,167 

Franklin     6,318 

Milford     3,783 

New   Jersey 

Asbury    Park 12,400 

Belvidere     


Over 

lO.OOO' 


1,000' 
2,500 


2,400 
125  m 


2,400 


4,500 


125  m 
100  m 


1,800 
1,80'0 


1,200 


1,400  f 
1,400 


1,500 


Under 
10,000 
150  m 

300 

1,800' 
1,200 

1,640.16 
1,800 
2,400 
1,200 
10  m 


35 

40  m 
37.50  m 

180 
100 


125  m 
45  m 
85  m 


fees  only 

300  f 

fees  only 
200 
150 
35  m 

75 
1,200  f 

2.50  m 

70  m 
400 


50  m 
500 
125  m 

75  m 

50  m 
60  m 
1,500 

175  m 
2,000 
300 
1,200 

300 

50  m 
110 
300 

150 
200 
300 

100'  m 

300 

150 

100 

250 

300 

300 


60  m 


1,500 
200 


200 


State  and   City       Population 
Cape    May    City....      2,999 

Edgewater    3,530 

Englewood    11,627 

Frenchtown     

Jamesburg    2,671 

Long    Branch    13,521 

Madison    5,523 

Milltown     

Montclair     28,810 

Orange    33,239 

Plainfield      27,700 

Princeton     5,917 

Roselle  Park 5,438 

Salem    7,435 

Summit 10,174 

Trenton    111,289 

Union    20,651 

Westfield    9,026 

Wildwood     

NiiW   Mexico 

Albuquerque     15,157 

Deming 3,212 

New   York 

Adams    

Auburn     36,192 

Babylon 2,523 

Brewster     

Canton    2,631 

Catskill     4,728 

Cazenovia     

Champlain    

Clinton    

Clyde     2,528 

Cuba     

East    Aurora 3,703 

Floral     Park 

Glens   Falls    16,638 

Groton    2,235 

Haverstraw    5,226 

Hempstead     6,382 

Homer    2,356 

Hudson     11,745 

Jamestown   38,917 

Kenmore    3,100 

Newark    6,964 

Newburgh    30,272 

New  Paltz   

Niagara   Falls 50,760 

Norwich    8,269 

Ogdensburg 14,609 

Olean    20,500 

Phelps     

Philmont     

Port     Chester 16,572 

Poughkeepsie     35,000 

Sal.-imanca    9,276 

Saratoga   .Springs...    13,181 

Scotia    4,358 

Sherburne    

Sherrill     

Sidney 2,670 

Walton      5,425 

Waterloo    3,809 

Watertown     31,285 

North   Carolina 

Asheville    28,504 

Canton    

Edenton 2,777 

Gastonia     12,871 

Hickory    5,076 

King's    Mt 2,800 

Raleigh     28,674 

Reidsville     5,333 

Salisbury    13,884 

Waynesville     1,943 

North    Dakota 

Casselton    

Enderlin     

Hillsboro    

Jamestown   6,627 

Landon     1,223 

Lidgerwood    

Lisbon     

Oakes    

Wahpeton     3,069 


Over 

10,000 


1,200 


1,500 


3,900 
2,400 
3,000 


1,000 
2,400 
4,000 


125  m 


2,700 


1,100 


1,500 
1,900 


2,500 
3,300 


1,800 
2,100 


1,500 
2,500 


1,650 


3,000 


2,100 


2,600 
1,800 


Under 
10,000 

1,000 

1,500 

150 
150  f 

2400 
400   f 


900 
500 
500 


1,000 
840  f 


300  f 


250 

350 

125 

150 

600 

600 

100 

150 

100   f 

±80 

500 

400 


1,200 
400 

2,200 
150 


(0  m 
40  m 


125 
300 


175 
75 


1,700 

1,600 
600 
125 
240 
300 
200 


60 

m 

1,400 

3,000 

100 

m 

,  150 

m 

250 

300 

200 

35 

1,800 

250 

200 

40 

m 

50 

m 

6Q0 

April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


333 


Over 

State  and   City       Population         10,000 
Ohio 

Arcanum    

Karnesville     4,865 

Bellefontaine     9,336 

Bowling  Green 5,788 

Brookville     

Cheviot     

Chillicothe    15,831 

Cleves     

Delaware    8,756 

Elyria    20,474  1,500 

Granville    

Htiron     

Kenmore    12,683         1,800 

Kent    7,070 

Lebanon    3,396 

M'Connellsvillc     . . . 

Mansfield     27,824         2,400 

Mt.     Gilead 

Ottawa    

Painesville    7,272 

Sandusky     22,897  960 

Vermillion    

Oklahoma 

Anadarko     3,110 

Blackwell    7,174 

Boley    

Broken    Arrow 2,086 

Edmond    2,452 

Lawton     8,930 

Madill  2,717 

McAlester    12,095         2,100 

Muskogee     30,277  2,500 

Oklahoma     City 91,258         3,000 

Poteau     2,679 

Sapulpa    11,634         2,100 

Stigler     

Stillwater     4,701 

Tahle<iuah    2,271 

Okfgon 

Eugene     10,593  140  m 

Grant's     Pass 3,151 

Klamath    Falls 4,801 

La    Grande 6,913 

Pendleton     7,387 

Seaside     

Tillamook     

Woodhurn    

Pennsylvania 

Aliquippa     

Allentown    73,502         2,000 

Bangor    

Berwick    12,181  500 

Bradford     15,525  2,500 

Bridceville     

Bristol     10,273  400 

California     2,480 

Cambridge    Springs. 

Catawissa     

Chamhersburg     13,171         1,800 

F'ast   Bangor 

East    Stroudsburg.  .      4,855 

Ebensburg    

Ell  wood    City 8.958 

Emaus    4,370 

Erie  93,372         2,500 

Farrell    

Franklin     9,970 

Greenville    8,101 

Harrisburg     75,917         2,100 

Hawley  

Indiana     7,013 

Ingram    2,900 

Tohnsonhurg    5,400 

Kennctt   Sq 2,398 

Landsdowne    4,797 

Lititz     3,680 

McDonald    2,751 

McKeesport     45,975  1,800 

McSherrystown     .  .  . 

Malvern    

Meadville  15,563    2,000 

MiPlinburg  

Montrose  


Under 
10,000 

260 

300 
1,600 
1,490 

200 

900 
nonet 

150  m 
1,700 

200 
175 

1,800 
900 
30  m 

30  m 
260 
none 

360 

1,200 
2,400 

20  m 

75  m 

100  m 

1,800 

125  m 


25  m 


125 

m 

1,800 

40 

m 

1,020 

175 

m 

135 

m 

125 

m 

1,700 

150 

m 

100 

m 

65 

m 

370 

250 

300 
360 
460 

175 

60  m 
120 
170  m 

25  m 

140  m 
2,000 
1,560 

50 
400 
300 

35  m 
150 
600 
120 
400 

35 
150 

1,600 
76 


t  Office    of    city    clerk    coml)ined    with    that    of    city 
auditor. 


State  and   City       Population 

Narbuth      3,704 

Northampton    9,349 

Oakmont     4,512 

Perkasie     3,150 

Pitcairn    5,738 

Pittsburgh    588,193 

Reading    107,784 

Sayre    8,078 

Scranton     137,783 

Shenandoah     24,726 

Spangler     3,035 

Susquehanna     3,764 

Swoyersville    6,876 

Uniontown     15,609 

Washington     21,480 

West    View 

Wrightsville     1,943 

Youngsville    

Rhode  Island 

Pawtucket    64,248 

Warren     7,841 

South   Carolina 

Bamberg    2,210 

Barnwell     

Bennettsyille     3,197 

Branchville      

Charleston    67,957 

Darlington      4,669 

Greenwood     8,703 

Orangeburg 7,290 

Valhalla    2,088 

South  Dakota 

Aberdeen    14,537 

Canton    2,225 

Clark     

Elk    Point 

Flandreau    

Ilighmore     

Huron     8,302 

Mitchell    8,478 

Platte    

Watertown     9,400 

Tennessee 

Bristol     8,047 

Dyersburg    6,444 

Harriman     4,019 

Nashville    118.340 

Texas 

Beaumont     40,422 

Brady    2,197 

Brownsville    11,791 

Brvan    6,307 

Corsicana     11,356 

Crockett    3,061 

Del   Rio    10,589 

Denison    17,005 

Flatonia    

Galveston   44,255 

Karnes    City 

Longview     5,71 3 

Marshall     14.271 

Memphis     2,839 

Mineral    Wells 7,890 

Now    Braunfels 3,950 

Orange     9,212 

Paris     14,040 

Pilot    Point 

San     Maria 4,527 

Seymour    2,121 

Terrell     8,349 

Tcxarkana    11,480 

Tyler     12,085 

Vernon     5,142 

Weatherford    6,203 

Yoakum    6,184 

Utah 

Cedar    City 2,462 

Logan    9,439 

Parowan   

Vermont 

Hardwick  1,550 

Lyndonville    3,558 

Montpelier   7,125 


Over 

10,000 


3,600 
2,400 


2,300 
1,100 


1,980 
2,200 


3,750 


2,400 


175  m 


200  m 


1.50  m 
190  m 


Under 
10,000 
100 

20  m 
400 
300 
x,800 

500 


126 
300 
360 


180  m 
75 
20  m 


750  f 


80  m 

900 

151.67  m 

300 

2,400 

1,800 
1,680 
190  m 
25  m 

165  m 

300 
1,600 

200 

SOO 

460 
2,400 
2,100 

150 
1,890 

1,800 
2,000 
1,200 

3,000 

3,000 

110  m 

100 

m 

175  m 

125 

m 

50  m 

125 

m 

175 

m 

20  m 

25  m 
185  m 

360 
1,500 
2,000 

225  m 

7.50  m 
90O 
fees  only 
125  m 


2,400 

600 

1,500 


400 

175  m 
125 


1,100 

25  m 
2,000 


334 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  ,] 


State  and   City       Population 

Newport    4,97() 

Northfield     3,096 

Springfield     5,283 

Virginia 

Bristol     6,729 

Chase    City 

Cape    diaries 

Chatham     

Covington     5,623 

Falls    Church 

Newport    News 35,596 

Norton    

Suffolk     9,123 

West   Point 

Washington 

Bremerton    8,918 

Davenport    

Everett    27,644 

Garfield    

Pullman    2,440' 

Puyallup     6.271 


Over 

10,000' 


3,000 


175  m 


Under 

10,000 

2,100 

100 

800 


150  m 

none 

300 

60 

1,500 

10  m 

10  mf 
1,100 
12 


150  m 
900 

25  m 

100  m 

45  m 


State  and   City       Population 

Ritzville    

Tci<oa    

Wenatchee   6,324 

West  X^ikginia 

Clarksburg     27,869 

Elkins     6,788 

Martinshurg     12,515 

Monndsville     10,669 

Wheeling    54,322 

Wisconsin 

Alma     

Bloomer    

Chilton    

Clintonville    3,275 

Madison      38,278 

Manitow.jc    17,563 

Nekoosa    

Park     Falls 2,676 

Phillips     

Sheboygan    30,955 


Over 

10,000 


2,400 

1,500 
1,500 
3,000 


2,400 
2,700 


1,500 


Under 
10,000 

900 
40  m 

200 


1,400 


200 
200 
600 
900 


250 

60  m 
600 


The  Smoke  Problem  in  Cities 

The  Elimination  of  Smoke  a  Municipal  Problem  in  Which  Federal  Help  is  Assured 


MUNICIPAL  authorities  or  organiza- 
tions in  New  Orleans,  Kansas  City, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Akron  and  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  and  many  other  large  cities  are 
taking  active  steps  in  fighting  the  smoke 
evil.  Smoke  is  the  unsightly  and  offensive 
resultant  of  improper  combustion  and  is 
damaging  to  both  health  and  property.  The 
prevention  of  objectionable  smoke  in  the 
manufacturing  and  business  centers  of 
large  cities  is  a  problem  that  cannot  be 
easily  solved,  and  at  present  no  city  v^hich 
uses  a  considerable  quantity  of  bituminous 
coal  is  free  from  smoke.  The  cities  of  the 
East,  however,  have  avoided  this  problem 
by  a  general  use  of  the  smaller  sizes  of 
anthracite  coal.  For  this  reason  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  greatest  improvement  in 
the  methods  of  burning  bituminous  coal  has 
been  made  in  the  Central  and  Western 
States. 

The  smoke  problem  is  nearly  as  old  as 
civilization  itself,  for  coal  was  being  mined 
in  Great  Britain  about  the  tenth  century. 
In  1306,  Edward  I  issued  a  proclamation 
prohibiting  the  burning  of  coal  in  the 
city  of  London,  because  of  the  "sulferous 
smoke  and  savour  of  the  firing."  In  1648 
the  people  of  London  petitioned  Parliament 
to  prevent  the  importation  of  coal  into  the 
city.  Beginning  about  1750,  when  steam 
was  applied  to  industrial  purposes,  coal  be- 
gan to  be  used  more  extensively,  and  con- 
sequently smoke  became  more  abundant.  In 
1819,  the  government  appointed  a  House  of 
(Commons'    committee    to    inquire    into   the 


matter,  and  another  committee  was  ap- 
pointed in  1843,  Two  reports  were  issued 
in  1843  ^"d  1845,  but  no  legislation  resulted. 
Other  investigations  were  made  in  1846, 
1854  and  1866,  and  finally  in  1875  the  Public 
Health  Act  was  passed,  dealing  with  the 
question  of  smoke. 

In  the  United  States  the  problem,  of 
course,  did  not  appear  so  early,  but  as  cities 
of  considerable  size  developed  here,  the 
problem  was  also  felt.  It  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  discussions,  finally  becoming  of  such 
importance  that  extensive  investigations 
were  made  in  Pittsburgh,  Chicago  and  Salt 
Lake  City  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 
The  Salt  Lake  City  investigation  was  de- 
scribed in  some  detail  in  the  July,  1920, 
issue  of  The  American  City. 

Smokeless  combustion  requires  the 
maintenance  of  a  uniform  and  proper  sup- 
ply of  fuel  and  air  under  conditions  of  suit- 
able temperature,  mixing,  and  volume  of 
combustion  space.  The  one  word  "uniform- 
ity" embraces  most  of  the  ideals  for  smokeless 
combustion.  There  are  available  for  power- 
plants,  both  municipal  and  private,  a  variety 
of  designs  of  mechanical  stokers  that,  when 
properly  operated,  will  result  in  smokeless 
combustion.  When  improperly  operated, 
however,  the  mechanical  stoker  will  produce 
smoke  just  as  abundantly  as  improper  hand- 
firing.  In  some  parts  of  the  United  States 
where  the  coal  mostly  in  use  is  one  that 
easily  produces  smoke,  the  smoke  from 
household  fires  becomes  a  nuisance.  Salt 
Lake  City  is  an  example  of  such  a  place, 


Saving  Roads  From  Impact 

The  Importance  of  Surface  Finish  and  Methods  of  Maintaining  It 

By  H.  Eltinge  Breed 

Consulting  Engineer,  New  York  City 


IN  an  economically  designed  concrete 
road,  the  life  of  the  pavement  depends  as 
much  upon  the  surface  finish  as  upon 
any  other  factor.  We  know  that  impact  is 
the  great  cause  of  destruction  of  our  pave- 
ments. As  a  smooth  cylinder  is  rolled  along 
n  smooth  table  there  is  practically  no  im- 
pact, but  if  there  are  ridges  in  the  table,  and 
the  cylinder  bumps  along  over  them,  there 
will  be  such  a  series  of  impacts  that,  if  the 
cylinder  be  heavy  enough  and  be  rolled 
often  enough,  the  surface  will  be  worn  out 
and  the  table  damaged. 

That  is  analogous  to  what  is  happening 
to  our  roads.  If  the  wheels  of  the  vehicles 
are  smooth  and  the  pavement  surfaces 
smooth,  there  is  no  damaging  impact  from 
traffic.  The  road  lasts,  even  though  it  be 
weak  in  proportion  to  the  volume  and 
weight  of  traffic  it  must  carry.  If  surface 
irregularities  develop,  the  whole  pavement, 
no  matter  how  strongly  built,  soon  shows 
the  effects  of  wear.  Our  roads  are  built 
usually  to  withstand  a  pressure  of  800 
pounds  per  lineal  inch  of  tire,  yet  if  a  %- 
inch  obstruction  occurs  in  the  surface,  the 
impact  of  one  rear  wheel  of  a  5-ton  truck 
may  exert  an  impact  presssure  of  20,000 
pounds  upon  the  road.  Under  such  pressure 
the  unevenness  becomes  a  depression,  whose 
edges  spall  and  break,  causing  further  im- 
pact and  more  depressions  until  the  pave- 
ment is  badly  damaged. 

Causes  of  Uneven  Pavement  Surfaces 

There  are  five  general  causes  of  uneven 
surfaces  in  pavements : 

1.  Foreign  materials  in  the  aggregate,  which, 

failing  to  amalgamate,  are  thrown  out, 
leaving  holes  and  depressions. 

2.  Non-uniform  aggregates,  which  cause  in- 

equalities in  wearing  resistance  to  traf- 
fic, and  subsequent  depressions  in  the 
weaker  places. 

3.  Poor    workmanship    in    striking    off    and 

finishing  concrete  pavements. 

4.  Cracks,   longitudinal   and  transverse,  due 

to  frost  action,  changes  of  temperature, 
or  unequal  bearing  in  the  subsoil. 


5.  Uneven  joints,  perhaps  the  most  common 
cause  of  surface  troubles,  due  often  to 
the  piling  up  of  joint  material  or  to  a 
difference  in  elevation  of  slab  surfaces. 

Three  Maintenance  Methods 

Three  general  methods  of  preserving 
good  surface  finish,  once  it  is  obtained,  are 
the  use  of  steel  reinforcements,  the  division 
of  the  road  longitudinally,  and  the  wider 
spacing  of  joints  with  the  use  of  dowels. 

The  chief  advantage  of  steel  reinforcing 
is  that  it  gives  the  road  greater  bearing 
power  and  greater  resistance  to  frost  action. 
It  also  offsets  irregularities  and  weaknesses 
in  subsoil.  By  helping  to  preserve  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  pavement,  it  minimizes  any 
tendency  towards  cracking,  which  is,  of 
course,  a  cause  of  surface  unevenness. 

The  division  of  the  road  longitudinally 
increases  its  beam  strength  about  four-fold. 
Observation  has  shown  that  longitudinal 
cracks  are  not  found  in  slabs  9  or  10  feet 
wid(*,  although  they  are  encountered  in 
practically  all  slabs  beyond  that  width.  The 
reason  for  this  difference  is  still  a  matter 
of  conjecture,  but  until  it  is  ascertained, 
highway  engineers  should  be  guided  by  re- 
sults hitherto  obtained  and  build  their  con- 
crete roads  in  two  longitudinal  sections. 

Since  transverse  joints  are  a  prolific 
source  of  trouble,  it  is  well  to  diminish  their 
number  as  far  as  possible  through  the  use 
of  longer  slabs.  This  wider  spacing  of 
joints  becomes  feasible  through  the  use  of 
steel  reinforcement  to  meet  the  temperature 
stresses  of  the  slab.  The  use  of  dowels 
gives  stability  to  the  joints  and  holds  the 
surfaces  even.  The  submergence  of  joints 
an  inch  below  the  surface  has  proved  un- 
satisfactory. This  method  was  devised  at 
first  to  secure  a  smooth  surface  and  to 
permit  the  use  of  a  finishing  machine,  and 
it  seemed  admirable  until  subsequent  ex- 
pansion crowded  and  crushed  the  concrete 
above  the  joint  material,  leaving  a  badly 
ravelled  and  spalled  joint.  The  best  method 
of  making  the  joint  is  to  submerge  the  joint 
material  until  after  the  screed  or  finishing 
machine  has  passed  over  it,  then  to  lift  the 


33<^ 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


joint  material  slightly  above  the  surface 
with  long-fingered  tongs,  following  this  by 
finishing  the  joint  with  a  split  float  or  split 
roller,  rounding  the  concrete  next  to  the 
joint  material  with  an  edging  tool. 

Specific  application  of  these  general 
principles  is  found  in  the  requirements  for 
the  special  concrete  highways  in  Delaware, 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York.  The  specifi- 
cations exact  good  workmanship  by  allow- 
ing a  maximum  of  only  ^-inch  depression 
in  10  feet  of  pavement  tested  with  a  straight 
edge.  The  use  of  a  straight  edge  on  green 
concrete  indicates  depressions  to  be  recti- 
fied, and  insures  good  results.  These  states 
specify  materials  with  such  precision  as  al- 
most certainly  to  preclude  i/ie  use  of  non- 
uniform aggregate  or  of  foreign  materials 
in  the  aggregate.  The  roads  are  designed 
so  as  to  minimize  the  danger  of  movement 
in  the  slab,  and  the  resulting  cracks.  Spe- 
cial attention  is  given  to  the  placing  of 
joints  and  to  the  suitability  of  the  machin- 
ery in  use. 

All  these  precautions  were  taken  on  con- 
crete roads  built  last  summer  in  old  Ben- 
nington, Vt.,  by  the  Fred  T.  Ley  Company, 
Springfield,  Mass.,  and  so  far  not  the  slight- 
est indication  of  any  surface  unevenness 
has  appeared.  This  tends  to  support  the  be^ 
lief  that  it  is  possible,  within  necessary 
financial  limits,  to  build  roads  that  will  be 
practically  indestructible  under  the  traffic 
permitted  by  law. 


Proper   Method  of  Finishing 

The  actual  method  of  finishing  is,  of 
course,  important  in  securing  a  smooth  sur- 
face. Some  road  builders  prefer  to  use  the 
finishing  machine  with  the  roller  and  belt. 
It  is  essential  that  the  roller  be  light.  A 
too-heavy  roller  pushes  the  crown  out  of 
the  pavement  and  spoils  the  surface.  Most 
specifications  call  for  a  weight  of  from  12 
to  15  pounds  per  foot  length.  Some  build- 
ers omit  the  roller,  using  only  the  machine. 
I  believe  that  the  roller  helps.  One  advan- 
tage of  the  finishing  machine  is  that  dryer 
concrete  can  be  used  with  it,  which  gives 
greater  strength  to  the  pavement.  It  gives 
also  more  uniform  results  than  can  be  ob- 
tained with  a  green  gang,  and  seems  in 
general  more  fool-proof  than  the  hand 
method.  Still,  many  engineers  and  con- 
tractors prefer  to  strike-off  with  the  hand 
screed,  using  the  roller  and  belt.  This  has 
the  advantage  of  eliminating  one  piece  of 
plant,  and  if  a  heavy  screed  is  used  in  the 
hands  of  competent  workmen  it  gives  as 
smooth  a  finish  to  the  surface  as  the  finish- 
ing machine 

With  either  method  the  board  belt  gives 
unquestionably  the  better  finish.  The  bow 
belt,  however,  can  give  good  results.  Proper 
belting  takes  ofif  not  only  the  water,  but 
also  the  clay,  loam,  laitance,  etc.,  that  tend 
to  form  scale  on  the  surface. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  paper  read  before  the 
convention  of  the  American  Road  Builders'  Associa- 
tion,  Chicago,   111.,  January,   1922. 


A  CONCEETE  CROSSROADS  WITH  CLEAR  VISTAS  AND  WIDE  RADIUS  CURVES 
TO   REDUCE   ACCIDENTS 


337 


fhrward  ^tops 

in 

Municipal  j{f fairs 


Puhlic^elfare 
Departments 


Saving  Money  on  Public  Works 

St.  Paul,  Minn. — This  city  has  in  opera- 
tion a  system  of  conducting  its  public  works 
which  has  proved  remarkably  successful  as 
a  money-saver. 

The  Chief  Engineer  submits  an  estimate 
to  the  Contract  Committee  as  to  what  the 
job  should  cost.  Then  bids  are  publicly 
asked  for,  received  and  tabulated.  If  the 
lowest  bid  is  less  than  the  estimate,  the  con- 
tract is  usually  awarded  to  the  lowest  bid- 
der. If  the  bids  are  higher  than  the  esti- 
mate, the  work  is  done  by  Force  Account. 
On  all  Force  Account  work  done  so  far  un- 
der the  present  administration,  the  costs 
have  ranged  under  the  lowest  bid  received. 

St.  Paul  has  a  municipally  owned  asphalt 
plant,  and  to  cents  a  square  yard  is  charged 
against  the  job  for  depreciation  of  equip- 
ment. This  is  expended  in  the  maintenance 
and  up-keep  of  the  asphalt  plant. 

The  following  table  gives  an  idea  of  costs, 
when  paving  by  Force  Account : 

PAVING  BY  FORCE  ACCOUNT 

Kind  Sq.  Yds. 

Sheet  asphalt    16,952 

Asphalt  concrete   11,544 

Brick    15,918 

Creosote   blocks    14,103 

Tarvia    13,240 


Totals 


ri,757 


$281,870 


Miscellaneous  works,  such  as  sewer  and 
water  connections,  and  drainage  to  be  done 
in  connection  with  the  paving,  came  to  $8r,- 
544,  giving  a  grand  total  of  $363,420. 

A  comparison  with  similar  work  done  by 
the  city  under  contract  is  interesting: 

PAVING  BY   CONTRACT 

Kind                                 Sq.  Yds.  Cost 

Sheet  asphalt    63,119  $162,597 

Brick    35,400  191,190 

Concrete   reinforced    66,355  160,070 

Creosote   blocks    41,302  262,370 

Totals     206,236  $776,239 


On  three  jobs  for  which  the  city  asked 
bids,  and  for  which  the  final  costs  have  now 
been  compiled,  the  following  figures  furnish 
interesting  comparisons : 

Actual   cost,    exclusive  of  water   and   sewer 

connections      $42,037.79 

Engineer's  estimated   cost    57,800.00 

Contractor's  bid  price  plus  2  per  cent  added 
for  inspection  as  required  by  the  city- 
charter     57,810.54 

This  gives  a  total  saving  on  the  Engi- 
neer's estimate  of  $15,762.21,  and  on  the 
contractor's  bid  of  $15,772.75. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  contractor's  bid 
calls  for  2  per  cent  additional  for  inspection. 
This,  of  course,  is  not  sufficient  to  cover  the 
inspection  cost.  However,  it  is  a  charter 
provision  that  only  2  per  cent  can  be  added 
and  the  balance  must  be  paid  out  of  the  In- 
spection Account  of  the  Permanent  Im- 
provement Revolving  Fund.  The  total  sav- 
ing to  the  city  is  therefore  really  greater 
than  the  figures  given  above. 

The  Force  Account  system  has  also  made 
it  possible  for  the  city  to  get  much  keener 
competition  from  contractors,  as  it  is  known 
that  they  are  obliged  to  bid  not  only  against 
other  contractors,  but  against  the  city  as 
well. 

IT.  C.  WENZEL. 
Commissioner   of    Public    Works. 


pinance 

J)epartmonis 


"Your  Tax  Dollar" 

Detroit,  Mich.  —  The  accompanying 
chart  was  prepared  to  visualize  for  the  citi- 
zens of  Detroit  the  services  they  receive  for 
their  tax  dollar.  An  informed  citizen  body 
is  the  strongest  guarantee  for  good  govern- 
ment. 

It  has  been  stated  repeatedly  in  the  pages 
of  The  American  City  that  a  municipal 
budget  is  a  financial  statement  of  the  work 
program  of  the  city — the  activities  to  be 
undertaken,  their  cost,  and  how  thtjy  are  to 


338 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


^V: 


YOUR  TAK  DOLLAR 

IS  SPEMT  T9K  THE  rOUOVItlC  SERVICES 


A  GRAPHIC  PRESENTATION  OF  THE  DETROIT  BUDGET 


be  financed.  The  actual  preparation,  con- 
sideration, and  adoption  of  such  a  program, 
in  accordance  with  accepted  budget  princi- 
ples, are  too  seldom  realized  in  our  cities. 
Detroit's  budget  is  an  effective  document, 
however,  informative  to  the  administrative 
departments,  the  legislative  body,  and  the 
public. 

The  budget  for  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1922,  is  $65,339,634,  for  the  following  char- 
acters of  expense: 

Fixed  charges    $  7,229,326 

Operation  and   maintenance 41,043,567 

Public   improvements    15,746,466 

Deficits    1,320,275 


Total    $65,339,634 


The  manner  of  financ- 
ing the  entire  program  is 
carefully  estimated,  as 
follows : 

Taxation     $40,164,706 

Bond    issues 12,981,577 

Miscellaneous  income — 
Cash  balances, 
sales  of  prod- 
ucts and  ser- 
vices by  de- 
partments, pri- 
m  a  r  y  school 
money,  fines, 
licenses,  p  e  r- 
mits,     etc 12,193,3,")] 

Total     $C5,339,f!3l 

In  general,  the  fol- 
lowing points  relative  to 
Detroit's  budget  proce- 
dure should  be  noted : 

1.  The  budget  includes 
all  activities  of  the 
city  for  the  year  (ex- 
clusive of  public  im- 
provements previously 
authorized  either  by 
Council  or  by  the 
people,  local  improve- 
ment work,  and  trust 
funds). 

2.  The  need  and  oppor- 
tunity for  public  ser- 
vice are  considered 
first,  and,  when  de- 
termined, the  means 
are  provided  for 
financing  these  ser- 
vices. 

3.  The  activity  is  the 
basis  of  the  request. 
For  example,  for  the 
police  department  the 
costs  of  street  patrol- 
ling, traffic  control, 
public     safety     work, 

harbor  duty,  detectives,  etc.,  are  separ- 
ately estimated. 

4.  Requests  for  expenditure  are  coordinated 
with  estimated  income. 

5.  The  departmental  requests  are  prepared 
well  in  advance  of  the  fiscal  year,  are 
reviewed  in  detail  by  the  Mayor,  sub- 
mitted to  the  Council  for  their  consid- 
eration and  the  final  passage  of  an  ap- 
propriation ordinance — all  before  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fiscal  period. 

6.  Requests  for  expenditure  are  classified 
by  department,  fund,  character,  activity, 
and  object  of  purchase. 

7.  Transfers  may  be  made,  when  necessary. 


APKir.,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


339 


A     contingent     fund     is     provided     for 

emergencies. 

A  system  of  appropriation  accounting  is 

maintained  currently  by  the   Controller, 

to  assure  that  the  budget  plan  as  enacted 

is  being  observed. 


Detroit    Bureau    of 


C.   E.   RIGHTOR, 
Governmental     Research. 


Police 

Departments 


Traffic  Vigilantes  in  St.  Louis 

St.  Louis,  Mo. — The  experience  that  St. 
Louis  has  had  with  the  work  of  a  Traffic 
Vigilante  Committee  has  been  more  than 
satisfactory — it  has  been  distinctly  profitable 
from  the  standpoint  of  safety.  The  slogan 
of  the  Vigilantes  of  St.  Louis  is,  "Make  St. 
Louis  the  Safest  City  in  the  World  to  Live 
In." 

The  organization  consists  of  about  325 
Vigilantes,  and  the  only  publicly  known  one 
of  them  is  the  Chief  Vigilante,  who  is  the 
writer.  This  secrecy  about  our  organization 
has  been  maintained  for  several  reasons, 
the  best  of  which  is  that  there  is  a  marked 
psychological  advantage  in  holding  out  to 
the  general  piiblic,  particularly  the  motoring 
public,  the  thought  that  there  are  a  great 
number  of  keen-eyed,  determined  men 
watching  to  see  that  the  law  is  not  violated, 
and  watching  at  the  time  when  the  uni- 
formed policeman  is  not 
around.  It  is  a  patent 
fact  that  a  man  will  not 
drive  past  a  street  car 
when  it  is  imloading  pas- 
sengers if  there  is  a  uni- 
formed policeman  at 
hand,  but  the  same  man 
would  try  to  sneak  by 
if  he  did  not  fear  that 
the  motor  car  behind 
him  had  in  it  one  of 
those  argus-eyed  Vig- 
ilantes. If  that  Vigilante 
carried  some  visible 
mark  of  identification  on 
his  car  or  person,  he 
would  be  as  conspicuous 
to  the  law  violator  as  a 
policeman    would.      We 


of  the  work  that  makes  it  most  effective. 

The  plan  of  procedure  is  simple.  If  a 
Vigilante  sees  a  traffic  violation,  he  catches 
the  license  number  of  the  offender.  On  one 
of  the  blank  post-cards  which  he  carries  in 
his  pocket  he  checks  the  particular  offense 
committed  (the  post-card  indicates  about 
twenty),  signs  his  Vigilante  number,  filling 
in  the  time  and  the  place  of  the  occurrence, 
and  mails  the  card  to  the  Chief  of  Police 
of  St.  Louis. 

At  the  office  of  the  Chief  of  Police,  the 
Safety  Council's  Vigilante  Division  main- 
tains a  stenographer,  a  clever  young  lady 
who  knows  in  most  instances  what  to  do. 
All  these  post-cards  are  turned  over  to  her 
each  morning  and  she  sends  out  on  each  one 
a  notice  to  the  offender  telling  him  what  and 
where  and  when  his  offense  was  and  in- 
structing him  to  make  a  written  explanation 
thereof  to  the  Chief  of  Police.  In  case  of  a 
very  flagrant  or  major  offense,  the  offender 
is  given  peremptory  orders  to  report  in  per- 
son to  the  Chief  of  Police  to  make  explana- 
tion as  to  why  he  violated  the  law. 

By  this  method  we  secure  the  good  will  of 
the  Police  Department  because  the  report  of 
our  work  is  published  each  week  in  the 
Police  Journal,  which  reaches  every  police 
officer,  and  it  is  felt  that  the  Vigilantes  are 
really  auxiliary  policemen  who  must  be  con- 
si<Iered  at  all  times  and  helped.  The  Board 
of  Police  Commissioners  of  the  city  is 
warmly    and    strongly   in   approval   of   our 


feel  that  it  is  the  secrecy  ^  branch  police  station  in  st.  louis, 


MO. 


340 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


work  and  renders  every  possible  assistance, 
and  the  Chief  of  Police  gives  his  heartiest 
support  to  us,  and  his  hardest  third  degree 
to  the  offender  vv^ho  comes  by  invitation  to 
see  him. 

The  Vigilantes  have  been  very  active. 
There  have  been  weeks  when  they  have 
turned  in  as  many  as  2,000  reports  of  vio- 
lations. That  was  when  a  special  drive  was 
on.  The  normal  number  of  reports  per 
week  is  600.  These  cover  practically  every 
item  of  traffic  law  violations,  including  no 
lights  and  one  light,  but  our  best  attention 
as  Vigilantes  is  given  to  the  major  offenses, 
such  as  reckless  driving,  passing  street  cars 
when  loading,  passing  corners  at  high  speed, 
and  others  of  a  dangerous  character. 

The  organization  is  very  careful  in  the 
selection  of  members,  for  in  the  beginning  a 
few  mistakes  were  made.  Appointments  of 
very  young  men  have  not  been  satisfactory, 
because  they  used  their  badges  to  intimidate, 
to  get  out  of  trouble  themselves,  or  to  "play 
smart."  The  personnel  now  consists  of  men 
ranging  from  thirty  to  fifty  years,  all  of 
them  of  excellent  standing  in  the  commu- 


nity, many  being  heads  of  large  businesses. 
The  bigger  the  man  is  in  the  business  world, 
the  more  anxious  he  is  to  help  make  his  city 
the  safest  in  the  world  to  live  in. 

The  total  experience  up  to  this  time  with 
the  Vigilantes  as  an  important  branch  of 
Safety  Council  work  has  been  highly  satis- 
factory and  we  would  not  recede  from  it 
nor  drop  it.  In  addition  to  keeping  down 
the  number  of  street  accidents  and  casual- 
ties, it  is  of  marked  advantage  to  the  local 
Safety  Council  itself  in  frequently  furnish- 
ing opportunities  for  good  newspaper  pub- 
licity which  do  not  arise  from  the  more 
prosaic  safety  work  done  in  industrial  plants 
or  schools. 

ROHERT  E.   LEE, 

Chief  Vigilante. 

AcKNOWi  EDGMENT. — From  an  address  delivered  be- 
fore tlie  Public  Safety  Section  of  the  National  Safety 
Council  at  the  Tenth  Annual  Congress. 


£)opariments 
of  Education 


An  Open  Air  Theater 

on  the  High  School 

Grounds 

Santa  Monica,  Calif. 
— Twelve  years  ago,  when 
bonds  were  voted  to  build 
a  new  high  school  in 
Santa  Monica,  a  few  far- 
seeing  persons  planned 
that  this  should  be  erected 
on  Prospect  Hill,  one  of 
the  most  sightly  locations 
for     miles     around,    com- 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  THE  OPEN 
AIR  THEATER  IN  SANTA 
MONICA  —  THE  UPPER 
LOOKING  FROM  THE 
STAGE,  THE  LOWER 
SHOWING  THE  STAGE. 
THE  POOL  ACTS  AS  A 
SOUNDING    BOARD. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


341 


nianding  a  magnificent  view  of  ocean,  plain 
and  mountains. 

They  were  criticised  for  building  it  off 
the  beaten  track,  some  distance  from  the 
principal  residence  section  of  the  city,  but 
they  ignored  criticism  and  went  ahead.  To- 
day a  splendid  group  of  school  buildings,  a 
miniature  college  plant,  ranking  high  in  the 
United  States  for  location,  beauty  of  archi- 
tecture, and  equipment,  crowns  the  hill 
which  slopes  gently  toward  the  Pacific 
Ocean  over  an  area  of  fourteen  acres,  all 
included  in  the  High  School  grounds. 

A  part  of  the  plan  was  the  creation  of  an 
open  air  theater  after  the  Greek  style,  but 
unique  in  following  the  architecture  of  the 
High  School  group.  About  two  years  ago 
bonds  were  voted  by  the  people,  and  work 
was  begun  early  last  spring.  This  beautiful 
structure,  which  will  seat  3,000  persons,  has 
been  completed  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  It  has 
been  dedicated  as  a  memorial  to  the  boys 
from  Santa  Monica  who  perished  in  the 
World  War,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Santa 
Monica  Memorial  Open  Air  Theater,  a  mon- 
ument of  which  the  city  may  well  be  proud. 
The  theater  is  terraced  out  of  the  hill  at 
the  foot  of  the  High  School  grounds,  pro- 
vided with  concrete  benches,  and  an  ample 
turf  stage,  on  which  has  been  planted  a  full- 
grown  sycamore  tree  brought  from  a 
near-by  canyon.  A  sounding-board,  in  the 
shape  of  an  oval  pool  of  water  just  in  front 
of  the  stage,  enables  the  voices  of  speakers 
to  be  distinctly  heard  by  those  in  the  highest 
tier  of  seats. 

This  theater  is  rather  distinctive,  if  not 
unique,  in  high  school  planning,  and  a  noble 
example  of  the  progressive  policy  of  a  board 
of  education.  In  its  use,  the  theater  serves 
both  the  school  and  the  community  at  large. 

TTORACE  M.  REROK. 

Superintendent  of  School;^. 


Jnre 

£)epartnients 


It  Pays  to  Advertise 

Billings,  Mont. — Nowadays,  when  one 
has  something  that  he  wants  to  bring  to  the 
attention  of  "the  man  in  the  street,"  he  ad- 
vertises. The  American  public  has  been 
educated  up  to  the  idea  of  noticing  adver- 
tisements, s'gns  and  bulletins.    By  the  same 


m,    " 

^^m'^'^'-"^'-'  - 

^^^^^^^^^^S^A 

■»!.-.«F««,                      mm* 

-.           .      .. 

f    'OllEF«fRKim.          ■] 

UPSTAIRS                    ;^jj 

•-ilJ  ^   -1 

1 

.        ■-.^I 

1                             

II 

IF     you     LIVED     IN     BILLINGS,     MONT.,    YOU 

WOULD   STOP   A  MOMENT   TO 

READ   THIS   BOARD 

token,  these  notices  must  hold  the  attention, 
or  they  will  get  nothing  more:  than  a  passing 
glance,  and  their  message  will  soon  be  for- 
gotten. 

Business  men  advertise,  showmen  adver- 
tise, churches  advertise — why  not  fire  de- 
partments ?  More  must  be  done  than  giving 
occasional  talks  to  clubs  and  schools,  hold- 
ing formal  fire  drills,  etc.,  if  the  nation-wide 
campaign  for  fire  prevention  is  to  continue 
to  grow  in  effectiveness. 

The  idea  of  installing  a  bulletin  board  or 
display  frame,  like  the  one  shown  in  the 
illustration,  came  to  the  undersigned  as  he 
was  passing  a  motion-picture  house.  People 
of  all  walks  of  life  pause  to  look  at  the 
poster  of  the  movie  hero  or  heroine.  The 
experiment  has  shown  that  they  will  do  the 
same  before  a  striking  display  on  the  front 
of  the  fire  station. 

The  display  is  changed  periodically.  To 
attract  the  first  notice  of  passers-by,  it  usu- 
ally contains  one  of  two  striking  pictures  of 
a  fire.  On  coming  closer,  the  citizen,  his 
attention  already  aroused,  reads  the  printed 
matter,  which  may  be  an  account  of  the  re- 
sults of  carelessness  with  fire,  or  the  benefits 
derived  from  the  use  of  some  sort  of  fire- 
resisting  building  material,  such  as  wired 
glass  or  metal  sash.  Statistics  showing  the 
annual  or  weekly  fire  loss  are  sometimes 
used,  but  sparingly,  for  it  has  been  observed 
that  the  average  reader  "doesn't  care  for 
figures." 

There  is  never  any  lack  of  material  for 
display.  All  papers  and  periodicals  coming 
to  the  Department  are  conned  for  articles. 
Pictures  are  often  obtained  from  insurance 
interests.  Such  magazines  as  "Safeguard- 
ing America  Aga'nst  Fire"  are  clipped. 

V.  H.  .STEELE, 
Chief  of  Fire  Department. 


342 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


ONE  OF  UTICA'S  ATTRACTIVE  PLAYGROUNDS 


Rocreaiion 
Departments 


"Selling"  Recreation  to  a 
Municipality 

Utica,  N.  Y. — For  the  year  1921  the 
Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  of 
the  city  of  Utica  granted  an  appropriation 
of  $20,000  for  the  Department  of  Recrea- 
tion, a  sum  nearly  double  that  which  this 
department  received  the  preceding  year. 
In  view  of  this  appropriation,  and  also  be- 
cause the  Department  of  Recreation  as  a 
separate  department  was  not  three  years 
old,  and  consequently  little  known,  the 
Recreation  Commission  realized  the  de- 
sirability of  familiarizing  the  taxpayer  with 
the  activities  of  the  department  during  the 
year. 

In  the  attempt  to  make  this  appropriation 
go  as  far  as  possible  in  a  city  of  100,000,  no 
provision  was  made  for  the  publication  of  a 
report.  In  fact,  owing  to  the  prohibitive 
cost  of  printing,  very  few  departmental  re- 
ports were  published  by  the  city  of  Utica 
during  1921.  The  idea  of  printing  a  brief 
four-page  folder  largely  of  a  statistical  na- 
ture was  borrowed  from  the  Utica  Council 
of  Boy  S'^outs.  The  cost  of  printing  these 
folders  in  quantity  being  less  than  $7  a  thou- 
sand, it  was  comparatively  inexpensive  to 
circulate  them  far  more  widely  than  a  com- 
plete report  could  have  been  distributed. 

In  this  folder,  under  the  head  of  "Com- 
munity Activities,"  it  is  stated  that  49,635 


people  attended  162  com- 
munity gatherings  in  4 
centers,  which  were  large- 
ly self-supporting. 

"Playground  Activi- 
ties" are  referred  to  as 
"A  laboratory  for  put- 
ting into  practice  the 
precepts  of  parent  and 
teacher."  Here  we  are 
informed  that  189,499  at- 
tended 12  playgrounds 
during  July  and  August, 
and,  in  addition,  46,251 
attended  grounds  open 
during  May  and  June 
after  4  P.  M.  Omitting 
details,  the  main  organ- 
ized activities  are  enumerated:  for  example, 
52  boys'  baseball  teams  in  10  leagues,  13 
girls'  teams  in  3  leagues,  39  volley-ball 
teams,  121  folk  dances  of  13  nationalities,  7 
playgrounds  with  systems  of  self-govern- 
ment, 2,441  children  in  61  story  hours,  etc. 
Under  "General  Activities"  it  is  stated 
that  29  organizations  were  aided  in  various 
ways  in  planning  and  carrying  out  field 
di.ys,  outings,  social  gatherings  and  diverse 
programs  more  or  less  recreational;  96 
young  men  and  young  women  were  enrolled 
in  a  training  course  for  recreational  leader- 
ship conducted  with  the  cooperatxn  of  vari- 
ous local  agencies. 

A  brief  statement  of  the  aims,  principles 
and  methods  of  the  Department  of  Recrea- 
ton  occupies  the  last  page.  In  view  of  the 
appropriation  previously  mentioned,  the  fol- 
lowing statement,  appearing  at  the  end  of 
the  tabulated  statistics,  is  significant:  "19 
cents  per  capita  was  the  total  cost  of  main- 
taining the  Utica  Department  of  Recreation 
for  the  past  year." 

While  the  generous  cooperation  of  all  the 
local  newspapers  throughout  the  year  and 
the  space  and  endorsement  given  in  the 
monthly  bulletin  of  the  Utica  Chamber  of 
Commerce  are  not  to  be  underestimated,  the 
Commission  is  convinced  that  the  distribu- 
tion of  10,000  copies  of  this  folder  has 
played  a  large  part  in  "selling"  recreation  to 
the  Utica  taxpayer.  Ample  proof  that  Utica 
ii'  "sold"  on  this  proposition  is  seen  in  the 
increased  appropriation  just  granted  pro- 
viding for  15  playgrounds  and  8  community 
centers  for  the  current  year. 

W.  C.  BATCHELOR, 
Superintendent   of  Recreation. 


343 


Municipal  Water  Rates— Part  II 

A  Thorough  Analysis  of  Present  Rates  and  Rate-Making 

By  E.  E.  BanksoD,   D.  E.  Davis  and   C.  A.  Finley* 


GENERAL  water  service  may  first  be 
separated  into  two  groups,  as  public 
i  service  and  private  service.     It  may 

pbe  again  divided  according  to  flat  rate  ser- 
vice, and  metered  or  measured  service. 

Flat  Rate  Service 

The  flat  rate  method  of  charging  for 
water  service  is  a  heritage  to  us  from 
pioneers  in  the  water-works  field,  thereby 
carrying  the  approval  of  long  custom,  to- 
gether with  the  approval  of  the  wasteful 
user,  because  it  winks  at  his  extravagance 
at  public  expense.  It  seems  to  devolve 
wholly  on  the  water -works  men  to  gradually 
make  obsolete  the  flat  rate  system.  Flat 
rate  charges  or  assessments  are  admittedly 
inequitable  and  conducive  to  wasteful 
habits,  but  being  yet  with  us,  they  should 
always  appear  in  excess  of  meter  rate 
charges,  for  the  same  amount  of  service, 
with  the  hope  that  such  a  practice  will 
create  converts  to  the  metered  or  measured 
service  method. 

The  average  domestic  flat  rate  in  the  city 
of  Pittsburgh  is  55  per  cent  in  excess  of  the 
meter  rate  for  similar  service,  but  every  flat 
rate  consumer  has  the  option  of  transferring 
to  measured  service  if  he  so  desires.  As 
against  this  high  flat  rate,  there  remain 
under  flat  rate  service  approximately  two- 
thirds  of  the  total  number  of  consumers 
with  no  apparent  desire  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  economy  offered;  in  fact,  most  of  the 
metering  accomplished  has  been  of  a  com- 
pulsory nature. 

The  Pittsburgh  plant  has  a  capacity  in 
excess  of  fully  metered  requirements,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  discover  through  cost 
analysis  that  no  economy  can  be  effected  by 
metering  the  entire  city  at  once,  or,  at  any 
rate,  in  excess  of  that  necessity  to  reclaim 
plant  capacity  from  wasteful  service  to  use- 
ful service,  or  additional  demands,  as  con- 
ditions may  require.  In  the  case  of  Erie, 
however,  the  plant  capacity  has  been  reached 

•  E.  E.  Bankson,  of  The  J.  N.  Chester  Engineers, 
Pittsburgh,  P.-i.;  D.  E.  Davis,  of  The  J.  N.  Chester 
Engineers,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  C.  A.  Finley,  Managing 
Engineer,  Bureau   of  Water,  City  of  Pittsburgh. 


under  the  present  flat  rate  policy,  and  it  is 
clearly  evident,  in  the  interests  of  economy, 
that  a  policy  of  metering  domestic  consum- 
ers should  be  adopted. 

Metering  may  reduce  domestic  consump- 
tion more  than  half,  which  has  the  same 
effect  as  increasing  plant  capacity,  and  it  is 
far  cheaper  to  meter  than  to  build  additional 
plant.  It  would  be  poor  economy — in  fact, 
wasteful — to  create  additional  plant  capacity 
for  the  purpose  of  supplying  flat  rate  con- 
sumers instead  of  placing  them  under  meas- 
ured service.  Aside  from  discussion  along 
lines  similar  to  those  above,  we  cannot  see 
that  flat  rates  have  any  place  in  scientific 
rate-making,  for  the  reason  that  flat  rates 
are  subject  to  the  laws  neither  of  science 
nor  of  equity. 

Measured  Service 

In  the  case  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  the 
computed  demand  under  fully  metered  con- 
ditions would  show  a  reduction  of  40  per 
cent  from  the  present  pumpage,  which  re- 
duction represents  no  curtailment  of  useful 
service,  but  represents  rather  the  reducible 
leakage  and  careless  running  of  water  to  no 
avail. 

There  appears  a  common  error  among 
water-works  men  and  engineers  of  over- 
estimating the  amount  of  water  which  will 
be  used  when  a  city  is  fully  metered,  this 
error  resulting  in  a  financial  deficit  as 
metering  progresses.  This  tendency  to  over- 
estimate is  a  logical  result  of  a  habit  formed 
in  designing  plant  capacity  for  maximum 
conditions,  and  such  a  designer  carries  this 
habit  over  into  the  field  of  rate-making, 
where  he  discovers,  too  late,  that  his  meas- 
uring stick  was  too  large  and  the  revenue 
not  realized  as  computed. 

We  have  also  observed  a  tendency,  on  the 
part  of  those  inexperienced,  to  use  present 
pumpage,  of  a  flat  rate  system,  as  the  start- 
ing point  from  which  to  forecast  future 
revenue  under  fully  measured  service,  ap- 
parently forgetting  that  there  is  no  reliable 
relation  between  the  two,  and  forgetting 
also  that  revenue  is  indicated  by  the  dial  on 


344 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


345 


Distribution  of  the  Burden 

Meter  rate  schedules  are  generally  one  of 
three  types: 

1.  Straight  price  to  all  per   1,000  gallons 

2.  Minimum  charge  type 

3.  Service  charge  type 

2  and  3  are  on  the  basis  of  either  a  straight 
price  or  a  sliding  scale,  in  addition  to  certain 
fixed  charges.  It  is  generally  conceded  as 
costing  more  per  1,000  gallons  to  serve  a 
small  consumer  than  to  serve  a  large  con- 
sumer, and  if  this  fact  be  here  admitted,  we 
have  thereby  eliminated  the  straight-price 
or  flat-price-to-all  idea. 

A  minimum-charge  type  sHding-rate 
schedule  can  be  constructed  v^'hich  would 
closely  approach  the  costs  of  rendering  the 
service,  but  the  Public  Service  Commission 
of  New  York  has  ruled  against  the  mini- 
mum-charge type  in  a  gas  case  in  the  fol- 
lowing words,  which  apply  equally  to  water : 

''The  minimum  gas  rate  is  inequitable.  A 
sample  case  cited  is  the  best  proof.  Mr.  A.  and 
Mr.  B.  are  in  the  minimum  class,  which  is 
placed,  say,  at  $1.  Mr.  A.  used  90  cents'  worth 
of  gas  a  month;  he  pays  $1.  Mr.  B.  used  20 
cents  worth  of  gas  a  month;  he  also  pays  $1. 
If  the  interest  on  the  service  investment  to  that 
residence  or  office  is  50  cents,  the  company  sus- 
tains a  loss  from  Mr.  A.  of  40  cents  that  must 
be  made  up  by  some  other  consumer,  while  it 
has  made  a  profit  of  30  cents  off  Mr.  B." 

The  service  charge  is  recognized  by  the 
New    York    Commission    in    these    words : 


"A  service  charge  ...  is  a  legal  and 
just  charge  if  properly  adjusted  as  to 
amount."  The  Association  of  Boroughs  in 
Pennsylvania,  on  advice  of  its  counsel,  has 
recently  withdrawn  a  proposed  bill  intending 
to  make  the  service  charge  illegal  in  Penn- 
sylvania. These  and  many  other  incidents 
seem  to  indicate  to  the  writers  the  increasing 
recognition  of  the  service  charge. 

Service  Charge  Limitations 

Advocates  of  the  service  charge  have  in- 
cluded portions  of  the  total  annual  burden 
under  this  charge,  ranging  all  the  way  from 
"single  consumer  charge"  to  "entire  fixed 
charge  and  overhead  expense." 

The  writers  maintain  that  a  proper  serv- 
ice charge  is  usually  in  excels  of  a  simple 
consumer  charge,  but  much  less  than  the 
total  fixed  charges  and  overhead  expenses, 
and  have  developed  principles  on  which  the 
service  charge  can  fairly  be  computed  as 
indicated  in  two  examples  appearing  at  the 
end  of  this  discussion. 

The  service  charge  is  based  on  the  as- 
sumption that  a  company  stands  ready,  un- 
der certain  expense,  to  do  a  service  or  sell 
a  commodity  for  which  no  purchaser  may 
materialize.  In  so  far  as  it  is  compelled  to 
do  so  or  is  reasonably  in  danger  of  having 
to  do  so,  the  company  is  undoubtedly  en- 
titled to  financial  remuneration  and  to  have 
its  financial  position  insured. 


200 


/so^ 


DIAGRAM 

Showing  the  Ro/etion  of 

Flet  RotG  Assessment  to 

Consumption  by  Meter  Measure 

City   of  Pittsburgh 

I920 


/4i/f>r3fff  Off  all 


-ur 


-^ 


^ 


100. 


<a£^ 


o.«a«^ 


P*' 


[K3^ 


Co' 


508 


*S 


>rat 


*us 


Annual  /\55&ssm&n 


/c: 


'  if  on  f/<it  Rate 


If. 


20. 


Do/'srs 


30: 


35' 


4). 


4:': 


sa9° 


346 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol,  XXVI,  No.  4 


It  is  not  any  fixed  condition  that  may  be 
applied  empirically  to  all  plants,  but  exists 
between  two  limitations  which  may  be  desig- 
nated as  the  maximum  service  charge, 
when  the  plant  stands  ready  to  deliver  and 
no  water  is  taken,  and  the  minimum  service 
charge,  when  the  size,  diversity  and  variety 
of  consumers  maintain  practically  a  con- 
stant demand  on  the  plant. 

It  is  assumed  that  in  order  to  warrant  any 
service  charge,  it  must  be  shown  that  the 
conditions  on  which  it  is  based  actually 
exist;  it  must  be  a  real  condition  and  not 
based  on  any  theory  of  what  might  or  could 
happen.  It  must  be  based  on  common  sense 
and  actual  facts  developed  from  the  operat- 
ing conditions  of  the  plant  in  question. 

The  full  or  maximum  service  charge  may 
be  said  to  exist  when  a  plant  is  fully  estab- 
lished with  reservoirs  full  and  pipe  lines 
under  pressure  running  at  a  rate  just  suffi- 
cient to  offset  leakage  losses  but  with  no  one 
taking  water.  The  minimum  service  charge 
exists  in  the  case  of  a  plant  whose  cus- 
tomers maintain  a  constant  cycle  of  de- 
mands on  the  plant  and  where  there  is  no 
loss  due  to  standing  ready  to  serve. 

A  typical  example  of  the  maximum  serv- 
ice charge  would  be  when  a  plant  has  one 
customer  taking  the  entire  output,  but  taking 
it  at  such  irregular  times  and  in  such  un- 
certain quantities  that  the  plant  is  compelled 
to  keep  its  entire  equipment  ready  for  opera- 
ton  at  a  moment's  notice.  The  cost  to  this 
plant,  even  when  no  water  whatever  was 
taken,  might  easily  be  90  per  cent  or  more 
of  its  full  operating  cost.  The  plant  is 
rendering  what  may  be  typically  designated 
as  a  service  as  distinguished  from  the  sale 
of  a  commodity,  and  it  is  entitled  to  re- 
muneration therefor.  The  service  in  this 
case  financially  predominates  over  the  sale 
of  the  commodity. 

A  typical  example  of  a  minimum  service 
charge  may  exist  with  a  large  city  plant 
having,  say,  100,000  customers  whose  varied 
demands  on  the  plant  impose  on  it  prac- 
tically a  fixed  cycle  of  conditions  hourly, 
daily,  weekly  and  seasonally.  Such  a  plant 
is  usually  so  designed  that  it  is  practically 
at  no  actual  expense  on  account  of  standing 
ready  to  serve  a  commodity  for  which  there 
is  no  purchaser.  Its  function  is  the  sale  of 
a  commodity  as  distinguished  from  mere 
readiness  to  sell.  'Practically  speaking,  the 
m.aximum  loss  directly  imposed  by  failure  of 


a  purchaser  is  the  loss  incident  to  the  serv- 
ice line,  the  meter  and  the  reading  and  bill- 
ing; these,  having  been  determined,  can  be 
designated  as  a  minimum  service  charge. 

The  maximum  service  charge  may  be  con- 
sidered in  its  application  to  a  certain  large 
city  plant  which  serves  about  100,000  cus- 
tomers at  an  average  rate  of  about  15  cents 
per  thousand  gallons.  If  the  theory  of  the 
service  charge  be  carried  to  its  logical  se- 
quence and  it  is  assumed  that  all  customers 
withdraw  their  patronage,  the  expense  of 
this  plant  would  still  be  over  90  per  cent  of 
its  active  operating  expense.  If  this  90  per 
cent  were  provided  for  in  a  service  charge, 
the  price  of  the  water  would  be  about  i>^ 
cents  per  thousand  gallons,  with  the  result 
that  the  plant  would  be  on  a  flat  rate  basis 
and  meters  would  be  of  no  practical  value. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  plant  (aside  from 
fire  protection)  is  not  primarily  in  the  busi- 
ness of  furnishing  a  service,  but  of  selling 
a  commodity,  and  suffers  practically  no 
financial  risk  or  possible  embarrassment 
from  standing  ready  to  serve.  It  does  lose 
the  interest  and  maintenance  on  the  meter 
in  addition  to  the  billing  charges,  when  the 
customer  fails  to  buy,  and  is  entitled  to  col- 
lect this  in  the  event  of  the  customer's 
failure. 

The  two  extremes  in  the  type  of  plant 
have  been  taken  to  show  the  wide  possible 
range  of  a  service  charge  designed  to  meet 
the  financial  risk  imposed  on  a  plant  in 
standing  ready  to  serve.  In  one  extreme, 
the  service  cost  takes  precedence  over  the 
commodity  charge  and  amounts  to  prac- 
tically the  whole  bill ;  in  the  other  instance, 
the  commodity  charge  take^  precedence  and 
nearly  absorbs  the  service  charge.  The 
range  of  possibilities  between  these  two  ex- 
tremes is  infinite. 

In  the  case  of  the  Consolidated  Ice  Com- 
pany vs.  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  it  was  nec- 
essary, in  the  interests  of  the  city,  to  combat 
a  theory  which  developed  a  high  service 
charge  and  a  low  commodity  charge,  and  we 
quote  from  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Finley  in 
that  case  as  follows: 

"To  maintain  this  condition  in  the  Pittsburgh 
plant,  even  if  no  water  were  sold,  means  the 
pumping  of  about  fifteen  billion  per  year  to  keep 
the  plant  full.  The  cost  of  supplying  these 
fifteen  billion  gallons,  instead  of  the  forty-five 
billions  now  handled,  would  be  a  large  percent- 
age of  the  present  cost,  substantially  the  entire 
cost,  except  as  follows :  the  saving  due  to  not 
pumping   the   thirty   billion   gallons   which   the 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


347 


consumers  now  use  would  be  about  $350,000 
(out  of  a  total  annual  burden  of  about  $2,650,- 
000),  and  the  ready  to  serve  charge  would  be 
the  total  cost  of  production  less  this  $350,000. 
If  now  the  suggested  method  of  allocating  this 
charge  according  to  the  suggested  basis  in  fixed 
quantities  against  the  consumers  is  adopted  and 
the  $350,000  is  allocated  amongst  the  consumers 
according  to  the  amount  of  water  used,  then,  to 
all  practical  intents  and  purposes,  the  city  is 
back  again  on  a  Hat  rate  assessment  basis,  ex- 
cept for  the  fact  that  the  consumer,  in  addition 
to  the  fixed  amount  laid  up  against  him,  would 
pay  something  over  one  cent  a  thousand  gallons 
for  the  water  consumed.  This  means  that  the 
entire  economic  value  of  metering  would  dis- 
appear. There  would  be  no  check  on  the  waste 
of  water,  no  personal  interest  on  the  consum- 
er's part  to  eliminate  waste,  and  the  unneces- 
sary outlay  of  capital  in  order  to  handle  this 
waste  would  then  obtain.  .  .  If  the  art  of 
supplying  water  to  large  communities  is  to  make 
any  economic  progress,  and  there  is  no  question 
as  to  the  desirability  of  this  end,  it  must  not  be 
defeated  by  any  false  rate  hypothesis  which  takes 


but  little  account  of  the  amount  of  water  used 
and  virtually  harks  back  to  the  flat  rate  theory 
based  on  what  might,  or  could,  or  should  be  de- 
manded of  the  plant.  The  water  meter  is  the 
instrument  by  which  great  advance  in  the 
economy  of  the  art  is  to  be  effected.  It  in- 
troduces the  element  of  self-interest  in  the  re- 
lation of  the  consumer  to  the  producer  and  pro- 
duces a  result  which  no  amount  of  inspection, 
argument  or  propaganda  can  accomplish.  It 
shows  on  its  dial  just  what  has  happened  to 
the  plant  regardless  of  the  value  of  any  orifice 
and  what  it  might  or  might  not  have  demanded. 
It  reveals  the  big  consumer  and  the  little  con- 
sumer in  their  true  relations,  and  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  many  rate  schemes  have  been  de- 
veloped, the  purpose  of  which  has  been  to  de- 
feat the  objects  of  metering  and  to  escape  the 
responsibility  of  paying  in  accordance  with  the 
meter  readings.  Any  such  rate  scheme  which  sub- 
merges the  retarding  influence  of  the  meter  on 
waste  water,  smothers  the  greatest  opportunity 
for  economic  advancement  available  at  the  pres- 
ent day  in  the  art  of  supplying  water." 
(To    be   continued   in   the   May    issue) 


Cowtcsy  Eleitric  Merchandising 

WELL-LIGHTED  SUBURBAN  HIGHWAY  BETWEEN  SCHENECTADY  AND  ALBANY,  N.  Y. 

Proper  lighting  units  nlaced  at  correct  heights  and  intervals  can  make   night  travel  almost 
'as  easy,   safe  and   fast   as   day  travel 


348 


An  International  Clearing-House   of 
Civic  Information 


THE  International  Union  of  Cities — 
rUnion  Internationale  des  Villes — 
was  first  organized  in  Ghent  in  1913. 
It  was  interrupted  by  the  war,  but  renewed 
with  enthusiasm  in  Brussels  in  1920.  At 
the  reorganization  meetings  Stephen  Child, 
city  planner,  of  Boston,  was  present  and 
was  delegated  to  further  the  interests  of 
this  Union  in  America.  In  connection  with 
this  work  he  spent  some  months  during  the 
summer  of  1921  at  the  Brussels  headquar- 
ters. He  states  that  the  main  purpose  of  the 
Union  is  to  collect  and  study  contemporary 
documentary  information  of  all  kinds  relat- 
ing to  civic  affairs,  and  to  distribute  briefs 
or  short  reviews  of  such  material  through- 
out the  world.  The  details  of  the  organiza- 
tion are  varied  to  suit  the  peculiar  condi- 
tions of  the  nations  interested.  In  Europe, 
for  example.  National  Unions  of  Cities  are 
formed,  the  cities  themselves  joining  offi- 
cially and  paying  fees  dependent  upon  popu- 
lation. 

For  America,  however,  it  is  now  pro- 
posed, after  much  study  of  our  conditions 
and  many  conferences  with  leaders  in  civic 
affairs,  to  organize  in  Washington,  in  the 
Division  of  Construction  and  Housing  of 
the  Department  of  Commerce,  a  Bureau 
or  Center  to  be  affiliated  with  the  Inter- 
national Center  at  Brussels.  This  Ameri- 
can Center  would  then,  in  cooperation  with 
the  Library  of  Congress  (which  would  act 
as  Custodian  of  Documentation  and  rearr 
range  its  own  rich  stores  of  civic  data  tdfit 
this  need),  collect  and  digest  contemporary 
American  civic  data,  contributing  this  to 
the  international  organization,  would  con- 
tribute thereto  also  a  small  sum  annually  as 
America's  share  toward  the  support  of  the 
Central  Office,  and  would  receive  therefrom 
the  invaluable  current  civic  data  from 
European  and  other  civilized  lands.  Our 
National  Center  then  would  distribute 
freely  to  our  progressive  communities  and 
civic  organizations  all  these  important  data 
in  regard  to  world-wide  civic  cond'tions, 
which  they  so  greatly  need  and  for  which 
some  of  them  now  pay  large  sums  of  money 


through  the  expense  of  investigating  com- 
mittees. 

These  data  are  disseminated  from  Brus- 
sels by  means  of  a  series  of  pamphlets  con- 
taining brief  reviews  of  municipal  docu- 
ments. The  notes  or  summaries  are  printed 
on  one  side  of  the  page  only,  permitting 
members  to  cut  them  out  and  mount  them 
on  cards,  assembling  and  classifying  the 
items  as  they  arrive  month  by  month.  To 
facilitate  this  process,  each  separate  item  is 
numbered  in  accordance  with  the  Dewey 
system  of  decimal  classification. 

The  note-books  thus  made  serve  as  the 
necessary  intermediary  between  the  central 
collections  and  the  administrative  organ- 
izations, for  whose  use  all  the  various  col- 
lections are  destined.  By  their  means,  all 
who  are  interested  receive,  in  abridged  and 
condensed  form,  the  broad  and  intense 
movement  of  municipal  activities  revealed 
by  the  literature  of  civilized  countries. 

The  work  of  organizing  subsidiary  cen- 
ters is  proceeding  rapidly  in  France,  Bel- 
gium, Italy,  Holland,  the  United  States, 
England,  Germany,  Spain,  Portugal,  Po- 
land, Scandinavia,  and  many  other  coun- 
tries. Eventually  there  will  be  established 
a  world-wide  organization  through  which 
it  will  be  possible  for  all  classes  of  its  mem- 
bership to  receive  not  only  the  reviews  of 
all  contemporaneous  municipal  development, 
but  also  answers  in  considerable  detail  to 
particular  questions.  The  organization  of 
this  service  will  take  more  time;  it  will,  in 
fact,  require  additional  funds  and  will 
therefore  be  available  to  members  only  on 
payment  of  nominal  fees  covering  its  cost. 
By  this  means,  however,  an  affiliated  mem- 
ber or  organization — a  city  planning  com- 
mission in  America,  for  example — desiring 
to  know  more  about  a  certain  subject  than 
is  given  in  the  brief  reviews  of  the  pam- 
phlets, can  receive  all  the  details — facts, 
figures,  and  even  photostat  copies,  plans, 
drawings  and  pictures,  if  desired.  In  this 
way  the  International  Union  of  Cities  will 
become  in  very  truth  an  international  clear- 
ing-house of  civic  information. 


349 


BONDING 


Municipal  Finance 

ACCOUNTING 


TAXATION 


Is  Your  City  Living  Within  Its  Income? 


ACCORDING  to  the  latest  available 
figures  from  the  Bureau  of  the  Cen- 
sus, three-fourths  of  the  cities  of  the 
United  States  are  living  beyond  their  in- 
comes. Figures  are  now  available  for  156 
cities.  Those  for  71  were  given  in  the  De- 
cember number  of  The  American  City, 
and  those  for  85  of  the  remainder  are  given 
herewith. 

The  dates  covered  are,  roughly,  th^ 
twelve  monthS' prior  to  June  30,  1921.  For 
cities  whose  fiscal  years  do  not  end  on  that 
day,  the  figures  given  are  for  the  last  com- 
plete fiscal  year  prior  to  that  date.  The 
same  exception  holds  for  the  three  columns 
headed  1920-1917-1914.  In  some  cases  this 
should  be  read  1921-1918-1915,  according  to 
whether  or  not  the  greater  part  of  the  fiscal 
year  in  question  lies  in  one  or  the  other 
calendar  year.  The  grouping  is  the  most 
satisfactory  that  can  be  made  for  purposes 
of  comparison  without  uselessly  complicat- 
ing the  tables. 

The  tables  headed  "Costs"  represent  the 
entire  expenses  of  the  city  for  the  year, 
and  the  same  applies  to  the  receipts.  The 
columns  headed  "Surplus"  and  "Deficit" 
represent  the  difference  between  the  ex- 
penses and  the  total  revenues.  The  figures 
for  debts  include  both  the  funded  and  the 
floating  debts,  minus  the  sinking  fund  as- 
sets, if  any. 

What  May  We  Conclude? 

When  the  former  table  was  published  in 
The  American  City,  it  seemed  unwise  to 
suggest  many  conclusions,  as  only  71  cities 
were  represented.  But  with  the  figures  for 
156  cities  at  hand,  it  is  possible  to  draw  cer- 
tain very  definite  conclusions,  without  rest- 
ing the  case  upon  the  statistics  for  any  one 
city,  which,  as  was  explained  in  the  Decem- 
ber issue,  may  be  temporarily  affected  by 
extraordinary  local  conditions. 

The  first  conclusion   is  that  it  would  be 


highly  desirable  if  the  cities  of  the  United 
States,  possibly  by  state  groups,  would 
adopt  uniform  systems  of  classification  of 
receipts  and  expenditures  and  accounting. 
There  is  at  present  the  greatest  diversity  of 
classification,  nomenclature,  and  method. 
While  this  does  not  appear  in  the  consoli- 
dated tables  given  below,  it  is  one  of  the 
outstanding  features  of  the  facts  from 
which  these  tables  were  compiled. 

The  second  conclusion  is  that  American 
cities  are  badly  in  need  of  better  budgeting. 
It  is  important  that  three  out  of  every  four 
cities  are  spending  more  than  they  are  re- 
ceiving; but  it  is  not  less  interesting  that 
some — a  few — cities  tax  more  heavily  than 
they  need  to  for  their  anticipated  expendi- 
tures. The  figures  seem  to  indicate  that  in 
a  great  many  cities — a  large  proportion,  in 
fact — the  so-called  budget  estimates  either 
of  revenue  or  expense  are  little  more  than 
guesses.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to 
predict  exactly  what  the  expenses  or  rev- 
enues of  a  coming  year  will  be;  but  it  is 
not  impossible  to  have  the  two  figures  come 
within  hailing  distance  of  each  other. 
Sometimes,  however,  totally  unforeseen  cir- 
cumstances will  arise  which  will  disarrange 
even  the  most  accurately  prepared  budget, 
and  bring  about,  for  instance,  a  very  wide 
discrepancy  between  anticipated  and  actual 
expenditures.  For  that  reason  this  conclu- 
sion, which  is  correct  in  general,  should 
not  be  applied  severely  against  any  par- 
ticular city  without  complete  knowledge  and 
thorough  investigation  of  local  circum- 
stances. 

The  third  conclusion  is  drawn  from  a 
comparison  of  the  per  capita  funded  and 
floating  indebtedness  of  the  cities.  A  city 
cannot  offer  its  citizens  the  full  advantages 
which  they  deserve,  in  the  way  of  pave- 
ments, school  buildings,  parks  and  play- 
grounds, etc.,  without  incurring  large  debts. 
These  will  be   funded  debts,  and  are  quite 


350 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


distinct  from  floating  debts,  which  are  often 
incurred  without  sound  basis.  Too  often 
the  floating  debt  is  merely  a  device  to  cover 
imprudent  spending  to  please  the  voters, 
without  raising  the  taxes  and  so  antagoniz- 
ing the  taxpayer.  But  the  funded  debt  usu- 
ally represents  solid  benefits  to  the  commu- 
nity; and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  some 
cities  carry  a  very  light  funded  debt.  Such 
cities  may  properly  ask  themselves  if  they 
are  not  being  too  thrifty — if  they  are  not 
denying  themselves  certain  advantages 
which  would  be  worth  far  more  than  their 
cost,  in  public  health,  convenience  and  gen- 
eral welfare.  It  is  no  particular  credit  to  a 
city  to  have  an  abnormally  low  funded  debt 
if  that  means  that  the  school  children  are 
badly  housed,  or  that  the  city's  streets  are 


mud  half  the  time  and  swirling  dust  the 
remainder. 

The  fourth  conclusion  is  that  it  is  difficult 
to  establish  a  "fair"  or  average  tax  rate,  or 
per  capita  cost  of  government.  The  cost  of 
administering  Mobile,  Ala.,  was  $19.25  per 
capita  for  the  year,  while  the  city  govern- 
m.ent  of  Seattle  cost  every  inhabitant  over 
five  times  as  much.  The  other  cities  range 
in  between. 

The  reader,  looking  over  the  table,  can 
draw  other  conclusions  based  upon  his  par- 
ticular knowledge  of  cities  and  their  local 
conditions.  But  not  one  can  give  these 
tables  even  the  most  superficial  study  with- 
out realizing  the  importance  of  such  statis- 
tics and  the  practical  benefit  that  will  at- 
tend their  careful  consideration. 


-Per  Capita  Debt  Minus- 


1 

Per  Capita 

-^ 

Sinking  Fund  Assets 

Form  of 

State    and    City 

Cost 

Receipts 

Surplus 

Deficit 

1920 

1917 

1914 

Government 

ALABAMA 

Mobile     

19.25 

18.75 

.50 

50.45 

49.17 

55.86 

CALIFORNIA 

Los    Angeles 

69.20 

73.52 

4.32 

75.03 

92.45 

96.12 

Council 

Oakland     

38.74 
73.57 

39.69 
67.69 

.96 

'5.88 

40.66 
52.58 

43.56 
59.20 

54.48 
73.22 

Pasadena    

City     Mgr. 

San    Francisco 

53.04 

51.99 

1.05 

96.75 

88.65 

92.60 

San   Josg 

21.77 

22.74 

".98 

43.21 

30.73 

31.56 

City     Mgr. 

CONNECTICUT 

Bridgeport     

52.54 

46.24 

6.30 

75.68 

58.61 

21.64 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta     

31.71 
40.97 
33.14 
31.74 

31.49 
44.84 
28.46 
29.21 

'3.87 

.22 

4.67 
2.53 

17.58 
63.57 
33.30 
37.41 

22.48 

71.04 

33.1,5 

28.09 
66.81 

29.56 

Augusta    

Columbus     

Macon    

ILLINOIS 

Chicago    

47.99 

40.89 

7.10 

32.31 

28.30 

27.34 

Council 

Cicero     

27.14 

23.88 

3.26 

13.72 

Pres.   & 

Trustees 

E.  St.  Louis 

24.97 

27.79 

2.82 

29.86 

26.01 

21.57 

Commission 

Evanston    

42.13 

36.19 

,5.94 

15.19 

Council 

Oak    Park    

35.46 

35.64 

'  .17 

34.64 

Pres.   & 

Trustees 

Qiiincy      

37.46 

35.79 

1.67 

6.44 

8.20 

9.83 

INDIANA 

Gary     

48.11 
38.58 

42.51 
33.40 

5.60 
5.18 

16.02 
46.82 

15.38 
23.43 

18.19 

Indianapolis            

Council 

IOWA 

Cedar     Rapids 

48.32 

39.25 

9.07 

36.35 

23.79 

34.18 

Council    Bluffs 

45.52 

34.88 

10.64 

42.45 

29.07 

29.47 

Council 

l^es     Moines 

52.97 
34.31 

44.03 
32.15 

8.94 
2.16 

56.36 
21.47 

45.99 
21.18 

32.02 
26.56 

Commission 

DubuQue     

KANSAS 

Wichita      

50.63 

32.01 

18.62 

40.58 

26.07 

36.52 

Commission 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston    

65.48 

71.38 

5.91 

107.29 

117.66 

116.47 

Council 

Cambridge     

46.33 

50.60 

4.28 

51.80- 

58.53 

67.23 

Chicopec     

48. .'')0 
45.42 
36.10 
36.31 
61.41 

39.98 
41.26 
35.74 
40.95 
57.40 

4.64 

8.52 

4.16 

.37 

4.oi 

37.83 
49.41 
22.81 
34.04 

48.55 

46.12 

28.85 
49.04 
49.90 

42.46 
35.39 
28.21 
54.57 

Fitchburg     

Haverhill      

Lawrence    

Holyoke    

Lowell     

43.11 
33.97 
51.59 

35.01 
35.22 
45.84 

v.  2. 5 

8.10 
'5'.  7.5 

37.10 
26.99 
72.90 

29.14 
28.06 
75.07 

24.52 
26.99 
74.98 

Maiden     

New     Bedford 

Newton     

72.91 
54.00 

69.43 

47.«0 

3.48 
6.20 

50.60 
69  26 

51.42 

64.77 

64.03 
71.12 

Springfield     

Waltham    

43.29 

38.65 

1.64 

22.78 

14.41 

MICHIGAN 

Battle   Creek 

49.88 

46.45 

3.43 

22.62 

8.36 

Grand   Rapids 

41.57 

39.67 

1.90 

3l!20 

31.23 

30'.  7  4 

Pontiac     

64.19 

35.98 

28.21 

74.51 

MISSOURI 

St    Louis    

40.57 

39.55 

1.02 

19.42 

23.21 

30.17 

Council 

NEW  JERSEY 

Atlantic    City 

69.13 

65.53 

3.59 

151.16 

150.32 

142.86 

Bayonne     

65.32 
34.12 

46.54 
28.60 

18.78 
5.52 

90.03 
43.92 

28.79 
43.69 

40.03 
42.11 

Commission 

CamJen    

April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


351 


, Per 

State    and    City  Cost 

Elizabeth    33.33 

Hoboken     79.22 

Passaic     29.77 

Perth   Ambov    57.98 

Trenton     33.25 

W.   Hoboken 22.52 

NEW  YORK 

Auburn     40.04 

Buffalo    57.13 

New     York 59.53 

NORTH    CAROLINA 

VVilminarton      32.86 

Winston-Salem    39.46 

OHIO 

Canton    43.40 

Cincinnati     53.48 

Columbus     55.38 

Portsmouth    22.96 

Springfield     27.36 

Youngstown     40.93 

OKLAHOMA 

Oklahoma     48.98 

Muskogee     40.23 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Chester     21.56 

Harrisburg     30.20 

Lancaster     16.77 

Pittsburgh    63.01 

Scranton     23.18 

TENNESSEE 

Memphis    33.89 

Nashville    - 29.08 

TEXAS 

Beaumont     32.11 

Dallas      49.02 

Galveston      33.85 

UTAH 

Ogden     48.96 

VIRGINIA 

Newport    News 31.03 

Norfolk     02.22 

Portsmouth      29.61 

Richmond     35.56 

WASHINGTON 

Seattle    107.72 

WEST   VIRGINIA 

Charleston     34.33 

Huntington    26.76 

Wheeling 41.19 

WISCONSIN 

Racine     45.97 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA 

Washington      51.63 


sita 

Receipts 

27.77 

39.94 

25.16 

36.53 

38.69 

23.37 

Surplus 

5.44 

.85 

Deficit 
5.56 

39.28 
4.61 

21.45 

^Per 
Sin 
1920 
24.49 
59.63 
50.61 
41.46 
47.57 
23.45 

Tapita  Debt  Minus->, 
cing  Fund  Assets 
1917              1914 
28.96            38.18 
59.72            44.21 
38.05            38.12 
53.62            38.83 
27.10            25.38 
25.32            26.33 

Form  of 
Government 

Commission 
Commission 
Council 

Council 

37.79 
55.28 
53.49 

2.25 
1.85 
6.04 

18.37 

70.58 

182.93 

19.33 

71.23 

186.11 

16.31 

70.58 

179.44 

25.56 
27.05 

7.30 
12.41 

75.45 
58.25 

60.55 
51.29 

26.43 
48.15 
38.70 
24.12 
28.16 
26.25 

1.16 
.80 

16.97 

5.31 

16.68 

lV.68 

98.05 
190.06 
.59.93 
73.47 
41.77 
66.95 

60.23 

167.76 

44.04 

42.71 
47.45 

41.90 

152.41 

48.68 

40.69 
37.29 

Council 
Council 
Council 

33.55 
43.26 

3.63 

13.44 

73.23 
100.32 

65.82 
76.34 

62.37 
84.65 

Commission 
City     Mgr. 

17.29 
29.74 
17.93 
54.28 
21.85 

V.ie 

4.27 
.46 

8.75 
1.33 

33.80 
42.92 
27.17 
107.91 
18.49 

23.99 
35.26 
30.52 
95.08 
21.93 

27.28 
39.45 
25.68 
93.13 
19.03 

Commission 
Commission 
Council 

Council 

35.26 
26.36 

1.37 

2.72 

87.90 
74.63 

90.79 
63.12 

88.01 
53.10 

Commission 
Commission 

29.51 
35.95 
35.51 

2.61 

13.07 

1.67 

47.62 

B09 

105.08 

43.51 
123.74 

53.26 
125.45 

35.29 

13.67 

59.88 

38.70 

19.19 
36.31 
21.92 
39.91 

V.35 

11.85 

25.91 

7.69 

39.87 

1C5.31 

94.35 

83.33 

sV'.gi 

47.13 
76.09 

84.45 
44.99 
80.29 

- 

91.39 

16.35 

ISO  12 

118.54 

114.24 

Council 

30.55 
27.70 
27.39 

1.63 

3.77 
13.79 

42.24 
34.99 
23.46 

32.06 
34.45 
19.20 

34.33 
22.93 

37.94 

8.03 

20.95 

18.29 

19.87 

Council 

55.42 

3.79 

2.60 

9.40 

16.26 

The  Growing  Demand  for  Noiseless  City  Streets 


That  there  is  a  growing  demand  for  less 
noise  in  city  streets  is  shown  in  the  clamor 
among  citizens  and  officials  in  New  York 
and  other  eastern  cities  for  a  type  bf  pave- 
ment that  will  reduce  the  noise  of  heavy 
motor  traffic.  Clifford  Pinckney,  City  Engi- 
neer of  Manhattan,  recently  adopted  the 
resilient  asphaltic  concrete  base  for  Fifth 
Avenue  with  this  end  in  view,  clamiing  that 
this  type  of  construction  takes  up  the  shock 
of  impact.  The  Public  School  Principals' 
Association  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  has  asked  the 
City  Commission  in  that  city  to  adopt  a  pav- 
ing construction  program  to  extend  over 
four  years  that  will  provide  noiseless  pave- 
ments in  the  vicinity  of  the  schools.  In 
voicing  this  attitude,  Newark  takes  the  lead 
in  this  respect  among  the  cities  of  the  coun- 


try. The  complaint  in  Newark  is  that  the 
constant  noise  caused  by  heavy  vehicles 
running  over  rough  or  rigid  pavements  pre- 
vents both  teachers  and  pupils  from  carry- 
ing on  their  work  effectively.  It  is  the  be- 
lief of  the  principals  that  the  greater  effi- 
ciency permitted  by  pavements  that  are 
smooth,  resilient  and  noiseless  will  more 
than  compensate  for  the  additional  cost. 

The  action  in  Newark  is  in  line  with  con- 
clusions long  since  reached  by  hospital  au- 
thorities everywhere  and  by  the  owners  of 
theaters  and  auditoriums  in  many  places. 
Professor  Stevenson  of  Rutgers  College,  in 
a  recent  address  before  the  Philadelphia 
Engineering  Society,  emphasized  the  impor- 
tance of  noiseless  street  pavemnts. 


352 


An  Attractive  School  Entrance 


Courtesy    Architectural    Record 


ENTRANCE  STEPS  OF  HIGH  SCHOOL  AT  POET  CHESTER,  NEW  YORK 
Hewitt  and  Bottomley,  Architects 


353 


Clearing  Roots  From  Sewers 

Fifteen  Thousand  Feet  of  Sewer  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Freed  From  Obstructions 


IN  the  last  year  the  Department  of  Public 
Works  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  has  re- 
moved root  growths  from  more  than 
15,000  feet  of  sewers  under  the  direction  of 
Charles  Hayes,  Superintendent  of  Sewers. 
Only  the  sections  of  the  city  where  condi- 
tions were  the  worst  were  selected  for  the 
first  operations.     The  cost  of  the  cleaning" 


eters.  The  cleaner  is  placed  in  the  sewer 
main  at  one  manhole  and  drawn  to  the  next 
one  by  means  of  a  steel  cable  attached  to  a 
hand-operated  windlass.  Jointed  rods  are 
forced  through  the  sewer  first,  and  it  is  to 
these  rods  that  the  cable  is  attached  while 
it  is  drawn  through.  In  some  cases  the  de- 
partment has  found  sewers  so  badly  clogged 


THIS   ARRAY   OF  ROOTS   FROM   100   FEET   OF   SANITARY  SEWEE   ON 

LINDEN  STREET,  SCHENECTADY,  QUITE  EFFECTIVELY 

HELD   UP    THE    FLOW    OF   SEWAGE 


operations  was  $1,300  for  labor,  and  the  in- 
terest and  depreciation  on  the  Turbine  sewer 
cleaner  and  other  equipment  amounted  to 
approximately  $1,050. 

If  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  excavate, 
clean  and  replace  the  sewers  which  had  been 
blocked  by  root  growths,  the  cost  would 
surely  have  exceeded  $10,000.  The  work  of 
cleaning  the  sewer  was  delayed  for  some 
time  at  the  beginning  in  order  to  build  sev- 
eral new  manholes,  as  the  cleaner  could  not 
be  used  in  sections  where  the  manholes 
were  more  than  450  feet  apart. 

The  machine  used  consists  of  a  water 
motor  equipped  with  guides  and  cutters  to 
adapt  it  for  use  in  sewers  of  varying  diam- 


that  it  was  very  difficult  to  force  the  rods 
through  the  entangled  growth. 

The  cutter  of  the  machine  is  revolved  by 
the  water  motor,  which  is  run  by  water  pres- 
sure supplied  through  lengths  of  fire  hose 
attached  to  the  nearest  hydrant.  The  water 
discharged  from  the  motor  flushes  out  the 
roots  and  discharges  them  at  the  next  man- 
hole below,  where  they  are  caught  and  re- 
moved to  the  street. 

In  Schenectady  there  are  about  150  miles 
of  sewer  mains  with  pipe  joints  every  two 
or  three  feet,  through  which  it  is  possible 
for  tree  roots  to  gain  entrance.  Several 
years  ago  an  ordinance  was  passed  requiring 
the  removal  of  all  poplar  trees  within  a 


354 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


THE  MACHINE  THAT  KEMOVED  THIS  PILE  OF  ROOTS  AOT)  DIRT  FROM  151  FEET  OF 
8-INCH   SEWER  IN   SCHENECTADY 


specified  time.  The  sewer  department,  how- 
ever, found  that  the  roots  of  soft  maples  and 
elm  trees  were  causing  almost  as  much 
trouble  in  the  sewers  as  the  poplar  roots. 


and  they  are  much  more  difficult  to  remove. 
In  a  few  cases  the  roots  were  found  to  be  so 
thick  that  it  was  necessary  to  remove  sec- 
t'ons  of  the  sewer  pipe  to  get  them  out. 


Building  Up  a  Municipal  Light  and 

Power  Plant 

The  Interesting  Growth  of  the  Municipal  Plants  at  Greenville,  Texas 

By  H.  L.  McLow 

Commissioner  No.  1,  Greenville  Municipal  Plants,  Greenville,  Texas 


THE  original  municipal  light  and  power 
plant  at  Greenville,  Texas,  was  in- 
stalled in  1890  and  consisted  of  one 
belt-driven,  200-kilowatt  generator.  A  bond 
issue  of  $15,000  was  issued  and  applied  to 
the  construction  of  this  plant,  which  was  lo- 
cated in  the  down-town  section.  In  1909, 
under  the  leadership  of  Mayor  Nichols,  a 
bond  issue  of  $50,000  was  authorized  and 
two  new  AUis-Chalmers  units  were  installed 
at  the  present  location  in  connection  with 
the  Greenville  water-works,  and  the  present 
light  and  power  system  was  established. 
The  writer  has  been  in  charge  of  the  de- 
velopment and  administration  of  the  com- 
bined plants  since  1913. 

Over  $100,000  has  been  expended  in  secur- 
ing new  equipment  and  in  expansion  since 
1916.  Every  cent  of  this  has  come  out  of 
the  revenue  of  the  plant,  and  no  bond  issues 
have  beer*  sought.  The  total  amount  of 
bonds  issued  since  the  plant  was  instituted, 


including  all  outstanding  indebtedness  in- 
curred by  the  city  of  Greenville  on  account 
of  its  electric  light  and  power  plant,  is  $65,- 
000,  of  which  there  remains  outstanding 
only  about  $41,000  in  less  than  5  per  cent 
bonds.  The  commercial  value  of  the  elec- 
tric light  and  power  system  of  Greenville  is 
estimated  at  $500,000.  Space  is  already  al- 
lotted for  a  1,000-kilowatt  steam  turbine, 
Vvhich  will  be  the  next  unit  to  be  added. 

The  street  and  commercial  lighting  serv- 
ices are  on  independent  circuits,  and  a  third 
independent  circuit  is  being  installed  for 
power  service. 

Notwithstanding  the  high  cost  of  coal, 
material,  labor  and  operation  in  general 
since  1916,  there  has  been  no  increase  in  the 
light  and  power  rates  to  consumers,  and  the 
plant  has  been  successfully  operated  for  the 
past  eight  years  at  the  rates  given  below. 
The  income  from  these  rates  has  taken  care 
of   all   charges,    including   the    retiring   of 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


355 


INTEEIOR  OF  POWER-PLANT  OF  THE  GREENVIXIE,  TEXAS,  LIGHT  AND  WATER  WORKS 


bonds,  and,  as  reasonable  proof  that  the 
plant  has  been  adequately  maintained,  it  has 
been  out  of  commission  only  25  minutes  dur- 
ing that  period. 

LIGHTS 

First   100   kw.   at   10   cents 
Next   200   kw.    at    9J^    cents 
Next   200   kw.   at   9   cents 
Next   500    kw.    at   Syi    cents 
Kxcess  1,000  kw.  at  7J4   cents 
Minimum    charge   50   cents  per   month 

POWER 
First  500  kw.  at   4  cents 
Next  500  kw.  at  3}4   cents 
Excess  1,000  kw.  at  3  cents 

Minimum  charge  75  cents  first   horse-power  or  frac- 
tion 
50   cents   each   additional    horse-power  or   fraction 

3   cents    kw.    for    stoves,    without    minimum    charge 


This  plant  supplies  all  of  the  electric  light 
and  power  in  the  city  of  Greenville  and  in 
the  territory  five  miles  beyond  the  city  lim- 
its. It  maintains  itself  without  any  tax  on 
the  people  and  operates  2,100  street  lights, 
£95  white  way  lights,  gives  light  and  power 
to  the  public  schools,  municipal  buildings, 
parks  and  playgrounds,  and  takes  care  of 
all  maintenance  and  operation  charges  and 
all  expansion  and  improvement,  interest  and 
sinking  fund  for  the  bonds  originally  issued 
for  its  installation.  In  1913  the  plant  capac- 
ity was  1,000  kilowatts  per  day,  and  in  192 1, 
6,950  kilowatts  a  day  is  obtained  regularly 
from  the  5,000-kilowatt  turbine  alone. 


Paving  Assessments  in  St.   Paul,  Minn. 


In  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  the  cost  of  not  ex- 
ceeding 12  feet  of  paving  can  be  assessed 
against  abutting  property.  This  is  based 
on  the  theory  that  all  city  streets  should  have 
paved  roadways  for  comfort,  convenience 
and  sanitation,  and  that  the  property  abut- 
ting on  the  pavement  should  pay  for  such 
a  part  as  may  be  required  to  give  access  to 
that  property  and  provide  a  passageway  for 
vehicles  going  to  neighbors'  property. 

With  a  24-foot  pavement  and  a  vehicle 
standing  at  the  curb  on  opposite  sides,  there 
will  be  room  for  a  vehicle  to  pass  between. 
If  any  greater  width  of  paving  than  24  feet 
is  necessary,  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  a  street 
car  line,  motor  bus  traffic  or  through  traffic. 


Abutting  property  is  not  assessed  for 
paving  the  street  railway  portion  of  the 
street,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should 
be  as.sessed  for  paving  the  right  of  way  for 
trucks,  motor  busses  or  pleasure  cars  bound 
for  some  distant  part  of  the  city.  While 
not  more  than  12  feet  can  be  assessed 
against  the  abutting  property,  the  city 
council  can  to  its  discretion  assess  the  cost 
of  less  than  12  feet.  This  enables  it  to  pave 
outlying  street  connections  with  county 
highways  or  state  roads  where  the  property 
could  not  stand  the  entire  assessment  for 
the  pavement.  The  cost  of  the  paving  that 
is  not  assessed  is  met  through  a  wheelage 
tax,  general  revenue  or  a  bond  issue. 


356 


Rat  Extermination  and  Its  Part  in 
Public  Healtli  Campaigns 

By  Edmuad  B.  Besselievre 

Consulting  Engineer,   New  York 


THE  rat  has  been  convicted  of  being 
one  of  the  most  serious  offenders  in 
the  spread  of  disease  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  property.  On  the  evidence  pre- 
sented by  sanitarians  and  public  health  offi- 
cials, the  systematic  extermination  of  the 
rodent  is  now  recognized  as  an  integral 
part  of  all  comprehensive  health  campaigns. 

In  the  Southv^est,  and  especially  in  the 
states  along  the  Gulf  Coast,  the  rat  has  be- 
come abhorrent  as  the  primary  agent  in  the 
spread  of  bubonic  plague,  epidemics  of 
which  have  caused  great  loss  of  human  life 
and  property  in  several  cities  in  that  region. 
The  cities  and  states  that  have  been  afflicted 
with  that  terrible  visitation  are  strenuous 
advocates  of  rat  extermination,  and  it  would 
be  wise  for  other  municipalities  and  states 
to  follow  these  examples  and  include  ex- 
terminative  measures  in  their  general  health 
programs. 

It  has  been  stated  on  excellent  authority 
that  the  rodent  population  of  the  United 
States  is  equal  to  the  human.  In  that  case, 
the  problem  of  rat  extermination  would  be 
easily  solved  if  each  of  us  would  take  upon 
himself  the  task  of  killing  one  representa- 
tive of  the  genus  "Mus."  We  could  aptly 
adopt  as  the  slogan  for  such  a  campaign 

"Get  Your  Rat." 

The  individual  effort,  however,  should  not 
cease  with  the  getting  of  the  one  rat.  In 
view  of  the  inefficiency  of  many  of  us,  each 
of  us  should  "get"  as  many  rats  as  possible. 

Exterminative  measures  are  of  different 
kinds.  It  is  seldom  sufficient  to  employ 
one  only.  Usually  a  combination  of  several 
methods  is  adopted  and  proves  to  give  the 
quickest  and  most  effective  relief. 

Methods  of  extermination  may  be  divided 
into  three  general  classes : 

1.  Natural 

2.  Mechanical 

3.  Chemical 

These  three  classes  cover  the  general 
basic  agencies  now  in  use  among  sanitary 
engineers   and    public   health   officials,   and 


each  one  of  them  includes  several  types  or 
subdivisions,  each  particularly  applicable  to 
some  combination  of  local  conditions. 

A  brief  article  does  not  permit  explaining 
in  detail  the  means  of  applying  each  method, 
but  a  casual  discussion  of  them  from  the 
view-point  of  expediency  and  efficiency  will 
serve  a  useful  purpose: 

1.  Natural  agencies 

a.  Starvation 

By  removal  of  sources  of  food 
supply  and  by  proper  protection 
of  foodstuffs  and  other  rodent 
comestibles 

b.  Suffocation 

By  effectual  closure  of  exits 
from  burrows  or  harborages 

c.  Natural  enemies 

Use  of  cats,  dogs,  ferrets  and 
other  natural  enemies 

d.  Destruction  or  removal  of  harbor- 

ages and  breeding-places 

2.  Mechanical  agencies 

a.  Trapping 

By  cage  or  snap  traps  set  and 
baited  by  volunteer  or  paid 
trappers 

b.  Destruction  of  breeding-places 

By  tearing  down,  boarding  up, 
fire,  etc. 

c.  Ratproofing 

By  proper  ratproofing  of  dwell- 
ings and  business  establishments, 
particularly  places  where  foods 
are  stored 

d.  Shooting 

By  regular  roundsmen  or  or- 
ganizations of  Boy  Scouts  and 
others 

e.  Drowning 

By  flooding  burrows  and  holes 
with  water,  with  the  possible 
assistance  of  the  fire  department, 
etc. 

3.  Chemical  agencies 

a.  Poisoning 

By  means  of  standard  brands  of 
manufactured  rat  foods  and 
poisons 

b.  Suffocation 

Through  the  use  of  noxious 
gases  and  fumes  in  burrows  and 
inaccessible  places  where  rats 
are  known  to  harbor 

Each   of  these  methods  has  its  peculiar 
degree  of  fitness  in  certain  cases.    Some  of 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


357 


SCENES     FROM     THE     SOUTHWEST    WHERE    ANTI-RAT     CAMPAIGNS    HAVE     BEEN    PUSHED 

EFFECTIVELY 

Upper  Left — A  city  dump  where  plague-infected  rats  were  found.  Upper  Right — Shrubbery  near  this 
residence  must  be  trimmed  out  and  the  building  raised  to  an  elevation  of  18  inches  from  the  ground 
or  a  "chain  wall'  placed  under  the  building.  Below — Proper  foundation  for  a  bungalow  to  insure 
protection  from  rats 


them  are  more  generally  adaptable  in  pub- 
lic campaigns  than  in  cases  of  single  dwell- 
ings or  foci. 

In  the  several  campaigns  for  the  eradica- 
tion of  bubonic  plague  with  which  the 
writer  has  been  connected,  the  combination 
of  methods  that  procured  the  maximum  de- 
gree of  extermination  in  the  shortest  space 
of  time  were  starvation,  destruction  of 
breeding-places,  trapping  and  ratproofing, 
and  in  cases  where  shipping  was  involved, 
the  employment  of  chemical  suffocation. 

While  the  destruction  by  natural  enemies 
would  seem  to  be  one  of  the  easiest  and 
cheapest  plans  to  adopt,  it  is  not  encour- 
aged by  experienced  officials,  especially  in 
those  localities  where  rat-borne  diseases  are 
present.  It  is  true  that  the  cat  and  the 
ferret  and  the  smaller  members  of  the 
canine  family  can  reach  the  rat  in  places 
where  ordinary  human  agencies  would  fail, 
but  should  the  rat  be  infected  with  bubonic 
plague  or  some  other  disease,  the  fleas  with 
which  he  is  infested  will  upon  his  death 
emigrate  to  the  fur  of  the  animal  which  has 
killed  him.  In  the  case  of  the  cat  or  the 
dog,  which  is  usually  allowed  in  the  house, 
the  disease-bearing  flea  is  then  carried 
directly  into  contact  with  humans. 


Shooting  is  seldom  employed  on  a  large 
scale,  as  it  requires  a  fairly  expert  marks- 
man to  shoot  and  kill  a  rat  in  the  short 
time  in  which  Mr.  Rat  allows  himself  to  be 
seen  in  human  presence.  Usually  the  result 
is  a  wounded  rat,  which  will  crawl  into  the 
nearest  hole  or  burrow,  there  to  die  and  re- 
main as  a  noisome  reminder  of  an  ineffec- 
tual method.  Drowning  is  not  wholly  satis- 
factory, because  it  is  difficult  to  discover 
the  proper  hole  in  which  to  apply  the  water. 
Rat  burrows  usually  have  several  exits,  and 
if  any  one  of  them  is  left  open,  the  water 
has  no  effect. 

Poisons  are  often  efficacious  in  individual 
houses  or  in  places  where  doctored  meat  or 
food  can  be  placed  in  the  rat's  path  of  travel, 
but  the  use  of  this  method  is  discouraged  in 
a  general  campaign.  The  chunks  of  poi- 
soned meat  or  other  food  are  just  as  attrac- 
tive to  a  hungry  cat  or  dog  as  to  a  rat,  and 
if  promiscuously  distributed,  may  cause 
angry  pet-owners  to  make  their  presence 
felt  around  campaign  headquarters. 

Noxious  gases  have  been  tried,  but,  out- 
side of  their  general  use  on  board  ships, 
have  proved  to  be  of  no  great  service.  They 
are  dangerous  to  human  life  unless  expertly 
handled,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  close  all 


358 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


the  cracks  or  vents  in  an  ordinary  building 
to  make  the  gas  effective.  On  shipboard, 
where  all  ports  are  provided  with  tight  clo- 
sures, the  use  of  hydrocyanic  acid  gas  has 
been  adopted  as  the  standard  means  of 
fumigation  and  has  given  very  encouraging 
results.  Even  there,  however,  careless  han- 
dling and  improper  airing  of  the  hold  of  a 
vessel  have  several  times  caused  the  loss  of 
human  life.  Hydrocyanic  acid  gas  is  odor- 
less and  colorless  and  takes  immediate  and 
deadly  effect.. 

Properly    conducted    campaigns    of    rat- 
proofing,    rat-trapping   and   destruction    of 


possible  rat  harborages  will  go  further  to 
eliminate  the  rat  population  of  the  United 
States  than  any  other  combination  of  meth- 
ods so  far  employed.  The  states  of  Texas 
and  Louisiana  have  issued  pamphlets  and 
circulars  descriptive  of  these  methods.  Mu- 
nicipalities will  do  well  to  enlist  the  co- 
operation of  the  organized  health  agencies 
of  these  states. 

Let  each  municipality  set  aside  a  certain 
period  of  days  wherein  a  concerted  effort 
shall  be  made  to  destroy  as  many  rats  as 
possible,  and  let  the  war-cry  of  the  cause  be 

"Get  Your  Rat." 


Motion  Pictures  Show  Road  Building 


THE  United  States  Bureau  of  Public 
Roads,  Washington,  D.  C,  has  com- 
pleted for  free  distribution  and  use  in 
picture  houses  as  well  as  at  conventions, 
educational  conferences,  etc.,  throughout  the 
country,  two  reels  of  pictures  showing  in. 
detail  the  construction  of  the  various  types 
of  asphalt  roads.  The  pictures  were  pro- 
duced particularly  for  the  purpose  of  show- 
ing how  best  results  may  be  obtained  in 
asphalt  construction.  They  are  loaned  to 
responsible  parties  free  of  charge,  except 
for  transportation  costs. 

The  first  reel,  entitled  "Building  Bitu- 
minous Roads,"  indicates  the  wide  applica- 
tion of  bituminous  materials  in  highway 
construction.  It  shows  the  character  of  the 
bituminous  materials  and  demonstrates  the 
principal  laboratory  tests  used  in  determin- 
ing their  suitability  for  the  various  types  of 
roads  to  meet  various  climatic  and  traffic 
conditions.  A  portion  of  the  reel  shows  in 
detail  all  the  various  steps  that  should  be 
taken  in  surface-treating  a  macadam  pave- 
ment. This  scene  opens  with  a  large  motor 
truck  distributor  spraying  the  bituminous 
material  upon  a  macadam  surface  in  the 
suburbs  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The  distribu- 
tor is  followed  closely  by  a  horse-drawn 
wagon  spreading  the  stone  chip  covering. 
The  bituminous  macadam  pavement  is  a 
type  much  superior  to  plain  or  surface- 
treated  macadam.  In  its  construction  the 
asphalt  is  treated  and  applied  either  by 
mechanical  or  by  hand  distributors. 

The  use  of  the  small  hand  pouring  pots 
in  applying  the  asphaltic  binder  is  demon- 
strated on  a  road  near  Pittsburgh,  Pa.   This 


demonstration  is  followed  by  views  show- 
ing the  mechanical  distribution  of  the  as- 
phalt by  motor  trucks  on  a  project  in  West- 
chester County,  near  New  York  City.  The 
trucks  are  first  shown  loading  at  a  railroad 
siding  from  huge  tank  cars.  They  then 
leave  for  the  road,  where  the  material  is 
applied  under  pressure  at  the  rate  of  one 
and  one-half  gallons  to  the  square  yard. 
Laborers  are  pictured  covering  this  mate- 
rial with  stone  chips.  A  powerful  roller 
then  compacts  the  pavement.  The  road  is 
then  shown,  by  the  passing  of  traffic,  to  be 
ready  for  immediate  use.  According  to 
engineers,  one  of  the  big  advantages  of 
asphalt  pavements  is  that  they  can  be 
opened  to  traffic  as  soon  as  constructed. 

The  second  reel,  entitled  "Building  Mixed 
Asphalt  Pavements,"  shows  methods  used  in 
constructing  both  the  asphaltic  concrete  and 
the  sheet  asphalt  types  of  pavement.  This 
reel  contains  views  of  plants  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  and  Columbus,  N.  J.,  where  the  stone, 
sand  and  asphaltic  binder  are  heated  and 
mixed.  The  "mix"  is  loaded  upon  trucks 
and  hauled  to  the  road.  Here  it  is  spread 
with  rakes  and  then  compacted  by  a  roller. 
This  picture  shows  that  the  mixed  types 
may  also  be  opened  to  traffic  immediately 
after  their  completion.  The  pictures  demon- 
strating the  construction  of  asphaltic  con- 
crete roads  were  taken  on  a  new  road  under 
construction  between  May's  Landing  and 
Pleasantville,  and  leading  into  Atlantic 
City,  N.  J.  The  pictures  of  sheet  asphalt 
construction  were  taken  on  a  road  near 
Columbus,  in  Burlington  County,  N.  J.  This 
county  now  has  sixty  miles  of  sheet  asphalt. 


359 


The  Public  Utility  of  Museums 

By  John  Cotton  Dana 

Director,  Newark  Museum  Association,  Newark,  N.  J. 


^^¥*^UBLIC  utility"  is  a  phrase  bor- 
r^  rowed  from  Lord  Sudeley,  of  Eng- 
land,  who  has  in  recent  years 
written  much  and  spoken  often  in  the  House 
of  Lords  in  favor  of  an  increase  of  the  work 
of  museums  in  the  field  of  general  education. 
The  Newark  Museum,  in  the  twelve  years 
of  its  existence,  has  done  all  that  its  modest 
collection,  limited  income  and  restricted 
quarters  in  the  Public  Library  building 
would  permit,  to  make  its  objects  and  the 
labors  of  its  stafif  of  interest  and  value  to 
its  owners  and  supporters,  the  people  of 
Newark. 

We  begin  with  the  children  of  the  city, 
of  course.  For  them  we  have  several  thou- 
sand objects  which  teachers  in  the  schools 
use  to  make  books  and  studies  more  attrac- 
tive and  intelligible.  The 
teachers  select  what  they 
wish,  and  the  Museum 
sends  to  their  schoolrooms 
two  loads,  in  vans,  each 
week. 

In  the  Museum  is  a 
room  in  which  are  always 
shown  objects  of  interest 
to  children,  and  often  col- 
lections made  and  put  up 
by  children  themselves. 
For  a  time,  when  space 
was  available  therefor, 
the  curator  of  this  "Chil- 
dren's Room"  encouraged 
boy  and  girl  collectors  to 
form  clubs  to  study  birds, 
plants,  stamps,  wireless, 
etc.,  and  these  clubs  pros- 
pered. 

Our  "theory  of  public 
utility"  asks  that  we  join 
with  our  public  school 
teachers,  our  Shade  Tree 
Commission,  our  County 
Parks  Commission,  our 
scientific  clubs,  etc.,  in  de- 
veloping, in  our  city  and 
county  parks,  institutions 
with  appropriate  shelters 
and  buildings,  which  will 


promote  interest  in  all  aspects  of  outdoor 
life,  in  natural  history,  etc.,  with  the 
Museum  as  an  attendant  and  helpful  spirit. 
This  plan  is  here  mentioned  even  though  it 
has  thus  far  been  a  subject  for  discussion 
only,  because  it  speaks  so  clearly  of  our 
conviction  that  cooperation  with  existing 
agencies  is  fundamental  to  our  theory  of 
museum  work. 

Ottier  Civic  Organizations  Must  Use  the 
Museum 

To  produce  tangible  results  in  the  educa- 
tional field,  the  Museum  must  ask  teachers 
and  managers  of  public  and  private  schools 
not  only  to  make  use  of  its  objects,  but  also 
to  tell  it,  the  Museum,  what  material  they 
can  best  use,  how  they  wish  to  have  that 


THE    NEWARK    MUSEUM    LENDS    THESE    OBJECTS    TO    SCHOOLS 


36o 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


material  prepared,  and  what  direct  personal 
assistance  they  can  render  in  making  the 
whole  museimi  of  "educational  utility"  to 
the  community. 

Museums  have  been  content  to  acquire, 
preserve,  describe  and  place  on  view  objects 
within  their  chosen  field,  and  then  to  say, 
in  effect,  that  their  duty  is  done,  in  that  they 
give  to  those  who  wish  to  use  them  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  to  come  and  see,  and  to 
learn  of  the  worlds  of  art  and  of  science, 
as  their  collections  expound  those  worlds. 
The  supporters  of  museums  have  been  in 
large  measure  content  to  see  museums  as- 
sume this  attitude  of  self-satisfied  seclusion; 
but  they  begin  now  to  realize  that  other 
existing  public-supported  agencies,  estab- 
lished to  expound  the  worlds  of  art  and 
science  to  their  supporters,  can  readily  take 
and  use  much  of  the  contents  of  museums 
and,  with  their  aid,  can  add  much  of  interest 
and  effectiveness  to  their  own  educational 
activities. 

England  has  begun  to  use  museums  in  the 
field  of  industry.  Finding  that  existing  mu- 
seums are,  with  rare  exceptions,  not  even 
attempting  to  come  into  close  and  helpful 
contact  with  manufacturers,  bench-workers, 
craftsmen  and  designers,  it  has  formed  an 
organization  which  is  trying  to  give  to  these 
people  an  opportunity  to  learn  from  one 
another,  and  from  their  like  in  other  coun- 
tries, by  displays  of  the  factory  and  studio 
products  of  to-day.  In  Newark  we  were 
moved  to  attempt  this  work  several  years 
ago.  To  do  it  we  needed  the  assistance  of 
local  manufacturers  and  importers,  and  we 
found  it  difficult  to  demonstrate  to  them  the 
advantages  that  would  follow  the  develop- 
ment in  their  city  of  a  museum  of  "com- 
parative industry" ;  a  museum,  that  is,  which 
should  carry  out  the  plan  England  is  now 
developing,  and  should  prepare  for  our  pro- 
ducers, merchants  and  transporters  a  series 
of  displays  of  local  products  with  like  prod- 
ucts of  other  cities. 

We  therefore  took  a  wider  range,  that  of 
the  whole  state  of  New  Jersey,  and  in  two 
successive  years  collected  and  showed  thou- 
sands of  finished  objects,  and  objects  illus- 
trating processes  of  production,  in  the  fields 
of  clay  and  of  textiles.  The  two  exhibi- 
tions were,  of  course,  only  modest  experi- 
ments, but  they  seemed  to  demonstrate  the 
truth  of  that  part  of  the  theory  of  the  value 
of  "greater  public  utility  of  museums"  which 


lies  in  the  statement  that  a  public  museum 
should  present  its  supporting  community  to 
itself  as  an  organization  functioning  for 
production. 

Museums  Should  Expound  Foreign 
Industrial  Conditions 

It  is  a  habit  of  museums  to  gather  from 
other  countries  things  rare  and  peculiar — 
old  art  products,  objects  explanatory  of  re- 
ligion and  social  manners  and  of  the  de- 
velopment of  these.  That  is,  they  gather 
art  curios  and  ethnological  specimens. 

That  is  all  as  it  should  be.  But  museums 
should  also  gather  and  display  objects 
which,  with  the  help  of  maps,  charts,  dia- 
grams, legends  and  pamphlets,  shall  ex- 
pound to  farmers,  workers,  manufacturers 
and  distributors  the  resources,  products  and 
potential  needs  of  other  countries.  These 
displays  need  not  be  and  should  not  be  per- 
manent. They  would  include  no  "museum 
pieces,"  those  things  that  persistently  so  ob- 
fuscate museum  managers  as  to  make  them 
unable  to  see  the  moving  picture  of  the 
world  as  it  is.  These  presentations  would, 
each  for  a  few  weeks  or  months,  present  to 
our  makers,  buyers  and  sellers  the  industrial 
aspects  of  a  given  country,  and  then  would 
be  dispersed. 

In  Newark  we  tried  out  this  suggestion 
and  produced,  in  due  course,  quite  an  in- 
teresting picture,  in  object,  map  and  legend, 
of  the  Republic  of  Colombia.  Again  this 
was  an  experiment  only;  but  it  seemed  to 
show  that  any  museum  can  arouse  in  its 
community  an  alert  and  informed  interest 
in  the  character  and  the  future  of  any  coun- 
try whatsoever. 

Other  museums  which  can  be  called 
veritable  public  utilities  are  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  in  New  York, 
which  has  long  pursued  "public  utility"  and 
overtaken  much  of  it,  as  any  layman  can 
learn  who  will  send  for  a  sample  copy  of  its 
beautiful  monthly  journal.  Natural  History; 
the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museums, 
which  pursue  not  only  the  industrialist  to  his 
great  pleasure  and  profit,  but  also  Pennsyl- 
vania's public  school  system  to  the  gratifica- 
tion of  its  teachers,  as  one  can  learn  by  ask- 
ing for  a  copy  of  one  of  its  recent  reports; 
and  the  Educational  Museum  of  St.  Louis, 
which  is  more  than  a  museum  that  helps  on 
the  work  of  the  city's  public  school  system, 
for  it  is  a  component  part  of  that  system 
itself. 


36i 


How  a  Municipal  Plant  Kept  Down 
the  Cost  of  Gas  and  Water 

By  D.  A.  Reed 

Manager,  Water  and  Light  Department,  Duluth,  Minn. 


THE  history  of  the  Duluth  gas  and 
water  plant  dates  from  the  year  1883, 
when  the  work  of  construction  was 
inaugurated  by  the  Duluth  Gas  and  Water 
Company,  a  private  company  organized  for 
that  purpose. 

The  source  of  supply  for  the  water  was 
about  a  mile  east  of  the  center  of  population, 
on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  with 
an  intake  extending  some  700  or  800  feet 
into  the  lake.  The  water  at  this  location  be- 
came so  contaminated  in  the  next  five  or  ten 
years  by  sewage  discharged  from  several 
sewer  outlets  thqit  two  violent  typhoid  epi- 
demics resulted,  with  60  to  70  deaths.  The 
rates  were  high,  the  service  poor,  and  the 
water  bad.  Several  attempts  were  made  to 
purchase  the  plant,  and  several  times  when 
the  question  was  submitted  to  the  people  it 
was  either  lost  because  of  the  high  price 
asked,  or  because  of  invalidation  by  the 
court. 

The  first  price  considered  was  over  two 
million  dollars.  The  plant  was  finally  pur- 
chased and  turned  over  to  the  city  in  1898 
for  $1,250,000.  At  that  time  there  was  40.6 
miles  of  water-mains  and  29.56  miles  of  gas- 
mains.  At  present  there  is  approximately 
185  miles  of  water-mains  and  175  miles  of 
gas-mains,  which  represents  a  plant  over 
five  times  its  original  size  when  taken  over 
by  the  city  23  years  ago. 

The  gas  plant  has  been  moved  to  a  new 
and  more  favorable  site,  and  two  new  hold- 
ers of  200,000-  and  500,000-cubic-f  eet  capac- 
ity have  been  erected  in  addition  to  a  new 
holder  of  1,000,000-cubic-feet  capacity 
erected  by  the  Zenith  Furnace  Company,  the 
concern  from  which  gas  is  purchased  at  the 
present  time.* 


*  No  gas  has  been  made  at  the  Duluth  plant  since 
1908.  The  Zenith  Furnace  Company  operates  a  smelter 
and  coke  oven  plant.  The  gas  is  generally  considered 
a  by-product,  although  at  the  present  time  the  company 
is  making  only  coke  and  gas,  not  having  operated  the 
smelter  for  some  months.  The  city's  contract  price 
with  the  Zenith  Furnace  Company  is  37  yi  cents  a 
thousand  cubic  feet  for  all  gas  except  that  used  for 
house-heating  purposes.  The  house-heating  gas  is  32^2 
cents.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  company  has  for 
the  past  few  months  been  operating  only  its  coke 
ovens,  the  department  has  been  paying  a  flat  rate  of  40 
cents  per  thousand   cubic  feet. 


During  this  23-year  period  the  total  num- 
ber of  water  customers  has  increased  from 
2,113  to  13,826,  and  the  gas  customers  from 
1,1 1 1  to  15,571,  or  an  increase  of  over  9  to  i. 
The  value  of  the  plant  has  increased  from 
$1,250,000,  the  sum  paid  for  it  in  1898,  to 
$5,487,333.08  on  the  first  day  of  January, 
1921.  The  average  number  of  gas  meters 
per  mile  of  mains  has  more  than  doubled, 
and  the  number  of  water  meters  has  trebled. 

Not  only  has  the  water  plant  paid  its  way, 
has  been  self-sustaining,  but  the  customers, 
who  have  furnished  all  revenues,  have  ac- 
quired a  proprietary  interest  in  the  plant  of 
nearly  a  million  and  a  half  dollars.  It  has 
created  a  depreciation  reserve  of  nearly  one 
million  dollars,  has  passed  the  peak  of  its 
indebtedness,  and  is  now  steadily  retiring  its 
bonds  as  opportunity  offers  for  their  pur- 
chase. Except  for  a  refunding  issue  in  1906 
of  $295,000,  none  of  the  bonds  have  yet  be- 
come due,  and  none  will  mature  until  1926; 
consequently,  they  cannot  be  retired,  except 
on  the  consent  or  request  of  the  holder. 
With  one  exception,  every  bond  that  has 
been  offered  has  been  retired.  How  has  it 
been  accomplished?  From  its  earnings? 
With  one  exception,  every  cent  of  it. 

For  a  brief  period  the  taxpayers  con- 
tributed a  one-half-mill  levy  for  the  support 
of  the  water  and  light  plant.  It  was  quickly 
recognized,  however,  as  being  a  mistake,  and 
the  income  was  relinquished,  on  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  department  itself,  in  1914.  With 
this  exception,  the  plant  has  never  received 
a  cent  of  support  from  the  city,  the  tax- 
payers or  any  other  interests,  except  what  it 
has  honestly  earned  by  service  rendered,  and 
it  has  not  always  received  pay  for  that. 
True,  it  does  not  pay  taxes,  but  it  renders  a 
service  to  the  taxpayers  in  its  hydrant  serv- 
ice that  costs  the  department  $110,000  a 
year,  and  which,  if  the  city  of  Duluth  had 
happened  to  be  just  across  the  river  in  the 
state  of  Wisconsin,  the  Wisconsin  Railway 
Commission  would  have  ordered  paid.  The 
city  allows  about  one-half  of  this  amount,  or 
$55,000  a  year,  for  the  hydrant  service  that 
costs  the  department  $110,000. 


362 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


The  difference  between  the  cost  of  this 
service  and  the  amount  paid  for  it  by  the 
city  may  be  fairly  considered  as  a  contribu- 
tion in  lieu  of  taxes. 

The  Question  of  Rates 

Since  1898,  when  the  city  took  over  the 
plant,  the  following  rates  have  been  in 
effect  : 

GAS 

Light  Fuel 

1898 $1.90  $1.00 

1899 1.40  1.00 

1901 1.25  1.00 

1902 1.15  1.00 

1903 l.OO  1.00 

1904 90  .75 

1905 90  .75 

1906 75  .75 

1909— 

Light  and  fuel,  $.75;  all  over  50,000  cu.  ft.,  $.50 

House  heating,  any  quantity,  $.50 

Minimum  bills,  $.25   per  month 

WATER 

1898 $.30       per  100  cu.   ft 

1901 25        per  100  cu.   ft. 

1907 17  ^   per  100  cu.   ft. 

1913  — 

8,000  cu.  ft.  at  $.17J4   per  100  cu.   ft. 

8,000  cu.   ft.  at  $.10       per  100  cu.   ft. 

60,000  cu.   ft.  at  ^.OT/z   per  100  cu.  ft. 

100,000  cu.   ft.  at  $.05       per  100  cu.   ft. 

All  over  at  $.02  J/^  per  100  cu.   ft. 

1914— 

10,000  cu.  ft.  at  $.15  per  100  cu.  ft. 
10,000  cu.   ft.  at  $.12  per  100  cu.  ft. 
All  over  at  $.08  per  100  cu.  ft. 
Minimum  bills,   $.50   per  month 

No  rates  for  either  gas  or  water  have  been 
changed  since  January  i,  1914.  While  the 
era  of  high  prices  has  swept  over  the  entire 
world  during  and  since  the  war  and  has  in- 
creased the  salary  of  every  employee  of  the 
department  below  that  of  the  manager,  some 
of  them  being  doubled,  has  more  than 
doubled  the  cost  of  cast  iron  pipe  and  of  pig 
iron,  has  increased  the  price  of  coal  for 
m.aking  gas  and  operating  its  pumping  sta- 
tions, has  increased  the  cost  of  electrical 
energy,  still  the  price  of  gas  and  water  has 
remained  the  same  without  a  single  change 
of  any  kind  for  the  past  eight  years.  Fur- 
ther than  this,  the  profits  of  the  department 
were  never  higher  in  any  previous  year 
than  for  1920,  and  for  the  combined  plants 
were  $174,381.41.  And  still  further,  there  is 
not  another  place,  town  or  city,  anywhere  in 
North  America,  so  far  as  the  writer  has  been 
able  to  discover,  where  manufactured  gas  is 
sold  for  50  cents  or  75  cents.  If  there  is, 
the  writer  will  be  grateful  to  anyone  that 
will  furnish  him  the  information. 

Policies  That  Have  Brought  Success 

Experience  develops  policies.  Policies  are 
subject  to  the  law  of  the  "survival  of  the 
fittest."  The  policies  that  survive  gradually 
become  so  established  that,  although  unwrit- 


ten, they  become  law ;  for  instance,  in  these 
plants : 

1.  All  charges  are  ba.sed  upon  cost. 

2.  No  material  service  is  ever  rendered 
free  of  charge. 

3.  No  price  is  ever  cut  to  retain  a  cus- 
tomer, or  for  any  other  reason  except  to 
correct  an  error. 

4.  All  customers  pay  the  same  price  for 
the  same  service. 

5.  No  charity  is  ever  extended,  except 
when  the  recipient  bears  a  certificate  from 
the  clerk  of  the  Poor  Board. 

6.  Every  complaint  is  given  the  utmost 
consideration  and  courtesy. 

7.  No  charge  is  ever  based  upon  what  the 
traffic  will  bear. 

As  to  financial  matters: 

The  Division  of  Public  Utilities  has  its 
separate  fund,  which  is  not  mixed  up  in  any 
way  with  other  city  funds. 

All  revenue  derived  from  the  sale  of  gas 
and  water  is  turned  into  this  fund. 

All  interest  charges  and  bonds  retired  are 
paid  for  from  this  fund,  as  well  as  all  pay- 
rolls, construction  accounts,  and  other  items 
of  expense  in  the  operation  of  the  plant. 

Extensions  and  betterments  are  paid  for, 
as  far  as  may  be  practicable,  from  the  cur- 
rent earn"ngs. 

Bonded  indebtedness  is  reduced  as  rapidly 
as  possible. 

Covering  the  personnel  are  the  following : 

All  permanent  employees  are  under  civil 
service  rules,  and  no  applicant  can  be  placed 
on  the  eligible  list  until  he  or  she  has  passed 
the  required  examination. 

All  vacancies  are  filled  by  promotion  from 
lower  ranks,  when  practicable. 

Selections  for  higher  positions  are  made 
on  the  basis  of  past  efficiency. 

For  misdemeanors  or  inadequacy  of  serv- 
ice, the  penalty  is  suspension  without  pay. 

Again  let  it  be  said,  do  not  grant  special 
privileges  to  anyone  and  do  not  ask  for  any 
for  yourself  or  for  the  plant  which  you  are 
trying  to  manage.  The  largest  and  most 
destructive  argument  that  has  ever  been 
leveled  against  public  ownership  is  that  the 
plant  is  self-supporting  because  it  enjoys  the 
special  privilege  of  exemption  from  taxa- 
tion. The  director  of  the  Taxpayers  League 
was  surprised  when  we  told  him  that  we 
were  perfectly  willing  to  pay  taxes  on  ex- 
actly the  same  basis  as  any  other  utility,  but 
that  we  wanted  the  Taxpayers  League  to  see 
that  we  received  full  pay  for  the  hydrant 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


363 


service.  With  this  argument  settled,  there 
remains  only  one  other  shot  that  they  can 
fire,  and  that  is  that  we  enjoy  exemption 
from  the  payment  of  cash  dividends  on  the 
money  invested.  In  our  case  this  would  be, 
say,  8  per  cent  on  $1,445,000,  or  about  $115,- 
600  a  year.  This  amount  would  take  quite 
a  slice  from  our  net  earnings,  but  to  whom 
would  we  pay  the  dividends?  To  our  cus- 
tomers, of  course,  for  they  are  the  ones  who 
have  invested  their  money  in  the  plant.  But 
why  tax  these  same  customers  in  order  to 
pay  back  to  them  dividends  which  can  be 
paid  just  as  well  in  reduced  rates,  and  which 
arc  being  paid  in  reduced  rates,  and  which, 
as  they  gradually  come  to  own  the  entire 


plant,  free  from  all  debt,  they  will  receive 
as  maximum  cash  dividends  in  reduced  rates 
every  time  they  pay  a  water  or  a  gas  bill  ? 

The  public  ownership  of  this  plant  has 
had  a  most  wholesome  and  steadying  effect 
upon  other  utilities  privately  owned.  Seven 
years  ago  the  electric  light  plant  had  either 
to  turn  its  plant  over  to  public  ownership  or 
to  reduce  its  rates.  On  an  appeal  to  the 
voters,  it  chose  the  latter,  and  the  people 
voted  against  purchase  by  the  city.  It  has 
not  asked  nor  tried  to  raise  its  rates  during 
or  since  the  war.  The  Street  Railway  Com- 
pany is  still  operating  on  a  5-cent  fare. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  paper  read  before  the 
Public  Ownership  League  of  America,  in  Chicago,  111., 
in    November,    1921. 


The  Health  of  City-Dwellers  Demands 
Shaded  Open  Spaces 


THE  COMING  OF  HOT  WEATHER  REMINDS   CITIZENS   OF  THE  DEBT  THEY  OWE   TO   THOSE 
WHOSE  FORETHOUGHT  PROVIDED  THEM  WITH  SUCH  PARKS  AS  THE  ONE   SHOWN  ABOVE 


•  ,„  American  Cities  Use  Motor 
^Xu^e^tTMany  Departments 


.SOUTH   BEND"    SPBINKLING 


OUTriT    ON   TEDEItAL   TBTJCK,    IN 


THREE   BIVEES,   QTJBBEO 


^^,  5-ton  Holt  tractor^;^^^^  ^Stoiland  Special  Quick  L^f 


grader  is  a 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


365 


THREE  AGES   OF  FIEE  FIGHTERS  EXHIBITED  BY   THE   AMERICAN-LAFRANCE   FIRE   ENGINE 
COMPANY    AT    THE    ELMIRA    CONFERENCE    OF    NEW    YORK    STATE    MAYORS    AND    OTHER 

MUNICIPAL  OFFICIALS 


ONE  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY'S  NEW  FLEET  OF  TEN  5-TON  CITY  SERVICE  TRUCKS 


The 
and 


These  White  trucks  have  a  245-inch  wheel-base  and  are  equipped  with  50-horse-power  motors, 
ladder  equipment,  supplied  by  Peter  Pirsch,  includes  one  55-loot  ladder,  one  eacn  40-,  30-,  25_ 
18-foot  ladders,  and  one  16-foot  extension  ladder.     The  trucks  also  carry  a  40-gaUon  chemical  tank  and 

200   feet  of  34 -inch  chemical  hose 


A  GROUP  OF  DUMP  BODY  MACCARS  USED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  HIGHWAYS,  BOBOUOH 

OF  BROOKLYN,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


366 

Transforming  an  Old  Waterway  Into  a 

Roadway 

Utica  Replaces  the  Erie  Canal  with  a  New  Street 

By  Charles  Mattel  Niles 


TIME  brings  inevitable  changes.  The 
mechanical  marvel  of  to-day  may  be 
on  the  scrap-heap  to-morrow.  There- 
fore, it  is  not  surprising  that  the  Erie  Canal 
in  the  city  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  is  to  be  aban- 
doned after  a  century  of  service.  When  the 
original  canal  was  thrown  open  to  traffic 
a  hundred  years  ago,  the  people  of  Utica 


Under  Twentieth  Century  conditions  the 
usefulness  of  the  canal  began  to  wane.  Its 
benefits  were  more  than  offset  by  its  many 
disadvantages.  Lift  bridges,  with  their  con- 
comitant delay  and  expense,  had  to  be  main- 
tained on  all  the  principal  streets  in  the 
center  of  the  city.  Elsewhere  there  were 
many  elevated  spans  with  high  approaches, 


GRADING  PREPARATORY  TO  REMOVING  HIGHWAY  BRIDGE  WITHOUT  INTERRUPTING  TRAFFIC 


celebrated  the  occasion  with  great  rejoicing, 
rightly  believing  that  the  canal  would  be  of 
enormous  commercial  benefit  to  them.  Now 
they  are  equally  enthusiastic  over  the  elim- 
ination of  the  canal  in  the  interest  of  Twen- 
tieth Century  progress. 

Flowing  from  west  to  east,  the  old  Erie 
Canal  practically  bisected  the  business  sec- 
tion of  the  city.  It  was  the  only  means  of 
water  transportation  that  the  city  possessed 
until  the  opening  of  the  new  Barge  Canal. 
In  the  course  of  time  the  banks  of  the  old 
canal  became  lined  with  warehouses  and 
manufacturing  plants.  Long  after  the  ad- 
vent of  the  railroads  it  continued  to  play  an 
important  part  in  the  commercial  affairs  of 
the  city. 


which  produced  an  equally  undesirable 
situation. 

With  the  opening  of  the  Barge  Canal  in 
1 91 7,  the  situation  suddenly  became  acute. 
The  Barge  Canal  took  part  of  the  water 
which  had  previously  supplied  the  Erie 
Canal  and  there  was  not  enough  water  left 
to  maintain  the  level  required  for  naviga- 
tion in  the  older  waterway.  Careless  people 
used  the  canal  channel  as  a  dumping-place 
for  every  imaginable  kind  of  refuse.  The 
old  bridges  were  unsafe  for  heavy  motor 
trucks ;  in  fact,  trucks  broke  through  the 
flooring  on  several  occasions. 

By  the  referendum  adopted  at  the  general 
election  in  rgiS,  the  city  obtained  the  right 
to  close  the  canal  between  Schuyler  Street 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


367 


and  Third  Avenue,  a  distance  of  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile,  providing  a  con- 
duit were  constructed  to  maintain  the  flow 
of  water  in  the  remaining  portions  of  the 
canal. 

With  all  the  legal  obstacles  cleared  away 
at  last,  plans  were  formulated  for  the  con- 
struction work  necessary  to  the  elimination 
of  the  old  canal.  It  was  decided  to  begin 
by  building  1,100  feet  of  reinforced  con- 
crete conduit,  which  would  permit  the  clos- 
ing of  the  canal  in  the  busiest  part  of  the 
city  and  the  removal  of  three  particularly 
objectionable  bridges.  The  conduit  was  de- 
s'gned  to  have  a  gradient  of  .045,  giving  a 
capacity  of  90  second-feet,  which  was 
deemed  sufficient  to  maintain  the  water-level 
in  the  canal  east  of  the  fill.  The  conduit 
follows  the  north  side  of  the  old  canal-bed 
close  to  the  former  tow-path. 

The  conduit  has  a  peculiar  cross-section. 
It  consists  of  two  covered  channels  of  nearly 
equal  carrying  capacity,  but  different  shapes. 
The  channel  nearest  the  canal  bank  is  5  feet 
in  width  and  4  feet  deep,  with  a  slightly 
curved  invert.  The  southerly  channel  is  4 
feet  wide  and  6  feet  deep  and  has  a  semi- 
circular bottom.  The  tops  of  both  channels 
are  at  the  same  elevation,  so  the  invert  of 


the  deeper  one  is  2  feet  lower  than  the 
other.  This  type  of  construction  was 
adopted  so  that  the  deeper  channel  may  be 
converted  into  an  intercepting  sewer  if  at 
some  future  time  the  canal  should  be  en- 
tirely closed.  It  would  be  used  for  sanitary 
sewage  only  and  would  be  extended  to  a 
contemplated  sewage  disposal  plant  east  of 
tlie  city. 

The  conduit  was  built  with  city  forces,  as 
that  was  considered  the  most  economical 
method  under  existing  conditions.  The  old 
tow-path  provided  an  ideal  location  for  the 
portable  concrete  mixer,  and  a  ready  route 
for  bringing  up  the  aggregate.  The  eleva- 
tion of  the  tow-path  was  sufficient  to  permit 
the  product  of  the  mixer  to  be  chuted 
directly  into  the  forms.  Collapsible  wooden 
forms  in  lo-foot  sections  were  designed  and 
built  especially  for  the  job.  The  conduit 
rests  on  an  8-inch  bed  of  concrete.  The  par- 
tition wall  between  the  channels  is  i  foot 
thick;  the  outer  walls  are  a  foot  through  at 
the  top  and  have  a  batter  which  makes  them 
about  18  inches  wide  at  the  base.  The  top 
is  8  inches  thick.  Top  and  sides  are  re- 
inforced with  heavy  expanded  metal.  The 
job  required  about  2,200  cubic  yards  of 
concrete. 


SECTION    A 

(^OnSTQUQTED 


Dimension    of   weills 
and  foundation  to  be 
sam&  ■gs  shown  on 
section  st  n'^ht 


ELEVATION  SHOWING  METHOD  OF  BUILDING  DUAL  CONDUIT 


368 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  4 


Some  of  the  Difficulties 

On  account  of  the  unusual  weather  which 
prevailed  during  the  winter  of  1920-21,  the 
conduit  construction  was  alternately  men- 
aced by  frost  and  flood.  Zero  temperatures 
alternated  with  thaws,  resulting  in  frequent 
floods,  which  several  times  threatened  seri- 
ous damage  to  the  work.  A  temporary  dam 
was  built  across  the  canal  channel  at  each 
end  of  the  conduit  site.  Pumps  were  in- 
stalled at  the  lower  end  of  the  conduit  to 
keep  the  work  properly  drained.  On  one 
occasion  when  high  water  seriously  men- 
aced the  partly  completed  conduit,  reserve 
fire  engines  were  used  to  help  pump  out  the 
pit.  In  freezing  weather  the  sand,  stone  and 
water  were  heated  and  the  finished  concrete 
was  protected  with  a  layer  of  earth  or 
straw. 

As  the  construction  of  the  conduit  pro- 
gressed, the  filling  of  the  old  canal  channel 
followed  closely.  A  large  amount  of  ashes 
and  trash  collected  about  the  city  was  used 
for  filling;  also  cinders  from  boiler  plants. 
In  this  way  the  expense  of  making  the  fill, 
which  contained  about  22,000  yards,  was 
comparatively  small.  A  top  dressing  of 
clean  earth  was  placed  on  the  fill.  Jay 
Street,  which  formerly  met  the  canal  at  an 
acute  angle  and  ended  there,  will  eventually 
be  extended  along  the  new  fill  to  Hotel 
Street.  This  will  provide  a  new  cross-town 
thoroughfare,  which  will  help  to  relieve  traf- 
fic congestion  in  the  busiest  part  of  the  city. 

The  conduit  was  first  built  under  the 
three  bridges  to  be  removed,  and  the  inter- 
vening portions  were  then  constructed.  The 
filling  was  brought  up  close  to  the  floor  of 
the  bridges  before  the  planking  was  re- 
moved. Then  all  superstructure  was  razed, 
the  whole  work  being  accomplished  with 
practically  no  interruption  of  traffic.  The 
old,  unsafe  bridges  at  Hotel  and  John 
vStreets  were  removed  first.    The  material  in 


the  bridges  reverted  to  the  state  under  the 
provisions  of  the  special  act. 

Removing   "the  Hump" 

The  removal  of  the  bridge  at  Genesee 
Street,  the  principal  business  artery  of  the 
city,  presented  a  peculiar  problem.  It  was 
in  reality  three  bridges  in  one.  The  central 
part  of  the  bridge  was  a  high  truss  span 
with  its  floor  raised  about  7  feet  above  the 
grade  of  the  street.  It  had  long  elevated 
approaches  and  carried  a  double-track  trol- 
ley line.  This  structure  was  locally  known 
as  "the  hump,"  and  its  elimination  was  one 
of  the  main  objectives  of  the  entire  job.  At 
each  side  of  the  trolley  bridge  were  heavy 
plate  girder  spans  at  the  street  grade. 
These  were  lifted  by  pneumatic  pressure 
when  the  canal  was  in  use. 

The  east  lift  was  removed  first,  and  tem- 
porary trolley  tracks  were  laid  on  the  fill. 
Then  vehicular  traffic  was  routed  over  the 
trolley  bridge  while  the  west  lift  was  being 
taken  away.  The  heavy  plate  girders  were 
moved  intact  through  the  city  streets  a  mile 
to  the  Barge  Canal  harbor,  whence  they  will 
be  taken  and  used  elsewhere  by  the  state. 
Finally,  the  high  bridge  and  its  approaches 
were  razed  and  the  trolley  tracks  relocated 
in  their  permanent  position.  The  entire 
street  for  a  distance  of  600  feet  will  be  re- 
graded  and  newly  paved  as  soon  as  the  fill 
has  safely  settled. 

Thus,  after  a  twelve  years'  fight  for  civic 
betterment,  this  splendid  improvement  is 
now  nearing  completion.  The  expense  has 
been  met  by  the  issuance  of  bonds.  The  cost 
of  the  entire  job,  including  conduit  con- 
struction, filling,  removal  of  bridges  and 
paving,  will  be  approximately  $150,000. 
This  expenditure  will  be  many  times  repaid 
by  the  economic  and  esthetic  improvement 
to  the  business  section  of  the  city;  in  fact, 
the  entire  community  will  be  immensely 
benefited. 


Road  Accidents  Minimized  in  Maryland 


The  Highway  Commission  of  Maryland, 
which  received  $1,600,000  for  highway 
maintenance  and  construction  in  1921, 
adopted  the  policy  that  in  addition  to  the  or- 
dinary maintenance,  special  attention  should 
be  given  and  money  expended  to  eliminate 
danger  points  on  the  roads  and  thus  reduce 
accidents  to  a  minimum.    With  this  in  view, 


a  system  was  worked  out  whereby  every 
accident  on  the  state  road  system  is  reported 
daily  and  is  represented  by  a  colored  tack 
on  a  large  map  in  the  office  of  the  Chief 
Engineer.  An  intelligent  study  of  this  map 
shows  the  points  or  sections  of  road  that 
need  immediate  attention. — Highway  News 
Digest. 


3^9 


'/=i  f=yf=/ 


Successful  Campaign  for  City 
Water  Plant 

Stevens  Point,  Wis. — Two  water  ques- 
tions submitted  to  voters  of  the  city  at  a 
special  election  held  Wednesday,  February 
8,  were  carried  by  overwhelming  majorities 
of  more  than  9  to  i.  Municipal  ownership 
of  the  local  water  utility,  as  well  as  the  de- 
velopment of  a  new  source  of  supply,  is  now 
a  certainty  as  a  result  of  the  election. 

The  two  questions  submitted  to  the  voters 
were : 

(i)  The  purchase  of  the  plant  of  the 
Stevens  Point  Water  Company  for  the  sum 
of  $175,000  plus  the  actual  cost  of  the  con- 
struction of  mains  in  the  streets  since  June 
I,  1921 ;  and  (2)  providing  for  the  issuance 
of  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $100,000  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  pumping  station  in  the  Plover 
River  basin.  The  strength  of  the  support- 
ing votes  and  the  weakness  of  the  op- 
position proved  the  only  surprise  of  the 
election.  While  it  was  generally  predicted 
that  both  questions  would  win,  even  those 
who  were  m.ost  confident  looked  for  a  vote 
less  decisive.  In  every  ward  both  ques- 
tions voted  upon  carried  by  heavy  majori- 
ties, and  the  victory  is  considered  a  clear- 
cut  expression  of  just  how  strongly  the 
people  of  the  city  feel  the  need  of  a  good 
(vater-supply. 

About  six  years  ago,  the  voters  had  an 
opportunity  of  expressing  their  desire  for 
the  purchase  of  the  Stevens  Point  Water 
Company's  plant,  but  the  issue  was  defeated 
by  10  to  7,  and  the  matter  was  allowed  to 
drift  along  until  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
undertook  to  revive  the  issue. 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Chamber 
felt  that  before  the  question  of  purchase  be 
again  voted  upon,  steps  should  be  taken 
towards  locating  and  developing  a  new 
source  of  supply  of  pure,  wholesome  water, 
and  after  much  labor  persuaded  the  City 
Council  to  appropriate  a  sum  of  money  suf- 
ficient to  retain  the  services  of  a  hydraulic 


engineer.  This  was  done,  and  W.  G.  Kirch- 
offer  of  Madison  was  engaged.  After 
the  usual  preliminary  surveys,  he  advised 
the  Council,  through  the  Chamber,  that  he 
had  located  a  supply  of  spring  water  in 
quantities  sufficient  to  serve  a  large  city. 
The  Council  then  voted  a  sum  of  money 
with  which  to  purchase  the  40-acre  tract  of 
land  upon  which  the  springs  were  located; 
options  were  secured  from  the  owners  of 
the  present  water-works  company,  and  at 
the  election  of  February  8  the  citizens  in- 
dicated by  their  vote  that  they  had  had 
enough  bad  water  and  were  in  favor  of 
purchasing  the  present  plant,  developing  the 
new  supply  and  making  this  utility  a  mu- 
nicipal one. 

F.   LESLIE   BODY. 
Secretary,  Stevens  Point  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

How  One  City  Fosters  Respect 
for  Citizenship 

Logan,  Utah. — Birth,  marriage  and 
death — we  are  told  that  these  are  the  three 
noteworthy  events  in  any  one's  life.  But 
the  city  of  Logan  has  added  a  fourth — when 
young  men  and  young  women  attain  the 
dignity  of  citizenship  they  are  publicly  ban- 
queted in  honor  of  tTie  event. 

On  the  last  day  of  January  of  this  year, 
nearly  150  of  the  young  people  of  Logan 
who  had  attained  their  majority  were  en- 
tertained by  the  city,  the  Logan  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  other  civic  organizations 
in  the  first  of  what  promises  to  be  an  annual 
celebration.  While  other  communities  have 
seen  fit  so  to  honor  their  naturalized  citi- 
zens, Logan  is  the  first  city  to  show  this 
consideration  to  its  own  sons  and  daughters 
who  have  gained  the  right  to  vote. 

The  whole  affair  was  planned  to  give  the 
young  voters  a  proper  respect  for  the  bal- 
lot, to  show  them  that  along  with  the  privi- 
leges of  citizenship  go  many  responsibilities, 
to  teach  them  some  of  the  principles  upon 
which   their  government   stands — in   short, 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Concrete  Pavement,    Troy,  X.  )  . 
Hard-n-lyte  Road  Treatment  used. 


Do  you  realize  what  30%  longer  life 

means  on  the  concrete  roads  you  build? 

Read  this  book  and  find  out! 


Just  think  of  it!  Concrete  that  stands  the  crunching 
grind  of  traffic  30%  better!  Concrete  that  stands  up 
30%  longer  under  the  constant  gnawing  of  the  ele- 
rnents!  The  ability  to  give  the  taxpayers  a  road 
like  that  adds  something  to  a  man's  reputation. 

But  that  isn't  all.  Hard-n-tyte  reduces  the  problem 
of  maintenance  to  almost  nothing.  When  Hard-n- 
tyte  goes  on  a  concrete  road,  your  worries  about 
soft  spots,  ruts  or  crumbling  stop!  The  weather- 
proof silicates  and  fluorides  formed  by  flushing  the 


Hard-n-tyte  solution  over  the  road,  produce  a  flint- 
hard  surface  that  will  stand  up  under  the  hardest 
kind  of  traffic  for  many  years  to  cotrte. 

But  all  the  things  you  want  to  know  about  lengthen- 
ing the  life  of  concrete  can't  be  told  here,  so  send  in 
the  coupon  below  for  your  copy  of  the  booklet, 
"Hard-n-tyte  Highways."  Send  for  it  today — it 
tells  the  whole  story. 

General  Chemical  Company 
1711  Broad  Exchange  Building,  New  York  City 


—makes  concrete  roads  wear  longer 


General  Chemical  Co., 

171  1  Broad  Exchange  Bldg., 
New  York. 
Please  send  me  a  copy  of  "Hard-n-tyte  Highways." 

Name 


Address. 
City. . . . 


State. . 

Mail  this  Coupon  to  us  NOW ! 


For  over  twenty  years  the  General  Chemical  Company  has 
been  at  the  forefront  of  chemical  research  and  manu- 
facture in  this  country.  Hard-n-tyte  is  the  latest  contribution 
of  its  splendid  staff  of  chemists.  It  is  the  successful  result  of 
long  search  for  a  concrete  hardener  that  really  hardens  the 
surface  and  materially  increases  its  life.  It  enables  engineers 
and  contractors  to  deliver  a  quality  of  concrete  work  far  in 
advance  of  anything  that  has  been  possible  heretofore. 


77 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amebican  City. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


371 


A   BANQUET   WAS   GIVEN   TO   THE   NEW    CITIZENS   OF   LOGAN. 

UTAH 

to  make  of  them  better  Americans.  As  one 
citizen  expressed  it: 

"When  1  attained  the  right  to  vote,  I  knew 
nothing  of  the  sacred  duties  this  right  en- 
tailed. It  had  cost  me  nothing  and  was,  as  far 
as  I  could  tell,  worth  nothing.  Only  after  years 
of  experience  did  I  begin  to  realize  that  I  held 
in  my  hands  one  of  the  most  sacred  political 
rights  which  it  is  given  man  to  possess.  I  be- 
lieve that,  if  we  can  bring  our  young  citizens 
to  an  early  realization  of  the  power  and  sacred- 
ness  of  the  ballot,  we  have  done  much  to  ele- 
vate the  ideals  of  democracy." 

Logan's  first  "New  Citizens  Night"  was 
admirably  planned.  At  six  o'clock  on  the 
evening  of.  January  31,  the  young  people 
sat  down  to  a  banquet.  Representatives 
from  various  organizations  in  the  city  were 
placed  among  the  young  people  to  aid  in 
their  entertainment.  Songs  and  stunts  en- 
livened the  aiifair  and  put  all  in  the  right 
mood  for  the  more  serious  toasts  of  the 
evening.  A  number  of  citizens,  in  costume, 
took  the  parts  of  immigrants  from  various 
countries  and,  during  the  course  of  the  ban- 
quet, criticized  severely  the  institutions  of 
our  government,  only  to  be  answered  in 
vigorous  speech  by  the  young  citizens.  A 
local  attorney,  responding  to  the  toast,  "The 
Vote,"  told  of  the  privileges  and  responsi- 
bilities that  go  with  citizenship.  A  local 
club  woman,  in  toasting  "The  Future 
Woman,"  outlined  the  duties  that  the  woman 
of  to-morrow  must  hold  sacred. 

Following  the  banquet,  a  great  public 
meeting  was  held,  at  which  the  new  citizens 
were  special  guests.  After  the  singing  of 
patriotic  songs.  Chief  Justice  Frick  of  the 
Utah  Supreme  Court  explained  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  American  democracy 
and  showed  that  a  clear  understanding  of 
the  government  of  the  United  States  comes 
from  a  mastery  of  the  truths  in  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence." 

D.  E.  ROBINSON, 
Ajtricultural   College  of  Utah. 


Chamber  Promotes 
Model  Market- 
House 

Lexington,    Ky. — "Not 
a  morsel  of  food  for  a  fly 
to     light     upon"     is     the 
slogan    and    the    achieve- 
ment  of   Lexington,   Ky., 
in   the   construct'on   of   a 
modern  market-house  that 
spells    the    last    word    in 
science  and  sanitation   so 
far   as   consolidated   mar- 
kets are  concerned. 
The  building  is  a  model  of  compactness, 
convenience  and  completeness,  and  is  well 
worth  the   study  of  any  community  inter- 
ested   in    modern    methods    of    food    mer- 
chandizing  and    in   making   its    market   an 
asset  instead  of  an  eyesore  to  the  city.    Lex- 
ington claims  to  have   in  its  new  market- 
house  features  that  are  not  to  be  found  in 
any  other  municipality  and  that  represent 
the  latest  and  best  methods  of  handling  and 
retailing  food  products. 

Before  tenants  are  permitted  to  take  over 
the  stalls,  all  fixtures  are  set  up,  including 
cash  registers  and  scales,  and  are  uniform 
throughout.  Sealed  glass  cases,  of  newest 
type,  are  used  for  holding  and  displaying 
perishable  wares.  The  entire  basement  is 
given  over  to  the  operation  of  a  refrigerat- 
ing plant  and  dry  storage,  with  individual 
spaces  for  each  tenant  of  the  building. 
Cleanliness  marks  the  handling  of  food 
products  from  the  time  they  are  placed  in 
the  refrigerator  until  they  reach  the  cus- 
tomer in  his  or  her  home. 

The  main  floor,  with  its  booths  for  gro- 
ceries, meats,  vegetables,  drugs,  soda,  coffee, 
fruits  and  flowers,  maintains  a  system  for 
serving  all  the  household  needs  of  the  cus- 
tomer in  the  shortest  time  possible.  All  de- 
liveries are  made  through  a  central  auto- 
mobile delivery  service,  and  a  central  tele- 
phone switchboard  directs  a  cooperative 
service  of  taking  and  filling  orders.  A  com- 
fortable rest  room,  with  writing  and  tele- 
phone facilities,  is  provided  on  the  mezza- 
nine floor,  overlooking  the  quiet,  cleanly 
scene  of  efficient  marketing  service  going 
on  below. 

The  project  originated  in  the  Lexington 
Board  of  Commerce  and  was  worked  out 
under  the  direction  of  Dyer  J.  Lockwood 
and  an  engineering  corporation  experienced 
in  such  work,  after  studying  the  plans,  de- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


HOLLAND, 
Michigan,  was 
the  first  to  decorate 
their  streets  with  this 
wonderful  French  de- 
sign lighting  standard 
created  by  the  Gen- 
eral Electric  Company 
and  manufactured  by 
the  King  Manufac- 
turing   Company. 

King    Manufacturing    Co. 

53  West  Jackson  Blvd. 
CHICAGO  ILLINOIS 


78 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


373 


fects  and  possibilities  for  development  of 
similar  enterprises  in  other  cities  through- 
out the  country. 

C.  F.  DUNN. 
Secretary-Manager,  Board  of  Commerce. 

A  New  Hospital  for  Keene,  N.  H. 

Keene,  N.  H. — For  many  years  the  local 
hospital  facilities  of  Keene  had  been  inade- 
quate. In  December,  1920,  the  Chamber's 
Committee  on  Activities,  through  a  ques- 
tionnaire, showed  the  community  to  be 
united  in  realizing  the  need  of  a  new  hos- 
pital. Backed  by  this  sentiment,  a  commit- 
tee from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  and  the  Board  of  Health 
tnet,  and  through  their  efforts  a  new  Board 
of  Trustees  was  elected,  which  was  ready 
to  carry  out  a  program  to  build  a  hospital. 
By  newspaper  publicity,  bulletins,  and  vari- 
ous other  means,  the  need  of  a  hospital  was 
brought  prominently  before  the  people,  who 
were  ready  to  support  the  new  Board  of 
Trustees  in  this  undertaking. 

The  organization  for  the  drive,  which  re- 
sulted in  raising  $275,000  for  a  new  hospital, 
was  as  follows :    the  Executive  Committee, 


composed  of  rej-rescntatives  from  the  chief 
organizations  in  t'le  city;  four  joint  chair- 
men— two  men  and  two  women;  twenty- 
four  teams  in  the  city,  of  eleven  members 
each,  and  one  in  each  of  the  towns  in  the 
county.  At  the  head  was  a  professional 
organizer,  brought  into  the  city  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  all  his  time  to  the  campaign. 
The  actual  campaign  required  seven  weeks, 
only  ten  days  of  which  were  consumed  in 
actual  solicitation.  The  campaign  had  all 
the  characteristics  of  an  intensive  war  drive 
and  was  entirely  successful.  Not  only  was 
there  $50,000  over-subscription,  but  the  com- 
munity spirit  was  the  best  that  we  have  yet 
seen. 

PRICE  GAINES, 
Secretary,   Keene   Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Volunteer  Labor  Rebuilds 
Highway 

Canon  City,  Colo. — Colorado  roads  suf- 
fered heavily  the  past  season  from  heavy 
rains  and  floods.  The  county  and  state  ap- 
propriations could  not  take  care  of  the  ex- 
pense of  restoring  them  to  normal  condi- 
tion.    The  citizens  of  Canon  City  had  al- 


THROTJGH  THE  ErPOETS  OF  THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  $275,000  WAS  RAISED  TO  BUILD 

THIS  HOSPITAI.  AT  KEENE.  N.  H. 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Broadway  High   School  Annex, 

Seattle,   Washington. 

F.    A.   Naramore,    Architect 

ALTJNDUM  SAFETY   TILE  USED  ON  ALL  INTERIOR   STAIRS. 

MODERN  SCHOOL  PRACTICE  REQUIRES  SLIP-PROOF 

CONSTRUCTION 

Making  stairs  and  hallways  safe  for  careless  children  has  been  a  big  prob- 
lem. Stairways,  ramps,  floors  and  walks  must  and  can  be  made  safe  for 
flying  feet,  even  in  wet  weather. 

ALUNDUM  SAFETY  TILE  will  prevent  the  slips  and  falls  that  invariably 
occur  on  ordinary  surfaces.  School  buildings  throughout  the  country  are 
being  equipped  with  this  slip-proof,  indestructible  tread  on  steps  and  floors 
of  every  kind.  Made  in  different  colors  and  used  either  alone  or  in  combina- 
tion with  other  tiles  to  produce  a  slip-proof  surface. 

It  never  wears  smooth  and  will  last  as  long  as  the  building.  It  is  eco- 
nomical. Data  for  architects  and  other  information  may  be  obtained  on 
request. 

NORTON     COMPANY 


53  Park  Place 
New  York 


WORCESTER,  MASS. 

IJ   N.  Jefferson  Street 
Chicago 


233  W.  Congress  Street    T37 
Detroit 


70 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


375 


ready  demonstrated 
that  roads  could  be 
constructed  by  volun- 
teer labor,  having  built 
over  two  miles  of 
moilntain  road  to  open 
up  a  new  scenic  attrac- 
tion and  rebuilt  the 
Royal  Gorge  road  three 
different  times. 

The  beautiful  Phan- 
tom Canon  highway 
was  rendered  impassa- 
ble by  floods.  This  road 
covers  a  distance  of  32 
miles,  extending  be- 
tween Canon  City  and 
Florence  to  Victor  and 
Cripple  Creek.  It  looked 
like  a  hopeless  task  to 
restore  the  road  to 
travel.  State  engineers 
made  estimates  of  $90,- 
000  to  rebuild.  The  indomitable  local  spirit 
prevailed,  and  the  citizens  of  Florence  made 
up  their  minds  that  this  scenic  highway 
must  be  restored.  They  set  the  ball  rolling. 
The  first  day's  call  resulted  in  a  response 
from  150  men  of  all  classes.  They  followed 
this  up  for  four  days  with  from  50  to  60 
men  each  day.  The  progress  was  amazingly 
fast.  The  cooperation  of  Canon  City,  Vic- 
tor, Cripple  Creek  and  Penrose  was  then  re- 
quested, with  the  result  that  each  day  saw 
from  75  to  150  men  working  like  Trojans. 
By  the  end  of  the  second  week  this  magnifi- 
cent highway  was  again  open  to  travel. 
Another  view  of  the  highway  appears  on 
the  cover  of  this  issue  of  The  American 

City. 

e.  a.  bradley, 

Secretary,  The  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Fire  Prevention  Propaganda  in 
Newark  Schools 

Newark,  N.  J. — To  gain  temporary  pos- 
session of  the  silver  cup  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying picture,  pupils  of  the  South 
Market  Street  Grammar  School  of  Newark, 
N.  J.,  submitted  208  essays  in  connection 
with  the  observance  of  Fire  Prevention  Day 
last  year.  The  prize  was  offered  by  the  In- 
surance Section  of  the  Newark  Chamber  of 
Commerce  to  the  school  sending  in  the  larg- 
est number  of  compositions  on  "Home  In- 
spection to  Prevent  Fires."    The  cup  will  be 


EUGGED    COUNTRY   FOE,    EGAD    BUILDING 

But  citizens  of  Florence,  Canon  City,  Victor,  Cripple  Creek,  and  Penrose, 
Colo.,  put  the  road  through 


contested  for  annually,  and  permanent  pos- 
session will  be  attained  only  upon  three  suc- 
cessive awards  of  the  prize.  Inscribed  on 
the  cup,  leaving  space  for  future  inscrip- 
tions, is  the  following: 

"Fire    Prevention    Day — October    9th,    1921 — School 


THE  PRIZE  OF  THE  FIKE  PREVENTION  ESSAY 
CONTEST   OF   NEWARK,    N.   J. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


^:iiii;!!!:!!:;iiiiiiu;!!:::i;iiiiiiiiii;;:;;;;iii:iim!!!ii!:i;ii:iii;i 


Mueller  Water  Meter  Testers 

Experienced  "Water  Works  men  test  new 
meters  before  they  are  installed.  It's  important 
to  kno^v  that  the  meters  are  correct— because 
they  measure  the  volume  of  water  passing 
through  to  the  consumer.  They  iell  how  much 
the  consumer  usesm 

Testing  a  meter  with  the  MUELL  E:f9  is  as  easy  and 
simple  as  telling  time.  After  a  certain  amount  of  water  is 
passed  through  the  meter,  a  weight  on  the  per  cent  bar  of 
Tester  is  balanced  and  gives  a  correct  reading  of  per  cent  of 
e«rror,  either  over  or  under  the  normal  or  correct  figure. 

No  company  furnishing  metered  water  can  afford  to  be 
without  a  MUELLER  Tester.  A  few  large  meters  under- 
registering  will  lose  more  money  for  the  company  in  a  year 
than  the  cost  of  a  MUELLER  Water  Meter  Tester. 

Detailed  descriptions  and  prices  on  request. 

H.  MUELLER  MFG.  CO..  DECATUR.  ILL. 

PHONE  BELL  153 

Water,  Plumbing  and  Gas  Brass  Goods  and  Tools. 

New  York  City,  145  "W.  30th  St.,  San  Francisco,  635  Mission  St., 

Phone  "Watkins  5397  Phone  Sutter  3577 

Samia,  Ontsurio,  Canada 

Mueller  Metals  Co.,  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  Makers  of  "Red  Tip"  Brass  Rod;  Brass 

and  Copper  Tubing;    Forgings   and  Castings  in  Brass,   Bronze  and  Aluminum; 

ss  in  White   Metal  and  Aluminum:  also  Screw  Machined   Products. 


80 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The   American   City. 


AlRIL,    1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


377 


Prize — Annual  Competition — Fire  Prevention  Competi- 
tion— Permanent  Possession  with  Three  Successive 
Awards — Awarded  by  the  Fire  Insurance  Section  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  to  the 
South  Market  Street  School  for  submitting  the  largest 
number  of  competitions  in  1921  Contest." 

Three  other  cups  were  given  as  indi- 
vidual prizes  for  the  best  compositions  sub- 
mitted. 

The  essay  contest  was  inaugurated  last 
year  and  was  conducted  with  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  municipal  Bureau  of  Combust- 
ibles and  Fire  Risks  and  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools.  It  was  confined  to  the  grammar 
schools,  with  the  idea  that  the  pupils  of 
this  grade  would  be  more  impressed  with 
the  purposes  of  the  competition.  There 
were  515  compositions  submitted.  It  is 
confidently  expected  that  this  number  will 
be  vastly  increased  in  the  succeeding  years 
of  the  contest. 

E.   W.   WOLLMUTH, 
Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

San  Francisco  Chamber  Will  Offer 
Unique  Service  to  City's  Guests 

San  Francisco^  Calif. — In  line  with  the 
new  program  adopted  by  the  San  Francisco 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  it  is  proposed  to 
make  this  city  known  as  the  most  hospitable 
city  in  the  world;  the  idea  is  that  the  visit- 
ing guest  or  tourist  is  a  potential  asset  if 
properly  received.  Hence,  the  Program 
Committee  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
have  organized,  under  the  leadership  of 
Dr.  B.  M.  Rastall,  industrial  engineer,  for 
the  purpose  of  extending  the  hospitality  of 
the  city  to  every  visitor.  It  is  planned  to 
see  that  no  one  is  permitted  to  go  away 
without  having  received  special  courtesy 
and  also  an  adequate  and  definite  knowledge 
of  the  city's  resources  and 
advantages.  So  far  this 
is  the  only  American  city 
to  organize  itself  definitely 
ior  this  purpose. 

It  is  planned  that  every 
incoming  steamship  and 
transcontinental  train 
shall  be  met  by  an  author- 
ized agent  of  the  Hos- 
pitality Committee ;  that 
hotels  and  every  recog- 
nized resource  of  the  city 
shall  cooperate  to  make 
San  Francisco  known  as 
"The  City  of  Hospitality." 
The  visitor  will  be  greeted 
on  his  arrival,  and  an  ef- 


fort will  be  made  to  find  out  his  probable 
destination  and  to  get  any  information 
which  the  vistor  desires  to  give.  This  in- 
formation is  then  sent  by  special  messenger 
to  the  Hospitality  Committee  headquarters 
and  filed,  the  vistor  is  assigned  to  his  par- 
ticular host,  and  the  efifort  is  started  to 
make  his  visit  one  of  profit  or  pleasure.  As 
far  as  possible  and  practical,  each  visitor 
will  be  assigned  to  a  host  who  is  in  his  own 
line  of  endeavor. 

The  organization  for  this  task  is  very 
definite  and  makes  the  entire  scheme  simple 
— not  a  burden  on  any  one.  Five  thousand 
citizens  have  been  asked  to  volunteer  their 
services  as  hosts  to  the  tourist  or  business 
visitors  for  three  half-days  each  year;  no 
one  is  asked  to  go  beyond  what  he  can 
afford  to  do,  or  to  entertain  in  an  elaborate 
way.  He  is  asked  to  call  on  the  visitor 
who  is  assigned  him,  extend  the  welcome  of 
the  city,  and  ofifer  such  suggestions  as  to  the 
city's  resources  and  points  of  interest  as 
may  seem  advisable,  with  perhaps  a  tour  of 
the  city  by  automobile,  or  a  luncheon.  In 
fact,  it  becomes  his  business  to  see  that  his 
particular  guest  shall  have  the  right  knowl- 
edge of  San  Francisco,  and  shall  leave  it 
feeling  that  he  has  been  really  welcomed 
and  that  his  particular  mission  (be  it  busi- 
ness or  pleasure)  has  beevi  definitely  aided 
by  the  Chamber's  representative. 

Each  host  knows  in  advance  just  the  par- 
ticular half-day  which  he  is  expected  to  de- 
vote to  this  entertaining;  thus  the  burden  on 
him  is  minimized  and  the  possibility  is 
eliminated  of  a  guest's  arrival  without  a 
host  to  receive  and  entertain  him.     Nor  is 


To  SAN  FRANCISCO  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


192 


SAN  FRANCISCO  HOSPITALITY 


I  volunteer  my  services  for  THREE  Half  Days  dur- 
ing the  coming  year  to  the  San  Francisco  Hospital- 
ity Committee.  Upon  advance  notice  by  the  com- 
mittee I  will  hold  definite  dates  exclusively  for  assisting 
and  entertaining  such  guests  as  are  assigned  to  me. 


Nc 


ONE  SIDE  OF  THE  CARD  FILLED  OUT  BY  VOLUNTEERS  FOR  THE 
SAN  FRANCISCO  HOSPITALITY  COMMITTEE 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


JUST  how  many  thousand  miles 
Osborn  Push  Brooms  cover  each 
day  is  impossible  to  estimate  and  it's 
of  no  importance — but  it's  a  sure  fact 
that  they  are  in  daily  use  in  over  500 
cities  in  the  United  States. 
The  present  day  development  of  our 
brush  and  broom  business  is  the  result 
of  over  30  years  experience.  This  wide 
experience,  coupled  with  the  findings 
of  our .  Engineering  Department  and 
the  tests  of  our  Experimental  Labor- 
atory has  naturally  resulted  in  an  abil- 
ity to'make  brooms  and  brushes  give 
unusual  service. 

An  inquiry  will  bring,  by  return  mail,  prices  and 
any  further  information  wanted. 

The  Osborn  Mfg.  Co. 

New  York  CLEVELAND  Detroit 

Chicago  San  Francisco 


BROOMS 

LARGEST     MANUFACTURERS    of    INDUSTRIAL    BRUSHES    AND     BROOMS 


81 


When  writinij  to  Advertisers  plrase  mention  The   American  City. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICANCITY 


379 


this  service  to  be  pushed  to  the  place  where 
the  visitor  is  wearied. 

If  the  visitor  be  one  of  prominence,  com- 
mittees will  give  special  attention,  and  tele- 
phone and  telegraph  plans  will  be  made  for 
his  pleasure  and  comfort.  Many  of  the 
definite  details  of  his  entertainment  will  be 
left  to  the  individual  judgment  of  the  host 
to  whom  he  is  assigned. 

Naturally,  for  the  first  months  the  details 
of  this  plan  for  promoting  the  city's  ad- 
vancement will  be  in  the  making  and  will 
be  changed  as  conditions  may  require;  but 
there  is  little  doubt  that  the  opportunity 
offered  by  this  movement  will  give  San 
Francisco  a  unique  position  among  Ameri- 
can cities. 

CHARLES  A.   SIMMONS, 
Executive    Secretary,    San    Francisco   Chamber    of 
Commerce. 

Removes  Advertising  Signs  from 
Street  Poles 

New  Orleans,  La. — One  of  the  problems 
the  Civic  Bureau  of  the  New  Orleans  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce  has  had  to  face  in  giv- 
ing the  city  streets  a  cleaner  appearance  is 
the  prohibition  of  promiscuous  tacking  and 
placing  of  signs  on  the  posts  along  the 
streets.    Efforts,  extending  over  a  period  of 


more  than  a  year,  have  proved  successful, 
however,  and  although  at  times  signs  are 
still  strung  to  posts,  the  cases  are  very 
scarce — in  fact,  almost  negligible. 

It  was  a  hard  fight  to  convince  the  police 
and  city  officials  that  the  committee  was 
right.  They  were  reluctant  to  give  up  the 
chance  of  playing  politics  by  allowing  cam- 
paigns, with  more  or  less  merit,  to  use  the 
streets  for  advertising  purposes.  The  com- 
irittee,  however,  with  the  law  on  its  side 
asked  only  that  the  municipal  ordinances  be 
enforced.  Violators  were  called  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  police,  and  in  several  cases 
the  signs  were  removed  by  the  police  before 
being  put  in  place.  Several  firms  that  used 
the  posts  to  advertise  their  private  busi- 
nesses were  asked  to  stop  the  practice  and 
have  their  signs  removed,  and,  seeing  the 
wisdom  of  the  request,  complied  with  it. 

Throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  work, 
the  local  railway  company  and  the  telephone 
and  telegraph  company,  owners  of  the  posts 
along  the  streets,  have  cooperated  with  the 
committee.  They  have  had  old  signs  re- 
moved and  "have  refused  to  allow  anyone  to 
tack  or  hang  any  advertisements  on  their 
posts. 

A.   K.    SCHARFF, 
Secretary,    Civic    Bureau,    New    Orleans    Associa- 
tion  of  Commerce. 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


April  19-21^ — Spartanburg,   S.   C. 

Tri-State     Water    and     Light    Association     of     The 
Carolinas   and    Gcorqia.      Annual  meeting.      Secretary, 
W.    F.    Stieglitz,   Columbia,    S.    C. 
May  1-4. — Nashville,  Tenn. 

Southern  Commercial  Secretaries  Association.  An- 
nual convention.  Secretary,  Roger  Miller,  Macon,  Ga. 
May  3-6. — Detroit,   Micii. 

American   Physical   Education   Association.      Annual 
convention.     Secretary,  Dr.  J.  H.  McCurdy,  93  West- 
ford   Avenue,    Springfield,   Mass. 
May  9-11. — Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

National  Fire  Protection  Association.     Annual  meet- 
ing.      Secretary,     Franklin     II.     Wentworth,     87     Milk 
Street,   Boston,    Mass. 
May    12. — Nnw    York,    N.    Y. 

National  Hig'tzi'ny  TrafHc  Association.     Annual  meet- 
ing.      Secretary,    Elmer    Thompson,     247    West    54th 
Street,   New   York,   N.   Y. 
May  in-19. — Philadelphia,  Pa. 

American    Water    Works    Association.      Annual   con- 
vention.    Secretary,  J.  M.  Diven,  153  West  71st  Street, 
New   York,   N.   Y. 
May  15-19." — Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

National    Electric    Light    Association.      Annual    con- 
vention.     Executive    manager,    M.    H.    Aylesworth,    29 
West  39th   Street,  New  York,  N.   Y. 
May  15-21. — Washington,  D.  C. 

Chamber    of    Commerce    of    the    United    States    of 
America.     Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  D.  A.  Skinner, 
Mills    Building,    Washington,    D.    C. 
May   17-18.— Waxahachie,    Tex. 

League    of    Te.xas    Municipalities.      Annual    conven- 
tion.     Secretary,    Frank   M.    Stewart,    Government    Re- 
search   Division,    Bureau    of    Extension,    University    of 
Texas.    Austin,    Tex. 
June  5-7. — Springfield,  Mass. 

National  Conference  on  City  Planning.  Annual  con- 
ference. Secretary,  Flavel  Shurtleff,  60  State  Street, 
Boston,    Mass. 


June  6-7. — Antigo,  Wis. 

M''isconsin    Association    of    Commercial    Secretaries. 
Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  D.  A.  CalJwell,   Chamber 
of   Commerce,   Wausau,   Wis. 
June  6-9.— St.  John,  N.  B. 

National  Public  Health  Congress.     Annual  meeting. 
General  Secretary,  Dr.  R.  D.  Defries,  206  Bloor  Street. 
Toronto.    Ont. 
June   6-10. — Swajipscott,    Mass. 

Nezv  England  Association  of  Commercial  Executives. 
Annual  meeting.     Secretary,   Charles  E.   Smith,  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Woonsocket,  R.  I. 
June  13-17.— Victoria,  B,   C. 

Canadian    Good    Roads    Association.      Annual    con- 
vention.     .Secretary,    George    A.    McNamee,    909    New 
Birks   Building,   Montreal,  Quebec. 
June  20-23. — Colorado   Springs,  Colo. 

National  Association  of  Comptrollers  and  Accounting 
Officers.       Annual    convention.      Secretary,    Mark    M. 
Foote,  Comptroller's  Office,  Chicago,  111. 
June  22-29. — Providence,  R.  I. 

National  Conference  of  Social  Work.     Annual  meet- 
ing.    General   Secretary,   William   H.   Parker,   25   East 
9th  Street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
June  26-July   1. — Detroit,  Mich. 

American  Library   Association.     Annual  convention. 
Executive   .Secretary,    Carl    II.    Milam,    78    East   Wash- 
ington   Street,    Chicago,    111. 
July  .8-16. — London,    England. 

English    Federation    of    Settlements.       International 
Conference. 
August    15-18. — San    Francisco,    Calif. 

International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers.    Annual 
meeting.      James    J.    Mulcahey,    City    Hall,    Yonkers, 
N.   Y. 
October  9-13. — Cleveland,   Ohio. 

American  Society  for  Municipal  Improvements. 
Annual  convention.  Secretary,  Charles  Carroll  Brown, 
P.   O.  Box  234,   St.   Petersburg,  Fla. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


M#LL#VSPII1 


Lic^hiincj    Siandards 


e  « 

T7OND  DU  LAC. 
Wisconsin,  has  in- 
stalled HOLLOW- 
SPUN  reinforced  con- 
crete lighting  standards, 
both  for  park  lighting  and 
for  business  streets.  Our 
new  catalog  supplement 
No.  9  contains  full  in- 
formation on  this  and 
other  types  of  HOL- 
LOWSPUN    standards. 


A  copy  will  he  sent  on  request. 

Massey  Concrete 
Products  Corporation 

Peoples  Gas  Building,  Chicago. 


A 


I 


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3«i 


The  Baldwin-Fairmount  Filtration  Plant 
and  Pumping  Station  in  Cleveland 

Additions  to  Extensive  Water- Works  System  Have  Many  Interesting  Features 


BEFORE  the  water-works  was  started 
and  while  Cleveland  was  still  a  small 
village,  water  was  obtained  from 
springs  and  wells.  There  were  one  or  two 
good  springs,  but  most  of  the  water  was 
hard,  so  that  water  for  washing  purposes 
was  hauled  up  the  hill  from  the  river  in 
barrels  and  wagons. 


and  one  reservoir  of  6,000,000  gallons  ca- 
pacity. In  1920  the  distribution  system  had 
increased  to  1,452  miles  of  pipe  and  four 
reservoirs  with  a  combined  capacity  of 
about  157  million  gallons.  The  average 
daily  pumpage  in  1857  was  348,700  gallons, 
and  in  1920,  140,337,000  gallons. 

The   record   shows   that   the   number   of 


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MODEL  OF  GROUNDS  OF  BALDWIN  FILTRATION  PLANT  AND  RESERVOIR,   PREPARED  FROM 

LANDSCAPE   ARCHITECTS'    PLANS 


In  1854  work  was  started  on  the  first 
pumping  station,  drawing  its  water  from 
Lake  Erie.  In  September,  1856,  water  was 
pumped  into  the  mains,  an  event  which  was 
the  cause  of  much  jollification  and  celebra- 
tion. The  pumping  equipment  consisted  of 
two  Cornish  beam  engines  and  six  boilers. 
The  inlet  was  a  pipe  made  of  boiler  plate  50 
inches  in  diameter,  extending  300  feet  from 
shore  and  400  feet  west  of  the  western 
terminus  of  the  old  river-bed  and  into  12 
feet  of  water.  The  distribution  system  in 
1857  consisted  of   13  miles  of  water-main 


connections  with  meters  in  1874  was  1.28 
per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  connections. 
This  percentage  gradually  increased,  until 
in  1901  it  was  6.42  per  cent.  In  1902  the 
policy  of  metering  all  connections  was  in- 
augurated, so  that  by  the  end  of  the  year 
19.88  per  cent  of  the  services  were  metered. 
This  policy  was  steadily  followed,  and  in 
1909  practically  100  per  cent  of  the  entire 
supply  was  measured  through  meters. 

The  New  Facilities 

The  program  for  the  future  development 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Expert  Engineering  Advice 

on  all  Playground  Installations 

The  Medart  Plan  and  Engineering  Department  is  constantly  adding  to  its 
50  years  of  accumulated  experience  by  devising  and  planning  playgrounds 
so  that  the  greatest  good  will  follow  through  their  use.  Add  to  this  an 
honest  effort  to  plan  every  installation,  no  matter  what  its  size,  so  that  the 
maximum  benefits  are  obtained  at  the  minimum  cost — and  the  result  is  a 
service  which  under  no  circumstances  you  can  afford  to  be  without. 

No  Cost  or  Obligation        Send  for  Catalog  L 


Medart  Engineering  Service  is  given 
without  cost  or  obligation  of  any  kind 
whatever.  It  is  a  service  of  which  you 
should  avail  yourself  regardless  of  what 
your  playground  problem  may  be. 
Whether  your  plan  is  extensive  or 
limited,  you  will  always  find  it 
decidedly  to  your  advantage  to  get 
the  full  benefit  of  our  experience. 


Send  for  our  Catalog  L.  It  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  complete  treatises  avail- 
able and  is  recognized  everjrwhere  as 
a  text  book  on  modem  playground 
planning.  When  you  send  for  it 
please  outline  in  brief  just  what 
your  problem  is — you  will  have  our 
earnest  and  intelligent  co-opera- 
tion. 


FRED  MEDART  MFG.  CO. 

Potomac  and  DeKalb  Sts.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

New  York,  52  Vanderbilt  Ave.  San  Francisco,  Rialto  Bldg. 

Chicago,  326  W.  Madison  St. 

MEDART 


83 


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April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


383 


of  the  water-supply  system  to  meet  the 
growth  of  the  city  includes  the  construction 
of  the  new  Fairmount  pumping  station  and 
the  new  Baldwin  filtration  plant.  The  latter 
will  utilize  the  present  Fairmount  reservoir 
as  a  receiving  basin.  The  raw  water  will 
flow  through  the  present  East  Side  tunnel 
and  will  be  forced  by  the  pumps  at  the  Kirt- 
land  Street  station  through  two  60-inch  cast 
iron  pipe  lines  to  the  present  reservoir  at 
Fairmount.  This  reservoir  consists  of  two 
basins  with  a  combined  capacity  of  80,448,- 
400  gallons.  The  water  will  then  be  pumped 
from  the  reservoir  to  the  mixing  station  of 
the  filter  plant.  A  chemical  house  will  be 
built  over  the  raw  water  conduits,  and  as 
the  water  passes  through  the  mixing  flume 
the  chemical  solution  will  be  applied.  There 
will  be  four  bins  for  the  storage  of  chemicals, 
three  of  which  hold  146  tons  each,  the  other 
holding  71  tons.  There  will  be  six  tanks 
for  dissolving  the  chemical  and  four  tanks 
for  storing  the  chemical  solution.  Besides 
the  storage  bins  for  chemical  in  the  chemi- 
cal house,  there  will  be  six  bins  hold- 
ing 175  tons  each  in  the  chemical  storage 
house  located  on  a  railroad  switch  adjoining 
the  Fairmount  pumping  station.  The  chem- 
ical storage  house  will  be  equipped  with 
crushers,  elevators,  conveyors  and  unloaders 
for  handling  the  chemicals  as  they  are 
shipped  in  cars  to  the  plant. 

The  mixing  flume  consists  of  a  short  ex- 
panding flume  built  on  an  incline  with  a  fall 
of  3  feet  in  20,  causing  the  water  to  flow 
down  the  slope  at  a  rate  of  10  feet  per 
second.  The  fast-flowing  water  strikes  the 
pool  with  such  force  that  there  is  produced 
what  is  technically  known  as  the  "hydraulic 
jump."  It  may  be  described  as  a  miniature 
Niagara  Falls,  consisting  of  a  foaming  and 
seething  torrent  of  water  which  passes 
through  the  flume,  intimately  mixing  a  com- 


paratively small  volume  of  chemical  solu- 
tion with  a  large  volume  of  the  water  to  be 
treated. 

The  mixed  water  enters  the  coagulation 
basin  and  is  kept  in  a  quiescent  condition 
for  a  certain  period  by  slow  movement  or 
passage  through  the  basins.  During  the 
period  in  the  settling  or  coagulation  basins 
about  75  per  cent  of  the  suspended  matter 
will  be  settled  out  of  the  water.  The  basins 
will  be  four  in  number,  of  8,250,000  gallons 
each,  of  concrete  with  groined  arch  roof. 

The  administration  building  will  be  lo- 
cated in  the  center  of  the  filter  building. 
The  first  floor  will  consist  of  the  offices  of 
the  superintendent,  assistant  superintendent, 
clerk  and  operators,  and  a  room  for  visitors. 
The  second  floor  will  consist  of  the  store- 
room, the  machine  shop  and  a  large  audi- 
torium. The  auditorium  will  be  used  in  giv- 
ing lectures  on  water  purification  and  other 
educational  features.  The  third  floor  will 
consist  of  drafting  and  record  rooms,  refer- 
ence library,  general  chemical  laboratory, 
water  chemical  laboratory,  bacteriological, 
oil,  coal  and  cement  laboratory. 

The  clear  water  reservoir  consists  of  two 
basins  of  reinforced  concrete  construction 
of  the  groined  arch  type.  The  storage  ca- 
pacity will  be  130,000,000  gallons  of  water. 
This  reservoir  is  now  in  process  of  con- 
struction. 

The  illustration  on  page  381  shows  a 
model  of  the  suggested  landscape  architec- 
tural treatment  of  the  grounds  of  the  new 
Fairmount  filtration  plant.  This  model  was 
based  on  the  recommendations  of  a  group 
of  Cleveland  architects,  engineers  and  land- 
scape architects  acting  in  Concert  for  the 
benefit  of  the  city.  The  model  prepared 
from  the  plans  is  about  8  feet  square  and 
gives  an  excellent  idea  of  the  appearance  of 
the  grounds  when  completed. 


The  Bates  Experimental  Road  in  Illinois 


During  the  week  of  March  27,  by  means  of 
a  fleet  of  trucks,  the  Illinois  Department  of 
Public  Works  and  Buildings,  Division  of  High- 
ways, began  the  loading  of  the  Bates  experi- 
mental road  near  Springfield,  111.  This  test 
road  was  started  in  the  summer  of  1920  and 
completed  early  in  1921.  It  is  about  two  miles 
in  length  and  includes  63  sections.  Each  sec- 
tion differs  from  the  others  in  thickness,  in  mate- 
rial, or  in  design  affecting  its  carrying  capacity. 
It  is  expected  that  as  the  loads  carried  by  the 


trucks  are  increased,  many,  if  not  all,  of  the 
sections  will  eventually  be  destroyed.  The  be- 
havior of  the  various  sections  in  supporting 
truck  loads  is  expected  to  give  valuable  in- 
formation in  the  way  of  confirming  or  disprov- 
ing theories  that  have  been  advanced  as  to  the 
load-supporting  capacity  of  pavements  of  differ- 
ent types  and  thicknesses.  This  experiment  is 
somewhat  similar  to  the  one  being  carried  on  by 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Public  Roads  in 
California. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


F^ESIGNED  for  service,  built  for  longest 
^^^  service  and  proven  as  giving  greatest  satis- 
faction in  service,  Pennsylvania  Quality  is  the 
accepted  standard  of  lawn  mow^ers  wherever 
large  areas  must   be   kept   in   perfect   shape. 


Write  for  **Pennsylvania  TRIO  Book" 


Pennsylvania   Lawn   Mower   Works,    Inc. 

1615  North  23rd  Street,  Philadelphia 


BllinillllllllllllUlllllllllllimiruilillimiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiii niniimiiMiiimiimiriiiiimtiininniiinrimiiminmnnniniiiiirnniiiniiiniimnriiiiininniiiiimiiiiiiiiiiimiriiipriiiiiiiiir 

84  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


385 


The  City  Planning  Commission  as  a 
Publicity  Agent 

By  Lee  R.  Cooke 

President,  Idaho  Chapter,  American  Association  of  Engineers 


THE  psychology  of  municipal  politics, 
for  some  unknown  reason,  too  often 
creates  a  feeling  in  the  mind  of  the 
taxpayer  that  the  men  to  whom  he  has  en- 
trusted the  conduct  of  municipal  affairs, 
once  in  office,  can  no  longer  be  depended 
upon  to  consider  the  public  welfare  in  the 
preparation  of  an  improvement  program,  or 
even  in  the  routine  conduct  of  municipal 
affairs. 

Western  communities,  at  least,  in  which 
planning  commissions  exist,  quite  generally 
resent  the  restrictions  which  any  city  plan 
is  bound  to  impose  upon  certain  interests. 
These  feelings,  both  of  distrust  and  resent- 
ment, are  born  of  a  lack  of  knowledge  of 
the  aims  and  ideas  underlying  development 
plans,  and  the  overcoming  of  opposition  is 
quite  largely  a  matter  of  education  and 
direction  of  public  sentiment. 

A  common  practise  requires  the  municipal 
authorities  to  refer  any  proposed  municipal 
improvement  program  to  the  planning  com- 
mission, for  investigation  and  approval,  pro- 
vided it  appeals  to  them  as  worthy  of  com- 
mendation. Where  it  is  the  custom  of  the 
planning  commission  to  hold  public  discus- 
sions on  such  proposed  plans,  the  custom 
can  be  made  of  benefit  to  both  the  municipal 
authorities  and  the  commission,  as  well  as 
to  the  public  at  large.  Investigation  by  the 
commission,  made  without  prejudice,  will 
invariably  bring  out  undeveloped  phases  of 
the  proposed  programs,  and  the  hearings 
will  serve  the  double  purpose  of  offering  a 


means  of  publicity  and  of  taking  advantage 
of  ideas  which  may  be  presented.  Both  re- 
garding the  improvement  itself,  and  the  con- 
ditions which  will  be  created  by  the  im- 
provement, the  hearing  often  offers  the  first 
opportunity  of  getting  the  point  of  view  of 
the  citizens  at  large. 

The  knowledge,  brought  out  by  these 
hearings,  that  the  planning  commission 
stands  more  or  less  as  a  representative  of 
the  public,  tends  to  create  a  confidence  in 
the  w'ork  of  their  organization.  Approval 
of  a  municipal  improvement  program  by 
such  a  body  of  representative  men  goes  a 
long  way  to  create  confidence  in  proposals 
of  the  municipal  authorities  which  they  are 
asking  the  public  to  support. 

The  city  planning  commission  will  in- 
variably include  within  its  personnel  mem- 
bers of  the  various  organizations  of  the 
community,  and  the  individuals  on  the  com- 
mission can  do  effective  publicity  work  in 
quietly  calling  the  attention  of  the  organiza- 
tions to  which  they  belong,  from  time  to 
time,  to  the  plans  which  are  being  presented 
to  the  commission  for  their  consideration 
and  to  the  ideas  which  the  commission,  on 
its  own  initiative,  is  attempting  to  work  out. 
City  authorities  that  are  overlooking  the 
good  which  can  be  accomplished  by  a  plan- 
ning commission  and  the  help  which  they 
can  receive  from  such  a  commission  are 
losing  a  big  opportunity  to  lighten  the 
numerous  difficulties  of  municipal  adminis- 
tration. 


The  Demand  for  Trained  Administrators 


Government  is  now  playing  a  more  impor- 
tant part  in  our  daily  life  than  at  any  other 
time  in  our  national  history.  The  functions 
of  government  are  broader,  the  work  of  ad- 
ministration more  complex.  The  success  of 
government  in  performing  the  increasingly 
diversified  services  now  required  depends 
upon  the  extent  to  which  the  day-to-day 
work  of  government  is  entrusted  to  men  and 
women  trained  in  public  administration. 


As  a  nation,  we  are  on  the  threshold  of  a 
new  idea  in  government.  The  demand  for 
"more  business  in  government"  and  the 
spread  of  the  city  manager  idea  forecast 
the  general  recognition  of  the  place  of  ad- 
ministration in  government  and  the  develop- 
ment of  a  new  profession — the  trained  pub- 
lic administrator. 

— National  Institute  of  Public  Adminis- 
tion. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


16   Distinct   Features    of   the 
Ideal    Power    Triplex    Mower 

A    scientifically    designed      large    power    mower 
for  mowing  the  large   areas  of  grass  in  city  parks 


1 — -The  Idea]  Triplex  is  one  compact  unit  com- 
prising power  plant  and  cutting  units  —  15 
minutes  after  you  receive  the  machine  you  can 
start  cutting  grass,  as  there  are  no  extra  parts 
or  attachments  to  be  procured. 

2^'We  build  the  Ideal  Triplex  complete  in  oar 
own  plant — it  should  in  no  way  be  confused  with 
the  type  of  assembled  machines  where  some  "of 
the  units  were  never  intended  for  power  mowing 
purposes. 

3 — ^We  build  our  own  cutting  units — they  are 
designed  especially  for  this  mower,  having 
heavier  blades  and  wheels  and  being  equipped 
with  Timken  Bearin.rj^s,  which  insures  long  and 
satisfactorj'  service  under  high  si)eed  conditions. 

4 — Weight  and  traction  are  important  factors  on 
a  power-driven  mower.  The  Ideal  Power  Unit 
weighs  but  1,600  pounds  and  the  two  traction 
wheels  are  each   12  inches  wide. 

5 — The  Ideal  cuts  clean  and  the  extra  traction 
eliminates  any  possibility  of  torn  or  mutilated 
turf;  moreover,  the  outfit  can  be  operated  on 
very   soft,    spongy   soil. 

6 — The  Ideal  can  be  successfully  operated  in 
many  places  where  other  types  of  power  ma- 
chines and  horse-drawn  mowers  cannot  possibly 
be  used. 

7 — The  Ideal  has  the  most  simple  control  of  any 
large  power  mower  built.  The  two  control 
levers  are  conveniently  placed  at  the  right  and 
left  hand  side  of  the  operator  so  that  with 
natural,  easy  movements  the  machine  can  be 
started,  stopped,  backed  up  and  tunied  around 
in  a  very  short  radius. 

8 — Because  of  this  simple  control,  operator  can 
cut  close  to  trees  and  shrubbery,  leaving  little 
or  nothing   for   hand  trimming. 


9 — Cutting  Units  are  pushed  ahead  of  the  ma- 
chine permitting  the  operator  to  see  at  all  times 
exactly  what  he  is  doing;  thus  eliminating  the 
danger  of  clogged  blades  being  dragged  over  the 
turf.  This  insures  clean  work  and  grass  is  not 
packed  down  by  the  traction  wheels. 
10 — Cutting  Units  are  so  suspended  that  they 
have  sufficient  flexibility  to  take  care  of  any  un- 
even spots  in  the  turf. 

11 — The  cutting  units  are  easily  elevated  from 
the  ground  by  means  of  a  convenient  lever,  so 
located  that  operator  does  not  have  to  move  from 
seat. 

12 — The   4-cylinder  power  plant  provides  plenty 
of  power  for  all  conditions  encountered  and  will 
negotiate   steep   grades   without   difficulty. 
13- — Alemite  pressure   lubricating  system  is  pro- 
vided throughout. 

14 — A  roller  can  be  attached  and  the  grass  cut 
and  sod  rolled  in  one  operation.  It  C3,n  be 
used  for  general  hauling  about  the  grounds 
when   required. 

15-; — Most  important  is  the  fact  that  this  Ideal 
Triplex  is  built  by  power  mower  experts  and 
we  are  the  oldest  and  largest  builders  of  power 
lawn  mowers  in  the  world — oldest  merely  be- 
cause we  were  the  first  to  see  the  practical  side 
of  cutting  grass  by  power — largest  because  the 
quality  and  design  of  our  machines  has  sold 
more  Ideal  Power  Mowers  than  all  other  makes 
combined. 

16 — Lastly,  there  is  a  nation-wide  service  back 
of  this  Ideal  Triplex  and  the  complete  machine 
is  fully  guaranteed  by  one  concern. 

Through  our  extensive  dealer  organization 
with  representatives  in  all  principal  buying 
centers,  you  are  assured  prompt,  efficient  service. 
Write  today  for  our  special  proposition  to  city 
parks. 


IDEAL  POWER  LAWN  MOWER  COMPANY 

R.  E.  Olds,   Chairman 

400  Kalamazoo  Street,  Lansing,  Michigan 

World's  Largest  Builders  of  Power  Lawn  Mowers. 


Chicago,  Ii-l.,  11   E.  Harrison  Street. 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  270  West  Street. 
Boston,   Mass.,  52  N.  Market  Street. 
Philadhlphia,  Pa.,  709  Arch  Street. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  222  N.  Los  Angeles  St. 
New  Ori-eans,  La.,  130  Camp  Street. 
Pittsburgh..    Pa.,   108   West   Parkway. 

Ideal  Junior 
Powei 


A    valuable    machine 
for   trimming 
cutting    in 
quarters. 


Cleveland,  Ohio,   1500  Lakeside  Avenue. 

Denver,    Colo.,   18th   and  Wazee  Streets. 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  412-414  N.   4th  Street. 

Minneapolis,   Minn.,   114   S.  Third  Street. 

Cincinnati,    Ohio,   228  E.   Fourth  Street. 

Toronto,   Canada,  17  Temperance  Street. 

Ideal  Triplex 
Power  Mower 


■P''5*.^' 


r"^ 


85 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City, 


38? 


Street  Traffic  Signaling 

Railroad   Signaling   Adopted   for   City  Streets 


THERE  are  approximately  ten  million 
automobiles  on  the  country  roads  and 
in  the  streets  of  the  cities  of  the  United 
States.  The  burden  of  this  tremendous  in- 
crease in  vehicular  traffic  is  chiefly  felt  in 
the  cities  where,  in  addition  to  the  ever- 
present  problem  of  keeping  the  streets  as 
safe  as  possible,  difficulties  due  to  conges- 
tion make  it  a  very  serious  problem. 

Leaving  out  the  feature  of  safety  and 
dwelling  entirely  upon  the  problem  of  get- 
ting the  traffic  by  certain  points  produces  a 
problem  analogous  to  that  of  railroad  traffic. 
Signaling  on  railroads  was  first  devised  for 
the  safeguarding  of  life  and  material.  This 
function  of  signaling  is  to-day  so  widely 
recognized  that  present-day  signaling  is  ar- 
ranged not  only  to  protect  trains,  but  also 
to  expedite  their  movement;  in  fact,  were 
it  not  for  signaling  on  railroads,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  many  busy  lines  to  handle 
the  traffic  which  they  do  to-day. 

What  signaling  has  done  for  railroads  it 
can  do  also  for  towns  and  cities.  As  an 
example,  we  have  Fifth  Avenue  in  New 
York,  where  a  signal  indication  is  simul- 
taneously given  to  twenty-six  blocks  of 
traffic,  thereby  allowing  it  to  move  in  a 
steady  stream  within  a  certain  limit  of  time. 
This  method  of  giving  priority  to  one  direc- 
tion of  traffic,  then  stopping  it  and  giving 
priority  to  the  other  direction,  has  resulted 
in  a  large  increase  in  the  number  of  vehicles 
which  can  pass  the  given  points. 

These  early  attempts  at  traffic  signaling 
have  naturally  raised  many  questions  as  to 
the  best  practices  to  pursue,  and  it  is  safe 
to  turn  to  the  precedents  set  for  us  by  the 
railroads  wherever  their  principles  can  be 
applied  to  the  control  of  traffic.  Among  the 
major  principles  which  can  be  applied  are: 

1.  The  same  indication  for  "Proceed," 
"Stop"  or  "Caution"  should  be  used,  irre- 
spective of  whether  the  direction  is  north, 
south,  east  or  west,  or  whether  the  vehicle 
is  going  forward  or  backward. 

2.  Whenever  a  "Proceed"  indication  is 
given  in  one  direction,  "Stop"  indications 
should  be  given  on  all  conflicting  routes  to 
prevent  accidents. 

3.  Signals  should  be  clearly  visible  and 


placed  at  fouling  points,  that  is,  at  points 
beyond  which  it  is  unsafe  to  go. 

4.  In  case  of  failure  of  apparatus,  the 
"Stop"  indication  should  be  given  unless  the 
operation  of  the  signal  is  deliberately  dis- 
continued. 

The  foregoing  can  be  applied  to  traffic  sig- 
nals with  the  exception  that  the  location  of 
the  traffic  signal  is  a  very  important  matter. 
Obviously,  the  signals  should  not  be  placed 
so  as  to  lessen  the  roadway  available  to 
traffic.  The  ideal  location  for  a  signal 
would  be  at  the  intersection  of  the  center- 
lines  of  the  crossing,  but,  as  a  rule,  this  is  not 
desirable  because  of  the  necessity  for  over- 
head supports,  wires,  etc.  The  most  prac- 
tical location  would  appear  to  be  at  diagonal 
corners;  two  signals  at  diagonal  corners  of 
the  intersection,  with  a  signal  suspended 
over  the  curb  and  visible  from  both  streets. 
Such  a  signal  would  indicate  in  both  direc- 
tions and  would  be  so  constructed  that  it 
could  not  give  a  "Proceed"  indication  to 
both  streets  simultaneously. 

Another  feature  which  enters  into  any 
extensive  street  signaling  system  is  the 
cost  of  operation.  This  cost  includes  not 
only  the  salary  of  the  traffic  official  operat- 
ing the  system,  but,  in  addition,  the  cost  of 
electric  power,  if  it  is  used,  and  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  apparatus.  Systems  have  been 
devised,  automatic  in  their  operation,  which 
may  cover  as  large  an  area  of  the  municipal- 
ity as  is  desired,  and  which  are  also  capable, 
if  desired,  of  taking  the  control  of  the  sig- 
nals at  any  location  or  locations  away  from 
the  central  point  and  of  operating  them  indi- 
vidually by  a  traffic  officer  at  those  points. 

Another  element  of  cost,  that  is,  the  power 
consumption,  should  be  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum by  the  use  of  efficient  lenses  which  con- 
centrate the  light  where  required.  It  is  de- 
sirable to  have  as  few  lamps  as  possible  to 
control  the  intersections. 

Street  signaling  will  undoubtedly  show  a 
tremendous  development  within  the  next 
few  years  that  will  greatly  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  accidents  and  the  congestion,  which 
not  only  is  bad  to-day,  but  bids  fair  to  be- 
come worse  from  year  to  year  without  effi- 
cient control  of  traffic. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Are  Your  Parks  the 

Beauty  Spots  They  Might  Be? 


O 


Coldwell  maintains  a 
department  for  the 
effective  solution  o  f 
just  such  problems 
as  yours,  where  those 
who  wish  to  spend  the 
zifisest  may  rest  their 
cares  and  he  protected. 
Why  not  consult  us? 


F  all  the  things  that  make  a  city  park  worth  while,  the 
lawns  are  not  least  important. 

The  Coldwell  Model  "M"  Combination  Roller  and  Motor 
Lawn  Mower,  with  an  understanding  of  the  aristocratic  nature 
of  velvety-green  and  carpet-like  grass-floors,  offers  a  well 
qualified,  though  not  expensive,  solution  to  lawns-keeping 
difficulties. 

Not  expensive  because,  cutting  and  rolling  a  swath  forty 
inches  in  width.  The  Model  "M"  is  capable  of  covering 
twenty  acres  a  day,  at  a  consumption  of  fuel  little  above  one- 
half  gallon  per  hour,  and  at  an  expenditure  per  day  of  the 
labor  of  one  man  only  for  the  above  amount  of  work. 

The  Coldwell  Model  "M",  successor  to  a  long  line  of  success- 
ful forbears,  is  a  marvel  of  automotive  construction  in  its 
simplicity  and  appearance,  in  its  cutting  capacity  and  mobility, 
in  its  control  and  great  strength — 

And  in  its  cost,  such  a  rapid  retriever  of  wasted  effort  that 
many  satisfied  users,  after  comparative  tests,  have  admitted  its 
ability  to  save  the  first  cost  in  one  season — leaving,  if  past 
Coldwell  records  are  to  be  believed,  many,  many  seasons  to  go. 

Getting  back  to  your  parks — are  they  the  beauty  spots  they 
might  be?     With  Coldwell? 


CwSWeiI  Lawn  Mower  Co. 

NEWBURGH.  NY.  US  A 


86  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


389 


9t  Avil^ MitMeAt  you  Xi^  4/rww'  tncit  — 


Courses  Are  Offered  in 
Public  Administration 

The  National  Institute  of  Public  Admin- 
istration at  261  Broadway,  New  York  City, 
has  announced  its  courses  for  the  year  1922- 
23.  The  Institute  was  organized  recently 
to  carry  on  and  extend  the  work  of  the 
Training  School  for  Public  Service  of  the 
New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 
In  the  last  ten  years  over  450  students  have 
rceived  instruction  here,  many  of  whom 
have  gone  into  positions  with  state  and  city 
governments.  The  courses  cover  the  entire 
field  of  municipal  administration. 

Schools  May  Receive  Help  In 
Nature  Study 

The  National  Association  of  Audubon 
Societies  has  received  $30,000  which  is  to 
be  used  to  aid  teachers  and  pupils  in  the 
study  of  wild  birds.  Children  will  be  taught 
to  build  bird  boxes,  feed  birds  in  winter,  to 
learn  the  names  of  common  birds  in  their 
communities,  and  will  be  instructed  in  the 
value  of  birds  to  mankind.  Teachers  who 
form  Junior  Audubon  Clubs  may  receive 
free  material  to  aid  in  their  work  of  teach- 
ing bird  study.  Already  more  than  1,700,- 
000  children  have  been  enrolled  in  these 
clubs  in  the  schools  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  and  the  Association  has  on 
hand  material  to  supply  200,000  more  chil- 
dren during  the  next  few  months.  Full  in- 
formation may  be  obtained  by  writing  to  T. 
Gilbert  Pearson,  President  of  the  National 
Audubon  Societies,  1974  Broadway,  New 
York  City. 

Finger-Prints  for  Everybody 
Have  Been  Suggested 

William  J.  Burns,  Chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Investigation  of  the  Department  of  Jus- 
tice, has  suggested  that  finger-prints  of 
everybody,  young  and  old,  be  taken  and  filed 
for  reference  and  identification.  President 
Harding  has  filed  his  as  a  beginning  of  the 
collection.  In  certain  South  American  cities 
voluntary  identification  cards  have  been 
tried.     It  is  understood  that  the  system  has 


been  very  successful,  even  when  not  obliga- 
tory. Application  for  the  cards  was  almost 
unanimous,  because  it  was  readily  recog- 
nized that  a  person  with  nothing  to  conceal 
about  his  identity  need  not  hesitate.  The 
lack  of  a  card,  or  the  refusal  to  obtain  one, 
as  in  the  case  of  a  stranger  seeking  em- 
ployment, would  raise  a  natural  suspicion. 

Voting  Machines  Are  Obligatory  for 
New  York  State  Cities 

Governor  Miller  has  signed  the  bill  which 
makes  obligatory  the  use  of  voting  machines 
in  all  the  cities  of  New  York  State.  While 
many  cities  have  been  using  them  for  years, 
their  use  in  the  cities  of  this  state  has  been 
optional. 

Drastic  Penalties  Check  Paris 
Motor  Accidents 

The  Prefect  of  the  Police  of  Paris  has  ' 
given  orders  that  in  the  future  any  motor 
vehicle  which  runs  down  a  pedestrian  or  is 
responsible  for  a  serious  collision  shall  be 
seized  and  put  under  seal.  If  the  driver  is 
found  guilty,  he  is  imprisoned  and  the  car 
is  sold;  if  acquitted,  he  regains  his  car. 
The  plan  is  said  to  be  very  effective  in  re- 
ducing the  number  of  street  accidents. 

Milwaukee  Has  Created  the  Office 
of  City  Real  Estate  Agent 

Under  the  provisions  of  a  law  passed 
last  year  by  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  the  city 
of  Milwaukee  has  created  the  office  of  Real 
Estate  Agent.  A  portion  of  the  ordinance 
defining  the  office  is  quoted  herewith : 

"There  is  hereby  created  the  position  of  Real 
Estate  .\gent  of  the  City  Council  and  the  Public 
Land  Commission,  said  agent  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Public  Land  Commission  by  a  majority  vote  to  per- 
form such  duties  in  relation  to  the  purchase,  sale  and 
exchange  of  real  estate  and  negotiations  leading  up 
to  and  concluding  such  transactions  in  real  estate, 
its  appraisal,  acquisition,  purchase,  transfer  and  sale 
which  such  city  may  acquire,  purchase,  dispose  of, 
transfer  or  sell  for  its  use  or  the  use  of  its  depart- 
ments, bureaus  or  any  part  of  said  city  or  to  be  used 
for  streets,  in  excess  condemnation,  or  as  playgrounds, 
squares  or  any  other  purpose  of  said  city,  and  any 
and  all  acts  and  duties  in  connection  with  said  real 
estate  which  may  be  required  of  said  Board  of  Public 
Land  Commisssioners,  or  its  assistants  by  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  said  city,  or  by  its  Public  Land  Com- 
mission.'' 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


America's  Par  -  Excellent 
Power  LfSL-wn  Mo^^er 

When  you  purchase  a  power  lawn  mower,  look  to  its  mechanical 

features  as  you  do  in  buying  an  automobile.     This  is  particularly 

true  in  park  and  cemetery  work,  where  it  requires  sturdy  qualities 

to  meet  the  long,  hard  grind. 

The  4-Acre  Power  Mower  is  built  with  the  mechanical  perfection 

and  accuracy  of  a  fine  automobile,  the  stur- 

diness  of  a  tractor,  yet  extremely  simple. 

Here  Are  A  Few  Of  Its  Outstanding 
Mechanical  Advantages 
Motor — 1  h.  p.  2  cycle,  3  port,  2}4"  bore  by 
23^"  stroke,  sight-feed  oiler,  specially  designed 
for  mower  work,  air-cooled,  speed  2K  to  3M 
miles  per  hour;  few  parts  and  requires  little 
attention. 

Transmission — cut  gears,  enclosed,  running 
in  oil  bath  replenished  once  a  year.  Separate 
control  on  reel  and  traction  wheels.  No  ex- 
posed parts  to  catch  shrubbery. 
Control  entirely  from  steering  handle.  Min- 
iature differential  eliminates  twisting  and 
hauling.  Easy  to  cut  close  to  trees,  flower 
beds,  fences,  etc.    Will  cut  on  30°  incline. 

Automatic  Release  on  Reel  prevents  breakage  of  knives,  and  reel 
may  be  sharpened  without  removing,  thru  specially  provided  reverse 
gears. 

Capacity — width  of  cut  24  inches.  Cuts  4  to  5  acres  a  day  at  fuel 
cost  of  less  than  40  cents  a  day.  Occupies  only  18x35-inch  floor 
storage  space. 

Cooling  System.  Fan  blades  in  fly  wheels  force  continuous  draft 
over  motor. 

Shipping  Weight.  250  pounds.  The  weight,  evenly  balanced 
over  rear  roller,  provides  adequate  rolling  without  stunting  the 
grass.  Patents  pending. 

Beautiful  Catalog  sent  free  explains  all  details.    Write  for  it  today. 


Jacobsen 

Racin* 


Manufacturing   Co. 

(Dept.E)  -Wisconsin 


Sturdy  as  a  Tractor 

Reduced  1922  Price 
$270.00 

Grass  Catcher  $5.00 


Announcing 

THE  HOTEL  FINANCING  COMPANY 


Harvey  J.  Hill  and  Arnaud  C.  Marts 

offer  a  .thoroughly  tested  financial  organization  applying  in  the  hotel  field  the  same  effective  and 
dignified  methods  by  which  they  have  raised 

mmmm 

re  than 
#160,000,000 

since  I9I& 

COUNTING  VAST  SUMS  RAISED  DURING  THE  WAIC 


For  various  local 
and  national 
enterprises 


The  erection  of  a  modern  hotel  is  the  next  essential  step  in  the  progress 
of  scores  of  American  cities.  A  good,  inviting,  comfortable  hotel  is  no 
longer  simply  a  matter  of  private  enterprise,  but  a  community  necessity 
based  on  the  soundest  sort  of  investment.  It  is  a  modern  condition  of 
progress  and  prosperity. 

The  Hotel  Financing  Company  is  prepared  to  give  service  anywhere  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  Each  contract  accepted  by  the  Company  will 
be  given  the  personal  direction  of  Mr.  Hill  or  Mr.  Marts.  THEIR 
RECORD  GUARANTEES  SUCCESS. 

For  information  address 

THE  HOTEL  FINANCING  COMPANY 

One  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 


Until  January  let,  1922, 
Messrs.  Hill  and  Marts  were 
Managing  Partners  in  the 
firm  of  Ward,  Hill,  Pierce 
and  Wells,  nationally  recog- 
nized as  the  originators  and 
leaders  in  the  field  of  raising 
finances  by  organized  volun- 
teer community  effort. 
They  retired  from  this  firm 
to  organize  the  Hotel  Fi- 
nancing Company.  Their 
entrance  into  the  hotel  field 
puts  the  very  best  experi- 
ence and  ability  at  the  com- 
mand of  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  other  community 
organizations  planning  new 
hotels. 


391 


Public  Works  Programs  and  Engineers' 

Salaries 


Salaries  Must  Measure  Up  to  Service  Throughout  the  Country 


THE  situation  which  has  existed 
throughout  the  Middle  West  and  to  a 
lesser  degree  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  for  the  past  year  has  amounted  to  a 
veritable  persecution  of  public  works  pro- 
grams and  the  engineering  profession. 

During  the  war  the  farmer  was  receiving 
extremely  satisfactory  prices,  and  for  a 
time  afterwards  prices  were  good.  There 
was  plenty  of  money  in  the  country  and  it 
was  easy  to  borrow.  The  market  for  fine 
cars  and  expensive  farm  machinery  was 
large.  Then  caftie  the  land  boom.  Farms 
changed  hands  over  and  over,  some  of  them 
the  same  day,  each  change  involving  an  in- 
crement in  the  price.  Then  the  price  of 
farm  products  broke,  dropping  sharply, 
crossed  the  production  line  and  kept  falling. 
Money  not  only  became  tight,  but  could  not 
be  secured.  Notes  fell  due  and  had  to  be 
renewed.  This  condition  was  not  new. 
Old-timers  have  lived  through  it  over  and 
over.  It  was  a  cause  for  grave  concern, 
but  not  for  panic,  nor  did  it  bring  one  on. 

The  reactionary  element  is  always  with 
us,  even  in  the  most  prosperous  times.  It 
fights  the  build'ng  of  schools,  the  installa- 
tion of  water  and  light  systems  and  the  de- 
velopment of  adequate  highways.  This 
group  was  quick  to  take  advantage  of  the 
mental  condition  of  the  public.  The  leaders 
went  up  and  down  the  land  preaching  havoc 
and  calamity.  Meetings  were  held  in  many 
counties  throughout  the  Middle  West. 
Some  of  these  were  gatherings  of  a  digni- 
fied nature  for  the  thoughtful  consideration 
of  public  affairs.  Others  were  conclaves  of 
carefully  shepherded  malcontents.  Sets  of 
resolutions  were  adopted.  These  were 
aimed  at  the  road  programs,  but  also  in- 
cluded other  public  activities,  such  as  the 
schools  and  the  public  health  nurse.  Peti- 
tions were  circulated  asking  the  authorities 
to  stop  all  public  work,  dispense  with  engi- 
neers, cut  the  school  appropriations  to  the 
bone,  and  so  on. 

The  public  works  engineer  found  himself 


in  an  unenviable  situation  because  of  these 
conditions.  Attention  was  focused  in  many 
instances  on  the  iniquitous  salary  he  was 
receiving.  The  fact  that  a  year  or  two  ago 
he  was  drawing  the  same  salary  and  riding 
in  the  same  old  Ford  in  attend-ng  to  his 
business,  while  the  state  at  large  was  selling 
corn  at  a  dollar-eighty  and  buying  expen- 
sive automobiles,  was  never  mentioned. 

When  one  considers  what  the  engineer 
has  done  for  cities,  counties  and  entire 
states  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
this  country,  due  acknowledgment  must  be 
rendered  to  him.  The  drainage  engineer 
made  half  of  the  Middle  West  and  Western 
States,  the  highway  engineer  is  giving  them 
a  modern  system  of  highways,  and  yet  in 
many  cases  he  is  considered  a  pensioner. 
The  county  engineer  and  his  force  are,  in 
the  thought  of  the  public,  too  often  classed 
with  the  inmates  of  the  poor  farm  as  depen- 
dents of  the  county,  although  they  are  ren- 
dering a  sincere,  invaluable  public  service. 

The  reliable  engineer  is  a  trained  tech- 
nical man,  competent,  faithful  and  giving 
his  best  service.  It  is  inexpedient  to  cut 
his  salary.  The  loss  of  the  services  of  a 
trained  county  engineer  or  state  highway 
engineer  who  kliows  his  county  or  state  like 
a  book  is  disastrous  to  the  continuity  of  pub- 
lic work.  It  takes  one  or  two  years  for  an 
engineer  to  thoroughly  learn  the  needs  of 
his  county  or  state.  Few  engineers  can 
afford  slashed  salaries  or  poor  remuneration 
for  the  sake  of  the  honor  in  the  work.  They 
will  be  attracted  elsewhere  by  higher  sala- 
ries and  work  which  will  give  them  a  fair 
living.  Several  state  highway  departments 
have  already  lost  their  chief  engineers 
through  penurious  budgets  which  made  it 
impossible  to  pay  salaries  commensurate 
with  the  services  of  the  men.  In  many  in- 
stances, entire  county  highway  organiza- 
t'ons  have  been  wrecked  because  the  small 
salaries  which  the  taxpayers  would  permit 
could  not  hold  the  men  from  more  advan- 
tageous positions  elsewhere. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


DIRECT  YOUR  PLANT  TRAFFIC 


"INTERLOCKED  —  pro- 
tection, service,  satisfac- 
tion." 


Section  of  Page-Protection 
Fence  showing  actual  size 
of  wire  used. 


T)AGE-Protection  Fence  controls  the  ad- 
■■  mission  and  exit  of  persons  and  ma- 
terials and  is  a  strong  guard  against  loss 
through  theft,  property  damage  and  tres- 
passing. 

Page-Protection  Fence  always  gives  satisfac- 
tion. It  has  the  rugged  strength  to  resist  its 
most  formidable  foes — wind,  weather  and 
trespasser. 

It  is  unclimbable,  ornamental,  and  duf-able. 

N^»s/    Page-Protection  Fence  is  also  made  of  rust 
•j/L    resisting  Armco  Ingot  Iron   (99.84%  pure.) 

There  is  a  Page-Protection  Fence  representative 
near  you.  Write  us  and  we  will  have  him  get  in 
touch  with  you. 


PAGE  STEEL  &  WIRE  COMPANY 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONNECTICUT 


District  Sales  Offices 
New  York  Pittsburgh  Portland,  Ore. 


PROTECTION 

FENCE 


V^ 


88 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  Thk  American   City. 


393 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information   for  City  Attorneys   and    Other  Municipal   Officers,   Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 


Under  Ordinance,  City  May  Lawfully  Tax 
Professional  Men  Who  Maintain  Office 
in  City 

The  California  District  Court  of  Appeals 
finds  no  invalidity  or  inconsistency  in  a 
city's  be'ng  authorized  to  levy  an  occupa- 
tion tax  on  the  right  of  an  attorney  or  other 
professional  man  to  pursue  his  vocation 
within  the  city  limits,  although  the  state 
may  have  issued  a  license  establishing  his 
general  right  to  practice  in  the  state. 

In  the  case  of  Waldo  S.  Johnson,  190 
Pacific  Reporter,  852,  he  unsuccessfully  con- 
tested the  validity  of  an  ordinance  of  the 
city  of  Maysville,  Calif.,  imposing  a  tax  of 
$2.50  per  month  on  "every  person  engaged 
in  business  as  a  lawyer,  maintaining  an  office 
in  said  city."     The  Court  remarked : 

"The  chief  claim  of  the  petitioner  is  that  the 
city  has  no  power  to  license  the  business  of  a 
lawyer.  It  is  pointed  out  that  a  lawyer  is  li- 
censed as  such  by  the  courts,  that  his  license 
is  in  the  nature  of  a  vested  right,  and  that  any 
act  of  the  Legislature  curtailing  this  right 
would  impair  the  obligation  of  a  contract. 
Without  conceding  that  these  claims  are  well 
founded,  they  are,  nevertheless,  inapplicable  to 
the  case.  It  is  true  that  a  license  cannot  be  im- 
posed upon  a  lawyer,  nor  can  his  business  be 
regulated  by  ordinance.  But  the  petitioner  is 
not  charged  with  practicing  law  without  a  li- 
cense, but  with  'carrying  on  a  trade,  calling, 
profession,  or  business'  without  first  procuring  a- 
license.  Sections  i  and  4  of  the  ordinance,  when 
read  in  connection  with  section  80,  above  quoted, 
show  clearly  that  the  license  is  exacted  for 
'carrying  on  the  business  of  a  lawyer  at  a  fixed 
place  of  business.'  The  propriety  of  exacting 
revenue  from  one  who  maintains  an  office  and 
carries  on  a  business  within  a  city  is  apparent. 
Many  expenditures  by  the  city  are  rendered 
necessary  by  reason  of  an  office  or  other  place 
of  business  within  its  limits.  .  .  .  There  ap- 
pears to  be  no  inherent  difference  between  carry- 
ing on  the  business  of  practicing  law  and  carry- 
ing on  any  other  business  or  pursuit.  It  is  not 
questioned  that  the  state  may,  in  the  exercise  of 
its  sovereign  powers,  levy  license  taxes  upon 
merchants  and  manufacturers  who  maintain 
places  of  business,  and  this,  too,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  raising  revenue.  A  lawyer's  office 
makes  certain   demands  upon  the  various  fire. 


police,  street,  and  other  functions  of  a  city, 
which  differ  from  above  classes  only  in  quantity, 
and  not  in  quality.  If  the  one  should  be  re- 
quired to  assist  in  keeping  up  the  revenues  of 
a  city,  no  reason  is  apparent  why  the  other 
should  not.  Whether  a  license  might  be  enacted 
for  carrying  on  a  law  business  without  maintain- 
ing an  office  is  a  question  that  is  not  before  the 
court.  We  entertain  no  doubt  that  a  state  li- 
cense issued  to  a  lawyer  authorizing  him  to 
practice  law  is  not  a  bar  to  the  claim  of  city  to 
levy  a  license  for  maintaining  an  office  in  con- 
nection with  such  practice.  For  many  years  the 
state  has  licensed  druggists,  but  it  has  not  been 
suggested  that  a  druggist's  license  is  the  equiv- 
alent of  a  license  to  run  a  drug  store." 

Motor-Cycle  Policemen  Not  Subject  to 
Speed  Regulations  in  Attempting  to 
Overtake  Speeders,  But  Must  Use  Care 

A  decision  of  the  Minnesota  Supreme 
Court  illustrates  the  modern  tendency  of  the 
courts  to  regard  the  spirit  of  a  law,  rather 
than  its  wording,  in  applying  its  provisions. 
(Edberg  v.  Johnson,  184  Northwestern  Re- 
porter, 12.) 

Defendant,  a  Duluth  motor-cycle  police- 
man, was  sued  for  damages  for  colliding 
with  plaintiff,  a  pedestrian,  while  attempting 
to  overtake  a  motorist  who  was  violating  the 
speed  limit  fixed  by  the  Minnesota  Motor 
Vehicle  Act. 

Plaintiff  sought  to  charge  defendant  with 
negligence  conclusively  on  the  ground  that 
he  himself  was  driving  his  motor-cycle 
faster  than  permitted  by  the  Act.  It  was 
conceded  that  the  statute  expressly  ex- 
empted "police  patrol  wagons"  from  the 
speed  limit,  but  denied  that  a  motor-cycle 
could  be  deemed  to  be  a  "patrol  wagon." 
It  was  argued  that  by  limiting  the  exception 
of  vehicles  from  the  act  to  patrol  wagons, 
ambulances,  fire  wagons,  etc.,  the  Legisla- 
ture excluded  motor-cycles.  Disposing  of 
these  contentions,  the  Supreme  Court  said : 

"In  Hubert  v.  Granzow,  131  Minn.  361,  155 
N.  W.  204,  Ann.  Gas.  1917D,  563,  this  Court 
held  that,  as  a  general  rule,  regulations  govern- 
ing the  rate  of  speed  on  public  street's  do  not 
apply  to    fire  apparatus  on  the  way  to  a  fire. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Two     men     handling     a     48-inch     diameter 
"ACME"    (Nestable)    Corrugated    Culvert. 

Imagine   the    convenience   in   handling   large 
culverts   in  this  manner. 


Large  diameters 
easy    to    handle 


ACMELiWEjSTABLE) 

^  <^ONCA|^^> 

CORRUCAftD"ETALguLVERTS 


Full  circle  culverts  are  hard  to  handle, 
especially  the  large  diameters.  Take  48- 
inch  diameter.  Even  a  10-foot  length  re- 
quires a  gang  to  handle  it.  And — the 
longer  the  culvert,  the  harder  the  handling. 

Not  so  with  "ACME"  (Nestable)  Corru- 
gated Culverts.  Made  in  2-ft.  upper  and 
lower  sections  they  are  shipped  knocked 
down,  nested.  In  this  form  two  men  can 
easily  handle  the  48,  60  and  72-inch  diam- 
eters. Installing,  too,  is  easy.  Write  today 
for  catalog  M-78. 


The  Canton  Culvert6SiloG>^ 

(^nton.Ohio.  U.S.A. 


Cost  of  Iron 
Back  to  1913 


One  of  the  major  basic  costs  of  iron  fencing  (steel  bars) 
is  now  back  on  a  level  with  the  lowest  price  in  1913.  Other 
factors  of  cost  are  probably  as  low  as  they  will  ever  go 
again.  Buy  now  the  Enterprise  Iron  Fencing  you  have 
been  needing.    Lowest  price  in  years. 

ENTERPRISE  IRON  WORKS 
2461  Yandes  Street, 

INDIANAPOLIS,    INDIANA 


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Protects  and  beautifies 
Schools,  Hospitals, 
Parks,  Estates, 
Public  Buildings, 
Cemeteries,  Asylums, 
Etc. 


89 


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April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


395 


The  same  reasons  apply  with  equaf  force  to 
vehicles  used  by  police  officers.  An  officer  so 
engaged  is  performing  a  public  duty.  He  can- 
not successfully  perform  it  unless  he  is  accorded 
privileges  not  possessed  by  private  citizens.  He 
would  be  seriously  hampered  if  statutory  pro- 
visions limiting  the  speed  of  motor  vehicles  ap- 
plied to  him  while  in  pursuit  of  a  fleeing 
criminal.  For  reasons  of  public  policy,  at  least 
one  court  has  felt  free  to  hold  that  such  pro- 
visions have  no  application  even  though  the 
statute  contained  no  exceptions  in  favor  of 
peace  officers.  State  v.  Gorham,  tig  Wash. 
330,  188  Pac.  457,  9  A.  L.  R.  365.  In  another 
jurisdiction,  a  contrary  view  was  expressed. 
Keevil  v.  Ponsford  (Tex.  Civ.  App.)  173  S. 
W.  518.  And  in  still  another  it  was  held  that 
in  case  of  military  necessity  a  statute  limiting 
the  speed  of  motor  vehicles  should  be  held  in- 
applicable.    .     .     . 

"The  statute  is  not  worded  as  explicitly  as  it 
might'  have  been  to  express  the  intent  the  Legis- 
lature undoubtedly  had  in  mind.  Strictly  speak- 
ing, a  motor-cycle  operated  by  a  policeman 
patrolling  the  streets  is  not  a  police  patrol 
wagon.  If  the  letter  of  the  statute  rather  than 
its  spirit  is  to  control  in  its  interpretation,  the 
municipal  court  was  right  and  the  district  court 
was  wrong.  The  appliable  rules  of  construc- 
tion are  too  well  known  to  justify  more  than  a 
mere  reference  to  them.  The  intent  of  the  Leg- 
islature controls,  though  it  seems  contrary  to 
the  letter  of  the  statute,  and  a  construction 
should  be  avoided  which  would  result  in  in- 
convenience  or   absurdity.     ... 

"To  secure  the  safety  of  the  public  is  one  of 
the  principal  objects  of  the  statute.  A  criminal, 
seeking  to  get  away  from  the  scene  of  his 
crime,  commonly  travels  in  an  automobile 
driven  at  a  high  rate  of  speed.  There  are  reck- 
less drivers  of  automobiles,  who  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  the  speed  laws.  Both  classes  of  offend- 
ers must  be  overtaken  by  the  officers  of  the 
law,  if  they  are  to  be  placed  under  arrest.  As 
an  aid  to  officers  on  patrol  duty,  no  vehicle 
more  serviceable  than  the  motor-cycle  has  as 
yet  been  invented.  Of  course  it  is  possible  for 
such  officers  to  use  automobiles,  instead  of 
motor-cycles ;  but  their  use  would  be  equally 
if  not  more  dangerous  to  others  if  driven  at  a 
high  rate  of  speed. 

"Whether  the  words  'police  patrol  wagons,* 
as  used  in  this  statute,  include  motor-cycles, 
may  be  open  to  argument.     .     .     . 

"Taking  into  consideration  the  objects  sought 
to  be  attained  by  the  statute,  the  general  use 
of  motor-cycles  in  patrolling  streets  and  high- 
ways when  the  statute  was  enacted,  as  well  as 
at  the  present  time,  and  the  evident  purpose  of 
the  Legislature  to  except  from  the  operation 
of  the  statute  vehicles  employed  as  instru- 
mentalities of  municipal  fire  and  police  depart- 
ments, we  hold  that  motor-cycles  so  employed 
come  within  the  exceptions  made  by  the  statute. 

"We  do  not  hold  that  an  officer,  when  in  pur- 
suit of  a  lawbreaker,  is  under  no  obligation  to 
exercise  a  reasonable  degree  of  care  to  avoid 
injury  to  others  who  may  be  on  the  public  roads 
and  streets.    What  we  do  hold  is  that,  when  so 


engaged,  he  is  not  to  be  deemed  negligent 
merely  because  he  fails  to  observe  the  require- 
ments of  the  Motor  Vehicle  Act.  His  conduct 
is  to  be  examined  and  tested  by  another  stand- 
ard. He  is  required  to  observe  the  care  which 
a  reasonably  prudent  man  would  exercise  in  the 
discharge  of  official  duties  of  a  like  nature 
under  like  circumstancesr" 

City  Operating  Public  Utility  Is  Liable  for 
Assault  by  Superintendent  Upon  a  Patron 

Finding  that  defendant  city's  superintend- 
ent of  its  water-works  department  committed 
an  inexcusable  assault  upon  an  inoffensive 
Jewish  patron  who  called  to  pay  his  bill, 
the  North  Carolina  Supreme  Court  decided 
that  the  city  must  respond  in  damages,  the 
same  as  a  private  water-works  corporation 
would  be  bound  to  do  under  similar  circum- 
stances. (Munick  v.  Durham,  106  South- 
eastern Reporter,  665.) 

When  plaintifif  presented  50  pennies  in 
part  payment  of  his  bill,  the  superintendent 
knocked  them  on  the  floor,  calling  plaintiff  a 

" Jew."     This  abuse  was  followed 

by  a  beating,  to  which  plaintiff  offered 
neither  provocation  nor  resistance. 

Suit  brought  by  plaintiff  against  the  city 
to  recover  damages  was  ordered  dismissed 
by  the  trial  court,  on  the  ground  that  the 
city  could  not  be  held  responsible  for  the 
superintendent's  wrongful  act.  But  this  de- 
cision was  reversed  by  the  Supreme  Court, 
which  says,  in  part: 

"There  is  no  explanation  of  the  conduct 
of  the  superintendent,  and  the  only  provoca- 
tion given  which  we  can  infer  from  the  lan- 
guage used  by  Bolton  is  the  fact  that  the 
plaintiff  was  a  Jew.  He  made  no  other 
charge. 

"The  ground  upon  which  the  nonsuit  was 
asked  and  allowed,  as  presented  in  this 
court,  is  that  the  defendants  and  the  city 
of  Durham  are  not  responsible  for  the  act  of 
its  agent,  Harvey  Bolton,  superintendent  of 
the  water-works,  or  that  at  least  in  making 
the  assault  he  was  not  within  the  scope  of 
his  authority,  in  that  he  had  no  instructions 
from  the  defendants  to  commit  such  vio- 
lence. At  the  time  that  the  assault  was 
made  by  the  said  Harvey  Bolton  he  was 
acting  in  his  capacity  as  agent.  Had  he 
been  acting  for  a  water  company  under 
private  ownership,  it  could  not  be  contended 
that  the  corporation  would  not  be  responsi- 
ble. He  was  there  in  the  prosecution  and 
furtherance  of  the  duties  assigned  to  him 
by  the  defendant  municipality." 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


NEWPORT 
CULVERTS 


PREVENT 
WASHOUTS 


I  From  one  end  of  the  Country  to  the  other 

I  these  culverts  are  installed  to   carry  small  streams  and 

I  drainage  under  roads,  preventing  the  washing  away  of 

I  the  foundation,  or  of  the  road  surface.    Thousands  of  feet 

I  of  these  culverts,  made  of  Genuine  Open  Hearth  Iron 

I  (99.875  PURE  IRON  COPPER  ALLOY)  have  been  sold 

i  with  no  other  exterior  protection  than  a  coat  of  asphalt 

I  rubber  paint.     Newport  culverts  are  the  most  rust-resist- 

I  ing  and  strongest  culverts  on  the  market  today.     They  are 

I  guaranteed  to  last  longer  under  identical  conditions  than 

I  any  other  corrugated  metal  culvert  pipes.     They  are  made 

I  in  full-round  and  half-round  types,  as  illustrated,  so  that 

I  city,  county  or  state  officials  may  have  a  culvert  adaptable 

i  to  every  condition. 

I  NEWPORT    CULVERT    COMPANY 

I  542  West  Tenth  Street,                   Newport,   Kentucky 


00 


llllllllllllllllllllilllllllillllllilllillllillllillllilllllllllllli 

When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


April,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


397 


Where  There  Is  No  Occasion  for  Its 
Further  Public  Use,  Property  O-wned  by 
City  May  Be  Sold 

Upholding  the  validity  of  a  sale  and  con- 
veyance by  a  city  to  a  private  manufactur- 
ing company  of  a  portion  of  a  court-house 
site  that  had  never  been  used  for  that  or 
any  other  public  purpose,  the  Virginia  Su- 
preme Court  of  Appeals  said  in  the  recent 
case  of  Head-Lipscomb-McCormick  Co.  v. 
City  of  Bristol,  105  Southeastern  Reporter, 
500: 

"While  at  common  law  a  municipal  corpora- 
tion could,  unless  restrained  by  its  charter,  dis- 
pose of  its  lands  and  other  property  just  as 
private  individuals  could,  in  this  country  it  is 
generally  held  that  a  municipal  corporation  has 
no  implied  power  to  sell  property  which  is  de- 
voted to  a  public  use,  but  property  of  which 
the  public  use  has  ceased,  or  which  has  never 
been  devoted  to  any  public  use,  may  be  sold  by 
the  municipality  owing  it,  by  virtue  of  its  im- 
plied power." 

Discharge  of  Sewage  in  Stream  Is  an 
Actionable  Nuisance 

Where  a  municipal  corporation  dis- 
charges sewage  into  a  river  or  creek,  pollut- 
ing the  water  of  the  stream,  causing  it  to 
become  foul,  and  impregnated  with  noxious 
and  poisonous  substances,  rendering  it  unfit 
for  domestic  or  other  uses,  and  thereby 
creating  and  maintaining  a  nuisance,  which 
is  detrimental  to  the  health,  comfort,  and 
repose  of  a  lower  riparian  owner*,  and 
diminishes  the  value  of  his  land,  such  mu- 
nicipal corporation  is  liable  for  damages 
arising  from  the  maintenance  of  such 
nuisance.  (Oklahoma  Supreme  Court,  City 
of  Cushing  vs.  Luke,  199  Pacific  Reporter, 
578.) 

Under  Its  Charter,  City  of  Savannah  Held 
to  Have  Power  to  Classify  and  Separately 
Tax  Certain  Business  Pursuits 

The  mayor  and  aldermen  of  Savannah, 
under  the  city's  charter,  have  authority  to 
make  a  reasonable  classification  of  the  gen- 
eral business  of  selling  automobiles,  selling 
or  furnishing  gasoline,  or  oil  of  any  kind, 
etc.,  and  to  levy  a  tax  on  each  of  such 
classes.  And  where  such  a  tax  is  levied, 
and  one  person  conducts  several  of  such 
businesses,  he  may  be  made  liable  to  a  tax 
on  each,  although  one  branch  of  the  business 
may  be  conducted  in  a  building,  and  the 
other  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  same 
building.  (Georgia  Supreme  Court.  Lewis 
vs.  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  City  of  Savan- 
nah, 107  Southeastern  Reporter,  588.) 


Premature  Proceedings  Contesting  the  Val- 
idity of  a  Zoning  Ordinance  Dismissed 

A  proceeding  in  the  courts  to  review  the 
validity  of  a  zoning  ordinance,  on  applica- 
tion by  a  property  owner  who  claims  that 
the  marketability  of  his  land  is  injuriously 
affected  will  be  dismissed  as  being  prema- 
ture, in  the  absence  of  a  showing  that  he  has 
been  prevented  from  erecting  any  building 
intended  for  a  prohibited  use.  The  proper 
procedure  is  to  apply  for  mandamus  to  re- 
quire issue  of  a  building  permit  or  to  resist 
conviction  of  violating  the  ordinance  on 
the  ground  of  its  invalidity.  (New  Jersey 
Court  of  Errors  and  Appeals,  Cliffside  Park 
Realty  Co.  vs.  Borough  of  Cliffside  Park, 
114  Atlantic  Reporter,  797.) 

Municipality  Liable  for  Damages  Result  ng 
from  Creating  a  Nuisance  by  Permit- 
ting Overflow  on  Private  Property 

In  the  course  of  improving  a  highway  the 
authorities  of  the  village  of  Southampton, 
Long  Island,  removed  sand  from  dunes  on 
a  shore  in  such  way  that  ocean  water  was 
permitted  to  penetrate  through  the  cut  made 
and  overflow  plantiff's  lawn,  thereby  de- 
stroying grass,  trees,  shrubs,  etc. 

Plaintiff  sued  the  village  authorities  to 
recover  damages,  and  the  Appellate  Divi- 
sion of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court  up- 
holds the  right  of  recovery.  (Davies  v. 
Jagger,  188  New  York  Supplement,  789), 
saying: 

"The  trial  court  has  correctly  held  that  the 
present  action  may  be  maintained  on  the  au- 
thority of  Carll  V.  Village  of  Northport,  11 
App.  Div.  120,  122,  42  N.  Y.  Supp.  576.  That 
the  appellant,  although  a  municipal  corporation, 
is  not  immune  from  legal  responsibility  for  the 
creation  of  a  nuisance,  is  beyv^rid  question.  Her- 
man V.  City  of  Buffalo,  214  N.  Y.  316,  318,  108 
N.  E.  451.  The  theory  upon  which  the  present 
action  is  brought  is  nuisance.  Respondent  does 
not  claim  damages  by  reason  of  a  change  in 
grade  of  the  highway,  but  rather  because  of 
defendant's  act  in  causing  a  cut  or  opening  to 
be  made  in  the  sand  dunes,  whereby  salt  water 
was  permitted  to  run  over  and  upon  her  land. 
It  is  true  that  the  sand  taken  from  the  dunes 
was  used  to  raise  the  grade  of  certain  high- 
ways, although  it  also  appears  that  a  stone  wall 
was  constructed  across  Halsey's  Neck  lane  to 
stop-gap  the  openings  made  in  the  sand  dunes  at 
that  point,  with  the  object  in  view  of  prevent- 
ing the  salt  water  from  undermining  the  road. 
But  it  does  not  appear  that  any  similar  precau- 
tion was  taken  or  a  barrier  erected  in  the 
place  where  the  openings  were  made  at  the 
foot  of  Cooper's  Neck  Lane,  through  which 
the  water  came  which  destroyed  plaintiff's 
plants  and  shrubbery." 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Goodyear  All-Weather  Tread  Solid  Tire 

When  conditions  of  load  or  road  call  for  a 
solid  tire,  think  of  Goodyear  All-Weather 
Tread  Solids. 

They  wear  longer  because  they  are  thicker 
and  their  tough,  gripping  tread  blocks  pre- 
vent spinning  and  constant  slippage. 

They  remain  resilient  and  springy,  pro- 
tecting engine  and  chassis  from  road  shocks 
and  jars.  Fuel,  repairs  and  time  are  saved 
by  Goodyear  All-Weather  Tread  Solid  Tires. 


Copyright  1922,  by  The  Goodyear  Tire  &  Rubber  Co.,  Inc. 

There  are  Goodyear  All-Weather  Tread 
Solids  in  sizes  ranging  from  34  x  5  to  40  x  14. 

For  lighter  and  quicker  hauling  under  differ- 
ent conditions  Goodyear  makes  other  special 
tires  — Goodyear  Cord  Truck  Tires  and 
Goodyear  Cushion  Tires. 

The  nearest  Goodyear  dealer  or  Goodyear 
branch  will  assist  you  in  equipping  with  the 
correct  tires  for  your  needs. 


Single  Jacket 
Underwriters  fire  Hose 


The  Underwriters  label  on  Goodyear  Single 
Jacket  Fire  Hose  and  Goodyear  Monterey 
Chemical  Hose,  means  that  both  will  with- 
stand a  definite  pressure  per  square  inch  and 
that  the  latter  will  resist  satisfactorily  the 
biting,  corrosive  action  of  chemicals.  Good- 
year's  years  of  successful  manufacturing  ex- 
perience has  enabled  the  production  of  hose 
on  a  par  with  all  other  Goodyear  products— 
hose  which  will  render  dependable  and 
economical  service. 


01 


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399 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


HANDBOOK  OF  MUNICIPAL  GOVERNMENT 

Charles    M.    Fussett,    Specialist    in    Municipal    Gov- 
ernment,   University    of    Kansas ;    former    Mayor   of 
Spokane,    Wash.       Thomas    Y.     Crowell    Company, 
New  York.      1922.     VIlI  +   192  pp.     $1.50. 
This  book  covers  concisely  the  entire  field  of  munic- 
ipal   government.      Starting    with    the    ancient    city,    it 
traces     modem     institutions     to     their    present     forms. 
Among    the    subjects    discussed    in    detail    are    forms    of 
government,   charters  and   home  rule,   elections   and   ap- 
pointments,   the    duties    of    administrative    officers    and 
their  departments.      The  closing  chapters  are  on  munic- 
ipal   finance    and    the    obligations    of    citizenship.      The 
author's  Jong  experience  with  municipal  problems   ena- 
bles  him   to    handle   his   subjects   in    a   direct,    practical 
way.     The  volume  includes  a  bibliography  prepared   by 
the  Research  Division  of  the  American  City  Bureau. 

ASSETS  OF  THE  IDEAL  CITY 

Charles  M.  Fassett,  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  Company, 
New  York.  1922.  XV  -|-  177  pp.  $1.50 
A  clear,  condensed  summary  of  the  various  elements 
of  modern  municipal  life.  There  are  brief  discussions 
of  Biunicipal  government,  with  chapters  on  streets, 
utilities,  transportation,  health,  recreation,  educational 
and  correctional  institutions,  and  other  subjects.  The 
book  is  well  adapted  for  use  as  a  text-book  for  schools 
or  citizenship  classes.  There  is  a  foreword  by  Harold 
S.  Buttenheim,  editor  of  The  American  City. 

MOTION    PICTURES    FOR    COMMUNITY    NEEDS 

Gladys  and  Henry  BoUman.    Henry  Holt  and  Com- 
pany, New  York.    1922.    IX  -f  298  pp.    Illustrated. 
$2.00   postpaid. 
Both   of  the  authors   have  long  been   associated   with 
the    educational    film    business,    and    are   thoroughly    ac- 
quainted with  the  subject.    The  book  is  practical,  giving 
the  development  of  the  educational  film  pictures,  a  dis- 
cussion   of    the    exhibitor's    problems,    many    suggested 
programs    for    various    types    of    audience,    and   a    large 
amount  of  technical,  mechanical  and  legal   information. 

HISTORY    OF    PUBLIC    POOR    RELIEF    IN    MASS- 
ACHUSETTS— 1620  -  1920 

Robert    W.    Kelso,    A.B.,    LL.B.,    President    of    the 
National    Conference    of     Social    Work.      Houghtpn 
Mifflin    Company,    Boston.     1922.     200   pp.     ,$2.50. 
A  comprehensive  account  of  poor  relief  in  Massachu- 
setts, tracing  back  to  origins  in  England  and  in  colonial 
history.     The   concluding   chapters   describe   the   absorp- 
tion of  relief  by  the  state,   and   the  development  of  the 
Massachusetts  Department  of  Public  Welfare,  with  spe- 
cial attention  to  the  Child  Care  and  Child  Placing  Sys- 
tem of  the  state. 

PUBLIC  OPINION 

Walter  Tjipmann.  Harcourt.  Brace  and  Company 
New  York.  1922.  427  pp.  $2.75. 
This  book  is  the  first  attempt  to  survey  in  the  lig^ht 
of  modern  conditions  the  force  of  public  opinion.  It~is 
not  a  moralistic  judgment,  but  an  investigation  of  such 
things  as  the  principles  of  censorship,  propaganda,  pub- 
licity, electioneering,  and  news.  It  is  the  outgrowth  of 
ten  years'  study  and  experience  in  newspaper  work, 
politics,  and  war  service. 
NEW  ERA  CIVICS 

John   B.  Howe,  Litt.  D.      Iroquois  Publishing  Com- 
pany,  Inc.,    Syracuse,   N.    Y.     1922.    X   +    420  pp. 
Illustrated. 
A   textbook    for   school    use.     It   is    divided    into    five 
parts,    Citizenship.    The    Nation,    The    State,    The    Local 
Community,  and  "The  Parties.    At  the  end  of  each  chap- 
ter are  suggested  questions  for  teachers. 
HYDRAULICS  OF  PIPE  LINES 

W.  F.   Durand.   Professor  of  Mechanical   Engineer- 
ing,   Stanford  University,   California.    D.  Van  Nos- 
trand  Company,  New  York.    1921.    XVI  +  271  pp. 
134   illustrations.    Price   $4.50. 
This   book  gives  in  a  reasonably   small  space  a  valu- 
able  discussion   of  the   more   important  hydraulic  prob- 
lems connected  with  water  and  oil  pipe  lines  and   pipe 
line  flow.    The  treatise  is  almost  entirely  from  the  flow 
standpoint.     The  six   chapters   cover   elementary  princi- 
ples,   surge,    water    ram    or    shock,    stresses,    materials, 
joints,   fittings,   etc.,   and  a   discussion   of  oil  pipe   lines 
or  those  intended  for  the  carrying  of  other  viscous  fluids. 


THE   MODERN  CITY  AND  ITS   GOVERNMENT 

William    Parr    Capes,    Secretary,    New    York    State 
Conference    of    Mayors    and     Other    City    Officials: 
Director,    New    York    State    Bureau    of    Municipal 
Information.     E.  P.  Dutton  &  Company,  New  York. 
1922.     XI   -f    269   pp.      Charts   and   diagrams.      $5. 
A    thoroughgoing    consideration    of    the    fundamentals 
of  good  municipal  government.     The  duties  both  of  the 
official   and   of   the   citizen    that   chooses   the   official   are 
discussed.      There    are   chapters    on    the    common    forms 
of    municipal    government — the    federal    type,    the    com- 
mission  type,   and  the   commission  manager  JForm.      The 
chapter  on  the  control  and  management  of   city   school 
systems   is  timely.    The   concluding   chapter  is   on    ''The 
Future  Cost  of  City  Government,"   showing  the  author's 
belief    that    unless    the    people    want    the    activities    of 
municipal  government  curtailed,    there  will  be  no  mate- 
rial decreases  in  the  cost  of  municipal   government. 

NEW     IDEALS     IN     THE     PLANNING     OF     CITIES, 
TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES 

John   Nolen,   Town    and    City  Planner.      The   Ameri- 
can City  Bureau,  Tribune  Building,  New  York.     139 
pp.      Illustrated.      $1.00. 
Originally  prepared    as   a    textbook,    this    volume    pre- 
sents a  comprehensive  survey  of  town  and  city  planning. 
It  gives  an  outline  of  the  local  data  needed  as   a  basis 
of    the    city    plan,    the    elements    of    the    plan,    and    the 
methods  of  putting  it  into  effect. 

CITY  PLANNING  IN  CHICAGO 

"South  Water  Street  Facts — Why  the  Improvement 
Should  Go  Forward  Without  Delay."  Published  by  the 
Chicago  City  Plan  Commission.  1922.  11  pp.  Illustrated. 
Discussion  of  the  urgency  of  the  double-decked  thorough- 
fares proposed  for  South  Water  Street.  (Apply  to 
Chicago  City  Plan  Commission,  Hotel  Sherman,  Chicago, 
111.). 

TEXAS  WATER-SUPPLIES 

"Water  Supply  for  Texas — Keeping  It  Pure,"  by 
Wilson  T.  Davidson,  M.  D.,  Director  of  Public  Health. 
Dallas,  Tex.  Reprinted  from  Texas  Municipalities,  of 
January,  1922.  6  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply  to  author, 
address   above.) 

NORTH  DAKOTA  ENGINEERS 

"Proceedings   of   the  North  Dakota   Society  of  Enjfi- 
neers.  Twelfth  and  Thirteenth  Annual  Meetings.     1921. 
91  pp.    75  cents.    (Apply  to  E.  F.  Chandler,   Secretary- 
Treasurer,  University,   North  Dakota.) 
MOTOR   BUS  LINES 

"Fundamentals  in  the  Operation  of  Motor  Bus 
Lines,"  by  G.  A.  Green,  General  Manager,  Fifth  Avenue 
Coach  Company,  New  York,  N.  Y.  Published  by  the 
National  Motor  Truck  Committee,  National  Automobile 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  366  Madison  Avenue,  New  York, 
N.  Y.  7  pp.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
DRUG  ADDICTION 

"Narcotic    Dnig    Addiction,"     speech    of    the    Hon. 
Lester  D.  Volk  of  New  York  in  the  House  of  Represeuta- 
tives,    January    13,    1922.      16    pp.      (Apply    to    author, 
Washington,  D.  C.) 
NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   SOCIAL   WORK 

Proceedings  of  the  National  Conference  of  Social 
Work  at  the  Forty-eighth  Annual  Session,  held  in  Wis- 
consin, June,  1921.  Published  by  the  University  of 
Chicago  Press,  Chicago,  111.  (Apply  to  William  H. 
Parker,  General  Secretary  of  the  Conference,  315  Ply- 
mouth Court,  Chicago,  111.) 
MUNICIPAL  EMPLOYEES'  ANNUITY  AND  BENEFIT 

FUND 

"An  Act  Relating  to  Municipal  Employees'  Annuity 
and  Benefit  Fund,  Chicago,"  with  explanatory  state- 
ment and  accompanying  tables.  1921.  130  pp.  Covers 
the  act  in  force  in  Chicago  since  July  1,  1921.  (Apply 
to  The  Municipal  Employees'  Annuity  and  Benefit 
Fund,  Room  1005,  City  Hall,  Chicago,  111.) 
STATE  PARKS 

"State  Parks,"  by  Harold  A.  Capam,  landscape 
architect.  New  York.  17  pp.  Illustrated.  Descriptions 
of  state  parks  in  the  United  States.  Published  as  a 
Supplement  to  the  National  Municipal  Review,  Novem- 
ber. 1921.  (Apply  to  the  National  Municipal  League, 
261  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Cletrac  Is  Never  Idle 

CLETRAC  will  keep  your  streets  clean  as  a  whistle, 
the  year  around.  It  is  the  ideal  power  for  building 
new  roads  and  keeping  old  ones  up  to  date.  And  its 
sensible  crawler-type  construction  allows  Cletrac  to 
stay  on  the  job  in  spite  of  bad  weather  and  slippery  footing. 

If  you  haven't  enough  street  cleaning  and  road  work 
in  your  town  to  keep  Cletrac  busy  all  year  'round,  you 
can  easily  make  it  pay  for  itself  by  renting  it  to  contractors 
for  road  building  and  excavation  work.  Or  to  industrial 
concerns  for  heavy  haulage  jobs. 

Let  us  send  you  actual  money-saving  facts  and  figures 
and  the  names  of  municipalities  in  your  vicinity  that 
are  using  Cletracs. 

THE  CLEVELAND  TRACTOR  COMPANY 

Largest  Producers  of  Tank-Type  Tractors' in  the  World 

19205  Euclid  Avenue  Cleveland,  Ohio 


92 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  Citv. 


Apeil,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


401 


EXPANSION  AND  CONTRACTION  OF  CONCEETE 

"A  Study  of  the  Effect  of  Moisture  upon  the  Expan- 
sion and  Contraction  of  Plain  and  Reinforced  Concrete/' 
by  Torata  Matsumoto.  Published  as  Bulletin  Ko.  126 
Engineering   Experiment   Station,   University  of  Illinois' 

1921.  37  pp.  Illustrated.  20  cents.  (Apply  to  the  Engi- 
neering Experiment  Station,  University  of  Illinois,  Ur- 
bana.  111.) 

NEW  JERSEY  ROADS 

Paper  on  Koads,  presented  by  C.  E.  F.  Hetrick 
:Mayor,  Asbury  Park,  before  the  North  Jersey  Shore 
league  of  Municipalities.  Illustrated.  (Apply  to  author  ) 
NEW  YORK  STATE  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT 

■•Work  and  Aims  of  Health  Department,"  by  F  D 
Beagle,  Executive  Clerk,  State  Department  of  Health,' 
Albany,    N.    Y.     Reprinted    from    the    January-Februarv, 

1922,  State  Service  Magazine.  7  pp.  (Apply  to  author, 
addres.s  above.) 

TESTS  FOR  PURE  WATER 

••The  Kejictions  of  CnUure  Aledia,"  by  George  C. 
Bunker,  Physiologist  to  The  Panama  Canal,  and  Henry 
Schuber,  Chemist  and  Bacteriologist  at  Miraflores  Puri- 
fication Plant.  Reprinted  from  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Water  Work.s  Association,  January,  1922.  53 
pp.  IllustrHted.  Gives  the  results  of  the  authors'  ex- 
perience in  determining  the  hydrogen-ion  concentration 
of  some  of  the  commonly  used  media  by  means  of  color 
standards.  (Apply  to  George  C.  Bunker,  Physiologist 
to  The  Panama  Canal,  Ancon,  Canal  Zone  ). 
CITY  PLANNING  IN  THE  UNITED   STATES 

"A  Review  of  City  Planning  in  the  United  States. 
1920-21,"  by  Theodora  Kimball,  Librarian,  School  of 
Landscape  Architecture,  Harvard  University.  Enlarged 
from  article  in  National  Municipal  Review,  January, 
1922.  (Apply  to  author,  Cambridge,  Mass.) 
THE  POLICE  POWER  AND  CITY  PLANNING 

"Enforcing  an  Official  City  Plan  for  Streets  as  a 
Police  Power  Regulation."  Published  by  the  Na- 
tional Conference  on  City  Planning,  as  Bulletin  No.  2, 
Series  1922.  Contains  the  decision  in  the  case  of 
Town  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  vs.  Henry  D.  Whitney  et  al., 
that  under  a  proper  statute  an  official  plan  may  be 
adopted  which  private  development  must  follow,  for 
which  interference  there  is  no  compensation.  (Apply 
to  Flavel  Shurtlefl".  Secretary,  National  Conference  on 
City  Planning.  60  State  Street.  Boston,  Mass. 
CONDUCTING  A  MILK  CAMPAIGN 

"How  to  Have  a  Successful  Milk  Campaign,"  by  the 
Departments  of  Agricultural  Journalism  and  Home 
Economics  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  Published 
by  the  Extension  Service  of  the  College  of  Agriculture, 
University  of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis.,  as  Circular 
No.  140,  December,  1921.  32  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply 
to  publishers.) 


SURVEY  OF  ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

"St.  Louis  Social  and  Religious  Survey,"  conducted 
by  the  Church  Federation  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1922.  An 
8-page  folder.  (Apply  to  The  Committee  on  Social  and 
Religious  Surveys,  111  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 
SAFETY  INSTRUCTION  IN  SCHOOLS 

"Safety  Education,"  a  report  read  to  the  Cincinnati 
Principals'  Association,  January,  1921,  by  F.  E.  Reszke, 
Principal  Whittier  School,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  10  gp! 
(Apply    to    author,    address    above.) 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  TJ.  S.  PUBLIC  HEALTH 
SERVICE 

"The  United  States  Public  Health  Service:  Its  Evolu- 
tion and  Organization.  Reprint  No.  661  from  the 
Public  Health  Reports,  May  27,  1921.  Published  by 
the  United  States  Public  Health  Service,  Treasury 
Department,  Washington,  D.  C.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
NEW  ROCHELLE,  N.  Y.,  ZONING  ORDINANCE 

Zoning  Ordinance  of  the  city  of  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 
16   pp.      Map.      (Apply  to  Jere  Milleman,   Chairman   of 
Board    of   Appeals   on    Zoning,    31    Faneuil   Place,    New 
Rochelle,    N.    Y.) 
THE  RESOURCES  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES 

"Blue  Book  of  Southern  Progress,"  published  by 
the  Manufacturers  Record,  Baltimore,  Md.  1922.  72 
pp.  50  cents.  A  brief  industrial  history  of  the  South, 
with  statistical  statements  of  the  existing  and  potential 
resources  of  the  region.  (Apply  to  publishers,  address 
above.) 
FINANCES  OF  SCOTT   COUNTY,  IOWA 

Financial  Report  of  Scott  County,  Iowa,  for  the  year 
1920.      Compiled    by   the    County    Auditor.       (Apply    to 
Joseph  Wagner,   County  Auditor,   Davenport,  Iowa.) 
PROTECTION  OF  STATE-  FORESTS 

Forest  Warden's  Manual,  by  W.  Darrow  Clark,  Chief 
Forest  Fire  Warden  'of  North  Carolina.  Published  by 
the  Forestry  Division,  North  Carolina  Geological  and 
p:conomic  Survey.  1922.  23  pp.  (Apply  to  author. 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.) 
WATER   PUBLICATION 

For   copies   of    "Water   Purification   in   Iowa,"    listed 
in     The    American     City    for    March,     1922,     apply    to 
Jack    J.   Hinman,    Jr.,    State    University   of   Iowa,   Iowa 
City,   Iowa.) 
THE   CHICAGO  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 

"Suggestions  for  Studying  the  Chicago  Public 
Schools,"  prepared  by  the  Board  of  Education  for 
the  convenience  of  the  members  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association  attending  the  meeting  of  the  De- 
partment of  Superintendence.  1922.  40  pp.  Illus- 
trated. (Apply  to  Louis  F.  Wilk,  Secretary,  Board  of 
Education,    Chicago,    111.) 


Municipal  Reports 


Baltimore,  Md. — The  Ordinance  of  Estimates  for  the 
yenr  1922.  with  detailed  statements  of  the  appropria- 
tinrs  for  the  maintenance  of  the  government  of  the  city 
3f  Baltimore.  (Apply  to  Peter  E.  Tome,  City  Comp- 
:roller.  Baltimore,  Md.) 

Bellingham,  Wash. — City  Comptroller's  Annual  Re- 
port. 1920.  (Apply  to  Charles  A.  McLennan,  City 
[Comptroller,    Bellingham,   Wash.) 

Boston,  Mass. — Annual  Report  of  the  Assessing  De- 
partment for  the  year  1920.  (Apply  to  Frederick  H. 
reinple.  Secretary,  Assessors  of  the  City  of  Boston,  City 
Hall  Annex,  Boston,  Mass.) 

Chicago,  111. — Twenty-fourth  Annual  Report  of  the 
Department  of  Gas  and  Electricity,  1920.  (Apply  fo 
iVilliani  G.  Keith,  Commissioner  of  Gas  and  Electricity, 
[Jhicago,  111. 

Clarksburg,  W.  Va. — Semi-pnnual  Report  for  the  six 
months  ending  December  31,  1921.  (Apply  to  Harrison 
R.   Otis,  City  Manager.) 

Dayton,  Ohio. — Annual  Report  of  the  Division  of 
Health,  Department  of  Public  Welfare,  for  the  year 
1921.  (Apply  to  A.  O.  Peters,  M.  D.,  Commissioner  of 
Health.) 

Erie,  Pa. — Fifty-fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  Water-works,  for  the  year  ending  Decem- 
her  31,  1920.  (Apply  to  James  S.  Dunwoody,  Sui)or- 
intendent   of   Water-works.) 

Greeley,  Colo. — Annual  Report  of  the  Water  Depart- 
nent  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1921.  (Apply 
o  Milton  Seaman,  Superintendent  of  Water,  Greeley, 
:olo.) 

Jackson,  Miss. — Quarterly  Financial  Statements  for 
rhe  quarters  ending  September  30,  1921,  and  December 
31,   1921.      (Apply  to   A.  W.  Tobias,  City  Auditor.) 

Kalamazoo,  Mich. — Budget  for  the  year  1922,  as  en- 


acted by  the  City  Commission,  December  30,  1921. 
(Ajjply  to  Harry  H.  Freeman,  City  Manager.) 

Kalispell,  Mont. — Eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Water 
Department  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1921. 
(Apply  to  W.  H.  Lawrence,  Superintendent  of  Water 
Department.) 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. — Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Annual 
Reports  of  the  Board  of  Public  Utilities,  for  the  years 
ending  June  30,  1920,  and  June  30.  1921,  respectively. 
(Apply  to  Robert  E.  Wirsching,  President  Board  of 
Public  Utilities.) 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. — Report  of  the  Auditor  for  the 
fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1921.  (Apply  to  John  S. 
Myers,  City  Auditor.) 

New  York,  N.  Y.— Report  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Taxes  and  Assessments  for  the  year  ending  March  31, 
1921.  (Apply  to  C.  Rockland  Tyng,  Secretary,  Com- 
mission of  Taxes  and  Assessments,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 

Palo  Alto,  Calif. — Annual  Report  of  the  Health  De- 
partment for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1921. 
(Apply  to  Louis  Olsen,  Health  Officer.) 

Saginaw,  Mich. — Annual  Report  of  the  Department 
of  Light,  Water  and  Sewers  for  1921.  (Apply  to  R.  F. 
Johnson,    Commissioner  of   Light.   Water  and    Sewers.) 

St.  Louis,  Mo. — Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Tower  Grove  Park,  for  the  year  endini; 
December  31,  1921.  (Apply  to  C.  E.  Hutehings,  Secre- 
tary, Commissioners  of  Tower  Grove  Park,  St.  I-ouis, 
Mo.) 

Wilmington,  Del. — Fifty-second  Rep»rt  of  the  Board 
of  Water  Commissioners,  for  the  fiscal  year  1920-21. 
(Apply  to  James  I.  Ford,  President,  Board  of  Water 
Commissioners. ) 

Winston-Salem,  N.  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Health  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1921. 
(Apply  to  R.  L.  Carlton,  M.  D.,   Health  Officer.) 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


CUT  STREET  CLEANING  COSTS 
SQUARELY  IN  HALF! 


^M*'^:    'I' 


The  AUTOSWEEPER 


The 
AUTO-EDUCTOR 


The  Auto  Sweeper  for  Streets 

Works  at  twice  the  speed  of  horse-drawn 
sweepers.  One  AUTOSWEEPER  does  the 
work  of  two  horse-drawn  sweepers. 

Sprays  the  street  and  sweeps  it. 

Placed  near  center  of  street,  it  is  unequalled  as 
a  "feeder"  to  a  pick-up  sweeper. 

Circular  No.  AAA  tells  all  about  the  AUTO- 
SWEEPER. 


A  Pick-Up  Sweeper 

A  sentence  from  a  sample  letter: — 
"We  have  made  50%  saving  in  street  cleaning  since 
introducing  the  ELGIN,  Aug.  20,  1918."   Name 
on  request. 

You'll  find  "The  Eventual  Method"  in  The 
ELGIN :  the  machine  that  sprays  the  street,  cleans 
the  gutter,  sweeps  1  0  ft.  of  pavement,  collects  the 
refuse  and  carts  it  away. 

1  63  owners  have  284  Elgin  machines. 

Circular  No.  A-48  describes  The  ELGIN. 


Catch  Basins  Cleaned  Quickly 

During  last  September,  Chicago's  7  AUTO- 
EDUCTORS  cleaned  2,809  catch  basins  at 
$1.90  each. 

In  the  same  month,  Chicago  cleaned  1 , 1 65 
catch  basins  by  hand.   These  cost  $4.41  each. 

The  AUTO-EDUCTOR  saved  $2.51  per 
catch  basin. 

Without  alteration,  and  with  little  additional  equipment,  the 
AUTO-EDUCTOR  becomes  a  flusher,  sprinkler,  tree- 
sprayer,  snow  plow,  ordinary  truck,  etc.  Can  be  used  365 
days  a  year,  both  day  and  night. 

Circular  No.  A-50  tells  how. 


THE    ELGIN    LINE    COMPRISES    AMERICA'S    LEADERS 

ELGIN  SALES  CORPORATION 


501   Fifth  Avenue, 
NEW  YORK 


U.  S.  A. 


Old  Colony  Building, 
CHICAGO 


93 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


4«3 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for   City  and   County   Engineers,  City  Managers,   Water-Works   Super- 
intendents, City   Controllers,  Park  Superintendents,  Purchasing  Agents,   and 
Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  Efficient  Operation  of 
Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


Garbage  Handling  in  Akron 

The  Division  of  Waste,  Akron,  Ohio,  has 
adapted  a  15-ton  motor  tractor  to  the  task  of 
hauhng  garbage  between  the  city  and  the  stock- 
feeding  fa^m,  9  miles  distant.  At  the  start  the 
eno^ineers  thought  of  using  horses,  but  were 
prJictically  unanimous  in  their  behef  that  this 
would  be  both  expensive  and  inefficient,  so 
motor  trucks  were  considered.  The  engineers 
felt  that  the  purchase  of  a  sufficient  number  of 
motor  trucks  to  handle  the  work  would  require 
too  large  an  initial  outlay.  Furthermore,  in 
house-to-house  collection,  they  realized  that 
horse-drawn  units  would  be  much  more  eco- 
nomical than  large  motor  trucks. 

The  system  as  finally  organrzed  made  use  of  a 
15-ton  ^Nlack  tractor,  made  by  the  International 
Motor  Company,  25  Broadway,  New  York  City, 
to  draw  three  trailers,  each  with  a  capacity  of 
three  tons.  Each  trailer  was  to  be  hauled  from 
house  to  house  by  horses  for  the  collection  of 
garbage,  and  then,  fully  loaded,  to  be  covered 
with  tarpaulin  and  taken  to  a  central  point 
where  they  would  be  formed  into  a  train  drawn 
to  the  piggery  by  the  tractors.  After  a  few 
trips  it  was  found  that  the  tractor  could  handle 


more  than  three  trailers  without  excessive 
strain.  Consequently,  other  trailers  were  added, 
and  soon  the  tractor  was  hauling  six  trailers  on 
each  trip. 

The  trip  from  the  city  to  the  stock-feeding 
farm  consists  of  nine  miles  of  well-paved  but 
hilly  road  with  a  number  of  long,  steep  grades, 
one  with  an  incline  of  approximately  9  per 
cent.  The  tractor  hauled  the  six  trailers  on 
this  trip  in  one  hour  and  forty  minutes.  The 
trailers  are  of  the  side-dump  type  with  drop 
frame,  which  can  be  unloaded  at  the  piggery  in 
a  very  short  time.  The  tractor  does  not  carry 
a  load  of  garbage,  but  sufficient  traction  is  ob- 
tained by  a  number  of  weights  equal  to  about 
two  tons.  W.  C.  Rawson  is  Superintendent  of 
Garbage  Disposal,  and  B.  J.  Hill,  Purchasing 
Agent  for  the  city  of   Akron. 

New  Pumping  Engine 
for  Newport,  Ky. 

The  Ahrens-Fox  Fire  Engine  Company,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  recently  received  a  contract  for  a 
1,300-gallon  auto  pumping  engine  and  for  a 
tractor  to  be  attached  to  an  aerial  ladder  truck 
for  Newport,  Ky. 


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A  TRAILER  TRAIN   ON  ITS  WAY  TO   THE  AKRON  GARBAGE  FARM 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


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Tractors 

for  power,  speed,  economy 

Preparing  streets  for  repaying,  breaking  up  old  pavements,  making  new 
thoroughfares,  all  require  an  abundance  of  steady,  dependable  power. 

Scarifiers,  plows,  drills,  levelers,  scrapers,  graders,  etc.,  do  their  best 
work,  and  more  of  it,  when  propelled  by  good  tractors.  This  is  because 
the  tractor  has  the  reserve  power  to  keep  the  tool  moving  constantly 
at  proper  speeds  and  with  proper  adjustments  for  maximum   results. 

Tractors  like  the  BEST  concentrate  the  pulling  power  of  a  large 
number  of  animals  within  a  small  unit  which  is  easy  to  manage,  easy 
to  maneuver,  and  which  has  none  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh. 

Best  Tractors  are  famous  for  stamina,  power  and  dependability,  and 
their  cost  for  up-keep  and  operation  is  small.  That  is  why  they  are 
being  adopted  more  and  more  by  municipal,  county  and  state  officials 
for  road  and  street  making  and  maintenance. 

Let  us  send  you  further  details  on  the  use  of  tractors  for  road  and  street 
work.     Write  for  catalogs,  prices  and  names  of  our  nearest  dealers. 

C.  L.  BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO  -  CALIFORNIA 

There  are  three  models  of  Best  Tractors — the  "Sixty,"  the  "Thirty" 
and   the    "Cruiser"    (60).      All  are  factory-built — not   assembled. 


"Sixty" 


"Thirty" 


Cruiser 


94 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  Citt. 


Apr.,  1922  METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


405 


A  ONE-MAK  MOTOR  MOWER  FOR  PARKS 


A  Small  Motor  Mower 
of  Large  Capacity 

To  combine  the  extreme  Hexibility  of  the 
hand  lawn-mower  with  the  large  cutting  capac- 
ity, rolling  feature  and  other  advantages  and 
conveniences  of  the  motor  mower,  the  Coldwell 
Lawn  Mower  Company,  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  has 
brought  out  the  new  Coldwell  Model  L  motor 
mower  and  roller,  which  cuts  a  25-inch  swath. 
This  mower  is  adapted  particularly  for  large 
lawns,  parks,  cemeteries  and  public  grounds  and 
for  fine  cutting  on  tennis  courts  and  bowling 
greens.  It  is  equipped  with  a  Fuller  &  Johnson 
motor  and  is  claimed  to  fill  the  need  for  a  prac- 
tical motor-driven  hand-controlled  lawn-mower 
with  plenty  of  reserve  power  which  will  make 
it  possible  to  cut  close  up  to  and  around  trees, 
shrubbery,  walks  and  driveways,  to  operate  effi- 
ciently on  the  smaller  areas,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  be  able  to  cut  four  to  six  acres  per  day 
on  the  larger  areas  of  lawn.  The  cutting  knives, 
which  are  positively  controlled  and  operated  by 
power  transmitted  directly  from  the  motor  in- 
dependently of  the  drive  rofler,  are  an  integral 
part  of  the'  machine  and  have  been  designed  and 
tested  for  their  special  function  under  power. 


(D 


Safe  Steps  for  Public  Build iDgs 

Many  municipal  officials  have  had  their 
troubles  in  getting  steps  that  are  safe  for  the 
public  without  sacrificing  attractive- 
ness and  economy.  In  the  Girls' 
Trade  School  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
a  $350,000  building,  the  architects 
have  made  every  step  slip-proof  and 
at  the  same  time  practically  wear- 
proof, thus  eliminating  maintenance 
costs.  In  accomplishing  this  end, 
Alundum  safety  title,  made  by  the 
Norton  Company,  Worcester.  Mass., 
has  been  used  in  combination  with 
iron  and  steel. 

In  laying  standard  Norton  Alun- 
dum safety  stair  tread  tile,  a  bed  of 
mortar  well  anchored  by  steel  an- 
chors and  composed  of  one  part  Port- 


land cement  and  two  parts  clean,  sharp  sand,  not 
less  than  i  inch  in  thickness,  is  applied  over  a 
special  cast  iron  tread  depressed  to  receive  the 
tile.  The  tile  is  then  soaked  in  clean  water,  and 
before  setting  into  place  is  drained  only  long 
enough  to  allow  the  water  to  disappear  from  the 
surface.  With  a  mortar  composed  of  one  part 
Portland  cement  and  one  part  clean,  sharp,  fine 
sifted  sand,  mixed  to  a  consistency  usually  al- 
lowed for  ordinary  lime  mortar,  the  entire  bot- 
tom surface  of  the  tile  is  then  scantily  buttered. 
The  edges  of  the  tile  are  also  buttered  with  the 
same  mortar.  Then  the  tile  is  laid  true  to  line 
on  the  bed  with  a  shoved  joint  of  about  34-inch. 
Excess  mortar  is  trimmed  off  with  a  trowel, 
and  the  tile  tamped  to  a  level  surface,  care  being 
taken  not  to  smudge  the  surface  of  the  tile.  As 
soon  as  the  mortar  has  properly  set,  the  joints 
are  rubbed  and  all  cement  cleaned  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  tile  with  a  soft  abrasive  brick  or  a 
piece  of  sandstone  and  water.  Immediately  after 
the  cleansing  of  the  tile,  it  is  thoroughly  rinsed 
with  a  strong  stream  of  water,  and  is  kept 
sprinkled  for  a  period  of  from  two  to  six  days. 

New  Cast  Iron  Pipe  Office 

The  United  States  Cast  Iron  Pipe  &  Foundry 
Company,  Burlington,  N.  J.,  has  announced  the 
opening  of  a  new  office  at  the  Interstate  Build- 
ing, Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  charge  of  D.  W. 
Pratt,  Sales  Agent. 

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WORKING    SKETCH    FOR    LAYING    SAFETY    TREAD    ON 
STAIRS 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Why  Road  Builders  Prefer 
Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt 


Contractors  and  engineers  who  have  laid 
or  supervised  Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  pave- 
ments prefer  it  to  other  hard  surface  types. 
The  reason  for  this  is  evident  when  the  ad- 
vantages of  this  natural  asphalt  mix  is  un- 
derstood and  verified  by  experience. 

Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  is  ready  mixed 
and  ready  to  lay  cold  on  any  base  adequate 
to  carry  the  traffic.  It  is  shipped  in  open 
top  cars  and  may  be  unloaded  and  handled 
by  machinery  at  a  considerable  saving. 
Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  is  not  susceptible 
to  damage  from  the  weather.  The  material 
may  be  ordered  in  at  any  time  and  stored 
in  the  open  at  convenient  sites  along  the 
work,  thereby  eliminating  costly  delays. 

iS«?       J3¥?       ia«? 

No  expensive  equipment  is  required  in 
Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  construction.  Shov- 
els, rakes  and  a  roller  are  all-  the  equipment 
needed.  There  is  no  need  of  skilled  or  ex- 
pert asphalt  workmen. 

Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  requires  no  spe- 
cial binder  course  on  curb.  The  material  is 
spread  cold  on  the  base;  raked  to  proper 
depth  and  rolled.  The  pavement  may  be 
thrown  open  to  traffic  immediately. 
.«e'     is«?     <i^ 

Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  has  eliminated 
the  risk  of  surface  failures  or  replacements. 
Every  contractor  knows  that  in  laying  the 
more  common  types  of  asphalts,  he  con- 
stantly faces  the  risk  due  to  human  error  in 
mixing,  heating  or  laying.  Kentucky  Rock 
Asphalt  is  uniform,  by  laboratory  test.  Ex- 
posure to  the  elements,  even  for  a  period  of 
years,  does  not  affect  it.     Laid  on  a  base 


sufficient  for  the  traffic,  it  always  gives  max- 
imum results. 

Foundation  replacement  is  not  difficult 
even  after  the  surface  has  been  laid.  The 
rock  asphalt  may  be  cut  away  and,  after  the 
base  has  been  repaired,  the  asphalt  may  be 
broken  up  and  used  again  in  restoring  the 
surface. 

Surface  irregularities  may  be  corrected 
without  disturbing  the  pavement.  If  a 
slight  depression  occurs  in  the  finished  job, 
the  surface  may  be  roughened  and  brought 
to  proper  grade  by  adding  rock  asphalt.  The 
patch,  after  a  few  days'  traffic,  will  bond  so 
perfectly  that  it  may  not  be  detected. 

The  finished  Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  sur- 
face is  equal  in  every  respect  and  in  many 
ways  superior  to  sheet  asphalt.  It  is  smooth, 
noiseless,  dustless  and  resilient.  Kentucky 
Rock  Asphalt  pavements  do  not  crack,  roll, 
buckle  or  bleed  even  under  the  most  severe 
traffic  and  climatic  conditions. 

Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  has  been  recog- 
nized in  the  standard  specifications  of  ten 
states.  It  has  been  approved  for  Federal 
aid  on  such  heavy  traffic  roads  as  the  Dixie, 
Jackson  and  Lincoln  Highways  and  the  Na- 
tional Road. 

a^     si^     ae 

If  you  are  a  contractor,  anxious  to  get 
away  from  costly  equipment  and  many  un- 
certainties of  road  and  street  construction, 
or  if  you  are  an  engineer  eager  to  serve  your 
community  by  building  the  best  pavement 
at  a  reasonable  cost,  it  will  pay  you  to  in- 
vestigate Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt.  Write 
for  Booklet  D 


Kentucky  Rock  Asphalt  Company 


INCORPORATED 


711-718  Marion  E.  Taylor  Building 


LOUISVILLE,  KENTUCKY 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


Apr.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


407 


No  Concrete  House  Connections 
in  Baltimore 

On  page  17  of  the  January,  1922,  issue  of 
The  American  City,  there  appeared  a  plan 
showing  the  Baltimore  method  of  placing 
double  house  connections  for  sewers  under  a 
sidewalk,  in  the  article,  '-'The  Laying  of  Con- 
crete Pipe  Sewers."  We  are  in  receipt  of  a 
letter  from  A.  E.  Christhilf,  Highways  Engi- 
neer, Sewer  Division,  Baltimore,  Md.,  stating 
that  he  feels  that  this  caption  may  lead  our 
readers  to  the  inference  that  concrete  pipe  is 
being  used  for  house  sewers  in  Baltimore.  No 
concrete  pipe  has  ever  been  used  in  Baltimore 
for  sanitary  sewers.  There  are,  however,  some 
storm-water  drains  carrying  only  non-polluted 
waste  that  have  been  built  of  concrete  pipe 
ranging  in  size  from  24  to  48  inches. 

How  to  Travel  to  the  I.  A.  F.  E. 
Convention 

I'ire  engineers,  fire  chiefs  and  others  who  ex- 
pect to  attend  the  annual  convention  of  the 
International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers  in 
San  Francisco,  August  9-18,  should  secure  a 
copy  of  the  itinerary  which  has  been  prepared 
by  F.  E.  Bensen,  Eureka  Fire  Hose  Depart- 
ment, U.  S.  Rubber  Company,  27  Barclay  Street, 
New  York  City.  This  itinerary  covers  the 
complete  trip  from  New  York,  starting  August 
5,  to  the  convention  and  return.  As  reserva- 
tions are  being  made  in  the  order  of  receipt, 
those  who  would  like  to  go  on  this  interesting 
trip  should  communicate  with  Mr.  Bensen  at 
once. 

A  Meter  Box  for  Southern  Cities 

The  "Crescent"  meter  box  illustrated  here- 
with has  been  developed  by  the  Ford  Meter  Box 
Company,  406  South  Carroll  Street,  Wabash, 
Ind.,  particularly  for  Southern  cities.  Exhaus- 
tive studies  were  made  of  the  requirements  of 
the  Sewerage  and  Water  Board  of  New  Or- 
leans, La.,  and  this  meter  box  was  worked  out  to 
fit  conditions.  The  box  is  complete  and  entirely 
self-contained,  having  within  its  base  a  stop  and 
waste  cock,  an  expansion  coupling,  and  a  test 
valve  on  the  outlet  side  of  the  rrteter,  all  made 
of  high-grade  bronze.  In  comparing  the  cost 
of  installing  this  meter  box  with  that  of  install- 
ing any  other  type,  it  is  well  to  keep  in  mind  that 
with  it  the  usual  curb  stop,  curb  box,  meter  con- 
nections and  test  valve  are  eliminated.  The 
meter  may  be  easily  installed  or  removed  with- 
out the  use  of  tools,  joints  being  made  by  com- 
pression only.  Bronze  inlet  and  outlet  parts  are 
tapped  regularly  for  ^-inch  iron  pipe,  but 
solder  nipples  may  be  used. 

Where  it  may  be  desired  to  continue  in  use  a 
standard  curb  stop,  already  installed,  a  bronze 
adapter  may  be  substituted  for  the  stop  and 
waste  valve  as  regularly  furnished.  The  main 
body  of  the  box  is  of  cast  iron,  made  into  inner 
and  outer  shells,  threaded  so  that  the  depth  of 
the  box  may  be  adjusted  to  suit  service  lines 
from  12  to  18  inches  deep.  The  top  of  the  box 
is  thus  easily  kept  at  grade. 


A  DISSECTED  METER  BOX 

The  top  of  the  "Crescent"  meter  box  is  made 
in  two  regular  styles — loose,  as  illustrated,  and 
locking.  The  loose  lids  are  provided  with  deep 
webs,  so  that  they  cannot  be  jarred  out  of  the 
cover  top.  They  may  be  lifted  out  by  means  of 
a  hand  tool,  which  is  supplied  with  the  box. 
The  locking  lid  is  simple  and  is  operated  by  a 
key,  which  becomes  a  lifting  handle  when  the 
lid  is  unlocked.  The  keyhole  is  unobstructed,  so 
that  any  dirt  falling  into  it  will  pass  straight 
through  and  not  jam  the  lock.  At  present,  this 
meter  box  is  made  for  standard  f^-inch  meters 
only,  having  meter  spuds  of  i  1/16  inches  ex- 
ternal diameter. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Choose  Your  Street  Flusher  for  What 
It  Can  Do  and  What  It  Costs  to  Do  It 

WE  know  from  reliable  records  that  Tiffin  Street 
Flushers  Jo  MORE  WORK  and  BETTER  WORK 
at  a  lower  OPERATING  EXPENSE  than  any  other  street 
flushers. 

We  ask  the  opportunity  of  proving  these  claims  to  you. 
Because  we  have  been  able  to  prove  them  to  others,  there 
are,  today,  more  Tiffin  Flushers  in  successful  operation 
than  any  other  make. 

The  TIFFIN  WAGON  COMPANY 

TIFFIN,  OHIO 

Builders   of   Tiffin   Motor  Trucks    {specializing  in  Municipal  types),  also 
Tiffin  Dump  Wagons,  Sanitary  Carts,  etc.,  etc. 

FLUSHERS 


9G 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


Apr.,  1922 


METHODS,     MATERIALS     AND    APPLIANCES 


409 


Drinking  Fountains 
for  Outdoor  Use 

Municipal  authorities  tiave 
learned  by  severe  rinancial 
losses  and  bitter  experiences 
that  it  is  ruinous  to  install 
fountains  designed  for  in- 
door use  alone  along  streets, 
in  parks,  playgrounds  and 
other  open  places.  They  are 
not  usually  built  strong 
enough  to  withstand  public 
wear  and  tear.  Most  such 
fountains  must  be  turned  off 
at  the  approach  of  cold 
weather,  and  yet  there  are 
many  pleasant  days  in  the 
late  fall  and  early  spring 
when  drinking  water  in 
public  places  is  highly  de- 
sirable. 

The  Murdock  Manufac- 
turing and  Supply  Company, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  makes  an 
anti-freezing  drinking  foun- 
tain designed  for  all-year 
service.  This  fountain  does 
not  need  to  be  turned  off  at 
the  approach  of  winter,  nor 
does  it  have  to  be  dismantled  or  boxed  up,  as  it 
is  built  to  stand  the  usual  wear  and  tear  on 
public  drinking  fountains,  with  the  exception  of 
unusual  accidents  and  malicious  abuse.  While  all 
working  parts  of  this  fountain  are  buried  in  the 
ground  below  the  reach  of  frost,  they  are  rea- 
sonably accessible  without  digging  up  the  main 
fixture.  Removing  the  pedal  and  two  small 
bolts  permits  all  working  parts,  including  the 
valves,  to  be  lifted  out.  Thus  when  re-washer- 
ing  or  packing  is  required,  it  is  only  a  few 
moments'  work  to  make  the  shift. 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  an  anti- 
freezing  fountain  with  a  memorial  feature.  This 
was  erected  in  Lytle  Park,  Cincinnati,  by  Dr. 
Merrill  Ricketts  in  memory  of  his  son,  who  was 
killed  with  the  Marines  in 
France.  The  reverse  side 
of  the  granite  rock  has  a 
tablet  imbedded  in  it  with 
the  names  of  all  Cincinnati 
Marines  who  made  the  su- 
preme sacrifice  in  France. 
This  furnishes  a  memorial 
which  performs  a  real  ser- 
vice to  the  public. 


IT  TAKES  AN  AGILE  YOUNGSTER  TO  STICK  TO  THIS 


A    MEMORIAL    FOUNTAIN    IN    CINCINNATI 


A  Mechanical  Greased  Pig 

A  new  piece  of  playground  apparatus  that 
challenges  the  physical  abilities  of  almost  any 
red-blooded  American  youngster  is  shown  in 
the  accompanying  illustration.  This  barrel-of- 
fun  is  a  sort  of  greased  pig  affair  which  has 
proved  quite  popular  in  the  Southern  States  and 
has  been  developed  by  the  Hill-Standard  Com- 
pany, Anderson,  Ind.,  for  general  playground 
use. 

The  barrel  runs  freely  in  the  center  of  a 
horizontal  pipe  axle  two  feet  above  the  ground. 
This  axle,  ten  feet  in  length,  extends  from  the 
center  of  the  barrel  head  and  is  supported  at  the 
extreme  ends  by  uprights  which  are  imbedded 
in  concrete.  Being  made  entirely  of  pressed 
steel,  the  barrel  offers  little  chance  for  injury, 
is  weather-proof  and  always  ready  for  use. 
Many  feats  of  skill  may  be  performed  upon 
this,  such  as  balancing  with  the  body  in  all  con- 
ceivable positions,  diving  over,  somersaults, 
treadmill,  and  a  number  of  other  stunts. 


Elgin  Moves 
Chicago  Office 

The  Elgin  Sales  Cor- 
poration has  announced 
that  on  March  31  it 
moved  its  Chicago  office 
to  10  South  La  Salle 
Street,  Chicago,  111. 

This  company  handles 
the  sales  of  Elgin  Auto- 
sweepers  and  pick-up 
sweepers  for  street 
cleaning  and  Auto- 
Eductors  for  removing 
lilth  from  catch-basins. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


TRINIDAD 
in  Chicago 


Madison  Street,  near 
Wabash,  Chicago. 
Kesurfaced  with 
Trinidad  Sheet 
Asphalt  in  1912.  No 
maintenance  cost  to 
date. 


Where  quality  remains 

—  price  is  forgotten 

Twenty-five  years  and  more  of  service — under  terrific  pound- 
ing of  traffic — is  the  record  of  Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  Streets  in 
all  parts  of  the  world. 

And  it's  this  wonderful  endurance— AN  ABSOLUTE 
PROOF  OF  QUALITY— that  makes  Trinidad  the  lowest-cost 
paving  material  on  the  market. 

Many  Trinidad  paved  streets  have  resisted  traffic  and  the 
elements  for  OVER  THIRTY  YEARS,  at  a  maintenance  cost 
of  less  than  a  cent  per  yard  per  year.  Think  of  it!  No  other 
bituminous  material  has  even  approached  this  record. 

Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  is  a  NATIVE  bitumen — a  product 
created  by  nature  and  storm-beaten  and  sun-cured  in  the  tropics 
for  ages.  Neither  torrid  heat  nor  arctic  cold  affect  its  binding  and 
wear-resisting  properties. 

Noiseless — long-lasting — low  maintenance — resilient — attract- 
ive. These  are  the  reasons  Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  is  "The 
Standard  Paving  Material  of  the  World." 

Before  paving  new  streets  or  repaving  old  ones,  let  us  send 
you  illustrated  folders  describing  this  remarkable  nature-made 
product. 


The  Genasco  Line 
includes  asphaltic 
roofing,  flooring, 
paints  and  allied 
products.  Write  for 
descriptive    matter. 


New  York 

Chicago 

Pittsburgh 


THE  BARBER  ASPHALT 

COM  -RJ^TSi^^^ 

PHIUADEUPHIA 


St.  Louia 

Kansaa  City 

Atlanta 

San  Francisco 


TRINIDAD  aJAJSlt 


S7 


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Apr.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


411 


New  Central  Fire  Alarm  Office 
for  Shreveport,  La. 

At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Commissioners 
of  the  city  of  Shreveport,  La.,  on  February  28, 
the  bid  of  the  Gamewell  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph 
Company,  Newton  Upper  Falls,  Mass.,  for  a 
new  central  fire  alarm  office  to  be  installed  in 
the  new  central  fire  station  was  accepted,  in- 
cluding 50  new  fire  alarm  boxes.  C.  F.  Maulen, 
of  the  Gamewell  Fire  Alarm  Company's  Dallas 
office,  spoke  at  length  on  the  need  of  additional 
boxes  and  oft'ered  to  install  another  50  boxes, 
making  100  in  all,  at  a  comparatively  small 
additional  cost.  The  latter  proposition  will  be 
voted  on  at  the  next  meeting. 

A  cardboard  map  was  shown  the  members 
of  the  Commission,  on  which  were  various 
colored  pins  indicating  the  old  boxes  in  red  and 
the  50  new  locations  in  green.  This  demonstra- 
tion convinced  the  Commission  that  another  50 
boxes  will  be  needed  shortly.  The  Commission 
also  accepted  the  bid  of  the  Gamewell  Company 
on  a  27-box-and-flashlight  police  system.  With 
the  100  new  fire  alarm  boxes  and  the  27  new 
police  boxes  and  flashlights  the  city  will  be 
much  better  protected.  It  is  felt  that  a  number 
of  mistakes  made  in  telephoning  alarms  to  the 
central  office  will  be  eliminated,  thus  making 
quicker  action  possible. 

Another  fire  station  is  to  be  added  at  the 
corner  of  Line  and  Wilkinson  Streets  in  the 
heart  of  the  new  residential  district.  The  plans 
and  specifications  were  drawn  so  that  a  hand- 
some building  will  be  erected,  to  cost  about 
$35,000.  The  new  central  fire  station  will  be 
located  at  the  corner  of  Crockett  and  Common 
Streets,  will  have  five  doors,  a  machine  shop 
in  the  rear,  and  an  entrance  on  Common  Street. 
The  fire  alarm  office  will  be  on  the  second  story, 
fire-proof  in  every  respect,  and  will  be  fur- 
nished with  Art  Metal  furniture.  There  will 
be  an  80-foot  drill  tower,  with  provisions  for 
drying  hose,  and  for  a  large  fire  bell.  The  fire 
^hell  will  be  used  only  on  second  ^and  third 
alarms.  This  information  was  furnished  The 
Aaif.rican  City  through  the  courtesy  of  S.  J. 
Flores,  Acting  Chief,  Shreveport,  La.,  Fire  De- 
partment. 

Steel  Paving-Guards 
for  Roadways 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  almost  any 
type  of  paving  will  ravel  at  the  edges  unless 
properly  protected.  It  will  fray  because 
of  lack  of  stability  of  the  shoulder  material. 
This  in  turn  permits  the  road  to  lose  its  correct 
cross-section.  Frost  also  causes  fraying  at  the 
edges,  and  inadequate  drainage  and  heavy  and 
fast-moving  traffic  break  down  the  edges  of 
brick,  concrete  and  bituminous  roads,  which  are 
usually  held  in  place  only  by  earth  or  a  cinder 
shoulder  compacted  by  a  steam  roller.  _ 

When  traffic  was  light  and  slow,  this  prob- 
lem was  not  particularly  important.  With  the 
increase  of   traffic,  rubble   stones  were   placed 


PAVING-GUARD    ALONG    EDGE    OF    A    HEAVT- 
TRUCKING    THOROUGHFARE   IN   SOUTH- 
WEST PHILADELPHIA 


along  the  side,  and  later  dressed  granite  blocks 
and  concrete  were  used  as  runners  or  headers. 
But  with  the  present  heavy  truck  traffic  none  of 
these  hold  up  unless  supported  by  some  type  of 
steel  paving-guard  such  as  that  made  by  the 
W.  S.  Godwin  Company,  of  Baltimore,  Md. 
This  steel-armored  edge  bonds  with  the  paving 
and  forms  a  permanent  protection  against  ravel- 
ing. 

New  Parks  for  Petersburg,  Va. 

Petersburg.  Va.,  has  initiated  a  park  program 
to  develop  some  of  the  well-known  Civil  War 
sites  surrounding  the  city.  George  Burnap,  park 
and  town  planner,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  has 
been  engaged  to  prepare  plans  for  the  various 
portions  of  this  system.  One  of  the  first  units 
to  be  developed  is  the  tract  of  450  acres  in 
which  remain  many  of  the  Civil  War  entrench- 
ments in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  This 
area  is  to  be  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Gen- 
eral Lee.  East  View  Park,  an  attractive  piece 
of  land,  on  the  edge  of  a  congested  district,  is 
to  be  remodeled  as  a  community  center.  Plans 
have  been  completed  and  work  is  under  con- 
struction for  a  nine-hole  golf  course  on  the 
grounds  of  the  new  country  club,  which  adjoin 
the  Lee  Memorial  Park  area  and  form  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  park  land  of  that  vicinity. 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Why  Bridgeport  is 

Unpopular  with  Crooks 

TEN  Harley-Davidson  police  motorcycles  are  scooting  about  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,   today — catching   speeders,   curbing   reckless   drivers   and   traffic 
law  violators. 

In  addition  to  paying  the  city  a  profit  on  this  work,  the  Harley-Davidsons 
give  the  citizens  -a  lot  of  extra  police  protection  without  cost  to 
the  taxpayers.  The  very  fact  that  mounted  officers  are  liable  to  be  here, 
there  and  everywhere  makes  the  city  unhealthy  for  crooks  and  they  look 
elsewhere. 

Over  800  American  police  and  sheriff  departments 
are  finding  the  Harley-Davidson  a  real  money- 
maker. It  soon  pays  for  itself  and  then  earns  the 
department  a  good  profit  by  the  additional  "busi- 
ness" it  brings  in.  And  its  durability  and  economy 
(average,  50  miles  for  a  dollar — gas,  oil,  tires  and 
all)  are  famous. 


Ask  your  local  dealer  for 
free  demonstration  of  the 
1922  Harley-Davidson  and 
the  reduced  prices.  Write 
us  for  illustrated  literature 
which  shows  how  several 
American  cities  use  police 
motorcycles.  No  obligation 
to  you. 


HARLEY-DAVIDSON   MOTOR   CO. 

MILWAUKEE  WISCONSIN 


ll^orWs  Champion  Motorcycle 


3 


S 


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Apr.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


413 


MEDIUM-WEIGHT   TRACTORS  HANDLING  FRESNOS   IN  GRADING 


Tractors  for  City  Parks 
and  Golf  Courses 

There  are  about  2,500  golf  courses,  including 
both  municipal  and  private  courses,  in  the 
United  States,  and  every  city  of  any  size  has 
at  least  one  park  which  is  kept  mowed  and 
attractive.  An  interesting  case  of  the  use  of 
medium-weight  tractors  in  the  construction  of 
golf  courses  is  found  at  the  Canterbury  Golf 
Club,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  the  construction 
of  this  course  not  a  single  team  of  horses  was 
used,  but  seven  "Cletracs,"  made  by  the  Cleve- 
land Tractor  Company,  Cleveland,  furnished  the 
tractive  power  for  all  the  work — pulling  scrapers, 
graders,  ditchers,  plows,  etc.,  hauling  materials, 
excavating  for  traps,  throwing  up  bunkers,  level- 
ing ofi  putting  greens  and  tees,  and  plowing  and 
fitting  the  grass  seed  beds  for  the  fairways. 
The  contractor  in  charge  of  this  work  has  been 
using  Cletracs  for  three  years  in  various  parts 
of  the  country  and  has  frequently  used  as  many 
as  qo  teams  of  horses  on  a  single  course.  He 
has  found  that  one  tractor  will  replace  five 
teams  of  horses  throughout  the  year. 

The  Inverness  Club  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  has  a 
i^o-acre  course,  on  which  horses  were  used  al- 
most exclusively  until  a  Cletrac  was  purchased, 
which  mows  the  fairways  and  the  rough,  and 
handles  all  the  haulage  and  repair  work.  The 
tractor  used  is  equipped  with  smooth  tracks  that 
do  not  injure  the  turf,  and  pulls  a  battery  of 
seven  30-inch  roller  lawn  mowers  on  the  fair- 
ways, cutting  a  16-foot  swath  and  mowing  the 
160-acre  course  in  two  days.  A  special  field 
mower  attachment  on  the  tractor  is  used  for 
mowing  the  rough.  The  low-set  construction 
of  the  tractor  and  its  large  tractive  surface 
enable  it  to  work  on  steep  grades  and  hillsides 
without  danger  of  slipping  or  tipping.  The  12- 
horse-power  draw-bar  capacity  and  short  turn- 
ing radius  have  made  it  possible  to  use  the  ma- 
chine for  hauling  wood,  coal,  gravel,  cinders, 
building  material,  etc.,  and  for  doing  repairing 
and  rebuilding  work  on  the  course.  Many  cities 
are  using  Cletracs  in  park  work. 


Membrane  Waterproofing 
for  Large  Reservoir 

An  interesting  test  of  waterproofing  mem- 
brane was  conducted  recently  on  one  of  the 
largest  water  basins  in  the  South,  the  Kilpatrick 
Hill  Reservoir  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  After  a 
layer  of  gunite  had  been  shot  on  the  reservoir 
walls,  the  waterproofing  materials  were  applied 
over  a  small  section  surrounded  by  a  wooden 
frame.  Over  this  was  applied  another  layer  of 
gunite  concrete.  From  this  section  of  water- 
proofing and  concrete  a  heavy  weight  was  sus- 
pended, but  it  failed  to  displace  the  waterproof- 
ing materials,  although  the  gunite  on  the  walls 
above  the  framework  cracked  slightly  under  the 
strain. 

The  details  of  the  method  of  conducting  the 
test  were  as  follows :  First,  the  section  of  the 
reservoir  wall  was  selected  and  gunite  sprayed 
over  the  surface.  After  the  concrete  had  set,  a 
frame  12  x  12  x  3  inches  was  braced  against  the 
wall,  and  inside  of  this  the  waterproofing  mem- 
brane was  formed,  as  follows :  first,  a  layer  of 
Genasco  priming  paint  was  applied,  then  alter- 
nate layers  of  Genasco  positive  seal  asphalt  B 
and  positive  seal  burlap  were  placed,  four  of 
the  former  and  three  of  the  latter  forming  the 
complete  membrane.  On  top  of  this  membrane 
manufactured  by  the  Barber  Asphalt  Com- 
pany, Land  Title  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
a  slab  of  gunite  averaging  40  pounds  to  the 
square  foot  was  sprayed  and  allowed  to  harden 
for  four  days.  A  swinging  platform  was  then 
rigged,  one  end  of  the  supporting  bar  being 
suspended  from  the  box  points  and  the  other 
from  uprights.  The  points  of  suspension  were 
five  feet  apart,  and  a  load  of  six  sacks  of 
cement,  weighing  576  pounds,  was  placed  at  a 
point  one  foot  from  the  block.  This  arrange- 
ment gave  a  direct  downward  pull  of  460.8 
pounds  against  the  waterproofing  fabric,  but 
despite  this  test  the  membrane  held  fast. 

The  waterproofing  of  the  big  reservoir  was 
carried  out  by  Stewart  Brothers  Hardware 
Company,  of  Memphis,  Tenn. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Special  Equipment  for 
Catch-Basin  Cleaning 


THE  Otterson  Auto-Educ- 
tor  is  effecting  marked 
savings  of  time  and 
money  in  many  municipalities 
today.  This  apparatus  is 
mounted  on  a  5-ton  Mack  chas- 
sis and  consists  of  a  large  steel 
tank,  powerful  centrifugal 
pump,  hose,  connections,  etc. 
It  is  operated  entirely  by  the 
truck  engine,  and  constitutes 
the  most  efficient  outfit  made 
for  cleaning  catch- 
basins  or  corner  inlets. 

The  efficiency  of  the 
whole  apparatus — truck 
and  eductor — makes 
possible  an  immediate 
saving  of  from  25%  to  ^ 


75%  in  the  cost  of  doing  such 
work  by  obsolete  methods.  The 
distinct  combination  of  advan- 
tages in  the  apparatus  is  its 
flexibility,  its  speed  of  opera- 
tion, coupled  with  the  low  op- 
erating cost  and  long  life  of  the 
Mack  chassis.  Specifications 
will  be  sent  upon  request. 

Our  latest  '"^Municipal  Equip- 
ment Bulletin"  contains  de- 
tailed descriptions  of  the  most 
comprehensive  line  of 
municipal  transport 
apparatus  available 
today. 

You  should  have  a 
copy.  Simply  drop  us  a 
post-card  requesting  it. 

INTERNATIONAL  MOTOR  COMPANY,  25  Broadway,  New  York 

Branches  O'vned  by  this  Company  operate  under  the  titles 
of:  "MACK  MOTOR  TRUCK  COMPANY"  and  " MACK- 
2STERNATIONAL  MOTOR  TRUCK  CORPORATIOA." 


h(t 


Capacities:     IV2  to  7/^  tons 


PERFORM 


Tractors  to  15  tons 


COUNTS" 


99 


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Apr.,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS     AND    APPLIANCES 


415 


Alvord,  Burdick  &  Howson 

Announcement  has  been  made  that  the  firm 
of  Alvord  &  Burdick  will  hereafter  be  known 
as  Alvord,  Burdick  &  Howson,  8  South  Dear- 
born Street,  Chicago,  111.  Louis  R.  Howson, 
whose  name  is  now  identified  with  the  firm,  has 
been  a  member  of  the  organization  for  the  past 
fifteen  years  as  assistant,  principal  assistant, 
and  partner. 

George  L.  Watson  Moves 
Offices 

Colonel  George  L.  Watson,  C.  E.,  has  moved 
his  office  from  16  West  41st  Street "  to  150 
Nassau  Street,  New  York  City,  at  which  latter 
address  he  will  continue  his  consulting  engineer- 
ing practice.  Colonel  Watson's  experience  cov- 
ers a  wide  field  in  mining,  tunnel,  bridge,  har- 
bor improvement,  pipe  line  and  sewer  work  in 
the  United  States,  and  extensive  diversified  ex- 
perience in  connection  with  the  Engineering 
Corps  of  the  English  troops  and  the  A.  E.  F. 
in  Europe.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Consulting  Engineers  of  the  New  York  State 
Bridge  and  Tunnel  Commission  and  the  New 
Jersey  Interstate  Bridge  and  Tunnel  Commis- 
sion. 

In  his  new  office,  incorporated  with  those  of 
the   George   A.   Johnson   Company,   Consulting 


Engineers,  Colonel  Watson,  in  addition  to  serv- 
ing his  personal  clientele,  will  collaborate  in  the 
engineering  work  of  the  George  A.  Johnsori 
Company. 

Annual  Meeting  of  Manufacturers 
of  Water  Purifying  Equipment 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Associated 
Manufacturers  of  Water  Purification  Equip- 
ment, George  M.  Hodkinson,  American  Water 
Softener  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  was 
elected  President,  W.  E.  Titus,  Refinite  Com- 
pany, Omaha,  Nebr.,  Vice-President,  and  F.  B. 
Leopold,  Pittsburgh  Filter  Manufacturing 
Company,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer. General  matters  of  interest  to  the  manu- 
facturers of  various  water-purifying  apparatus 
were  discussed  and  committees  appointed  for 
carrying  on  the  work  of  standardization  in 
various  departments.  One  matter  of  particular 
interest  to  engineers  and  architects  generally 
was  the  adoption  of  a  sta^idard  specification  for 
pressure  filters  which  will  require  the  submis- 
sion of  bids  upon  a  recognized  standard  basis, 
instead  of  the  haphazard  method  that  has  been 
pursued  in  the  past.  These  specifications  will 
appear  in  full  in  the  May  issue  of  The  Ameri- 
CAN  City. 


The  Modern  City 

AND  ITS  GOVERNMENT.       By  WILLIAM  PARR  CAPES 

Secretary,  N.  Y.  State  Conference  of  Mayors  and  Other  City  Officials;  Director,  N.  Y. 
State  Bureau  of  Municipal  Information;   Co-Author  of  "Municipal  Housecleaning." 

The  author's  unusual  opportunities  for  the  thorough  study  and  comparison  of 
various  forms  of  city  government  enable  him  to  produte  an  exceptionally 
valuable  book.  He  discusses  the  essentials  of  good  government,  the  responsi- 
bilities of  citizenship,  city  charters,  types  of  government,  public  schools,  the 
cost  of  government,  etc. 

The  Boston  Herald :  "A  comprehensive  study  of  government  policies  and  prob- 
lems in  our  American  cities,  both  East  and  West  .  .  .  invaluable  to  city 
officials  and  to  everyone,  whether  in  city,  town  or  village,  who  want  to  see  the 
community  so  organized  and  managed  as  to  produce  more  comfort,  better  health 
and  better  surroundings  and  conditions." 

$5.00  Indexed  and  fully  illustrated  with  graphs  and  diagrams. 


E.  P.  DUTTON  &  CO.,  681  Fifth  Aveune,  NEW  YORK 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


A  Great  Truck  Value 

You  will  be  greatly  surprised  to  find  how  little  more 
it  takes  to  buy  a  Packard  Truck  than  to  get  just  an  ordi- 
nary truck. 

In  many  cases,  the  first  cost  of  a  Packard  is  actually 
lower  than  that  of  others,  and  in  all  cases  its  final  cost  is 
much  lower. 

Its  certainty  of  performance,  its  economy  of  upkeep, 
and  its  security  as  an  investment,  all  combine  to  make  the 
Packard  Truck  at  its  present  price  the  greatest  value  in  the 
motor  truck  market  today. 

It  is  the  product  of  a  company  that  is  known  for  stability 
and  experience.  Prompt  service  at  the  fairest  of  prices  for 
labor  and  parts  is  available  on  it  everywhere,  through 
nation-wide  Packard  facilities. 

In  its  daily  operation,  the  Packard  requires  a  minimum 
of  routine  care,  and  it  always  returns  a  maximum  of  power- 
ful, dependable  service. 

It  is  a  thoroughbred  in  design,  materials,  and  workman- 
ship. Its  quality  is  the  rugged  quality  essential  for  long  life, 
freedom  from  trouble,  and  low-cost  operation. 

Have  your  Packard  dealer  quote  you  the  figure  at  which 
the  Packard  Truck  is  selling  today.  He  is  ready  to  advise 
with  you  also  on  any  special  or  body  equipment  you  may 
require  for  the  economical  handling  and  hauling  of  your 
products. 

In  more  than  two  hundred  lines  of  business,  Packard 
Trucks  are  relied  on  today  for  better  hauling  at  lower  cost. 

Packard  Trucks  range  in  capacity  from  2  to  7'/2  tons, 
and    in  price  from  $3,100  to  $4,500,  at  Detroit 

PACKARD 


100 


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417 


The  Business  of  Water- Works 
Management— Part  I 

By  George  A.  Johnson 

Consulting  Engineer,  New  York  City 


IN  the  management  of  municipal  business 
no  other  essential  element  is  so  incom- 
pletely understood  by  the  taxpayer  as  is 
the  charge  for  water  service.  Water  de- 
partments often  work  from  hand  to  mouth, 
matching  expenditures  against  appropria- 
tions  made  by 
budget  committees 
that  all  too  fre- 
quently fail  to  sense 
ihe  real  needs  of 
those  departments 
and  that  always 
have  one  alert  eye 
on  the  sum  total  of 
the  budget. 

Innumerable  ar- 
ticles on  the  subject 
of  water-rates  have 
been  prepared  by 
water  -  works  engi- 
neers. Most  of  them 
have  been  written 
around  difficulties 
experienced  by  pri- 
vately owned  water 
companies  in  return- 
ing from  the  busi- 
ness a  revenue  satis- 
factory     to      their 

stockholders.  There  is  no  question  that  it 
was  formerly  an  up-hill  job  for  private 
utilities  to  get  what  they  considered 
equitable  rates  permitting  them  to  render 
competent  service  and  at  the  same  time  ob- 


This  article  avoids  the  more  ab- 
struse technical  phrases  which  easily 
enter  into  discussions  of  charges  for 
water  service.  The  author  realizes 
the  difficulties  experienced  by  munici- 
pally owned  water  departments  in  ob- 
taining rates  and  appropriations  suffi- 
cient to  permit  entirely  sat'sfactory 
water  service  to  be  given  at  all  times. 
He  explains  the  requirements  involved 
in  this  most  essential  public  utility 
ud  shows  how  each  individual  tax- 
payer should  become  an  understand- 
ing partner  in  the  enterprise  which 
gives  him,  without  unnecessary  or 
inequitable  cost,  constant,  safe  and 
reliable  service  in  the  second  of  the 
three  chief  essentials  of  human 
existence. 


tain  a  fair  net  return  on  their  business. 
Latterly  public  service  commissions  have 
been  instrumental  in  aiding  private  inter- 
ests to  get  higher  rates,  but  in  the  majority 
of  instances  this  result  has  been  accom- 
plished against  the  will  of  the  taxpayer  and 
without  the  prosecu- 
tion of  intelligent 
campaigns  of  public 
education  respecting 
the  necessity,  fair- 
ness and  equity  of 
such  procedures. 
Many  cases  have 
been  dragged  into 
the  courts  which 
could  just  as  well 
have  been  kept  out 
of  them  by  ade- 
quate, and  at  the 
same  time  simple, 
explanation  of  the 
controlling  phases  of 
the  problem  in- 
volved, such  as 
could  readily  be 
comprehended  b  y 
the  man  who  had  to 

stand  the  raise  and 

pay  the  bill,  namely, 
the  humble  taxpayer  and  consumer. 

The  proper  management  of  a  municipally 
owned  water-works  system  is  a  mere  matter 
of  business,  just  as  is  the  management  of  a 
privately  owned  water-works  system.     To 


4i8 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


render  a  public  service  costs  money,  and 
to  render  it  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
community  costs  more  money.  This  service 
must  be  paid  for  by  every  taxpayer,  and  the 
points  at  issue  resolve  themselves  into  what 
in  the  last  analysis  are  simple  considera- 
tions, namely: 

1.  What  is  the  character  of  the  service 
required,  to  give  to  the  community  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  w^ater,  safe  for  primary  pur- 
poses, satisfactory  for  industrial  uses,  and 
supplied  under  the  pressures  required  by 
local  controlling  conditions? 

2.  What  is  the  cost  of  rendering  such 
service,  giving  due  consideration  not  only 
to  the  debt  outstanding  against  the  water- 
Vi'orks  system,  but  also  to  the  cost  of  future 
extensions  and  maintenance,  and  presup- 
posing competent  and  economical  manage- 
ment in  all  departments? 

With  these  essential  bases  established,  the 
solution  of  the  problem  is  an  elementary 
consideration.  There  must  be  an  equitable 
balance  established  between  demand  and 
supply.  Service  of  a  certain  character  is 
required  and  costs  so  much  money.  Water- 
rates  must  be  adjusted  so  as  to  obtain  the 
necessary  total  revenue  to  meet  those  costs. 
With  the  two  cardinal  points  definitely 
determined,  it  is  just  as  improper  for  a  com- 
munity to  run  its  self-owned  water-works 
system  at  a  loss  as  it  is  to  expect  the  in- 
vestors in  a  privately  owned  water-works 
system  to  forego  the  basic  consideration  of 
a  fair  return  from  the  enterprise  in  which 
they  have  placed  their  money. 

In  the  adjustment  of  water-rates  to  each 
character  of  service  the  fundamental  con- 
siderations are  equally  simple.  An  inequit- 
able burden  cannot  properly  be  placed  upon 
industrial  establishments  any  more  than  it 
is  likely  to  be  accepted  without  protest  by 
the  consumers  of  small  but  quite  constant 
daily  volumes  of  water.  Every  reasonable 
consideration  must  be  given  to  the  manu- 
facturer who  constitutes  the  financial  back- 
bone of  the  community's  prosperity;  for. 
with  an  unbalanced  and  abnormally  high 
water-rate,  his  costs  of  production  are 
thrown  out  of  proportion,  and  he  is  then 
placed  under  an  unnecessary  and  unwar- 
ranted handicap.  This  may  force  him  to 
develop  a  water-supply  from  a  private 
source,  or  to  move  his  factory  elsewhere. 
All  this  means  lost  revenue  to  the  com- 
munity, not  only  in  its  water  department, 
but  in  the  unemployment  of  its  people. 


Bases  for  Rate- Making 

In  establishing  a  scale  of  rates  for  water 
service,  consideration  must  first  be  given  to 
an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  production  of  that 
service.  Arriving  at  the  total,  and  adding 
to  that  a  reasonable  factor  of  safety,  the 
municipality  takes  its  next  step  in  adjusting 
the  charges  for  various  classes  of  service 
so  as  to  give  every  consumer  a  fair  deal. 

The  cost  of  rendering  service  may  be 
summed  up  from  the  following  main  items : 

(a)  Bonded  indebtedness,  represented  by  that 
sum  of  money  required  annually  to  retire  out- 
standing bonds,  and  for  interest  on  the  existing 
debt 

(b)  Annual  overhead  charges  for  administra- 
tion, including  rentals,  taxes,  insurance  and 
legal  expenses ;  salaries  and  wages  of  the  force 
required  for  operation  and  maintenance  of  the 
system;  and  a  suitable  sum  for  supplies  and 
materials  required  for  ordinary  operation,  main- 
tenance, repairs  and  replacements 

(c)  Working  capital  or  reserve  fund 

The  first  item  is  a  definite  and  fixed 
charge,  which  needs  no  explanation.  The 
second  item  requires,  first,  the  presupposi- 
tion that  the  administrative  force  is  cut  to 
the  minimum  capable  of  rendering  compe- 
tent service.  Taxes,  rentals  and  insurance 
charges  are  amenable  to  practically  no 
argument.  Legal  expenses  ordinarily  are 
merely  nominal.  Salaries  and  wages  are 
governed  by  law  or  local  regulations  or  cus- 
toms. The  practice  of  laying  in  a  stock  of 
supplies  and  materials  at  annual  intervals 
makes  for  stability  of  the  budget.  This  item 
will  vary  from  year  to  year,  depending  upon 
prevailing  prices  and  upon  the  predicted  re- 
quirements of  the  time,  chiefly  as  regards 
needed  repairs  and  renewals  which  can  be 
competently  predicted  well  in  advance  by 
an  efficient  administrative  and  operating 
staff.  The  working  capital,  or  reserve,  is 
one  made  up  of  annual  allotments  toward 
a  fund  of  considerable  size  which  will  be 
needed  for  relatively  expensive  replace- 
ments or  extensions  at  some  time  in  the 
future,  and  which  can  also  be  predicted 
with  reasonable  accuracy.  If  no  such 
reservation  is  made,  then  when  the  neces- 
sity of  making  such  improvements  comes, 
it  is  the  common  custom  to  raise  the  neces- 
sary money  by  special  bond  issue.  This 
made,  the  annual  charge  for  interest  on, 
and  retirement  of,  the  new  bonds  becomes 
a  fixed  charge  to  be  added  to  the  charge  on 
the  old  debt. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


419 


The  Pay-As- You-Go  Policy 

To  function  properly  and  with  the  least 
possibility  of  friction  with  the  community, 
a  water  department  can  best  take  care  of 
the  majority  of  new  bond  issues  by  predict- 
ing future  replacements  and  extensions  well 
in  advance  and  laying  aside  annually 
enough  money  to  defray  such  extraordinary 
expense  when  the  time  of  need  arrives. 
Thus  each  generation  will  care  for  its  own 
requirements  at  its  own  expense,  instead  of 
unpreparedly  awaiting  the  inevitable  hour 
when  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  to  the  tax- 
payers for  their  voted  approval  of  a  new 
bond  issue  to  meet  the  cost  of  sadly  needed 
extensions  and  improvements  for  which  the 
coming  generation  must  pay. 

The  present  generation  frequently  pro- 
tests against  the  necessity  of  paying  for 
improvements  made  by  the  preceding 
generations  who  tried  to  anticipate  the  re- 
quirements of  their  successors.  It  were  far 
better  that  each  generation  should  care  for 
itself,  and  pay  as  it  goes. 

In  the  operation  of  such  a  plan  of  con- 
tinuous financing,  it  is  more  than  ever 
necessary  that  by  sound  legal  enactments 
the  surplus  funds  of  the  water  department 
shall  be  rendered  inviolable  except  for  their 
first  intended  uses,  namely,  the  anticipated 
improvements  in  the  water-works  system 
for  which  such  funds  are  constantly  being 
built  up.  Furthermore,  water  departments 
should  be  absolutely  divorced  from  politics. 
Men  who  have  proved  their  competence  by 
actual  service  should  not  be  subject  to  re- 
moval for  any  other  cause  than  unfaithful- 
ness to  their  duties.  Certainly,  municipal 
water  departments  should  never  be  made  the 
chess-boards  of  political  leaders,  the  happy 
hunting-grounds  of  incompetent  men  who 
have  been  faithful  to  their  party,  or  a  re- 
pository for  the  representatives  of  potential 
votes. 

That  the  pay-as-you-go  policy  set  forth 
above  will  not  meet  with  the  approval  of 
many  students  of,  and  authorities  on,  water- 
works financing,  the  author  is  perfectly  well 
aware,  but  the  thought  is  advanced  on  the 
ground  that,  once  inaugurated  at  the  ex- 
pense, perhaps,  of  the  living  generation,  the 
burden  thereafter  is  distributed  just  as 
equitably  as  ever  before.  The  present 
generation  thus  cares  for  its  own  needs, 
and  at  least  the  incipient  requirements  of 
each  future  generation,  without  necessitat- 


ing any  further  bond  issues,  except  perhaps 
for  some  manifestly  important  work  that 
could  not  well  be  anticipated  in  advance, 
such  as  those  occasioned  by  annexation  of 
new  areas.  The  water  department  is  made 
a  continuously  self-supporting  institution 
that  will  not  need  to  appeal  to  the  taxpayers 
for  their  approval  of  new  projects  of  exten- 
sion and  betterment.  To  obtain  the  tax- 
payers' support  of  such  enterprises,  ex- 
tended campaigns  of  education  are  usually 
required.  It  is  necessary  to  convince  the 
voters  that  the  improvements  are  really 
needed,  and  that  their  consummation  will 
result  in  more  economical  management  and 
better  service.  Such  facts  are  extremely 
difficult  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  tax- 
payers to  the  degree  required  in  order  to 
obtain  their  affirmative  votes. 

Bond  issues  innumerable  have  failed  for 
this  elementary  reason.  Worn-out,  ineffi- 
cient and  costly-to-operate  pumping  ma- 
chinery, mains  of  inadequate  carrying 
capacity,  insufficient  reserve  storage,  incom- 
plete metering,  and  other  deficiencies  in 
water-works  systems  have  been  kept  in  ser- 
vice because  the  public  would  not  vote  the 
necessary  authority  to  raise  by  new  bond 
issues  the  required  funds  to  correct  them. 
This  has  resulted  in  poor  and  uneconomical 
service,  and  in  increased  fire  hazard  and  in- 
surance rates,  and  all  because  of  the  tax- 
payers' lack  of  comprehension  of  the  proper 
needs  of  the  water  department.  Very  often, 
indeed,  the  money  wasted  in  a  relatively 
short  period  on  account  of  the  forced  con- 
tinuance of  an  inadequate  and  inefficient 
system  would  easily  have  defrayed  the  cost 
of  the  needed  improvements,  and  the  com- 
munity would  all  the  time '  have  enjoyed 
better  service  and  adequate  protection 
against  fire  hazard.  „■ 

Twenty  years  ago  it  was  a  herculean  tasic 
to  impress  the  average  taxpayer  that  puri- 
fication of  his  surface  water-supply  was 
needed  for  the  conservation  of  his  health 
and  comfort.  To  get  him  to  agree  to  con- 
tribute for  himself  and  each  member  of  his 
family  half  a  dollar  or  so  each  year  to  de- 
fray the  cost  of  such  purification  of  the 
water-supply  of  his  community,  was  a  hope- 
less undertaking. 

Editorial  Note.— This  article  zvill  be  con- 
tinued in  the  June  issue  of  The  American 
City,  covering  classes  of  service,  adjustment  of 
rates,  and  a  business  basis  for  water-works 
management. 


420 


Making  a  Municipal  Light  and  Water 

Plant  Pay 

Low  Electric  and  Water  Rates  Made  Possible  Through  Efficient  Management 

By  G.  H.  Cairns 

City  Manager,  Gainesville,  Fla. 


THE  municipal  light  and  water  plant 
constructed  in  1913  at  Gainesville, 
Fla.,  has  consistently  proved  that  a 
publicly  owned  utility  in  a  town  of  5,000 
can  deliver  good  service  to  its  patrons  at  a 
very  low  rate  and  at  the  same  time  be  a 
source  of  revenue  to  the  city. 

At  the  time  the  plant  was  built  and  placed 
in  operation,  the  peak  load  was  hardly  more 


and    light    plant,    was    given    to    the    City 
Manager. 

As  a  revenue-producer,  the  plant  has 
shown  up  more  favorably  each  year,  so  that 
at  present  the  margin  of  profit  is  consider- 
able without  in  any  way  lowering  the  grade 
of  service  to  the  consumers.  The  recent 
savings  have  been  made  possible  by  co- 
ordinating the  several  departments  so  that 


EXTEEIOE    or    THE    GAINESVILIiE,    FLA.,    MUNICIPAL   POWER-PLANT 


than  half  of  the  capacity  of  the  plant.  The 
demand  for  power  has  so  increased,  how- 
ever, that  the  present  equipment  is  20  to  35 
per  cent  overloaded  and  work  is  being 
rushed  to  install  a  500-kilowatt  turbo- 
generator. Additional  pumping  equipment 
will  also  be  installed  shortly. 

The  operation  of  the  plant,  with  that  of 
all  other  public  utilities,  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  until  June, 
192 1,  when  the  management  of  nearly  all 
the  city  departments,   including  the  water 


they  function  more  efficiently  and  eliminate 
unnecessary  overhead  expense. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Gainesville  is  one 
of  the  smallest  cities  in  Florida,  it  has  about 
the  lowest  rates  quoted  in  the  state  and  is 
not  supported  by  any  supplementary  funds 
from  reserve  or  taxation.  With  the  growth 
of  the  city  and  the  extensive  building  since 
the  war  period,  the  plant  has  been  obliged 
to  make  additions  which  in  most  cases  would 
have  caused  plants  to  borrow  capital  or 
raise  the  rates.     This  plant,  however,  has 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


421 


met  all  the  requirements  in  the  way  of  ex- 
tensions in  the  face  of  the  rise  of  fuel  oil 
from  $1.17  to  $1.72  per  barrel,  and  has  fur- 
nished current  for  lighting  purposes  on  a 
sliding  scale  that  averages  less  than  7  cents 
per  kilowatt  hour.  For  power  the  average 
rate  is  about  4  cents  per  kilowatt  hour,  and 
the  heating  rate  is  2j/^  cents  per  kilowatt 


hour  flat.  The  minimum  charge  in  all  cases 
is  $1  per  month  for  electricity  or  for  water. 
In  the  case  of  water  rates,  an  allowance  of 
24,000  gallons  per  quarter  is  made  for  the 
minimum  charge  of  $3.  In  the  sale  of  water 
to  all  types  of  services  the  rate  drops  to  10 
cents  per  1,000  gallons  after  40,000  gallons 
have  been  used  in  the  three-months  period. 


Brick  Pavement  Reconstruction  in 
Meridian,  Mississippi 

By  John  C.  Watts 

City  Engineer,  Meridian,  Miss. 


LAST  summer  in  Meridian,  Miss.,  some 
7,500  square  yards  of  brick  pavement 
were  relaid  with  brick  which  had 
originally  been  laid  on  the  same  street  23 
years  before.  During  the  23  years  the 
bricks  were  in  service  they  had  been  sub- 
jected to  severe  traffic  conditions.  Twenty- 
second  Avenue,  the  street  referred  to,  was 
laid  in  the  fall  of  1898  under  the  direction 
of  the  late  Waldo  G.  Myers,  then  City  En- 
gineer. The  bricks  were  laid  with  a  2-inch 
sand  cushion  on  a  6-inch  slag  cement  base 
of  1 :2 :5  mix.  Sand  filler  was  used  in  the 
joints,  and  the  contract  price  was  $1.80  per 
square  yard. 


For  years  this  type  of  construction  held 
up  without  a  flaw.  The  traffic  could  be 
termed  "heavy"  from  the  start,  but  in  later 
years  it  became  exceedingly  heavy  on  this 
particular  thoroughfare.  Gradually,  be- 
cause of  the  further  compacting  of  the  sand 
cushion  in  some  instances,  and  in  others  be- 
cause of  the  wearing  of  the  brick,  which 
obviously  were  laid  before  the  modern 
methods  of  testing  brick  were  established, 
depressions  appeared  in  the  surface. 

It  became  evident  in  1921  that  steps 
should  be  taken  to  improve  the  condition  of 
the  surface  and  preserve  the  street.  The 
Fngineering  Department  of  the  city  advised 


A   STREET   REPAVED  V/ITH   OLD   BRICK— INSET   SHOWS  CONDITION  BEFORE   RELAYING 


422 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


reconstruction  and  suggested  that  the  same 
brick  be  relaid  on  a  repaired  base.  Bonds 
were  voted  by  the  city  and  specifications 
prepared  by  the  Street  Department.  After 
bids  had  been  received,  the  work  was 
awarded  to  the  Southern  Paving  and  Con- 
struction Company  of  Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
at  65  cents  per  square  yard. 

The  bricks  were  taken  up  and  stacked 
along  the  curb  line.  The  sand  cushion  was 
re-raked,  depressions  filled  in,  compacted 
and  raked  over,  and  then  the  entire  surface 
was  thoroughly  compacted.  The  bricks 
were  then  relaid  flat  and  rolled  with  a  3-ton 
roller.  The  joints  were  filled  with  asphalt 
filler  at  the  rate  of  about  2  gallons  of  as- 
phalt per  square  yard,  according  to  the  speci- 
fications of  the  National  Paving  Brick  Man- 
ufacturers Association.  This  pavement  as 
relaid  has  been  very  satisfactory,  giving  an 
even  surface,  and  should  last  for  at  least 
another  23  years. 

A  rather  unusual   accident  occurred   on 


Twenty-second  Avenue  shortly  after  it  was 
paved,  demonstrating  the  durability  of  a  3- 
inch  brick  wearing  surface  laid  with  asphalt 
filler  on  a  gravel  base.  At  the  point  re- 
ferred to.  Twenty-second  Avenue  runs 
through  the  railroad  yards  and  is  subjected 
to  heavy  trucking.  One  night  heavily  loaded 
box  cars  were  backed  too  vigorously  against 
the  bumper  beside  the  street.  The  cars 
crashed  over  the  sidewalk  onto  the  avenue 
and  across  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
with  such  force  as  to  crush  the  sidewalk 
and  granite  curbing  on  both  sides.  Neither 
the  6-inch  rolled  gravel  base  nor  the  3-inch 
brick  showed  any  ill  effects  of  the  tremen- 
dous weight  of  the  loaded  cars  except  at  the 
point  of  greatest  impact,  where  the  wheels 
dropped  nearly  a  foot  from  the  curb  to  the 
pavement.  A  bare  trace  of  the  steel-flanged 
wheels  is  noticeable  the  entire  distance  across 
the  pavement,  and  even  this  marking  is 
mainly  due  to  the  thin  layer  of  asphalt  filler 
remaining  on  the  surface  of  the  bricks. 


Census  Bureau  Revises  City  Finance  Data 


Revised   figures  just  received   from  the 
Census  Bureau  m.ake  necessary  the  follow- 


-Per  Capita — ^ 

Receipts     Surplus 


ing  corrections  in  the  tables  printed  in  the 
April  issue  of  The  American  City: 


State  and  City  Cost 

Alabama 

Mobile   19.25 

Massacjtiisetts 

Lawrence     36.31 

New  Bedford    51.59 

New  Jersey . . . . 

Hoboken    79.22 

Passaic    29.77 

Perth  Amboy    57.98 


18.75 

40.95 
45.84 

89.94 
25.16 
36.53 


4.64 


Deficit 

Per  Capita  Debt  Minus 

Sinking  Fund  Assets 

1920          1917          1914 

Form   of 
Government 

.50 

50.45 

50.21 

56.19 

5. '75 

34.04 
72.92 

39.04 
75.07 

28.21 
74.98 

39.28 

4.61 

21.45 

115.31 
50.61 
74.67 

59.72 
46.57 
53.62 

44.21 
43.58 
38.88 

Commission 
Commission 
Council 

Standard  Specifications  for  Pressure 
Water  Filters 

Specifications  Adopted  by  Associated  Manufacturers  of  Water  Purifying 
Equipment  Are  Recommended  for  Consideration 


IN  the  standard  specifications  for  pressure 
water  filters  recently  adopted  by  the 
Associated  Manufacturers  of  Water 
Purifying  Equipment,  the  rates  of  filtration 
are  based  upon  the  "Report  of  Committee  on 
Recommended  Standardization  of  Filters" 
of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineers,   presented   at   its   annual   meeting, 


December,  1916.    This  report  fixes  the  rate 
of  filtration  for  potable  water  as  follows: 

"Whenever  the  water  is  to  be  used  for  do- 
mestic purposes  or  to  secure  full  bacterial  puri- 
fication, the  capacity  shall  be  based  upon  a  rate 
of  filtration  not  to  exceed  2  gallons  per  minute 
per  square  foot  of  filtering  area,  and  a  coagu- 
lant must  be  used." 

A  full  report  of  the  Committee  is  con- 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


423 


tained  in  the  Transactions  of  the  A.  S.  M.  E, 
for  1917,  pages  425-432. 

Rates  of  filtration  for  various  uses  should 
conform  to  the  following  schedule: 

2  gallons  per  square  foot  per  minute  for  all 
supplies  used  for  drinking,  or  for  the 
preparation  of  food  products. 

2  to  4  gallons  per  square  foot  per  minute 
when  filtering  a  treated  municipal  supply 
of  approved  bacterial  purity. 


2  to  4  gallons  per  square  foot  per  minute  for 
swimming  pools  and  for  all  industrial 
uses. 

2  to  5  gallons  per  square  foot  per  minute  as 
conditions  may  warrant  for  double  filtra- 
tion, using  sand  followed  by  charcoal 
where  reduction  of  color,  odor,  taste,  or 
certain  forms  of  iron  is  desired.  This 
method  of  filtration  not  to  be  applied  for 
bacterial  purification. 


DIMENSIONS    AND    CAPACITY    DATA    FOR   STEEL    AND    CAST    IRON    PRESSURE    FILTERS- 
SPECIFICATIONS    RECOMMENDED    BY    THE    ASSOCIATED   MANUFACTURERS 
OF    WATER    PURIFYING    EQUIPMENT 

Capacities    per   Min.    for    Rates    of    2,    S    and    4    Gal.    per    Sq.    Ft.    per    Mitk. 

Min.  Wash 


2  Gals. 

3  Gals. 

Filters 

Per 

Per 

Standard  Sizes 

Square 

Square 

Dia. 

Area 

Foot 

Foot 

12" 

.785 

1.57 

2.35 

14" 

1.06 

2.12 

3.18 

16" 

1.39 

2.78 

4.17 

20" 

2.18 

4.36 

6.54 

24" 

3.14 

6.28 

9.42 

SO" 

4.90 

9.8 

14.7 

36" 

7.06 

14.1 

21.1 

42" 

9.62 

19.2 

28.8 

48" 

12.56 

25.1 

37.8 

54" 

16.90 

31.8 

47.7 

60" 

19.63 

39.2 

58.8 

72" 

28.27 

56.5 

84.8 

84" 

38.48 

76.9 

116.4 

96" 

50.27 

100.5 

150.8 

L  =  overall  length  of  filter,  and  area  of  bed  is  ca 
Area  of  segments  of  the  2  dished  heads  ==  9.2  sq.  ft. 
Area  per  lineal  foot  of  bed  in  the  cylinder  =  7.42  sq.  ft 
Example:    8'  x  16"  filter  area  per  head  =  9.2  sq.  ft. 
Area  in  cylinder  14   x  7.42  =  103.9. 
Total  effective  area  =  113.1  sq.  ft. 

Horizontal  Filters 

8'  x  10'  L  68.5  137.  205.5 

8'  X  12'  L  83.4  166.8  250.2 

8'  X  14'  L  98.2  196.4  294.6 

8'  X  16'  L  113.1  226.2  339.3 

8'  X  20'  L  142.7  285.4  428.1 

8'  X  25'  L  179.8  359.6  639.4 

Construction  of  Steel  Pressure  Filters 
Standard  manholes  11  x  15  inches,  or  10  x  16  inches. 
Tensile  strength  of  steel  plate  55,000  lbs.  to  65,000  lbs. 
Heads  dished  to  radius  of  diameter  of  tank 
Hydrostatic  test  60  per  cent  in  excess  of  working  pressure 

Vertical  Steel  Filters 


4  Gals. 

,^Pipe  Connections— \ 

Water  at 

Per 

Inlet 

Waste 

12  Gals. 

Square 

Outlet 

to 

Per  Sq.  Ft 

Foot 

P.  Wash 

Sewer 

Per  Min. 

3.04 

Vi" 

1" 

9.42 

4.24 

1" 

1%" 

12.72 

5.56 

1" 

1^" 

16.68 

8.72 

1%" 

1/2" 

26.16 

12.5 

1^" 

2" 

87. 

19.6 

1J4" 

2" 

60. 

28.2 

2" 

2y^" 

84. 

38.5 

2" 

2'/," 

116. 

50.2 

2J4" 

3" 

150. 

63.6 

254" 

3" 

190. 

78.5 

3" 

4" 

235. 

113.1 

4" 

5" 

339. 

153.9 

4" 

5" 

460. 

201.1 

5" 

6" 

600. 

ted  for  : 

surface  of  bed  18" 

'  above  center 

of  shell. 

'274  0 

6" 

8" 

822. 

333.6 

6" 

8" 

1000. 

392.8 

6" 

8" 

1178. 

452.4 

8" 

10" 

1857. 

570.8 

8" 

10" 

1712. 

719.2 

8" 

10" 

2157. 

Working 

Pressure 

Working 
100  pounds 

Pressure 

Working 

Pressure 

'i.3   pounds 

per 

sq.  in. 

per  sq.  in. 

125  pounds 

per  sq. 

in. 

, Shell ^ 

Min.  Eff.         Thick- 

Head 
Thick- 

,            Shell         -   ■ 

Head 
Thick- 

,  Shell 

Min.  Eff. 

Thick- 

Head 

Min.  EfF. 

Thick- 

Thick- 

Dia. 

Joint 

ness 

ness 

Joint 

ness 

ness 

Joint 

ness 

ness 

24" 

50% 

3/16" 

H" 

60% 

3/16" 

Va" 

60% 

Va" 

5/16" 

30" 

50 

3/16" 

Va" 

57 

Va" 

6/16" 

50 

5/16" 

5/16" 

36" 

50 

3/16" 

Va" 

57 

Va" 

6/16" 

70 

Va" 

H" 

42" 

57 

Ya" 

5/16" 

70 

Va" 

W 

70 

5/16" 

7/16" 

48" 

57 

'A" 

5/16" 

70 

Va" 

H" 

70 

5/16" 

7/16" 

54" 

57 

%" 

5/16" 

70 

5/16" 

7/16" 

70 

H" 

54" 

60" 

57 

Va" 

W 

70 

5/16" 

7/16" 

67 

7/16" 

54" 

72" 

72 

%" 

W 

69 

W 

V2" 

66 

V2" 

9/16" 

84" 

70 

5/16" 

7/16" 

66 

V^" 

9/16" 

66 

9/16" 

11/16" 

96" 

69 

M" 

7/16" 

68 

Vi" 

H" 

68 

H" 

H" 

Cast  Iron    Pressure   Filters 
To  be  gray  iron  casting  having  a  tensile  strength  of  approximately  20,000  pounds  per  square  inch. 
Hydrostatic  test  50  per  cent  in  excess  of  working  pressure  to  be  applied. 
Heads   dished    to    radius   equal    to   diameter  of   shell   may   be   modified   with   rib   reinforcement   to    same 

thickness   as   shells. 
Variations  of  %"  in  these  thicknesses  of  shells  and  heads  and  flanges  to  be  permissible. 


Filter  , — 65-Pound  Working  Pressure — v 

Head  and 

Dia.  Shell  Thickness     Flange  Thickness 

12"  H"                             ''A" 

14"  W                             %" 

16"  «"                             H" 

aO"  11/16"                       15/16" 

24"  11/16"                       15/16" 

30"  W                               1" 

36"  13/16"                             1-1/16" 

42"  18/18"                           1-1/16" 

48"  H"                               1-H" 


100-Pound  Working  Pressure — \ 
Head  and 
Flange  Thickness 


Shell  Thickness 

H" 
11/16" 
11/16" 

Va" 
13/16" 

H" 

16/16" 
1" 
1-1/16" 


16/16" 
15/16" 
1" 
1-1/16" 

15^" 
1-8/16" 
154" 
1-6/16" 


424 


Water-Works   Supply  Men  Help 
Superintendents 

Sales  Interviews  Highly  Educational  If  Taken  in  Proper   Spirit 


AT  the  March  meeting  of  the  New 
York  Section  of  the  American  Water 
Works  Association,  Beekman  C. 
Little,  former  President  of  the  American 
Water  Works  Association,  and  Superinten- 
dent of  the  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Water  Works, 
gave  a  most  interesting  and  instructive  talk 
on  the  value  of  the  water-works  supply  man 
to  the  superintendent. 

Mr.  Little  has  found  in  his  prolonged 
dealings  with  the  water-works  supply  men 
that  they  often  give  much  more  than  they 
get  in  value  received.  Most,  if  not  all,  of 
the  well-known  supply  men  have  ideas  and 
ideals  beyond  the  mere  making  of  money 
from  their  products.  There  are  many  in- 
teresting examples  of  the  results  of  research 
and  study  by  manufacturers  of  water-works 
supplies.  Among  them  may  be  noted  the 
preparation  of  a  substitute  for  lead  for 
jointing  cast  iron  water-mains;  vast  im- 
provements in  water-meters;  the  now  well- 
known  fire  line  meters  and  improved  fire 
hydrants. 

In  addition  to  mentioning  the  value  of 
these  products  of  manufacturers,  Mr.  Little 
laid  stress  on  the  service  organizations 
whose  help  has  meant  much  to  water-works 
superintendents.  A  typical  example  is  the 
company  which  cleans  water-mains,  thus 
saving  much  money  for  various  communi- 
ties, besides  preserving  some  of  the  pipes 
and  supply  mains  which  otherwise  would 
have  been  abandoned  or  replaced.  By  its 
work  this  company  has  bettered  health  sta- 
tistics and  prevented  the  destruction  of  con- 
siderable property  by  fire.  The  idea  and  the 
method  followed  in  this  work  are  the  result 
of  considerable  technical  knowledge  and 
mechanical  ingenuity.  The  superintendent 
gets  much  more  in  results  from  contact  with 
these  men  than  appears  in  the  mere  labor 
of  cleaning  the  mains. 

The  water-waste  survey  men  are  being 
recognized  as  very  necessary  adjuncts  to 
water-supply  systems.  The  older  and  larger 
the  system,  the  better  and  more  valuable 
the  work  they  can  and  do  accomplish. 
Water-works    superintendents    should    get 


over  the  idea  that  it  is  only  the  poorly  Con- 
structed or  inefficiently  managed  water  plant 
which  can  be  bettered  by  sUch  a  survey. 
Almost  any  sane-minded  water-works  su- 
perintendent will  admit  that  a  properly  con- 
structed growing  water  system  can  lower 
its  consumption  considerably  by  metering. 
Even  a  good  water-works  system,  loo  per 
cent  metered,  can  be  immeasurably  im- 
proved by  a  well-conducted  water-waste 
survey; 

Water-wbrks  sujlierihlehaehts  are  amazed 
at  the  km&lint  of  waste  discovered  by  these 
surveys  in  plants  efficiently  managed.  They 
know  how  much  water  is  being  sent  through 
the  system  and  from  how  much  of  this 
revenue  is  derived.  There  is,  of  course,  a 
discrepancy.  An  estimate  is  made  that  a 
great  quantity  is  used  in  sprirlklitig  aiid 
washing  down  the  many  miles  Of  brick  artd 
asphalt  streets  and  in  flushing  sewefs  and 
in  street  contract  work.  A  considerable 
percentage  is  allowed  for  public  drinking 
fountains  and  watering  trdughsi  A  Certain 
percentage  is  unmetered  water  Used  in  park 
systems,  and  the  under-registration  of 
meters  is  blamed  for  some  of  the  other  un- 
accounted-for water.  Hydrants  and  valves 
are  kept  in  good  repair,  and  large  and  small 
breaks  are  attended  to  as  soon  as  they  give 
evidence  of  their  presence,  and  so  the 
average  water-works  superintendent,  until 
recently,  considered  that  other  leaks,  if  any, 
were  unimportant.  Mr.  Little  himself  was 
rather  skeptical  about  a  water-waste  survey 
in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  as  that  city  is  loo  per 
cent  metered  and  its  per  capita  consumption 
only  about  90  gallons  daily,  which  is  about 
as  low  as  the  larger  cities  can  hope  to  get 
with  the  extravagant  use  of  water  prevalent 
in  these  days. 

In  Rochester  a  contract  was  let  for  a 
small  section  covering  about  one-eighth  of 
the  system.  This  first  contract  resulted  in 
shutting  ofif  a  waste  of  water  of  over  1,000,- 
000  gallons  per  day,  with  other  incidental 
benefits,  and  the  leaks  and  broken  mains  re- 
paired would  not  have  been  discovered 
otherwise  except  incidentally. 


4^3 


Planning  the  City's  Lighting 

By  L.   A.  S.  Wood 


AN  ornamental  street  lighting  system 
that  affords  adequate  illumination  at 
night,  and  is  inconspicuous  in  the 
daytime,  harmonizing  closely  with  the  gen- 
eral scheme  of  arch  tecture  in  the  various 
parts  of  the  city,  is  a  source  of  municipal 
jjride.  The  beauty  of  a  city's  thoroughfares 
is  not  apparent  at  night  unless  they  are 
properly  illuminated. 

Proper  lighting  requires  that  the  intensity 
of  illumination  be  varied  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  the  different  sections  of  the 
city.  Streets  and  avenues  in  the  business 
districts,  where  the  traffic  is  heavier,  for  in- 
stance, require  more  light  than  those  in  the 
residential  d'stricts.  The  right  amount  of 
illum'nation  is  as  necessary  for  effective 
street  lighting  as  is  the  right  method  of 
illum'nation. 

Disregard  of  this  principle  is  particularly 
noticeable  where  large  business  concerns,  or 
groups  of  them,  have  at  different  times  in- 
stalled various  ornamental  street  lighting 
systems.  Such  an  indiscriminate  selection 
results  in  illuminat'on  of  varying  degrees 
of  intensity,  and  also  in  many  different 
styles  of  ornamental  posts  along  the  same 
street  and  often  on  adjacent  properties.  In 
order  to  avoid  this  haphazard  scattering  of 
illumination  throughout  the  city,  electrical 
engineers  have  turned  their  attent'on 
toward  design-ng  uniform  systems  of  orna- 
mental street  lighting. 

The  Single-Light  Post 

One  of  the  best  results  of  the  adoption 
of  the  present-day  high-efficiency  gas-filled 
incandescent  lamp  has  been  the  develop 
ment  of  many  artistic  and  harmonious  de- 
signs in  ornamental  posts  using  a  single 
high-power  lamp.  In  the  past,  ornamental 
post  lighting  has  been  accomplished  by 
means  of  cluster  posts,  using  two,  three, 
four  or  five  small  lamps  on  one  post.  These 
small  lamps  were  inefficient  and  the  system 
was  expensive  because  of  the  large  amount 
of  energy  required  for  their  operation  and 
the  high  replacement  cost  of  lamps  and 
glassware.  Cluster  posts  have  also  the  dis- 
advantage of  being  only  partly  illuminated 
at  times  because  of  lamps  burning  out.  The 


largest  lamps,  as  used  in  the  single-light 
post,  are  much  more  efficient  than  those  used 
in  the  cluster  post. 

In  addition  to  its  many  advantages  from 
an  operating  standpoint,  the  single-light 
post  is  adm.ittedly  superior  in  appearance  to 
the  cluster  post,  adding  to  the  beauty  of 
the  street  under  both  day  and  night  con- 
dit'ons.  It  relieves  the  street  of  the 
crowded  appearance  resulting  from  too 
many  small  lamps  and  gives  an  effect  of 
elegance,  combined  with  illuminating  effi- 
ciency of  the  highest  order. 

The  installation  of  a  good  lighting  sys- 
tem is  something  that  demands  considerable 
thought  and  planning.  Not  alone  the  light- 
ing system,  but  also  the  ornamental  posts, 
the  kind  and  shape  of  glassware,  and  the 
proper  placing  of  the  posts,  must  be  given 
careful  study. 

There  are  many  streets  and  driveways 
which  are  beautifully  lighted  at  night  but 
which  lose  all  of  their  pleasing  appearance 
by  day.  This  may  be  explained  by  studying 
the  lamp-posts.  It  will  be  found  that  the 
posts  installed  are  huge  and  clumsy  and 
poorly  located,  and  do  not  harmon-ze  at  ai! 
with  their  surroundings;  such  posts,  in  fact, 
mar  the  entire  aspect  of  the  street  by  day. 

Different  Requirements  for  Different 
Sections 

Different  kinds  of  street  lighting  must, 
of  course,  be  installed  in  different  sections 
of  the  city.  That  which  would  be  appro- 
priate for  the  business  section  would  not 
necessarily  be  suitable  for  the  residential 
district  or  the  driveways,  and  vice  versa. 
Generally  speaking,  city  streets  may  be 
divided  into  four  classes  according  to  the 
intensity  or  amount  of  light  required  and 
the  type  of  equipment  usually  employed: 

Main  business  streets 
Minor  business  streets 
Residence  streets 
Byways  and  outlying  districts 

Main  and  minor  business  streets  are 
usually  brilliantly  lighted  with  ornamental 
posts  spaced  at  intervals  of  50  to  75  feet, 
symmetrically  arranged  opposite  each  other 
on  either  side  of  the  street,  the  size  of  lamp. 


426 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


A    WELL-LIGHTED    BUSINESS     THOROUGHFARE 


Spacing  distance  and  mounting  height  be- 
ing determined  by  the  relative  importance 
of  the  streets. 

In  the  residence  districts,  a  staggered 
arrangement  is  usually  adopted  for  the 
ornamental  posts,  with  wider  spacing  and 
smaller  lamps,  the  main  object  being  to 
furnish  enough  light  to  see  by.  It  must 
be  possible  for  pedestrians  to  make  their 
way  about  at  night  without  inconvenience 
or  danger  from  accident  or  attack.  The 
outlying  district  or  byways,  where  traffic 
is  light,  may  be  illuminated  with  street- 
hoods  suspended  from  brackets,  mast  arms 
or  cables,  as  local  conditions  require. 
Streethoods  have  been  used  to  a  great  ex- 
tent in  the  past  without  glassware  and, 
while  the  appearance  of  the  bare  lamp  was 
not  objectionable,  when  the  lamp  used  was 
of  the  vacuum  type,  the  glare  from  the 
bare  "gas-filled"  lamp  was  very  unpleas- 
ant and  often  proved  dangerous  in  its  daz- 
zling effect.  Modern  practice  recommends 
the  use  of  diffusing  or  refracting  glassware 
with  streethoods  equipped  with  special  type 
"C"  lamps  to  soften  the  glare  or  to  direct 
the  light  into  the  useful  plane. 

In  many  cities,  there  are  some  excep- 
tionally  wide   streets   or   important   boule- 


vards, and  these  require  special  treatment. 
Usually  lamps  of  higher  intensity  than 
those  used  in  the  main  business  sections 
are  used,  and  the  mounting  heights  are  in- 
creased. This  type  of  lighting  is  known  as 
"Super  White  Way"  lighting,  and  single 
and  duplex  posts,  varying  in  height  from 
18  to  22  feet,  have  been  designed  to  meet 
these  special  requirements. 

The  desirability  of  using  lamps  of  ade- 
quate size  cannot  be  too  strongly  stressed. 
It  is  very  poor  economy,  when  designing 
an  ornamental  street  lighting  installation, 
to  attempt  to  save  on  the  maintenance  cost 
of  the  system  by  using  small  lamps.  The 
investment  in  posts,  cable  and  equipment 
is  practically  the  same  for  all  sizes  of  lamps, 
and  the  increased  maintenance  cost  of  the 
higher  candle-power  lamps  is  comparatively 
small  as  compared  with  the  increased 
candle-power. 

The  ornamental  lighting  unit,  or  post 
top,  is  generally  designed  so  that  a  large 
part  of  the  light  is  directed  to  the  surface 
of  the  street  or  sidewalk,  although  there 
should  be  enough  light  thrown  in  an  up- 
ward direction  to  illuminate  the  facades  of 
the  buildings.  When  diffusing  glassware 
is   used,  the   globe   should  be   of  sufficient 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


427 


density  to  conceal  the  lamp  filament  and 
soften  the  light  without  greatly  reducing 
the  efhciency  of  the  unit.  The  entire  top 
should  be  designed  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
direct  the  maximum  of  useful  light  to  the 
plane  of  illumination  and  at  the  same  time 
present  a  distinctive  and  ornamental  ap- 
pearance. 

All      the      foregoing      recommendations 
should   be   kept    in    mind   by    city    lighting 


planners  if  they  are  to  get  the  highest 
efficiency  from  their  street  lighting  system 
and  also  keep  the  cost  of  maintenance 
down  to  the  lowest  figure.  A  well- 
designed  ornamental  street  lighting  system 
pays  large  dividends  in  the  form  of  en- 
hanced real  estate  values.  It  attracts  the 
favorable  attention  of  visitors  and  adds  to 
the  desirability  of  the  city  as  a  place  in 
which  to  live. 


Iron-Removal  Plant  and  New  Pumping 
Station  at  Hightstown,  New  Jersey 


By  Waldo  S.  Coulter 

Consulting   Engineer,  New  York  City 


ANEW  pumping  station,  embodying 
a  closed-system  iron-removal  plant, 
was  recently  placed  in  operation  at 
Hightstown,  X.  J.  The  iron-removal  end 
is  of  a  type  unusual  in  this  country,  as  it  dis- 
poses altogether  of  aeration  and  double 
pumping,  the  water  being  withdrawn  from 
a  battery  of  wells  by  direct-suction  draft 
and  forced  into  the  system  through  pres- 
sure filters  by  a  single  operation.  The  re- 
moval of  iron  and  free  carbon  dioxide  is 
effected  by  the  injection  of  a  dose  of  lime 
into  the  main  suction  pipe.     Reaction  with 


the  free  carbon  dioxide  and  ferrous  car- 
bonate occurs,  resulting  in  the  production 
of  calcium  carbonate  and  ferrous  hydrate, 
which  are  intercepted  at  the  surface  of  the 
sand  in  the  filters.  The  hardness  of  the 
water  is  increased ;  in  this  case  from  a  total 
hardness  of  25  to  35  p.  p.  m.,  calcium  car- 
bonate equivalent,  to  about  60  to  75  p.  p.  m. 
The  treated  water  is  therefore  what  might 
be  termed  a  medium  water. 

The  cost  of  lime  at  Hightstown  amounts 
to  about  ^-cent  per  thousand  gallons.  This 
is    for   a   raw   water   containing   about   45 


HIGHTSTOWN     PUlvIPING     STATION 

WITH  FILTER   HOUSE  IN 

BACKGEOXTND 


INTERIOR    OF    STATION    FROM 
ENTRANCE   STAIRWAY 


42.9 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


p.  p.  m.  of  free  carbon  dioxide  and  5  parts 
of  iron. 

To  secure  a  direct-suction  draft  from 
the  battery  of  wells,  and  avoid  the  expense 
of  an  air-lift  system,  the  floor  of  the  pump 
house  is  depressed.  The  filters  are  installed 
above  the  ground  surface. 

The   Pumping   Equipment 

To  keep  down  the  cost  and  secure  ma- 
chinery light  enough  to  operate  without 
special  heavy  foundations,  centrifugal 
pumps  are  used.  One  is  direct-connected 
to  an  electric  motor  by  a  flexible  coupling, 
for  regular  operation,  and  the  other  is  simi- 
larly connected  to  a  4-cylinder  Van  Blerck 
engine,  modified  for  kerosene.  Special  pro- 
visions have  been  made  to  automatically  in- 
tercept and  release  air  and  gas  in  the  main 
suction  and  pump  casings.  These,  with  an 
automatic  primer,  enable  the  centrifugals  to 
draft  smoothly  and  reliably  from  the  wells 
through  long  suction  pip'ng,  and  with  a 
suction  lift. 


Hydrated  lime  is  measured  and  fed  by  a 
dry-feed  machine,  mixed  with  an  auto- 
matically regulated  supply  of  water  in  a 
suction  tank  and  drawn  into  the  main  suc- 
tion by  action  of  the  tank.  The  station  is 
provided  with  a  Venturi  meter  and  in- 
dicator-recorder, a  recording  pressure-gage 
and  other  measuring  devices.  It  has  inside 
fire  protection  and  electric  lighting  and  is 
heated  by  stoves. 

The  capacity  of  the  station  is  720,000 
gallons  per  day,  and  it  is  so  designed  that 
this  may  be  increased  to  1,200,000  without 
altering  the  building  or  piping.  The  con- 
tract prices  for  the  entire  work,  including 
suction  piping,  connections  and  concrete 
head-chambers  at  wells,  etc.,  totalled  $51,- 
394.  The  contracts  were  awarded  at  the 
peak  of  h'gh  prices  in  September,  1920. 
The  general  contractor  was  John  R. 
Proctor,  Inc.,  of  New  York  and  Bayonne. 
The  filters  and  dry-feed  machine  were 
supplied  by  the  New  York  Continental 
Jewell  Filtration  Company. 


Typhoid  Fever  Mortality  in  1920 


THE  Bureau  of  the  Census  has  recently 
announced  the  mortality  rates  for 
typhoid  fever  in  the  registration  area 
for  1920.  It  is  well  known  that  the  amount 
of  typhoid  fever  in  a  community  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  indexes  of  the  com- 
munity's healthfulness  and  in  addition  is 
a  very  important  sanitary  index.  The 
steadily  decreasing  mortality  rate  from 
typhoid  is  therefore  very  gratifying.  The 
rate  has  decreased,  in  the  registration 
states,  from  13.3  per  100,000  population  in 
191 6  to  7  in  1920  for  the  same  states.  In 
1920  Massachusetts  and  Wisconsin  shared 
the  honor  of  having  the  lowest  rate,  2.5  per 
100,000,  and  the  highest,  22.4  per  100,000, 
was  found  in  South  Carolina. 

Of  the  eleven  states  showing  rates  by 
color,  the  lowest  rate  for  the  white  popula- 
tion was  3.6  and  the  lowest  for  the  colored 
was  4.6,  both  for  New  York  State,  while 
the  highest  rate  for  the  white  population 
was  19.1  for  Kentucky  and  30.2  for  the 
colored  in  the  same  state. 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  how 
chlorination  can  reduce  typhoid  fever. 


AN 


INTERESTING    TYPHOID    FEVER    RECORD 
FROM  TEI^RE  HAUTE 


429 


Developing  a  City  Park  by  Reforesting 

Charlotte,  Michigan,  Makes  a  Forest  Plantation 

By  P.  L.  Buttrick 

Assist  lilt  Professor  of  Forestry,    Michigan  Agricultural  College 


THE  city  of  Charlotte,  located  in  south 
central  Michigan,  has  in  Bennett 
Park  one  of  the  most  beautiful  for- 
est parks  in  any  small  city  of  the  Middle 
West.  The  park  was  given  to  the  city  a 
number  of  years  ago  by  the  public-spirited 
citizen  whose  name  it  bears.  It  consists 
largely  of  a  rather  heavily  wooded  tract  of 
maple,  elm  and  oak,  which  except  for  the 
addition  of  a  few  roads  and  trails  has 
fortunately  been  left  in  a  natural  condition. 
Adjoining  this  park  on  two  sides  there 
was  a  tract  of  about  twenty  acres  of  rather 
sterile  gravelly  land,  part  of  which  was  an 
abandoned  gravel-pit.  It  sloped  towards  a 
stream  flowing  through  the  main  park  and 
was  topographically  a  part  of  the  park. 
Although  this  tract  was  the  property  of  the 
city   and   favorably  located   for   park   pur- 


l)oses,  it  had  never  been  incorporated  in  the 
park  or  improved  in  any  way. 

In  the  spring  of  1921  the  matter  of  im- 
provement of  this  tract  and  its  addition  to 
the  park  was  taken  up  by  George  Fenn, 
who  has  since  been  elected  Mayor  of  Char- 
lotte, and  a  number  of  other  interested 
citizens.  The  committee  requested  the  aid 
of  the  Forestry  Department  of  the  Mich- 
igan Agricultural  College  in  preparing  a 
plan  for  improving  this  tract  and  adding  it 
to  the  park.  The  Department  studied  the 
situation  on  the  ground  and  proposed  to 
the  city  that  since  Bennett  Park  was  pri- 
marily a  forest  park,  the  addition  should 
be  in  keeping  with  it ;  and  stated  that  this 
could  best  be  accomplished  by  planting  the 
area  to  young  trees  and  by  laying  out  roads 
in  the  addition  to  be  continuous  with  those 


CHARLOTTE  CAN  LOOK  FORWARD  TO  A  FOREST  LIKE  THIS  IN  ABOUT  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 
Scene  on  the  lands  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  showing  trees  planted  in  1896 


430 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


in  the  park.  It  was  further  proposed  that 
the  larger  portion  of  the  plantation  be  made 
of  white  pine,  since  this  is  a  tree  which 
grows  well  on  gravelly,  sterile  soil  and 
would  succeed  in  the  abandoned  gravel-pit, 
where  most  trees  would  not  grow  at  all. 
Furthermore,  although  the  white  pine  is 
Michigan's  best  known  tree  and  intimately 
connected  with  her  history,  it  does  not  oc- 
cur naturally  in  the  region  of  Charlotte. 
When  planted  there  it  grows  well.  A  plan- 
tation of  white  pine  would  therefore  have 
a  historic  value  as  well  as  a  distinctly  land- 
scape value.  Bordering  the  woodland  of 
the  original  park  it  was  proposed  to  plant 
native  maples,  oaks,  etc.,  and  in  certain 
portions  of  the  new  park  to  plant  a  small 
grove  of  nut  and  ornamental  trees.  The 
main  plantation,  howeverj  was  to  be  of 
white  pine. 

A  series  of  public  meetings  was  held 
and  much  public  sentiment  developed  in 
favor  of  the  proposition.  The  town  coun- 
cil soon  afterwards  voted  favorably  upon 
the  proposition.  It  was  decided  that  the 
citizens  should  be  called  upon  to  assist  in 
planting  the  trees  and  that  the  forest 
should  be  dedicated  as  a  memorial  to  Char- 
lotte's veterans  of  the  World  War. 

The  planting  stock  was  supplied  by  the 

•i. .  Forestry  Nursery  of  the  Forestry  Depart- 

r^-ment  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College, 

;  J    this  nursery  being  organized  to  supply  for- 

'"'  '  est  planting  stock  to  citizens  of  the  state 

practically  at  cost. 

Nearly  7,000  4-year-old  white  pine  were 
set  out  at  a  spacing  of  6  by  6  feet.  The 
trees  averaged  18  inches  to  2  feet  high. 
The  hardwoods  occupied  a  smaller  area  and 
^,^„-,)vere  less  numerous.  Some  400  of  the 
latter  were  planted  at  irregular  spacing. 

f.  A  Profitable  Undertaking 

Since  the  plantation  was  set  out  by  citi- 
zens who  volunteered  their  services,  the 
labor  cost  was  greatly  reduced.  Their 
work  was  directed  at  the  start  by  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Forestry  Department  of 
the  Agricultural  College,  as  few  of  the  citi- 
zens were  experienced  in  this  class  of  work. 
The  pine  plantation  was  cultivated  during 
.4  the  summer,  but  the  hardwoods  did  not  re- 
It  quire  any  treatment.  Despite  the  very  seri- 
ous drought  of  the  early  summer,  the  entire 
plantation  came  through  well.  It  will  be 
only  three  or  four  years  before  the  pines 


will  be  large  enough  to  carpet  the  ground 
and  be  a  landscape  asset  to  the  park.  In 
ten  years  they  will  be  saplings  twenty  or 
more  feet  tall  and  will  form  a  beautiful 
young  wood.  In  twenty-five  years  they 
will  be  trees  upwards  of  forty  feet  tall  and 
from  six  to  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and 
their  value  and  beauty  will  continue  to  in- 
crease for  the  next  hundred  years.  The 
illustration  taken  from  an  actual  plantation 
indicates  what  may  be  expected  in  the  way 
of  growth. 

There  are  thousands  of  abandoned 
gravel-pits,  sandy  stretches  and  unutilized 
corners  of  our  parks  which  could  to  ad- 
vantage be  used  for  forest  plantations. 
They  add  to  the  landscape  value  of  the 
parks,  and  the  ultimate  value  of  the  timber 
will  frequently  make  the  operation  finan- 
cially profitable. 


FIREMEN'S   PRACTICE   IN   SANTIAGO,    CHILE. 
ON  FETE  DAT 

This  display  of  the  gymnastic  abilities  of  the  firemen 
of  Santiago,  Chile,  reminds  one  of  many  of  the  old- 
time  volunteer  firemen's  exhibitions.  Most  Central 
American  cities  are  not  backward  in  fire  protection, 
for  tbey  are  equipping  their  fire  departments  with 
American  motor  fire  apparatus 


431 


Elevated  Steel  Tank  Solves  Portland 
Water-Supply  Problem 

By  C.  J.  Franklin 

Hilton-Pike-Oakly  Company,  Portland,  Ore. 


THE  city  engineering  officials  of  Port- 
land, Ore.,  have  given  evidence  of  the 
city's  administrative  wisdom  by  in- 
stalling an  elevated  steel  tank  to  insure  an 
adequate  water-supply  to  outlying  districts, 
and  at  the  same  time  equalize  the  pressure. 
The  city  was  confronted  with  the  problem 
of  taking  care  of  a  rate  of  flow  reaching 
a  peak  load  of  21,000,000  gallons  at  8 
o'clock  in  the  evening  during  the  summer 
months,  through  two  mains  which  nor- 
mally furnish  only  12,000,000  gallons  a  day. 
After  a  thorough  investigation  F.  M.  Rand- 
lett.  Chief  Engineer  of  the  City  Water  De- 
partment, and  his  assistant,  B.  S.  Morrow, 
decided  to  install  a  hemispherical-bottom 
elevated  steel  tank  of  1,000,000  gallons 
capacity  as  the  most  economical,  efficient, 
and  permanent  solution.  This  decision  re- 
sulted in  a  saving  to  the  city  of  $220,000 — 
the  difference  between  the  cost  of  the  tank 
and  the  amount  which  would  have  been  ex- 
pended to  secure  the  same  results  by  pro- 
viding additional  mains. 

The  so-called  Vernon  system  in  Portland 
supplies  practically  all  that  portion  of  the 
city  lying  north  of  Fremont  Street  and  east 
of  Nineteenth  Street,  and  includes  St. 
Johns,  University  Park,  Woodlawn,  Ken- 
ton, Overlook,  and  Vernon.  Water  for  this 
residence  district  is  supplied  from  reser- 
voirs I  and  5  by  cast  iron  mains,  respec- 
tively 24  inches  and  30  inches  in  diameter 
and  approximately  30,000  feet  in  length. 
During  the  heavy-draft  period  of  the  sum- 
mer, the  average  daily  demand  for  the  Ver- 
non system  is  only  about  12,000,000  gallons, 
but  during  the  sprinkling  hours  in  the  even- 
ing the  demand  is  almost  doubled,  reaching 
a  rate  of  flow  of  21,000,000  gallons  a  day. 

The  two  mains  can  easily  deliver  water 
at  the  site  of  the  elevated  steel  tank  at  the 
rate  of  16,000,000  gallons  a  day,  and  the 
additional  amount  of  water  required  during 
the  peak  period  could  be  supplied  in  either 
of  two  ways — by  laying  additional  mains  or 


A    1,000,000-GALI.ON    ELEVATED    WATER-TANK 
IN   PORTLAND,    ORE. 

This  tank  is  50  feet  in  diameter,  40  feet  bigta,  'witb 

a  hemispherical  bottom,  25  feet  high ;  height  of  shell, 

56  feet;   plate  thicknesses  vary  from  13/16-  to  14- 

Inch 


432 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY  Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


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by  providing  adequate  storage  to  be  turned 
into  the  system  during  the  peak  demand.  A 
24-inch  main  capable  of  providing  an  addi- 
tional eight  million  gallons  for  this  district 
would  cost  $330,000  at  the  very  least,  and 
w^ould  be  required  to  function  only  for  a 
period  not  to  exceed  four  hours  a  day  dur- 
ing three  months  of  the  year. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  million-gallon 
elevated  steel  tank  d'scharging  into  the  dis- 
tribution system  during  the  excess  peak  de- 
mand would  meet  all  requirements  and  give 
a  certain  amount  of  reserve  water  in  the 
district,  to  be  supplied  for  fire  protection 
and  domestic  demand,  and  the  tank  and 
foundation  would  cost  only  about  $100,000. 
The  decision  to  use  an  elevated  steel  tank 
•'nstead  of  laying  an  additional  main  to  this 
section  appears  wise  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  ultimate  development  of  the  further 
limits  of  this  section  will  require  a  large 
main  coming  in  by  an  entirely  different 
route,  which  would  render  any  additional 
line  laid  at  this  time  of  little  vaJue. 

The  new  elevated  steel  tank  is  controlled 
by  a  two-way  altitude  valve  which  permits 
the  tank  to  fill  in  off-peak  periods  and  to 
discharge  when  the  two  district  regulators 


are  full  open  and  the  pressure  in  the  mains 
has  fallen  to  about  36  pounds.  This  condi- 
tion will  occur  during  the  sprinkling  hours 
of  the  summer  months  only,  or  in  case  of 
excessive  draft,  or  on  account  of  fire. 

As  the  appearance  of  the  tank  structure 
was  of  special  importance,  plans  for  an 
ornamental  masonry  tower  were  drawn,  and 
specifications  were  written  covering  a  tank 
which  could  be  surrounded  by  an  inde- 
pendent masonry  wall  at  some  later  date. 
After  careful  consideration  had  been  given 
to  the  different  materials  suitable  for  the 
construction  of  the  tank,  steel  was  selected 
on  account  of  its  absolute  reliability,  water- 
tightness  and  reasonable  cost.  The  specifica- 
tions provided  that  the  tank  should  have  a 
diameter  of  50  feet,  a  maximum  height  of 
no  feet,  and  a  minimum  height  to  bottom 
of  40  feet.  Furthermore,  all  steel  work 
should  be  kept  within  a  diameter  of  54  feet, 
which  would  allow  a  space  of  2  feet  be- 
tween the  tank  shell  and  the  masonry  for 
the  purpose  of  inspection  and  painting.  The 
Chicago  Bridge  &  Iron  Works  submitted 
the  successful  design  and  was  awarded  the 
contract  for  the  steel  work  of  the  tank  and 
tower. 


433 


A  Complete  Modern  Fire  Alarm  System 

New  Equipment  at  Birmingham,  Ala.,  Gives  Full  Protection 


THE  new  fire  alarm  system  in  Birming- 
ham, Ala.,  put  in  service  in  January, 
consists  of  200  new  fire  alarm  boxes 
on  the  streets,  25  miles  of  underground 
cable  with  a  total  wire  length  of  306  miles. 
216  miles  of  overhead  wire,  and  a  complete 
new  central  oflfice. 

The  central  office  with  its  recording  and 
transmitting  apparatus  is  located  on  the 
second  floor  at  fire  headquarters  on   Sixth 


two,  three  or  even  more  fires  may  be  re- 
ceived at  the  same  time.  On  New  Year's 
Day  twenty-nine  box  alarms  were  received. 
The  three  hundred  or  more  fire  alarm 
boxes  are  on  thirty  different  circuits.  The 
twenty  engine  houses  are  on  ten  circuits. 
All  these  circuits  end  at  fire  alarm  head- 
quarters. When  a  box  is  pulled,  a  red 
flashlight  on  one  of  the  boards  in  the  cen- 
tral office  flashes  out  the  signal,  and  it  is 


FIRE    ALARM   HEADQUARTERS,    BIRMINGHAM,    ALA. 


Avenue  between  19th  and  20th  Streets. 
Running  out  from  here  are  the  circuits 
which  go  to  the  various  boxes  and  also  to 
the  twenty  different  stations  scattered  all 
over  the  city. 

The  new  fire  alarm  boxes  are  so  arranged 
that  the  chief  or  any  of  his  assistants  can 
go  to  the  nearest  box,  plug  in  a  special  tele- 
phone set  which  is  carried  in  the  chief's 
car,  and  talk  directly  to  the  operators  at 
fire  headquarters  or,  if  necessary,  with  any 
of  the  engine  houses.  This  permits  him  to 
order  any  special  apparatus  to  the  fire 
which  may  be  necessary  because  of  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  fire,  or  to  give  special 
instructions  for  the  disposition  of  certain 
companies. 

Two  operators  are  always  on  duty  at  fire 
alarm  headquarters  to  handle  signals.  In  a 
city   as  large  as   Birmingham,   signals   for 


also  sounded  on  a  tap  bell.  The  signal  can 
be  handled  at  headquarters  in  three  differ- 
ent ways — automatic,  semi-automatic  and 
manual. 

The  central  office  apparatus  can  be  ar- 
ranged so  that  the  box  number  is  auto- 
matically repeated  over  all  the  engine  house 
circuits,  and  every  engine  house  in  the  city 
will  receive  the  alarm.  Two  big  sixteen- 
circuit  automatic  repeaters  have  been  in- 
stalled for  this  purpose.  These  are  so  ar- 
ranged that  if  a  second  box  number  comes 
in  while  another  number  is  going  out  over 
the  repeater,  there  will  be  no  confusion. 
Inly  such  companies  will  respond  to  the 
alarm  as  have  been  previously  assigned  to 
that  box. 

The  central  office  can  also  be  operated 
on  a  semi-automatic  basis.  Four  rounds 
of  each  box  number  are  received  at  head- 


434 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


quarters.  When  operating  semi-automatic, 
the  first  complete  round  stops  at  headquar- 
ters, and  then  the  signal  can  be  thrown 
over  to  the  tapper  repeaters  and  sent  out 
10  the  engine  houses. 

When  the  alarms  come  tumbling  in 
in  rapid  succession,  the  office  is  operated 
manually.  The  alarm  is  received  and  re- 
corded on  registers  which  punch  holes  in 
a  paper  tape  similar  to  that  used  on  stock 
tickers.  One  of  the  operators  reads  off  the 
number  and  then  sets  it  up  on  the  manual 
transmitter.  The  number  is  checked,  a 
lever  is  pulled,  and  the  alarm  goes  out  to 
the  engine  houses.  The  second  operator  at- 
tends to  all  telephone  alarms  and  keeps  all 
records  of  fire. 

Alarms  at  Engine  Houses 

Three  separate  means  are  provided  for 
sending  signals  to  the  engine  houses.  A 
register  and  sounder  are  mounted  on  the 
desk  in  the  engine  house,  where  a  man  is 
on  duty  and  signals  are  received  from  the 
central  office.  A  loud-sounding  gong  is 
connected  over  a  separate  circuit  to  wake 
the  men  at  night.  When  an  alarm  is  re- 
ceived which  does  not  call  out  that  particu- 
lar company,  the  man  on  watch  throws  off 
a  switch  to  silence  the  gong.  Telephone 
facilities  are  provided  to  send  out  any  com- 
pany on  the  small  fires  and  other  still 
alarms.  The  waker  switch  is  used  in  these 
cases  to  sound  one  blow  on  the  gong  to 
arouse  the  men. 

Accurate  automatic  records  of  all  alarms 
received  and  sent  out  are  kept  at  head- 
quarters. The  box  numbers  are  punched 
out  on  the  register  tape  and  time  stamps, 
which  record  the  day,  hour  and  minute 
and  furnish  a  permanent  record  for  refer- 
ence in  the  future.  These  stamps  auto- 
matically take  care  of  long  months  and 
short  months,  and  leap  year  day,  and  once 
a  century  drop  a  day  to  keep  in  step  with 
the  calendar. 


Back  of  the  central  office  room  is  a  special 
room  for  the  storage  battery  cells  which 
supply  the  current.  Eighteen  hundred  of 
these  cells,  similar  in  principle  to  an  auto- 
mobile battery,  are  necessary  to  provide  the* 
energy  to  operate  the  system  and  furnish  a 
reserve  source.  Current  is  taken  off  the 
lines  of  the  Birmingham  Railway  Light  and 
Power  Company  and  stored  for  future  use. 
Five  ten-circuit  storage-battery  charging 
boards  are  installed  for  efficient  economical 
handling. 

The  importance  of  the  fire  alarm  system 
requires  that  every  possible  protection  be 
thrown  about  the  central  office*  apparatus  to 
guard  against  lightning  or  high-voltage  cur- 
rent. At  the  end  of  the  room  is  a  46-cir- 
cuit  protector  board  equipped  with'  differ- 
ent types  of  fuses  and  with  a  bell  to  call 
attention  when  a  fuse  is  blown  out. 

The  new  fire  alarm  boxes  on  the  streets 
are  of  the  Peerless,  non-interfering  succes- 
sive type.  Ten  or  a  dozen  fire  alarm  boxes 
are  usually  connected  on  the  same  circuit. 
Frequently  two  different  boxes  will  be 
pulled  at  about  the  same  time  for  the  same 
or  different  fires.  If  these  boxes  interfered 
with  each  other,  the  alarm  would  be  con- 
fused and  time  lost.  If  one  of  these  boxes 
is  operated  while  another  box  on  the  same 
circuit  is  sending  in  its  signal,  the  second 
box  will  not  interfere.  At  the  end  of  each 
round  the  second  box  will  test  the  line  to 
discover  if  it  is  clear.  When  cleared,  it 
will  send  in  its  signal.  In  this  way  a  num- 
ber of  boxes  on  the  same  circuit  as  the  cen- 
tral office  equipment  take  care  of  receiving 
simultaneous  alarms  from  different  circuits. 

The  Fire  Alarm  Bureau  is  under  the 
Supervision  of  Chief  Sidney  A.  Middleton. 
Robert  I.  Parham  is  the  Superintendent  of 
Fire  Alarms,  and  is  responsible  for  the  care 
and  operation  of  the  fire  alarm  system — 
the  nerve  center  of  the  fire  department.  The 
entire  equipment  was  furnished  by  the 
Gamewell  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph  Company, 
Newton  Upper  Falls,  Mass. 


A  iire  alarm  bell  is  a  gigantic  cash  register,  and  every  time  it  rings  it  means 
that   someone  has  issued  another   paid-out  ticket. 

Get  rid  of  that  pile  of  rubbish  to-day.  Every  rubbish  pile  is  a  potential  con- 
flagration. 


435 


Health  Exposition  in  Circus  Tents 


timffimumri 


By  Herbert  B.  Larner,  S.  B. 

Health  Officer,  Montclair,  N.  J. 


THE  proper  education  of  the  public  in 
matters  pertaining  to  health  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  problem  of  such  extreme 
difficulty  and  magnitude  that  it  is  not  at  all 
surprising  that  unusual  methods  are  some- 
times adopted  to  arouse  the  interest  of  an 
apathetic  public.  Whether  health  educa- 
tion should  be  under  the  supervision  of 
boards  of  health  or  boards  of  education  is 
a  mooted  question,  but  there  is  very  little 
doubt  that  a  solution  highly  satisfactory  to 
all  concerned  was  arrived  at  in  Montclair 
when  the  Board  of  Health,  the  Board  of 
Education,  the  local  Red  Cross  chapter,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  fifteen  other  agencies  in- 
terested in  health  work  cooperated  in  the 
successful  staging  of  a  Health  Promotion 
Week,  which  was  somewhat  unique  in  its 
setting. 

Its  aim,  of  course,  was  to  place  before 
the  public  by  means  of  exhibits  and  demon- 
strations information  concerning  the  char- 
acter and  scope  of  the  work  done  by  the 
various  organizations  participating,  and  by 
means  of  lectures  and  motion  pictures  to 
consider  special  health  problems  pertinent 
to  the  occasion. 

The  problem  of  finding  a  suitable  audi- 
torium for  lectures,  having  in  conjunction 
with  it  a  hall  for  exhibits,  was  the  first  to 
engage  attention,  and  its  unsatisfactory 
solution  forced  us  to  a  consideration  of  the 
advisability  of  using  circus  tents.  It  was 
believed  that  their  use  would  attract  a  far 
greater  number  of  people  than  would  be 
the  case  if  an  auditorium  and  a  hall  were 
utilized,  the  assumption  being  that  the  un- 
usual spectacle  of  circus  tents  in  town 
would  have  a  powerful  attracting  influence 
on  many  people,  who  would  attend  the  lec- 


mere 


tares   and   view  the.  exhibits  out  of 
curiosity,  if  for  no  other  reason. 

That  this  belief  was  well  founded  is  at- 
tested by  the  fact  that  an  estimated  atten- 
dance of  5,000  was  recorded  at  the  exhibit 
tent,  and  approximately  1,500  people  at- 
tended the  lectures,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  weather  was  not  as  satisfactory 
as  could  be  desired. 

Reaching  the  Children 

The  large  number  of  children  who 
visited  the  exhibits  was  particularly  gratify- 
ing, and,  since  it  is  quite  generally  agreed 
that  health  education  should  begin  during 
the  early  school  age,  emphasizes  the  fact 
that  in  arranging  such  exhibits  particular 
care  should  be  taken  that  they  be  of  such 
character  that  their  significance  can  be 
readily  grasped  by  young  children.  So  far 
as  the  older  people  were  concerned,  perhaps 
the  most  striking  thing  about  the  exhibits 
was  the  realization  of  the  existence  of  such 
a  large  number  of  organizations  function- 
ing in  greater  or  lesser  degrees  as  unofficial 
health  agencies.  Each  organization  in  its 
exhibit  strove  to  demonstrate  the  scope  and 
character  of  that  branch  of  health  work  in 
which  it  was  particularly  interested,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  as  a  result  of  the 
campaign  a  far  more  intelligent  and  sym- 
pathetic understanding  on  the  part  of  many 
people  toward  the  work  of  the  various  or- 
ganizations will  result. 

The  speakers  included  for  the  most  part 
men  and  women  of  national  reputation  in 
public  health  work,  and,  while  the  atten- 
dance at  most  of  the  lectures  was  satisfac- 
tory, at  a  few  the  results  were  somewhat 
disappointing.      Particularly    was   this   the 


4.^6 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


THE     SCHOOL    EXHIBIT    AT    THE    MONTCLAIR    HEALTH    WEEK 
EXPOSITION 

case  with  the  lectures  on  social  hygiene,  but 
whether  this  was  on  account  of  lack  of  pub- 
licity in  the  proper  places,  or  because  of  a 
sat  ated  condition  of  the  public  mind  due  to 
so  much  propaganda  on  venereal  diseases 
dur'ng  the  war  period,  is  a  queston. 

A  large  number  of  motion  picture  films 
were  used  "n  connection  with  the  program, 
and  we  found  that  a  picture  would  fre- 
quently attract  a  large  audience,  wh'le  a 
speaker  of  national  reputation  would  some- 
times fail  to  draw  the  number  of  people 
that  he  deserved.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
of  the  effectiveness  and  attractiveness  of 
motion  p'ctures  as  a  means  of  presenting 
health  matters  to  the  public,  but  at  the  pres- 
ent time  probably  75  per  cent  of  the  health 
pictures  in  existence  are  of  little  real  value 
as  educational  material  and  had  better  be 
discarded  in  the  best  interests  of  the  work. 

By  far  the  most  encouraging  feature  of 
the  entire  campaign  was  the  great  interest 
shown  by  the  school  children.  Each  after- 
noon, after  school  hours,  hundreds  of  chil- 


dren crowded  the  tents, 
frequently  in  groups,  with 
adults  to  interpret  the 
various  exhibits  for  them. 
After  all,  it  is  the  children 
— the  men  and  women  of 
to-morrow — who  are  the 
logical  candidates  for 
health  education,  and  the 
logical  place  for  such  in- 
struction is  in  the  public 
school.  When  every  pub- 
lic school  system  conta'ns 
a  well-established  depart- 
ment of  health  education 
directed  by  a  competent 
instructor,  we  shall  then 
have  made  a  start  that  w-'ll 
really  amount  to  some- 
thing. 

In  commenting  on 
Montclair's   HeaUh   Week 
editorially,  the  Newark  Star-Eagle  said: 

"Being  on  the  slopes  of  the  Orange  moun- 
tains and  possessing  a  good  water-supply  and 
an  adequate  sewerage  system,  Montclair  scarcely 
would  be  considered  a  municipality  in  need  of 
a  health  campaign.  Nevertheless,  the  town  has 
just  closed  a  Health  Promotion  Week,  the  prog- 
ress of  which  aroused  the  interest  of  the  resi- 
dents. 

"The  significance  of  the  eve:it  in  the  suburbs 
lies  in  the  word  'promotion.'  The  campaign 
was  not  primarily  one  to  ward  off  the  ravages 
of  a  particular  scourge  or  epidemic,  but  rather 
was  a  general  undertaking  to  improve  the  hy- 
gienic conditions  already  good. 

"As  such,  the  observance  of  this  week  marked 
a  distinct  advance  over  the  usual  short-sighted 
policy  of  not  discussing  health  problems  until 
the  community  is  visited  by  a  serious  epidemic. 
Moreover,  this  project  in  Montclair  was  not 
concerned  with  the  negative  function  of  cur- 
ing maladies,  but  with  the  positive  purpose  of 
building  up  the  body  to  withstand  disease  germs. 

"It  was  the  social  aspect  of  the  problem  which 
was  emphasized  in  Montclair's  Health  Week, 
and  for  that  reason  the  event  was  important  in 
the  annals  of  the  town.  Certain  conditions  must 
obtain  to  give  the  impetus  for  good  health  un- 
impeded room  for  development  and  fruition. 
Montclair  has  done  well  to  call  attention  to 
these  facts." 


Law  versus  Education  in  Public  Health 

You  cannot  make  a  man  moral  nor  clean  by  law ;  you  cannot  do  away  with  con- 
tagious disease  by  law;  you  must  secure  cooperation  by  the  individual,  and  this 
is  obtained  only  by  enlightenment  and  appeal  to  common  sense. 


437 

Production,  Not  Reconstruction,  the 
Order  of  the  Day  in  Germany 

Housing  and  Town  Planning  Notes  of  a  Visit  in  October,  1921 

By  Stephen  Child 

Fellow,  American  Society  of  Landscape  Architects 

EuiTORiAi.  Note — In  this  article  our  readers  will  find  some  startling  evidence  of 
the  manner  i'l  which  Germany  is  building  vast  domestic  improvements  and  thousands  of 
houses,  zvhich  will  give  her  an  advantage  in  the  industrial  competition  with  her  former 
adversaries,  who  have  been  trying  to  conduct  their  post-war  business  on  a  more  con- 
servative financial  basis. 


DURING  the  summer  of  1921  the  writer 
was  agaiti  iH  Belgium  Iti  the  interests 
of  the  "International  Clearittg^House 
of  Civic  Information,"*  Toward  the  close 
of  his  visit  he  was  invited  to  join  a  party 
of  Belgian  municipal  officials  upon  a  "voy- 
age de  renseignement,"  this  time  into  Ger- 
many, supplementing  visits  of  other  years  in 
Hollandf  and  England. 

The  first  stop  was  at  Cologne,  where, 
across  the  square  from  the  railroad  station, 
it  will  be  remembered,  is  the  great  "Dom." 
After  viewing  ruined  Rheims,  and  with  the 
devastation  of  France  and  Belgium  vividly 
in  mind,  to  see  this  cathedral  unharmed  and 
to  note  the  marked  evidences  of  rapidly  re- 
turning productivity,  if  not  genuine  pros- 
perity— the  thoroughly  up-to-date  Rhine 
water-front  with  its  docks  and  quays  all 
busily  employed,  and  its  attractive  tree- 
lined  embankments — made  one  feel  the 
startling  contrast.  There  were  many  in  the 
party  who  were  thoroughly  pleased  to  see 
the  British  flag  flying  from  the  roof  of  a 
great  hotel,  and  over  the  entrance  the  words, 
"Headquarters  British  Army  of  the  Rhine," 
and,  as  we  toured  the  city  later,  to  see  many 
"Tommies"  in  full  war  regalia — a  con- 
quered city  in  everything  but  evidences  of 
destruction. 

In  and  about  Cologne  we  visited  twenty 
dififerent  housing  projects,  some  of  which 
were  of  great  size,  and  these  house-building 
activities  were  by  no  means  the  only  con- 
struction going  on.  At  Cologne,  at  Diissel- 
dorf  and  Essen,  and  in  many  places  be- 
tween, there  was  evidence  of  enormous  con- 


•Sce   The   American    City,   April,   1922,   page    348. 
tThe  Holland  trip  was  described  in  The   Ame^icaij 
CiTV   for  February,  1922,   page  103. 


structive  effort — new  or  enlarged  factories 
of  every  sort,  new  public  or  qtfasi-public 
buildings,  new  bridges,  improveiticwfs  in 
highways  and  street  railway  construction!/ 
and,  most  particularly,  in  the  steam  rafl' 
roads.  The  outstanding  fact  noted  through- 
out our  Germany  journey  was  that  these 
people  were  all  feverishly  at  work,  not  re- 
storing, but  producing.  We  were  told  on  re- 
liable authority  that  there  were  not  50,000 
idle  men  in  all  Germany,  and  that  on  the 
pay-rolls  of  the  Government-owned  rail- 
ways there  were  600,000  more  men  than  be- 
fore the  war,  a  statement  not  to  be  doubted 
in  view  of  what  follows, 

A  few  miles  outside  of  Cologne,  for  ex- 
ample, enormous  new  railroad  facilities 
were  building,  acres  and  acres  of  new 
freight  yards  and  shops.  We  noted  the 
grade  crossings  abolished  at  great  cost. 
Adjacent  to  all  of  this  a  new  garden  city, 
Gremberger,  is  springing  up.  Plans  under 
way  called  for  3,000  new  houses  or  lodgings, 
over  700  of  which  were  either  finished  or 
well  along  toward  completion.  The  archi- 
tecture is  heavy,  not  particularly  German  in 
character,  and  quite  uninteresting.  Most 
of  the  houses  are  in  rows  of  from  six  to  ten. 
No  dwellings  are  over  two  and  one-half 
stories,  many  are  but  one  and  one-half,  but 
some  of  the  hotel  and  semi-public  buildings 
are  three  stories. 

As  to  prices  and  rents,  it  is  difficult,  in 
view  of  the  fluctuations  and  fictitious  values 
of  the  mark,  to  convert  these  to  an  Ameri- 
can basis.  We  learned,  however,  that  these 
six-  and  seven-room  lodgings  were  to  rent 
at  from  15,000  to  21,000  marks  a  .year. 
With  the  mark  then,  October  16,  1921,  at 
three-fourths  of  one  cent,  this  was  from  $10 


438 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


to  $12  a  month.  But  they  figured  a  mark 
to  be  worth  twice  this,  or  more,  which 
would  be  a  rental  of  from  $20  to  $30  a 
month  of  our  money.  Furthermore,  the 
Government  in  one  way  or  another  ad- 
vances three-fourths  of  the  cost  at  2  per 
cent,  details  varying  in  different  places, 
sometimes  as  here  through  the  state  rail- 
road, elsewhere  through  municipal  or  Gov- 
ernment loans  to  cooperative  and  building 
societies.  Contrast  with  this,  that  in  Bel- 
gium the  Government  advances  but  one- 
fifth  to  such  societies,  and  at  5  per  cent  or 
6  per  cent. 

Among  these  Cologne  projects  we  saw 
one  then  nearing  completion,  perhaps  a  hun- 
dred really  expensive  homes,  mostly  single 
houses  of  large  size,  eight  to  twelve  rooms, 
a  few,  however,  in  rows,  all  a  very  heavy, 
ugly  type  of  architecture,  but  all  with  the 
most  approved  modern  conveniences.  All 
had  ample  front  and  rear  yards,  and  in  most 
cases  faced  either  squares  or  broad  parked 
avenues.  Evidently  no  expense  had  been 
spared.  Such  dwellings  in  America  would 
cost  not  less  than  $25,000  each,  and  Ger- 
many was  building  them  for  retired  army 
officers ! 

Ten  or  fifteen  miles  southwest  of 
Cologne  is  a  more  hilly  region,  in  the  midst 
of  which  there  are,  near  the  surface,  enor- 
mous deposits  of  the  so-called  "brown  coal" 
(lignite),  a  poor-grade  fuel,  for  which 
there  is  a  large  demand.  The  material  is 
excavated  by  steam  shovels  or  by  hand,  re- 
moved by  small  trains  to  near-by  works, 
and  pressed  into  oval  briquettes  about  the 
size  of  a  large  egg.  About  these  "mines"  a 
number  of  villages  have  grown  up,  the  dis- 


\       ,V  '■     '/     >'    ' 

kK  (V> 

MtKT^/''' 

iJB^tabj 

f  .^ 

W&^ 

?iL_  "^^ 

'jSk 

J^l^t^ 

rjm 

^%^^__  1 

IIIJ«1   ^ 

^^^^^Mwn^j 

iM  ?  i  ^'STilA 

HOUSING  AND   TOWN  PLANNING  AT  DTTSSEL- 
DORF— PORTION    OF    BOULEVARD    SYSTEM 

Note  car-tracks   on  outer  edge  of  central  planting 
strip 


PORTION  OF  ONE  OP  THE  MANY  HOUSING 
PROJECTS  NEAR  COLOGNE 

This  one  was  built  during  the  Great  War 

trict  being  known  as  Bruhl.  Here  there 
was  also  great  housing  activity,  with  about 
1,000  houses  or  lodgings  in  process  of  con- 
struction, to  help  stabilize  the  labor  supply. 
The  situations  for  these  homes  were  well 
chosen,  usually  half  a  mile  or  more  (but 
within  walking  distance)  from  the  mines, 
some  on  sloping  hillsides  having  a  fine  view 
of  the  city  and  the  Rhine  Valley.  All  of  our 
party  noted  the  intense  industrial  activity 
evidenced  by  the  many  hundred  factory 
chimneys  in  this  Cologne  district,  all  send- 
ing forth  clouds  of  smoke. 

Leaving  Cologne  next  morning  by  auto 
and  crossing  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine, 
we  passed  first  through  an  older,  uninterest- 
ing, but  intensively  active,  industrial  center, 
Mulheim,  with  many  overcrowded,  old-type 
tenements,  but  with  some  new  construction 
on  the  outskirts;  then  on  into  a  rich  farm- 
ing district,  with  every  evidence  of  thrift 
and  productivity.  Long  hours  of  steady, 
hard  labor  seemed  to  be  expected  every- 
where in  mine,  factory  and  farm. 

About  half-way  between  Cologne  and 
Diisseldorf,  in  the  center  of  a  beautiful, 
quite  rugged  and  well-wooded  country,  is 
the  district  of  Bergisch-Gladbach,  the  Dal- 
ton  and  Pittsfield  of  Germany,  the  center 
of  the  fine  paper-making  industry.  In  1895 
one  of  the  wealthy  manufacturers  built  here 
on  the  outskirts  perhaps  the  first  real  gar- 
den city, — certainly  the  first  in  Germany, 
and  in  many  respects  the  most  interesting, — 
called  "Gronauerwald."  Two  Munich  ar- 
chitects were  the  designers  of  the  town 
and  its  first  buildings,  and  it  is  certainly  all 
quite  idyllic.  Several  hundred  cottage 
homes  were  built  at  the  beginning  of  the 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


439 


development,  and  little  was  done  thereafter 
for  several  years.  But  in  October  there  was 
considerable  building  activity  at  this  place, 
mostly  houses  in  rows  of  from  six  to  ten. 
There,  as  elsewhere,  the  Government  fur- 
nished three-fourths  of  the  amount  neces- 
sary, the  remaining  fourth  being  raised  by 
local  interests.  It  is  upon  this  one-fourth 
only  that  rentals  are  based,  a  most  uneco- 
nomic basis. 

From  pretty  Gronauerwald  we  motored 
on  in  the  afternoon  again  through  prosper- 
ous-appearing farms  and  frequent  small 
manufacturing  centers,  like  Opladen,  Den- 
rath  and  Wiesdorp.  These  towns  all  seemed 
characteristically  well  ordered  and  neat,  the 
various  plants  all  extremely  busy  and  no 
idle  men  in  evidence.  The  workmen's 
homes,  most  of  them  detached  cottages  in 
fair-sized  lots,  were  of  varied  architecture 
and,  thanks  to  the  generous  interest  of  the 
mill  owners,  all  gave  many  evidences  of 
liberal  expenditure  and  quite  luxurious  ap- 
pointments, considering  the  character  of  the 
occupants. 

At  Denrath  a  fine  chateau  near  the  town's 
center,  with  beautiful  grounds,  gardens  and 
lake,  all  in  the  French  style,  once  the  prop- 
erty of  an  old  noble  family  now  fallen  upon 


evil  days  and  unable  to'  maintain  it,  had 
passed  into  public  ownership;  the  towns-- 
people  had  enough  money  to  buy  it,  and  it  is 
now  a  public  park,  the  mansion  a  commu- 
nity house. 

Wiesdorp,  just  mentioned,  is  one  of  the 
important  centers  of  the  German  aniline  dye 
industry  and  is  an  especially  prosperous- 
looking  community,  with  hundreds  of  mod- 
ern houses,  mostly  in  rows,  and  apparently 
built  during  the  war  or  since.  Thus,  while 
Germany  was  destroying  homes  in  Belgium 
and  France  she  was  building  them  in  her 
own  country. 

Diisseldorf  is  a  more  attractive  city  than 
Cologne,  though  not  so  large.  It  has  a 
beautiful  Hofgarten  and  fine  buildings,  and 
every  evidence  of  prosperity.  We  were 
driven  about  town,  saw  the  attractive  and 
extremely  well-appointed  Rhine  water- 
front, much  of  it  parked  and  lined  with 
tree-shaded  promenades  and  boulevards, 
the  busy  "Hafen"  full  of  shipping,  and  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town  the  fine  boulevard 
system.  Here  we  noted  with  pleasure  many 
evidences  of  French  Army  occupation. 

We  visited  six  or  eight  quite  large  new 
housing  schemes  in  various  degrees  of 
progress  and  then  went  on  by  auto  toward 


MAEGABETENHOHE,  THE  MARKET-PLACE  AND  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  THE 

THE  SEEKER  AFTER  TREASURES 

An  inscription  reads,   "Seek  them  in  noMe  deeds" 


'SCHATZGRABER.' 


440 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


THE    OAK  AND  THE   VILLAGE  FORUM   AT   GRONATJEKWALD   GARDEN   CITY,   NEAR   COLOGNE 


Essen.  This  is  a  particularly  attractive 
country,  quite  hilly,  and,  for  much  of  the 
way,  beautifully  wooded.  Again  we  passed 
prosperous-looking  farms  and  busy  towns, 
all  of  course  quite  undamaged  by  war. 

A  few  miles  beyond  the  little  Socialist 
colony  of  Freiheit,  in  the  picturesque,  nar- 
row, steep-sided  valley  of  the  Ruhr,  is  Kett- 
wig,  where  there  are  large  and  prosperous 
woolen  mills.  Here,  too,  the  workers  were 
building  their  own  homes,  during  their  slack 
times  and  hours  of  leisure.  By  this  method, 
we  were  told,  it  takes  them,  as  a  rule,  about 
two  years  to  build  one  of  their  small  cot- 
tages. An  architect  has  been  secured  for 
the  cottage  plans  and  for  the  supervision  of 
construction,  taking  as  his  fee  one  of  the 
small  houses  erected  by  the  men  from  his 
own  plans.  Here,  too,  they  must  employ 
outside  trades  for  part  of  the  work.  There 
has  been  developed  both  here  and  at  Frei- 
heit a  remarkable  esprit  de  corps,  which 
has  succeeded  in  overcoming  many  diffi- 
culties. 

The  Krupp  Colonies 

Essen,  famed  as  the  home  of  the  Krupps 
and  engines  of  war,  lies  also  in  the  valley 
of  the  Ruhr,  and  the  town  is  spreading  out 
and  up  the  hillsides  of  one  of  the  minor 
branches  of  this  river  in  all  directions.  All 
about  on  these  hills  are  the  shafts,  works 
and  culm  piles  of  great  coal  mines,  but  the 
city  is  surprisingly  clean.  As  we  entered  at 
nightfall,  coming  over  the  hills  from  Wer- 
den,  the  many  chimneys  of  the  enormous 
Krupp   works   were   belching   forth   smoke 


and  flame.  Next  morning,  although  we 
were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  works,  we 
drove  in  and  out  of  many  streets  and  ways 
lined  with  high  walls  and  great  mills,  get- 
ting a  good  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  we  became  well  aware  that  de- 
spite the  war  there  was  no  lack  of  work 
here.  "What  are  they  making  here  now?" 
we  asked,  and  the  reply  was:  "Everything 
— locomotives,  agricultural  implements, 
sewing  machines,  typewriters,  cameras  and 
their  parts." 

There  is  a  fine  railroad  station,  and, 
near-by,  excellent  hotels.  Not  far  away  is 
the  usual  "Stadtgarten"  with  its  great  as- 
sembly hall,  and  near  this  an  Art  Museum. 
All  about  are  many  pretentious  homes,  bu'lt 
in  the  colossal,  heavy  type  of  architecture 
so  much  favored  in  Germany  before  the 
war.  The  great  "Works"  are  not  far  away : 
in  fact,  they  sprawl  all  over  the  level  area 
of  the  lower  town,  with  miles  of  railroad 
tracks  entering  the  gates  and  winding 
about  behind  the  walls  and  mills. 

We  were  shown,  first,  the  older  tenement 
houses.  Some  of  the  first,  built  about  fifty 
or  sixty  years  ago,  near  the  mills,  are  bar- 
rack-like stone  buildings  four  or  five  stories 
high,  blackened  with  smoke,  each  housing 
ten  or  twelve  families.  There  is  quite  an 
open  space  about  each  structure,  now 
shaded  with  trees.  We  then  went  on  to 
the  more  pretentious,  newer  groups.  Of 
these,  Alfredshof  includes,  besides  hundred? 
of  row-houses,  many  large  and  imposing 
apartment  buildings.  But  more  attractive, 
and    indeed   more   extensive,    is   the    great 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


441 


colony,  "Margarethenhdhe,"  built  some 
years  ago  by  the  second  Krupp  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  marriage  of  his  heir  and 
daughter,  Margaret.  Here  are  hundreds  of 
handsome  homes  for  workmen,  with  many 
parks  and  public  gardens.  The  civic  center 
of  the  colony,  called  the  "Markt,"  is  paved 
in  pattern,  bordered  by  booths  for  market- 
day,  and  by  shops,  post  office,  public  hall  and 
other  quasi-public  buildings. 

By  far  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  Krupp 
colonies  is  Altenhof.  Here  is  where  em- 
ployees who  are  incapacitated  for  further 
work,  either  by  age  or  accident,  are  given 
a  home  for  their  declining  years.  The  cen- 
tral feature  of  this  project  is  a  very  beauti- 
ful valley  park  of  perhaps  fifty  acres  that 
adjoins  or  merges  into  the  Stadt  Wald  of 
about  five  hundred  acres.  Through  the 
smaller  park  flows  a  pretty  brook,  and  the 
valley  is  laid  out  with  skill  and  maintained 
with  the  utmost  care.  Here  are  open  lawns, 
suitable  paths,  trees  and  shrubbery,  but  no 
garden  bedding.  .  On  both  sides  are  pic- 
turesque, winding,  tree-shaded,  narrow 
streets,  bordered  almost  exclusively  with 
detached  houses,  some  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive cottage  architecture  the  writer  has 
ever  seen  anywhere.  Each  has  an  ample 
lot  with  pretty  front  yard  and  well-kept 
rear  gardens.  There  are  two  chapels, — one 
a  gem, — a  group  of  little  stores  and  the  post 
office;  all  this  for  those  having  families. 
Then  there  are  particularly  beautiful 
groups  of  apartments,  low  structures  two- 
and  a  half  stories  high  built  about  lovely 
sheltered  gardened  courts.  Some  of  these 
are  for  single  old  men  and  others  for  single 
old  women,  and  near-by  there  is  a  splendidly 
appointed  hospital  for  the  most  decrepit  and 
those  more  seriously  ill. 

We  were  shown,  also,  several  other  large 
housing  projects  in  outlying  parts  of  the 
town,  then  in  progress  or  nearing  comple- 
tion, and  were  told  that,  notwithstanding 
the  post-war  decrease  in  the  number  of  men 
employed  at  the  Works,  there  was  even 
then  a  serious  housing  shortage  at  Essen, 
which  they  were  strenuously  endeavoring  to 


meet.  We  noted  also  a  real  shortage  in 
school  accommodations.  Many  of  the  older 
school  yards  were  partly  filled  with  tem- 
porary school  buildings.  As  we  passed  one 
of  these  groups  at  the  noon  hour,  the  boys  12 
or  14  years  of  age,  about  50  of  them,  were 
not  at  play,  but  drilling  under  the  careful 
flistruction  of  a  young  man,  evidently  a 
former  officer. 

What  Does  It  Mean? 

Surely  enough  has  been  said  of  the  im- 
mense volume  and  variety  of  public  and 
quasi-public  improvements  and  productive 
activities  then  going  on  in  Germany  to 
make  even  those  who  have  not  seen  any  of 
it  realize  something  of  its  magnitude  and 
import.  One  may  readily  understand,  too, 
some  of  the  feelings  of  the  members  of  our 
party,  Belgian  municipal  and  housing  offi- 
cials, architects,  and  engineers,  struggling 
as  they  are  at  home  against  empty  treas- 
uries, cramped  credits,  high  prices,  criti- 
cism of  all  sorts,  and  labor  troubles.  Many 
times  came  the  question,  "How  is  it  possible 
for  this  nation  to  do  all  this?"  Finally  one 
of  our  party,  the  able  correspondent  of  Le 
Soir,  one  of  Brussels'  leading  newspapers, 
frankly  asked  some  such  question  of  one  of 
the  business  men,  who  was  showing  us 
about,  and  here  is  his  reply:  "We  are  not 
troubling  ourselves  about  the  future.  We 
are  spending  money.  We  are  piling  up 
debts  !  What  do  we  care  !"  This  was  the 
apparent  sentiment  all  through  the  part  of 
Germany  that  we  visited,  accompanied  by 
an  inordinate  desire  to  make  at  once,  while 
the  opportunity  was  good,  all  possible  in- 
ternal improvements.  To  another  of  our 
party,  a  member  of  the  City  Council  of 
Brussels,  this  reply  was  given:  "We  have 
about  200  billion  marks  of  debts.  Why 
should  we  not  add  thereto  a  new  100  billion, 
especially  when  it  is  a  question  of  dwell- 
ings? The  Allies  will  not  be  able  to  take 
those  away  from  us." 

Note. — Some  conclusions,  the  results  of  Mr.  Child's 
observations  in  regard  to  housing  and  town  planning 
during  tlie  past  two  years  not  only  in  Germany,  but 
m  Belgium,  Holland,  France  and  England,  will  appear 
in  The  American  City  next  month. 


Wanted:  **Before  and  After"  Views 

If  some  eyesore  in  your  city  is  to  be  turned  into  a  beauty-spot,  or  some  antiquated  public 
buildmg  IS  to  be  replaced  by  a  modern  one  tlii.s  summer,  why  not  secure  a  photograph  of 
existing  conditions  before  the  work  is  started,  and  a  view  from  the  same  point  after  the 
improvement  has  been  completed?  Such  photographs  will  be  of  historical  value  in  your 
own  city,  and  an  inspiration  to  other  communities  to  do  likewise.  The  American  City  will 
be  glad  to   publish   occasional   contrasting   views  of  this  kind. 


442 


Do  Civil  Service  Rules  Promote 
Efficiency? 


No 

To    THE    EUITOR    OF    ThE    AMERICAN     CiTY  : 

My  experience,  covering  25  years  in  public  life, 
has  convinced  me  that  no  city  can  conduct  its 
municipal  business  with  the  highest  results  and  be 
hampered  with  civil  service  rules,  any  more  than  a 
private  business  establishment  can  make  a  success 
under  such  handicaps. 

We  have  found  in  Jamestown  that  often  the  best 
applicant  for  policeman,  fireman,  lineman,  etc.,  is 
found  at  the  bottom  of  the  civil  service  list  while  an 
inferior  man  is  often  found  at  the  head  of  the  list  in 
percentage.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  ascertaining  the 
integrity  or  character  of  a  man  by  any  questionnaire 
system.  This  was  shown  the  other  day  when  Thomas 
Edison  tried  to  get  the  best  men  for  service  in  his 
works  by  submitting  seventy-seven  catch  questions 
which  even  college  graduates  were  unable  to  answer. 

In  the  conduct  of  its  many  public  utilities  James- 
town has  often  found  itself  greatly  handicapped  in  not 
being  able  to  hire  the  best  men  or  remove  the  in- 
efficient because  of  the  "red  tape"  imposed  by  civil 
service  regulations.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  any  system 
which  makes  retention  in  employment  dependent  upon 
the  mere  vested  right  a  place  holder  is  supposed  to 
have  in  his  job  is  not  productive  of  that  harmony, 
loyalty  and  discipline  which  are  essential  in  any  or- 
ganization  where  business  results  are  sought. 

The  manager  of  any  concern,  whether  it  is  public 
or  private,  must  be  absolutely  free  to  exercise  his  own 
judgment  and  his  own  knowledge  of  human  nature 
in  the  selection  of  subordinates  by  practical,  not  theo- 
retical, methods. 

The  result  of  forty  years  of  civil  service  regula- 
tions in  this  country  has  failed  to  bring  about  that 
reform  which  civil  service  aimed  to  carry  into  effect. 
And  it  is  the  experience  of  every  city  manager  that 
civil  service  rules  are  a  hindrance  rather  than  an  aid 
in   securing  meritorious  service. 

All  this  talk  about  the  spoils  system  and  the  creation 
of  political  machine  rule,  where  the  civil  service  rules 
are  not  in  effect,  is  all  bosh,  because  where  there  is 
an  awakened  public  sentiment  with  absolutely  fixed 
responsibility  arid  adequate  power  vested  in  the  gov- 
erning authorities,  there  can  be  no  danger  of  misrule 
unless  the  people  themselves  want  that  kind  of  rule. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  where  the  governing  agency 
is  handicapped,  inadequately  paid  and  stripped  of 
proper  authority  and  where  there  is  no  fixed  responsi- 
bility, we  get  bad  government  and  inefficiency,  which 
is  always  the  direct  result  of  divided  responsibility  and 
unbusinesslike  methods.  It  is  limited  authority  to  do 
things,  that  keeps  big  men  out  of  office  and  leads  to 
"cheap  politics." 

During  the  war  civil  service  broke  down  completely 
because  merit  and  results  could  not  be  obtained  by 
any  system  of  theoretical  examinations.^ 

There  has  never  been  a  private  business  establish- 
ment conducted  successfully  by  any  system  of  civil 
service  rules,  and  no  city  can  run  its  affairs  suc- 
cessfully by  any  such  rules.  There  may  be  special 
branches  of  public  service  in  the  National  Government 
where  clerical  knowledge  may  be  ascertained  in  a 
measure  by  permitting  the  applicant  to  answer  in  his 
own  way  questions  pertaining  to  his  qualifications  be- 
fore he  is  accepted  in  the  service.  But  when  the 
applicant  has  answered  correctly  or  explained^  satis- 
factorily his  knowledge  of  the  duties  pertaining  to 
the  position  for  which  he  is  an  applicant,  the  ap- 
pointing official  should  be  free  to  select  from  any 
natne  on  the  eligible  list,  regardless  of  any  percent- 
age or  whether  the  applicant  is  among  the  three 
highest  or  three  lowest  on  the  list.  When  we  make 
civil  service  practical,  it  will  be  a  success,  and  not 
until  then. 

And  when  the  American  people  eliminate  partisan- 
ship from  municipal  service  in  peace  time,  as  they 
eliminated  partisanship  from  national  service  in  war 
time,  they  will  pave  the  way  for  ideal  government  and 
real   democracy. 

SAMUEL  A.   CARLSON, 
Mayor,   Jamestown,   N.   Y. 


Yes 

To  THE  Editor  of  The  American  City: 

A  categorical  denial  of  Mayor  Carlson's  assertion 
that  the  civil  service  system  is  a  failure  is  hardly  suffi- 
cient. His  experience,  covering,  as  he  says,  25  years 
in  public  life,  has  led  him  to  a  conclusion  which  is 
interesting  in  contrast  to  the  opinions  of  many  other 
public  officials  in  New  York  State  of  equally  long  ex- 
perience. For  example,  Grover  Cleveland,  after  he  had 
been   Governor   of   New   York,   said: 

"I  am,  if  possible,  more  than  ever  convinced  of  the 
incalculable  benefits  conferred  by  the  civil_  service  law, 
not  only  in  its  effects  upon  the  public  service,  but  also, 
what  is  even  more  important,  in  its  effect  in  elevating 
the  tone  of  political  life  generally." 

Charles  E.  Hughes,  also,  after  having  served  as  the 
Chief  Executive  of  New  York  State,  said  in  speaking 
of  the  civil  service  clause  in  the  state  constitution:  _ 

".  .  .  There  is  no  clause  in  the  constitution 
which  is  of  greater  importance  to  the  maintenance  of 
high  standards  of  administration  than  that  clause,  the 
full  scope  and  meaning  of  which  have  not  yet  been 
fully  determined  by  the  courts,  but  are  destined  to  be 
in  time.  .  .  .  We  have  nothing  more  important  in 
relation  to  the  administration  of  government  than  a 
system — the  best  that  has  yet  been  devised — of  secur- 
ing men  of  the  needed  capacity  by  competitive  ex- 
aminations wherever  such  examinations  are  practicable. 
I  believe  in  that,  I  thoroughly  endorse  it,  and  I  hope 
to  see  it  extended  throughout  the  states  of  the  Union." 

The  rules  and  regulations  governing  employment  in 
successful  private  corporations  are  analogous  to  _  the 
civil  service  laws  of  states  and  cities,  and  while  it  is 
not  fair  to  compare  private  employment  to  employment 
in  the  civil  service,  the  principles  underlying  the  two 
systems  are  the  same.  However,  to  take  persons  from 
eligible  lists  for  civil  service  positions,  without  regard 
to  their  relative  standing  on  the  list,  would  be  fatal  to 
the  merit  system.  The  principal  reason  for  the  exis- 
tence of  our  civil  service  laws  is  to  counteract  the  con- 
stant pressure  of  the  spoils  system.  To  select  persons 
from  eligible  lists  regardless  of  _  relative  fitness  as 
shown  by  competitive  examination  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  pass  examination  system  and  is  little  better 
than  the  spoils  system  in  all  its  glory.  The  pass  ex- 
amination for  the  civil  service,  except  for  labor  classes, 
has,  wherever  tried,  proved  a  miserable  failure.  Even 
the  present  provision  of  many  civil  service  laws  for 
the  selection  of  one  out  of  the  first  three  on  an  eligible 
list  often  gives  opportunity  for  political  influence  to 
control  the  appointment.  We  have  had  ample  demon- 
stration of  this  in  the  examinations  conducted  through- 
out the  country  for  the  selection  of  postmasters.  Here 
politics  seem  to  have  controlled  in  the  vast  majority  of 
selections,  and  this  is  what  might  be  expected  in  every 
case  where  a  mere  pass  examination  is  held. 

I  do  not  contend  that  the  competitive  examination 
system  is  infallible.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  one  of  the 
first  to  recognize  the  various  points  in  which  there  is 
room  for  improvement.  However,  until  some  better 
means  of  selecting  public  servants  is  proposed,  it 
should,  and  will.  I  believe,  be  retained. 

A  return  to  the  spoils  system  is  inconceivable.  The 
spectacle  we  have  had  during  the  past  two  years  of  the 
kind  of  men  secured  under  the  spoils  system  for  pro- 
hibition enforcement  agents  is  enough  to  demonstrate 
the  futility  of  attempting  to  select  public  employees  by 
any  other  method  yet  devised  than  by  up-to-date  com- 
petitive examination.  -.    ,,.    hj-atjctt 

H.  W.  MARSH, 

Secretary.  National  Civil  Service  Reform  League. 


The  Editors  of  The  American  City  will  welcome 
expressions  of  opinion  on  the  following  questions: 

1.  Do  civil  service  rules  promote  efficiency  ?_ 

2.  Within  what  city   population  limits  are  civil 

service  rules  most  effective? 

3.  To  what  extent  do  civil  service  rules  help  or 

hamper  a  city  manager? 

4.  How  can  civil  service  commissions  help  city 

administrations? 


443 


A  New  Form  of  Expansion  Joint  for 
Reinforced  Concrete  Pipes 


By  Walter  C.  Parmley 

Cousulting  Engineer,  New  York  City 


THE  expanding  use  of  reinforced  con- 
crete pipes  for  conduits,  sewers  and 
pipe  lines  generally  where  a  minimum 
amount  of  leakage  is  demanded  makes  the 
question  of  an  economical  and  effective  pipe 
joint  one  of  increasing  importance.  It  has 
been  abundantly  demonstrated  that  rein- 
forced concrete  pipes  can  be  built  to  with- 
stand pressures  up  to  lOO  feet  of  static 
head,  and  examples  of  still  greater  pres- 
sures can  be  cited. 

The  problem  of  leakage  consists  essen- 
tially of  two  parts:  first,  the  conditions 
necessary  to  reduce  leakage  in  the  barrel 
of  the  pipe  to  a  minimum;  and  second,  to 
discover  a  form  of  joint  between  the  differ- 
ent pipe  sections  which  will  remain  practi- 
cally water-tight  under  all  conditions  in 
actual  service.    Assuming  that  we  have  pipe 


sections  of  sufficient  strength  and  im- 
perviousness,  the  following  are  some  of  the 
essentials  for  a  water-tight  joint: 

First — The  joint  must  be  simple  and  practi- 
cal in  design,  so  that  it  can  be  made  water-tight 
with  reasonable  certainty  by  ordinary  laborers 
available  for  the  work.  That  is  to  say,  the 
different  parts  must  have  such  relationship  to 
each  other  that  the  mortar,  grout  or  material 
used  to  seal  the  joint  can  be  easily  and 
effectively  placed,  and  all  the  inner  cavities 
completely  filled  with  dense,  impervious  mate- 
rial. 

Second — The  material  of  the  joint  must  be 
practically  imperishable  and  unchanging  in 
physical  constitution,  and  unaffected  by  contact 
with  water. 

Third— A  water-tight  contact  surface  or 
bridge  must  be  effected  between  the  mass  of  the 
joint  material  and  the  ends  of  the  pipe  sections, 
so  that  water  cannot  pass  along  this  junction. 

Fourth — The  joint  must  have  some  form  of 


A   CONCRETE    PIPE   JOINT  WITH  NEW  FEATURES 


444 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


provision  to  permit  expansion  and  contraction 
of  the  different  pipe  sections  without  danger  of 
breaking  the  water-tight  contacts  at  the  joints. 
The  variations  between  the  maximum  and  mini- 
mum temperatures  to  which  a  pipe  line  may  be 
subjected  may  easily  exceed  100  degrees  F., 
that  is  to  say,  the  change  in  length  due  to 
changes  in  temperature  of  a  pipe  line  one  mile 
long  may  easily  amount  to  3^2  feet.  Obviously, 
this  change  must  be  taken  up  in  numerous  joints 
and  not  accumulated  in  a  few  places  only. 
Where  a  pipe  line  is  embedded  in  the  earth, 
unless  these  expansion  and  contraction  joints 
are  numerous  the  body  of  the  pipe  will  be 
broken,  so  great  becomes  the  resistance  of  the 
earth  against  an  end-slipping  tendency  of  the 
pipes. 

Fifth — The  joint  must  permit  a  certain 
amount  of  shear  effect  or  inequality  of  settle- 
ment of  the  successive  pipe  sections  without 
breaking  the  water-tight  character  of  the  joint. 
The  serious  effects  of  such  weakness  in  con- 
traction joints  have  been  observed  by  the 
writer  where  otherwise  the  joints  were  pre- 
sumably effective. 

The  illustration  shows  a  section  of  a  new 
form  of  flexible  contraction  joint  which  is 
designed  to  fulfill  the  conditions  above 
enumerated.  The  pipe  sections  are  essen- 
tially of  the  bell-and-spigot  type,  but  the 
form  of  the  spigot  is  modified  so  as  to  per- 
mit the  spigot  to  close  up  against  the  bot- 
tom of  the  bell  along  the  inside  of  the  pipe. 
The  outside  surface  of  the  spigot  at  its  base 
and  the  inside  surface  of  the  bell  near  its 
outer  end  are  made  to  fit  closely,  and  there 
is  thus  left  an  inner  blind  groove  for  sub- 
sequent filling  with  grout  material,  usually 
pou'-cd  through  a  grout  hole  left  in  the  hell 
of  the  pipe  at  the  top,  after  the  inside  of 
the  joint  has  been  pointed  up  with  mortar. 
This  form  of  spigot-and-bell  pipe  has  been 
used  on  pressure  pipes  for  some  years,  but 
if  no  further  feature  is  added,  a  contraction 
or  .settlement  of  the  pipe  line  may  cause  the 
joint  to  spring  a  leak.  To  prevent  this  diffi- 
culty, it  is  now  proposed  to  insert  in  the 
bell  end  of  the  pipe  section  a  ring  of  lead, 
or  copper  sheet  metal — preferably  lead — 
formed  into  a  complete  ring  with  soldered 
ends  and  molded  into  the  bell  end  of  the 
pipe.  The  peculiarity  of  this  ring  is  that 
it  is  .shaped  so  that  there  is  a  fold  in  the 
metal  extending  around  the  entire  circum- 
ference of  the  ring.  This  roll  or  fold  is 
brought  down  close  at  the  throat,  and  one 
edge  of  the  sheet  metal  ring  is  shaped  so  as 
to  conform  to,  and  lie  flat  against,  the  up- 
per surface  of  the  cast  iron  base  ring  that 
forms  the  bell  end  of  the  pipe. 

The  concrete  can  now  be  poured  and  the 


pipe  section  completed  so  as  to  embed  the 
upper  edge  of  the  metal  ring,  and  the  con- 
crete will  not  enter  the  folded  portion  of 
the  ring.  After  the  pipe  has  hardened,  the 
edge  of  the  ring  which  lies  flat  against  the 
inner  surface  of  the  bell  is  pulled  out  into 
the  position  shown  in  the  figure.  This 
edge  later  becomes  embedded  in  the  mortar 
of  the  joint,  as  shown. 

In  the  process  of  pulling  the  metal  into 
the  position  shown,  the  rounded  part  which 
lies  back  in  the  body  of  the  pipe  is  de- 
tached and  pulled  loose  from  contact  and 
thus  becomes  free  thereafter  to  come  and 
go  within  a  self-ma<le  circular  pocket  ex- 
tending annularly  c'lround  the  entire  body 
of  the  pipe.  This  is  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion. 

If  the  inside  of  the  bell  is  painted  with 
parafiine  or  asphalt,  there  will  be  little  or 
no  adhesion  between  the  grout  of  the  joint 
and  the  concrete  of  the  bell  end  of  the 
pipe,  and  the  lead  ring  becomes  permanently 
anchored  in  the  joint  material  along  one 
edge  and  in  the  solid  body  of  the  pipe  along 
the  opposite  side  of  the  contact  surface  be- 
tween the  two.  The  lead  sheet  is  thus  free 
to  come  and  go  easily  with  contraction  and 
expansion  movements  without  breaking  the 
continuous  metal  bridge  across  the  joint. 

To  prevent  the  possibility  of  cleavage 
along  the  contact  surface  between  the  spigot 
and  the  grout  filling  of  the  joint,  a  hoop  of 
metal  mesh  may  be  molded  in  the  spigot  end 
of  the  p-pe,  projecting  into  the  joint  space 
and  anchored  in  the  grout,  as  indicated. 

To  further  facilitate  the  molding  of  the 
pipe  and  prevent  any  possibility  of  gett'ng 
grout  into  the  fold  in  the  metal  ring  when 
the  pipe  is  poured,  a  gasket  ring  can  be 
formed  into  this  fold  when  it  is  rolled. 
This  gasket  or  rope  of  elastic  mater'al 
serves  as  a  cushion  against  which  the  metal 
can  work.  With  the  rolled  rounded  shape 
of  the  metal,  as  shown,  molded  in  the  body 
of  the  pipe  at  the  bell  end,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  two  sections  of  pipe  can  be  sepa- 
rated a  considerable  distance  without  en- 
dangering the  continuity  of  the  metal  water- 
stop  that  bridges  the  gap.  By  the  avoidance 
of  any  sharp  crimps  or  folds  of  the  metal, 
all  danger  of  the  metal's  cracking  along 
the  line  of  the  bend  is  prevented,  and  th« 
metal  can  work  back  and  forth  an  indefinite 
number  of  times  without  danger  of 
cracking;. 


May,  1922 


I   H  t      A  M  t  K  I  L  A  .\      L  I    I    Y 


445 


It  is  specially  to  he  noted,  particularly 
if  sheet  lead  is  used,  that  shcarinj;  ciTcct  or 
sidc-slippinj^  of  the  sections  can  he  per- 
mitted without  danger  of  crackinj^  the  metal 
and  so  breaking  the  water-tightness  of  the 
joint.  By  making  a  joint  of  such  design 
that  it  will  accommodate  a  certain  amount 
of  transverse  displacement,  it  is  believed 
that  additional  safety  is  added  to  any  joint 


that  provides  only  for  expansion  and  con- 
traction movements. 

The  form  of  joint  shown  is  not  limitc<l 
to  concrete  pipes,  but  can  be  used  to  join 
old  and  new  work  in  walls,  floors,  etc.  Full- 
s'ze  sections  of  such  joints  have  been  made 
and  may  actually  be  separated  by  amounts 
as  great  as  a  half-inch  without  endangering 
the  effectiveness  of  the  metal  water-stop. 


County  Engineers'  Salaries  and  County 
Road  Expenditures 

All   Idaho  ("ouiity  Shows  Striking  Inconsistencies 


IN  its  country-wide  investigation  of  the 
salaries  of  municipal  and  county  officials. 
The  American  City  has  come  across 
some  instances  of  salaries  which  seem  dis- 
proportionately low  for  the  character  and 
quality  of  the  work  performed.  Unfortu- 
nately, these  low  salaries  are  of  quite  fre- 
quent occurrence. 

In  examining  the  annual  report  of  a 
county  in  Idaho,  it  is  found  that  the  maxi- 
mum salary  of  the  County  Surveyor,  who 
does  all  of  the  engineering  work  for  the 
county,  is  $800  per  year.  It  requires  an  act 
of  Legislature  to  raise  this  salary;  conse- 
quently it  has  not  been  changed  in  the  last 
ten  years. 

The  1919  Annual  Report  of  this  county 
shows  the  sum  of  $74,285.35  expended  on 
county  roads  for  that  year.  The  total  for 
county  bridges  was  $61,658.69,  making  a 
total  of  $135,944.04  for  the  road  and  bridge 
fund.  The  total  expense  of  the  Surveyor's 
office  during  the  same  year  was:  salary, 
$799.92;  stationery  and  supplies,  $53.16; 
clerical  assistance,  $750;  miscellaneous  ex- 
penses, $148.82;  making  a  grand  total  of 
$1,751.90.  Attention  is  called  particularly 
to  the  salary  as  compared  with  the  sum 
spent  for  clerical  assistance. 

In  the  Annual  Report  of  1920  for  the 
same  county,  the  money  expended  on  county 
roads  was  $103,788.36;  on  county  bridges, 
$23,207.82;  making  a  total  of  $126,996.18 
for  roads  and  bridges.  The  County  Sur- 
veyor's expenses  for  the  office  for  the  same 
year  were :  .salary,  $889.92 ;  stationery  and 
supplies,  $30.34;  clerical  assistance,  $900; 
furniture,  $.96;  miscellaneous  expenses, 
$153.48,  making  a  total  of  $1,974.70.     It  is 


interesting  to  note  that  in  this  year  the  sum 
for  clerical  assistance  was  actually  a  tew 
cents  more  than  the  salary  of  the  County 
Surveyor,  who  is  the  engineer  and  execu- 
tive. 

A  careful  examination  of  these  figures 
shows  that  there  is  a  rather  sad  discrepancy 
in  the  proportion  of  salary  to  expenses  in 
the  Surveyor's  office,  and  since  the  Sur- 
veyor does  all  of  the  engineering  work  for 
the  county,  his  salary  is  exceedingly  small 
in  proportion  to  the  money  expended.  The 
total  area  of  this  county  is  about  one  mil- 
lion acres,  one-half  of  which  is  national 
forest.  Of  the  land  outside  of  the  forest, 
50,000  acres  are  classified  as  grazing  land, 
and  250,000  acres  are  classified  as  suitable 
for  agricultural  purposes.  The  county  I'es 
in  the  heart  of  the  mountain  district,  .so 
that  all  the  surveying  and  the  engineering 
work  pertaining  to  the  location  of  roads  and 
their  construction  are  quite  expensive. 

If  the  county  were  located  in  a  prairie 
country  where  surveying  was  simply  a  mat- 
ter of  running  lines,  the  salary  of  $800  a 
year  might  be  adequate,  but  if  the  work 
takes  the  engineering  party  into  mountain- 
ous districts  and  timber  where  locations  are 
difficult,  added  salary  is  justified. 

Due  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
climate  and  topography  of  a  county  when 
adjusting  salaries  for  county  surveyors  and 
engineers.  The  arduous  labor  and  technical 
matters  connected  with  the  surveying  and 
laying  out  of  roads  in  mountainous  districts 
call  for  a  compensation  greater  than  for  an 
tngineer  who  simply  has  to  run  a  com- 
paratively easy  line  on  level,  rolling  prairie 
land. 


446 


A  "Safety  First"  Bridge 

County  Assumes  85  Per  Cent  of  Cost  of  Building  New   Concrete   Arch   Bridge 

By  C.  M.  Niles 


THE  use  of  speedy  pleasure  cars  and 
heavy  motor  trucks  on  improved 
roads  necessitates  careful  attention 
to  the  safety  of  highway  bridges  and  ap- 
proaches. A  fine  improvement  of  this  kind 
has  recently  been  completed  near  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  where  the  main  east-and-west  high- 
way crosses  Nine  Mile  Creek. 


end.  The  highway  was  straightened  and 
widened,  as  was  also  the  bed  of  the  creek 
above  the  bridge.  It  was  necessary  to  build 
a  long  concrete  retaining  wall  to  protect  the 
relocated  highw^ay  from  the  wash  of  the 
stream. 

The  bridge  was  built  by  contract  in  quick 
time.    Each  arch  has  a  span  of  60  feet  and 


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BUILDING  THE  NEW  CONCRETE  BRIDGE  AT  ROME,   N.  Y. 
Position  of  old  abutment  shows  how  the  alignment  was  changed  to  eliminate  dangerous  curves 


At  this  point  the  stream  was  formerly 
spanned  by  an  obsolete  iron  bridge  with 
plank  flooring.  There  was  a  sharp,  dan- 
gerous curve  at  each  end  of  the  bridge, 
which  was  known  to  motorists  as  a  death- 
trap. Fully  a  score  of  automobile  accidents 
occurred  here,  several  of  them  resulting 
fatally.  Strangely  enough,  after  carrying 
innumerable  heavy  loads,  the  old  trusses 
suddenly  buckled  while  a  light  machine  was 
crossing  the  bridge,  and  the  whole  structure 
collapsed  into  the  creek. 

The  local  highway  authorities  have 
erected  a  modern  two-span  concrete  arch 
bridge  to  replace  the  fallen  structure.  The 
alignment  of  the  bridge  was  changed  so  as 
to  eliminate  the  dangerous  curve  at  each 


rises  12  feet  above  normal  water-level.  The 
concrete  is  reinforced  throughout  with  steel 
bars  of  various  sizes.  The  main  arches  are 
over  a  foot  thick.  Each  arch  was  moulded 
in  two  equal  longitudinal  sections,  the  con- 
crete being  poured  continuously  from  start 
to  finish  of  a  section.  The  whole  structure 
is  crowned  with  a  panel  parapet  railing  of 
concrete. 

The  cost  of  the  improvement  was  approx- 
imately $25,000.  This  would  ordinarily  be 
a  town  charge,  but  the  town  of  Marcy  has 
a  small  assessed  valuation  and  was  unable 
to  bear  the  entire  burden.  So,  to  insure 
the  work's  being  done  in  the  best  possible 
manner,  the  county  of  Oneida  assumed  85 
per  cent  of  the  expense. 


447 


porward  ^tops 

in 

Municiiyal  j\ffairs 


Municipal  Shops  Reduce  H.  C.  L. 

Tiffin,  Ohio. — By  an  active  campaign 
the  administration  of  this  city  has  been  able 
materially  to  reduce  retail  food  prices,  to 
the  great  benefit  of  consumers. 

The  first  step  was  to  learn  the  facts. 
These  were  obtained,  in  part,  from  the 
Bureau  of  Markets  and  Crop  Estimates  of 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture. It  was  learned  that  whereas  the  peak 
price  of  live  steers,  good  to  choice,  dropped 
from  17.5  cents  in  1919  to  8.88  cents  in 
October,  192 1,  and  that  the  price  of  these 
same  steers  (live)  dropped  from  23.3  per 
cent  in  1919  to  16.44  per  cent  in  October, 
1921,  the  rise  in  per  cent  of  the  price  of 
wholesale  beef  over  that  of  live  steers  was 
from  133. 1  per  cent  in  1919  to  185. i  per 
cent  in  October,  1921.  Meanwhile  the  per 
cent  of  price  of  sirloin  steak  over  that  of 


live  steers  rose  from  238.3  per  cent  in  1919 
to  421.2  per  cent  in  October,  1921,  and  the 
per  cent  of  price  of  chuck  roast  over  the 
price  of  live  steers  rose  in  the  same  period 
from  154.3  per  cent  to  224.1  per  cent.  Such 
figures  seemed  to  justify  a  thoroughgoing 
probe  of  retail  meat  prices.  This  developed 
the  apparent  existence  of  price-fixing  agree- 
ments among  local  butchers,  and  also  the 
fact  that  cows  were  being  sold  at  steer  beef 
prices  and  that  in  some  instances  meat  from 
diseased  cattle  had  been  sold.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  probe,  but  without  the  neces- 
sity of  prosecution,  retail  meat  prices  in  the 
city  of  Tiffin  dropped  from  20  to  60  per 
cent. 

The  question  of  bread  prices  was  next 
taken  up.  The  enormous  decline  in  flour 
prices  seemed  to  justify  a  demand  for 
cheaper  bread.  The  bakers,  however,  re- 
fused to  sell  a  i6-ounce  loaf  for  7  cents 
or  a  24-ounce  loaf  for  10  cents.  The  ad- 
ministration accordingly  entered  into  an 
agreement  with  an  out-of-town  concern  for 
a  supply  of  bread  costing  5  cents  for  a  16- 
otmce  loaf,  which  was  sold  at  the  fire  sta- 


THE  CITIZENS  OF  TIFFIN,  OHIO,  BACK  UP  THEIR  MAYOR'S  CAMPAIGN  FOR 
liOWEB-PRICED   BREAD 


448 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


tions.  The  first  day,  500  loaves  were  sold 
in  45  minutes,  with  the  demand  unsatisfied. 
Owing  to  pressure  on  the  supplying  com- 
pany, this  source  was  shut  off  after  the  first 
day.  Thereupon  a  new  source  was  dis- 
covered, which  enabled  the  municipality  to 
supply  bread,  delivered  at  homes,  for  10 
cents  the  24-ounce  loaf.  In  less  than  three 
weeks,  a  local  bakery  accepted  the  terms 
originally  proposed,  and  this  has  brought 
the  other  bakers  to  time. 

Milk  had  been  selling  at  12  cents  the 
quart,  2  cents  higher  than  in  some  neigh- 
boring towns.  But  the  effectiveness  of  the 
bread  and  meat  campaigns  persuaded  the 
dairies  to  drop  their  prices. 

It  will  be  noted  that  in  these  campaigns 
there  have  been  no  prosecutions  of  any 
sort.  The  weapon  upon  which  the  greatest 
reliance  has  been  placed  has  been  publicity. 

ADOLPH  UNGE^, 

Mayor.  . 


IfeaHh 

Doparimenis 


Every  Week  Is  Clean-up  Week 
in  This  City 

Madill,  Okla. — This  city  has  an  ordi- 
nance under  which  it  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  keeping  cleaned  up  fifty-two 
weeks  in  the  year.  The  City  Clerk  is 
charged  with  the  duty  of  keeping  the  plan 
effective. 

The  city  employs  a  man  at  $150  per 
month  for  himself,  team  and  wagon.  This 
man    makes    daily    rounds,    visiting   every 


1  Sanitary  Scr.  No. 


xr: 


residence,  business  house,  hotel,  wagon- 
yard,  elevator  and  mill  to  collect  rubbish 
and  trash  and  haul  it  to  the  dumping- 
ground.  Twice  a  month  he  visits  the  out- 
door closets  and  hauls  their  contents  away. 
The  cost  of  maintaining  this  service  is 
met  by  a  series  of  fees,  which  are  explained 
in  detail  on  the  accompanying  bill.  The  20 
per  cent  penalty  insures  prompt  payment. 
Responsibility  for  collections  rests  with  the 
City  Clerk,  who  adds  this  to  his  other  duties. 

F.    L.    YARGER, 

City   Clerk. 


Recreation 
I      Departments 


N9       983  sAwiTAHY  BILL  i^M'^ii-hiji^s.,     Jn  0  If— 19a2, 


■  llvaaMitM 


PRICES  FOR  SANITARY  WORK 


Residence  Without  Pnvy 2  Jets 

Residence  With  Pnvy* ■ 50cls 

Boarding  Houses.  Hotels  and  Restaurants  Without  Pnvy ,. S  1.00 

Boarding  Houses.  Hotels  and  Restaurants  With  Privy 2.00 

Business  Houses  Without  Privy SOcts 

Business  Houses  With  Privy I.OO 

Wagon  Yarxls.  Gins.  Elevators  and  Oil  Mill  Without  Pnvy 1.00 

Wagon  Yards.  Gins.  Elevators  and  Oil  Mill  With  Pnvy J.OO 

ForExlraWork 


20%  Delinquent  Fee  t. 


Vj  Madlll,  Oklahoma 

To  MADILLS^ITARY  DEPARTMENT.  Dr. 

— ^  X)/  A-^WxAajL^O c 


EVERYBODY  GETS  HIS  SANITARY  WORK  DONE  AND 
PAYS  FOR  IT  IN  MADILL,  OKLA. 


Pick-and-Shovel  Golf 

SacramentOj  Calif. — This  city  recently 
bad  a  Pick  and  Shovel  Day  at  the  municipal 
golf  links,  on  the  "Tom  Sawyer"  plan.  No 
one  has  asked  who  originated,  and  no  one 
desires  credit  for,  the  bright  idea  of  getting 
together  lawyers,  bank  clerks,  automobile 
salesmen,  life  insurance  agents,  and  others 
to  put  in  a  day's  hard  labor  in  remodelling 
the  municipal  golf  links. 

The  plan  worked  admirably.  A  meeting 
was  called  at  the  City  Hall.  At  this  meet- 
ing it  was  determined  that  the  work  be  done 
by  volunteers;  that  F.  N.  Evans,  Superin- 
tendent of  Parks,  together  with  the  Greens' 
Committee,  figure  out  the  changes  to  be 
made  on  the  links;  that  W.  G.  McMillan, 
the  State  Purchasing  Agent,  secure  from  the 
State  Highway  Commission  60  shovels,  10 
wheelbarrows,  10  mattocks,  10  picks,  and 
10  tampers;  and  that  C.  S.  Armstrong,  of 
the  Western  Pacific  Railroad,  get 
-some  water  buckets  and  tin  cups. 
The  hour  set  to  begin  the  work 
was  8:30  A.  M.  and  most  of  the 
"boys"  were  on  the  job.  There 
were  one  or  two  "flat  tire"  ex- 
cuses, but  for  the  most  part  the 
golfers  were  on  time.       * 

The  work  had  been  planned 
and  laid  out  at  the  links  the  day 
previous,  and  squad  captains  had 
been  assigned  to  certain  pieces  of 
work  known  as  Job  No.  i.  Job 
No.  2,  Job  No.  3,  etc. 

If  any  one  thinks  that  a 
"bunch"  of  golfers  cannot  put  a 


c)& 


BRING 
THIS 
.BILL 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


449 


job  over,  he  is  mistaken.     When  the  dinner      ing  purposes   were   retained  as  partitions. 


bell  rang,  about  two-thirds  of  the  work  out- 
lined had  been  finished.  At  the  club  house 
each  golfer  relished  his  platter  o'  beans, 
coffee,  bread,  butter,  and  cake,  and  after  a 
short  smoke  took  after  the  shovel  again. 
By  3 130  P.  M.  the  work  was  completed,  and 
many  golfers  played  over  the  course  the 
same  day. 

Fifty-two  men  and  two  women  volun- 
teered for  service.  Mrs.  L.  F.  Sherwood 
wielded  a  long-handled,  round-pointed 
shovel  along  with  the  men,  while  Mrs.  F.  H. 
Webster  acted  as  registrar,  time-keeper  and 
water-boy. 

It  was  estimated  that  $250  was  saved  to 
the  city.  The  golf  course  was  changed  to 
suit  the  golfers.  The  workers  are  still  talk- 
ing about  what  a  good  time  they  had,  and 
that  each  has  himself  to  blame  if  he  gets 
caught  in  a  deep  trap,  or  stopped  by  a  high 
bunker,  for  he  himself  was  particeps  crim- 

inis  to  the  job. 

GEORGE  SIM, 
Superintendent  of  Recreation. 

Something  New  in  Polling  Booths 

Newark,  Ohio. — This  city  has  found  a 
new  use  for  polling  booths  between  elections. 
They  make  fine  bath-houses. 

The  most  available  swimming  hole  for 
the  people  of  Newark  is  about  a  mile  from 
the  town,  near  the  pumping  station.  Just 
below  the  dam,  however,  there  is  a  first  rate 
swimming  place,  but  there  were  no  suitable 
bath-house  accommodations  anywhere  in  the 
neighborhood.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
raise  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  bath-house, 
but  it  proved  unsuccessful.  Then  the  idea 
was  hit  upon  of  rolling  two  portable  election 
booths  to  the  site,  building  a  little  platform 
between,  and  a  stairway  leading  down  to 
the  water's  edge.  The 
booths  are  made  of  metal, 
measuring  about  10  by  18 
feet,  and  mounted  on 
wheels,  so  that  it  is  a 
simple  matter  to  transport 
them  to  and  from  their 
summer  location.  One  of 
the  buildings  is  used  for 
men  and  boys,  the  other 
for  women  and  girls.  The 
former  has  no  partitions, 
but  in  the  latter  the 
frames  and  canvas  which 
divide  the  booths  for  vot- 


These  booths  were  made  by  the  Kelsey  Pav- 
ing and  Construction  Company  of  this  city. 
There  is  a  fee  of  ten  cents  for  the  use  of 
the  bath-house,  and  every  patron  is  pro- 
vided with  a  split  basket  in  which  to  place 
his  clothes  in  charge  of  the  caretaker.  A 
man  is  always  in  charge  of  the  place,  and  the 
fact  that  he  saved  a  boy's  life  soon  after 
the  booths  were  set  up  convinced  people 
that  since  this  scheme  involves  supervision, 
it  is  well  worth  while. 


Manager,    Newark 


W.  I.  LEWIS, 
Chamber    of    Commerce. 


Park 

Departments 


Harrisburg's  Municipal  Bathing- 
Beach 

Harrisburg,  Pa. — Situated  along  the 
banks  of  the  Susquehanna  River,  five  miles 
below  the  gap  where  it  breaks  through  the 
mountains  and  spreads  out  into  a  beautiful 
valley,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  has  unusual  water 
facilities. 

The  water-front  has  been  kept  free  from 
any  kind  of  buildings,  giving  an  unob- 
structed view  of  the  river,  dotted  here  and 
there  with  low-lying  islands;  for  the  strip 
of  ground  between  Front  Street  and  the  ex- 
treme edge  of  the  bank,  extending  the  en- 
tire length  of  the  town,  is  a  city  park,  where 
all  can  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  and 
the  coolness  of  the  breeze  from  the  water. 
Opposite  the  city  is  an  island  that  for  years 
has  been  used  for  park  purposes.  Here  are 
baseball  diamonds,  running  track  and  tennis 
courts,  and  for  some  time  past  a  bathing 


A  NEW  USE  rOUNP  FOR  POLUNG  POOTHS,  NEWAEK,  OmO 


450 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


HARRISBURG'S  MUNICIPAL  BATHINChBEACH 


place  has  been  maintained  on  the  extreme 
lower  point.  A  small  wooden  building,  con- 
taining lockers,  provided  accommodations 
for  the  bathers.  At  the  upper  end  of  the 
city,  along  the  river  shore,  another  such 
bath-house  was  located,  but  both  of  these 
were  inadequate  and  primitive. 

At  the  election  in  November,  1918,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  growing  demand,  the  floating 
of  a  loan  for  $40,000  was  voted  on,  for  the 
erection  of  a  concrete  bath-house  and  the 
establishment  of  a  municipal  bathing-beach. 
On  June  20,  1921,  the  building  was  com- 
pleted and  thrown  open  to  the  public. 

This  attractive-looking  concrete  bath- 
house is  equipped  with  dressing-rooms, 
lockers,  shower-baths,  drinking-fountain, 
telephone  and  electric  light.  One  side  is 
set  aside  for  men,  and  the  other  for  women. 
Outside,  at  either  end  of  the  building,  are 
stationary  wringers  for  the  bathers  to  use 
in  wringing  out  their  suits,  after  dressing. 
A  board  walk  from  the  common '  central 
door  forms  the  runway  to  the  water. 

There  is  no  charge  for  swimming  privi- 
leges, and  swimming  suits  are  supplied  for 
the  bathers  at  a  nominal  fee,  except  to  small 
children,  who  may  use  them  without  charge. 
A  concession  has  been  given  for  a  refresh- 
ment stand. 

The  surprise  has  come  in  the  number  of 
people  who  frequent  the  beach.  Thousands 
come  daily,  and  the  bath-house  from  the  first 
was  taxed  to  its  capacity.  Soon  it  became 
necessary  to  erect  auxiliary  tents  to  take 
care  of  the  overflow.  These  in  turn  have 
been  filled. 

Many  problems  have  arisen  in  the  ad- 
ministration. The  first  serious  one  was  the 
discovery  that  different  people  were  com- 
plaining of  lacerated  feet.  While  the  bed 
of  the  river  is  rocky,  it  was  soon  found 
that  the  cause  came  from  pieces  of  glass. 
Careless  people  buying  bottles  of  "pop"  had 


broken  the  bottles  and  thrown  the  pieces 
into  the  water.  A  restriction  at  the  re- 
freshment stand,  that  no  bottles  could  be 
removed  from  the  stand,  eliminated  a  great 
percentage  of  the  accidents.  Playing  ball 
on  the  beach  or  in  the  water,  while  an 
enjoyable  sport,  was  also  prohibited,  as 
many  people  were  accidentally  hit  by  the 
balls,  and  in  some  cases  painful  injuries 
were  sustained.  All  this  led  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  "first  aid"  tent  where  a 
trained  nursfe  presides  and  gives  treatment 
to  all  who  apply. 

In  additjon,  life-guards  watch  over  the 
safety  of  the  bathers,  and  a  pulmotor  has 
been  installed  in  the  first-aid  tent  for  the 
resuscitation  of  people  rescued  from  drown- 
ing. Every  care  has  been  taken  to  safe- 
guard the  lives  of  the  bathers. 

As  time  passes  and  experience  shows  the 
need,  additional  improvements  will  be  made, 
but  even  now  the  municipal  beach  is  a 
most  popular  venture. 

EDWARD   Z.    GROSS, 

Superintendent  of  Parks  and  Public  Property. 


St.  Louis  Public  Library's 
Municipal  Exhibit       « 

St.  Louis,  Mo. — A  comprehensive  ex- 
hibition of  the  methods  and  results  of  mod- 
ern municipal  work  has  been  conceived  and 
carried  out  in  St.  Louis  by  Lucius  H.  Can- 
non, Librarian  of  the  Municipal  Library. 
This  has  been  done  with  the  active  aid  and 
advice  of  Mayor  Henry  W.  Kiel,  who  re- 
quested, through  President  Edmund  R.  Kin- 
sey  of  the  Board  of  Public  Service,  that  all 
city  departments   should  participate.     The 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


451 


exhibit  was  organized  chiefly  under  the  city 
departments  of  public  welfare,  public  util- 
ities, streets  and  sewers,  public  safety,  and 
the  President  of  the  Board  of  Public  Serv- 
ice, the  last  named  having  in  charge  the 
city's  construction  work. 

On  entering  the  delivery  hall,  the  visitor 
saw  directly  in  front  of  him  a  large  model 
of  the  northeast  corner  of  Forest  Park, 
showing  the  recommendations  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  Bridges  and  Buildings  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  President  for  lowering  the 
grade  of  the  two  railroads  that  pass  through 
this  portion  of  the  park,  and  incidentally 
abolishing  important  grade  crossings  on 
Lindell  and  Union  Boulevards.  This  model, 
which  was  made  originally  as  an  exhibit  for 
a  public  hearing  before  the  State  Publid 
Service  Commission,  attracted  much  atten- 
tion. This  department  also  showed  photo- 
graphs illustrating  the  construction  of 
streets,  sewers,  bridges  and  buildings.  An 
important  feature  was  interesting  material 
concerning  the  municipal  bridge,  one  of  the 
most  noteworthy  constructions  of  the  kind 
in  the  United  States. 

Under  the  Department  of  Public  Welfare 
were  the  exhibits  of  the  Health  Division,  the 


City  Hospital,  the  Division  of  Parks  and 
Recreation,  the  City  Sanitarium,  and  the 
Municipal  Nurses.  Photographs  properly 
labelled  and  displayed  on  screens  were 
freely  used. 

The  work  of  the  City  Hospital  in  occupa- 
tional therapy  was  interestingly  shown  and 
included  several  glass  cases  filled  with  ob- 
jects made  by  patients.  In  connection  with 
the  work  of  the  Municipal  Nurses  there  was 
a  display  of  infants'  garments. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Department  of  Public 
Utilities  comprised  those  of  the  Water  Divi- 
sion and  the  Lighting  Division.  The  former 
was  very  comprehensive  and  included  an 
entire  model  filter  plant  on  a  scale  of  1/150, 
with  wash  water  tank  and  water  meters  ar- 
ranged to  show  clearly  the  operation  of  the 
machinery.  The  actual  chemicals  used  in 
the  purification  of  the  Mississippi  River 
water  were  shown  in  bottles,  and  the  various 
stages  of  purification  were  exhibited  in 
large  glass  jars.  The  Division  also  showed 
an  interesting  set  of  wall  maps  and  the  ma- 
chine for  tapping  water-mains  while  still 
under  pressure,  obviating  the  necessity  of 
shutting  off  the  water.  The  Lighting  Divi- 
sion   showed    both    full-size    and    reduced 


WATER   DIVISION   SECTION   P|"   THE    ST.    LOUIS    PTJBLig    LIB?,A5^Y'S   MUNICIPAL   EXHIBIT 


452 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


models  of  the  new  electric  light  standards 
recently  installed  by  the  city  in  the  public 
parks  and  on  the  boulevards. 

The  Department  of  Public  Safety  ex- 
hibited photographs  and  schedules  illustrat- 
ing the  work  of  its  various  divisions,  includ- 
ing that  of  fire  and  fire  prevention,  which 
attracted  perhaps  more  attention  than  any 
other  item  in  the  exhibit.  It  showed  a  full- 
size  fire-alarm  box  and  the  exact  mechan- 
ism used  in  receiving  and  recording  fire 
signals  at  the  engine  houses.  Demonstrators 
on  duty  during  a  large  part  of  the  day 
showed  the  workings  of  this  and  other  ma- 
chinery in  the  various  exhibits  to  interested 
visitors.  The  work  of  the  City  Plan  Com- 
mission, both  already  carried  out  and 
planned  for  the  future,  was  shown  by  pho- 
tographs on  screens. 

The  delivery  hall  was  decorated  during 
the   exhibit    with   potted   plants    furnished 


from  the  greenhouses  of  the  Division  of 
Parks  and  Recreation  and  constituted  a 
striking  addition  to  the  exhibit  of  this  de- 
partment. 

The  exhibition  has  already  shown  prac- 
tical results.  Although  planned  at  first  for 
the  month  of  October  only,  it  was  extended 
to  the  close  of  the  year — a  period  just  three 
times  as  long  as  that  contemplated,  as  it  was 
evident  that  public  interest  required  the 
extension. 

Interest  in  this  exhibition  has  not  been 
confined  to  St.  Louis.  Several  requests  for 
information  regarding  methods  of  organiza- 
tion and  display  have  been  received  from 
other  cities,  and  the  prospects  are  that  other 
municipal  exhibits  of  this  type  will  be  given 
in  the  future  and  will  render  greatly  needed 
service  in  the  cause  of  popular  education. 

WILLIAM  E.   ROLFE, 
Associate     to     the     President,     Board     of     Public 
Service. 


10. 


Our  Community  Chest 


12. 


Has  substituted  cooperation  for  competition  in 
doing  the  social  work  which  must  be  done 
each  year  in  this  city. 

Has  afforded  a  common  platform  upon  which 
everyone  may  stand,  regardless  of  race,  color, 
creed   or   nationality. 

Has  demonstrated  itself  to  be  the  logical  "next 
step"    in    the    organization    of    our    resources, 
both  in  men  and  money,  for  social  service. 
Has  vastly  increased  the  number  of  those  in- 
terested in  social  work  in  and  for  Cincinnati. 
Has    increased   the   interest   of   the   individual 
giver   in   the   work   to   the    doing  of   which  he 
has  contributed  his  money. 
Has   made   evident   to   everyone   the   fact  that 
social  work  is  an  obligation   of  citizenship. 
Has    convinced    the    giving    public    that    con- 
sttuctive  work  is  possible. 

Has  shown  that  the  insuring  of  human  welfare 
is  one  big  problem  rather  than  a  series  of  un- 
related small  ones  to  be  solved  as  separate 
things  by  unconoerted  and  uncoordinated 
action. 

Has    saved    the   giver   the    annoyance   of   con- 
tinual   solicitation    by    an    endless    number    of 
individual      collectors      representing      different 
agencies  and  organizations. 
Has  lessened  the  cost  of  collecting  the  funds 
which  are  absolutely  necessary  for  carrying  on/ 
the  work  being  done  by  the  75  agencies  which, 
coordinated,  compose  the  Community  Chest. 
?Ias    supplied    a    workable   instrument    for   the 
examination  of  the  needs  of  both  the  city  and 
the   diflferent   organizations. 
Has  given  wise  suggestion  and   hefpful  assist- 
ance to  the  different  agencies. 


IS. 
19. 


20. 
21. 


Has  coordinated  public  and  private  agencies. 
Has  been  the  greatest  single  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment of  social  education  in  Cincinnati. 
Has  secured  the  enthusiastic  support  of  prac- 
tically    every     great     philanthropic     and     civic 
organization   in   this   community. 
Has   given  to   Cincinnati   a  place  of  acknowl- 
edged leadership  among  American  cities  in  the 
v/ise  handling  of  its  social  problems. 
Has   made   possible   an   increase  in   i^reventive 
work    rather    than    a    mere    enlargement    of 
ameliorative   effort   which  must  necessarily   be 
repeated  year  after  pear. 

Has  resulted  in  a  general  bettering  of  methods 
of   work. 

Has  provided  an  accessible,  reliable  and  com- 
prehensive record  of  the  handling  of  specific 
cases  by  different  agencies,  thus  making  waste- 
ful and  harmful  duplication  of  effort  unneces- 
sary. 

Has  made  possible  wise  planning  for  the 
future. 

Has  given  an  opportunity  for  a  more  eco- 
nomical administration  of  individual  agencies 
through  the  establishment  of  a  Central  Pur- 
chasing Bureau. 

Has  given  a  background  of  permanency  to 
social  work  here  which  insures  its  future 
stability. 

Has  developed  a  sense  of  social  obligations  in 
the   entire    community. 

Has  been  one  of  the  great  unifying  forces  in 
the  life  of  the  city. 

— From  the  Bulletin  of  the  Woman's  City 
Club,   Cincinnati,   Ohio. 


453 


Curing  Concrete  Roads  with  Calcium 

Chloride 

Interesting  Results  of  Field  Tests  in  Illinois 


FIELD  tests  which  were  conducted  dur- 
ing the  last  year  by  the  Illinois  State 
Division  of  Highways  have  developed 
amazing  results  in  the  rapid  curing  of  newly 
laid  concrete  highways  through  the  use  of 
calcium  chloride.  The  field  tests  were  pre- 
ceded by  extensive  laboratory  investiga- 
tions, in  which  practically  every  conceiv- 
able method  was  tried  out.  Between  450 
and  500  specimens  of  concrete  were  made 


was  used  is  practically  complete  within  the 
first  24  hours,  after  which  it  does  not  aid 
appreciably.  The  chemical  is  usually  ap- 
plied to  the  pavement  from  8  to  16  hours 
after  the  concrete  is  finished.  Thus  it  is 
not  difficult  to  protect  it  from  rainfall  if 
the  weather  looks  threatening  or  to  apply 
a  second  lot  if  the  first  is  washed  off. 

Tests  of  this  method  on  roads  under  con- 
struction were  made  during  the  last  con- 


A  PORTION   OF  ROUTE   5,   ILLINOIS    STATE  HIGHWAY,  BUILT   BY  McCALL   CONSTRUCTION 
COMPANY,    USING   CALCIUM    CHLORIDE   FOR   CURING 


and  tested.  Throughout  all  the  tests,  those 
specimens  in  which  calcium  chloride  was 
used  showed  the  best  results.  The  chemical 
was  applied  in  a  number  of  different  ways, 
but  the  best  results  were  obtained  when  the 
specimens  were  sprinkled  with  granulated 
calcium  chloride  at  the  rate  of  about  3 
pounds  per  square  yard  of  surface.  This 
method  of  curing  gave  higher  strength  in 
14  days  than  the  usual  wet  earth  or  pond- 
ing method  does  at  the  end  of  28  days. 

The  investigators  felt  that  the  strength 
of  the  calcium  chloride  might  be  nullified 
by  heavy  rains,  which  would  wash  this 
readily  soluble  chemical  from  the  pavement 
and  thus  reduce  its  curing  properties.  Tests 
were  made  in  which  the  granular  chemical 
was  washed  off  the  specimen  at  the  end  of 
12  hours.  It  was  effectively  shown  that  the 
curing   process   in  which  calcium  chloride 


struction  season.  On  one  job  of  seven  miles 
of  pavement  the  concrete  was  cured  by  cov- 
ering the  paving  with  about  one  inch  of 
earth  and  then  sprinkling  it  with  a  strong 
solution  of  calcium  chloride.  The  solution 
was  applied  so  that  the  chemical  was  equal 
to  about  four  pounds  of  dry  chemical  per 
square  yard  of  surface.  The  earth  cover- 
ing held  the  solution  on  the  road  and  pre- 
vented the  complete  loss  of  the  chemical  in 
case  of  rain.  The  solution  to  be  used  for 
curing  was  placed  in  water  barrels  along 
the  road  the  day  before  the  sections  were 
completed,  and  when  applied  was  sprinkled 
from  an  ordinary  watering-can.  Frequent 
inspection  showed  that  the  earth  remained 
moist,  proving  conclusively  that  the  pave- 
ment was  cured  satisfactorily. 

The  granular  calcium  chloride  method  of 
curing  concrete  has  a  number  of  decided 


454 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


advantages  over  the  use  of  wet  earth,  or 
ponding,  which  has  been  used  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  This  method  is  economical, 
as  it  costs  less  than  6  cents  per  square 
yard  of  surface  cured.  There  is  consider- 
able saving  in  labor,  because  no  pipe  line  is 
needed.  Another  distinct  advantage  is  the 
fact  that  the  calcium  chloride  can  be  ap- 
plied sooner  after  the  completion  of  the 
road  than  the  wet  earth  or  the  ponding 
method,   thus   making   it   possible   to   open 


roads  to  traffic  at  an  earlier  date  without 
danger  to  the  concrete. 

Solutions  of  calcium  chloride  have  also 
been  used  in  the  water  in  the  mixers  during 
cold  weather,  making  it  possible  to  work 
the  concrete  readily  and  prevent  freezing. 
This  method,  while  it  does  not  protect  the 
concrete  from  exceedingly  cold  weather, 
will  materially  lengthen  the  construction 
season  in  the  fall,  reacting  to  the  benefit  of 
highway  department  and  contractors. 


Safety  During  Road  Construction 

Methods  of  Handling  Traffic  and  Arranging  Detours 

By  A.  R.  Hirst 

State  Highway  Engineer,  Madison,  Wis. 


MANY  accidents  are  caused  by  failure 
to  take  proper  precautions  during 
the  construction  of  roadways.  If  the 
road  is  to  be  kept  open  to  travel  during  con- 
struction, the  safety  and  convenience  of 
the  traveling  public  should  be  the  para- 
mount consideration.  In  too  many  instances 
it  is  almost  totally  disregarded. 

Roads  under  construction  should  be  either 
wholly  closed  to  general  traffic  or  kept  open 
under  conditions  which  guarantee  safe  and 
easy  passage.  If  they  are  kept  open,  the 
grading  should  be  kept  closely  in  hand.  In 
ordinary  road  work  there  is  no  great  rea- 


MAINTENANCE 
WAY     DETOUR 


ON   THIS  IMPORTANT  INTERSTATE   HIGH- 
WOULD     SAVE    TOURISTS     TIME,     MONET 
AND    TEMPER 


son  why  there  should  be  more  than  one  mile 
between  the  completed  grading  and  the  first 
plowing  ahead.  In  most  cases,  contractors 
would  be  much  ahead  if,  instead  of  spread- 
ing their  work  over  the  whole  length  of 
the  contract  and  finishing  nothing  until  the 
last  operation,  they  would  keep  the  grading 
operation  well  in  hand  and  finish  as  they 
go.  They  can  start  a  slope-trimming  and 
finishing  crew  as  soon  as  the  roughing  cut 
has  proceeded  not  more  than  a  mile. 

On  many  highway  jobs  the  grade  lifts  are 
too  heavy.  Drops  of  three  or  four  feet  at 
the  end  of  a  fill  are  not  uncommon.  This  is 
contrary  to  most  specifica- 
tions, makes  a  poor  road, 
poorly  compacted,  and  also 
greatly  inconveniences  the 
travel  in  going  both  up  and 
down  the  breast.  Even  where 
the  cut  or  fill  is  not  com- 
pleted, the  road  can  be  kept 
reasonably  smooth  by  operat- 
ing a  grader  constantly  over 
it  as  the  material  is  being  cut 
and  filled. 

The  most  striking  difficul- 
ties encountered  in  keeping 
the  roads  open  during  con- 
struction are  caused  by  mak- 
ing short  detours  around  cul- 
verts and  bridges  wherever 
the  alignment  permits.  It  is 
much    better    to    build    the 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


455 


IN   CONNECTICUT,   BOADS  ASE   BUILT  HALF  AT  A   TIME, 

AND  TRAFFIC  IS  THEN  SAVED  A  LONGEE  TBIP  OVEB  AN 

ALTERNATE   BOUTB 


bridge  on  a  new  site,  even  at  the  cost  of  a 
few  hundred  dollars  additional,  and  permit 
the  traffic  to  use  the  old  bridge  rather  than  a 
temporary  structure.  In  quite  a  number  of 
cases  curves  occur  near  bridges  and  it  is 
possible  by  a  new  alignment  at  that  point  to 
buiii^  a  new  bridge  and  maintain  the  old 
one  during  construction. 

In  the  case  of  culverts,  instead  of  detour- 
ing  the  traffic  across  ditches  and  through 
fields,  which  usually  are  impassable  after 
each  rain,  the  engineer  should  build  the  cul- 
verts in  two  sections.  While  it  is  slightly 
more  expensive  to  do  this,  the  additional 
cost  is  made  up  many  times  in  savings  to 
the  traffic.  Experiments  have  been  made 
in  Wisconsin  with  this 
method  during  the  last  sea- 
son. Plans  and  specifications 
for  1922  call  for  the  con- 
struction of  culverts  in  two 
sections  wherever  the  road 
is  to  be  kept  open  for  traffic. 

In  some  of  the  Eastern 
States  roads  have  been  built 
in  halves  and  the  traffic  dis- 
patched in  a  single  direction 
by  a  system  of  telephoning. 
In  traveling  over  sections  of 
highways  so  handled  this 
year,  I  was  impressed  that 
for  main  line  traffic  this 
method  was  unsatisfactory. 
Unless  there  were  positively 
no     detours     available,     the 


money  expended  in  dispatch- 
ing and  in  the  additional  con- 
struction under  such  condi- 
tions could  have  been  spent 
in  fitting  temporary  detours 
for  traffic,  with  more  satis- 
factory results.  On  Sundays 
and  legal  holidays  the  traffic 
conditions  on  such  'sections 
must,  indeed,  have  been  seri- 
ous. 

Attention  to  Detours 

If  highways  under  con- 
struction are  to  be  absolutely 
closed,  careful  attention 
should  be  given  to  the  de- 
tour. If  possible,  the  road 
over  which  the  detour  is  to 
should  be  given  the  proper 
attention   the   preceding   year. 


be  carried 
amount  of 
Nothing  is  more  exasperating  to  the  motor- 
ist than  to  be  detoured  along  a  certain  high- 
way and  to  find  it  has  been  recently  graded 
to  be  ready  for  the  detour  and  is  itself  as 
impassable  as  the  highway  from  which  traf- 
fic has  been  diverted.  A  little  more  care 
and  attention  given  in  advance  to  detours 
will  pay  heavy  dividends  in  satisfaction  to 
the  traveling  public. 

If  opportunity  exists,  it  is  much  better  to 
provide  a  detour  for  one  line  of  traffic  and 
to  use  another  highway  for  traffic  going  in 
the  opposite  direction;  if  the  roads  selected 
for  detours  are  narrow,  this  method  avoids 


WHEN    THE     HALF-AT-A-TIME     METHOD     PERMITS     ONLY 
ONE  LINE   OF  TBAFFIC,   THIS  IS  REGULATED  BY  A  TELE- 
PHONE,   IN  MASSA.CHUSETTS 


4.^6 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


many  accidents  and  complications  in  meet- 
ing and  facilitates  the  passage  of  both  lines 
of  traffic.  Furthermore,  the  detour  roads 
are  not  quite  so  seriously  damaged  if  the 
traffic  is  halved.  If  there  is  any  question 
or  reasonable  doubt,  a  double  detour  should 
be  used. 

Needless  to  say,  detours  should  be  marked 
and  well-  maintained.  Proper  posting  of  de- 
tours does  not  mean  just  pointing  an  arrow 
at  the  first  turn  away  from  the  road  under 
improvement ;  it  means  a  consistent  series 
of  signs  directing  traffic  adequately  from 
beginning  to  end  of  the  detour.  There  is  no 
more  helpless  feeling  than  that  which  comes 
to  one  lost  on  a  supposed  detour  at  midnight 
with  the  rain  descending  and  all  the  farmers 
in  the  neighborhood  gone  to  bed.  If  all  en- 
gineers and  contractors  had  been  caught  in 
such  a  predicament,  as  the  writer  has  been, 
much  greater  care  would  be  used  in  the 
selection,  maintenance  and  marking  of  de- 
tours. 

A  good  many  present-day  highways  must 
be  detoured  when  constructed.  It  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  construct  a  concrete 
road  without  detours.    The  same  is  true  of 


almost  any  other  road  except  graveling  and 
grading  jobs.  The  cost  of  detouring  is  a 
very  heavy  charge  on  the  traveling  public. 
Almost  invariably  detours  are  longer  than 
the  road  under  construction.  If  the  road 
under  construction  carries  heavy  traffic,  the 
cost  of  traveling  an  extra  mile  on  the  de- 
tour is  very  heavy.  A  detour  three  miles 
longer  than  the  main  road,  carrying  a  traf- 
fic of  800  vehicles  a  day,  means  a  daily 
total  extra  travel  of  2,400  miles,  which  even 
at  10  cents  a  day  is  $240  per  day.  If  the 
road  under  construction  is  kept  closed  for 
four  months,  the  cost  of  detouring  will  be 
$28,800,  and  unless  the  structure  is  of  such 
character  as  absolutely  to  preclude  taking 
traffic  through,  any  reasonable  expenditure 
in  keeping  it  open  for  traffic  is  fully  justified. 
Whether  to  detour  or  not  is  a  matter  of 
special  consideration  for  each  particular  set 
of  circumstances.  Detours  should  certainly 
be  kept  to  the  minimum  both  in  number  and 
in  length,  and  if  necessarily  used  should  be 
made  as  safe  as  possible  and  as  unmistak- 
able as  foresight  can  make  them. 

Acknowledgment. — Illustrations  by  courtesy  of  the 
Portland  Cement  Association,  Chicago,   111.  ^ 


A  Glimpse  of  South  America's  Largest  City 


VIADUCT   OF  SANTA  THERESA,   BIO   DE  JANEIRO,   BRAZIL 


457 


The  Principles  of  City  Planning 

By  Harland  Bartholomew 

City  Plan  Engineer,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


CITY  planning  is  that  phase  of 
municipal  activity  which  analyzes  the 
character  and  probable  extent  of  the 
city's  growth,  suggests  certain  physical 
readjustments  and  provides  for  the  co- 
ordination of  all  future  improvements.  Un- 
der proper  and  sympathetic  administrative 
agencies  it  would  make  possible  the  gradual 
and  economical  development  of  an  orderly, 
well-arranged  city,  which  would  provide 
good  living  conditions  for  all  its  citizens, 
and  would  be  everywhere  wholesome  and  at- 
tractive in  appearance  and  free  from  those 
physical  defects  that  hamper  commercial 
and  industrial  activity. 

City  planning  is  essentially  concerned 
with  the  physical  development  of  cities.  It 
has  nothing  to  do  with  political  or  admin- 
istrative policies.  The  city  plan  will  largely 
influence,  for  good  or  bad,  the  lives  of  its 
people,  so  long  as  the  city  endures.  It  should 
transcend  all  other  considerations. 

It  is  a  well-recognized  fact  that  modern 
cities  are  lacking  in  unity  of  design,  do  not 
easily  promote  the  expansion  of  commerce 
and  industry,  and  have  numerous  residential 
districts  of  doubtful  value.  The  past  few 
years  have  produced  a  noteworthy  public 
realization  of  the  deficiencies  and  mistakes 
of  city  growth.  Few  cities  are  not  now  en- 
gaged in  attempting  to  correct  the  evils  that 
are  the  result  of  past  neglect. 

Those  things  which  properly  constitute 
the  city  plan  are  six  in  number : 

1.  Street  system 

2.  Transit  system 

3.  Transportation    (rail  and  water) 

4.  Public  recreation 

5.  Zoning 

6.  Civic  art 

These  are  the  physical  elements  which, 
when  properly  planned  and  correlated,  make 
possible  the  creation  of  an  attractive  and 
orderly  working  organism  out  of  the 
heterogeneous  mass  we  now  call  the  city. 

In  the  development  of  a  city  plan  whereby 
the  growth  of  a  city  may  be  controlled  over 
a  period  of  fifty  years  or  more,  we  are  con- 
fronted with  the  application  of  these  six 
factors,  in 


a.  Areas   now   in   whole    or   in    part   devel- 

oped with  streets,  buildings,  and  cus- 
tomary improvements,  and 

b.  Areas  as  yet  undeveloped  and  unimproved. 
It   is  far  more   simple  to  plan  for  new 

growth  than  to  replart  areas  already  devel- 
oped. The  cost  of  planning  new  areas  is 
small  indeed.  To  replan  areas  already  devel- 
oped is  often  costly,  and  yet  even  the  cost 
of  replanning  is  usually  more  than  justified 
in  the  greater  degree  of  usefulness  which 
results.  A  new  impetus  is  given  to  growth, 
finding  its  reflection  in  increased  local  prop- 
erty values,  and  greater  public  convenience. 

The  Street  System 

The  street  system  is  the  fundamental  ele- 
ment of  the  city  plan.  It  is  the  skeleton  or 
framework  of  the  city  structure.  There  are 
three  types  of  streets  that  every  well- 
planned  city  should  have: 

1.  Main  arterial  thoroughfares 

2.  Secondary  (cross-town)  thoroughfares 

3.  Minor  streets 

The  main  arterial  thoroughfares  should 
be  of  commodious  width  (100  feet  or 
greater),  and  provide  continuous  and  direct 
communication  between  the  central  business 
district  and  all  parts  of  the  city.  They  may 
be  compared  to  the  spokes  of  a  wheel, 
radiating  in  all  directions  from  the  hub. 
In  so  far  as  these  main  arterial  thorough- 
fares are  provided,  just  so  far  is  com- 
munication facilitated  and  the  uniform  ex- 
pansion and  growth  of  a  city  encouraged. 

The  secondary  or  cross-town  thorough- 
fares should  be  preferably  80  to  100  feet 
wide,  providing  easy  communication  be- 
tween outlying  districts  of  the  city.  Where 
the  rectangular  form  of  street  platting  has 
been  followed,  as  is  the  case  in  most  cities, 
these  secondary  cross-town  thoroughfares 
should  be  spaced  approximately  one-half 
mile  apart.  When  new  growth  occurs,  they 
should  continue  to  provide  the  necessary 
intradistrict  communication,  either  by  ex- 
tending those  which  exist  or  are  planned 
in  the  built-up  portions  of  the  city,  and  in 
addition  assume  the  form  of  concentric 
circles  about  the  built-up  city  area,  spaced 
approximately  one  mile  apart. 


458 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


Minor  streets  are  those  which  are  used 
chiefly  for  residential  purposes.  Their  de- 
sign and  arrangement  should  be  such  as  to 
facilitate  access,  but  not  to  provide  for  or 
encourage  anything  but  "local"  traffic. 
Widths  of  approximately  50  feet  should  be 
satisfactory,  supplemented  by  set-back  lines 
for  all  buildings.  The  platting  of  minor 
residential  streets  should  not  be  of  the  rec- 
tangular type  alone.  Variation  in  topography 
often  justifies  departure  from  the  rec- 
tangular method  of  platting,  and  where  there 
is  no  variation  in  topography,  a  slight  de- 
parture from  the  rectangular  method  often 
affords  relief  from  monotony  of  develop- 
ment, and  a  greater  degree  of  interest  and 
charm. 

A  fourth  classification  of  street  type 
might  be  added,  in  what  is  sometimes  called 
the  special  service  street,  such  as  that  serv- 
ing industrial  areas.  The  width,  arrange- 
ment, and  design  of  special  service  streets 
are  dependent  upon  the  service  which  they 
are  expected  to  perform. 

Transit   System 

The  provision  of  transit  facilities  involves 
various  types  of  carriers,  including  the 
street  car,  the  motor  bus,  the  rapid  transit 
line,  and  the  more  modern  facilities  now 
being  developed,  such  as  the  trackless  trol- 
ley. The  city  plan  is  not  concerned 
primarily  with  questions  of  fare,  methods 
of  operation,  ownership,  or  volume  of  ser- 
vice, except  as  these  questions  affect  the 
unified  character  of  the  system  and  its  direct 
relation  to  the  distribution  of  population 
and  the  physical  arrangement  of  the  city. 

It  is  a  generally  accepted  fact  that  the 
operation  of  a  system,  whether  privately  or 
publicly  owned,  is  largely  dependent  upon 
the  street  plan.  An  adequate  system  of 
main  arterial  thoroughfares  and  secondary 
cross-town  thoroughfares  will  make  possible 
the  plan  of  a  satisfactory  system  of  transit 
facilities. 

A  unification  of  the  transit  facilities  to  be 

provided  upon  the  streets  of  the  city  is  to 

be  desired  and  will  be  productive  of  best 

results.     With  the  exception  of  the  largest 

cities,  the  great  volume  of  traffic  is  cared 

^for  by  a  system  of  street  car  lines.     After 

-..an   adequate   major    street    plan   has   been 

-devised,   attention   should  be  given  to  the 

rerouting  of  existing  street  car  lines  in  (a) 

the  business  district,  and   (b)   the  remain- 


ing areas  of  the  city,  in  order  that  more 
direct  and  expeditious  service  can  be  pro- 
vided. Combinations,  rearrangements  and 
extensions  of  facilities,  regardless  of  their 
type,  can  then  be  planned  to  meet  the  needs 
of  a  growing  city.  There  will  thus  be 
established  a  definite  plan  of  procedure  in 
place  of  the  more  or  less  common  make- 
shift policies  of  temporary   readjustments. 

Transportation — Rail  and  Water 

Steam  railroad  and  water-borne  traffic 
are  to  be  considered  under  the  term  trans- 
portation. The  problems  of  each  city  in 
this  phase  of  planning  vary  greatly  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  size  of  the  city  and  the 
number  of  railroads  and  water  routes  estab- 
lished. There  are  four  classes  of  traffic 
to  be  considered: 

1.  Passenger  traffic 

2.  Through  car-load  business 

3.  Local  car-load  business 

4.  Local  1.  c.  I.  (less  than  car-load)  business 

Only  after  a  thorough  study  of  the  exist- 
ing conditions  in  a  city,  its  needs  and  prob- 
able increased  growth,  can  suggestions  for 
adequate  planning  be  made  so  that  new 
facilities  may  fit  into  the  general  city  plan. 

There  is  a  marked  tendency  toward 
unification  of  transportation  facilities  with- 
in cities.  In  so  far  as  unification  of  service 
can  be  provided,  this  should  be  done.  There 
are  practical  limitations  upon  the  early  ac- 
complishment of  unification  of  service, 
such  as  the  expense  of  wholesale  readjust- 
ments and  undue  interference  with  present 
highly  developed  facilities,  that  necessitate 
only  the  most  gradual  development  of 
unification  of  facilities. 

Unification  of  passenger  traffic  facilities 
has  been  more  customary  than  for  other 
types  of  rail  and  water  traffic.  Union  pas- 
senger stations  are  to  be  found  in  many 
cities  and  are  desirable  where  practicable. 
Where  more  than  one  station  for  passenger 
traffic  is  found  to  be  necessary,  they  should 
be  located  carefully  with  respect  to  the 
street  arrangement,  the  business  district, 
and  the  center  of  population. 

Where  the  freight  facilities  of  a  city  be- 
come congested  or  a  hindrance  to  the  move- 
ment of  street  traffic  or  to  the  enlargement 
of  commercial  and  industrial  areas,  it  will 
usually  prove  desirable  to  locate  freight 
yards  outside  the  developed  areas  of  cities 
and  provide  belt  lines  whereby  through 
freight  may  be  routed  around  the  city  with- 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


459 


PROPOSED  CR05S  5ECT10N5  OF  MAJORAND  MINOP  STREETS 

MEMPHIS   TENNESSEE 

CITY     PLAN     ENGINEER- 


WACLAND    BARTHOLOMEW 


h^-4 1 

ScjJc  ftct 


r^--'-'— JO- -jTBu.U.nc,  I, 


I'M 


TYPICAL  CROSS  SECTION  FOR  MINOR  5TREE.T5 


Hll-b-k-U 


INITIAL  DEVELOPMENT  FINAL    DEVELOPMENT 

SIXTY-SIX  FOOT  STREET 


INITIAL   DEVELOPMENT  FINAL      DEVELOPMENT 

EIGHTY  FOOT  STREET 


"Hh" 


'4- — 15 '  -T^    17'- 


-24 -L 17' -1 \b  —1-6- 

100'  


INITIAL     DEVELOPMENT 


FINAL      DEVELOPMENT 

ONE   HUNDRED   FOOT   STREET 


f 


STREETS  IN   EVOLUTION 
How   Wise    planning  may  reserve   for  later   public  use   space  not   yet    actually   required  for  roadway 


460 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


out     entering     it     and     congesting     local 
terminals. 

The  location,  capacity  and  arrangement 
of  classification  yards  should  be  such  as  to 
facilitate  early  delivery  from  road  move- 
ment of  local  car-load  freight  to  industries 
and  to  team  tracks.  Team  track  facilities 
should  be  properly  located  and  of  sufficient 
size  to  be  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  needs 
of  the  community.  Similarly,  the  facilities 
essential  to  the  early  collection  of  local  out- 
bound car-load  freight  should  be  such  as  to 
insure  early  delivery  for  road  haul.  This 
implies  reduction  to  a  minimum  of  rehan- 
dling  and  consequent  loss  of  time  and  un- 
warranted cost.  As  cities  increase  in  size, 
the  volume  of  local  1.  c.  1.  traffic  usually  in- 
creases correspondingly,  while  the  com- 
plications of  handling  1.  c.  1.  freight  increase 
in  greater  ratio.  There  is  need,  therefore, 
of  studying  not  merely  the  facilities  at  hand, 
but  the  methods  of  handling.  The  relation 
between  the  city  plan  and  freight  move- 
ments is  best  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  an 
improper  method  of  handling  may  produce 
an  unwarranted  number  of  vehicles  upon 
the  streets,  while  improper  locations  of 
freight  houses  may  necessitate  hauling  of 
freight  through  congested  retail  centers, 
with  which  the  freight  traffic  has  nothing  in 
common. 

Public  Recreation 

It  is  only  within  the  past  fifty  years  that 
the  courts  have  come  generally  to  recog- 
nize the  necessity  for  the  expenditure  of 
public  funds  for  recreation  facilities.  So 
long  as  we  allow  people  to  congest  and  over- 
crowd sections  of  the  city,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  provide  forms  of  recreation  which 
people  demand  but  are  unable  to  provide 
within  and  about  their  homes.  The  several 
types  of  public  recreation  facilities  which 
cities  should  provide  in  varying  degree  ac- 
cording to  their  size  and  density  of  popula- 
tion are: 

a.  Community  centers 

b.  Children's  playgrounds 

c.  Neighborhood  parks 

d.  Recreation  fields 

e.  Large  parks 

f.  Boulevards  and  outlying  parks  or  reserva- 

tions 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  city  could 
provide    all    the    recreation    facilities    that 
might  be  created  or  desired.    It  is  particu- 
larly  important,   therefore,   that   the   city's 


expenditures  for  public  recreation  facilities 
of  various  types  should  be  so  distributed 
that  the  maximum  amount  of  service  will 
be  provided  for  the  greatest  number  of 
people. 

The  community  center  is  a  well-recog- 
nized public  recreation  agency  which  also 
offers  splendid  opportunities  for  educational 
work,  Americanization,  a  forum  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  public  affairs,  and  the  like.  Prop- 
erly designed  school  buildings  are  the  best 
community  centers,  particularly  since  com- 
munity center  activities  are  greatest  in 
out-of-school  hours.  Hence  the  provision 
of  community  service  is  largely  a  matter 
of  organization  and  administration  rather 
than  of  city  planning,  for  it  is  presumed  that 
school  buildings  will  have  been  located  in 
accordance  with  the  distribution  of  school 
children  and  hence  quite  properly  fit  into 
the  general  city  planning  program. 

The  first  important  consideration  in  de- 
vising a  system  of  children's  playgrounds  is 
that  of  selecting  sites  within  congested  dis- 
tricts and  within  easy  reach  of  large  num- 
bers of  small  children.  A  study  of  distribu- 
tion of  school  children,  density  of  popula- 
tion, and  juvenile  delinquency  throughout 
the  city  will  readily  suggest  the  location  of 
children's  playgrounds. 

Neighborhood  parks  are  needed  in  all  resi- 
dential districts  and  should  be  more 
numerous  where  population  is  dense.  A 
study  of  present  and  prospective  population 
density  and  of  available  park  areas  will 
readily  suggest  where  neighborhood  parks 
should  be  provided. 

Large  parks  and  recreation  fields  are  one 
of  the  most  highly  prized  assets  of  cities. 
Many  cities  possess  such  areas,  although 
their  acquisition  has  more  often  been  the  re- 
sult of  chance  gifts  or  opportune  purchase 
rather  than  of  conscious  effort  to  provide 
facilities  within  easy  access  for  all  citizens. 
All  cities  should  have  large  parks  so  lo- 
cated that  persons  in  all  parts  of  the  city 
may  find  one  or  more  of  them  easily  ac- 
cessible. Often  land  unsuited  for  residential 
or  industrial  development  and  reasonable 
in  price  will  make  splendid  park  area,  en- 
hance the  character  and  value  of  surround- 
ing property  and  provide  the  play  facilities 
so  essential  to  city  life. 

Once  a  careful  plan  for  the  development 
of  various  public  recreational  grounds  has 
been     determined,     its    gradual     execution 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


461 


should  be  a  matter  of  fixed  policy.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  areas  provided  within,  or  ad- 
jacent to,  the  built-up  city  area,  there  should 
be  an  efifort  to  secure  areas  in  outlying 
territory  while  they  are  still  cheap,  un- 
spoiled, and  in  advance  of  the  city's  growth. 
A  system  of  boulevards  connecting  large 
parks  within  developed  city  areas  and  ex- 
tending to  the  larger  outlying  parks  or 
reservations,  and  perhaps  having  connec- 
tion with  the  central  business  district,  will 
not  merely  insure  the  development  of  a 
unified  recreation  system,  but  will  be  re- 
flected in  a  better  character  of  residential 
development,  increased  and  stabilized  land 
values,  and  hence  increased  taxable  returns. 

Zoning 

After  the  four  important  elements  of  the 
city  plan,  namely,  streets,  transit,  trans- 
portation and  public  recreation,  have  been 
determined  and  the  physical  structure  of 
the  city  thus  planned,  it  becomes  a  matter 
of  evident  reasonableness  to  regulate  prop- 
erty use  in  all  parts  of  the  city  in  accord- 
ance with  these  several  elements.  The 
major  streets  may,  for  parts  of  their  lengths 
at  least,  quite  naturally  be  expected  to  be- 
come commercial  streets.  Areas  provided 
with  railroad  facilities  should  be  encour- 
aged to  develop  for  industrial  purposes. 
Areas  now  occupied,  or  expected  to  be  oc- 
cupied, for  residential  purposes,  having  ' 
streets  planned  in  accordance  with  resi- 
dential needs  and  supplied  with  recreation 
facilities,  should  most  certainly  be  given 
the  protection  essential  to  their  permanency 
of  development  through  exclusion  of  indus- 
trial or  commercial  intrusions. 

A  zoning  ordinance  will  give  stability  and 
character,  as  well  as  encouragement,  to  the 
proper  development  of  the  city.  A  zoning 
ordinance  provides  three  kinds  of  regula- 
tions, which  affect  (f)  the  uses  of  property 


and  buildings;  (2)  the  heights  of  buildings; 
and  (3)  the  size  and  arrangement  of  build- 
ings upon  lots  and  open  spaces  about  such 
buildings,  A  zoning  ordinance  will  encour- 
age like  types  of  structures  within  districts 
to  be  determined  in  accordance  with  their 
most  natural  fitness.  Zoning  ordinances 
recognize  prevailing  types  of  development 
and  are  not  retroactive  in  their  provisions. 
Existing  buildings  and  uses  of  property 
are  permitted  to  continue,  but  new  build- 
ings must  be  built  in  locations  set  aside  for 
them,  sufficiently  large  and  otherwise  suited 
for  full  and  free  expansion. 

Civic  Art 

Unfortunately,  city  planning  work  has 
often  been  erroneously  considered  as  the 
municipal  activity  concerned  merely  with 
the  superficial  beautification  or  enhance- 
ment of  the  city's  appearance.  .  From  the 
foregoing  explanation  of  the  basic  prin- 
ciples of  a  city  plan,  it  is  believed  that  the 
economic  and  social  considerations  involved 
are  seen  to  be  essentially  fundamental. 
Once  the  several  elements  of  the  city  plan 
heretofore  described  have  been  carefully 
planned  and  gradually  executed  there  will 
result  greater  uniformity  of  development 
and  a  more  balanced  type  of  growth,  which, 
in  itself,  will  constitute  one  of  the  funda- 
mentals of  good  design — the  adaptation  of 
'  form  to  function.  To  be  sure,  there  are 
certain  considerations  that  should  receive 
special  attention,  such  as  the  grouping  of 
public  buildings  at  strategic  locations,  the 
regulation  of  poles  and  wires,  certain  regu- 
lations of  signs  and  billboards,  a  careful 
system  of  street  tree  planting,  and  numerous 
other  similar  activities  that  will  add  greatly 
to  the  city's  appearance  when  properly 
done. 

Acknowledgment. — From  the  First  Annual  Report, 
City    Planning    Commission,    Memphis,    Tcnn. 


Reduced  Rates  for  San  Francisco  Convention  of 

Fire  Cliiefs 

The  various  railroads  over  which  fire  chiefs  will  travel  from  the  East  and 
Middle  West  to  attend  the  International  Convention  of  Fire  Chiefs  to  be  held 
in  San  Francisco  next  August  have  given  new  rates  for  convention  and  tourist 
travel,  effective  from  May  15  to  August  31,  1922.  This  should  materially  increase 
the  number  of  fire  chiefs  from  the  East  and  Middle  West  who  will  attend 
this  convention. 


a62 


BONDING 


Municipal  Finance 

ACCOUNTING 


TAXATION 


Wisconsin's  Progress  in  Uniform 
Municipal  Accounting 


THE  importance  of  improved  methods 
of  accounting  for  municipalities  was 
recognized  in  Wisconsin  in  1909, 
when  the  Legislature  by  joint  resolution 
directed  the  Tax  Commission  to  investigate 
municipal  finances.  It  was  evident  from 
this  investigation  that  municipal  accounts 
were  kept  in  such  a  manner  as  to  preclude 
the  possibility  of  comparing  results.  In 
consequence,  the  Tax  Commission  recom- 
mended, and  the  Legislature  enacted,  Chap- 
ter 523,  Laws  of  191 1.  This  statute  enu- 
merated specifically  the  duties  of  the  Com- 
mission in  regard  to  the  collection  of  sta- 
tistics and  the  formulation  of  a  uniform 
system  of  municipal  accounts.  It  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  this  statute  that  the  munici- 
pal accounting  department  of  the  Tax 
Commission  was  established  and  is  now 
operating.  This  section  provides  that  the 
Tax  Commission  shall : 

(i)  Inquire  into  the  system  of  accounting  of 
public  funds  in  use  in  towns,  villages, 
cities  and  counties. 

(2)  Devise,  prescribe,  and  at  the  request  of 

any  town,  village,  city  or  county  in- 
stall, a  system  of  accounts  which 
shall  be  as  nearly  uniform  as  prac- 
ticable. 

(3)  Audit  the  books  of  the  town,  village,  city 

or  county  officers  upon  the  request  of 
the  town  or  village  board,  city  coun- 
cil, or  county  board,  or  upon  its  own 
motion. 

Under  authority  conferred  by  the  statute 
quoted  above,  a  uniform  system  of  accounts 
has  been  designed  and  accountants  have 
been  employed  to  make  installations  and 
audits.  The  system  prescribed  is  complete 
enough  to  fulfill  all  accounting  needs  of  the 
municipality  and  at  the  same  time  is  com- 
paratively simple  to  understand  and  to 
operate.  The  accounts  are  especially  de- 
signed to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
financial  reports  required  by  law  and  con- 


form to  the  classification  approved  by  rec- 
ognized authorities  on  municipal  account- 
ing. Up  to  the  present  time  sixty-one  cities 
and  forty-seven  counties  have  voluntarily 
adopted  the  system. 

In  addition  to  the  installation  service,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  audits  have  been  made 
upon  request  of  Wisconsin  municipalities. 
In  many  cities  and  counties  audits  have 
been  made  annually  for  several  years.  For 
the  most  part,  the  requests  have  come  from 
city  councils  or  county  boards  as  the  case 
may  be,  but  in  some  instances  where  officials 
have  refused  to  authorize  examinations  for 
the  reason  that  their  own  conduct  would  be 
subject  to  review,  audits  have  been  under- 
taken upon  the  petition  of  interested  tax- 
payers. 

In  addition  to  disclosing  irregularities  re- 
sulting from  ignorance  of  the  law,  the  au- 
dits completed  by  this  department  have 
brought  to  light  actual  cash  shortages  in  ex- 
cess of  $100,000  resulting  from  wilful  intent 
upon  the  part  of  officials  to  misappropriate 
public  funds.  The  discovery  of  the  short- 
age usually  resulted  in  the  conviction  of  the 
official  and  the  recovery  of  the  amount  mis- 
appropriated. In  many  instances  where  dis- 
crepancies were  found,  the  general  laxity 
of  the  governing  bodies  was  in  part  re- 
sponsible for  the  default  by  making  it  pos- 
sible for  dishonest  officials  to  cover  up 
manipulations  extending  over  a  period  of 
years.  In  some  cases  officers  were  not  held 
to  a  proper  accounting  during  their  entire 
tenure  of  office,  and  in  others  the  systems  of 
accounting  in  use  were  such  as  to  encour- 
age them  to  acts  of  misconduct.  In  both  of' 
these  matters  it  is  entirely  within  the  prov- 
ince of  the  town  or  village  board,  city  coun- 
cil, or  county  board  to  correct  the  situation 
by  authorizing  an  audit  by  this  department 
or  by  requesting  the  installation  of  the  state 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


463 


uniform  system  of  municipal  accounts. 

We  believe  that  state  supervision  of  mu- 
nicipal finances  has  worked  to  the  distinct 
advantage  of  Wisconsin  municipalities.  In 
the  first  place,  competent  auditing  and  ac- 
counting service  is  made  available  at  actual 
cost.  The  accountants  engaged  exclusively 
in  this  work  have  become  specialists  and  are 
thoroughly  conversant  with  municipal  pro- 
cedure. Few,  if  any,  private  or  commercial 
accountants  in  the  state  have  handled  suffi- 
cient municipal  work  to  become  as  thor- 
oughly qualified  in  this  work  as  have  repre- 
sentatives of  the  municipal  accounting  de- 
partment. In  the  second  place,  it  is  now 
well  established  that  the  many  problems 
peculiar  to  municipal  accounting  preclude 
the  possibility  of  success  except  under  au- 
thorized central  direction.  Without  super- 
vision there  would  be  no  adequate  degree  of 
uniformity.  Then,  too,  municipal  officials 
are  constantly  changing  and  some  agency 
must  be  available  from  which  the  new  offi- 
cials can  receive  assistance  relative  to  ac- 
counting matters.  An  effective  follow-up 
policy,  so  essential  in  municipal  installa- 
tions, is  a  feature  of  the  work  and  is  pos- 


CHART    SHOWING    WISCONSIN    COMMUNITIES 
AND  COUNTIES   OPERATING  UNDER  THE  UNI- 
FORM SYSTEM  OF  MUNICIPAL  ACCOUNTING 

sible  only  through  the  direction  of  a  state 
agency. 

Acknowledgment. — From  a  reprint  of  Bulletin  No. 
10,  October,  1921,  issued  by  the  Municipal  Statistics- 
Department  of  the  Wisconsin  Tax  Commission. 


The  Bill-Board  Blight 


BILL-BOARDS  have  been  treated  in 
many  ways  in  various  pamphlets,  but 
there  is  a  personal  side  to  the  relation 
of  the  bill-board  to  the  community  which 
has  not  yet  received  due  attention.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Municipal  Art  Society  of  New 
York  has  thought  it  worth  while  to  issue 
another  bulletin  dealing  with  outdoor  ad- 
vertising and  taking  up  the  subject  from 
the  citizens'  point  of  view.  The  purpose, 
as  the  Society  frankly  states,  is  to  suggest 
to  every  citizen  that  neither  political  ex- 
perience nor  legal  knowledge  is  required 
for  a  protest  to  public  officials  who  are  re- 
sponsible for  preventing  any  invasion  of 
the  general  rights  of  the  public  and  for  pro- 
tecting civic  improvements. 

The  outdoor  advertiser  affects  us  all  when 
he  inconsiderately  plants  a  bill-board  in 
such  a  way  as  to  detract  from  the  beauty  of 
a  public  park,  a  fine  public  building,  or  a 
noted  thoroughfare.  The  Municipal  Art 
Society  and  those  cooperating  with  it  take 
pains  to  state  in  their  bulletin  that  they  are 


in  no  way  hostile  to  legitimate  advertising, 
which  is  universally  acknowledged  to  .be 
one  of  the  great  sources  of  progress  in 
civilization.  But  they  maintain  that  those 
advertisers  who  use  public  places  as  their 
background  have  failed  to  grasp  the  rights 
of  the  public  in  such  places,  and  have  failed 
to  sense  the  growing  irritation  and  hostility 
of  a  very  large  part  of  the  public  towards 
the  unnecessary  entrance  of  bill-board  ad- 
vertising where  it  does  not  belong.  They 
hold  that  outdoor  advertising  should  be 
limited  to  those  buildings  in  which  the  busi- 
ness advertised  is  actually  carried  on,  and 
that  when  a  building  standing  on  a  corner 
of  a  famous  or  beautiful  street  is  plastered 
with  advertisements,  there  are  two  parties 
who  have  been  injured :  first,  the  tenants 
of  such  buildings,  who  suffer  from  the  loss 
of  dignity  which  the  building  inevitably  in- 
curs; and,  second,  the  public,  who  do  not 
wish  to  be  compelled  to  gaze  at  such  atten- 
tion-compelling signs.  When  bill-board  ad- 
vertisers hire  space  on  a  famous  street  like 


HI    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


rm  Avenue,  Ne«J°*  oppojite^a^great 

public  '"'"*"»J;fthev'rent  spaee  opposite 
Library,  or  when  tney  buildings   m 

the  public  parks  =">'!  ?""  t^ey  show  a 
hundreds  oi  o^^f^^^J  ^'^Jty  which 
contempt  for  the  very  ,,,3  jt  so 

their  fellow  """"'^"^^'e      Their  conduct 
much  labor  and  expense. 


most  certainly  ,r<^^^"^  ^btjut 
i„g    i„    c,v,c    pr.de    and  ^^^^  ^^ 

but  emphasizes  the   taci  ^^, 

deserve  the  P=''"";'f  Jl„d  the  communit 
desires  to  make  h,s  home  and  t         ._^  ^^._^, 

::fi:e%rMSU  society  puts 

bluntly  as  follows: 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


465 


"What  is  the  use  of  erecting,  at  the  public's 
expense,  public  buildings  of  great  beauty,  if 
their  effects  can  be  lessened  by  the  act  of  an 
individual  who  seems  to  consider  a  great  city  as 
merely  a  background  for  his  private  interests? 
What  is  the  use  of  producing  a  picture  of 
natural  loveliness,  such  as  a  beautiful  park,  and 
then  allowing  its  borders  to  be  defaced  by  the 
kind  of  advertiser  who  regards  the  charm  and 
beauty  of  a  public  park  as  merely  a  setting  for 
his  own  selfish  business  interests?  Why  should 
merchants  be  allowed  to  spread  their  advertise- 
ments of  food  and  drink  and  tobacco  and  tires 
and  clothing  over  the  walls  of  dwellings  where 
their  intrusive  statements  stare  people  in  the 
face  in  their  very  homes?" 

Public  officials  are  unanimous  in  their 
testimony  as  to  the  insanitary  condition 
which  frequently  surrounds  bill-boards. 
Street  cleaning  commissioners  state  that 
bill-boards  attached  to  railings  cause  rub- 
bish to  accumulate  in  front  of  buildings, 
that  vacant  lots  surrounded  by  fences  bear- 
ing bill-board  advertising  are  gathering- 
places  for  paper  and  rubbish,  and  that  the 
work  of  street  cleaning  departments  is 
greatly  increased  because  of  the  trash  that 
collects  around  bill-boards.  Police  officials 
likewise  report  that  bill-board  structures  in 
many  cases  offer  a  screen  for  lawless  and 
criminal  practices. 


The  bill-board  as  a  highway  hazard  is  dis- 
cussed in  the  report  of  the  Motor  Vehicle 
Commissioner  for  Connecticut  for  1921, 
which  states  that  348  accidents  occurred 
during  the  year  in  Connecticut  at  places 
where  there  were  huge  advertising  signs 
giving  the  history  of  adjacent  towns. 
Motorists  driving  along  had  their  attention 
distracted  by  the  sign,  and  while  their  eyes 
were  off  the  roadway  other  cafs  came  up 
and  collisions  occurred. 

The  bill-board  blight  is  not  a  question  of 
sentiment  alone.  It  involves  the  health  and 
safety  of  the  citizens  as  well  as  their  es- 
thetic views.  The  latter  have  their  proper 
place.  They  are  not  by  any  means  the  only 
phase  of  the  problem.  Promoting  public 
health  by  city-wide  cleanliness,  preventing 
crime  and  highway  accidents,  and  preserv- 
ing the  value  of  public  parks  and  buildings 
are  duties  which  devolve  upon  city  and 
county  officials.  In  so  far  as  unwisely 
placed  or  carelessly  maintained  bill-boards 
interfere  with  the  full  discharge  of  these 
duties,  they  constitute  a  real  problem  to 
which  public  officials  sooner  or  later  must 
give  serious  attention. 


PAY  IN  AND   DAT   OUT   THE   DWELLERS  IN   THIS   NEIGHBORHOOD   ARE   FACED   WITH   THE 
WEAKY  MONOTONY  OF  THESE  SIGNS 


466 


A  Southern  Deep -Well  Water-Supply 

With  Seven  Wells  in  Use  and  Eighteen  in  Reserve,  Montgomery,  Alabama, 
Is  Amply  Protected  Against  Shortage 

By  H.  A.  Washington 

City  Engineer 


THE  deep-well  water-supply  of  Mont- 
gomery, Ala.,  was  purchased  from 
the  Capitol  City  Water  Works  by  the 
city  for  $600,000  in  1898.  The  present 
total  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  water  de- 
partment is  $975,000,  while  the  total  value 
of  the  plant  is  $1,966,800.19. 

The  water-works  have  been  particularly 
fortunate  in  being  able  to  operate  from  1898 
to  date  with  the  same  rates  that  were 
charged  in  1898.  The  highest  domestic 
rate  per  1,000  gallons  is.  15  cents,  with  10 
cents  the  commercial  rate  per  1,000  gallons 
and  a  minimum  annual  charge  of  $12. 
There  are  9,593  services,  of  which  8,191 
are  metered,  making  the  city  85.38  per  cent 
metered.  The  average  daily  consumption 
is  4,500,000  gallons,  or  about  104  gallons 
per  capita,  the  population  being  43,464. 

QUANTITATIVE  ANALYSIS  OF  SAMPLE 
FROM  GENERAL  SUPPLY 

Sodium    chloride    1.3398 

Sodium   carbonate    8.7905 

Potassium    sulphate     0.2053 

Potassium    carbonate     1.4807 

Calcium    carbonate    0.5898 

Magnesium    carbonate    0.2679 

Iron    and    aluminum    oxides 0.2436 

Volatile    and    organic    matter 0.7640 

Total    solids     : 0.9280 

14.6096- 


The  water,  an  analysis  of  which  is  given 
below,  is  neither  filtered  nor  sterilized,  as 
it  has  been  found  of  uniform  quality  at  all 
times  and  no  softening  has  been  considered 
necessary : 

The  seven  deep  wells  which  are  used 
throughout  the  year  are  in  water-bearing 
sand  strata  varying  in  depth  from  200  to 
600  feet.  Water  is  pumped  from  the  seven 
wells  by  Layne  &  Bowler  deep-well  rotary 
pumps  direct-connected  with  vertical  mo- 
tors. The  seven  units,  which  have  a  total 
daily  output  of  6,320,000  gallons,  discharge 
into  five  underground  storage  reservoirs 
with  a  combined  capacity  of  3,373,000 
gallons. 

Water  is  pumped  into  the  mains  by  two 
high-pressure  Allis-Chalmers  centrifugal 
pumps.  Two  stand-pipes,  having  a  com- 
bined capacity  of  1,075,000  gallons,  are  used 
to  equalize  the  pressure  in  the  mains.  There 
are  131.94  miles  of  cast  iron  main,  varying 
from  4  inches  to  26  inches  in  diameter.  For 
purposes  of  control  there  are  1,036  gate- 
valves,  and  685  fire  hydrants  have  been  put 
in. 

In    addition    to    the    plant    already    de- 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,   WATER-WORKS 

The  three  small  white  buildings  house  three  of  the  seven  wells  and  turbine  pumps.  The  large  brick 
building  in  the  background  is  the  old  station,  housing  the  emergency  steam  pump  and  the  air  com- 
pressors connected  with  the  emergency  air-lift  plant.    Four  of  the  five  storage  reservoirs  also  may  be  seen 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


467 


scribed,  the  city  holds  in  reserve  for  emer- 
gency purposes  a  steam-driven  air-lift  plant 
and  an  electrically-driven  air-lift  plant,  each 
of  vi'hich  is  capable  of  delivering  about 
4,000,000  gallons  daily  from  eighteen  wells. 


which  are  separate  and  distinct  from  the 
seven  in  daily  use.  In  addition,  the  city 
operates  a  plant  for  pumping  and  filtering 
river  water,  which  is  sold  to  the  railroads 
at  a  rate  lower  than  the  domestic  rate. 


Laying  Cast  Iron  Feeder  Mains 
in  New  Orleans 


By  Thomas  F.  Wolfe 

Secretary,  The  Cast  Iron  Pipe  Publicity  Bureau 


UNUSUAL  soil  conditions  in  New 
Orleans  make  the  installation  of  un- 
derground pipes  a  much  bigger  prob- 
lem than  usual.  The  soil  in  parts  of  the 
city  is  a  very  tenacious  clay  full  of  roots 
and  stumps  of  what  was  formerly  a  swamp. 
While  the  roots  and  stumps  constitute  a 
serious  problem  in  excavation  'work,  the 
greatest  difficulty  lies  in  the  fact  that  the 
excavated  material  cannot  be  tossed  from 
a  shovel.  When  the  excavation  is  made  by 
hand,  each  shovelful  of  dirt  must  be  passed 
from  one  man  to  another  from  the  bottom 
of  the  trench  to  the  spoil  bank.  Not  only 
must  this  be  done,  but,  between  shovelsful, 
each  shovel  must  be  dipped  in  a  bucket  of 
water  in  order  to  make  any  progress  at  all. 
When  work  was  started  on  laying  the 
43.31-inch  (i.i  meter)  cast  iron  pipe,  the 
excavation  was  done  by  hand,  but  it  soon 
became  evident  that  the  use  of  machinery 


TYPICAL   PIPE-LAYINa  CONDITIONS  IN  NEW   ORLEANS 


was  advisable,  so  a  clam-shell  bucket  oper- 
ated by  an  Industrial  Works  crane  was  put 
into  service  with  excellent  results.  Even 
when  a  bucket  of  this  kind  was  used,  the 
tenacity  of  the  clay  gave  some  trouble,  un- 
til the  expedient  of  keeping  a  stream  of 
water  playing  constantly  on  the  bucket  was 
adopted. 

The  plasticity  of  the  soil  made  it  neces- 
sary to  use  tight  sheeting,  even  though  the 
ditch  of  the  trench  was  only  about  10  feet. 
Lackawanna  steel  sheet  piling  in  16-  and 
24-foot  lengths  was  used  for  sheeting,  the 
longer  piles  serving  as  a  support  for  the 
12-  by  12-inch  timbers  which  carried  the 
track  for  the  crane.  The  accompanying 
illustration  shows  the  manner  of  sheeting 
the  ditch  and  supporting  the  crane.  The 
sheeting  is  driven  by  a  pile  driver  equipped 
with  a  steam  hammer  and  pulled  by  a  sec- 
ond driver  which  follows  the  pipe-laying 
gang.  The  crane,  following  close 
upon  the  forward  driver,  exca- 
vates the  ditch  and  immediately 
lays  the  pipe  before  moving  for- 
ward. The  ditch  is  then  back- 
filled and  the  crane  moved  for- 
ward to  excavate  for  the  next 
length.  The  stumps  and  roots  are 
seen  in  the  illustration. 

The  soil  conditions  also  make 
repairs  to  the  mains  a  very  ex- 
pensive operation,  but,  fortu- 
nately, the  work  which  is  done 
by  the  Sewerage  and  Water 
Board    is    very   carefully    super- 

S"  Mtn  vised,  so  that  little  trouble  de- 
fj|fll|  velops.  The  entire  water  dis- 
nUM  tribution  system  of  New  Orleans 
(||||J  consists  of  Class  "B"  cast  iron 
}mc111|  pipe,  ranging  in  size  from  4-inch 
to  48-inch. 


468 


Motors  for  Police  and  Fire  Departments 


THE   MOTOR-CTCUB   POLICE   OF   MACON,    GA.,  MOUNTED   ON  THEIB  HAEIJIT-D  AVID  SON 

lOACHINES 


THIS    PIEBCE-AEBOW   POLICE   PATROL   HAS    BEEN    DRIVEN   OVER    160,000    MILES    IN   THE 
SERVICE    OF   THE   MILWAUEEE    POLICE    DEPARTMENT 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


469 


ONE  or  THE  MOTOR  PUMPERS  THAT  HELPED  CHECK  CHICAGO'S   GREAT  FIRE 

ON  MARCH   15,   1922 
This  Mack  Pumper  is  equipped  with  Morand  cushion  wheels 


WHITE  COMBINATION  HOSE  AND  CHEMICAL  FIRE  TRUCK  IN  SERVICE  IN  DENVER,  COLO. 


470 


The  Logical  Application  of  a  City  Plan 
in  Kokomo,  Indiana 


By  Charles  L.  Sellers 

City  Civil  Engineer,  Kokomo,  Ind. 


THE  city  of  Kokomo  has  just  wit- 
nessed the  completion  of  a  big  devel- 
opment project  that  has  been  carried 
out  in  logical  city  planning  order.  In  1920 
Gerhart  Brothers,  a  local  realty  develop- 
ment syndicate,  purchased  a  tract  of  some 
46  acres  at  the  western  edge  of  the  city, 
in  the  direct  path  of  projection  of  several 
of  the  best  residential  streets,  and  developed 
it  in  a  manner  that  should  serve  as  a  model 
in  such  enterprises.  It  has  been  named 
"Forest  Park." 

The  plan  was  to  create  a  highly  re- 
stricted, exclusive  residential  section,  ap- 
pealing to  people  of  means  and  refinement. 
It  was  decreed  that  no  reasonable  expense 
was  to  be  spared,  and  the  entire  project 
was  carefully  thought  out  in  advance.  First, 
Louis  S.  Cole,  of  Chicago,  a  landscape 
architect  and  city  planner,  was  secured  to 
take  general  charge  of  the  development. 
After  a  topographical  survey,  a  design  was 
submitted  that  not  only  took  advantage  of 
the  natural  contour  of  the  allotment,  but 
preserved  almost  every  tree  in  a  beautiful 
grove  of  maples,  elms  and  beeches  which 
dotted  about  one-fourth  of  the  tract.  Then 
the  plat — of  utmost  importance,  this — was 


carefully    fitted   to   the    older   part   of   the 
city   in  regard  to   arterial   streets. 

Installing  the  Utilities 

The  plat  was  submitted  to  the  city  and  ac- 
cepted through  its  engineering  department 
and  Board  of  Public  Works.  Then  the  ac- 
tual development  began.  The  first  thing  un- 
dertaken was  the  construction  of  an  ade- 
quate, carefully  planned  sewer  system  of  re- 
inforced concrete,  large  enough  and  deep 
enough  to  meet  all  possible  future  needs". 
The  main  sewer  at  a  point  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  from  the  outlet  is  6  feet  in  diameter, 
leaving  the  subdivision  at  the  opposite  side 
with  a  54-inch  tile.  The  system  was  so 
planned  that  it  crossed  streets  and  came ' 
under  pavements  in  a  few  instances  only. 
It  was  completed  in  the  spring  of  1921, 

At  this  juncture  the  Kokomo  Water 
Works  Company  installed  a  complete  water 
system,  using  8-inch,  6-inch  and  2-inch 
mains  in  sequence,  and  cross-tying  the 
mains  in  such  manner  as  to  provide  perfect 
circulation  throughout.  Service  laterals 
were  installed  to  each  lot  in  the  subdivision, 
and  lead  pipes  were  used  in  all  cases  where 
streets  were  crossed  or  where  the  laterals 


A   STREET  INTEBSECTION  AT   FOREST   PARK,   KOKOMO,    IND. 
Note  the  fine  trees  and  the  sidewalk  built  around  one  of  them 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


471 


ToULiTTPARK 

KOKOMO-]>lDIA/lA 


J J5E VE  LOPBXl    *  fOK.  iSAl.  t  D Y 

1  0i8.H».E.T.DEOTHERlJ 


LAYOUT  OF  FOREST  PARK,  SHOWING  USE  OF  CURVING  STREETS  AND  TRIANGULAR  PARKS 
Note  the   setback   lines  throughout  the   development. 


would  be  covered  with  pavements. 

The  streets  were  designed  to  allow  a  13- 
foot  parkway  between  sidewalk  and  curb, 
and  it  is  through  this  parkway  that  the 
water-mains  were  laid,  in  order  that  the 
pavements  need  not  be  disturbed  should  pipe- 
line repairs  become  necessary.  The  park- 
way plan  is  this :  the  water-mains  are  3 
feet  from  the  curb;  English  elms  6  inches 
in  diameter  were  planted  "at  intervals  of  50 
feet  midway  between  water-main  and  side- 
walk, locating  the  tree  5  feet  from  the  main, 
5  feet  from  the  sidewalk  and  8  feet  from 
the  curb,  as  it  was  the  desire  to  shade  the 
sidewalk  rather  than  the  roadway. 

With  sewer  laterals  and  water-mains 
established,  the  gas  company  then  installed 
all  mains  in  the  easements  at  the  rear  of 
the  lot  lines,  service  being  provided  for 
every  lot.  There  are  no  alleys.  Domestic, 
light   and    power    service   poles   also   were 


placed  in  these  easements,  and  electric  ser- 
vice is  brought  into  the  home  underground 
by  means  of  lead  cables. 

Not  until  all  this  was  done,  not  until  gas, 
water  and  electric  services  were  installed, 
and  the  sewer  system  completed,  did  the 
street  improvement  begin.  This  improve- 
ment included  streets,  curbs,  parkways, 
decorative  parks  and  street  lighting,  all  in 
accordance  with  plans  made  by  the  archi- 
tect in  charge.  The  streets,  or  drives,  con- 
sist of  a  bituminous  asphaltic  concrete  pave- 
ment upon  a  water-bound  macadam  base. 
Boulevard  traffic  only  is  permitted.  While 
the  main  drives  conform  to  arterial  streets, 
the  general  layout  is  one  of  sweeping  curves, 
in  order  not  only  to  enhance  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  tract,  but  to  give  every  home 
in  the  subdivision  an  attractive  vista. 

Parks  occur  at  frequent  intervals  and  are 
made  possible  by  the  general  plan  of  the 


47^ 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  $ 


roadways.  All  the  parks  are  triangular  and 
have  been  carefully  landscaped.  Hydrants 
are  provided  for  all  of  them,  that  frequent 
watering  may  be  done.  In  the  center  of 
the  largest  park  plumbing  and  drainage 
have  been  installed  for  a  fountain.  The 
present  plan  is  to  make  this  fountain  a 
memorial  to  one  of  the  city's  pioneers.  It 
will  be  shaded  by  Norway  maples,  and  in 
each  of  the  three  corners  of  the  park  stands 
a  Wythe  elm,  a  sentry  at  the  crossways. 

The  sidewalks  are  composed  of  5-foot 
slabs  of  concrete,  4  inches  in  thickness,  laid 
directly  on  a  rolled  clay  foundation,  with 
a  ^-inch  fall  to  the  street.  The  sidewalks 
are  underdrained  with  4-inch  red  agricul- 
tural tile,  which  is  connected  at  frequent 
intervals  with  another  red  tile  drain  under 
the  curb,  the  whole  system  draining  t© 
catch-basins,  making  a  complete  system  of 
rapid  drainage  for  sidewalk  and  pavement. 

The  curb  is  of  special  design,  saucer- 
shaped,  and  having  a  greater  water-carry- 
ing capacity  than  the  old-style  gutter.  It 
does  away  with  the  harsh  lines  of  the  old- 
fashioned  design,  and  adds  to  the  safety  of 
motorists.  It  was  found  that  with  curbs 
of  this  design  narrower  roadways  could  be 
used  to  advantage ;  the  curb,  which  is  actu- 
ally a  part  of  the  drive,  is  sloped  so  gently 
that  it  becomes  one  with  the  roadway. 


The  Street  Lighting 

Street  lighting  standards  of  handsome  de- 
sign have  been  spaced  on  both  sides  of  all 
drives  at  intervals  of  75  feet.  These  are 
constructed  of  reinforced  concrete  with 
granitoid  surfaces.  The  reinforcement  con- 
sists of  four  twisted  iron  rods,  anchoring 
to  concrete  foundations  3  feet  deep  and  2 
feet  square.  The  lighting  itself  is  by  charm- 
ing English  lanterns,  rich  and  beautifully 
quaint,  finished  in  verd  de  gris  antique. 
The  lanterns  are  36  inches  from  the  bottom 
to  the  top  of  all  ornamentation,  and  18 
inches  in  diameter,  of  special  design  adopted 
for  Forest  Park.  Underground  cables  to 
the  standards  are  of  solid  copper  in  a  leaden 
sheath,  the  whole  protected  by  spirally 
wound  steel  tape.  The  lighting  system  is 
on  two  circuits,  controlled  by  automatic 
electrical  time  switches,  providing  complete 
illumination  from  dusk  until  midnight,  and 
partial  illumination  from  midnight  until 
dawn. 

Considerable  interest  has  been  manifested 
by  engineers  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  and 
in  the  Middle  West  generally,  concerning 
the  work  in  Forest  Park.  It  is  a  plan  that 
will  mean  not  only  greater  beauty,  but  actu- 
ally much  greater  efificiency  at  very  much 
lower  ultimate  cost. 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


May  15-19. — Philadei  phia.  Pa. 

American    Water    Works  Association.      Annual   con- 
vention.      Secretary,    J.     M.    Diven,    153    West    71st 
Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
May  15-19. — Atlantic  City,   N.  J. 

National   Electric   Light    Association.      Annual    con- 
vention.     Executive   Manager,    M.    H.    Aylesworth,    29 
West  S9th   Street,   New  York,   N.   Y. 
May  15-21. — Washington,  D.  C. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the   United   States.     An- 
nual meeting.     Secretary,  D.  A.   Skinner,  Mills  Build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C. 
May   17-18. — Waxahachie,  Tex. 

_  League    of    Texas    Municipalities.      Annual    conven- 
tion.    Secretary,  Frank  M.   Stewart,  Bureau  of  Exten- 
sion, University  of  Texas,  Austin,  Tex. 
May  22-23. — Plainview,  Tex. 

West  Te.ras  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Annual  con- 
vention. Manager,  Porter  A.  WTialey,  Stamford,  Tex. 
Juke  5-7. — Springfield,  Mass. 

Motional    Conference    on    City    Planning.       Annual 
conference.       Secretary,     Flavel     Shurtleff,     60     State 
Street,  Boston,    Mass. 
June  5.9. — Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Lnternational  Association   of  Rotary   Clubs.      Annual 
meeting.       Secretary,    Chesley    R.    Perry,    910    South 
Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 
June  6-7. — Antigo,  Wis. 

Wisconsin    Association    of    Commercial    Secretaries. 
Annual  meeting.     Secretary,   D.  A.  Caldwell,  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  Wausau,  Wis. 
June  C-8. — Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

Conference  of  Mayors  and  Other  City  Officials  of 
the  State  of  New   York.      Annual  convention.     Secre- 


tary,  William   P.   Capes,    25   Washington   Avenue,    .Al- 
bany,  N.   Y. 
June  9-10. — Swampscott,  Mass. 

New  England  Association  of  Commercial  Executives. 
Annual  meeting.     Secretary,  Price  Gaines,  Chamber  of 
Commerce,   Keene,  N.   H. 
June  19-24. — San  Francisco,  Calif. 

International  Association  of  Chiefs  of  Police.     An- 
nual  convention.      Secretary,    George   Black,    Chief   of 
Police,    Wilmington,    Del. 
June  20-23. — Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

National  Association    of   Comptrollers  and   Account- 
ing Officers.     Annual  convention.     Secretary,  Mark  M. 
Foote,   Comptroller's  Office,  Chicago,   111. 
June  21-22. — Crookston,  Minn. 

League   of  Minnesota   Municipalities.      Annual   con- 
version.    Executive   Secretary,  Morris  B.  Lambie,  The 
Municipal    Reference    Bureau,    University    of    Minne- 
sota,  Minneapolis,   Minn. 
June  21.22. — Stroudsburg,  Pa. 

Association     of     Pennsylvania     Boroughs.        Annual 
convention.      Secretary,    J.    Herman    Knisely,    Capitol 
Building,   Harrisburg,    Pa. 
August  15-18. — San  Francisco,  Calif. 

International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers.     Annual 
meeting.      Secretary,    James    J.    Mulcahey,    City    Hall, 
Yonkers,  N.    Y. 
September  12-15. — New  Bedford,   Mass. 

Ne^v    England    Water    Works    Association.      Annual 
convention.     Secretary,  Frank  J.  Gifford,  715  Tremont 
Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 
October  9_1^. — Cleveland,  Ohio. 

American  Society  for  Municipal  Improvements. 
Annual  convention.  Secretary,  Charles  Carroll  Brown, 
P.  O.  Box  234.  St.  Petersburg,  Fla. 


473 


(Sharffef  (^ 


f=d  frs/ ^  f=f  f=y  f=/ 


Chamber's   Eagineer    Saves    City 
Money  in  Paving  Work 

New  Orleans,  La. — The  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  the  New  Orleans  Association  of 
Commerce  early  in  1919  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  call  on  the  Mayor  and  urge  the 
paving  of  the  necessary  arteries  in  the  sec- 
tion bounded  by  the  river  and  Camp,  Canal 
and  Thalia  Streets.  The  Mayor  informed 
the  committee  that  the  city  could  do  nothing 
at  that  time  because  of  the  depleted  condi- 
tion of  the  treasury.  The  committee  there- 
fore recommended  to  the  Board  that  the 
project  be  temporarily  abandoned. 

The  Members'  Council  of  the  Association 
of  Commerce,  however,  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  go  directly  to  the 
property  owners  in  the 
wholesale  district  and  ob- 
tain signatures  to  a  peti- 
tion. The  committee  then 
made  a  thorough  study  of 
the  city's  finances,  with 
the  result  that  a  plan  was 
devised  whereby  the 
money  needed  to  cover  the 
city's  proportion  of  the 
paving  cost  could  be  fur- 
nished. The  petition  and 
the  plan  for  financing 
were  presented  to  the  four 
city  commissioners,  who 
agreed  to  undertake  the 
work. 

The  project  has  never 
been  permitted  to  lag  and 
is  now  actually  completed. 
At  the  very  beginning,  the 
Association  of  Commerce 
formed  a  committee 
known  as  the  Business 
Men's  Paving  Committee, 
consisting  of  interested 
wholesalers.  This  com- 
mittee has  held  regular 
weekly  meetings  to  discuss 


the  progress  being  made. 

A  unique  feature  of  these  meetings  was 
that  they  were  attended  by  one  of  the  most 
competent  engineers  in  the  city,  who  was  re- 
tained by  the  Association  of  Commerce  to 
give  the  committee  expert  advice  and  to  see 
that  the  paving  contractor  lived  up  to  his 
specifications  in  the  quaHty  of  material  used 
and  the  methods  employed  in  doing  the 
work.  A  spirit  of  cooperation  with  the  city 
officials  has  prevailed  throughout  the  com- 
mittee's activities,  and  the  weekly  meetings 
are  oftentimes  attended  by  the  City  En- 
gineer and  the  Commissioner  of  Public 
Property,  who  come  to  confer  on  various 
steps  to  be  taken. 


POTDRAS  STEEET,  NEW  OBLEANS,  IN  PROCESS  OP  REPAIR 
Tbese  beavy  granite  blocks  were  relaid  as  a  base  for  tbe  new  pavement 


POTDRAS   STREET  COMPLETED 


474 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No. 


City  officials  and  business  men  generally 
agree  that  the  Association  of  Commerce  has 
saved  the  city  and  property  owners  several 
thousands  of  dollars  by  this  rather  unusual 
method  of  lending  organized  assistance  in 
successfully  completing  a  big  paving  pro- 
ject. 

CHARLES  E.  WHITE, 
Publicity    Department,    New    Orleans    Association 
of   Commerce. 

A  Chamber  of  Commerce  Fuel 
Yard 

Sharon,  Pa. — The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  Sharon  during  the  winter  has  de- 
veloped a  practical  scheme  for  furnishing 
fuel  to  citizens  in  distress  from  unemploy- 
ment. Early  in  the  fall,  the  Chamber  an- 
ticipated the  need  of  being  able  to  furnish 
fuel  to  those  out  of  work.  Through  the 
cooperation  of  the  railroads  five  car-loads 
of  old  ties  were  shipped  to  Sharon  and 
placed  in  what  is  known  as  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  Fuel  Yard. 

Up  to  January  21,  wood  had  been  deliv- 
ered to  84  families.  At  that  time  it  was 
found  necessary  to  send  a  letter  to  the 
membership  requesting  donations  to  the 
Fuel  Fund,  to  furnish  coal  for  needy  fami- 
lies. The  letter  met  with  a  splendid  re- 
sponse. The  request  had  been  for  money 
to  buy  200  tons  of  coal.  In  a  few  days 
enough  money  had  been  received  to  buy  300 
tons.  In  the  month  following  this  request 
over  200  loads  of  fuel  were  delivered  to 
citizens  who  otherwise  would  have  suffered. 

The  Chamber  was  obliged  to  enter  upon 
this  form  of  relief  work  to  support"  the 
existing  charitable  organizations,  whose 
funds  have  been  insufficient  to  meet  the 
extraordinary  demands  of  the  current 
winter. 

p.    A.   JONES, 
Executive    Secretary,    Chamber    of    Commerce. 

Rome's  Rest  Room 

Rome,  N.  Y. — The  Rome  Chamber  of 
Commerce  is  proud  of  the  public  rest  room. 
It  is  used  by  hundreds  of  men  and  women, 
for  it  stands  at  the  terminus  of  seven  bus 
lines,  some  of  them  giving  hourly  service 
to  towns  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  away. 

The  room  is  very  handsomely  furnished. 
There  were  definite  reasons  for  spending 
extra  sums  in  making  the  place  attractive. 
It  scares  away  the  loafer  who  might  be 
looking  for  a  "hangout."  One  look  tells 
him  that  it  is  no  place  for  him  qr  his  kind. 


THE   UNUSUALLY  ATTRACTIVE  FURNISHINGS 

IN    ROME'S    REST    ROOM    SCARE    AWAY    THE 

LOAFER 

The  furnishings  are  also  intended  to 
emphasize  the  rest  room  idea,  and  to  prevent 
the  place  from  degenerating  into  a  mere 
autobus  waiting-room. 

The  room  has  been  supported  by  vol- 
untary contributions  from  Rome  merchants. 
The  concession  for  the  selling  of  tobacco, 
papers,  etc.,  pays  for  the  superintendence. 
The  concession  is  operated  by  a  man  and 
his  wife,  the  man  being  on  duty  morning 
and  evening,  and  his  wife  in  the  afternoon. 
A  free  checking  service  is  maintained. 
Here  tourists  or  shoppers  can  check  pack- 
ages or  luggage.  Purchases  can  also  be 
checked  at  any  store  in  town,  and  later 
called  for  at  the  rest  room,  if  so  desired. 

E.   D.    BEVITT, 
Secretary,   Rome  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Knoxville  Board  Installs  Street 
Signs 

Knoxville,  Tenn. — The  street  signs 
purchased  by  the  Knoxville  Board  of  Com- 
merce have  just  been  installed.  The  accom- 
panying photograph  shows  W.  J.  Savage, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Commerce,  plac- 
ing a  set  of  the  new  signs  on  the  Hotel 
Farragut.  At  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  is 
Postmaster  W.  P.  Chandler,  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Commerce  Street  Signs  Com- 
mittee, Mayor  E.  W.  Neal,  and  J.  T.  Badg- 
ley.  Manager  of  the  Board  of  Commerce. 

Street  signs  for  the  more  than  1,200 
Knoxville  street  intersections  were  pur- 
chased by  the  Board  of  Commerce  with  a 
special  fund  raised  by  the  Street  Signs 
Committee.  The  signs  were  put  up  by  the 
city.  In  the  business  district  they  were 
placed  on  the  buildings,  as  shown  in  this 
picture.  In  the  residential  sections  the 
signs  were  screwed  to  strong,  oak  boards 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


475 


which  were  nailed  se- 
curely to  telegraph  or  trol- 
ley poles. 

The  Street  Signs  Com- 
mittee   of    the    Board    of 
Commerce  was  composed 
of  men  who,  for  various 
reasons,    saw    the    urgent 
need  for  new  street  signs. 
The  first  step  was  to  pre- 
pare a  list  of  street  inter- 
sections, so  that  the  com- 
mittee could  know  the  ex- 
act sum  it  would  need  to 
raise.    A  list  of  firms  and 
individuals      who      would 
profit  most  by  the  erection 
of    new    signs    was    then 
compiled  and  divided  be- 
tween  the  several  groups 
of  the  committee.     Funds 
were  solicited  not  merely 
on  a  civic  basis,  but  also 
as  a  business  proposition. 
The  committee  called  the 
attention     of    firms    with 
large  delivery  services  to 
the    fact   that    they    were 
losing    time    and     money 
every   day   because   many 
of  the  streets  could  not  be 
found    by    their    delivery 
boys.      This    appeal    was 
very    effective,     and    the 
necessary     fund    was 
quickly  raised,  in  amounts 
ranging  from  $5  to  $100. 

Knoxville's  growth  has 
been  rather  rapid,  with 
the  result  that  several 
communities  which  ten 
years  ago  were  separate 
suburban  sections  are  now 
a  part  of  our  solid  city. 
Each  community  has  its 
own  street  names,  which  made  a  duplication 
of  names  in  Greater  Knoxville. 

The  Street  Signs  Committee  is  using  the 
ordering  of  new  street  signs  as  an  occasion 
for  renaming  streets  whose  names  are  con- 
fusing. Signs  for  those  streets  will  not  be 
ordered  until  the  City  Commissioners  offi- 
cially determine  the  correct  names.  The 
Board  of  Commerce  committee  feels  that 
this  elimination  of  conflicting  street  names 
is  as  important  as  was  the  erection  of  the 


THE   PRESIDENT 
STREET    SIGNS 
COMMERCE,  AND 


THE  MANAGER,  AND   THE   CHAIRMAN   OF  THE 
COMMITTEE    OF    THE    KNOXVITJ.F.    BOARD    OF 
THE  MAYOR,  LOOK  LIKE  A  PRETTY  EFFICIENT 
SIGN-POSTING   CREW 

new  signs,  indispensable  as  they  were. 

The  committee  also  wrote  to  the  occu- 
pants of  every  home  or  business  house  in 
Knoxville  which  was  not  numbered  or  was 
incorrectly  numbered,  urging  that  correct 
numbers  be  put  on  their  houses.  This  did 
not  bring  a  unanimous  response,  of  course, 
but  did  result  in  the  correction  of  a  large 
majority  of  the  mistakes. 

CARLOS  C.  CAMPBELL, 
Assistant    Manager,    Knoxville    Board    of     Com- 
nierce. 


476 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


Quick  Work  in  Santa  Rosa 

Santa  Rosa,  Calif. — When  Santa  Rosa 
awoke,  on  the  morning  of  November  16,  to 
f5nd  her  485  high  school  pupils  "homeless," 
the  high  school  building  having  been  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire,  the  Directors  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  immediately  called 
a  meeting  with  the  Board  of  Education, 
and  without  parley  made  a  survey  of  the 
most  strategic  location  for  rebuilding  the 
school.  Long  before  the  embers  of  the  old 
school  had  ceased  to  smoulder,  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  had  an  option  on  sixty- 
five  acres  of  property  at  the  north  city  lim- 
its, which  it  later  purchased  and  is  holding 
in  trust  for  the  new  high  school  district. 
This  district  has  been  created  by  combining 
the  city  with  twenty-five  adjacent  common 
school  districts,  and  embodies  about  one- 
third  of  the  county's  population.  Private 
interests  were  sacrificed,  real  estate  commis- 
sions were  waived,  and  leases  cancelled,  and 
there  was  one  of  the  finest  manifestations 
of  community  spirit  that  have  ever  been 
recorded  in  northern  California.  The  result 
will  be  a  half-million-dollar  school  project 
within  a  few  years,  making  Sonoma  County 
a  leader  in  educational  advantages. 

The  new  school  property  adjoins  the 
Luther  Burbank  Creation  Garden,  which 
comprises  thirty  acres  and  was  purchased 
jointly  by  the  city  of  Santa  Rosa  and  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  Last  September  it 
was  officially  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the 
world-known  scientist,  Luther  Burbank.  It 
is  planned  to  have  Mr.  Burbank  participate 
in  planting  there  specimens  of  his  horticul- 
tural and  agricultural  creations  and  im- 
provements, and  at  some  future  date  to 
build  in  the  gardens  a  large  community 
auditorium.  Both  the  Garden  and  the  new 
school  site  are  located  on  the  Redwood 
Highway. 

Santa  Rosa's  plan  of  work  for  the  coming 
year  involves  a  movement  for  the  city  man- 
ager form  of  government;  a  campaign  for 
new  grammar  school  buildings,  in  addition 
to  the  new  high  school ;  an  effort  to  equalize 
both  city  and  county  taxes;  a  resumption 
of  the  old  pre-war  custom  of  holding  an  an- 
nual Rose  Carnival,  beginning  in  May  of 
this  year;  and  decided  improvement  in  city 
beautification,  street  paving  and  lighting. 

JAMES  G.  STAFFORD. 
Secretary,  Santa  Rosa  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


Transforming  a  Dump  into  a 
Playground 

GuELPH,  Ont. — Thanks  to  the  enterprise 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  city  of 
Guelph  has  rid  itself  of  an  unsightly  dump 
and  acquired  in  its  place  an  attractive  play- 
ground for  its  children. 


WHAT    THE    GUELPH    CLEAN-XJP    COMMITTEE 
FOUND 

During  a  spring  clean-up  campaign,  Mrs. 
C.  R.  Crowe,  Chairman  of  the  Clean-Up 
Committee,  reported  the  conditions  on  a 
triangular  piece  of  ground  in  the  part  of 
the  city  known  as  Brooklyn,  and  suggested 
that  the  Clean-Up  Committee  convert  it  into 
a  modern  children's  playground.  The  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  got  back  of  the  plan,  and 
man^  of  its  members  joined  with  the  Com- 
mittee personally  in  clearing  up  the  brush- 
wood. The  unsanitary  and  unsightly  drains 
at  the  foot  of  the  property  were  properly 
piped,  and  the  area  was  filled  in  with  earth 
brought  from  other  parts  of  the  city  where 
the  municipality  was  making  excavations. 
Then  on  top  was  placed  a  layer  of  cinders, 
and  the  whole  place  was  rolled  and  put 
into  shape.     Playground  equipment  was  in- 


AFTEB   THE   CHAMBER  TACKUBD   THE   DUMP 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


m 


stalled,  including  a  box  chair  swing,  a  slide 
and  a  circular  swing. 

The  Chamber  has  further  plans  for  mak- 
ing the  playground  more  park-like.  Peren- 
nials have  been  planted  in  the  corners  of  the 
park,  and  the  willow  trees  that  fringe  the 
river's  edge  will  be  removed,  to  give  a  better 
view. 

H.  WESTOBY, 
Secretary,   Guelph   Chamber  of   Commerce. 

Oregon  Town  Builds  8,000-Foot 
Sea-Wall 

Seaside,  Ore. — Under  the  leadership  of 
the  Seaside  Breakwater  Association,  a  busi- 
ness men's  organization  of  this  city,  a  great 
concrete  sea-wall  has  been  built,  at  a  cost 
of  about  $150,000.  This  sum  was  raised  by 
a  bond  issue.  The  wall  is  8,000  feet  long, 
with  a  14-foot  promenade. 

Even  before  this  development  was  com- 
pleted. Seaside  was  the  principal  ocean 
resort  on  the  coast  of  Oregon,  and  was 
visited  annually  by  thousands  of  people.  It 
is  located  on  the  Clatsop  Beach  branch  of 
the  Spokane,  Portland  and  Seattle  Railway, 
18  miles  south  of  Astoria  and  118  miles 
from  Portland.  The  Clatsop  Beach  branch 
is  one  of  the  few  rail  lines  touching  the 
Pacific  coast  of  Oregon.  This  advantage  of 
transportation,  the  natural  excellence  of  the 
beach,  and  the  construction  development 
carried  out  at  Seaside  have  combined  to 
place  this  region  among  the  leading  Pacific 
resorts. 

The  original  plans  called  for  a  promenade 
built  of  asphaltic  concrete  4  inches  thick, 
but  this  was  later  changed  to  a  concrete 
walk  4  inches  thick  and  of  the  usual  side- 
walk construction.  A  turn-around  bay  for 
automobiles  was  built  at  the  foot  of  the 
main  business  street.  This 
bay  may  be  seen  in  the 
distance  in  the  accom 
panying  illustration.  Con- 
sidering the  fact  that  the 
permanent  population  of 
Seaside  is  only  a  few 
thousand,  this  achieve- 
ment shows  remarkable 
enterprise  on  the  part  of 
the  townspeople  who  un- 
dertook the  development. 

O.  C.  IIAGMEIER,  M.  D. 
President,    Seaside  Breakwater 


New  Auditorium  Will  Seat  Three- 
Fifths  of  Town's  Population 

Plainview,  Tex. — The  total  population 
of  Plainview  at  present  is  less  than  5,000; 
the  municipal  auditorium,  on  which  work 
is  rapidly  progressing,  will  seat  3,000.  It  is 
believed  that  it  is  the  largest  auditorium  to 
be  found  in  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  world. 

The  town  sent  seventeen  men  to  represent 
it  at  the  last  Convention  of  the  West  Texas 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  a  commercial  or- 
ganization with  a  paid-up  membership  of 
nearly  7,000.  When  the  question  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  1922  convention  came  up,  Plain- 
view  bid  for  it.  The  Convention  immediately 
asked  the  Plainview  delegation  if  they  had 
a  building  large  enough  to  hold  a  gathering 
of  3,000  to  4,000  delegates.  The  answer  im- 
mediately came  back,  "No,  but  we  will  build 
you  one."  And  the  Convention  took  them 
up. 

Plainview  immediately  set  to  work  to 
back  up  its  promise.  A  bond  issue  was  car- 
ried by  an  overwhelming  vote,  and  the  work 
is  now  going  forward. 

In  the  main  auditorium  there  is  a  stage 
36  feet  in  depth,  with  an  opening  of  60  feet, 
a  scenery  loft  and  the  necessary  dressing- 
rooms.  In  the  front  of  the  building  and 
on  each  side  of  the  main  entrance  are  two 
large  rooms,  one  set  apart  for  the  Public 
Library  and  the  other  for  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  The  arrangements  for  heating 
and  ventilation  are  of  the  latest  designs, 
and  all  modern  conveniences  are  provided. 
The  building  is  located  on  the  main  business 
street,  sufficient  ground  having  been  pur- 
chased to  allow  parking  on  each  side  of  the 
building. 


Association. 


NEW   CONCKETE  PROMENADE  AND   SEA-WAIJ.,  SEASIDE,   ORE. 


478 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY  Vol.  XXVI,  No.  5 


AECHITEOT'S  SKETCH  OF  NEW  MUNICIPAL  AUDITORIUM,  PLAINVIEW,  TEXAS 
A  building  seating  3,000  persons  in  a  town  of  5,000 


The  date  set  for  the  next  Convention  of 
the  West  Texas  Chamber  of  Commerce  is 
May  22.  On  that  day  Plainview  is  planning 
to  entertain  a  gathering  equal  to  its  entire 
population. 

R.    P.    SMVTH, 
City    Engineer. 


A  Prize-Winning  Easter  Egg 
Hunt 

MuNCiE,  Ind. — The  second  annual  Easter 
egg  hunt  in  Muncie  was  held  on  Saturday, 
April  22,  in  McCuUough  Park,  by  the 
Dynamo  Club  of  the  Muncie  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  which  is  composed  of  no  of  the 
young  men  of  the  city.  All  the  children  of 
Delaware  County  from  the  ages  of  3  to  12 
years  were  invited  to  participate  in  this 
event.  About  four  thousand  people  took 
part. 

Five  acres  of  McCullough  Park  were  re- 
served for  the  hiding  of  the  eggs.  Out  of 
this  space  a  section  of  approximately  600 
square  feet  was  reserved  for  the  little  tots 
from  three  to  five  years  of  age.  There  were 
1,500  eggs  hidden  in  the  grounds  reserved 
for  that  purpose.  Out  of  that  number,  1,250 
bore  prizes  offered  by  the  business  men  of 
Muncie.      Each    prize-bearing    egg   had    a 


sticker  pasted  on  it  with  a  number  corre- 
sponding with  the  number  of  a  prize. 

The  children  were  gathered  in  a  section 
directly  across  from  the  territory  where  the 
eggs  were  hidden.  At  the  ringing  of  a  bell 
by  Mayor  Quick,  all  the  children  rushed 
across  to  the  hunting-grounds.  When  a  child 
found  an  tgg  bearing  a  number,  he  went  to 
the  prize  booth,  which  was  in  charge  of  the 
Dynamo  Club  members,  and  got  an  order 
for  the  prize  which  bore  the  number  corre- 
sponding to  the  number  on  the  egg.  No 
child  could  receive  orders  for  more  than  one 
prize  at  a  time  but,  after  having  received  a 
prize,  could  go  back  and  hunt  for  more  eggs. 

Because  quite  a  number  of  the  children 
usually  stray  away  from  their  parents,  the 
Dynamo  Club  had  a  booth  to  which  all  the 
lost  children  were  brought  and  where  any 
parent  could  claim  his  or  her  child.  This 
booth  was  in  charge  of  the  Boy  Scouts, 
Girl  Reserves  and  Dynamo  Club  members. 

This  hunt  has  proved  to  be  a  great  suc- 
cess in  the  way  of  affording  pleasure  to 
thousands  of  people,  of  creating  community 
spirit,  and  bringing  into  direct  contact  the 
city  and  country  people  of  Delaware 
County. 

E.  H.   HYMAN, 
Manager,    Chamber    of    Commerce    and    Commercial 
Club. 


There  were  508  less  fires  and  122  less  false  alarms  in  Detroit  in  1921  than  in 
1920.    Also,  the  fire  loss  in  this  city  was  approximately  $1,000,000  less. 


479 


Municipal  Water  Rates— Part  III 

^A  Thorough  Analysis  of  Present  Rates  and  Rate-Making 

By  E.  E.  Bankson,  D.  E.  Davis  and  C.  A.  Firle^  * 


A  Proposed  Method  for  Distribution 
of  the  Burden 

THE  usual  assumptions  underlying  the 
construction  of  rates  are  that  the  total 
revenue  to  be  derived  may  be  divided 
into  three  broad  classifications  which 
roughly  correspond  to  the  costs.  These  are 
the  consumer  costs,  demand  costs,  and  out- 
put costs.  The  consumer  costs  are  taken  as 
those  costs  (actually  derived  from  a  study 
of  the  company's  books)  which  cover  the 
reading  of  meters  and  billing  of  charges, 
bookkeeping  costs,  stationery,  and  those 
costs  which  have  no  reference  to  the  quan- 
tity of  water  used  by  the  consumer,  but 
which  are  practically  the  same  for  each 
consumer  regardless  of  size. 

The  demand  charge  in  bulk  is  assumed  to 
cover  such  costs  as  have  to  do  with  the  pos- 
sible peak  load  demands  on  the  plant,  such 
as  fires  or  sudden  large  momentary  uses  of 
water.     Since  the  investment  in  nearly  all 
elements  of  the  plant,  including  the  distribu- 
tion system,  is  necessarily  much  greater,  in 
order  to  care  for  peak  loads,  than  would  be 
true  for  uniform,  non-fluctuating  loads,  it 
has  usually  been  assumed  that  all  charges 
connected  with  the  investment,  such  as  in- 
terest charges,  are  included  in  this  category. 
A  portion  of  the  time  of  certain  executive 
officers  is  also  thought  of  as  being  properly 
chargeable    to    this    account.      Having   de- 
termined the  bulk  figure,  the  distribution  to 
the  individual  consumers  is  usually  effected 
by   finding  the  total  "capacity"  of  the   in- 
dividual consumers  on  the  assumption  that 
the  area  of  the  service  lines  or  meters  sup- 
plying the  property  is  a  fair  measure  of  the 
demand  which  the  consumer  may  make  upon 
the  system.     When  this  individual  capacity 
charge  is  found,  it  is  usually  combined  with 
the  "consumer  charge"  in  order  to  form  a 
"service  charge"  usually  based  on  the  size 
of  meter.     In  practise  the  strict  application 
of  the  theory  is  usually  considerably  modi- 

•  E.  E.  Bankson,  of  The  J.  N.  Chester  Engineers, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  D.  E.  Davis,  of  The  J.  N.  Chester 
Engineers,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  C.  A.  Finley,  Managing 
Engineer,  Bureau  of  \\ater,  City  of  Pittsburgh. 


fied  by  the   introduction  of  a  more  or  less 
arbitrary  diversity  factor. 

The  "output  charge"  covers  such  costs 
as  fuel,  labor  of  station  employees,  chemi- 
cals, etc.,  and  varies  strictly  with  the 
quantity  of  waf^r  pumped.  The  larger  the 
pumpage,  the  lower  this  cost. 

There  is  little  dispute  as  to  the  fact  thai 
these  three  general  classes  of  costs  do 
apply  in  a  water-works  plant,  and  the  only 
divergence  of  opinion  will  arise  as  to  their 
derivation  and  constitution,  and  their  equit- 
able distribution  into  a  rate  schedule,  when 
once  determined.  It  is  in  the  desire  to 
stimulate  further  discussion  of  this  problem 
and  in  the  hope  that  ultimately  a  more-or- 
less  standardized  method  of  procedure  may 
be  derived  and  agreed  upon,  that  this  dis- 
cussion has  been  undertaken. 

"When  the  foregoing  premises  are  exam- 
ined, little  objection  can  be  suggested  to  the 
methods  employed  in  arriving  at  or  in  dis- 
tributing   the    "consumer    charge"    or    the 
"output    charge,"    but    when    the    "demand 
charge"  is  similarly  examined  some  of  the 
present  methods  appear  open  to  question  on 
both  counts.    It  may  as  well  be  conceded  at 
this  point  that  no  hard  and  fast  rule  may 
be  employed  in  the  making  of  the  final  rate, 
and   that    considerations    other    than   those 
dictated  by  pure  theory  must  oftentimes  be 
consulted  in  arriving  at  the  final  determina- 
tion.   The  making  of  a  rate  involves  judg- 
ments of  a  judicial  character,  and  questions 
of  expediency   often    modify   the   rate   de- 
rived from  a  disinterested  study  of  the  con- 
ditions at  the  plant.    However,  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  rate  it  will  probably  be  conceded 
that  reasonable   assumptions   corresponding 
as  closely  as  possible  to  the  known  condi- 
tions of  the  plant  should  be  employed.  There 
are  several  premises  in  the  methods  used  in 
deriving     and     distributing     the     "demand 
charge"  which  appear  to  the  writers  not  to 
correspond    with    the    ordinary    observable 
conditions  of  plant  operation. 

What  are  these  conditions  wihich  are 
common  to  all  plants  and  are  a  matter  of 
every-day    acceptance    in    their    operation? 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Concrete  Pavement,  fVatervliet,  N.  Y. 
Hard-n-tyte  Road  Treatment  used. 


Make  concrete  roads 

stand  the  grind 


■even  under  this  kind  of  traffic! 


For  over  twenty  years  the  Gei 
ChemicalCompanyhasbeenatthe 
front  of  chemical  research  and  m 
facture  in  this  country.  Hard-n 
is  the  latest  contribution  of  its  sp!e 
staff  of  chemists.  It  is  the  succe 
result  of  long  search  for  a  concrete  f 
ener  that  really  hardens  the  surfao 
materially  increases  its  life.  It  en 
engineers  and  contractors  to  de 
a  quality  of  concrete  work  far  ii 
vance  of  anything  that  has  been 
sible  heretofore. 


tyte 
ndid 


It  isn't  a  question  of  this  year 
or  next.  It's  a  matter  of  how  the 
job  will  look  five  or  ten  years  from 
now.  Take  this  road'we're  on  right 
now.  Go  over  it  in  a  couple  of 
years.  Go  over  it  again  in  five 
years.  Check  up  what  I  say  about 
the  Hard-n-tyte  Road  Treatment. 
See  ^or  yourself  what  it  does  to 
make  a  concrete  road  stand  up  and 
give  service. 

And  after  all  is  said  and  done, 
the  grind  of  every  day  traffic  isn't 
a  starter  to  the  tests  the  General 
Chemical  Company  engineers  gave 
the  Hard-n-tyte  Road  Treatment 
before  they  ever  recommended  it 
to  highway  engineers. 

Hard-n-tyte  comes  to  the  job  in 


crystal  form.  These  crystals  a 
dissolved  in  water  as  needed  ar 
the  solution  flushed  over  the  su 
face  of  the  concrete — commpn  lab 
does  it  quickly  and  cheaply.  Tl 
fluorides  and  silicates  formed  a 
absolutely  insoluble  in  water,  u 
affected  by  weather  and  extreme 
ddrable  under  the  grind  of  traflfi 
Hard-n-tyte  forms  a  flint  hard  su 
face  that  will  wear  for  years  lil 
mosaic. 

We    shall   be  glad   to   help   y( 
increase  the  life  of  either  old 
new  concrete.    Drop  us  a  post  ca 
asking  for  the  details. 

General  Chemical  Company 


40  Rector  Street 


New  York  Cit 


77 


—makes  concrete  roads  wear  longer 

When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention   The  American   City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


481 


As  to  the  physical  aspects,  they  are  essen- 
tially these :  The  plant  at  a  given  time  fur- 
nishes an  average  daily  quantity  of  water 
which  remains  fairly  constant  from  year  to 
year.  There  is,  however,  a  very  wide  varia- 
tion in  the  consumption  during  any  one  day, 
the  minimum  being  at  night,  and  the  max- 
imum usually  about  10:00  A.  M.  There  is 
also  a  seasonable  variation;  the  summer  de- 
mands and  the  winter  peaks  usually  exceed 
considerably  the  average  consumption. 
Finally,  each  plant  recognizes  the  possibility 
of  a  set  of  circumstances  which  may  put  a 
very  heavy  demand  on  the  plant  for  a  brief 
period,  and  in  addition  to  these  considera- 
tions, there  is  always  the  possibility  that 
the  plant  may  be  called  upon  to  supply 
water  for  a  heavy  conflagration. 

On  the  back-of-the-counter  side  of  the 
water-works  office  there  is  another  factor 
which  can  be  counted  upon  with  the  same 
degree  of  certainty  as  the  average  annual 
consumption.  This  is  the  assurance,  built 
up  during  a  long  association  with  the  con- 
ditions of  water-works  practice,  that  the 
consumers  can  be  depended  upon  to  continue 
their  use  of  water,  and  consequently  that 
the  money  will  come  over  the  counter  in  a 
fairly  uniform  stream  from  year  to  year,  the 
growth  of  the  population  being  taken  into 
consideration. 

These  are  well  understood  characteristics 
which  are  common  to  the  personalities  of 
all  plants,  but  in  the  casting  of  many  rates 
these  conditions  have  not  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  reflect  themselves,  having  been  re- 
placed by  theoretical  assumptions  which  do 
not  correspond  with  the  facts. 

The  justification  for  the  service  charge  as 
advanced  by  its  advocates  starts  with  the 
idea  that  the  utility  must  meet  certain  fixed 
and  administrative  charges  whether  water 
is  delivered  to  the  consumers  or  not.  It  is 
implied,  therefore,  that  there  should  be  a 
certain  stated  charge  made  against  each 
consumer  over  and  above  the  charge  for 
water,  and  that  this  should  apply  whether 
any  water  is  used  or  not.  This  idea  seems 
to  be  entirely  reasonable  when  properly 
applied,  because  there  are  certain  invest- 
ment charges  applicable  against  the  con- 
sumer's specific  installation  for  which  the 
utility  should  receive  adequate  return  in  the 
rates  secured  from  him,  and  which  conceiva- 
bly a  charge  against  consumption  alone 
would  not  always  cover.  However,  the 
strict  application  of  the  usual  theory  would 


build  up  such  a  large  service  charge  as  to 
make  this  portion  of  the  consumer's  bill  the 
largest  item  in  the  case  of  the  majority  of 
consumers.  This  would  be  true  because  in 
the  ordinary  case  most  of  the  fixed  charges 
are  thrown  into  this  item.  After  the  fire 
protection  charge  to  the  city  (which  is 
chargeable  against  this  item)  is  taken  out, 
the  amount  still  levied  upon  the  consumer  is 
high. 

The  fallacy  in  this  premise — or  so  it  ap- 
pears to  the  writers — lies  in  the  assumption 
that  the  whole  of  the  fixed  charges  should  be 
placed  in  the  demand  classification.  This 
idea  neglects  the  obvious  fact  that  the  plant 
is  constructed  not  only  for  a  large  demand 
but  primarily  for  day-to-day  service  to  con- 
sumers. Furthermore,  the  habits  of  the 
consumers  are  fairly  well  established  and 
quite  constant.  The  assumption  that  they 
as  a  body  will  suddenly  cease  to  use  water, 
is  strictly  opposed  to  the  facts;  the  revenue, 
however  the  rate  is  formed,  has  the  habit 
of  coming  into  the  office  with  due  regularity. 

All  that  the  utility  can  reasonably  expect 
is  that  a  sufficient  charge  in  the  form  of  a 
service  rate  be  assessed  against  the  con- 
sumer to  cover  the  legitimate  costs  of  in- 
vestment assessable  against  him,  so  that  if 
for  some  reason,  such  as  absence  on  vaca- 
tions, his  consumption  becomes  abnormally 
low,  there  will  still  be  enough  revenue  de- 
rived to  carry  his  account. 

To  point  out  other  apparent  defects  in  the 
present  theory  and  to  suggest  possible  reme- 
dies, it  will  be  necessary  to  enter  into  a  dis- 
cussion of  some  of  the  details  of  rate-mak- 
ing. Admitting  that  the  element  of  judg- 
ment must  enter  into  the  determination  of 
the  form  of  the  rate  finally  adopted,  it  cer- 
tainly will  be  desirable  to  fix  limits  within 
which  this  function  may  operate.  In  order 
to  fix  the  lower  limit,  it  will  be  convenient 
to  inquire  as  to  what  would  be  the  minimum 
investment  required  for  supplying  the  water 
to  consumers. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  absolute  minimum 
investment  would  be  the  one  in  that  plant 
which  would  be  required  to  work  regularly, 
uniformly  and  continuously  for  24  hours  per 
day,  365  days  per  year,  delivering  the  total 
required  quantity,  but  uniformly,  and  not 
as  at  present — as  demanded.  Sucji  a  condi- 
tion might  be  conceived  if  each  consumer 
were  thought  of  as  having  a  storage  tank 
which  would  equalize  all  of  his  fluctuations 
and   into   which   the  utility   would   deliver 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  "Caterpillar's"*  field 
of  usefulness  is  by  no 
means  limited  to  the 
lighter  jobs.  There  is  a 
"Caterpillar"*  of  size  and 
capacity  for  every  power 
need.  On  farm  or  ranch, 
in  the  mining,  oil  and 
lumber  industries,  for 
snow  removal  and  other 
civic  work  —  wherever 
power  and  endurance  are 
at  a  premium,  the  "Cat- 
erpillar"* has  no  r  eal 
competitor. 


HOLT 

PEORIA^       ILL. 
STOCKTON.  CALIF. 


Reduciflg  The  Cost  of  Public  Works 

Whether  used  in  grading,  scarifying,  ditching  or 
maintaining  streets  and  roads,  removing  snow,  or 
hauling  refuse  disposal  trains,  the  power  and  endur= 
ance  of  the  "Caterpillar"*  Tractor  enables  it  to  do  the 
most  work  for  the  least  money.  Akron,  Ohio,  Bureau 
of  Public  Works,  after  comparing  the  performance 
of  "Caterpillars"*  and  teams  on  street  grading,  found 
the  "Caterpillar"*  method  far  more  economical. 
Denison,  Texas,  did  more  grading  in  the  first  six 
months  it  owned  a  "Caterpillar"*  than  was  done  in 
six  years  with  teams.  New  York,  Minneapolis,  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  and  many  other  progressive  cities  and 
towns  now  use  "Caterpillar"*  power  to  reduce  the 
cost  of  public  works.  Upon  request  we  will  arrange 
to  show  motion  pictures  of  "Caterpillars"*  in  munic- 
ipal work. 

*There  is  but  one  **  Cater  pillar"— Holt  builds  it 

THE  HOLT  MFG.  CO.,  /nc,  PEORIA,  ILL, 

Branches  and  service  stations  all  over  the  world 

Eastern  Division:    SO  Church  St.,  New  York 
2429   Farnam   St.,   Omaha,    Nebr.  305   Merchants   Bank   Bldg., 

417  Washington  Ave.  N.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  2045-47  Main  St.,  Kansas  City,   Mo. 

5th  and  Court  Sts.,  Des  Moines,  la.     Holt  Company  of  Texas,  Dallas,  Tex. 
Canadian  Holt  Co.,  Ltd.,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 


78 


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May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


483 


water  at  a  uniform  rate.  Obviously,  the 
plant  investment  for  this  arrangement  would 
be  much  less  than  for  the  plants  actually 
erected,  and  this  condition  would  extend 
from  the  pumps  to  the  filters,  buildings  and 
distribution  system  and  would  include  some 
reduction  even  in  the  size  of  the  consumer's 
meter  and  sometimes  his  service  line.  This 
would  be  the  absolute  minimum  for  a  plant 
which  would  render  average  day-to-day 
service,  and  it  is  our  belief  that  at  least  this 
much  of  the  investment  (and  probably 
more)  will  be  required  for  ordinary  service. 
The  utility  could  not  get  along  with  less. 

If  this  be  granted,  and  if  it  is  also  con- 
ceded that  the  principal  reason  for  the  ex- 
istence of  the  plant  at  all  is  the  servmg  of 
the  daily  needs  of  the  consumer,  it  would 
seem  that  this  much  at  least  of  the  fixed 
charges  on  the  plant  investment  is  charge- 
able directly  aganst  the  consumption,  since 
in  such  a  plant  the  summation  of  all  con- 
sumptions (or  total  annual  consumption) 
when  divided  into  the  total  fixed  charges 
would  represent  the  price  per  unit  which, 
when  applied  to  the  consumption  of  each 
consumer,  would  fix  the  proportion  of  the 
whole  cost  which  he  should  bear.  This 
charge,  then,  is  strictly  proportional  to  the 
actual  average  consumption.  Contrary  to 
the  usual  practice,  it  would  then  seem  that 
this  cost  should  be  made  a  part  of  the  out- 
put charge,  which  is  made  on  the  basis  of 
actual  consumption  of  water. 

A  good  example  of  a  minimum  plant  as 
regards  the  water-supply  element  in  plant 
investment  would  be  a  gravity  supply  with  a 
reservoir  large  enough  to  supply  all  defi- 
ciencies in  stream  flow.  Any  hourly  or  day- 
to-day  fluctuations  in  load  would  afifect  such 
a  large  reserve  not  at  all ;  the  same  reservoir 
would  be  required  whether  the  consumptions 
were  uniform  or  fluctuating,  and  the  fixed 
charges  against  a  storage  reservoir  would 
therefore  appear  entirely  in  the  output 
charge. 

Having  now  allocated  into  "output 
charge"  certain  elements  of  cost  which  in 
the  past  have  been  considered  as  applicable 
to  "demand"  and  have  been  made  up  into 
the  "service  charge,"  there  remain  certain 
costs  which  admittedly  should  be  included 
under  the  "demand"  heading.  A  suggested 
method  of  dealing  with  these  costs  will  now 
be  discussed. 

The  method  proposed  is  that  of  splitting 
up  the  plant  investment  into  various  <:ate- 


gories  representing  like  service,  such  as 
pumping  station  and  accessories,  filtration 
plant,  reservoirs,  carrying  mains,  gridiron 
distribution  system,  and  services  and  meters. 
This  having  been  accomplished,  the  next 
step  involves  a  study  of  the  probable  rela- 
tion between  the  normal  use  and  the  max- 
imum demand  on  each  element.  This  may 
best  be  illustrated  by  example. 

An  examination  of  the  pumpage  record 
of  the  plant  is  made  and  the  average  daily 
pumpage  determined,  as  is  also  the  max- 
imum hour's  pumpage  at  any  time  during 
the  year.  If  a  record  of  pumpage  during  a 
heavy  fire  can  be  found,  this  is  also  re- 
corded, or  else  the  maximum  pumpage  pos- 
sibilities of  the  plant  are  used.  Assume 
that  the  results  are  as  follows: 

Average  daily  pumpage  rate.  ...  i  mil.  gals. 
Maximum  hourly  pumpage  rate    2      mil.  gals. 

Fire  rate  2^/2  mil.  gals. 

Then  for  convenience  the  investment  costs 


would  be  broken  up 


2-5 


to  output  charge, 


2-1                                                  2.5-2 
to   demand   charge   and  to   hre 


2.5  2.5 

protection  service.  A  little  consideration  of 
the  activities  of  the  average  water-works 
plant  will  indicate  that  there  may  be  and 
usually  is  a  wide  variation  between  the  de- 
mands of  the  various  elements  of  the  plani. 
These  will  also  vary  with  the  size  of  the 
plant;  the  larger  the  plant,  the  smaller  the 
variation.  The  greatest  fluctuations  will 
occur  the  nearer  the  consumer  is  ap- 
proached, and  the  diversity  factor  or  iron- 
ing-out effect  becomes  more  pronounced  the 
nearer  to  the  source  of  supply. 

It  is  practically  impossible  and  really  un- 
necessary to  determine  the  actual  demand  of 
each  consumer,  but  it  will  be  sufficiently  ac- 
curate to  consider  the  different  classes  of 
consumers  based  on  the  sizes  of  their 
meters.  As  a  measure  of  the  demands  of 
various  consumers  we  have  employed  the 
study  of  this  subject  as  made  by  the  com- 
mittee on  meter  rates  for  the  New  England 
Water  Works  Association  which  appears 
in  the  December  issue  of  the  1916  Journal. 
The  entire  fixed  charge  on  all  meters  is 
first  allocated  to  the  various  groups  of 
meters,  and  the  amount  to  output  and  to 
demand  is  fixed  by  reference  to  the  relation 
between  average  use  and  maximum  demand. 
It  is  assumed  for  convenience  that  the  in- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Built  specially  for 
Road  Maintenance  Work 

by  the 
Founders 

of  the 

Tractor 

Industry 


A  city  is  known  by  its  streets 


Maintained  Streets  Create  Trade 
Mud  Streets  Destroy  It 

A  QUALITY  TRACTOR  with  21  years  of  successful  experience  back  of  it  means 

something  to  you. 

Nearly  two  decades  ago  the  grading  for  the  Great  Railroads  of  the  West  was  done 

largely  by  the  OLD  RELIABLE  HART  PARR  SIXTIES.     Hart  Parr  tractors 

have  built  thousands  of  miles  of  highways.     Over  three  hundred  of  them  are 

owned  by  communities  in  Iowa  alone. 

The  road  building  and  maintaining  experience  of  those  20  years,  together  with 

the  specialized  experience  gained  by  building  thousands  of  farm  tractors,  is  all 

incorporated  in  the 

HART-PARR  SPECIAL  ROAD  TRACTOR 

This  tractor  is  built  for  the  long,  hard  pull — it  is  simple,  extremely  accessible 

and  does  not  need  an  expert  to  service  and  operate  it. 

Sixteen  years  ago  Hart  Parr  Company  brought  out  the  first  kerosene  burning 

tractors.     We  build  only  kerosene  burning  tractors  today  and  guarantee  them 

to  burn  it  successfully,  thus  cutting  down  your  operating  expense. 

This  special  road  maintenance  tractor  is  built  to  stand  the  severe  test  of  road 

work — the  hardest  of  all  tractor  operations. 

HART-PARR  COMPANY 


510  Lawler  Street 


Charles  City,  Iowa 


POWERFUL  STURDY  KEROSENE  TRACTORS 


FOUNDERS  OF  TRACTOR  INDUSTRY 


POWER 

Endurance 

Good  Traction 

Simplicity 

Continuous 
Operation 

Long  Life 

Satisfaction 


Catalogue  and  record 
of  performance  will  be 
mailed  to  interested 
parties  on  request. 


19 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The   Amekican   City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


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THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


WAUKEGAN, 
ILLINOIS,  is  the 
first  city  in  the  State  of 
Illinois  to  employ  this 
wonderful  French  de- 
sign, created  by  the 
General  Electric  Com- 
pany, and  manuufac- 
tured  by  the  King 
Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, to  light  their 
streets. 

King    Manufacturing    Co. 

53  West  Jackson  Blvd. 
CHICAGO  ILLINOIS 


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White  Way  PosTS^ 


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When   writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


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THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


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81 


V^en  writing  to  Advertisers  pl?ase  mefition  fg?  Ame|iican  City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


489 


vestment  in  an  "average"  meter  and  in  the 
actual  meter  in  use  (which  is  large  enough 
to  supply  the  maximum  demand)  will  be 
proportional  to  the  demands  in  each  case. 
The  cost  of  repairs  to  meters  probably  bears 
a  close  relationship  to  the  investment  in 
meters,  and  this  cost  is  distributed  between 
the  classes  of  meters  in  proportion  to  the 
investment. 

A  fair  basis  for  distributing  the  costs  of 
the  gridiron  system  is  next  sought.  It  is 
believed  that  the  fairest  basis  is  that  found 
by  assigning  the  costs  directly  on  the  basis 
of  the  total  number  of  consumers.  A  more 
or  less  arbitrary  distinction  must  be  made 
between  carrying  mains  and  gridiron  sys- 
tem, the  former  representing  in  this  dis- 
cussion the  large  arteries  emanating  from 
the  plant,  which  carry  water  out  to  distant 
districts  and  to  which  the  smaller  mains 
connect  to  distribute  the  water  to  the  con- 
sumers themselves. 

The  size  of  the  gridiron  lines  is  largely 
dictated  by  friction  loss  considerations,  it 
being  necessary  for  the  lines  to  be  large 
enough  to  furnish  fire  streams  without  un- 
due pressure  loss.  The  mileage  in  these 
mains  has  little  reference  to  actual  or  rela- 
tive consumptions,  but  they  are  made  neces- 
sary by  the  fact  that  the  population  lives  in 
homes  that  are  scattered  over  a  wide  area, 
and  by  whose  properties  water  lines  must  be 
laid  in  order  to  render  service.  The  in- 
vestment in  these  lines  varies  more  nearly 
with  the  population  than  with  consumption, 
as  such,  and  it  seems  fair  then  to  consider 
that  the  investment  in  gridiron  system  is 
the  same  for  each  consumer.  That  it  proba- 
bly does  not  vary  with  consumption  directly, 
might  be  seen  if  it  were  assumed  that  in  a 
given  plant  one  large  industrial  consumer, 
located  near  the  plant,  used  as  much  water 
as  all  the  remaining  population,  yet  this 
fact  would  make  little  difference  in  the 
mileage  of  mains;  they  would  be  required  in 
any  event  in  order  to  supply  the  remaining 
consumers.  Any  increase  in  consumers  in- 
volving building  up  of  new  territory  would 
require  proportionally  greater  mileage. 

In  the  distribution  of  this  burden  the  fire 
protection  charge  would  ordinarily  take  the 
largest  share  of  the  cost,  and  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  remaining  costs  between  "output" 
and  "demand"  would  be  made  with  refer- 


ence to  actually  observed  demands  on  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  system  where  records  were 
available.  The  further  distribution  as  be- 
tween individual  classes  of  consumers 
would  have  to  be  a  question  of  judgment, 
but  the  limits  would  probably  be  fairly  well 
defined.  The  tabulation  on  the  preceding 
pages,  in  which  a  complete  example  is 
worked  out,  will  explain  the  method  in 
greater  detail.  The  ratios  for  each  division, 
having  been  obtained  by  observation  of 
actual  conditions  for  this  plant,  are  dis- 
tributed to  the  different  classes  of  consum- 
ers by  methods  similar  to  that  for  meters. 

The  consumptions  of  the  various  classes 
of  consumers  are  probably  the  best  basis 
upon  which  to  distribute  the  fixed  charges 
on  carrying  mains,  after  a  figure  has  been 
arrived  at  for  charge  to  fire  protection.  In 
a  majority  of  cities  the  consumption,  both 
large  and  small,  may  be  distributed  at  vari- 
ous, widely  scattered  locations  throughout 
the  city.  The  carrying  mains  must  be  large 
enough  to  supply  these  maximum  collective 
demands  or  consumptions. 

Since  the  quantity  of  water  to  be  deliv- 
ered at  various  controlling  areas,  not  neces- 
sarily influenced  by  distance  alone,  is  the 
basis  for  the  design  of  the  carrying  mains, 
it  would  appear  that  the  money  that  went 
into  its  construction  would  bear  a  closer 
relation  to  the  consumption  than  to  any 
other  feature.  The  ratio  between  the  aver- 
age daily  use  and  the  maximum  demand  be- 
comes less  as  the  source  of  supply  is  ap- 
proached, and  the  ratios  in  the  carrying 
mains  are  less  than  in  the  gridiron. 

The  consumption  basis  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  costs  has  been  used  in  each  of  the 
remaining  classes  of  service,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  "consumer  costs,"  where  such 
items  as  bookkeeping,  billing,  reading 
meters,  etc.,  has  been  distributed  directly  in 
proportion  to  the  total  number  of  consum- 
ers, and  the  result  carried  into  the  sum 
which  later  forms  the  "service  charge." 

Having  assembled  the  "demand"  and 
"output"  charges  for  all  consumers  on  the 
same  sized  meters,  the  average  output  charge 
is  found  by  dividing  the  total  output  costs 
by  the  total  annual  consumption  for  that 
class,  and  the  "service  charge"  by  dividing 
the  corresponding  sum  by  the  total  number 
of  consumers  in  that  class. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


No  highway  engineer  or  road  official 
should  be  without  a  copy  of  our  latest 
manual,  "Road  maintenance  with 
Tarvia."     Write  our  nearest  office. 


The  Future  of  a  Community  often  lies 
in  the  Road   Commissioner's  hands— 


Although  the  Road  Commissioner 
never  "heads  the  ticket"  on  Election 
Day,  there  are  few  public  officials 
charged  with  duties  more  vital  to  the 
public  welfare. 

Good  roads  are  indispensable  to  the 
progress  and  happiness  of  every  commu- 
nity. With  good  roads,  getting  to  town 
is  made  a  matter  of  minutes — not  miles; 
business  flourishes,  hauling  costs  decrease, 
property  values  rise,  children  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  a  central  graded  school,  com- 
munity and  social  life  is  broadened  an  ^ 
made  more  enjoyable.  The  future  hold  % 
forth  great  promise. 

Throughout  the  country  our  engineers 
have  demonstrated  to  thousands  of  pub- 
lic-spirited road  officials  the  great  saving 


resulting  from  a  definite  policy  of  Tarvia 
construction  and  maintenance. 

This  popular  road  material  is 
unequalled  for  building  new  roads,  for 
resurfacing  worn-out  macadam,  for  re- 
pairing and  maintaining  improved  roads 
of  every  type.  Special  grades  are  made 
for  specific  uses. 

Tarvia  roads  are  an  indispensable  part 
of  every  Good  Roads  Program.  They  are 
comparatively  low  in  first  cost,  and  are  so 
much  more  economical  over  a  term  of 
years  that  the  saving  makes  a  more  ex- 
tensive road  program  possible. 

If  you  want  smooth,  dustless,  mudless 
roads  in  your  community  365  days  in  the 
year,  write  to  our  nearest  office  for  free 
copy  of  our  illustrated  "General  Tarvia 
Catalog."    You'll  find  it  interesting. 


For  Road  Construction 
Ropair  and  Maintenance 


Special  Service  Department 

This  company  has  a  corps  of  trained  engineers 
and  chemists  who  have  given  years  of  study 
to    modern    road    problems.     The   advice   of 
these   men   may   be   had   for   the   aslcing   by 
anyone  interested.   If  you  will  write  to  the 
nearest  office  regarding  road  problems  and 
conditions    in   your  vicinity,   the   matter 
will  be  given  prompt  attention. 


New  York 


PhOaddphU 


udelph 

NmOrituu  BiimmiC.! 

raona  Alkola  Duluth  Mdwaukee 

Yo4incatown  ToUtlo  Coluoibui  Richmond 

Biftimorc  Omah*  JaduoDviile  Houston 

THE  BARRETT  COMPANY.  Limited:  Montie.1 


,  St.  Loiu 

Company   Kis:;^" 


88 


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491 


Boiler  Cleaners  for  Municipal 
Power-Plants* 

By  W.  F.  Schaphorst,  M.  E. 


IN  a  previous  article  the  writer  has  stated 
that  the  principal  losses  in  municipal 
steam  power-plants  occur  in  the  boiler 
room.  It  is  easier  to  save  money  in  the 
boiler  room  than  in  the  engine  room.  Vol- 
umes are  written  about  engines,  and  thou- 
sands of  dollars  in  premiums  have  been 
paid  for  engines  that  will  develop  a  given 
horse-power  and  save  perhaps  5  per  cent  of 
the  steam  ordinarily  consumed.  Yet,  out 
in  the  boiler  room,  and  because  of  sheer 
neglect,  it  is  costing  much  more  than  it 
should  to  generate  that  same  steam.  At- 
tendants in  the  boiler  room  should  always 
be  on  g^ard  to  prevent  heat  losses  up  the 
"waste-basket  of  the  power-plant" — the 
chimney,  as  that  is  where  most  of  the  lost 
heat  goes. 

Among  his  other  duties  the  boiler  atten- 
dant (which  means  the  fireman  in  the  smaller 
municipal  plants)  must  see  to  it  that  the 
boiler  heating  surfaces  are  always  kept 
clean  inside  and  outside.  Cleanliness  is  es- 
sential in  attaining  high  efficiency  and 
capacity.  Boilers  must  be  taken  out  of  ser- 
vice regularly  to  be  repaired  and  cleaned. 
The  two  principal  offenders  that  will  cause 
huge  losses  unless  kept  off  the  heating  sur- 
faces constantly  are  scale  and  soot. 

Scale  Removal 

It  is  authentically  reported  that  in  a  series 
of  120  tests  by  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road II  per  cent  greater  mileage  was  ob- 
tained from  locomotives  during  the  month 
after  freeing  the  boilers  from  scale  than 
was  obtained  during  the  three  months 
previous  to  cleaning.  This  is  equivalent  to 
a  saving  of  11  per  cent  of  the  fuel.  In 
similar  tests  by  other  concerns,  savings 
range  all  the  way  from  8  per  cent  to  16 
per  cent.  In  a  series  of  tests  performed  by 
Professor  Schmidt  of  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois on  locomotive  tubes  covered  with  scale 
in  thicknesses  varying  from  zero  up  to 
1/9-inch,  it  was  found  that  heat  losses  vary 
from  zero  at  zero  thickness  to  16  per  cent 


Copyright,  1922,  by  W.  F.  Schaphorst. 


at  a  thickness  of  1/9-inch.  After  a  thick 
scale  is  once  formed,  added  thickness  does 
not  make  much  difference.  The  important 
point  is — take  all  of  the  scale  off  and  take 
it  off  frequently. 

Periodical  scale  removal  is  desirable  for 
other  reasons  besides  economy.  Scale  is 
often  directly  responsible  for  the  overheat- 
ing and  burning  out  of  boiler  tubes  when 
operating  at  heavy  loads.  At  light  loads  a 
given  thickness  of  scale  may  be  harmless, 
the  heat  being  transmitted  without  trouble. 
When  the  boilers  are  forced,  however,  the 
temperature  of  the  boiler  shell  naturally  in- 
creases, often  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
scale  adjacent  to  the  shell  becomes  dry. 
When  dry,  scale  is  a  more  effective  heat  in- 
sulator than  when  wet,  and  as  a  result  there 
is  grave  danger  of  overheating  and  burn- 
ing the  shell  or  tubes.  It  is  not  uncommon 
in  plants  where  the  scale  menace  is  lightly 
regarded  to  retube  boilers  completely  every 
two  or  three  years.  With  proper  care,  tubes 
should  last  nearly  as  long  as  the  boiler  it- 
self. It  is  cheaper  to  clean  old  tubes  than 
to  buy  new  ones. 

There  are  thousands  of  engineers  and 
owners  of  plants  throughout  the  United 
States  who  are  still  ignorant  of  the  scale 
problem — who  do  not  even  know  that  their 
boiler  tubes  are  coated  with  scale.  One 
m.anufacturer  writes:  "In  75  per  cent  of 
the  reports  to  us  the  officials  or  engineers 
claim  that  they  have  no  scale  or  are  using 
water  which  does  not  produce  scale.  Yet  it 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  artesian  well 
water  is  highly  impregnated  with  scale-mak- 
ing properties.  In  other  words,  because  the 
water  is  clear  and  safe  for  drinking  pur- 
poses and  shows  no  muddy  deposit,  they 
seem  to  think  that  it  is  free  from  scale 
properties.  There  are  thousands  of  plants 
where  no  attention  whatever  Is  paid  to 
scale,  yet  every  little  while  they  find  it 
necessary  to  retube  their  boilers  and  they 
simply  put  that  down  to  wear  and  tear." 
Rain-water,  snow-water  and  distilled  water 
are  about  the  only  waters  thai  do  not  pro- 
duce a  serious  amount  of  scale  in  boilers. 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


MPLLOWS  PU  N 


Lic^hii  nq 


Standards 


\V7EST  ALLIS,  WISC,  has  recently  put  in  service 
an  ornamental  street  lighting  installation  in  which 
the  standards  are  made  strong  enough  to  support  the  trol- 
ley wires.  This  and  other  types  of  Hollowspun  reinforced 
concrete  lighting  standards  are  described  in  Catalog 
Supplement  No.  9. 

MASSEY  CONCRETE  PRODUCTS  CORPORATION 


PEOPLES    GAS   BUILDING 


CHICAGO 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


493 


A   VIBBATORY    SCALE    REMOVER    OPERATING   IN   A    WATER   TUBE    BOILER 


Some  Doubtful  Cures 

Boiler  compounds  for  the  treatment  of 
scale  are  too  frequently  used  in  boilers. 
Compounds  often  seem  to  serve  the  purpose, 
but  they  are  unreliable.  One  can  never  be 
certain  that  all  of  the  scale  is  loosened,  or 
treated,  because  of  the  naturally  varying 
thickness  of  scale  throughout  the  boiler. 
The  first  cost  of  compounds  is  usually  high, 
and  in  addition  there  is  the  cost  of  damage 
done  to  the  boiler  in  one  w^ay  or  another. 
Many  compounds  contain  acids,  such  as 
muriatic,  tannic,  or  acetic,  and  all  these 
acids  attack  iron.  Professor  Marks  says  in 
his  Mechanical  Engineers'  Handbook : 
"General  corrosion  *  *  *  is  also  caused 
by  the  action  of  certain  boiler  feed-water 
compounds  containing  tannic  acid,  sulphate 
of  copper,  etc.  *  *  *  Great  caution 
should  be  exercised  in  the  use  of  such 
materials  in  boiler  practice."  H  compounds 
are  to  be  used  at  all,  a  good  rule  to  follow 
is  to  avoid  all  secret  compounds.  They  are 
liable  to  be  bad  enough  even  when  the  chem- 
ical composition  is  known.  Even  soda  ash, 
very    frequently    used    and    recommended. 


may  be  the  cause  of  corrosion,  and  there  is 
no  question  that  it  often  causes  foaming 
troubles. 

Graphite  is  also  commonly  recommended 
and  used  for  keeping  the  scale  off  the  heat- 
ing surface  of  boilers.  The  method  is  to 
first  remove  the  scale  thoroughly  and  then 
apply  graphite  to  the  heating  surface.  It 
is  claimed  that  scale  will  not  adhere  read- 
ily to  the  graphite.  Then,  as  long  as  the 
boilers  are  in  use,  graphite  is  injected  into 
the  boiler  so  that  it  will  mix  with  the  scale 
and  make  it  soft  and  easily  crumbled. 
Preparations  using  graphite  as  a  base  and 
operating  similarly  are  also  on  the  market. 
While  graphite  and  kindred  preparations  do 
not  attack  or  harm  the  boiler  metal,  with- 
out the  use  of  mechanical  tools  the  engineer 
can  never  be  positive  that  these  substances 
are  working  effectively.  Further,  the  con- 
tinual injection  of  graphite  into  a  boiler 
and  its  collective  adherence  to  the  shell  and 
tubes  may  of  itself  eventually  become  a 
menace. 

Kerosene  and  crude  oil  are  also  pet 
"cures"   used  by   some   engineers   to  over- 


Cov'tesy   W.   P.   Pierce  Co^npony 

VIBRATORY   SCALE  REMOVER    OPERATING   IN   A   FIRE    TUBE   BOILER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


TRAFFIC 
POLICE  APPROVE 

Mushroom   Traffic   Light— Milwaukee   Type 

has  met  with  the  approval  of  the  official  judges  of  the 
International  Traffic  Officers  Association,  who  gave 
the  above  award  of  merit  for  the  unqualified  suprem- 
acy of  this  traffic  guide.  This  traffic  light  stands  only 
8  inches  high,  is  made  of  cast  steel  and  is  equipped 
with  a  dual  lighting  system.  When  lighted  it  is  a 
bright  spot  on  the  road  without  glare  and,  although 
not  large,  is  big  enough  to  be  noticed  and  respected. 
These  traffic  guides  are  suitable  for  installation  at 
street  crossings  on  any  traffic  streets  and  boulevards, 

ELECTRICAL  &   SPECIALTY  SUPPLY  CO. 


317    So.    Jefferson 
Street, 


Peoria, 
Illinois 


84 


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May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


495 


come  scale  troubles.  These  oils  are  injected 
directly  into  the  boiler,  and  in  certain  cases 
they  are  apparently  beneficial.  Their  use 
should  be  discouraged,  however,  because 
the  lighter  oils  will  always  distil  off,  and 
thick,  gum-like  greases  are  left  behind, 
which  adhere  to  the  heating  surfaces  and 
are,  according  to  some  authorities,  more  ef- 
fective in  retarding  heat  transfer  than  is 
the  scale  itself.  In  extreme  cases  the  grease 
settles  to  the  bottom  of  the  boiler,  where 
it  combines  with  the  scale  and  mud  and  in- 
sulates against  heat  transfer  so  effectively 
that  bags  or  blisters  are  formed  in  the  boiler 
shell.  Oil  and  grease  should  be  kept  out 
of  boilers  just  as  carefully  as  scale  is  kept 
out.  The  only  thing  the  fire  can  do  is  to 
heat  the  boiler  shell,  making  it  very  hot — 
sometimes  red-hot.  If  the  boiler  is  under 
pressure  when  the  shell  is  red-hot,  it  is  quite 
natural  that  the  shell  should  bulge,  or 
"bag,"  as  it  -is  usually  called,  at  the  place 
where  it  is  hottest.  Bagging  is  bad,  for  it 
may  be  the  forerunner  of  a  disastrous  boiler 
explosion.  Foaming  is  also  sometimes 
caused  by  oils  because  of  the  minerals  they 
contain.  The  minerals  are  liable  to  be  con- 
verted into  a  soapy  substance  if  the  feed 
water  is  alkaline — also  conducive  to  ex- 
plosions. 

In  the  United  States  and  Europe,  low 
water  is  the  most  common  cause  of  boiler 
explosions,  but  carelessness  of  attendance  is 
also  largely  responsible.  Sometimes  ex- 
perts cannot  decide  whether  an  explosion 
was  due  to  low  water  or  to  carelessness,  but 
they  all  agree  that  oil  and  grease  are  about 
as  much  of  a  boiler  menace  as  is  scale  and 
all  three  should  be  kept  out.  They  all 
cause  explosions. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  after 
grease  once  gets  into  the  boiler  water  it  is 
very  difficult  to  extract.  About  the  only 
way  in  which  it  can  be  removed  perfectly 
is  to  distil  the  water,  leaving  the  grease 
residue.  This  method,  of  course,  would  be 
too  expensive,  and  so  we  must  resort  to 
modern  mechanical  filtering  devices.  With 
these  devices,  when  steam  first  leaves  the 
engine  it  is  whirled  through  a  separator, 
where  most  of  the  grease  is  extracted  by 
means  of  centrifugal  force  and  the  striking 
of  the  grease  particles  against  the  separator 
walls.  Then  the  steam  is  condensed,  and 
the  condensate  is  forced  by  pumps  through 
filters  of  some  kind  or  other,  which  remove 


most  of  the  remaining  grease  The  cleansed 
water  then  reenters  the  boiler.  To  be  sure, 
every  trace  of  oil  is  not  removed.  The 
writer  knows  of  no  manufacturer  who  will 
guarantee  to  remove  every  bit  of  grease 
and  oil  year  in  and  year  out.  There  are 
successful  systems  on  the  market,  though, 
that  cleanse  the  water  to  the  extent  that  it 
is  no  longer  harmful. 

Steam  turbines  have  an  important  ad- 
vantage over  steam  engines  in  the  matter 
of  condensate  cleanliness,  for  the  exhaust 
from  turbines  is  always  clean  and  free  from 
oil.  In  turbines  oil  does  not  commingle 
with  the  steam,  because  lubrication  is  not 
required;  the  blades  and  other  internal 
parts  in  the  turbine  do  not  rub  against  other 
metallic  parts — there  is  no  metallic  friction. 

Even  though  compounds,  graphite,  kero- 
sene, etc.,  assist  in  loosenmg  the  scale,  the 
scale  still  remains  in  the  boiler.  To  remove 
this  scale,  frequent  blowing  out  of  hot 
boiler  water  is  necessary,  and  hot  boiler 
water  is  expensive.  Even  then,  all  of  the 
scale  is  not  removed.  These  scale-remov- 
ing materials,  when  doing  their  best,  are 
therefore  only  partially  effective. 

Meehanical  Scale  Removal 

In  former  years,  before  the  invention 
of  mechanical  cleaners,  it  was  necessary 
to  chip  out  boiler  scale  by  hand,  with  a 
hammer  and  chisel — a  very  expensive  pro- 
cess. As  a  result,  boilers  were  not  cleaned 
often  enough.  To-day  we  have  power- 
driven  cleaners  operated  by  steam  or  com- 
pressed air,  which  do  the  work  quickly,  in- 
expensively, and  thoroughly. 

There  are  two  types  of  mechanical  clean- 
ers on  the  market — one  rotary  and  the 
other  vibratory — from  which  the  municipal 
authority  will  doubtless  make  his  selection 
when  the  time  comes  to  purchase  a  scale 
remover.  The  rotary  cleaner  contains  a 
number  of  sharp  cutters  resembling  grind- 
stone dressers,  which  rotate  rapidly  on  the 
end  of  a  shaft  and  are  thrust  against  the 
scale  by  centrifugal  force.  These  cutters 
virtually  bore  their  way  through  the  tubes. 
The  rotary  cleaner  is  used  a  great  deal 
and,  although  not  always  thorough,  it  is 
far  superior  to  the  hand  method.  If  the 
scale  is  extremely  hard,  it  is  difficult  to  get 
it  all  out  with  the  rotary  type  of  cleaner, 
hut  the  soft,  spongy  top  layer  can  be  easily 
removed.     One  more  or  l?ss  serious  objec-. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


^   *^ 


Tr~ii-^: 


Playground  Apparatus  that  is  SAFE 

Above  we  show  a  pipe  coupling — a  most  commonplace  detail  of  construction. 
But  observe  that  it  is  designed  and  built  so  that  it  is  practically  unbreakable. 
This  detail  only  serves  to  illustrate  the  principle  upon  which  all  MED  ART  ap- 
paratus is  built.  It  must  be  so— the  lives  of  children  may  depend  on  the 
strength  of  the  apparatus. 

Considered  in  this  Ught,  it  must  be  seen  that  MEDART  apparatus  cannot 
be  sold  on  a  price  basis.  But  it  is  sold  on  an  economy  basis — ^thorough 
construction  for  the  sake  of  safety  and  long  life  of  the  apparatus  go  hand  in 
hand.  In  buying  playground  apparatus,  divide  the  cost  by  the  years  of  service 
it  will  give,  and  MEDART  apparatus  will  be  your  choice. 


Medart  Service 

Medart  Engineering  Service  is  given 
freely  witliout  cost  or  obligation  or 
thought  toward  immediate  gain. 
Whether  your  plans  are  extensive  or 
limited  you  will  find  it  to  your  advan- 
tage to  avail  yourself  of  the  experience 
we  have  gained  during  fifty  years' 
playground  planning  and  building. 


Send  for  Catalog  "M" 

Catalog  *'L"  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  most  complete  treatises  available 
on  playgrounds  and  playground  plan- 
ning. It  is  really  a  text  book.  When 
you  send  for  it  please  outline  in  brief 
just  what  your  problem  is — you  will 
have  our  earnest  and  intelligent  co- 
operation. 


FRED  MEDART  MFG.  CO. 

Potomac  and  DeKalb  Sts.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Nevir  York,  52  Vanderbilt  Ave.  San  Francisco,  Rialto  BIdg. 

Chicago,  326  W.  Madison  St. 

MEDART 


85 


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May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


497 


tion  to  the  turbine  type 
of  cleaner  is  the  rapid- 
ity of  wear  of  the  cut- 
ter heads  and  the  high 
cost  of  replacements. 

The  vibratory 
method  is  usually  more 
thorough,  as  it  does  not 
leave  a  thin,  hard  layer 
next  to  the  metal.  The 
vibrator  will  usually 
remove  more  scale 
from  tubes  that  have 
just  been  turbined. 
Wear  on  the  vibrator 
is  insignificant,  and 
this  type  is  therefore 
more  durable;  the  up- 
keep cost  is  less. 

The  vibratory 
cleaner  should  not 
strike  the  tube  too  hard, 
but  provision  should  be 
made  for  absorbing  the 
shock.  This  type  of 
cleaner  is  usually  op- 
erated on  the  principle 
of  the  steam  engine  and 
is  driven  either  by 
compressed  air  or  by 
steam  at  varying  pres- 
sures. The  pressure  to 
be  used  depends  upon 
the  character  of  work  to  be  done.  The 
vibrator  is  moved  back  and  forth  at  rates 
from  3,500  to  10,000  times  per 
This  rapid  tapping  of  the  vibrator 
corresponding  vibrations  in  the 
elastic  steel  tube,  which  alternately  elon- 
gates and  flattens,  in  section.  Scale  is 
not  elastic  and  cannot  bend  and  vibrate  in 
unison  with  the  steel  tube,  hence  it  is 
quickly  loosened.  Ten  to  thirty  tubes  may 
be  cleaned  per  hour,  depending  upon  the 
character  and  thickness  of  the  scale.  This 
principle  of  cleaning  may  be  successfully 
applied  to  cleaning  all  kinds  of  water-tube 
boilers,  straight  or  curved  tubes,  condenser 
tubes,  evaporator  tubes,  and  superheater 
tubes. 

The  vibratory  cleaner  has  another  ad- 
vantage when  applied  to  water-tube  boilers, 
in  that  while  removing  scale  from  the  in- 
side of  the  tube  it  simultaneously  shakes 
the  soot  off  the  outside.     This  is  particu- 


Courtesy   Vulcan  Soot  Cleaner  Company 


MECHANICAL  SOOT  CLEANER  APPLIED  TO  HORIZONTAL  WATER 
TUBE    BOILER 


larly   valuable 
ingly  hard. 


where   the   soot   is   exceed- 


rangmg 
minute. 
sets    up 


Soot  Removal 

In  addition  to  the  removal  of  scale,,  the 
other  arch  enemy  of  high  efficiency — soot — 
must  also  be  constantly  removed.  It  is 
about  the  best  heat  insulator  known.  The 
insulating  value  of  soot  is  five  times  greater 
than  that  of  asbestos. 

The  principal  reason  why  soot  is  so  un- 
economical is  that  it  gets  in  between  tjie 
fire  or  hot  gases  and  the  boiler  shell  or  flue. 
That  is  the  very  position  in  which  there 
should  be  no  insulating  medium  at  all,  be- 
cause that  is  where  an  insulator  can  cre- 
ate the  greatest  fuel  loss.  It  has  been 
shown  in  carefully  conducted  tests  that  an 
insulator  between  water  and  metal  is  not  so 
effective  as  between  gas  and  metal.  Hence, 
a  given  thickness  of  soot  on  the  outside 
causes  far  greater  loss  than  an  equal  thick- 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


^^nnOVNCiilG 


=THE  HOTEL  FINflMClMQ  C9/APflNy= 

HARVEY  J.  HILL  and  ARNAUD  C.  MARTS 

offer  a  thoroughly  tested  financial  organization  applying  in  the  hotel 
field  the  same  effective  and  dignified  methods  by  which  they  have  raised 


The  erection  of  a  modern  hotel  is  the  next  essential  step 
in  the  progress  of  scores  of  American  cities.  It  is  a 
modern  condition  of  progress  and  prosperity. 
The  Hotel  Financing  Company  is  prepared  to  give  service 
anywhere  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Each  con- 
tract accepted  by  the  Company  will  be  given  the  personal 
direction  of  Mr.  Hill  or  Mr.  Marts.  THEIR  RECORD 
GUARANTEES  SUCCESS. 

For  information  address 

THE  HOTEL  FIMrthCmQ  ZQtAPaXVJ 
==ONE  MflPiJQN  /ivieiiv;e-new  vork 


Until  January  1st,  1922, 
Messrs.  Hill  and  Marts  were 
Managing  Partners  in  the 
firm  of  Ward,  Hill,  Pierce 
and  Wells,  nationally  recog- 
nized as  the  originators  and 
leaders  in  the  field  of  raising 
finances  by  organized  volun- 
teer community  effort. 
They  retired  from  this  firm 
to  organize  the  Hotel  Fi- 
nancing Company.  Their 
entrance  into  the  hotel  field 
puts  the  very  best  experi- 
ence and  ability  at  the  com- 
mand of  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  other  community 
organizations  planning  new 
hotels. 


Reduce  Your  Grass 
Cutting  Costs 

Many  park  superintendents  have  greatly  re- 
duced the  cost  of  cutting  their  grass  by  motor- 
izing their  lawn  mowing  equipment.  It  is 
quite  significant  that  practically  all  of  these 
parks  have  standardized  on  Ideal  Power 
Lawn    Mowers. 

The  line  of  Ideal  Powet  mowing  equipment 
is  designed  to  meet  every  grass  cutting  re- 
quirement. For  larger  areas  we  build  the 
Ideal  Triplex  and  for  smaller  lawns  we  malce 
two  smaller  models.  Caring  for  your  lawn 
the  "Ideal"  way  shows  a  big  saving  over  Ideal  Triplex 
hand  mowers  or  horse  drawn  mowers.  Power  Mower 

For  complete  details  address 

Ideal  Power  Lawn  Mower  Company 

B.  E.  OLDS,  Chairman 

400  Kalamazoo  St.j,  Lansing,  Mich. 

CHICAGO 
11    E.    Harrison    St. 


Ideal  Junior 

Powei  Mower 


'T-^^i.- 


rf"C-^»i3iSaPii> 


■-•^ 


Power 
Lawn  Mowers 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


499 


ness  of  scale  inside  a  boiler.  Soot  shuts 
off  heat  at  the  very  source.  It  does  not  per- 
mit the  heat  to  even  touch  the  metal  of  the 
boiler. 

Soot  is  not  only  a  creator  of  inefficiency, 
but  at  the  same  time  a  reducer  of  boiler 
capacity.  By  keeping  soot  off  boiler  and 
flue  surfaces,  a  boiler  can  be  "forced"  with 
better  effect  than  where  soot  is  permitted 
to  accumulate.  This  can  easily  be  proved 
by  taking  temperature  readings  of  the  flue 
gases.  Tests  have  proved  time  and  again 
that  where  soot  is  consistently  cleaned  off 
in  a  thorough  manner,  the  average  flue  gas 
temperature  is  materially  reduced.  Boiler 
efficiency  can  be  estimated  with  surprising 
accuracy  by  merely  taking  the  flue  gas 
temperature. 

Relationship  of  Soot  and  Scale 

Not  many  engineers  realize  or  give 
thought  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a  relation- 
ship between  soot  and  scale.  One  is  a  sort 
of  complement  of  the  other.  Where  one 
of  them  is  to  be  found,  the  other  is  more 
or  less  lacking.  For  example,  engineers 
sometimes  wonder  why  it  is  that  thicker 
scale  is  to  be  found  on  boiler  tubes  close 
to  the  outside  wall  than  close  to  the  inside 
wall.  The  reason,  which  is  easily  explained, 
emphasizes  the  importance  of  thorough 
mechanical  boiler  cleaning  in  preference 
to  cleaning  by  hand. 

It  is  plain  to  anyone  that  the  tube  that 
absorbs  the  most  heat  will  evaporate  the 
most  water,  and  therefore  will  leave  the 
most  scale  to  cling  to  and  impair  the  heat- 
transmitting  qualities  of  the  tube;  hence 
the  thicker  scale  on  one  side  of  the  tube 
bank  than  on  the  other.  On  examining 
these  boilers  it  is  invariably  found  that  by 
the  hand  method  the  soot  is  blown  off  the 
tubes  through  the  dusting  doors  at  the  sides 
of  the  setting.  A  hand  lance  thrust  through 
the  dusting  doors  does  not  clean  the  far  side 
of  the  boiler.  Instead  of  cleaning  the  tubes 
on  the  far  side,  it  blows  the  soot  from  the 
near  side  over  onto  the  tubes  farther  away 
and  makes  matters  worse  there  than  before. 
In  some  cases  it  has  been  found  that  tubes 
have  been  packed  completely  full  of  soot 
and  they  might  just  as  well  not  have  been 
in  the  boiler  at  all. 


By  using  mechanical  cleaners  rather  than 
the  hand  lance,  an  average  saving  of  about 
5  per  cent  of  the  annual  fuel  bill  is  effected. 
One  reason  for  this  is  that  with  mechanical 
cleaners  it  is  possible  to  remove  the  soot 
three  or  four  times  every  day. 

In  too  many  municipal  plants  the  old 
hand  lance  method  of  cleaning  is  still  used. 
The  hand  method  is  inferior  in  many  ways 
and  should  not  be  continued.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  matter  of  velocity  of  steam.  It 
is  practically  impossible  for  the  hand  lance 
to  give  a  sufficiently  high  steam  velocity, 
because  of  the  great  internal  friction  of 
the  lance  and  the  connecting  steam  hose. 
High  velocity  is  essential  for  thorough 
cleaning. 

In  practice  it  has  been  found  that 
high-velocity  steam  jets  will  often  clean 
tubes  without  even  touching  them,  because 
of  their  "injector  action."  They  set  up 
high-velocity  air  or  furnace-gas  currents. 
These  currents  of  gas  scrub  the  boiler  tubes 
and  clean  off  the  soot. 

Hand  cleaning  is  undesirable  also  because 
the  boiler  must  be  opened  while  cleaning, 
permitting  cold  air  to  rush  in  and  cool  the 
boiler-heating  surfaces.  Some  types  of 
boilers  cannot  be  cleaned  by  hand  at  all 
while  in  operation,  but  must  first  be  shut 
ddwn.    To  shut  down  a  boiler  is  expensive. 

How  can  we  tell  when  a  boiler  needs 
cleaning,  internally,  externally,  or  both? 
By  keeping  a  weather  eye  on  the  chimney 
gas  temperature.  The  lower  the  tempera- 
ture, the  better.  High  temperatures  should 
not  be  permitted.  Just  as  soon  as  a  certain 
high  temperature  is  reached,  that  is  the  time 
when  the  boiler  should  be  cleaned. 

One  engineer  made  it  a  practice  to  clean 
his  tubes  as  soon  as  the  chimney  tempera- 
ture reached  550  degrees.  He  found  that 
by  so  doing  he  cleaned  the  tubes  an  average 
of  three  times  in  24  hours,  so  he  decided 
to  make  it  a  rule  to  clean  the  boilers  every 
8  hours,  regardless  of  chimney  tempera- 
ture. Another  engineer,  under  different 
conditions,  found  that  it  was  best  to  clean 
his  boilers  at  a  temperature  of  575  degrees. 
He  very  likely  had  a  dirtier  coal,  because 
the  temperature  rose  quickly  again  and  he 
found  that  on  an  average  he  had  to  clean 
his  tubes  four  times  per  day  of  24  hours. 


Taxpayers  who  hinder  rather  than  help  public  improvement  are  human  stumps 
in  the  road  to  better  things. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


A  Time-Tested  Unit  for  a 
Component    Part    of    the    Successful    Whole 


As  the  survivor  of  the  fittest,  the  individual 
Imperial  Mower  represents  the  sturdiest  of  all 
hand  mower  types,  but  in  combination  of  five 
such  successful  20-inch  units.  The  Imperial 
Gang  Mower  represents  an  efficient  lawn 
maintenance  equipment  extraordinary. 

For,  designed  with  a  view  to  light  utility  — 
or  light  tractor-propulsion.  The  Imperial  Gang 
offers  an  exceedingly  flexible  mower  of  great 


promise  for  speedy  completion  of  lawn-trim- 
ming tasks.  The  immaculate  condition  of  its 
9 1 -inch  swath  "after  using,"  and  the  low  cost 
of  the  needed  day-after-day  use  of  a  gang 
mower  of  Imperial  capabilities,  have  in  every 
way  created  for  it  a  place  "in  the  sun." 

Park  officials,  interested  in  lawns-keeping,  are 
invited  to  consult  our  experience  as  applied  to 
their  wishes— and  purses. 


COLDWELL   LAWN   MOWER   CO.,      Newbur^h,  N.  Y.,  U.S.A. 


Lawn  Mowers 

The  record  of  long  years  of  service  back 
of  Pennsylvania  quality  assures  the  ut- 
most in  operative  satisfaction  under  any 
and  all  conditions, 
very  part  of  every  mower  is  made  with  that  care 
and  accuracy  which  has  been  the  foundation  stone 
of  Pennsylvania  prestige  from  the  very  start. 
Designed  for  longest  service  they  are  the  most  economical 
lawn  mowers  you  can  buy.  Their  having  self-sharpen- 
ing, crucible,  tool  steel  blades,,  is  but  one  reason  out  of 
many  for  the  preference  of  men  who  know  what  a  good 
lawn  mower  should  be. 

W^rite  for  "Pennsylvania  TRIO  Book" 

Pennsylvania    Lawn    Mower    Works,    Inc. 
1615  North  23rd  Street,  Philadelphia 

17  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Auekican   City. 


PennsylTaiua  TRIO ;  a 
tUn*  and  labor  sayer  for 
golf  course,  parks,  large 
estates  86  in.  swath. 


501 


iQcreasing  the  Flow  from  Drilled  Wells 

Methods  Used  in  Shooting  Oil  Wells  Now  Applied  to  Deep-Well  Water-Supplies 


WHERE  blasting  is  possible  in  the 
outlying  districts  of  a  city  or  in 
•  readily  defined  well  fields,  the  use 
of  dynamite  cartridges  in  increasing  the 
flow  from  drilled  wells  has  become  quite 
common  practice.  A  very  careful  study 
must  be  made  of  the  quantity  of  water  in 
the  earth  or  rocks  surrounding  the  bore  hole, 
the  character  of  the  formation,  and  the 
rainfall.  Most  of  these  data  may  be  secured 
from  the  United  States  Geological  Survey 
and  the  Weather  Bureau.  Firing  the  blast 
at  the  bottom  of  a  well  in  sand  or  gravel 
has  practically  no  effect  on  the  flow  of  the 
well,  for  after  the  explosion  the  sand  or 
gravel  simply  settles  back  into  its  original 
place  in  the  porous  mass.  If  gunk  in  water- 
bearing rock,  the  well  may  draw  only  from 
the  particular  pores  and  crevices  which  it 
intersects.  By  shattering  a  larger  area 
with  a  heavy  charge,  the  sectional  area  as 
a  whole  is  increased  and  radiating  fissures 
created  through  which  the  water  may  flow 
from  a  considerable  area. 

In  shooting  a  drilled  well,  the  explosive 

/  \-ByiZ.J5'  OR 

L  J      HAMDLE 


^m^ 


■  '^DTN- AMITE 
^     CARTRIDGES 


ZirsTE 


FIG.  Z 


■OPEN 


riG.  1 


should  be  placed  at  the 
maximum  water  -  bearing 
area  to  secure  the  best  ef- 
fects. A  quick,  powerful 
explosive  and  a  heavy 
charge  should  be  used. 
Either  solidified  nitro- 
glycerin or  60  per  cent 
straight  dynamite  is  the 
best,  providing  the  column 
of  water  which  may  be 
standing  in  the  well  is  not 
over  200  feet  high.  The 
exact  size  of  the  charge  is 
governed  by  the  depth  of 
the  well,  the  nature  of  the 
rock  to  be  blasted  and  the 
proximity  of  buildings.  For  a  well  100 
feet  deep,  an  efficient  and  safe  charge 
would  be  from  100  to  200  pounds  of  solid- 
ified nitroglycerin  or  from  150  to  300 
pounds  of  60  per  cent  straight  dynamite. 
For  each  additional  hundred  feet,  this  load- 
ing could  be  increased  by  about  100  pounds. 

The  cartridges  are  packed  in  a  cylindrical 
shell  from  3  to  5  feet  in  length,  made  from 
tin  or  galvanized  iron  brought  out  to  a  point 
at  the  lower  end,  as  shown  in  Figure  i,  to 
prevent  it  from  catching  in  its  descent  down 
the  hole.  If  there  is  standing  water  in  the 
hole,  an  opening  should  be  made  in  the 
lower  end  of  the  shell  so  that  the  water  may 
pass  through  and  equalize  the  pressure  on 
the  explosives.  When  the  shell  is  loaded, 
the  bail  is  placed  over  a  special  hook,  shown 
in  Figure  2,  on  the  end  of  a  stout  line,  and 
the  shell  is  slowly  lowered  down  the  hole. 
Then  the  hook  is  freed  and  drawn  up. 

In  exploding  the  charge,  either  a  jack- 
squib,  as  shown  in  Figure  3,  or  an  electric 
squib,  as  shown  in  Figure  4,  may  be  used. 

The  jack-squib  consists  of  galvanized  pipe 
about  2  inches  in  diameter  and  36  inches  in 
length,  pointed  at  the  lower  end,  which  is 
filled  as  follows:  Sand  is  poured  into  the 
pipe  to  a  depth  of  about  6  inches,  a  cartridge 
of  60  per  cent  straight  dynamite  primed- 
with  two  No.  8  blasting  caps  and  two  fuses' 
is  seated  on  the  sand,  and  more  sand  is 
poured  in  until  it  fills  the  space  around  the 
cartridge  and  covers  it  to  within  4  inches 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Protection  for  Municipal  Property 

^  Forty  years  ago  the  Page  organization  originated  the  manufacture 
of  woven  wire  fence,  now  used  on  thousands  of  farms  throughout  the 
country.  The  valuable  experience  in  manufacturing  and  fabricating 
wire  products  thus  gained  has  enabled  the  company  to  produce  the 
Page-Protection  (wire  link)  Fence,  without  equal  today  in  its  general 
excellence  and  durability.  Every  process  of  manufacture  from  the 
open-hearth  furnace  to  the  finished  product  is  supervised  by  the  Page 

Steel    &    Wire    Company    in   its    own 

mills. 


^  Page-Protection  is  necessary  for 
lighting  plants,  pumping  stations,  stor- 
age yards,  parks,  watersheds,  etc. 

There  is  a  Page-Protection  Fence 
representative  near  you.  Wire  us  and 
we  will  have  him  get  in  touch  with 
you. 

PAGE  STEEL  &  WIRE  CO. 


Pag  e-Protection 
Fence  is  also 
made  of  rust- 
resisting  Armco 
Ingot  Iron 
(99.84*%   pure). 


District  Sales  Offices 

New  York 
Pittsburgh 


PAGE  PROTECTION  FENCE 


88 


_      W^cn  vyritfjijf  tP  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amiricak  Cjty. 


May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


503 


'TA^ 


^rcjjE 


■'^•^SAND 


BLA3TIN'G 
CAF^ 


.PRIMER 
CARTEIDOE 


FIG  3 


from  the  top  of  the 
pipe.  This  remain- 
ing space  is  then 
filled  with  thick  tar. 
As  soon  as  the  squib 
is  prepared,  both 
fuses  are  lighted, 
two  being  used  in 
case  one  should  fail. 
The  squib  is  dropped 
into  the  hole,  point 
down.  The  length 
of  the  fuse  should  be 
so  calculated  that  it 
will  explode  about 
the  time  it  strikes 
the  charge  and  so 
detonate  it. 

The  electric  squib 
is  similar  in  con- 
struction to  the 
jack-squib,  but 
shorter  and  larger 
in  diameter,  with  a 
less  sharply  pointed 
end.  It  is  usually 
about  5  inches  in  diameter  and  20  inches 
long.  It  is  filled  to  a  depth  of  about  6 
inches  with  sand,  and  then  a  priming 
charge  consisting  of  one  to  two  car- 
tridges of  60  per  cent  straight  dynamite  is 
placed  in  the  sand,  one  of  the  cartridges  be- 
ing previously  primed  with  a  No.  8  sub- 
marine electric  blasting  cap.  To  the  wires 
of  this  cap,  at  a  point  which  will  come  well 
within  the  squib  shell,  are  spliced  No.  14- 
gage  copper  wires  long  enough  to  reach  to 
the  bottom  of  the  hole,  and  the  splices  are 
well  taped.  The  remaining  space  is  filled 
with  sand  topped  with  a  layer  of  tar.  This 
squib  is  carefully  lowered  by  the  wires  until 
it  rests  upon  the  charge,  and  is  then  fired  by 
means  of  an  electric  blasting  machine. 

If  the  well  has  struck  water,  there  will 
probably  be  some  standing  water  in  the  hole. 
Every  foot  of  water  in  the  hole  exerts  a 
pressure  of  43.4  pounds  per  square  inch. 
Consequently,  a  column  of  water  100  feet 
high  over  a  charge  of  explosives  exerts  a 
pressure  of  43.4  pounds  on  every  square 
inch  of  the  area  of  the  charge.  It  is  this 
pressure  that  makes  it  necessary  to  protect 
the  detonator  from  moisture  by  placing  it  in 
the  sand-filled  and  tar-sealed  metal  shell. 
As  the  pressure  may  tend  to  force  out  the 


nitroglycerin  from  the  cartridges,  it  is  im- 
portant to  fire  the  shot  as  quickly  as  possible 
after  loading.  All  preliminary  precautions, 
such  as  removing  objects  within  danger  and 
notifying  people,  should  be  completed  before 
the  explosive  is  lowered  into  the  hole,  so 
that  no  time  need  be  lost  thereafter. 

Most  drilled  wells  contain  a  casing 
throughout  a  part  or  the  whole  of  their 
depth.  Exploding  a  heavy  charge  at  the 
bottom  of  the  well  is  likely  to  damage  this 
casing,  either  blowing  it  out  in  fragments 
which  may  do  harm  if  allowed  to  fly  into  the 
air,  or  causing  it  to  collapse  within  the  bore 
hole,  or  splitting  it  longitudinally  along  the 
seam.  To  prevent  the  casing  from  flying 
into  the  air,  it  is  well  to  build  a  heavy  grill- 
work  over  the  mouth  of  the  hole.  This 
should  be  securely  anchored  to  the  ground. 
It  is  hardly  possible  to  prevent  splitting  the 
casing,  but  this  is  not  necessarily  a  serious 
result,  for  a  casing  that  is  merely  split  can 
easily  be  pulled  out  and  replaced. 

If  the  casing  collapses,  however,  it  is 
more  difiicult  to  remove.  In  a  well  300  or 
400  feet  deep  there  is  less  likelihood  that  the 
casing  will  be  blown  out  or  split  than  in  a 
shallower  well,  but  there  is  danger  of  col- 
lapse whatever  the  depth  of  the  well.  To 
prevent  the  casing  from  collapsing,  the  hole 
should  be  either  full  of  water  to  the  top  or 
empty  of  water  for  50  feet  below  the  bottom 
of  the  casing.  This  last  would  mean  that 
the  hole  was  cased  through  only  a  part  of 
its  length  and  the  explosive  charge  seated  at 
least  50  feet  below  the  casing. 


^M  GAUGE 


:>AND 


ELECTRIC 
BLASTING  CAP 


DYMAMITE 
CARTRIDGES 


FIG.  4- 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


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8» 


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505 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information  for  City  Attorneys  and   Other  Municipal  Officers,   Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 

Has  a  City  the  Right  to  Engage  in  the 
Sale  of  Foodstuffs? 


THE  decision  of  the  Missouri  Supreme 
Court  in  the  case  of  State  ex  rel.  Kan- 
sas City  V.  Orear,  210  Southwestern 
Reporter,  392,  seems  to  be  the  latest  reported 
decision  of  a  court  of  last  resort  having 
a  bearing  on  this  subject;  that  case  having 
been  decided  March  15,  1919.  And  the  re- 
port of  that  case  has  the  earmarks  of  re- 
ferring to  all  previous  precedents. 

The  view  of  the  Missouri  Supreme  Court, 
which  appears  to  be  supported  by  the  weight 
of  judicial  authority  in  other  jurisdictions, 
may  be  thus  summed  up :  A  city  may  not 
engage  in  the  sale  of  commodities  unless 
authorized  by  its  charter.  And  the  legisla- 
ture cannot  confer  charter  authority  unless 
the  constitution  of  the  state  clearly  permits 
it.  Any  exception  to  this  rule  must  rest  on 
a  compelling  necessity  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city. 

Holding  that  Kansas  City  was  not  em- 
powered to  establish  a  municipal  ice  plant, 
without  modification  of  its  charter  and  the 
Missouri  constitution,  the  Court  said,  in 
part: 

"Ice  has  but  recently  been  elevated — granting 
for  argument's  sake  the  promotion — to  a  place 
among  the  necessities  of  life.  .  .  .  But  be 
this  as  it  may,  it  is  yet  certainly  no  greater  a 
necessity  to  the  human  race  than  are  food  and 
clothing.  If  a  city  should  undertake,  absent 
compelling  necessity  at  least,  to  establish  and 
operate  grocery  stores  and  clothing  'emporiums,' 
no  one  would  hesitate  to  say  that  no  power 
exists  in  the  municipality  to  use  public  money, 
or  the  proceeds  of  public  taxation,  for  such 
purposes.  Such  things  may  be  given  away  by 
the  city  to  paupers  and  to  the  temporarily  un- 
fortunate, but  the  city  cannot  enter  into  the 
business  of  selling  such  articles  to  all  inhabi- 
tants of  such  city  who  may  desire  to  buy.  If 
the  cities,  towns  and  villages  of  the  state  deem 
that  their  entry  into  private  business  in  com- 
petition with  individuals  now  engaged  in  such 


business  is  a  matter  of  public  expediency,  then 
the  initial  effort  to  this  end  must  be  an  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution;  and  following  such  an 
amendment,  the  passage  of  an  act  changing  the 
common  law,  which,  even  without  the  aid  of 
the  constitutional  inhibition,  forbids  the  levying 
and  collecting  of  taxes  for  any  private  purpose 
or  business.  .  .  .  If  the  situation  were  one 
of  continuing  or  perennial  necessity,  a  city 
might  well  have  the  power  under  the  general 
welfare  clause  of  its  charter  to  take  such  steps 
as  would  be  requisite  to  supply  the  compelling 
need  for  any  such  necessity  of  life  so  long  as 
such  condition  existed." 

We  note  that  at  the  recently  adjourned 
session  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature 
authority  was  enacted  for  the  establishment 
of  municipal  ice  plants;  thereby  ind'cating 
an  understanding  in  that  state  that  special 
charter  authority  is  a  prerequisite,  as  de- 
clared by  the  Missouri  Court. 

Previous  court  decisions  bearing  on  the 
subject  are  reviewed  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Missouri  Court.  It  is  noted  that  the 
Georgia  Supreme  Court  upheld  the  right  of 
a  city  to  establish  an  ice  plant  (68  S.  E. 
472,  31  L.  R.  A.  (N.  S.)  116,  20  Ann.  Cas. 
199,  134  Ga.  560),  but  it  was  observed  that 
the  Georgia  Court  merely  decided  that  such 
use  of  the  public  funds  did  not  impinge  upon 
the  constitutional  guaranty  of  "protection  to 
person  and  property"  and  against  depriva- 
tion of  property  without  due  process  of 
law.  It  seems  that  the  Georgia  case  was  not 
considered,  the  Missouri  Court  holds,  in  the 
light  of  necessity  for  constitutional  author- 
ity before  public  funds  can  be  used  in  such 
enterprises.  But  it  is  conceded  that  in  a 
later  opinion  the  Georgia  Court  sustained 
the  right  of  another  municipality  to  estab- 
lish an  ice  plant  on  the  broad  authority  of 
the  general  welfare  clause  of  its  charter 
(147  Ga.  581,  94  S.  E.  1022,  Ann.  Cas.  1918, 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^^ 


TUCKY 


AS   STRONG  AS 

THE   ROAD   ITSELF 

Made  of  the  Strongest  Iron  Procurable 
and  in  Corrugated  Form 

Newport  Culverts  will  last  as  long  as  the  road  itself  and 
hold  up  all  of  the  burdens  of  modern. traffic.  These  cul- 
verts are  made  of  99.875  per  cent  PURE  IRON  COPPER 
ALLOY,  with  copper  content  not  less  than  25  per  cent. 
In  addition,  each  square  foot  of  exposed  surface  carries 
not  less  than  2  ounces  of  spelter. 

These  are  the  reasons  that  Newport  Culverts  endure  the 
ravages  of  time  and  rough  usage  for  decades. 

Let  us  further  explain  why  we  thoroughly  believe  that  there 
is  no  better  culvert.  Send  us  your  name  and  address  and  we 
will  gladly  forward  our  interesting  illustrated  literature 
showing  Newport  Culverts  in  use. 

NEWPORT    CULVERT    COMPANY 

542   West    Tenth   Street,  Newport,    Kentucky 


00 


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May,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


507 


907).  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  noted  that 
in  an  earlier  case  (loi  Ga.  588,  29  S.  E.  42) 
the  same  Court  denied  the  right  of  the  city 
of  Waycross  to  engage  in  the  plumbing 
business,  as  an  incident  to  operating  a 
water-works  system. 

Mention  is  made  of  the  holding  by  the 
Maine  Supreme  Judicial  Court  that  the 
Legislature  might  authorize  mun'c'palities 
to  establish  fuel-yards,  (iii  Me.  486,  90 
Atl.  318,  L.  R.  A.  (N.  S.)  1 143,  Ann.  Cas. 
1916C,  734.)  But  there  is  also  citation  to 
the  Louisiana  case  where  it  was  decided  by 
the  Supreme  Court  that  the  Legislature 
could  not  validly  empower  a  city  to  estab- 
lish an  ice  plant,  in  the  face  of  a  consttu- 
tional  provision  limiting  the  taxing  power 
of  municipalities  to  private  purposes. 

Other  cited  cases  include  the  decision  of 
the  Ohio  Supreme  Court  that  the  city  of 
Toledo  could  not  use  public  money  to  oper- 
ate a  moving  picture  show  (88  Ohio  St.  71, 
102  N.  E.  670,  48  L.  R.  A.  (N.  S.)  720.  Ann. 
Cas.  1914D,  949),  and  the  decision  of  the 
Virginia  Supreme  Court  of  Appeals  that  a 
city  could  not  maintain  a  stone  quarry  with- 
out charter  authority — not  as  a  mere  in- 
cident of  keeping  its  streets  in  repair.  (113 
Va.  199,  73  S.  E.  571,  38  L.  R.  A.  (N.  S.) 
281.)  Reference  is  also  made  to  the  fol- 
lowing ob.servations  made  by  the  Massachu- 
setts Supreme  Judicial  Court  on  a  question 
as  to  whether  the  Legislature  might  validly 
empower  cities  and  towns  to  buy  and  sell 
fuel: 

"Cities  and  towns  now  have  ample  power  to 
provide  in  any  reasonable  way  for  paupers, 
whether  it  be  by  furnishing  out-of-door  re- 
lief, or  by  support  in  almshouses,  and  whether 
their  need  of  relief  is  permanent  or  caused  by  a 
temporary  condition.  It  is  equally  true  that  the 
second  of  these  consequences  does  not  justify 
taxation  of  those  who  do  not  have  occasion  to 
buy  coal  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  do.  The 
use  of  the  money  of  taxpayers  for  such  a  pur- 
pose would  not  be  a  public  use,  but  a  use  for 
the  special  pecuniary  benefit  of  those  who  hap- 
pen to  be  affected  bv  the  state  of  the  coal  mar- 
ket." (182  Mass.  609,  66  N.  E.  26,  60  L.  R.  A. 
594.) 

The  Missouri  Court  also  cites  other  cases 
bearing  on  the  "discussion  from  the  point  of 
view  that  municipal  corporations  may  not 
engage  in  private  business,  or  use  public 
money  in  business  ventures  heretofore 
deemed  to  be  private."  The  decision  was 
not  unanimous,  however,  one  of  the  judges 
— Mr.   Justice    Woodson — taking   the   posi- 


t'on  that  the  police  power  of  cities  to  pro- 
vide for  the  public  health  of  their  inhabi- 
tants was  sufficient  to  justify  establishment 
of  ice  plants.  Unfortunately,  his  opinion  is 
deprived  of  considerable  force  through  the 
circumstances  that  it  cites  no  judicial  prec- 
edent in  support  of  itself. 

An  editorial  note  at  pages  104,  105,  An- 
notated Cases,  1918B,  summarizes  the  con- 
clusions of  adjudicated  cases  as  follows: 

"First,  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  a  municipal 
corporation  to  engage  in  the  sale  of  commod- 
ities which  are  and  can  be  easily  conducted  by 
private  business  concerns  in  competition  with 
one  another,  and  which  can  be  sufficiently  regu- 
lated thereby." 

"Second,  the  sale  of  fuel  falls  within  the  class 
of  commodities  mentioned,  and  there  is  no  ne- 
cessity why  cities  and  towns  should  undertake 
this  form  of  business  any  more  than  many 
others  which  have  always  been  conducted  by 
private  enterprises." 

"Third,  in  regard  to  'a  condition  in  which 
the  supply  of  fuel  would  be  so  small,  and  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  it  so  great,  that  persons 
desiring  to  purchase  it  would  be  unable  to  sup- 
ply themselves  through  private  enterprises,  it  is 
conceivable  that  agencies  of  government  might 
be  able  to  obtain  fuel  when  citizens  generally 
could  not.'  Under  such  circumstances,  the  mu- 
nicipality may  constitute  itself  an  agent  for  the 
relief  of  the  community." 


The  Danger  to  the  Privileged  Party  of  a 
Cancellation  Option  in  a  Contract 

That  arbitrary  power  to  determine  a  con- 
tract on  short  notice  may  afifect  its  validity 
and  prevent  recovery  for  a  breach  of  it,  is 
shown  by  the  opinion  of  the  Georgia  Su- 
preme Court  in  the  case  of  City  of  Atlanta 
vs.  National  Surety  Co.,  106  Southeastern 
Reporter,  179. 

Plaintifif  city  entered  into  an  agreement 
with  a  coal  company  for  a  supply  of  fuel 
during  a  period  of  twelve  months.  Defen- 
dant became  surety  for  performance  of  the 
agreement.  Plaintifif  sued  for  claimed 
breach  on  the  part  of  the  coal  company,  but 
the  suit  was  successfully  defended  on  the 
ground  that  there  was  no  mutually  binding 
contract.  This  defense  was  based  on  a 
clause  in  the  agreement  giving  the  city  au- 
thorities power  arbitrarily  to  terminate  the 
contract  on  48  hours'  notice.  Applying  the 
fundamental  rule  of  law  that  mutuality  of 
obligation  to  carry  out  a  contract  is  an  es- 
.sential  to  its  validity,  the  Court  says : 

"If,  independently  of  the  part  of  the  contract 
quoted,  the  city  agreed  to  take  the  coal  which 
the  contractor  by  its  bid  offered  to  supply  in  re- 


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sponse  to  the  city's  advertisement  for  bids,  that 
portion  of  the  contract  just  quoted  left  it  en- 
tirely optional  with  the  city  to  take  or  refuse 
to  take  the  coal.  A  contract  for  the  purchase 
of  goods  to  be  delivered  in  lots  throughout  a 
period  of  12  months,  which  gives  the  purchaser 
the  right  at  any  time  to  serve  notice  upon  the 
party  contracting  to  deliver  the  goods  to  sus- 
pend deliveries,  and  stipulates  that  upon  giving 
this  notice  to  suspend  deliveries  the  purchaser 
will  be  'at  liberty  to  refuse  to  accept'  any 
further  deliveries  after  48  hours  from  the  date 
of  such  written  notice,  is  not  a  contract  binding 
upon  the  purchaser.  If  the  purchaser  can  at 
pleasure  cancel  an  agreement  to  purchase,  he 
has  incurred  no  obligation;  and  to  render  a 
contract  mutual,  the  obligation  must  be  upon 
both  parties." 

City  May  Demolish  or  Remove  Unlaw- 
fully Constructed  Buildings 

That  municipal  authorities  may,  on  notice, 
lawfully  and  constitutionally  demolish  or 
remove  wooden  buildings  erected  in  viola- 
tion of  the  city's  charter  and  ordinances 
within  the  fire  limits  of  a  city,  is  decided  by 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the 
San  Francisco  case  of  Maguire  vs.  Reardon^ 
41  Supreme  Court  Reporter,  255. 

Ordinance  Providing  for  Removal  of 
Limited  Quantities  of  Ashes  from  Resi- 
dential Buildings  Held  Not  Unjustly  Dis- 
criminatory 

An  ordinance  adopted  in  Baltimore  re- 
quires the  street  cleaning  department  to  "re- 
move all  ashes  from  dwelling  houses,  apart- 
ment houses  and  tenement  houses,  not  ex- 
ceeding fifteen  bushels  per  week  from 
each,  etc."  The  validity  of  this  measure 
was  disputed  in  the  recent  case  of  Mayor 
and  City  Council  of  Baltimore  v.  Hampton 
Court  Co.,  113  Atlantic  Reporter,  850.  Up- 
holding the  ordinance  as  against  objection 
that  it  was  unjustly  discriminatory  against 
apartment  houses  producing  more  than  fif- 
teen bushels  of  ashes  a  week,  the  Maryland 
Court  of  Appeals  says: 

The  argument  in  support  of  the  charge  of 
discrimination  seems  to  be  based  on  the  theory 
that  the  removal  of  ashes  by  the  city  is  under- 
taken as  a  matter  of  favor  to  householders,  and 
on  that  theory  it  is  contended  that  either  all  or 
none  should  be  removed  at  public  expense,  be- 
cause the  work  is  paid  for  out  of  a  common 
fund  contributed  by  taxpayers,  and  therefore 
it  is  unjust  to  limit  the  number  of  bushels  of 
ashes  removed  from  a  large  apartment  house, 
on  which  heavy  taxes  are  paid,  to  that  removed 
from  a  private  dwelling,  bearing  a  much  lighter 
burden  of  taxation.  It  is  also  argued  that  if 
60  families  elect  to  live  in  one  house  large 
enough  to  accommodate  them,  it  is  unreasona- 


ble to  deny  them  the  right  to  have  all  their 
ashes  removed  at  public  expense,  while  their 
neighbors  who  do  not  live  in  apartment  houses, 
or  in  houses  large  enough  to  produce  more  than 
fifteen  bushels  of  ashes,  are  relieved  of  the  ex- 
pense and  trouble  of  providing  for  the  removal 
of  any  part  of  such  refuse. 

"The  answer  to  both  these  arguments  is  that 
the  partial  removal  of  ashes  by  the  city,  as  pro- 
vided for  in  this  ordinance,  is  not  undertaken 
primarily  as  a  matter  of  favor  to  individuals 
or  to  serve  their  convenience.  If  it  were,  the 
man  who  used  gas  or  electricity  instead  of  coal 
or  wood  might  justly  complain  that  he  was 
being  taxed  to  help  pay  for  services  rendered 
by  the  city  to  his  neighbor  who  used  ash-pro- 
ducing fuel ;  and  the  family  living  at  a  hotel 
might  insist  that  it  was  being  discriminated 
against. 

"As  a  practical  proposition,  however,  the  total 
amount  paid  annually  by  the  appellees  for  the 
removal  of  ashes,  as  shown  by  the  record,  is  too 
small  when  considered  in  relation  to  the  number 
of  families  occupying  the  apartment  to  be  re- 
flected in  the  rents  paid  by  the  tenants,  and  it  is 
not  believed  they  are  substantially  interested  in 
the  controversy. 

"The  only  justification  for  the  use  of  public 
money  at  all  in  an  enterprise  of  this  sort  is 
that  it  serves  a  public  purpose.  It  is  necessary 
that  ashes  be  removed  from  time  to  time  to 
protect  the  public  from  the  nuisance  which  their 
accumulation  would  occasion,  not  to  the  house- 
holders as  such,  but  to  the  public  generally 
using  the  streets  of  the  city.  How  this  shall 
be  done  is  for  the  municipal  authorities,  and 
not  for  the  courts,  to  determine. 

"It  does  not  seem  to  be  any  more  reasonable 
to  require  owners  of  large  apartment  houses 
to  provide  for  the  removal  of  their  ashes  in 
excess  of  the  amount  produced  by  the  owner  of 
large  dwellings,  than  to  require  hotels,  factories 
and  department  stores  producing  large  quanti- 
ties, to  remove  the  same,  as  we  said  in  Mayor 
and  City  Council  of  Baltimore  v.  Hampton 
Court  Co.  et  al.,  supra,  they  could  be  compelled 
to  do." 
Requiring  Removal  of  Street  Car  Tracks 

on  Franchise  Expiration 

The  United  States  Supreme  Court  has  re- 
affirmed the  rule  of  law  that  "where  a  street 
railway  company,  operating  in  the  streets 
of  the  city  under  a  franchise  granted  for  a 
definite  period,  has  enjoyed  the  full  term  of 
the  grant,  the  municipality  may,  upon  fail- 
ure of  renewal  of  the  grant,  require  the 
company  within  a  reasonable  time  to  re- 
move its  tracks  and  other  property  from  the 
streets,  without  impairing  any  contractual 
obligations  protected  by  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution or  depriving  the  street  railway 
company  of  its  property  without  due  proc- 
ess of  law."  Detroit  United  Railway  vs. 
City  of  Detroit,  41  Supreme  Court  Reporter, 
285.) 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


nurtherw 
Pomps  * 


**MORE   GALLONS   PER  HORSE  POWER" 

Rotary  Pumps  Need  Piston  Rings 

Piston  rings  (in  fact,  if  not  in  form)  are  as  necessary  in  a  rotary 
pump  as  in  a  gasoline  engine.  Without  them,  the  hfe  of  either  the 
pump  or  the  engine  is  very  short. 

The  Northern  Rotary  is  equipped  with  piston  rings  (packing  strips) 
in  the  end  of  each  rotor  tooth  which  seal  the  contact  between  the 
rotor  (piston)  and  the  cylinder.  Without  this  contact  any  rotary 
pump  has  low  efficiency,  will  not  draft  water  readily  and  may  fail 
entirely,  at  the  time  you  need  it  most. 

Wear  is  automatically  adjusted  in  the  Northern  so 
that  this  contact  is  maintained  constantly  for  years. 


The  Reo  Northern  triple 
combination  shown  at 
the  left  passed  the 
twelve  hour  Underwrit- 
ers standard  pumping 
test  at  300  gallons  capac- 
ity with  a  perfect  score. 


The  Twelve  Hour  Underwriters  Test 
How  Made  And  Why 


The  Reo-Northern  shown  above  de- 
livered 308  gallons  at  124  pounds 
pressure  for  six  hours,  159  gallons  per 
minute  at  210  pounds  pressure  for 
three  hours,  and  125  gallons  per  min- 
ute at  225  pounds  pressure  for  three 
hours.  Throttle  was  not  wide  open. 
Tests  made  drafting  water. 


These  tests  are  made  to  protect  the 
purchasers  of  fire  trucks  against  un- 
reliable and  over-rated  pumpers,  and 
to  establish  the  value  of  a  type.  All 
future  machines  of  the  same  make 
and  type  will  be  approved  by  pass- 


ing a  three  hour  test. 

Write  for  Booklet  on  Rotary  Pumps.     Worth  Thousands  of  Dollars. 

IT'S    FREE. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA.   U.S.A. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


5" 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


EPIDEMIOLOGY  AND  PUBLIC  HEALTH — A  TEXT 
AND  REFERENCE  BOOK  FOR  PHYSICIANS, 
MEDICAL  STUDENTS  AND  HEALTH  WORKERS. 
VOLUME  I,  RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS 

By  Victor  C.  Vaughan,  M.D.,  Emeritus  Professor  of 
Hygiene,      University     of      Micliigan;      Henry     F. 
Vaughan,    Dr.P.H.,    Commissioner    of    Healtii,    De- 
troit;  and  George  T.   Palmer,  Dr.P.H.,   Epidemiolo- 
gist,  Department  of  Health,   Detroit,   Mich.      C.  V. 
Mosby   Company,    St.   Louis,    Mo.      1922.      688   pp. 
Diagrani.s  and  tables.     $9. 
This  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  volumes  on  epidemiol- 
ogy which   will  undoubtedly   be   the  standard  works   of 
this  nature  for  years  to  come.     This  first  volume  covers 
the  entire  field  of  respiratory  infections  and  is  based  on 
the  broad  experience  of  the  author  and  his  collaborators. 
Professor  Victor  C.  Vaughan  says,   '  'In  my  opinion,  the 
present-day  medical   man,   including  the   epidemiologist, 
is  not  as  fully  conversant  as  he  should  be  with  the  his- 
tory of  epidemic  diseases."     A  complete  knowledge  of 
epidemiology   is   a   prime  requisite   of   the   health  officer 
and   his   departmental    assistants,    particularly   in    times 
when   terrible    epidemics    or   pandemics    are    taking   the 
lives  of  many  valuable  citizens.     This  three-volume  work 
should   be   a  guide   to   health   officers   in   fighting   future 
epidemics.      The    second    and    third    volumes    cover    the 
following  subjects:      Volume  II,   Alimentary   Infections, 
Percutaneous   Infections,  Venereal  Infections,   Local  In- 
fections; Volume  III,  Public  Health,  State  Medicine,  etc. 
A  HISTORY  OF  SOCIAL  THOUGHT 

Emory    S.    Bogardus,    Ph.D.,    Head    of    the    Depart- 
ment   of    Sociology    and    Social    Work,     University 
of    Southern    California.      University    of    Southern 
California   Press,   Los   Angeles,   Calif.      1922.      510 
pp.     $3.50  postpaid. 
This  is  a  history  of  all  the  schools  of  social  thought, 
from   the   earliest    times,   with   sketches   of  the   ideas  of 
the    classic    period,    of    the    middle    ages,    the    ideas    of 
Malthus,  Comte  and  Marx.      Such   chapters  as  those  on 
eugenics     and    psycho-sociology    and    the    sociology     of 
modern    Christianity    bring    the    subject    down    to    the 
present 
EVERYDAY    CIVICS 

Charles    Edgar    Finch,     Director    of    Junior    High 
.  School    Grades    and    Citizenship,    Rochester,    N.    Y. 

I  American  Book  Company,  New  York.     1921.     VIII 

4-  326  pp.  Illustrated.  $1.20. 
A  text-book  for  elementary  schools,  for  use  either 
alone  or  as  a  supplement  to  a  course  in  American  his- 
tory. The  various  features  of  city,  state  and  Federal 
Government  are  simply  and  clearly  presented  in  a  way 
easily  grasped  by  students. 

STANDARDS   FOR   AMERICAN  CITIES 

"Attainable  Standards  in  Municipal  Programs." 
Prepared  by  Howard  W.  Odum,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of 
Sociology,  University  of  North  Carolina.  Published 
as  University  of  North  Carolina  Extension  Bulletin, 
Vol.  I,  No.  7.  1921.  130  pp.  Illustrated.  60  cents. 
A  partial  report  of  the  First  Regional  Conference  of 
Town  and  County  Administration,  held  at  Chapel  Hill, 
N.  C,  September,  1921.  (Apply  to  University  Exten- 
sion Division,  University  of  North  Carolina,  Chapel  Hill, 
N.  C. 

ESTABLISHMENT  AND  REGULATION  OF  OPEN 
AIR  MARKETS 
"Suggestions  for  an  Ordinance  to  Establish,  Locate, 
Regulate  and  Maintain  a  Public  Farmers'  Market  and 
for  Other  Purposes."  Pul)lished  as  Service  and  Regu- 
latory Announcements  (Markets)  No.  69,  Bureau  of 
Markets  and  Crop  Estimates.  14  pp.  1921.  (Apply 
to  Bureau  of  Markets  and  Crop  Estimates,  United 
States  Department   of  Agriculture,   Washington,   D.   C.) 

ZONING  IN  AKRON,  O. 

"The  Tentative  Zoning  Plan  for  Akron."  Published 
by  the  City  Planning  Commission,  Akron,  O.  October, 
1921.  Maps  and  illustrations.  This  report  explains 
the  purpose  of  zoning  in  general  and  the  tentative  plans 
for  Akron  in  particular.  (Apply  to  E.  A.  Zeisloft, 
Chief  Engineer  and  Secretary,  City  PFanning  Commis- 
sion, Akron,  0.) 


TOWN   THEORY  AND   PRACTICE 

Edited  by  C.   B.  Purdom,   author  of    "The  Garden 
City."      Benn    Brothers,    Ltd.,    8    Bouverie    Street 
London,  W.  C.  4.     1921.     139  pp.     Illustrated.     5 
shillings. 
This   volume   is    a   compilation    of    papers    on   various 
phases  of  the  town  planning  and  garden  city  movement. 
Its   contributors   are   W.   R.   Lethaby,   late   Professor   of 
Design,  Royal  College  of  Art;  G.  L.  Pepler,  Past  Presi- 
dent, Town  Planning  Institute;   Sir  Theodore  Chambers. 
Chairman,  Welwyn  Garden  City;  R.  L.  Reiss,   Chairman 
Executive  Committee,  Garden  Cities  and  Town  Planning 
Association;    and    Raymond    Unwin,    author    of    "Town 
Planning  in  Practice." 

THE   FEDERAL    SERVICE 

Lewis    Mayers,    Ph.D.,    Member   of    Staff,   Institute 
for  Government  Research,  New  York.     D.  Appleton 
and    Company,    New    York.       1922.       XV     +    607 
pp.      $5. 
This   is   one   of   the  publications   of   the   Institute   for 
Government  Research,   and  is  a  study  of  the  system   of 
personnel   administration   of  the  United   States   Govern- 
ment.    It  includes  a  study  of  the  elimination  of  politics 
from    the    civil   service,    the   problems    of    selection   and 
recruitment,     classification,     maintenance     of     efficiency, 
working   conditions,   and   the   organization    of  Personnel 
Administration.      Many   of   the   conclusions   drawn   from 
this   study  of  the  Federal  Government  are  of   practical 
application   to  the   problems  of  municipalities. 

AN   UNUSUAL   MUNICIPAL   REPORT 

"Detroit's  Government,  A  Short  Story  of  the  Ser- 
vices Rendered  During  the  Year  1921,  to  the  People  of 
the  City  of  Detroit  by  their  City  (Jovernment."  Pub- 
lished by  the  Council  and  Mayor  of  Detroit,  February. 
1922.  77  pp.  The  facts  usually  given  in  a  municipal 
report  presented  in  an  interesting  and  readable  manner. 
Edited  by  Henry  Steffens,  Jr.,  City  Comptroller.  Apply 
to  the  Detroit  Bureau  of  Governmental  Research,  Inc., 
100  Griswold  Street,  Detroit,    Mich.) 

CITY  PLANNING  IN  WATERTOWN,   MASS. 

"Report  on  the  Proposed  Location  for  Town  Hall, 
Together  with  Other  Changes  Suggested  in  Watertown 
Square."  Prei)arcd  for  the  Planning  Board  of  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  by  John  Nolen  and  Philip  W.  Foster  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.  1921.  14  pp.  Map.  (Apply  to 
John    Nolen,   Harvard   Square,   Cambridge,   Mass.) 

GAS  MASKS  FOR  FIRE  FIGHTING 

"Gas  Masks  for  Gases  Met  in  Fire  Fighting,"  by 
Arno  C.  Fieldner,  Sidney  H.  Katz  and  Selwyne  P. 
Kinney.  Published  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  as  Technical  Paper  248.  1921. 
61  pp.  Illustrated.  25  cents.  This  pamphlet  includes 
discussions  of  the  types  of  gases  likely  to  be  en- 
encountered  by  firemen,  and  the  types  of  masks  and 
breathing  apparatus  in  use.  (Apply  to  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Documents,  Government  Printing  Office, 
Washington,  D.   C.) 

IOWA  STATE  FIRE  MARSHAL'S  REPORT 

Eleventh  Annual  Report  of  the  Iowa  State  Fire  Mar- 
shal for  the  year  1921.  (Apply  to  J.  A.  Tracy,  State 
Fire  Marshal,  Des  Moines,  la.) 

CHILD  HEALTH  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

"Infant  Mortality  in  New  York  City,  by  Ernst  Chris- 
topher Meyer,  Ph.  D.,  Director  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits, 
Tho  Rockefeller  Foundation,  International  Health 
Board,  New  York  City.  1921,  135  pp.  Charts.  A 
study  of  the  results  accomplished  by  infant-life-saving 
agencies,  1855-1920.  (Apply  to  author,  at  the  Rocke- 
feller Foundation,  61  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 
SOUND-PROOF  CONSTRUCTION 

"Sound-Proof  Partitions,"  by  F.  R.  Watson,  Pro- 
fessor of  Experimental  Physics,  University  of  Illinois. 
Published  as  Bulletin  No.  127,  Engineering  Experiment 
Station,  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  111.  1922.  85 
pp.  Illustrated.  45  cents.  An  investigation  of  the 
accoustic  properties  of  various  building  materials,  with 
practical  application.  (Apply  to  publishers,  address 
above.) 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


In  many  ways  Goodyear  Cord  Tires  as- 
sist coonoiny  in  track  operation.  Thtar 
booyant  cndiioniqg  lowers  maintenance 
costSyjttst  as  diar  nagged  sucngtlisaYes 
drei^ncwals  OTcr  iinusiaDy  long  periods. 
TIk  tong^,  sharp-edged  Uods  of  die  AD- 
Weatker  Tread  insure  dependable  trac- 
tion at  aD  times.  Tlie  unusually  strong 


construction  of  Goodyear  Cord  Tires 
enables  tkem  to  equal  and  iiequcndi 
exceed  tie  nuleages  of  sofid  tires.  For 
every  sort  of  kau&ig,  tkcie  are  Goodyear 
TrudL  Tires  that  will  ^ve  rmnomiral 
and  satisfactory  scrrice:  Go(»dyear 
Cords,  Goodyear  Cuslucnsy  or  Goodyear 
Sofids  with  plain  or  AU-Weatker  TieaKL 


CkR. 


uitvs't*^    I>iB«j"Zr&Hi 


any 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Officers  Baker,  Ryan  and 
Smith,  zvith  their  Harley- 
Davidsons,  "keep  law  and 
order"  at  a  profit  for 
Sacramento    County,    Cal. 


Two  New  Records  Set  by  Sacramento 
County   Traffic   Squad 


In  12  months,  Sacramento  County,  California,  received 
$9,508.50  in  fines  resulting  from  arrests  made  by  the  three 
Harley-Davidson-mounted  officers  of  the  County  Traffic 
Squad.  And  Officer  Tom  Ryan  (shown  in  the  center)  rode 
his  1 92 1  Harley-Davidson  2 1 ,000  miles  at  a  cost  for  re- 
pairs and  tires  of  only  $12.40  per  month. 

No  wonder  over  800  cities  and  counties  are  using  Harley- 
Davidsons  for  police  work !  No  extra  cost  for  the  taxpayers. 
Fewer  crooks  in  the  vicinity.  Less  speeding  and  reckless 
driving.  Increased  revenue  for  the  police  department.  And 
vsath  all,  the  most  mobile,  "ready-for-any-emergency"  kind 
of  police  protection  a  community  can  have — protection  which 
citizens  and  business  houses  appreciate. 

As}i    your    local    dealer   for   free    demonstralion    of    the    1922 
Harle\f-Davidson.     The  reduced  prices  will  surprise  j)ou,  too. 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON  MOTOR  COMPANY 
MILWAUKEE  WISCONSIN 


''XOorWs  Champion  Jvtotorcycle 


CITY  officials  and  those 
interested  in  police  de- 
partment efficiency  should 
have  our  new  book,  "Motor- 
cycles for  Police  and  Sundry 
Purposes."  Write  on  your 
letterhead  for  your  compli- 
mentary copy,  and  see 
how  other  cities  are  using 
motorcycles  to  increase 
police  efficiency. 


n 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City. 


515 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for   City  and   County   Engineers,  City  Managers,   Water-Works   Super- 
intendents, City   Controllers,  Park  Superintendents,  Purchasing  Agents,   and 
Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  Efficient  Operation  of 
Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


Road  Graders  and  Rollers 

Owing  to  the  demand  for  smaller  size  ma- 
chines than  the  regulation  one-man  "Road- 
Razer"  made  by  the  Avery  Company,  Peoria, 
111.,  this  company  has  brought  out  a  small  size 
machine  for  narrow  roads  and  streets.  The 
width  of  the  original  Road  Razer  from  drive 
wheel  to  drive  wheel  is  93  inches.  It  has  a 
three-section  blade  12  feet  6  inches  long  and 
cuts  a  9-foot  6-inch  swath.  The  new  model 
Road  Razer  is  70  inches  wide,  has  a  three- 
section  blade  10  feet  3  inches  long,  and  cuts  a 
7- foot  swath. 

For  service  on  gravel,  crushed  stone,  and  oiled 
streets  and  roads,  the  regulation  machine  has 
been  equipped  with  rubber  block  tired  wheels. 
This  equipment  has  been  used  quite  successfully 
in  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Michigan,  where  there  are 
a  great  many  gravel  and  crushed  stone  roads. 
F.  E.  Burt,  Superintendent  of  Streets  of  Flint, 
Mich.,  reports  that  with  the  rubber-tired  equip- 
ment he  has  found  the  machine  much  more 
satisfactory  for  city  work,  where  at  times  it  is 
necessary  to  drive  over  asphalt  paving  to  get  to 
a  job;  the  rubber-tired  wheels  make  it  possible 


to  do  this  without  cutting  the  pavement  with 
the  lugs. 

The  Avery  Company  has  also  brought  out  re- 
cently a  Track-Runner  tractor  which  has  con- 
siderable value  in  the  city  and  county  fields. 
There  is  one  track-runner  on  each  side,  each 
about  6  feet  over-all.  The  tractor  weighs  about 
5,000  pounds  complete  and  can  turn  practically 
in  its  own  length. 

In  addition  to  the  track-runner  machine  men- 
tioned above,  there  is  a  new  12-20  Avery  trac- 
tor with  direct  wheel  drive  and  spur  gear  trans- 
mission. The  horse-power  draw-bar  rating  is 
12  and  20  on  the  belt.  It  is  run  by  a  4-cylinder 
engine  with  4!S^-inch  bore  and  6-inch  stroke 
operating  normally  at  800-950  r.p.m.  The  en- 
gine, complete  with  all  equipment,  weighs  1,250 
pounds.  The  driving  wheels  of  the  built-up 
type  are  52  inches  in  diameter,  with  14-inch 
face.  The  turning  radius  of  the  machine  is  9 
feet. 

Avery  road  tractors  may  be  furnished  with  a 
road  roller  attachment,  which  hooks  under  the 
front  end  of  the  tractor  in  place  of  the  front 
wheel.  It  is  entirely  different  from  any  other 
type    of    road   roller   which   this   company  has 


VABIOUS  ADAPTATIONS  OF  A  TRACTOR  UNIT 

1.  A  small-size  "Road  Razer"  for  narrow  roads  and  streets.     2.  A  regulation-size  machine  equipped  with 
rubber  block  tired  wheels  for  running  over  gravel  and  other  similar  roads.     3.  A  track-runner  tractor 
that  insures  good  traction.     4.  A  tractor  with  direct  wheel  drive.     5.  An  Avery  road  tractor  with  road- 
roller  attachment 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Good  roads  all  year  round 


Through  the  simple  addition  of  Water  Tank,  Pressure  Pump,  Spraying 

Attachment  and  lighter  broom,  the  FOX  ROTARY  SNOW  BROOM 

has  been  successfully  converted  into  a  Street  Sweeper  that  will  clean 

perfectly  at  the  rate  of  12  miles  per  hour. 

The  possession  of  this  machine  assures  to  Municipalities  the  certainty 

of  clean  streets  in  both  winter  and  summer. 

Get  detailed  information  from  us  and  reports  from  Cities  now  operating 

this  remarkable  machine  all  year  'round. 

Fox  Rotary  Snow  Broom  Co. 

Two  Lombardy    Street,   Newark,    N.    J. 


gg  When  writing  to  AdTettisers  please  mention  The  Amekican  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


517 


used  and  makes  it  quite  easy  for  road  officials 
to  roll  the  roads  with  the  same  machine  which 
they  use  in  building  them.  It  has  the  same 
wheel  base  as  the  Avery  tractor  with  the  front 
wheel.  The  tractor  will  turn  around  as  short 
with  the  roller  as  with  the  axle.  The  turntable 
is  mounted  on  ball  bearings,  having  75  one-inch 
hard  steel  balls  which  carry  the  roller.  This 
machine  makes  it  possible  for  road  builders  to 
roll  and  pack  a  road  as  they  grade  it.  The 
tractor  with  the  roller  is  9  feet  wide  and  has 
an  average  pressure  of  175  pounds  to  the  square 
inch.  This  road  roller  attachment  can  easily  be 
removed  in  less  than  an  hour  and  the  wheels  put 
back  on  the  machine  for  use  in  hauling  and 
other  road  jobs. 

Well  Screens  to  Protect  Pumps 

Well  screens  of  two  types — all-brass,  and  pipe 
base — are  manufactured  by  Edward  E.  Johnson, 
Inc.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  for  use  in  connection  with 
driven  wells  ending  in  sand  or  gravel,  to  pre- 
vent the  entrance  of  sand  into  the  pumping 
system. 

The  all-brass  screen  is  a  cylinder  made  up  of 
the  coils  of  a  single  strip  of  brass  of  special 
section,  the  successive  coils  of  which  interlock. 
The  brass  strip  is  so  shaped  that  a  narrow  slit 
occurs  on  the  outer  face  of  the  cylinder  between 


BRASS  WELL 
SCREEN 


BRASS  PIPE 

BASE  WELL 

SCREEN 


successive  coils.  The  water  passes  through  the 
slit  into  an  interior  annular  space,  the  sides  of 
which  diverge  sharply  from  the  slit  to  prevent 
clogging.  The  inside  or  supporting  wall  is  re- 
inforced by  brass  rods  soldered  continuously  to 
the  inside  wall.  The  screens  are  made  in  sec- 
tions from  2  to  18  feet  in  length,  for  setting  in 
pipe  from  2  to  16  inches  in  diameter,  and  with 
inlet  slots  .006  to  .06  inch  in  width.  They 
are  adapted  for  setting  in  wells  by  pulling  back 
the  casing,  washing  down  or  bailing,  but  not 
for  driving. 

The  pipe  base  well  screen  is  designed  par- 
ticularly for  conditions  which  require  the  driv- 
ing of  the  screen  ahead  of  the  casing.  It  con- 
sists of  an  iron  pipe,  perforated  and  threaded, 
the  perforated  section  being  covered  with  a  con- 
tinuous spiral  wrapping  of  Johnson's  jacket  rib- 
bon soldered  to  the  pipe  and  having  upon  it  in 
open  spiral  a  tinned  solder  strip  wound  in  the 
opposite  direction  for  reinforcing.  The  jacket 
ribbon  is  made  up  of  parallel  strands  of  tri- 
angular brass  wire  soldered  crosswise  at  regu- 
lar intervals  to  maintain  the  slot  openings. 
These  screens  are  made  in  sizes  to  fit  in  wells 
from  2  to  18  inches  in  diameter.  The  screen 
can  be  removed,  cleaned  and  replaced,  or  a  new 
screen  surface  applied  at  the  well. 

Lighting  the  Ideal  Section 
of  the  Lincoln  Highway 

The  necessity  for  lighting  main  highways  in 
the  open  country  so  impressed  the  Technical 
Committee  of  Highway  Engineers  and  othei 
experts  who  determined  the  specifications  for 
the  Ideal  Section  of  the  Lincoln  Highway  Asso- 
ciation that  the  problem  of  ideal  illumination 
was  given  to  the  illuminating  engineers  of  the 
General  Electric  Company,  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
headed  by  W.  D'Arcy  Ryan,  for  solution. 

The  most  advanced  type  of  highway  lighting 
unit  that  this  company  has  developed  will  be 
installed  on  the  Ideal  Section  this  summer.  It 
is  simple  in  design  and  economical  in  regard  to 
installation  cost  and  operation  as  well  as  main- 
tenance. It  embodies  a  new  principle  for  col- 
lecting the  light  rays  and  casting  them  on  the 
roadway  instead  of  on  the  vacant  fields  ad- 
jacent to  the  highways.  This  is  accomplished 
by  a  nest  of  reflectors,  a  series  of  three,  one 
within  another.  These  reflectors  serve  to  col- 
lect the  light  which  would  be  reflected  upward 
and  outward  over  the  adjoining  field  and  to 
cast  it  on  the  surface  of  the  road,  at  the  same 
time  preventing  the  possibility  of  glare,  the 
danger  and  annoyance  of  which  are  realized  by 
the  motorist.  The  bracket  holding  the  lamp  and 
the  nested  reflectors  is  to  be  affixed  to  an  orna- 
mental concrete  pole  35  feet  high.  The  bracket 
is  adjustable  in  both  horizontal  and  vertical 
positions,  permitting  the  illumination  of  hill- 
sides and  curves  in  the  road. 

One  of  these  units  will  be  installed  every  250 
feet  along  the  edge  of  the  paving,  alternate 
lighting  standards  being  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  road.  All  power  wires  for  lighting  will  be 
underground,  and  the  lights  will  be  controlled  by 
an  automatic  oil  time  switch,  which  can  be  ad- 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


mm 


i 


gtgiig^^i' ir-  'r 


Tractors 

for  power,  speed,  economy 

Preparing  streets  for  repaving.  breaking  up  old  pavements,  making  new 
thoroughfares,  all  require  an  abundance  of  steady,  dependable  power. 

Scarifiers,  plows,  drills,  levelers,  scrapers,  graders,  etc.,  do  their  best 
work,  and  more  of  it,  when  propelled  by  good  tractors.  This  is  because 
the  tractor  has  the  reserve  power  to  keep  the  tool  moving  constantly 
at  proper  speeds  and  with  proper  adjustments  for  maximum  results. 

Tractors  like  the  BEST  concentrate  the  pulling  power  of  a  large 
number  of  animals  within  a  small  unit  which  is  easy  to  manage,  easy 
to  maneuver,  and  which  has  none  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh. 

Best  Tractors  are  famous  for  stamina,  power  and  dependability,  and 
their  cost  for  up-keep  and  operation  is  small.  That  is  why  they  are 
being  adopted  more  and  more  by  municipal,  county  and  state  officials 
for  road  and  street  making  and  maintenance. 

Let  us  send  you  further  details  on  the  use  of  tractors  for  road  and  street 
work.     Write  for  catalogs,  prices  and  names  of  our  nearest  dealers. 

C.L.BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO  -  CALIFORNIA 

There  are  three  models  of  Best  Tractors — the  "Sixty,"  the" Thirty" 
and    the    "Cruiser"    {60).      Alt  are  factory-built — not   assembled. 


-A 


"Sixty" 


"Thirty" 


"Cruiser" 


97  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


519 


LIGHTING  A  ROAD   WITHOUT   LIGHTING  THE 
FIELDS 

justed  to  turn  them  on  and  off  at  any  deter- 
mined hour  in  the  evening  and  the  morning. 

The  cost  per  unit  per  year  is  figured  at 
$23.50,  and  as  there  are  twenty  Hghting  stand- 
ards with  their  units  per  mile,  the  cost  of  light- 
ing the  roadway  per  mile  for  the  necessary 
hours  each  night  will  be  only  $465,  including 
maintenance  and  current.  This  figures  to  about 
25  cents  per  foot  of  roadway  per  year,  which  is 
low  considering  the  benefits  to  be  derived,  in- 
cluding accident  prevention,  increased  night 
traffic,  thereby  relieving  day  congestion,  de- 
creased running  time,  increased  road  capacity, 
additional  comfort  and  pleasure  for  those  driv- 
ing at  night,  through  relief  of  eye-strain  and  the 
elimination  of  the  necessity  of  switching  dim- 
mers on  and  off  when  passing  other  vehicles. 

The  subsidiary  benefits  of  rural  highway 
lighting  must  be  considered  also.  Power  lines 
required  for  rural  illumination  bring  electricity 
to  the  farm,  increase  real  estate  values,  tend  to 


the   extension   of   city  building  out  along  the 
roadways,  and  discourage  automobile  hold-ups. 

Fire  Sprinkler  Systems  for  Low 
Water  Pressure  Cities 

Low  city  water  pressure  has  been  one  of  the 
greatest  drawbacks  to  the  more  general  use  of 
automatic  sprinkler  systems.  Especially  has  this 
been  so  in  the  greatest  congested  value  districts 
in  the  world.  In  New  York,  Chicago,  Phila- 
delphia and  Detroit,  city  water  pressure  is  in- 
adequate to  supply  sprinkler  system  in  even 
moderately  high  buildings.  In  cities  and  towns 
having  low  water  pressure,  there  are  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  combustible  business  values 
which  have  been  denied  the  many  benefits  of 
sprinkler  protection  because  of  inadequate  city 
water  pressure,  for  two  reasons :  the  impossi- 
bility of  introducing  low-cost  single-source 
sprinkler  systems  supplied  only  by  city  water; 
and  the  impracticability  of  tank-supplied  sys- 
tems, on  account  of  high  first  cost,  due  to  the 
expense  of  tanks  and  building  alterations,  and 
on  account  of  structural  weaknesses  in  the 
buildings  themselves,  rendering  them  incapable 
of  supporting  tanks  even  after  extensive  altera- 
tions. 

These  factors  have  combined  to  make  it  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  eliminate  frequently  recur- 
ring individual  fires  and  the  danger  of  sweeping 
conflagrations  in  many  great  congested  value  dis- 
tricts. The  solution  of  this  problem  demanded 
the  creation  of  high  water  pressure  without  the 
use  of  tanks,  and  the  assurance  that  whatever 
pressure  was  created  would  be  at  least  as  cer- 
tain as  the  average  city  water  pressure.  Fur- 
ther, it  was  necessary  to  provide  unlimited  vol- 
ume of  water  under  the  neces.sary  pressure. 

The  Grinnell  Company,  Providence,  R.  I.,  has 
developed  an  improved  booster  pump  sprinkler 
system  to  solve  these  difficulties.  In  this  system 
an  automatic  electric  pump  is  utilized  to  build 
up  any  required  pressure  and  maintain  it.     The 


AN  AUTOMATIC  ELECTKICALLY-DRIVEN  BOOSTER  FIRE  PUMP 
A.  The  pump.  B.  Low-pressure  supply  pipe.  C.  High-pressure  discharge  line  D 
Supply-p?essSre  gage.  H  Electric  motor.  I.  Combined  manual  and  automatic  starter 
panel  J.  Cabinet  for  starter  panel.  K.  Automatic  regulator  for  pump  O.  Jef  valve^ 
P  Pipe  from  test  valve  wasting  to  sewer.  Q.  Relry  on  control  board  for  closing  test 
valve.     R.  Valves  for  attaching  hosft      S.  Circuit  breakers 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Forty-one  years  of  life 

under  traffic  in  Washington 


The  Genasco  Line 
includes  asphaltic 
roofing,  flooring, 
paints  and  allied 
protective  products. 
Write  for  descriptive 
matter. 


Laid  in  1881 — before  the  "gasoline  buggy"  was  even  heard  of — 
when  the  women  of  Washington  wore  bustles — and  good  for  many 
years  to  come! 

That's  the  remarkable  history  of  the  Trinidad  paving  on  12th  St., 
N.  W.,  N  to  O  Sts.,  Washington,  D.  C. — one  of  the  capitol's  many 
splendid  Trinidad  streets.  For  the  past  years  the  maintenance  cost 
on  this  street  has  been  only  .0177  cents  per  square  yard  per  year. 

And  it's  just  such  unbeatable  records — established  under  the  most 
severe  conditions  of  traffic  and  weather— that  have  made  Trinidad 
Lake  Asphalt  "The  Standard  Paving  Material  of  the  World." 

Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  is  a  product  of  the  Ages.  Centuries  of 
exposure  to  the  rigors  of  tropic  weather  have  but  seasoned  and  tough- 
ened it  for  long-lasting  service  on  modern  highways. 

Before  repaving  that  old  street  or  paving  a  new,  let  us  tell  you  more 
about  this  wonderful  material.    Write  for  illustrated  folders. 


New  York 

Chicago 

Pittsburgh 


THE  BARBER  ASPHALT 

PHIL.ADEI.PM1A 


St.  Louia 

Kansaf  City 

Atlanta 

San  Francisco 


TRINIDAD 


LAKE 
ASPHALT 


08 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


I 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


521 


idea  of  a  booster  pump  is  not 
new,  but  certain  features  have 
been  developed  distinguishing 
this  pump  from  the  ordinary 
automatic  equipment 

In  its  elements  the  new  sys- 
tem is  practically  the  same  as 
any  single-source  sprinkler 
system  supplied  by  city  water, 
except  that  the  whole  pump 
unit  is  cut  into  the  system  be- 
tween the  city  connection  and 
the  main  riser.  The  capacity 
of  the  pump  is  determined  by 
the  size,  construction  and  con- 
tents hazard  of  the  building  to 
be  protected.  The  pump  takes 
suction  direct  from  the  city 
water-mains  and  builds  up  the 
pressure  in  the  sprinkler  system  to  the  required 
amount.  It  then  stops  working,  but  whenever 
the  built-up  pressure  falls  appreciably,  the  pump 
automatically  starts  and  works  until  the^  full 
pressure  is  restored.  In  the  case  of  fire  with  a 
consequent  opening  of  sprinkler  heads  and  re- 
duction of  pressure,  the  pump  continues  to  oper- 
ate and  maintain  adequate  pressure  on  the 
sprinklers  up  to  its  full  capacity. 


BUILDING  ROADS  IN  NORTH  CAROUNA 


chisels  and  other  implements  used  for  road  con- 
struction and  maintenance,  these  tractors  have 
made  many  good  records.  One  illustration 
shown  herewith  gives  a  good  idea  of  their  use 
in  hauling  a  long  line  of  wide-wheeled  trailers 
loaded  with  gravel  for  a  highway  job.  The 
other  depicts  one  of  these  machines  hauling  a 
blade  grader  on  a  road  job  in  North  Carolina, 
easily  piling  up  the  dirt  from  the  ditch  onto  the 
crown  of  the  road. 


Tractors  in  Road  Building 

The  tractor  is  fast  taking  the  place  of  animal 
power  in  road  building  and  road  maintenance 
work.  It  has  proved  a  big  time-saver,  not  to 
mention  the  fact  that  a  tractor  can  be  operated 
continuously  without  a  rest,  with  less  help,  and 
over  ground  conditions  impossible  to  negotiate 
with  animal  power. 

The  special  advantages  claimed  for  the  Best 
Tracklayer  tractor,  made  by  the  C.  L.  Best 
Tractor  Company,  San  Leandro,  Calif.,  are  that 
it  has  dependable  flexible  power,  giving  the  road 
building  contractor,  the  highway  engineer  and 
the  supervisor  the  assurance  that  the  tractor 
will  handle  the  job  at  hand  without  trouble. 
These  tractors  are  built  for  heavy-duty  service, 
which  necessitates  the  use  of  good  materials. 
They  are  built  compactly,  are  easy  to  handle 
and  have  sufficient  reserve  power  to  respond  to 
unusual  demands.  In  the  handling  of  elevating 
graders,    scarifiers,    levellers,    graders,    plows. 


HATJLINa  GRAVEL  TO  HIGHWAY  JOB 


A  Self-propelled  Tree  Sprayer 

With  spring  here,  city  foresters  and  ento- 
mologists are  turning  to  getting  spring  spraying 
done  on  all  trees  that  are  threatened  with  moths 
and  other  parasites.  The  Field  Force  Pump 
Company,  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  manufacturer  of  the 
"Ospraymo"  line  of  spraying  equipment,  makes 
a  self-propelled  machine  of  high  power  with 
auto  truck  drive,  for  municipal  departments. 
This  machine  is  also  used  by  the  Bureau  of 
Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
The  complete  tank  and  pumps  are  mounted  on 
a  3j/2-ton  truck.  The  engine  has  ample  power 
to  drive  the  truck  and  operates  the  pump  at  600 
pounds  working  pressure.  It  is  equipped  with  a 
roller-chain  drive  direct  from  the  main  line 
shaft  of  the  truck  engine  to  the  pump.  The 
pump  drive  is  equipped  with  a  jaw  clutch  con- 
trolled from  the  driver's  seat  and  is  of  the 
triplex  plunger  type,  having  cylinders  of  3^- 
inch  bore  and  4-inch  stroke,  with  50  gallons  per 
minute  capacity  at  600  pounds 
pressure.  The  tank  holds  400 
gallons,  is  made  of  clear  white 
pine  or  cypress,  and  is  fast- 
ened to  the  frame  by  four 
steel  rods  passing  through  the 
sills  and  upward  through  the 
top  ledge  of  the  tank,  which 
has  a  filling  hole  of  ample  size 
with  hinged  cover.  The  pump 
and  gearing  are  protected  by 
oiled  duck  side-curtains,  form- 
ing a  tight  housing. 

The  contents  of  the  tank 
are  thoroughly  mixed  by  an 
agitator  driven  directly  from 
the  pump  by  a  chain  belt. 
The     steel     shaft    and     long 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


WHY 


TIFFIN  FLUSHERS 


Superb     Construction,     Superior     Design, 
Specialized   Quality   Units,   Unity   of   Service 

ECONOMY,  EFFICIENCY,  DURABILITY,  SANITATION 

Ask  users  about  Tiffin  Flushers  and  Tiffin  Service. 
Write     us     for     catalog     and     engineering     detail. 

THE  TIFFIN   WAGON   COMPANY,  TIFFIN,   OHIO 


"THE  BEST  BY  EVERY  TEST" 

72  New  Contracts  for  1,478,333  Square  Yards  of 
Warrenite-Bitulithic  Pavement  Since  January  1 

Because  Because  Because 

Warrenite-Bitulithic  can  Warrenite-Bitulithic  has  Warrenite-Bitulithic  has 

be   laid   over   any   suit-  i               •           i  i               i               , 

able  existing   base   and  ^^'!T   ^iven   the   most  been    adopted    as    a 

will   give    dependable  satisfactory  kind  of  serv-  standard      construction 

service  for  longer  ^^^   under   the   severest  in  over  550  cities 

periods    than    other  use  and  the  hardest  throughout  the  United 

types  of  paving.  climatic  conditions.  States  and  Canada. 

Our   expert  supervision  and  laboratory   service   insures   quality   and   service  without   equal. 
Let  us  send  you  oar  booklet  about  Warrenite-Bitulithic. 

WARREN  BROTHERS  COMPANY 

Executive   Offices:    Bowdoin   Square,   Boston,   Mass. 

District  Offices: 

Utica,  N.  Y.  New  Orleans,  La.  Toronto,  Ont.  Washington,  D.  C. 

New  York,  N.  Y.  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Winnipeg,   Man.  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Portland,   Oregon.  Chicago,    111.  Memphis,   Tenn.  San  Francisco,   Cal. 

Vancouver,    B.    C.  Phoenix,  Ariz.  Los  Angeles,   Cal. 

99  When'  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


523 


A   HIGH-PEESSURE    SPRAYER   FOR   PROTECTING    TREES    FROM   THE    RAVAGES    OF    MOTHS 

AND    OTHER    INSECTS 


paddles  extend  the  entire  length  of  the  tank. 
The  poison-mixing  tank  is  of  galvanized  iron 
16  inches  in  diameter  by  18  inches  deep,  mounted 
between  the  pump  and  the  liquid  tank  and  hav- 
ing the  mixing  paddles  driven  from  the  agitator 
shaft,  so  that  the  mixing  is  thorough  and  con- 
tinuous. Two  hydraulic  pressure  gages,  regis- 
tering 1,000  pounds,  and  two  safety  release 
valves  are  included,  so  that  the  liquid  may  flow 
back  into  the  large  solution  tank  when  the  noz- 
zles on  delivery  lines  are  closed.  Running 
boards  are  placed  on  both  sides  of  the  machine, 
and  a  stout  railing  of  gas  pipe  on  top  of  the 
tank  affords  protection  and  safety  for  the  crew. 
These  machines  are  built  from  specifications 
furnished  by  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  are  carefully  built  and  worked 
out  for  spraying  large,  tall  trees  in  forests  or 
parks  for  protection  from  the  gypsy  moth,  elm 
leaf  beetle,  tussock  moth  and  other  pests  of 
woods  and  farms. 

Municipal  Development 
Engineer 

Jacob  L.  Crane,  Jr.,  has  opened  an  office  at 
1002  Wrigley  Building,  400  North  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111.,  for  the  practice  of  mu- 
nicipal engineering  and  town  planning.  Mr. 
Crane  has  been  engaged  in  this  work  for  some 
years  and  spent  six  months  in  192 1  collecting 
city  planning  data  in  Europe.  He  is  technical 
advisor  on  zoning  and  city  planning  in  Chicago 
for  the  Chicago  Real  Estate  Board. 

A  New  Meter  Yoke 

The  P'ord  Meter  Box  Company,  406  South 
Carroll  Street,  Wabash,  Ind.,  has  recently 
brought  out  a  new  meter-holding  yoke  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  meter  boxes.  This 
"Meter  Grip"  is  designed  to  meet  the  demand 
for  a  cheap  and  effective  meter-holding  yoke. 

The  yoke  is  designed  to  be  sold  at  a  lower 
price  than  regular  yokes,  but  is  made  of   the 


best  material,  selected  to  stand  years  of  use  in 
damp  locations.  It  is  made  for  meters  of  ^- 
and  ^-inch  sizes  and  may  be  used  with  meter- 
box  covers  of  any  type,  either  single  or  double 
lid.  The  yoke  is  made  plain  or  with  a  stop 
valve  on  the  inlet  end,  and  either  plain  or  with 
a  test  valve  on  the  outlet  end.  Valve-ended 
types  are  supplied  with  bronze-lined  stops,  and 
where  these  are  used,  the  usual  curb  stop  and 
curb  box  may  be  dispensed  with. 


A   COMPLETE  UNIT— BOX,  YOKE  AND  DIETER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  Truth  About  Drinking  Fountains 


UNSAFE 


No.  1.  Vertical  stream 
which  permits  saliva  and  waste 
water  from  the  drinker's 
mouth  to  fall  back  to  source  of 
supply.  No  longer  consid- 
ered sanitary. 


UNSAFE 

No.  2.  Modification  of  ver- 
tical stream.  This  slight  angle 
is  little  if  any  improvement 
over  No.  1. 


IMPRACTICAL 

No.    3.     More    sanitary    if 
properly    used.  However, 

stream  is  hose-like  with  no 
definite  drinking  point.  Dif- 
ficult to  drink  from. 


THE  PERFECT  DRINKING  FOUNTAIN  STREAM 

is  produced  by  the  famous  PURITAN  Cantonment  "2-stream  pro- 
jector" illustrated  in  connection  with  our  Puritan  605  Fountain. 
This  stream  producing  device  was  designed  for,  approved  and  adopted 
by  the  Government  during  the 
war.  Now  recognized  as  superior 


by    the    largest    interests 
schools  in  the  country. 


and 


EXCLUSIVE    FEATURES 

Practical  drinking  stream! 
Automatic  stream  control — 
Stream  is  never  too  high.  Never 
too  low. 

CANTONMENT 

Write  for  illustrated  literature 


Puritan  No.  605  Vitreous  China  Wall 
Fountain 


THE  HALSEY  W.  TAYLOR  CO.    -    Warren,  Ohio 


100 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Auerican  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


535 


A  New  Highway  Maintenance 
Truck 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Kern  County, 
Calif.,  has  been  using  for  some  time  a  Fageol 
highway  maintenance  truck  made  by  the  Fageol 
Motors  Company,  Oakland,  Calif.  This  truck 
was  purchased  immediately  after  the  demonstra- 
tion test  given  at  the  concrete  highway  test 
track,  Pittsburg,  Calif.  Stanley  Abel,  chair- 
man of  the  Kern  County  Supervisors,  stated  that 
in  one  day's  operation  of  this  truck  27  patches 
were  made  on  the  highway,  and  after  charging 
off  the  very  liberal  depreciation  with  full  operat- 
ing expenses,  the  cost  of  doing  this  with  the 
maintenance  truck  showed  a  saying  of  ^7  as 
compared  with  the  cost  of  the  same  amount  of 
work  done  by  the  usual  method.  It  is  expected 
that  this  truck  will  pay  for  itself  within  the  first 
year's  operation. 

The  Fageol  highway  maintenance  truck  con- 
sists of  a  heavy-duty  motor  truck  equipped  with 
an  air  compressor  with  a  capacity  of  80  cubic 
feet  per  minute  with  air  receiver  and  200  feet 
of  i-inch  air  hose  and  connections.  There  are 
combination  material  bins  having  a  capacity  of 
1,000  pounds  of  cement,  i  cubic  yard  of  sand,  2 
cubic  yards  of  gravel  or  rock,  all  gravity  oper- 
ated and  controlled  by  hand-operated  gates  to  the 
mixing  apron.  The  water-tank  has  a  capacity  of 
150  gallons,  and  discharge  is  effected  by  gravity 
or  pressure.  The  rotary  concrete  mixer  is 
driven  by  an  auxiliary  shaft  from  the  transmis- 
sion. The  centrifugal  pump  has  a  self-priming 
device  and  suction  hose  for  filling  the  water- 
tank  from  wells,  rivers,  and  other  sources.  It 


has  a  draw-bar  attachment  for  hauling  trailers, 
and  a  power-driven  niggerhead  winch  for  ser- 
vice when  needed.  A  tar  or  road  oil  heating 
tank  with  gas  burners  is  included,  having  a 
capacity  of  50  gallons  and  equipped  with  a 
siphon  nozzle  for  spraying  bituminous  material 
under  pressure  with  hose.  A  large  pneumatic 
jack-hammer  with  assorted  chisels,  tampers,  etc., 
a  pneumatic  post-hole  digger  and  hose,  are  also 
provided. . 

There  is  an  extension  side-arm  or  boom  placed 
at  the  side  of  the  truck,  which  is  used  in  haul- 
ing a  large  grading  plow  with  drag  or  grader 
when  necessary.  Additional  equipment  includes 
a  steel  wheelbarrow,  one  10- ton  jack  and 
bracket,  200  feet  of  i-inch  manila  rope,  25  feet 
of  tow  chain,  steel  stencils  for  lettering  high- 
ways, three  shovels,  two  picks,  one  large  sledge, 
two  crowbars,  ten  red  lanterns,  ten  "At  Work" 
signs  and  ten  red  flags. 

The  truck  is  thus  fully  equipped  for  repair- 
ing ruptures  or  breaks  in  reinforced  or  plain 
concrete,  macadam  or  various  bituminous  types 
of  streets,  as  well  as  erecting  fences,  assisting 
in  the  construction  or  repair  of  steel,  wooden  or 
concrete  bridges  and  culverts,  beveling,  grad- 
ing, and  other  maintenance  jobs  on  highways, 
stenciling  traffic  or  ordinance  signs,  chipping 
out  cracks  on  concrete  highways  and  sealing 
with  hot  bituminous  material  under  pressure, 
cuitting  asphalt  paving  with  the  pneumatic 
chisel  or  jack-hammer,  spraying  trees  and  shrub- 
bery in  parks  with  fungicide,  and  putting  out 
fires  along  highways.  With  suction  hose  and 
centrifugal  pump  it  can  be  used  to  good  advan- 
tage in  pumping  out  caissons,  etc. 


THE  ROAD  MAINTENANCE  TRUCK  WITH  ALL  EQUIPMENT  SHOWN 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


PROTECTION 

A  Standard  System  of 
Protective  Service  Meter  Switches 


WK-54 

Switch 

equipped 

porcelain 

bus- 
connector 
block. 


WK-54 
Switch 
eciuipped 
with 
bus- 
connector 
straps. 


The  line  of  Westinghouse  Type  WK-54  service 
meter  switches  represents  a  standard  system  of 
entrance  switches.  These  switches  were  de- 
signed to  meet  Central  Station  demands.  Also 
they  afford  protection  to  the  service  and  watt- 
hour  meters  by  preventing  interference  or  tam- 
pering by  anyone  not  authorized  to  care  for 
them.  Testing  of  the  meters  can  be  done  with 
dispatch  and  without  interfering  with  the  con- 
sumer's use  of  his  installations. 

The  terminal  chamber  of  the  meter  and  all  the 
wiring  is  enclosed  in  a  metallic  enclosure  under 
one  cover.  The  switch  is  operated  from  the 
outside,   so  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  disturb  the 


seal  on  the  box  or  open  the  cover  to  operate  the 

switch. 

There  is  ample  space  in  the  box  for  wiring. 
Removable  knockouts   (U  sides)   are  provided  in 
each  side  of  the  box  to  permit  the  use  of  wiring 
troughs  for  banking  meters. 

The  ends  of  the  box  are  made  to  receive  all 
makes  of  end  walls  or  meter  trims  for  this  type 
of  equipment. 

A  grounding  connection  is  placed  inside  each 
box. 

Furnished  in  capacities  of  30,  60  and  100 
amperes. 


Type  WK-S4  Service  Motor  Switches  are  fully  described  in  Catalogue  12- A 

Westinghouse  Electric   &  Manufacturing   Company 

Krantz  Works,  160  Seventh  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

W^tinghouse 


101 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


527 


A  120-H.  P.  ST.  MARYS  FUEL  OIL  ENGINE  INSTALLATION   IN  AUBURN,  NEBR. 


A  New-Principle  Diesel 
Oil  Engine 

A  Diesel  engine  without  the  usual  air  com- 
pressor piping,  air  receivers  and  needle  valves, 
has  quite  recently  been  placed  on  the  market 
by  the  St.  Marys  Oil  Engine  Company,  St. 
Charles,  Mo.  The  fuel  for  this  engine  is  not 
^atomized  by  means  of  compressed  air,  as  in  most 
'  Diesel  types,  but  by  partial  explosion  in  the  cup. 
The  cost  of  production  claimed  by  the  manu- 
facturer is  from  20  to  30  per  cent  less  than 
that  of  the  standard  type  of  fuel  oil  engines. 
This  is  caused  by  discarding  the  high-pressure 
compressor  with  its  piping  and  receivers,  the 
fuel  pump  with  piping  and  needle  valves,  and 
the  expense  of  erecting  these  parts. 

In  operating  a  60-horse-power  St.  Marys  en- 
gine for  300  lo-hour  days,  approximating  one 
year,  the  total  cost  for  fuel  at  5  cents  per  gal- 
lon is  about  $660.30.  An  interesting  installation 
of  these  engines  is  found  in  the  municipal 
power-plant  at  Grafton,  111.,  where  two  30- 
horse-power  St.  Marys  engines  are  running 
two  2,300-volt,  371/2-kw.  generators.  The  night 
load  requires  the  two  engines  to  furnish  the 
rctjuired  current.  No  difficulty  has  been  ex- 
perienced, according  to  statements  of  the  offi- 
cials, in  starting  the  engines,  and  in  five 
minutes  they  have  been  able  to  handle  the  full 
load,  using  about  2  gallons  of  fuel  oil  to  the 
engine  per  hour  when  operating  at  full  load. 

Blackstead  Joins  Dayton-Dowd 

The  Dayton-Dowd  Company,  Quincy,  111., 
has  recently  announced  that  A.  t.  BiacKstead 
has  joined  its  engineering  staff  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  centrifugal  pumps  and  fire  pumps.  Mr. 
Blackstead    was    formerly    Chief    Engineer    of 


the  Camden  Iron  Works,  and  prior  to  that, 
Hydraulic  Engineer  with  the  Henry  R.  Worth- 
ington  Company,  of  New  York.  He  has  just 
returned  from  Europe,  where  he  spent  six 
months  studying  conditions  and  investigating  re- 
cent  developments   in    hydraulic   engineering. 

Whitten  Opens  Cleveland  Office 

Robert  Whitten  has  announced  that  he  has 
opened  offices  at  4614  Prospect  Avenue,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  for  the  professional  practice  of  city 
planning  and  city  zoning.  He  will  undertake 
commissions  from  municipalities  and  civic  or- 
ganizations for  the  preparation  of  comprehen- 
sive city  plans  and  their  special  features,  such 
as  zoning  plans  and  ordinances,  major  street 
or  thoroughfare  plans,  traffic  regulations  and 
ordinances,  park  and  boulevard  plans,  building 
line,  bill-board  and  smoke  prevention  ordinances, 
and  regulations  for  the  approval  of  plats  of 
land  subdivisions. 

Pennsylvania  State  Contract 
for  Culverts 

The  Canton  Culvert  &  Silo  Company,  Canton, 
Ohio,  manufacturers  of  Acme  nestable  and  Im- 
perial riveted  corrugated  metal  culverts,  have 
been  awarded  the  contract  for  supplying  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Highway  Department's  re- 
quirements for  corrugated  metal  culverts  for 
this  season,  as  last.  The  contract  approximates 
42,000  feet  of  corrugated  culverts. 

Central  Foundry  Moves  Up-Town 

The  Central  Foundry  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  Universal  cast  iron  pipe,  formerly  lo- 
cated at  90  West  Street,  New  York  City,  have 
moved  up-town  to  41  East  42d  Street. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


W^Vdo 


they? 


Placing    a    12"    45-ft.    JOHNSON 
Well    screen  in  the  well. 


Brass 


There  is  a  free  sample  waiting  for 
every  interested  person  who  wants  to 
know  why  Johnson  Brass  Well  Screens 
have  them  all  beat  for  capacity.  If 
you  are  one  of  these  persons  tell  us 
and  we  will  see  that  you  get  yours. 

When  you  plan  your  well  have  the 
screen  with  the  continuous  inlet  slot 
where  you  can  look  at  it.  You  will 
see  one-half  more  active  intake  area 
and  a  real  honest  completely  undercut 
intake  slot. 

The  sample  shows  in  a  way  which  can- 
not be  disputed  just  why  the  Johnson 
is  the  most  valuable  well  screen.  Send 
for  it  now. 

Edward  E.  Johnson,  Inc. 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 


GENUINE 


PHILADELPHIA 

LAWIV       IVIOWERS 


ff 


Style  "GRAHAM"  aU  steel. 
Style  "A"  all  steel. 
Practically  Indestructible. 


LARGEST  MAKERS  OF  HIGH  GRADE 
LAWN  MOWERS  IN  THE  WORLD, 
and  more  people  have  bought  and  are  buying, 
using  and  recommending  the  GENUINE 
"PHILADELPHIA"  Lawn  Mowers  than  any 
other  make. 

The  famous  Vanadium  Crucible  Steel  Blades  and 
the  Bearings  bored  to  rifle  barrel  accuracy,  are 
features  that  have  made  the  name  "PHILADEL- 
PHIA" worth  remembering  when  buying  Lawn 
Mowers. 

So  great  is  the  demand  we  are  compelled  to  make 
"PHILADELPHIA"  Mowers  in 
18  Styles  HAND,  4  Styles  HORSE,  3  Styles  MOTOR 

ALL  HIGHEST   GRADE   POSSIBLE   TO   BUILD 
A  MOWER  FOR  EVERY  PURPOSE 

Send  for  catalog  NOW. 


If  your  hardware  dealer  or  seedman  cannot  supply  you,  send  to  us  direct. 


The    Philadelphia    Lawn    Mower    Company 

31ST  AND  CHESTNUT  STS.,  PHILADELPHIA,  U.  S.  A. 


102 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


529 


Tubular  Steel  Lamp  Standards  Hotel  Financing 


There  has  been  much  talk  about  the  danger 
of  shattering  street  lighting  standards  by  trucks 
or  automobiles  which  are  intentionally  steered 
over  the  curb  line  to  prevent 
collision  with  other  vehicles  or 
pedestrians.  To  overcome 
these  objections  the  Electric 
Railway  Equipment  Company, 
Cincinnati.  Ohio,  has  brought 
out  the  Safety  First  standard 
which  is  illustrated  herewith. 
This  standard  is  claimed  to  be 
practically  unbreakable,  as  the 
shafts  are  made  from  open- 
hearth,  lap-welded  steel  tubes, 
having  a  tensile  strength  of  over 
50,000  pounds  per  square  inch 
and  assembled  with  a  patented 
"wire  lock"  joint.  The  stand- 
ard illustrated  is  equipped  with 
a  General  Electric  Form  8 
Novalux  top  and  measures  10 
feet  6  inches  from  the  ground 
line  to  the  center  of  the  light 
source.  The  base  is  13  inches 
in  diameter  and  the  shaft  4J/2 
and  354  inches  in  diameter. 

New  Central  Station 
for  Amory,  Miss. 

A  bond  issue  of  $90,000  has 
been  authorized  to  finance  a  new 
complete  light,  water  and  power 
plant  in  Amory,  Miss.  The  new 
power-plant  machinery  will  con- 
sist of  one  3-cylinder,  175-b.h.p. 
engine,  and  one  4-cylinder,  225- 
b.h.p.  engine,  both  q£  the  ver- 
tical 4-cycle  Fulton  Diesel  type 
made  by  the  Fulton  Iron  Works 
Company,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The 
smaller  engine  will  be  direct- 
connected  to  a  i46-kv.-amp., 
117-kilowatt,  8  P.F.,  2,300-volt, 
60-cycle,  3-phase,  alternating- 
current  generator  with  belted 
exciter.  The  larger  engine  will 
be  direct-connected  to  a  187^^- 
kv.-amp.  generator  of  the  same 
type  with  belted  exciter.  A 
well-lighted  brick  and  concrete 
building  of  ample  size  is  to  be 
erected  for  the  new  machinery, 
and  space  will  be  provided  for 
a  future  third  Diesel  engine. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
although  Amory  is  nearer  to  the 
coal  fields  than  to  the  oil  fields, 
it  was  shown  by  F.  G.  Proutt, 
of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  city  con- 
sulting engineer,  that  with 
Diesel  engines  the  net  income 
on  the  light,  water  and  power 
system  would  be  more  per  dollar  invested  than 
with  any  other  type  of  equipment. 


A  Lighting 

Standard 

Difficult 

to  Shatter 


The  modern  hotel  is  becoming  more  and  more 
not  only  a  community  social  center,  but  the 
symbol  of  the  type  of  hospitality  the  com- 
munity extends  to  the  traveler.  The  present  is 
by  no  means  a  stay-at-home  generation.  Im- 
proved highways  carry  an  increasing  number 
of  travelers  over  the  country,  making  hotels  a 
distinct  asset  to  a  municipality.  As  travel  has 
increased,  there  has  been  a  growing  tendency 
to  classify  cities  upon  the  basis  of  their  hotels. 
The  public,  as  a  result  of  its  journeying,  has 
come  to  realize  the  truth  of  Samuel  Johnson's 
observation  that  "there  is  nothing  which  has 
been  conceived  by  man  by  which  so  much  happi- 
ness is  provided  as  by  a  good  tavern  or  inn." 

Community  financing  in  connection  with  hotel 
promotion  is  coming  rapidly  to  the  front  as  an 
accepted  procedure.  An  increasing  number  of 
cities  and  towns  are  taking  pains  to  protect 
their  good  names  by  establishing  a  community 
interest  in  the  hotels  that  represent  them.  In 
this  connection  the  announcement  that  Harvey 
J.  Hill  and  Arnaud  C.  Marts  have  retired  from 
the  firm  of  Ward,  Hill,  Pierce  and  Wells,  and 
formed  the  Hotel  Financing  Company,  i  Madi- 
son Avenue,  New  York  City,  in  order  to  devote 
themselves  to  the  work  of  financing  hotels  upon 
the  basis  of  community  participation. 

The  modern  hotel  is  a  force  for  democracy 
whose  importance  and  influence  few  of  us  fully 
realize.  A  list  of  the  events  scheduled  at  many 
of  our  hotels  in  wide-awake  communities  in- 
dicates the  great  range  of  their  local  service. 
Practically  every  sort  of  organization,  from  a 
chamber  of  commerce  to  a  literary  society, 
makes  the  hotel  its  regular  meeting-place.  In 
addition,  the  modern  hotel  is  the  scene  of  in- 
numerable social  functions.  Whatever  may  be 
the  limitations  imposed  on  the  modern  flat- 
dweller  by  the  housing  problem,  the  hotel  offers 
to  all  members  of  the  community  alike  op- 
portunities and  accommodations  for  sociability 
appreciated  by  the  individual,  as  well  as  neces- 
sary to  folks  in  the  mass.  The  hotel  has  made 
it  possible  to  overcome  many  social  difficulties 
that  would  otherwise  be  insurmountable. 

This  is  only  one  phase  of  the  service  rendered 
by  hotels  from  the  community  point  of  view. 
It  would  be  quite  enough  to  stimulate  com- 
munity interest  in  the  hotel  were  there  no  other 
basis  for  it.  But  the  hotel  is  the  right  hand 
that  each  community  extends  to  welcome  the 
stranger  within  its  gates.  It  is  possible  for  a 
poor  hotel  to  undo  in  five  minutes  all  that  the 
community  boosters  have  accomplished  in  the 
space  of  a  year.  Community-promoted  hotels 
are  now  recognized  institutions,  and  conserva- 
tive, dependable  methods  of  financing  them  are 
a  distinct  contribution  to  community  welfare. 

General  Chemical  Moves  Office 

The  General  Chemical  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  Hard-n-Tyte,  a  chemical  for  produc- 
ing stronger  concrete,  have  moved  their  offices 
from,  the  Broad  Exchange  Building,  New  York 
City,  to  40  Rector  Street. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


A  reduced  section  of  the  New  York   City   Mosaic 
Map  showing  Columbus  Circle  district. 

The  Fairchild  Aerial 

MOSAIC  MAP 

—  a  new  big  factor  in 
city  development  plans 

A  Mosaic  Survey  is  made  by  taking 
and  assembling  a  series  of  overlapping 
vertical  aerial  photographs,  resulting 
in  a  complete  map,  perfect  in  detail 
and  mosaic  in  character. 

The  City  of  Newark,  N.  J., 
has  recently  contracted  for  a 
Fairchild  Aerial  Mosaic  Survey 
because  copies  of  the  map  will 
prove  an  invaluable  aid  to: 

1.  City  Plan  Board 

2.  City   Engineer 

3.  Tax  Assessor 

4.  Schools 

5.  Police  and  Fire  Department 

6.  Building  Department 

7.  Bureau  of  Information 

8.  Civic  Organizations 

DO  THIS  TODAY— Write  for  large 
gravure  reproduction  of  New  York 
Mosaic  Survey  —  and  one  of  the 
sectional  photographs  used  in  making 
this  map.  Sent  FREE  to  any  inter- 
ested official. 

FAIRCHILD 

AERIAL-  CAMERA-  CORPORATIOiNi 

136  West  59!^'i  St..     New'^tSrk 


Position  Wanted  as 

CITY    MANAGER,    CITY    ENGINEER, 

OR  CHIEF  ENGINEER 

Engineer  of  long  and  varied  executive  ex- 
perience wishes  position  as  City  Manager  or 
City  Engineer,  or  as  Chief  Engineer  or  Supt. 
of  municipal  department  or  private  corpora- 
tion. 14  years  executive  head  and  chief 
engineer  of  large  department  in  city  of  over 
500,000  and  of  an  Industrial  and  Power  Co. 
12  years'  practice  as  consulting  civil,  hydrau- 
lic, sanitary,  and  power  engineer.  Address 
Box  89,  The  American  City,  Tribune  Bldg., 
New  York  City. 


REGISTERED  ENGINEER 
(Michigan) 

Well  qualified  in  municipal  engineering, 
wishes  new  location.  Five  years'  intensive 
experience  in  water  works,  sewerage,  sewage 
disposal  and  the  preparation  of  plans,  draw- 
ings, specifications,  and  estimates  for  pave- 
ments, side  walk,  bridges,  surveys,  and  the 
preparation  of  contracts. 

Box  90,    The    American    City,    Tribune 
Bldg.,  New  York  City. 


Wanted 

Applications  for  City  Manager 
by  the 

City  of  Onaway, 
Mich. 

WILL  B.  GREGG, 

City  Clerk. 


CITY  MANAGER 

OR  CHAMBER  SECRETARY 

AVAILABLE 

A  high  grade,  public  spirited  man, 
32  years  old,  university  graduate, 
widely  experienced  in  newspaper, 
publicity  and  organization  work,  is 
available  for  city  manager  or  chamber 
of  commerce  work.  Box  88,  care 
American  City,  Tribune  Bldg.,  New 
York. 


lOS 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


May,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


531 


A  Tapping  Machine  for 
Water- Mains 

The  tapping  machine  illustrated  herewith  is 
the  invention  of  Walter  S.  Payne,  who  for  a 
number  of  years  was  a  Superintendent  of 
Water-Works  and  has  been  for  a  long  time  in 
the  business  of  manufacturing  water-works  sup- 
plies. This  new  Eclipse  tapping  machine  is 
made  by  the  Hays  Manufacturing  Company, 
Erie,  Pa.  It  is  claimed  that  this  machine  has 
reduced  the  process  of  tapping  water-mains  un- 
der pressure  to  its  simplest  form,  as  there  are 
no  valves  or  pet-cocks  to  get  out  of  order,  and 
no  revolving  heads  to  get  sprung  or  joints  to 
leak.  The  pressure  or  strain  of  the  feed  screw 
pulls  directly  on  the  chain,  thereby  relieving  the 
machine  of  undue  strain.  The  machines  are 
made  of  bronze  metal  with  saddles  of  malleable 
iron. 

In  using  this  machine,  the  corporation  cock  is 
screwed  into  the  mandrel  or  bushing  by  means  of 
a  spanner  wrench  which  goes  with  each  ma- 
chine for  this  purpose.  Then  by  means  of  a 
handle  the  crane  is  swung  around  over  the  open- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  the  machine,  and  the  man- 
drel is  screwed  firmly  into  the  crane  by  means 
of  the  wrench.  The  crane,  with  the  mandrel 
and  cock  in  it,  is  then  swung  around  into  the 
recess,  and  the  handle  is  folded  up  to  prevent 
the  crane  from  swinging  back.  Following  this, 
the  combined  tap  and  drill  is  put  into  the  ma- 
chine. The  saddle,  with  a  gasket  under  it,  is  put 
onto  the  main,  and  with  another  gasket  in  the 
saddle  the  machine  is  set  onto  the  saddle.  The 
tightening  bolts  are  unscrewed  far  enough  out 
of  the  clevis  and  harp  to  give  room  for  taking 
up  all  slack  in  the  chain.  The  ends  of  the  chain 
are  passed  through  the  harps  and  then  the  chain 
is  tightened  by  means  of  a  wrench  applied  to 
the  tightening  bolt.  These  bolts  have  a  right- 
hand  thread  at  one  end  and  a  left-hand  thread 
at  the  other,   so  that  they  tighten  up  rapidly. 


A  MACHINE  FOR  TAPPING  WATER-MAINS 


When  this  is  done,  the  ratchet  is  put  on  the 
drill,  and  the  feeder  yoke  is  swung  into  position. 
Then  the  feeder  screw  is  tightened  until  there 
is  the  proper  pressure  on  the  drills.  After  the 
hole  is  drilled  and  tapped,  the  tap  is  drawn  up 
into  the  machine  as  far  as  possible  through  the 
stufifing  box.  The  handle  is  then  opened  and  the 
crane  swung  around  so  that  the  cock  and 
mandrel  come  immediately  under  the  tap  and 
drill.  Then  the  operator  pushes  down  on  the 
tap  and  drill  and  screws  it  into  the  mandrel  until 
it  is  tight,  continuing  until  it  unscrews  the  man- 
drel out  of  the  crane.  When  it  is  thus  released, 
the  cock  is  pushed  down  into  the  opening  in  the 
main  and  screwed  in  by  means  of  the  tap,  using 
a  ratchet  to  turn  it  in.  The  chain  is  then 
loosened  and  the  machine  taken  off,  a  wrench  is 
put  onto  the  cock,  screwing  it  into  the  main 
securely,  and  then  the  tap  and  mandrel  are  un- 
screwed from  the  cock. 


Kelly-Springfield  Changes 
Sales  Policy 

The  Kelly- Springfield  Tire  Company  has  re- 
cently consolidated  its  general  offices  in  the  new 
building  at  250  West  57th  Street,  New  York 
City.  The  New  York  Branch  has  been  re- 
moved to  the  company's  warehouse  at  553  West 
57th  Street,  New  York  City,  which  is  equivalent 
to  giving  up  the  branch  altogether,  since  it  has 
no  display  rooms,  sales  counters  or  any  of  the 
other  appurtenances  of  the  usual  tire  store. 
The  company  has  discontinued  all  retail  sales 
in  order  to  protect  dealers. 

The  company  intends  to  establish  warehouses 
in  various  centers  of  distribution  where  rail- 
road facilities  are  best  suited  to  give  prompt 
service  to  its  dealers.  In  places  where  it  now 
maintains  branches,  these  will  be  supplanted  by 
offices,  which  in  many  cases  will  be  in  the  ware- 
houses themselves. 

Benham  Engineering  Company 

Webster  L.  Benham  has  announced  that  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Benham  Engineering 
Company,  Consulting  Engineers,  215  Gumbel 
Building,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  he  has  taken  over 
all  contracts  of  Benham  &  MuUergren  and 
will  continue  to  act  as  a  consulting  engineer  on 
water-works,  sewers  and  sewage  disposal,  elec- 
tric light  and  power  plants,  street  paving  and 
valuations.  A.  L.  MuUergren  retires  from  the 
firm  and  will  engage  in  private  practice,  special- 
izing in  electric  light  and  power  plant  engineer- 
ing and  public  utilities,  with  his  office  at  555 
Gates  Building,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

New  Pumper  for  Nashville,  Tenn. 

We  acknowledge  an  error  appearing  on  page 
204  of  the  April,  1922,  issue  of  The  American 
City,  where  a  notice  was  given  of  a  1,300- 
gallon  Ahrens-Fox  auto  pumping  engine  deliv- 
ered to  Newport,  Ky.  This  should  have  read 
Nashville,  Tenn.  The  tractor  lor  the  aerial 
truck  was  delivered  to  Newport,  Ky. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Find  the  Solution  to 

YOUR  SWEEPING 
PROBLEMS 

in  this  Catalog 

Other  cities  are  saving  time, 
labor  and  money  by  using  Austin 
Motor  Sweepers  and  are  enjoy- 
ing cleaner  streets  to  boot. 

You  might  just  as  well  be 
doing  it  too. 

Write  for  Special  Motor 
Sweeper  Catalog  G  today. 

THE  AUSTIN -WESTERN  ROAD 
MACHINERY  CO. 

CHICAGO 
Branches  in  Twenty-three  Cities 


"Everything  from  a  drag  scraper  to  a  road  roller" 


Do  You 
Want  Prices 
on 
Anything? 


READERS  of  The  Amer- 
ican City  desiring  to 
secure  catalogues  or 
price  lists  on  any  sort  of  ma- 
chinery equipment  or  supplies 
for  municipal  or  county  work 
are  invited  to  state  their  wishes 
to  the  Catalog  and  Price  List 
Department,  The  American 
City,  Tribune  Building,  New 
York.  One  letter  to  us  will 
secure  you  the  information 
you  desire  free  of  all  charge, 
and  at  a  considerable  saving 
of   time   and   correspondence. 


104 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American  City. 


533 


Planning  for  an  Urban  Population  of 
Thirty-Seven  Millions 

Sage  Foundation  Announces  Regional  Planning  Study  Covering  Three  Hundred 

Communities  in  New  York  Area 


AFAR-REACHING  project  to  make 
the  metropolitan  district  around  New 
York  City  a  more  livable  community 
has  been  undertaken  on  the  initiative  of 
the  Russell  Sage  Foundation.  The  enter- 
prise entails  a  comprehensive  regional  plan 
embracing  the  entire  area  from  Bridgeport 
to  West  Point, 
thence  to  Princeton 
and  on  down  the 
Jersey  coast,  includ- 
ing all  of  Long 
Island,  Three  states 
and  300  cities, 
towns  and  villages 
are  thus  involved — 
the  most  densely 
populated  domain 
on  the  hemisphere. 

To  this  end  the 
Trustees  of  the 
Foundation  have 
named  a  committee 
of  direction  for  The 
Plan  of  New  York 
and  Its  Environs 
consisting  of  Charles 

D.  Norton,  chairman ;  Robert  W.  DeForest, 
Frederick  A.  Delano,  John  M,  Glenn, 
Dwight  W.  Morrow,  and  Frank  L.  Polk, 
with  Frederick  P.  Keppel  as  secretary,  and 
Flavel  Shurtleff,  assistant  secretary.  An- 
nouncement of  the  appointment  of  the  com- 
mittee was  made  on  May  10  at  a  meeting  of 
architects,   engineers,  artists,  city  planners 


Draw  all  the  lines  you  please  for 
states  and  counties,  but  a  city  is  a 
growth,  responding  to  the  inherent 
atoms  that  make  it  up,  apart  from 
political  or  governmental  considera- 
tions. The  force  from  which  that 
growth  comes  is  the  force  of  individ- 
ual enterprise,  desire,  movement — the 
desire  for  a  living,  desire  for  wealth, 
comfort,  society,  acting  in  the  hearts 
and  minds  of  a  vast  number  of  units. 
That  is  the  great  force  of  life  and 
modern  civilization,  and  that  is  the 
thing  that  government  cannot  imitate, 
— Elihu  Root,  May  10,  1922, 


and  community  workers  held  in  the  Engi- 
neering Societies  Building,  at  which  Elihu 
Root,  Herbert  Hoover,  Miss  Lilian  Wald, 
of  the  Henry  Street  Settlement,  and  Briga- 
dier General  Carty,  of  the  New  York  Tele- 
phone  Company,  were  speakers. 

The  Sage  Foundation,  which  by  the  terms 
of  its  deed  of  gift 
must  devote  a  con- 
siderable part  of  its 
income  to  the  im- 
provement of  New 
York  and  its  vicin- 
ity, will  support  the 
committee  financial- 
ly during  its  pre- 
liminary studies.  It 
is  the  plan  of  the 
committee,  however, 
to  democratize  the 
movement  and  in- 
vite the  aid  and  co- 
operation of  all  in- 
dividuals or  bodies 
whose  aims  lie  in 
the  same  direction. 
Already  such  citi- 
zens as  Herbert  Hoover,  Charles  E.  Hughes, 
William  Howard  Taft  and  Elihu  Root  have 
been  consulted  and  have  given  the  project 
their  endorsement  and  active  assistance. 

It  Lights  the  Imagination 

The  first  impression  produced  by  the  plan 
will  undoubtedly  be  the  extraordinary  scope 


534 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


of  the  undertaking,  and  many  will  ask  why 
such  an  extensive  territory  was  selected. 
The  answer,  drawn  from  experience  every- 
where, is  that  no  limited  or  timid  plan  could 
achieve  the  expected  and  necessary  results. 
The  smaller  cities  around  New  York  are 
affected  by  it  in  many  ways.  Yonkers 
cannot  properly  analyze  its  own  traffic  con- 
gestion. White  Plains  its  housing  problem, 
Passaic  its  sewage  problem,  or  Stamford 
its  paving  program 
without  recognizing 
the  existence  of  the 
problems  created  by 
the  whole  metropoli- 
tan district.  Little 
plans  interest  little 
groups  and  are  lost 
before  they  can 
make  themselves 
felt.  It  is  necessary 
to  light  the  imagina- 
tion of  all  who  live 
in,  by,  or  around 
New  York,  to  make 
them  think  as  a 
unit,  before  success 
is  in  sight. 

The  late  Daniel 
Burnham,  greatest 
of  city  planners  in 
our  generation,  said : 

"Make  no  little 
plans ;  they  have  no 
magic  to  stir  men's 
blood  and  probably 
themselves  will  not 
be  realized.  Make 
big  plans,  aim  high  in 
hope  and  work,  re- 
membering that  a 
noble,  logical  diagram 
once  recorded  will 
never    die,    but     long 

after  we  are  gone  will  be  a  living  thing,  assert- 
ing itself  with  ever-growing  insistency." 

With  such  an  end  in  view,  involving  as 
it  does  the  legal  and  physical  barriers  of 
three  states  and  300  communities,  there  is 
obviously  no  body  or  commission,  federal, 
state  or  local,  which  could  ever  attack  the 
problem  in  any  effective  way.  At  the 
present  time,  and  during  the  preliminary 
inquiry  which  has  been  under  way  for  a 
year,  emphasis  is  not  laid  on  solutions  or 
remedies,  but  on  the  problem  itself. 

Into  the  already  congested  area  of  New 
York  every  day  pour  millions  of  workers 
from  outlying  points  and  additional  thou- 


The  enormous  losses  in  human 
happiness  and  in  money  which  have 
resulted  from  lack  of  city  plans  which 
take  into  account  the  conditions  of 
modern  life,  need  little  proof.  The 
lack  of  adequate  open  spaces,  of  play- 
grounds and  parks,  the  congestion  of 
streets,  the  misery  of  tenement  life 
and  its  repercussions  upon  each  new 
generation,  are  an  untold  charge 
aga-nst  our  American  life.  Our  cities 
do  not  produce  their  full  contribution 
to  the  sinews  of  American  life  and 
national  character.  The  moral  and 
social  issues  can  only  be  solved  by  a 
new  conception  of  city  building. 

The  vision  of  the  region  around 
New  York  as  a  well-planned  location 
of  millions  of  happy  homes  and  a 
better  working  center  of  millions  of 
men  and  women,  grasps  the  imagina- 
tion. A  definite  plan  for  its  accom- 
plishment may  be  only  an  ideal.  But 
a  people  without  ideals  degenerates 
— one  with  practical  ideals  is  already 
upon  the  road  to  attain  them. 

— Herbert  Hoover,  May  10,  1922 


sands  of  visitors  from  all  over  the  United 
States.  New  York's  mad  and  illogical 
development,  forced  on  it  to  a  certain  extent 
by  prosperity,  has  resulted  in  such  abnor- 
malities as  a  mile  or  so  of  East  Side  shelter- 
ing two  millions  of  people,  with  thirty-two 
square  miles  of  wilderness  across  the  Hud- 
son only  six  miles  away. 

A  Wise  Expenditure 

Of  course,  the 
cost  of  solving  such 
a  problem  will  be 
very  great,  but  ex- 
perience everywhere 
has  demonstrated 
that  the  cost  of  not 
solving  it  has  been, 
and  will  continue  to 
be,  much  greater, 
for,  if  the  figures  of 
the  engineers  are 
not  too  conserva- 
tive, the  district  will 
have  a  population 
of  over  37,000,000 
by  the  year  2000. 
The  point  is,  that 
the  money  for  im- 
provements will  be 
spent  anyhow, 
whether  there  is  a 
comprehensive  plan 
of  guidance  or  not. 
If,  however,  there 
is  no  plan,  civic  im- 
provements are  un- 
dertaken belatedly 
or  at  haphazard  and 
at  intervals  have  to 
be  replaced,  reor- 
ganized to  meet  de- 
velopments not  provided  for,  or  expensively 
modified  in  one  or  another  of  a  hundred 
ways.  Funds  expended  unnecessarily  and 
without  due  cons'deration  would  provide 
for  the  realization  of  a  sound  plan  for  any 
city  within  a  decade. 

The  method  of  approach  which  the  com- 
mittee selected  as  best  calculated  to  yield 
sound  results  is  a  quadruple  survey.  Its 
four  phases,  each  in  charge  of  the  best 
procurable  experts,  are : 

1.  Economic    and    industrial 

2.  Physical 

3.  Legal 

4.  Social  and  living  conditions 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


535 


Nrw  tbnK  AND   Environs 

showing 
RELATIVE  DENSITIES  OF  POPULATIO, 
U  S  CENSUS  Of  1920 
SC«L€ 


pUT5\Dt  OF 

N.V:  Cirr  IN  N.Y  STATE 

POP -721.249 


EW  JERSEY    ^ 
Pop.2,3^6,85>^CONNECTlCUT 

POP.-  £30.706 


RELATIVE   DENSITIES    OF   POPULATION   IN    THE    NEW   YORK   DISTRICT 


Both  the  physical  and  legal  surveys  are 
under  way,  and  the  former  is  well  advanced. 
This  has  been  pursued  under  the  direction 
of.  Nelson  P.  Lewis,  for  years  Chief  En- 
gineer of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Ap- 
portionment, former  President  of  the 
American  Society  for  Municipal  Improve- 
ments, and  now  Vice-Pres'dent  of  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers. 

The  pljysical  survey  deals  with  the  rail 
facilities  of  the  port ;  the  closely  related 
questions  of  shipping  facilities,  with  all  the 
])resent  congestion  of  freight ;  the  main 
highway  system  of  the  entire  area,  includ- 
ing the  bridges  over,  and  tunnels  under,  the 


water  barriers ;  the  park  and  recreational 
facilities;  the  location  of  public  and  semi- 
public  buildings  with  due  respect  to  natural 
civic  centers ;  and  an  investigation  of  the 
possibility  of  decentralization^ — establishing 
industries  outside  of  existing  congested 
areas,  with  provision  for  the  suitable  hous- 
ing of  employees  in  such  industries. 

The  legal  survey,  dealing  with  intricate 
questions  of  state  and  civic  jurisdiction, 
t'dal  lands,  zoning,  excess  condemnation 
and  the  like,  is  under  the  direction  of 
Edward  M.  Bassett,  Counsel  of  the  New 
York  Zoning  Committee,  with  Charles  E. 
Hughes  as  one  of  a  committee  of  advisors.. 


536 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


It  is  expected  that  the  economic  and 
social  surveys  will  be  begun  shortly.  Their 
main  object  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the 
other  two — to  lay  down  an  approach  to- 
ward solving  the  civic  and  communal 
problems  of  the  average  man,  to  give  him 
better,  cleaner  and  more  beautiful  sur- 
roundings, and  to  develop  his  neighbor- 
hood interest  into  a  regional  view-point. 

As  to  remedies  for  existing  conditions 
which  admittedly  require  treatment  on  an 
heroic  scale,  the  committee  is  at  present 
reticent.  The  first  consideration  is  to 
establish  the  facts  with  a  thoroughness  that 
precludes  dispute. 

In  all  likelihood,  the  solution  or  solutions 
will  not  spring  from  a  single  mind  nor  be 
entrusted  to  an  individual,  as  has  been  the 
case  with  many  American  and  European 
city  plans.  More  probably  the  Plan  of  New 
York  and  Its  Environs  will  be  the  work  of 
a  team  of  architects,  engineers  and  artists, 
each  preeminent  in  his  particular  field. 

The  principles  on  which  the  committee 


must  proceed,  however,  already  appear.  In 
the  very  nature  of  things,  and  by  reason  of 
the  physical  conformation  of  New  York 
and  its  environs,  one  of  the  chief  problems 
will  be  that  of  the  water-front  and  the  miles 
and  miles  of  shore  lines  which  serve  the 
many  cities  in  the  district.  In  matters  of 
traffic  and  transit,  of  course,  emphasis  will 
be  laid  on  diffusion  as  against  concentra- 
tion, upon  extinction  of  barriers,  and  ease 
of  access  from  one  district  to  another. 
Focal  points  must  be  duplicated  rather  than 
enlarged  beyond  the  possibility  of  accommo- 
dation, and  there  must  be  a  coordination 
of  development  throughout  the  zone. 

The  committee  is  in  no  sense  a  self- 
centered  organization  relentlessly  com- 
mitted to  its  own  ideas.  It  is  acutely  aware 
that  only  by  united  effort  and  by  the  fullest 
cooperation  on  the  part  of  all  concerned — 
which  means  the  whole  population  of  the 
region  and  the  official  civic  units  which 
represent  it — can  such  a  plan  be  prepared 
and  carried  into  effect. 


Why  Women  Are  in  Politics 

The  Opinion  of  Lady  Astor,  M.  P.,  as  Indicated  in   Her  Address  Given  at  the 
Town  Hall,  New  York  City,  April  19 


^^T^THY  are  we  in  politics?  What 
\A/  is  it  all  about?  Something  much 
bigger  than  ourselves.  Scho- 
penhauer was  wrong  in  nearly  everything 
he  wrote  about  women — and  he  wrote  a  lot 
— but  was  right  in  one  thing.  He  said,  in 
speaking  of  women,  'The  race  is  to  her  more 
than  the  individual,'  and  I  believe  that  it  is 
true. 

"I  feel  somehow  we  do  care  about  the 
race  as  a  whole.  Our  very  natures  make  us 
take  a  forward  vision.  There  is  no  reason 
why  women  should  look  back.  Mercifully, 
we  have  no  political  past.  We  have  all  the 
mistakes  of  sex  legislation  with  its  appalling 
failures  to  guide  us.  We  should  know  what 
to  avoid.  It  is  no  use  blaming  the  men. 
We  made  them  what  they  are,  and  now  it  is 
up  to  us  to  try  to  make  ourselves — the 
makers  of  men — a  little  more  responsible. 

"Personally,  I  feel  that  every  woman 
should  take  an  active  part  in  local  govern- 
ment. I  don't  mean  by  that  that  every 
woman  should  go  in  for  a  political  career. 


That,  of  course,  is  absurd;  but  you  can  take 
an  active  part  in  local  government  without 
going  in  for  a  political  career.  You  can  be 
certain  when  casting  your  vote  you  are 
casting  it  for  what  seems  nearest  right — 
for  what  seems  more  likely  to  help  the  ma- 
jority and  not  bolster  up  an  organized 
minority. 

"There  is  a  lot  to  be  done  in  local  poli- 
tics, and  it  is  a  fine  apprenticeship  to  cen- 
tral government;  it  is  very  practical,  and  I 
think  that,  although  practical,  it  is  too  near 
to  be  attractive.  The  things  that  are  far 
away  are  more  apt  to  catch  our  eye  than  the 
ones  which  are  just  under  our  noses.  Then, 
too,  they  are  less  disagreeable. 

"Let  the  men  see  that  we  desire  a  better, 
a  safer  and  a  cleaner  world  for  our  children 
and  their  children  and  that  we  realize  that 
only  by  doing  our  bit,  by  facing  unclean 
things  with  cleanliness,  by  facing  wrongs 
with  right,  by  going  fearlessly  into  all 
things  that  may  be  disagreeable,  we  will 
somehow  make  it  a  little  better  world. 


537 

Flat  Rates  Caused  Water  Waste 

Lawton,  Okla.,  Reduces  Cost  of   Operation  of   Water- Works  and  Cuts  Water 
Waste  by  Gradual  Compulsory  Metering 

By  Gilbert  S.  Fraser 

Superintendent  of  Water  Department,  Lawton,  Okla. 


THE  Lawton  Water  Department  repre- 
sents the  largest  single  investment  in 
the  city  and  is  considered  one  of  the 
best  water-supplies  in  the  state  of  Okla- 
homa. It  has  a  valuation  of  $1,096,468 
and  an  indebtedness  of  $904,393.  Its  dis- 
tribution system  includes  87  miles  of  cast 
iron  mains,  ranging  in   size   from   24  to  2 


dition  to  another  16-inch  main.  Both  to- 
gether can  deliver  to  Lawton  6  million  gal- 
lons daily. 

At  the  lake  there  is  a  modern  rapid  sand 
filtration  plant  of  5,000,000  gallons  daily 
capacity,  built  at  an  initial  cost  of  $158,- 
000.  The  plant  was  installed  by  the  In- 
ternational Filter  Company.    There  are  two 


THE  LAWTON,  OKLA.,  FILTER  PLANT  AND  STORAGE  TANKS 


inches  in  diameter.  The  present  source  of 
supply  is  in  the  Wichita  Mountains,  where 
at  a  cost  of  $149,762.67  a  60-foot  dam  was 
constructed  across  Medicine  Creek  near 
Lake  Lawtonka,  the  present  reservoir,  14 
miles  from  the  city.  The  dam  is  52^  feet 
wide  at  the  base,  18  feet  through  the  cen- 
tral section,  10  feet  wide  at  the  top,  and  375 
feet  in  length,  which  gives  a  basin  capacity 
of  9  billion  gallons  of  water,  covering  1,408 
acres  at  an  average  depth  of  18  feet. 

Two  water-mains  provide  ample  facilities 
for  bringing  the  water  to  the  city  and  to 
Fort  Sill,  the  United  States  military  reserva- 
tion located  near-by.  A  24-inch  main  has 
a  capacity  of  12  million  gallons  at  Fort 
Sill,  and  a  reduced  main  coming  into  Law- 
ton  a  capacity  of  3  million  gallons,  in  ad- 


clear-water  tanks  of  200,000-gallon  capacity 
each,  two  raw-water  tanks  of  the  same  size, 
ten  filter-beds  of  5,000-gallon  capacity  each, 
and  four  300-gallon  alum  tanks.  Two  Van 
Blerck  gas  motors  provide  the  power  to 
operate  the  plant  and  wash  the  filters.  The 
sand-beds  are  washed  every  eight  hours 
with  two  Lea-Courtenay  2,700-gallon-per- 
minute  pumps.  The  water  is  sent  to  the 
filter  by  gravity  pressure,  and  from  the  filter 
to  the  city  by  the  same  means,  giving  be- 
tween 75  and  80  pounds  pressure  at  the 
City  Hall,  fourteen  miles  away,  with  no 
]Himping  whatever.  The  plant  has  a  Besse- 
mer oil  engine  of  185  horse-power  and  three 
Allis-Chalmers  pumps  of  1,500-gallon-per- 
mnute  capacity  each,  with  which  to  force 
the   water   from  the   lake  to  the   filtration 


538 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


LAKE    LAWTONKA,    LAWTGN'S    NINE-EILLION-GALLON    V/ATER-SUPPLT    RESERVOIR 


plant,  should  the  water  at  the  dam  ever 
drop  as  low  as  the  lo-foot  level — which  is 
very  improbable,  inasmuch  as  it  has  been 
estimated  that  the  lake  impounds  a  three- 
year  supply  of  water  if  no  rain  falls  dur- 
ing that  period.  Electric  lighting  facilities 
are  supplied  by  a  6-horse-power  gas  engine, 
a  Watson  250-volt.  direct-current  generator, 
one  alternating-current  generator,  and  one 
electric  induction  motor,  type  C.S.,  40 
horse-power  and  220  volts.  Two  million 
eight  hundred  thousand  gallons  represents 
the  average  daily  amount  of  water  filtered. 
In  the  winter  the  only  chemical  treatment 
the  water  receives  is  alum.  In  the  summer 
the  lake  is  treated  in  sections  with  copper 
sulphate  to  kill  off  the  blue-green  algae 
which  abound  during  the  hot  months; 
liquid  chlorine  is  also  used.  All  water  is 
subjected  to  laboratory  analysis  according 
to  the  Standard  Metho<ls  of  Water  Analy- 
sis, American  Public  Health  Association. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1921,  1,134,400,- 
000  gallons  were  filtered  and  delivered  to 
Fort  Sill  and  Lawton  at  an  average  cost 
of  $0.0906  per  thousand  gallons.  The  total 
operating  cost  for  this  period  was  $35,- 
263.58;  of  this  amount  $14,108.58  was 
chargeable  to  the  filtrat'on  plant,  which  was 
at  that  time  under  Government  control. 
The  depreciation  cost  for  the  same  period, 
figured  on  the  basis  of  2  per  cent  on  the 
distribution  system,  i  per  cent  on  the  grav- 


ity flow  lines,  2  per  cent  on  the  dam,  10  per 
cent  on  the  chlorinating  and  laboratory 
equipment,  and  10  per  cent  on  the  filtration 
plant,  amounts  to  $23,536.06.  Interest  on 
the  outstanding  bonds  and  indebtedness  was 
$44,016.29.  The  entire  cost  to  the  city  for 
nterest,  operation  and  depreciation  was 
$102,815.93,  and  the  total  receipts  for  this 
period  were  $61,530.38,  indicating  that  the 
department  operated  at  a  loss  of  $41,285.65. 

Losses  Caused  by  Water  Waste 

On  August  I,  1921,  the  city  abolished  the 
commission  form  of  government  and  em- 
ployed a  city  manager  and  a  new  superin- 
tendent of  the  Water  Department.  A 
careful  study  of  the  water-works  showed 
that  the  major  portion  of  the  deficit  was 
chargeable  to  water  waste.  There  were 
only  seventeen  meters  in  operation  in  the 
city,  and  the  average  daily  per  capita  con- 
sumption was  291  gallons  with  no  factories 
in  operation.  All  residences  and  most  of 
the  business  houses  were  using  all  the  water 
they  desired  at  a  flat  rate  of  but  $1  per 
month.  Considerable  public  sentiment  was 
found  bitterly  in  opposition  to  the  use  of 
meters.  In  spite  of  this,  meters  are  being 
installed  in  the  business  section  of  the  city 
and  are  already  bringing  about  increased 
revenue  and  pressure. 

Under  the  present  supervision  the  oper- 
ating costs  of  the  Department  for  the  fiscal 


JUNF,    1922 


THE    -AMERICAN     CITY 


539 


year  ending  June  30,  1922,  will  be  $16,- 
585.26,  depreciation  costs  $23,536.06,  and 
interest  cost  $45,939.69.  The  entire  cost  of 
the  Department  to  the  city  will  be  $86,- 
060.97.  Ori  the  present  basis,  the  revenue 
from  water  will  be  $71,605.92,  the  revenue 
from  pasture  rental,  hay  cut  on  the  water- 
shed, and  fishing  and  hunting  permits.  $6,- 
196.43,  making  a  total  revenue  obtainable  of 
$77,802.35  In  addition  to  this,  the  Depart- 
ment supplied  water  to  the  public  schools, 
city  parks,  municipal  swimming  pools,  In- 
dian hospital,  Indian  school,  city  buildings. 


fire  hydrants,  street  cleaning,  and  sewer 
flushing  in  an  amount  aggregating  $4,123. 
This  brings  the  total  earning  power  of  the 
Water  Department  for  the  year  up  to  $81,- 
925.35,  indicating  that  the  Department  will 
operate  at  a  loss  of  $4,135.62  this  year  as 
comi^ared  with  the  loss  of  $41,285.65  of 
last  year.  With  the  improvement  made 
ihis  year,  it  would  be  no  prophecy  to  state 
that  the  Department,  next  year,  will  not 
only  meet  all  of  its  exjjenses,  but  will  ac- 
tually produce  revenue  to  be  paid  into  the 
city  treasury. 


Schools  Lead  Fight  Against  Mosquitoes 

in  Bonham 


By  L.  H.  Rather 

Superintendent  of  Schools,  Bonham,  Tex. 


PAINFULLY  aware  of  the  discomfort 
and  illness  caused  by  the  swarms  of 
mosquitoes  that  regularly  infested 
Bonham  during  summer  and  fall,  and  desir- 
ous of  rendering  real  civic  service,  the  pupils 
of  the  biology  class  in  the  High  School  de- 
cided in  the  spring  of  1921  to  secure  in- 
formation that  would  be  useful  in  waging 
war  against  the  winged  pests.  It  was 
agreed  that  the  data  should  be  gathered 
solely  by  the  pupils,  under  the  supervision 
of  their  instructor,  and  that  the  tabulation 
of  the  results  of  the  investigation  should  be 
considered  a  part  of  the  regular  laboratory 
work  of  the  biology  class. 

The  investigation,  or  "Mosquito  Cam- 
pa'gn."  as  it  was  popularly  called,  had  as 
its  objects  the  discovery  of  all  breeding- 
places  of  mosquitoes,  the  noting  of  all  de- 
fective screens,  the  locat"ng  of  houses 
without  screens  of  any  kind,  the  tabulation 
of  the  results  gained,  and  the  dissemination 
of  the  information  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city.  Accordingly,  Bonham  was 
d'vided  into  districts,  and  certain  members 
of  the  biology  class  were  set  the  task  of 
investigating  thoroughly  the  districts  as- 
signed them.  In  order  that  the  work  might 
be  done  with  d"spatch,  the  various  groups 
of  pupils  left  the  High  School  building  each 
day  and  devoted  the  time  customarily  em- 
ployed in  carrying  on  experiments  in  the 
laboratory  to  making  excursions  to  the  dis- 


tricts assigned  them  for  investigation.  In- 
structions were  given  each  group  of  pupils 
to  report  on  the  following  points  at  the  end 
of  each  daily  excursion: 

1.  Premises  having  stagnant  pools  of  water, 
garbage  piles,  or  other  breeding-places  of 
mosquitoes 

2.  Pools,  discarded  cans,  old  barrels,  and 
the  like,  in  which  mosquito  larvae  were  found 
and  which  needed  an  application  of  oil 

3.  Homes  or  business  houses  having  de- 
fective screens  or  without  screens  entirely 

The  results  of  the  investigation  were 
startling.  When  the  work,  which  required 
about  one  hour  per  day  for  ten  days,  was 
completed,  it  was  discovered  that  the  prem- 
ises of  more  than  1,800  homes  and  business 
houses  had  been  examined.  The  number 
of  places  where  stagnant  water  needed 
drainage  was  51.  Mosquito  larvae  were 
found  in  25  pools  of  water,  and  51  pools 
and  rain  barrels  needed  an  application  of 
oil.  Weeds,  mainly  on  vacant  lots,  serving 
as  harbors  for  mosquitoes,  needed  to  be  cut 
in  159  places;  and  247  piles  of  garbage  were 
marked  as  worthy  of  removal.  Finally,  425 
homes  were  discovered  with  defective 
screens  or  with  no  screens  at  all. 

Spots  Where  Action  Was  Needed 

To  make  the  information  gained  by  the 
investigation  easily  accessible  and  of  practi- 
cal value  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
H  map  of  Bonham  was  prepared  by  the  boys 


540 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


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A  PORTION  OF  THE  BONHAM  MOSQUITO  MAP 

Figures  in  circles  show  block  numbers.     Other  figures  indicate  kinds  of  violation  as  follows:      1.  Stag- 
nant   water    needing    drainage.     2.  Pools    in    which    mosquito    larvae    were    found.     3.  Homes    having 
defective  or  no  screens.     4.  Pools  or  rain-barrels  needing  application  of  oil.     6.  Garbage  cans  needing 
removal.     6.  Weeds  mainly   on  vacant   lots   serving  as   harbors  for   mosquitoes 


in  the  mechanical  drawing  department  of 
the  High  School.  The  map  showed  the 
exact  location  of  every  block,  house,  street, 
brook,  etc.,  in  the  city.  Moreover,  detailed 
information,  indicating  every  mosquito 
breeding-place,  every  house  without  screens, 
and  every  home  with  defective  screens,  was 
marked  in  colored  ink  on  the  map,  so  that 
any  person  who  desired  to  do  so  might 
learn  precisely  what  sort  of  campaign 
against  mosquitoes  should  be  waged  in  his 
neighborhood.  Blue-prints  of  the  map  were 
then  made  and  placed  in  the  various  school 
buildings,  in  the  City  Hall,  and  in  down- 
town newspaper  offices. 

The  information  having  been  made  easily 
accessible,  it  became  necessary  to  acquaint 
the  people  of  the  community  with  its  practi- 
cal value  if  the  findings  of  the  investiga- 
tion were  to  be  put  to  use.  Therefore,  ex- 
planatory articles,  calculated  to  interest  the 
citizens  and  urging  them  to  action,  were 
published  in  the  local  newspapers.  Civic 
organizations  were  also  persuaded  to  lend 


their  cooperation.  Better  than  all  else,  the 
school  children  throughout  the  city  were 
furnished  with  data  concerning  their  homes 
and  the  immediate  vicinity  and  urged  to  aid 
in  carrying  on  a  relentless  campaign  to 
exterminate  the  mosquito. 

The  success  of  the  campaign  was  assured 
at  the  outset.  The  expense  involved  was 
so  slight  that  it  was  not  even  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  very  novelty  of  the  venture 
made  it  easy  to  secure  the  whole-souled 
cooperation  of  every  school  child  in  the 
city.  Moreover,  the  practical  value  of  the 
information  gained  appealed  to  the  editors 
of  the  newspapers  and  to  all  civic  organiza- 
tions, persuading  them  to  lend  their  in- 
fluence in  urging  the  citizens  to  action 
against  their  common  enemy.  As  a  conse- 
quence, undisturbed  sleep  on  hot  summer 
nights  was  made  possible  and  the  number 
of  cases  of  fever  resulting  from  mosquito 
bites  was  reduced  materially.  In  fact,  the 
Mosquito  Campaign  was  such  a  success  that 
it  is  to  be  an  annual  aflfair. 


S4i 


Atlanta  Adopts  Zoning 

By  Robert  Whitten 

City  Planner,  Cleveland,  Ohio 


THE  Atlanta  Plan  Commission  started 
its  work  with  the  selection  of  a  con- 
sultant in  May,  1921.  It  was  decided 
that  the  first  step  in  a  comprehensive  plan- 
ning program  should  be  the  preparation  and 
adoption  of  a  zoning  plan  and  an  ordinance. 
This  determination  was  partly  based  on  the 
fact  that  limited  finances  made  it  impossible 
to  carry  forward  simultaneously  all  parts 
of  a  complete  city  planning  program.  It  was 
believed  that  for  a  limited  expenditure  of 
money  there  was  no  investment  from  which 
the  returns  would  be  so  great  as  from  a 
zoning  ordinance.  It 
was  felt,  too,  that  the 
educational  work  in  con- 
nection with  the  zoning 
and  the  record  of  prac- 
tical achievement  se- 
cured would  greatly  fa- 
cilitate the  carrying 
through  of  the  other 
parts  of  the  comprehen- 
sive planning  program. 

Atlanta,  in  common 
with  all  other  munici- 
palities of  Georgia,  was 
without  zoning  powers. 
The  Legislature  meets 
in  July  of  each  year,  and 
in  1921  a  zoning  act,  ap- 
plying solely  to  Atlanta, 
was  drafted  and  intro- 
duced, becoming  .  effec- 
tive in  August.  This 
act,  besides  giving  com- 
prehensive zoning  pow- 
ers, provides  for  a  board 
of  zoning  appeals  and 
permits  a  court  review 
of  any  decision  of  such 
board.  This  gave  the 
Commission  a  sound 
foundation  for  its  zon- 
ing work. 

In  November  a  tenta- 
tive draft  of  a  zoning 
plan  was  submitted  to 
the   Commission.     Early 


in  January,  1922,  a  plan  and  proposed 
ordinance  were  approved  by  the  Com- 
mission and  transmitted  to  the  Council. 
Five  thousand  copies  of  the  zoning  maps 
and  of  an  attractive  report  describing  the 
zoning  and  the  reasons  therefor  were 
printed  and  distributed.  The  Council,  after 
giving  30  days'  notice,  as  required  in  the 
enabling  act,  began  hearings  before  its 
Ordinance  Committee.  These  hearings  were 
continued  from  time  to  time  and  covered 
a  period  of  six  weeks.  On  March  31  the 
Ordinance  Committee,  by  a  vote  of  4  to  i, 


THIS    CAETOON   FROM   THE   ATLANTA   JOtJRNAIi    OF   MARCH    30, 
1922,   PEOVED   TO  BE  A    "KNOCK-OUT" 


542 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


FUTURE  ATLANTA-WHAT  SHALL  IT  BE? 


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And  dr£ss  all  Ibpsey-TUBM£V .' 


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15    WMED  THRooartour  "we  /^riTcw 


THIS  CARTOON  APPEARED  THE  DAY  THE  ORDINANCE  CAIME  UP 
FOR  FINAL  ACTION 


approved  the  zoning  ordinance,  and  on 
April  TO  it  was  adopted  by  the  Council  by 
a  vote  of  24  to  3.  Mayor  Key  signed  it  the 
following  day. 

The  ordinance  was  bitterly  opposed  by  a 
few  who  considered  it  a  gross  invasion  of 
property  rights.    The  real  estate  board  sup- 


ported it  strongly  and  it 
had  the  approval  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  of  the  various  neigh- 
borhood clubs.  Its  consti- 
tutionality was  vigorously 
assailed,  but  this  was  ef- 
fectively offset  by  a  writ- 
ten opinion  from  City  At- 
torney Mayson  holding 
that  zoning  as  a  whole  is 
legal  and  that,  while  there 
are  arguments  on  both 
sides,  zoning,  being  in  the 
line  of  progress,  must 
eventually  receive  the 
sanction  of  the  courts. 

The  most  effective  part 
of  the  educational  cam- 
paign to  offset  the  original 
indifference  or  opposition 
of  the  public  was  carried 
on  through  the  daily 
press.  For  a  period  of 
about  six  weeks  the  news 
columns  and  the  editorial 
pages  gave  most  efficient 
and  liberal  support.  The 
cartoonists,  too,  helped 
immensely  in  putting  the 
zoning  across. 

Atlanta  is  the  first 
southern  city  to  adopt 
a  comprehensive  zoning 
plan.  Partly  because  zoning  is  new  in 
the  South,  the  classifications  and  regula- 
tions contained  in  the  Atlanta  ordinance 
as  finally  revised  for  the  Ordinance  Com- 
mittee were  made  as  simple  and  brief  as 
possible,  and  yet  retained  the  essentials  of 
a  complete  zoning  plan.  . 


Saving  ia  Property  Values  by  Chicago  Zone  Plan 


That  a  saving  of  approximately  $1,000,- 
000,000  in  property  values  will  be  made 
within  the  next  generation  as  a  result  of 
the  zoning  plan  now  being  prepared  in. 
Chicago  was  estimated  by  Charles  Bostrum, 
chairman  of  the  Chicago  Zoning  Commis- 
sion, at  a  meeting  of  the  American  Civic 
Association  in  that  city. 
j^Edward  H.  Bennett,  director  of  zoning 
work  in  Chicago,  explained  how  the  saving 
will  be  made.     "What  we  are  trying  to  do 


is  to  create  conditions  favorable  to  indus- 
trial enterprise,  to  the  protection  of  busi- 
ness, and  the  improvement  of  working 
conditions,"  he  said.  ''This  necessarily 
takes  time.  But  it  is  well  worth  it.  Zoning, 
we  believe,  will  save  approximately 
$1,000,000,000  by  preventing  property  de- 
preciation and  in  increasing  property  values 
within  a  thirty-year  period,  including  ten 
years  back. and  twenty  years  ahead." 

— Toledo  City  Journal. 


543 


MRS.  ABBT  HOWE  FOREST 


V }idrr",vood  &  Underzi.'ood,  N.   Y. 
DR.  AMY  KAUKONEN 


MRS.  A.   K.  GAULT 


What  Are  Women  Mayors  Doing? 

By  Mildred  Adams 


WHAT  are  the  fifteen  women  mayors 
in  America  thinking  of?  Why  did 
they  run  for  office?  What  will  they 
do  now  that  they  are  in?  Will  they  be  city 
governors,  city  managers,  or  city  politicians? 
Will  there  be  any  difference  between  their 
regime  and  that  of  the  generations  of  men 
who  have  held  the  same  office  ? 

The  towns  they  are  governing  range  in 
size  from  Rochester,  Ohio,  to  which  the 
census  credits  145  residents,  to  St.  Peter, 
Minn.,  which  has  4,335.  They  are  bounded 
on  the  east  by  Brewton,  Ga.,  and  on  the 
west  by  Langley,  Wash.,  which  is  another 
way  of  saying  that  there  are  women  mayors 
scattered  all  over  these  United  States,  from 
one  coast  to  the  other. 

How  Were  They  Elected  ? 

For  people  who  believe  that  city  govern- 
ment should  not  be  a  matter  of  politics,  but 
rather  a  matter  of  businesslike  administra- 
tion, there  is  great  encouragement  in  the 
fact  that  none  of  the  women  mayors  seem 
to  have  run  for  the  sake  of  politics.  In  one 
or  two  cases  they  were  put  into  office 
whether  they  would  or  not.  Mrs.  A.  K. 
Gault  of  St.  Peter  was  appointed  by  the 
City  Council,  all  of  whom  were  men,  after 
the  elected  mayor  had  refused  to  qualify. 
Mrs.  Abbie  Howe  Forest  of  Thayer,  Kans., 
writes  that  she  and  five  other  women  were 
made    candidates    for    city    offices    without 


their  knowledge  or  consent,  and  were  elected 
over  two  other  tickets.  She  is  Mayor, 
Mrs.  Hattie  Brewster  is  Police  Judge,  and 
all  the  members  of  the  Council  are  women. 
Part  of  Mrs.  Forest's  letter  gives  the  clue 
to  a  situation  which  frequently  exists  in 
small  towns,  and  which  forecasts  more 
women  in  elected  city  offices.  She  says,  "I 
might  say  here  that  our  election  was  due 
to  the  fact  that  in  small  towns  men  best 
fitted  for  public  office  often  refuse  to  serve 
on  the  plea  that  they  would  'hurt  their  busi- 
ness.' We  had  no  business  to  hurt."  Mrs. 
Grace  Miller  is  Mayor  of  Jackson,  Wyo., 
and  with  her  is  an  entire  council  of  women. 
They  made  no  campaign  for  election,  but 
they  did  criticise  the  existing  government, 
and  in  the  opinion  of  a  Wyoming  resident, 
the  men  "passed  the  buck  by  nominating 
them."  The  success  of  their  regime  is  in- 
dicated by  the  fact  that  they  have  all  been 
reelected,  and  that  Miss  Pearl  Williams, 
town  marshal,  has  resigned  because  the 
town  is  so  quiet  it  doesn't  need  a  marshal 
any  more ! 

What  these  women  and  their  sister  mayors 
have  already  accomplished  forms  the  only 
reliable  index  of  the  kind  of  thing  they  may 
be  expected  to  do.  And  it  is  merely  an  in- 
dication, not  a  rule  or  a  limit.  There  seem 
to  be  two  main  lines  of  accomplishment — a 
physical  city-cleaning,  and  a  moral  clean- 
up.    Some  mayors  lay  stress  on  one,  some 


544 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


on  the  other,  and  some  of  them  are  engaged 
in  both. 

Municipal  Housel^eeping 

Mrs.  Miller  and  her  sister  officers  of 
Jackson  began  their  city  house-cleaning  by 
clearing  Jackson's  water-supply.  Pure  at 
the  source,  it  ran  through  the  town  in  an 
open  ditch,  gathering  en  route  much  beside 
clean  city  water.  The  women  have  substi- 
tuted an  adequate  piping  system  from  the 
spring,  and  have  thereby  improved  not  only 
Jackson's  health,  but  also  its  streets.  They 
have  also  paid  off  the  mortgage  on  the 
cemetery,  built  adequate  roads,  and  estab- 
lished a  city  park. 

The  "petticoat  government"  of  Thayer, 
Kans.,  also  has  been  concerning  itself  with 
parks,  cemetery  and  roads,  in  the  manner 
of  good  engineers. 

Mrs.  A.  K.  Gault  has  been  a  moral 
cleaner.  The  outstanding  feature  of  her 
first  year  as  Mayor  of  St.  Peter,  Minn.,  has 
been  the  enforcement  of  prohibition  and  the 
licensing  of  soft  drink  parlors.  Both  feats 
aroused  very  bitter  opposition. 

No  one  of  these  mayors  has  received  as 
much  publicity  as  Dr.  Amy  Kaukonen  of 
Fairport,  Ohio.  Situated  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Erie,  Fairport  did  a  thriving  business 
in  illegal  liquors.  It  was  easy  to  land  them 
from  Canada,  and  not  much  harder  to 
spread  them  throughout  the  country  with 
Fairport  as  a  distributing  center.  Enter 
Dr.  Kaukonen,  age  twenty-three,  youngest 
graduate  of  the  Women's  Medical  College 
of  Pennsylvania.  Her  medical  work 
brought  her  into  sad  familiarity  with  the 
effects  of  bootleg  whiskey,  and  she  deter- 
mined to  banish  it  from  Fairport.  Her 
duties  as  Mayor  included  the  appointing  of 
a  Chief  of  Police,  a  Board  of  Health,  and 
a  chemist.  Realizing  the  importance  of 
these  offices  in  her  anti-bootleg  campaign, 
she  appointed  to  all  of  them  someone  she 
could  trust  implicitly,  namely,  herself.  So 
now  she  arrests  bootleggers  because  she  is 
Chief  of  Police;  she  analyses  their  product 
because  she  is  an  expert  chemist;  and  she 
pronounces  against  them  in  her  capacity  as 
Board  of  Health.  The  bootlegging  ring 
finds  Fairport  very  difficult  these  days. 
With  all  this,  Dr.  Kaukonen  has  time  to 
spare  for  the  licensing  of  soft  drink  par- 
lors, the  conviction  of  gamblers,  and  the 
inspection  of  dance  halls. 

Mrs.    Mary    McFadden,    eighty-year-old 


Mayor  of  Magnetic  Springs,  Ohio,  has 
started  a  bond-raising  campaign  for  a 
larger  town  hall  and  better  fire-fighting  ap- 
paratus. She  has  also  insisted  that  boot- 
legging and  gambling  be  stopped,  that  pool- 
places  be  closed  or  minors  excluded  from 
them,  and  that  the  curfew  ordinance  be  en- 
forced. Her  third  innovation  is  a  charac- 
teristic and  delightful  human  commentary — 
she  has  inaugurated  a  hot  lunch  as  an  in- 
ducement for  a  full  council  meeting. 

Miss  Stena  Scorp,  Mayor  of  Salina, 
Utah,  has  not  been  in  office  long  enough  to 
have  definite  accomplishments  to  her  credit, 
but  her  program  is  interesting.  She  plans 
to  abolish  unnecessary  laws,  revise  others, 
enforce  those  which  remain,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, improve  the  recreational  facilities  for 
young  people. 

The  other  women  who  are  "mayoring" 
American  cities  are:  Mrs.  Ida  Sparks 
Clark,  who  is  enforcing  prohibition  and 
carrying  out  policies  of  wise  economy  in 
Cokato,  Minn.;  Mrs.  Mayme  Ousley,  who 
accepted  the  office  of  Mayor  of  St.  James, 
Mo.,  only  because  it  offered  such  oppor- 
tunities for  service  to  her  city;  Mrs.  Mary 
Peterson,  of  Red  Cloud,  Neb.;  Mrs.  Ella 
Jacobsen,  of  Waterloo,  Neb.,  whose  name 
was  written  in  by  electors  when  her  hus- 
band was  a  candidate;  Miss  Helen  B.  Coe, 
of  Langley,  Wash.;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Beall,  of 
Brewton,  Ga. ;  and  Mrs.  Estella  Tripp,  of 
Rochester,  Ohio;  and  Mrs.  Ethel  Stoner, 
just  elected  Mayor  of  Cokeville,  Wyo. 
Iowa  has  two  women  mayors,  one  in  Ran- 
dal ia,   and  the  other   in   Lehigh. 

Physical  and  moral  house-cleaning  and 
housekeeping — these  are  the  things  women 
mayors  are  thinking  about  and  are  doing. 
Men  think  of  roads  and  water  and  build- 
ings and  budgets  in  terms  of  engineering. 
Women  translate  them  into  terms  of  mu- 
nicipal housekeeping.  A  good  housekeeper 
has  well-built,  orderly  paths;  her  water- 
supply  is  clean,  adequate,  and  conveniently 
piped;  her  house  is  well  made,  comfortable, 
and  well  kept;  she  spends  and  saves  on  a 
budget.  She  goes  a  step  farther — and  here 
is  where  housekeeping  is  broader  than  en- 
gineering. She  is  deeply  interested  in  edu- 
cating children.  She  knows  how  vitally  im- 
portant it  is  to  have  them  surrounded  with 
the  right  kind  of  environment.  Therefore, 
she  translates  those  abstractions  into  con- 
crete terms,  and  enters  the  realm  of  moral 
housekeeping. 


545 


A  Million-Dollar  Firecracker 

A  Warning  to  Municipal  Fire  Prevention  Bureaus 


JUST  as  a  reminder  that  the  Fourth  of 
July  will  soon  be  here  again,  we  call 
your  attention  to  the  disaster  which  came 
to  Marysville,  Calif.,  last  year  as  the  re- 
sult of  a  pre-Fourth  celebration. 

Shortly  after  2  o'clock  on  the  Saturday 
afternoon  preceding  the  Fourth,  two  small 
boys  were  experimenting  with  some  of  their 
Fourth   of  July  purchases  behind   a  livery 


their  streams  effective.  Burning  shingles 
and  flaring  leaves  from  the  palm  trees 
spread  the  blaze  rapidly,  and  with  such  a 
handicap  the  firemen  were  almost  helpless. 
The  burned  district  consisted  of  12  blocks, 
a  total  of  78  buildings  being  destroyed  at  a 
loss  of  $800,000.  To  fight  this  fire,  four 
2V2-inch  lines  were  laid  from  a  1,000-gal' 
Ion  American-LaFrance  pumper,  two  lines 


,^^9**'*^:'^ 


Property  Removed   from  Burning  Home 
Remains   of  the  Bailroaci   Trestle 

stable.  One  of  them  threw  a  lighted  fire- 
cracker on  the  roof,  and  at  once  the 
tinder-dry  shingles  were  afire.  An  alarm 
was  immediately  telephoned  in,  but  by  the 
time  the  department  arrived  a  thirty-mile 
gale  had  fanned  the  wooden  building  into 
a  furnace  so  hot  that  it  was  impossible  for 
the  firemen  to  get  close  enough   to  make 


^-^ 

1 

|/W''.  ^^'^N 

iN'*^^^^^*LilH 

£  _±t£^ 

l^il 

^^|M 

w9^Ki3 

^m 

Sjp 

8*»*=*^ 

*^""' 

^^.-^. 

The  Junior  Pumper  on  Duty 
A  Steamer  Doing  Valiant  Service 

from  a  LaFrance  Junior  pump,  and  two 
lines  from  a  steamer.  The  two  gasoline 
pumpers  worked  at  capacity  for  four  and 
three  hours,  respectively,  and  were  then 
returned  to  their  quarters  and  placed  in 
service.  The  steamer  was  kept  in  opera- 
tion for  16  hours  wetting  down  the  ruins. 
Pre-Fourth  celebrations  and  careless  use 


546 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


of  firecrackers  and  of  fireworks  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  Fourth  have  caused  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  damage  in  years  gone  by. 
An  adequate  campaign  should  be  .started  at 
once  by  local  fire  department  officials  to 
carry    the    message    of    warning    to    every 


school  and  every  home  in  each  city.  This 
should  be  followed  by  a  newspaper  cam- 
paign the  latter  part  of  June,  in  order  to 
emphasize  the  lesson  when  it  is  most 
needed  and  place  the  city  in  the  "No  Fires 
from  the  Fourth"  list. 


An  Electrolysis  Investigation  on  a 
36-Inch  Steel  Force  Main 

Clever  Detective  Work  Locates  Source  of  Power  Leak  on  Akron  Water-Main 


THE  recent  investigation  of  the  causes 
of  electrolysis  on  the  36-inch  steel 
force  main  leading  from  the  Earlville 
pumping  station  to  the  reservoir  in  the  city 
of  Akron,  a  distance  of  about  eleven  miles, 
was  covered  in  an  interesting  manner  by 
Victor  B.  Philips,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
his  paper  read  before  the  New  England 
Water  Works  Association.  The  map  on 
page  547  shows  this  main,  as  well  as 
the  location  of  the  electric  railway  tracks, 
substations,  gas-mains,  steam  railroad 
tracks,  and  the  principal  c'ty  water-main 
connection  into  the  force  main.  Rather 
serious  corrosion  of  the  main  had  been  dis- 
covered immediately  west  of  the  town  of 
Tallmadge  and  at  no  other  place.  It  will 
be  noted  that  this  point  is  more  than  three 
miles  from  the  nearest  electric  railway 
tracks.  It  is  also  at  considerable  distance 
from  either  of  the  large  gas-mams  that 
might  possibly  have  been  contributing 
factors. 

The  town  of  Tallmadge  comprises  only 
a  few  houses,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the 
town  in  the  way  of  underground  struc- 
tures or  electric  currents  that  might  have 
had  some  effect  on  the  force  main.  In  a 
word,  the  corrosion  was  found  at  perhaps 
the  one  po'nt  on  the  main  where  it  might 
least  have  been  expected.  For  these  rea- 
sons it  was  not  at  all  apparent  at  the  out- 
set that  the  corrosion  was  due  to  electric 
railway  current,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
consider  carefully  all  possible  causes  other 
than  railway  stray  current.  The  case  is 
distinctly  unique,  and  the  questions  con- 
sidered and  the  procedure  followed  in 
diagnosing  the  cause  of  corrosion  and  pro- 
vidng  for  its  correction  are  therefore  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest.     In  studying 


the  case,  the  following  causes  of  corrosion 
were  investigated: 

(a)  Railway  current 

(b)  Soil   corrosion 

(c)  Small  local  galvanic  currents 

Rail^vay  Current 

Preliminary  tests  upon  the  force  main 
showed  that  current  was  flowing  away  from 
Akron  in  the  direction  of  Tallmadge  to  the 
extent  of  about  20  amperes  at  the  time  of 
the  railway  peak  load.  It  was  also  found 
that  there  was  some  slight  flow  of  current 
from  Kent  toward  Tallmadge,  although  this 
current  frequently  reversed  direction. 
Potential  readings  were  taken  between  the 
force  mains  and  all  metallic  structures 
crossing  it,  namely,  two  gas-mains  and  sev- 
eral railroad  crossings.  These  voltage 
drops  were  found  to  be  small,  about  one 
volt  or  less,  and  apparently  independent  of 
the  railway  load  and  the  majgnitude  of  cur- 
rent on  the  main.  It  was  therefore  con- 
cluded that  these  structures  had  no  bear- 
ing on  the  case. 

In  order  to  determine  the  potentials 
caus'ng  the  flow  of  current  on  the  force 
main,  voltage  measurements  were  taken  for 
24  hours  between  the  several  railway  sub- 
station negative  busses  and  the  force  main 
at  Tallmadge  and  at  the  Akron  end.  By 
means  of  these  voltage  readings  it  was 
po:^sible  to  locate  the  point  of  minimum 
negative  potential  and  thus  to  establish  the 
path  of  the  current.  A  study  of  these  read- 
ings showed  that  the  negative  bus  at  the 
Gorge  substation  was  the  most  negative 
point  in  the  area  under  consideration.  This 
served  to  indicate  that  the  current  which 
was  apparently  leaving  the  force  main  near 
Tallmadge  was  returning  to  the  Gorge  sub- 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


547 


station.  This  fact,  however,  in  itself  could 
not  be  considered  as  conclusive  evidence, 
inasmuch  as  it  appeared  unlikely  that  there 
was  sufficient  voltage  difference  to  cause 
this  current  to. flow  directly  across  country 
for  a  distance  of  more  than  three  miles. 

In  order  to  get  a  direct  indication  of 
the  flow  of  current  from  the  force  main 
into  the  earth  in  the  locality  of  the  corro- 
sion, a  24-hour  record  was  taken  of  the 
millivolt  drop  between  two  non-polarizable 
electrodes  buried  in  the  ground  about  18 
inches  apart  and  at  right  angles  to  the  axis 
of  the  main,  with  one  of  the  electrodes  very 
close  to,  but  not  touching,  the  main.  The 
characteristic  peaks  and  valleys  of  the 
curves  plotted  from  this  record  showing  the 
voltage  drop  between  the  water-main  at 
Tallmadge  and  the  Gorge  substat'on  nega- 
tive bus  were  regularly  coincident,  the  only 
exception  being  between  i  A.  M.  and  2 
A.  M.,  when  the  High  Street  substat'on 
negative  bus  became  temporarily  the  most 
negative  point  on  the  system.  At  this  time 
the  flow  of  current  in  the  earth  near  the 
force  main  reversed,  as  might  reasonably 
have  been  expecte<l.  This  information 
showed  quite  conclusively  that  there  was  a 
flow  of  current  off  the  force  main  in  the 
Tallmadge  area  and  that  this  flow  was  a 
function  of  the  potential  drop  from  the 
force  main  to  the  Gorge  substation  negative 
bus. 

A  study  of  the  geology  and  topography  of 
the  country  between  Tallmadge  and  the 
Gorge  substation  disclosed  the  fact  that 
there  was  an  almost  continuous  low-resist- 
ance path,  due  to  creek  beds  and  wet  ground. 
The  current  was  simply  following  this  path. 

Having  established  the  fact  that  there 
was  a  measurable  flow  of  current  off  the 
force  main  in  Tallmadge  directly  across 
country  from  the  Gorge  substation,  it  wis 
then  necessary  to  determine  the  reason  fcr 
the  current's  tak'ng  this  long,  roundabout, 
and  comparatively  high-resistance  path.  At 
least  one  contributing  cause  was  found  to 
have  been  the  rather  long  stretch  of  poorly 
bonded  track  between  the  High  Street  sub- 
station and  the  Gorge  substation.  Thus,  a 
certain  part  of  the  power  originating  in  tiie 
Gorge  substation  positive  feeders  had  to  find 
its  way  back  to  the  Gorge  substation  negative 
bus  by  another  path  than  the  high-resist- 
ance rail  circuit.  This  increment  of  current 
then  followed  the  tracks  of  the  railway  sys- 


tem into  the  High  Street  substation  and 
thence  through  a  bonded  connection  into 
the  city  water  system  and  into  the  steel 
force  main.  It  should  be  pointed  out  that 
the  route  followed  by  the  railway,  as  well 
as  the  city  of  Akron  force  main,  is  all  on 
high,  well-drained  and  consequently  dry 
ground,  so  that  there  were  no  low-resist- 
ance ground  paths  by  which  this  current 
might  have  taken  a  shorter  route  to  tho 
Gorge  substation. 

With  the  above  information,  it  became 
a  simple  matter  to  eliminate  the  flow  of 
current  on  the  force  main.  This  was  done 
by  thoroughly  bonding  the  tracks,  especially 
in  the  locality  mentioned  above,  and  by  run- 
ning out  a  negative  feeder  from  the  Gorge 
substation  in  the  direction  of  High  Street. 
This  feeder  was  not  tied  to  the  tracks  for 
a  distance  of  3,000  feet,  although  the  con- 
nection between  the  Gorge  negative  bus 
and  the  track  at  the  substation  was  retained. 
In  this  way  a  part  of  the  return  circuit  drop 
was  transferred  to  the  negative  feeders, 
with  the  result  that  the  potential  of  the 
tracks  was  raised  considerably.  These 
mitigative  measures  served  two  purposes, 
namely,  to  provide  a  metallic  return  circuit 
of  high  conductivity  and  to  reduce  the  po- 
tential drop  between  the  force  main  at  Tall- 
madge and  the  Gorge  substation. 


548 


High  Lights  on  American  Water  Works 

Convention 

Unusual  Interest  Shown  in  Papers  and  Exhibits  by  Large  Number  of  Delegates 


THE  American  Water  Works  Associa- 
tion held  its  annual  convention  in 
Philadelphia  May  15-19,  with  head- 
quarters at  the  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel. 
This  convention  will  remain  notable  in  the 
eyes  of  all  who  attended,  because  of  the  un- 
usual interest  manifested  in  all  its  activities. 
Although  the  meetings  were  not  called  to 
order  at  the  times  specified,  they  were  very 
well  attended  and  productive  of  much  val- 
uable discussion.  Both  during  the  sessions 
and  at  other  times  the  exhibits  of  the  water- 
works manufacturers  were  thronged  with 
interested  superintendents  and  engineers. 
The  spirit  of  the  delegates  showed  itself  in 
close  examination  and  inquiry  rather  than 
in  the  cursory  glance  which  bespeaks  lack 
of  interest. 

Notable  among  the  papers  of  Tuesday, 
May  16,  were  very  valuable  discussions  of 
fire  prevention  and  fire  protection  in  rela- 
tion to  public  water-supplies,  by  Frank  C. 
Jordan  of  the  Indianapolis  Water  Company, 
and  the  extemporaneous  address  on  the 
Hetch  Hetchy  water-supply,  in  place  of  M. 
M.  O'Shaughnessy's  paper.  This  talk  gave 
unusual  force  to  the  contention  that  con- 
vention papers  should  be  read  in  abstract, 
leaving  the  details  for  publication  in  the 
Journal.  The  paper,  "Underground  Leak- 
age and  Its  Relation  to  Mains  and  Ser- 
vices," by  Thomas  F.  Wolfe,  Secretary, 
Cast  Iron  Pipe  Publicity  Bureau,  read  at 
the  evening  session  which  was  arranged 
for  by  the  Water  Works  Manufacturers 
Association,  gave  many  interesting  facts 
and  figures  on  the  value  of  cast  iron  mains 
as  service  lines.  Mr.  Wolfe  decried  the 
present  system  of  listing  leaks  as  so  much 
per  mile  of  main  or  per  inch  of  joint  with- 
out a  statement  as  to  whether  it  includes 
service  line  leaks  or  not.  Experience  has 
shown  that  most  leaks  occur  in  services. 
In  the  Wednesday  forenoon  session,  the 
paper,  "Problems  in  the  Reforestation  of 
Watersheds,"  by  George  R.  Taylor,  Scran- 
ton,  Pa.,  was  particularly  well  received. 
The  paper,  as  well  as  the  lantern  slides, 
proved  very  instructive  and  produced  con- 
siderable   discussion   of    reforestation. 


In  spite  of  the  raw  wind  and  rain,  which 
chilled  those  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  boat 
provided  by  the  Water  Works  Manufac- 
turers Association  for  the  Wednesday  after- 
noon trip  on  the  Delaware  River,  there  was 
a  large  attendance.  Great  interest  was 
shown  in  the  various  shipbuilding  yards 
and  the  Chester  water-works. 

Superintendents'  Day  on  Thursday 
brought  out  a  number  of  papers  of  great 
value  and  an  unusually  large  attendance  of 
superintendents.  The  Chemical  and  Bac- 
teriological Section  thoroughly  enjoyed  its 
lengthy  discussions  of  hydrogen  ion  concen- 
tration, but  little  of  practical  value  to  the 
plant  chemist  or  the  superintendent  seemed 
to  come  out  of  the  discussion. 

The  Executive  Committee  presented  the 
names  of  three  cities  which  had  asked  for 
the  1923  Convention  of  the  American  Water 
Works  Association,  namely,  Detroit,  Mich., 
San  Francisco,  Calif.,  and  Omaha,  Nebr. 
San  Francisco  withdrew  from  the  race  in 
favor  of  Detroit,  asking,  however,  that  it  be 
remembered  for  the  1924  meeting.  By  an 
overwhelming  majority,  the  delegates  and 
manufacturers  chose  Detroit  and  its  prof- 
fered hospitality  for  the  1923  Convention. 
The  following  officers  were  elected: 
President,  W.  F.  Kramer,  Chief  Engineer, 
Water  Works  Company,  Lexington,  Ky.  j 
Vice-President,  George  W.  Fuller,  Consult- 
ing Engineer,  New  York  City;  Treasurer, 
William  W.  Brush,  Deputy  Chief  Engineer, 
Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  and 
Electricity,  New  York  City;  Trustee  for 
District  i,  George  W.  Batchelder,  Water 
Commissioner,  Worcester,  Mass. ;  Trustee 
for  District  4,  Joseph  W.  Films,  Consulting 
Engineer,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

The  Water  Works  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation elected  the  following  officers: 
President,  Edgar  J.  Buttenheim,  The 
American  City;  Vice-President,  Charles  R. 
Wood,  R.  D.  Wood  &  Company,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. ;  Secretary.  John  A.  Kienle, 
Mathieson  Alkali  Works,  Inc.,  New  York 
City ;  Treasurer,  Dennis  O'Brien,  A.  P. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  East 
Orange,  N.  J. 


549 


Budget  Making  and  the  Citizens'  Interest 

By  Lionel  Weil 

Chairman,  Finance  Committee,  Goldsboro,  N.  C. 


IN  order  that  the  various  administrations 
of  the  cities  and  towns  throughout  the 
country  may  attain  their  fullest  meas- 
ure of  success,  three  important  factors  are 
necessary — good  men,  good  laws,  and  a 
continuing  interest  by  the  people. 

The  value  of  public  interest  is  not  only 
important,  but,  to  a  large  extent,  deter- 
mines whether  we  shall  have  good  men  and 
good  laws.  An  indifferent  electorate  in- 
variably begets  a  mediocre  administration. 
The  best  results  have  always  come  when 
the  people  are  keenly  aroused  to  a  proper 
appreciation  of  our  civic  problems. 

In  the  range  of  municipal  problems,  there 
is  no  event  more  important,  nor  one  that 
should  engage  public  attention  to  a  greater 
degree,  than  a  consideration  of  the  budget. 

What  the  Budget  Is  and  What  It  Does 

Simply  stated,  the  city  budget  is  the 
financial  plan  and  guide  for  the  yearly  con- 
duct of  its  business.  It  embodies  the  de- 
tailed estimate  of  expense  and  revenue  nec- 
essary for  the  proper  operation  of  its  gov- 
ernment, systematically  arranged  according 
to  its  various  departments,  with  a  compara- 
tive statement  of  the  previous  year's  trans- 
actions. It  enables  the  city  to  determine 
accurately  its  financial  program  and  shape 
its  policies  a  year  in  advance,  thereby  giv- 
ing the  public  a  deeper  insight  and  a  better 
understanding  of  what  services  are  planned 
and  what  financial  burdens  they  are  ex- 
pected to  share. 

Experience  has  shown,  by  thus  planning 
ahead  and  taking  into  consideration  the 
various  requirements  of  each  department 
according  to  its  relative  importance,  that 
money  has  not  only  been  saved,  but  that  a 
higher  standard  of  service  has  been  secured. 
As  a  proper  safeguard  and  good  business, 
therefore,  the  budget  becomes  of  equal  im- 
portance to  the  small  town  and  the  larger 
city. 

Who  Should  Prepare  the  Budget  ? 

The  first  step  necessary  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  successful  budget  is  executive 
authority.     In  the  city   manager   form   of 


government,  this  duty  naturally  falls  on 
the  city  manager,  assisted  by  the  chief 
financial  officer.  In  the  commission  form, 
and  the  federal  plan  of  government,  where 
the  commission  or  the  mayor  appoints  all 
department  heads,  who  are  directly  respon- 
sible to  the  commission  or  the  mayor,  it 
should  be  their  duty  to  secure  the  proper 
estimates  from  the  various  departments.  In 
towns  or  cities  where  government  by  com- 
mittees continues  to  flourish  and  such  cen- 
tralization does  not  exist,  it  is  desirable  that 
the  mayor  or  the  municipal  executive  call 
together  the  various  representatives  of  the 
several  departments,  lay  before  them  the 
city's  current  revenues,  and  ascertain  what 
the  requirements  for  their  respective  de- 
partments would  be  for  the  current  year. 
Here,  by  a  committee  of  the  whole,  the 
public  need  could  be  correlated  and  the  ab- 
solute necessities  approved. 

The  entire  estimates,  with  supporting 
data,  could  thus  be  prepared  for  presenta- 
tion to  the  board  of  aldermen  or  council. 
The  preparation  of  the  budget  estimates, 
outside  the  council  itself,  and  their  final 
approval  or  disapproval  would  place  the 
responsibility  of  government  where  it  ac- 
tually belongs. 

Determining  Relative  Values 

In  the  making  of  a  budget,  one  of  the 
real  problems  is  to  ascertain  the  relative 
amounts  needed  for  the  departments. 
Since  the  fundamental  prerequisite  to  the 
existence  of  society  in  any  form  is  the  pres- 
ervation of  law  and  order  and  the  protec- 
tion of  life  and  property,  it  would  seem  that 
the  first  care  of  the  city  would  be  adequate 
provision  for  public  safety.  This  would 
include  the  work  of  the  police,  fire,  and  pub- 
lic health  departments  and  they  should 
therefore  be  the  first  to  be  put  on  an  ade- 
quate basis.  The  necessary  condition  to 
accomplish  this  end  would  be  the  provision 
of  such  public  improvements  as  the  above — 
lighted  streets,  water  and  sewerage,  and 
the  machinery  for  fire-fighting. 

After  these  elemental  needs  are  taken 
care   of,   the   undertaking  of  most    corise- 


550 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


quence  is  public  education,  since  popular 
government  is  dependent  for  its  continuance 
on  an  educated  citizenship.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  our  city  schools  are  taken  care  of, 
in  most  of  our  communities,  by  a  separate 
and  distinct  corporation,  this  subject  will 
not  constitute  part  of  the  present  discus- 
sion. In  this  connection,  however,  the  sup- 
port and  encouragement  of  the  municipality 
should  be  given  to  its  public  library. 

Next  in  order  come  the  numerous  and 
various  activities  of  social  welfare,  relief 
of  the  poor,  places  of  recreation,  and  play- 
ground facilities. 

F.xpenditures 

It  is  a  prevailing  practice  for  a  city  to 
first  estimate  the  essential  expenditures  for 
the  year  and  then  provide  revenue  for 
meeting  them.  The  expenditures  of  the 
average  municipality  may  be  reasonably 
classified  under  the  following  departments: 
(i)  Administration;  (2)  Police;  (3)  Fire; 
(4)  Health  and  SanHation;  (5)  Streets; 
(6)  Sewerage;  (7)  Water;  (8)  Lighting; 
(9)  Education — Schools  and  Library;  (10) 
Parks  and  Playgrounds;  (11)  General  Ex- 
pense and  Contingencies;  (12)  Sinking 
Fund  and  Interest. 

In  order  that  any  change  in  the  assets  of 
the  city  may  be  properly  reflected  in  its 
financial  statement  and  that  the  actual  op- 
erating expenses  may  be  known,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  separate  the  expenditures  of  these 
various  departments  into  two  classifica- 
tions, Expense  and  Capital  Outlay.  Ex- 
pense comprises  all  items  of  expenditure 
necessarily  incurred  for  current  administra- 
tion. Capital  Outlay  comprises  expenditures 
of  every  character  made  from  the  general 
fund  which  increase  the  assets  of  the  cor- 
poration, popularly  called  "permanent  im- 
provements." 

Sources  of  Revenue 

For  clearness  and  convenience,  revenue 
is  divided  into  two  classifications:  (i)  rev- 
enue for  the  general  fund,  which  includes 
current  revenue;  and  (2)  revenue  for  the 
sinking  fund,  which  includes  revenue  for 
interest  and  the  payment  of  the  principal 
of  bonds  at  maturity.  The  principal 
sources  of  revenue  for  the  general  funds 
are  the  taxes  on  real  estate  and  personal 
property,  including  poll  taxes,  special  li- 
censes and  fees,  water  rentals,  electric  light 
receipts,  and  costs  from  the  City  Recorder's 
or  Mayor's  Court. 


Appropriation  Ordinance 

In  order  to  make  effective  the  various 
proposals  in  the  budget,  an  appropriation 
ordinance  should  be  drafted  and  passed  by 
the  council.  The  budget  then  becomes  op- 
erative as  the  administration's  guide  for 
the  current  year.  To  insure  its  effective- 
ness and  to  make  it  thoroughly  binding, 
every  contract  for  the  purchase  of  supplies, 
material  and  equ'pment  should  become 
valid  only  when  the  city  auditor  or  comp- 
troller certifies  that  funds  are  available 
and  the  contract  is  signed  by  the  chief  ex- 
ecutive officer  under  authority  of  the  gov- 
erning body.  Further,  no  expenditures  for 
salary  and  labor  should  be  made  by  the 
chief  executive  officer  until  the  city  auditor 
certifies  that  funds  are  available.  A 
monthly  balance  sheet  should  be  presented 
to  the  council  so  that  a  proper  check  as  to 
its  operations  can  be  had  and,  at  all  times, 
the  unexpended  balance  may  be  shown  in 
each  department. 

Some  Basic  Charter  Provisions 

A  few  of  the  more  important  provisions 
of  the  North  Carolina  Finance  Act  and  the 
Model  City  Charter  are  submitted  as  a  sug- 
gested guide  for  budget  procedure: 

The  fiscal  year  of  the  city  shall  be  from 
June  I  to  May  31,  or  from  September  i  to 
August  31,  inclusive;  and  not  earlier  than  one 
month  before,  nor  later  than  one  month  after, 
the  beginning  of  each  fiscal  year,  the  chief 
executive  of  the  municipality  shall  prepare  and 
submit  to  the  council  an  annual  budget  for  the 
ensuing  fiscal  year  based  upon  detailed  esti- 
mates furnished  by  the  several  departments 
and  other  divisions  of  the  city  government,  ac- 
cording to  a  classification  as  nearly  uniform  as 
possible.  The  budget  shall  present  the  follow- 
ing information: 

(a)  An  itemized  statement  of  the  appropria- 
tions recommended  by  the  chief  executive  of 
the  municipality  for  current  expenses  and  for 
permanent  improvements  for  each  department 
and  each  division  thereof  for  the  ensuing  fiscal 
year,  with  comparative  statements,  in  parallel 
columns,  of  the  appropriations  and  expenditures 
for  the  current  and  next  preceding  fiscal  year, 
and  the  increases  or  decreases  in  the  appropria- 
tions recommended. 

(b)  An  itemized  statement  of  the  taxes  re- 
quired and  of  the  estimated  revenues  of  the 
city  for  all  other  sources  for  the  ensuing  fiscal 
year,  with  comparative  statements,  in  parallel 
columns,  of  the  taxes  and  other  revenues  for 
the  current  and  next  preceding  fiscal  year,  and 
of  the  increases  or  decreases  estimated  or  pro- 
posed. 

(c)  A  statement  of  the  financial  condition 
of  the  municipality. 

(d)  A  copy  of  the  budget  shall  be  filed  in 


June,  1922 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


551 


tlic  office  of  the  city  clerk  for  public  inspection 
not  later  than  ten  days  before  its  adoption  by 
the  governing  body,  and  a  public  hearing  shall 
be  given  thereon  by  the  governing  body  before 
the  adoption  of  the  budget,  notice  of  which 
hearing  shall  be  published. 

(e)  Such  other  information  as  may  be  re- 
quired by  the  city  council.  Such  budgets,  when 
adopted  by  the  council,  cannot  be  changed  ex- 
cept at  a  regular  meeting,  and  upon  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  the  whole  council. 

The  foregoing  sections  relating  to  budget 
procedure  are  in  accordance  with  the  best 
modern  thought  and  practice  on  the  sul)ject, 
but  no  instrument,  however  well  conceived 
and  executed,  can  be  thoroughly  successful 
unless  it  is  understood  and  approved  by  an 
enl'ghtened  public. 

Reaching  the  Public 

The  budget  can,  and  should,  be  one  of  the 
chief  means  of  arousing  public  interest  and 
extending  public  knowledge.  Figures  are 
cold  facts  to  the  majority  of  people — ordi- 
narily, they  are  as  dry  as  dust.  Every 
legitimate  efifort,  therefore,  should  be  made 
to  present  the  proposed  appropriations,  with 
their  supporting  data,  so  as  to  attract  the 
average  citizen  by  a  joint  appeal  to  his 
common  sense  and  imagination,  first  gain- 
itig  his  understanding  and  then  securing 
his  confidence.  Copies  of  the  proposed 
budget  should  be  printed  in  circular  form 
and  distributed.  Subdivided  circles,  graph- 
ically showing  the  relative  expenditures  and 
the  comparative  percentages  for  each  de- 
partment, also  sources  of  revenue,  their 
amounts  and  the  comparative  percentages  of 
these  sources,  will  secure  a  greater  clear- 
ness and  better  understanding. 

The  budget  should  also  be  printed  in 
story  form  for  the  local  newspapers,  show- 
ing, by  departments,  what  additional  ser- 
vice can  be  accomplished  by  each  appro- 
priation. A  suggested  caption  might  be : 
"What  It  Costs  to  Run  City  Hall— Here 
Are  the  Figures  to  Show  Just  What  Your 
Money  Does." 

The  following  items  will  serve  as  a  help- 
ful illustration — Under  "Health  and  Sani- 
tation" : 

"This  year's  budget  contains  $10,000  increase 
for  the  eradication  of  the  mosquito.  It  is  con- 
fidently predicted  that,  with  the  disappearance 
of  the  mosquito,  malaria  will  be  arrested  and 
the  health  and  economic  efficiency  of  500  indi- 
viduals will  be  restored,  and  that  they  will  be 
returned  to  their  usual  avocations." 


Total  EsTiMATto  Revcnuc 
Taxabli.  YtAB  1920 


N\ 

Funding 

BON03               \ 

\ 

•35.00 

0.00 

■ uT^tS      ANO 

■VCIrsctLLANtOUS  Rtvl 

ROPtsTr      Tax           \ 

^^^■34,225.00 

•I2S.4  4I   S« 

\ 

Water      ^**s,,^^^^ 

,     DtPARTMCNT             . 
\     •41.730.00         /^ 

Grand  Total '303.528.98 


Total  Estimated  Expenditures 
^ay  1.1920 TO  MayOI.1921 


Grand  Total /Appropriation  •003.528.98 


Health  "and  Sanitation  Departmcnt 
Approp«iationM»t  l.l920.roMAy  31.1921  '36.30500 


Distribution  of  Estimated  Cxpcnditurcs 
For  13  Months 


552 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


Under  "Motorization  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment" : 

"The  proposed  purchase  of  a  motor  truck 
for  $6,500  not  only  improves  the  efficiency  of 
our  Fire  Department  in  enabhng  it  to  extin- 
guish fires  in  their  incipiency,  but  will  secure 
5  per  cent  reduction  in  our  insurance  rates,  and 
in  two  years  our  citizens  will  save  enough  to 
offset  the  original  cost  of  this  truck!" 

And,  finally,  under  the  headline,  "Service 
vs.  Cost,"  the  following  argument  might  be 
justified  in  any  well-governed  and  rapidly 
developing  municipality : 

These  various  improvements  have  necessarily 
been  added  with  an  increase  in  the  tax  rate. 
But  if  one  can  in  any  way  interpret  the  desire 
of  the  average  citizen,  we  believe  he  would  be 
unwilling  to  revert  to  the  old  condition,  poor 
service  and  low  taxes.  A  low  tax  rate,  accom- 
panied by  very  little  resulting  benefit,  is  seldom 
appreciated. 

The  following  thought  should  illustrate  this 
idea :  The  recollection  of  a  low  price  for  a 
cheap  article  is  soon  forgotten,  but  the  poor 
service  it  has  rendered  is  long  remembered. 
Our  conception  of  city  government  is  rapidly 


undergoing  a  change.  In  bygone  years,  the 
prevailing  policy  of  some  administrations  has 
been  to  see  how  cheaply  the  government  could 
be  administered.  The  standard  of  living  has 
so  greatly  changed  that  the  luxuries  of  yester- 
day have  become  the  necessities  of  to-day.  So 
our  people  have  come  to  give  first  consideration 
to  the  character  of  service  and  efficiency  ren- 
dered rather  than  low-cost  operations. 

The  budget,  outlining  the  city's  plan  of 
action  for  the  entire  year,  carries  with  it  a 
most  vital  message.  An  earnest  endeavor 
should  therefore  be  made  to  secure  the  full- 
est publicity  in  its  consideration.  The  pub- 
lic should  be  invited  to  participate  in  a  full 
discussion  of  its  provisions  at  a  meeting  of 
the  council  called  for  this  purpose,  to  the 
end  that  when  the  budget  is  finally  adopted 
the  administration  will  have  the  sympa- 
thetic understanding  and  the  harmonious 
cooperation  of  an  interested  citizenship. 

Acknowledgment. — From  "Attainable  Standards  in 
Municipal  Programs,"  published  by  the  University 
Extension  Division,  University  of  North  Carolina, 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  December  1,  1921, 


The  Child   Labor  Decision — What  Are   We  Going  to 

Do  About  It? 


Seven  Next  Steps 

(i)  Our  parents  can  secure  state  laws 
which  require  children  to  go  to  school  regu- 
larly until  they  are  i6;  whoever  is  at  school, 
of  course,  cannot  be  working  in  factories 
or  even  at  home. 

(2)  School  officers  and  business  men 
can  advertise  so  well  that  going  to  an  effi- 
cient school  pays  better  than  even  earning 
money,  that  parents  will  keep  children  at 
school  wherever  possible. 

(3)  Citizens  everywhere  can  work  for 
efficient  schools. 

;  (4)  '  Boys  and  girls  can  often  earn  more 
)^  being  careful  of  clothes  and  food  than 
)V  going  to  work  when  too  young. 
I  (5)  Your  locality  can  be  interested  in 
iroviding  scholarship  or  loan  funds  for 
•hose  children  whose  parents  are  proved 
upon  inquiry  to  be  unable  to  get  along  with- 
out children's  earnings. 


(6)  Teachers  and  editors  can  teach  em- 
ployers that  premature  child  labor  hurts 
them  and  reduces  their  profits  in  the  long 
run;  business  will  make  bigger  profits  from 
high-paid  workers  than  from  low-paid 
workers;  the  fewer  the  child  laborers,  the 
more  high-paid  workers  our  country  will 
have. 

(7)  Finally,  every  American  school 
child  can  help  remove  such  arguments  for 
child  labor  as  that  children  who  do  not  stop 
school  at  14  become  lazy  and  thriftless. 

Constitutional  Amendment? 

The  executive  council  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor  and  others  propose  a 
Constitutional  amendment  which  would 
abolish  child  labor. 

— From  the  Institute  for  Public  Ser- 
vice Looseleaf  Current  Events  No. 

ID. 


It  is  well  understood  by  every  intelligent  citizen  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  disease 
is  preventable.    The  health  of  the  children  dem:inds  clean  homes  with  sanitary  surroundings. 
— Piihlic  Health,  State  Department  of  Health,  Lansing,  Mich. 


553 


Fundamentals  of  Design  for  Safe  Roads 


By  A.  R.  Hirst 

State  Highway  Engineer,  Madison,  Wis. 


IN  securing  safety  on  highways,  probably 
the  greatest  advance  can  be  made  in 
the  design  of  the  highway  structures 
themselves.  Up  to  the  present  the  prin- 
cipal idea  of  American  highway  engineers 
has  been  to  build  a  structure  which  will 
stand  up  under  traffic;  very  little  attention 
has  been  paid  to  safety.  Practice  along 
safety  lines,  however,  is  making  rapid  ad- 
vances as  traffic  becomes  heavier  and  faster. 

It  has  recently  been  stated  that  more  ac- 
cidents occur  on  straight  highways  than  on 
curving  and  presumably  dangerous  high- 
ways. It  is  doubtful  if  this  is  true  in  gen- 
eral. If  it  is  true,  the  trouble  is  probably 
caused  by  too  narrow  surfacing  or  by  the 
presence  of  more  traffic  on  the  straight- 
away sections  than  on  the  sections  with 
excessive  curvature.  In  all  probability,  if 
the  exact  number  of  vehicles  and  accidents 
were  known,  the  road  with  the  greatest 
number  of  sharp  curves  would  .show  the 
most  accidents  per  mile  of  traffic.  A  com- 
parison of  accidents  without  a  comparison 
of  traffic  is  worthless. 

Vertical  curves  are  almost  as  dangerous 
as  horizontal  curves,  especially  if  the  sur- 
faces are  narrow  and  the  drivers  do  not 
keep  to  the  right  side  of  the  road  on  ap- 
proaching the  crown  of  hills.  Vertical 
curves  should  have  a  radius  of  at  least 
1,000  feet.  With  this  radius,  an  approach- 
ing vehicle  can  be  seen  200  feet  ahead  and 
there  is  comparative  safety  if  there  is  mod- 
erately careful  driving. 

No  horizontal  curves  of  less  than  300- 
foot  radius  should  be  planned,  unless  the 
circumstances  are  very  exceptional.  On 
high-speed  main  lines  of  travel  and  on 
roads  which  carry  the  highest  character 
of  traffic,  almost  any  expenditure  is  justified 
in  order  to  secure  such  curves  or  even 
easier  ones.  A  curve  of  300-foot  radius 
in  a  cut  gives  vision  only  200  feet  ahead — 
and  this  is  little  enough  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  two  cars  going  30  miles  an 
hour  will  meet  in  two  seconds  after  seeing 
each  other. 


Superelevation  and  Widening 

Curves  should,  of  course,  be  superelevated 
and  widened.  This  practice  is  now  gen- 
eral in  several  states  and,  while  in  most 
cases  it  has  not  proceeded  far  enough,  a 
greater  number  of  radical  superelevations 
are  being  used  each  year.  It  is  believed 
that  on  curves  less  than  300  feet  in  radius, 
superelevations  up  to  one  inch  to  the  foot 
are  desirable.  All  curves  of  less  than  1,000- 
foot  radius  should  be  widened,  the  widen- 
ing becoming  greater  as  the  radius  of  the 
curve  becomes  smaller.  If  radii  as  small 
as  300  feet  are  used,  the  widening  should 
be  at  least  24  feet  on  a  two-way  road. 

Where  it  is  impossible  to  get  curves  with 
a  radius  of  300  feet  or  more — if  such  a 
case  exists — care  should  be  taken  to  secure 
at  least  200  feet  of  vision  ahead.  Too 
many  engineers  are  placing  their  curves  so 
as  to  restrict  the  vis'on,  although  it  is 
possible  by  throwing  the  ends  of  the 
tangents  away  from  the  bank  to  put  in 
the  same  curve  and  still  get  vision  past  the 
bank.  Cutting  down  banks  to  the  line  of 
vision  is  being  practiced  to  some  extent, 
but  unless  good  maintenance  is  secured, 
this  is  not  proving  as  satisfactory  as  was 
expected,  because  of  weed  and  brush  growth. 

Dead  ends  come  under  the  same  clas- 
sification as  curves.  Dead  ends  are  corners 
where  the  course  of  the  main  highway  is 
not  continued  by  an  inferior  highway,  while 
the  main  highway  makes  the  sharp  turn. 
Treatment  in  such  places  should  be  just  as 
radical  as  at  curves,  and  added  protection 
should  be  given  by  erecting  white  boarding 
across  the  dead  end,  so  that  the  driver  is 
notified  that  the  highway  turns  sharply. 
On  such  boards  an  arrow  indicating  the 
direction  of  the  turn  is  helpful. 

The  points  of  danger  on  our  highways 
occur  at  curves  and  on  high-speed  main 
lines  of  traffic.  Too  much  money  cannot 
be  spent  in  securing  good  vision  by  build- 
ing curves  of  easy  radius.  The  fact  that 
in  every  case  an  easier  curve  shortens  the 
center  line  distance  and  thus  reduces  the 


554 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


amount  of  paving  required,  always  helps 
to  offset  the  additional  cost  of  securing 
right  of  way  for  such  curves. 

Insu'ficient  Width  Is  Dangerous 

Next  to  curves,  the  factor  which  prob- 
ably produces  the  greatest  number  of  ac- 
cidents is  narrow  surfacing.  No  perma- 
nent roadway  should  be  built  with  a  width 
less  than  i8  feet  on  any  main  line  of  travel. 
Twenty  feet  is  much  better  and  far  safer. 
We  do  not  believe  in  building  over  20  feet 
wide  unless  a  road  for  four  lines  of  traffic 
is  desired,  in  which  case  36  feet  should  be 
the  minimum  and  40  feet  would  be  much 
better. 

Pavements  on  high-speed  roads  should 
be  some  multiple  of  10  feet  in  width,  pro- 
viding a  lane  for  each  line  of  traffic.  Such 
widths  as  14,  15,  16,  24  and  32  feet,  and  any 
other  widths  that  do  not  provide  a  clear 
width  of  at  least  9  feet  for  each  line  of 
vehicles,  are  useless  widths  and  should 
never  be  figured  upon.  Large  sums  of 
money  have  been  wasted  or  partially  wasted 
in  build'ng  pavements  of  such  width.  If 
the  traffic  does  not  justify  at  least  18  feet, 
a  9-  or  1 0-foot  road  should  be  built,  so  that 
no  one  will  be  deceived  into  believing  that 
there  is  a  double-track  road  where  such 
does  not  exist.  These  roads  can  be  made 
double-track  later  when  funds  become  avail- 
able.   Wide  pavements  make  for  easier  and 


cheaper  maintenance,  in  that  they  keep  the 
traffic  off  the  edges  of  the  pavements,  make 
for  easier  shoulder  maintenance  and  also 
provide  for  a  moderate  distribution  of 
traffic. 

Bridges  and  culverts  should  be  built  of 
adequate  width  between  end  walls.  The 
distance  between  end  walls  should  be  at 
least  equal  to  the  width  of  the  top  of  the 
fills  when  new.  It  is  suggested  that  on  main 
lines  of  travel  not  less  than  26  feet  should 
be  used  as  the  distance  between  end  walls 
or  parapets  of  bridges  and  culverts,  and  if 
grades  are  wider,  greater  distance  should 
be  provided. 

In  the  design  of  bridges  and  culverts, 
especially  in  the  end  walls  and  railings, 
there  are  great  opportunities  for  the 
beautification  of  highways.  Artistic  panel- 
ing on  spindles  adds  very  materially  to  the 
appearance  of  concrete  structures  without 
greatly  increasing  their  cost.  People  are 
usually  willing  to  pay  for  the  artistic, 
once  •  they  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
samples  of  artistic  bridges  from  which  to 
judge  the  effect  of  good  proportion  and 
good  design. 

There  is  need  for  some  artistic  develop- 
ment in  the  construction  of  guard-fences. 
Nothing,  probably,  adds  more  to  the  appear- 
ance of  a  highway  than  well-constructed, 
well-aligned,  white  guard-fences. 


Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  Celebrates  Opening  of  New  Bridge 


ON  May  II  and  12  the  new  Free  Bridge 
spann'ng  the  Arkansas  River  at 
Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  was  opened  with 
appropriate  dedication  ceremonies.  The 
bridge,  bu'lt  of  reinforced  concrete,  is 
3,168  feet  long  and  38  feet  wide  with  a  5- 
foot  sidewalk  on  each  side,  and  cost 
$1,000,000. 

The  state  line  between  Arkansas  and 
Oklahoma  crosses  the  bridge.  It  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  main  highway  from  Arkan- 


sas into  the  state  of  Oklahoma.  The  bridge 
was  built  by  an  improvement  d' strict  voted 
by  the  people.  The  bonded  indebtedness  of 
$1,000,000  is  to  be  redeemed  within  25 
years,  the  interest  being  payable  semi-an- 
nually. 

We  are  indebted  to  Hon.  Fagan  Bour- 
land,  Mayor,  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  for  the 
photograph  of  the  bridge  and  the  informa- 
tion above. 


THE   NEW    REINFORCED    CONCRETE   ARCH  BRIDGE    AT   FORT    SftUTH,    ARK. 


555 


The  Need  for  Health  Training 
in  Our  Schools 

By  George  T.  Palmer,  Dr.  P.  H. 

Fpidemiologist,  Detroit  Department  of  Health 


THE  most  valua])le  asset  which  a 
child  takes  with  him  on  stepping  forth 
from  the  public  schools  is  a  healthy 
body.  Lacking  this,  the  school  pupil  faces 
the  world  handxajjped.  It  is  true  that  some 
of  these  handicaps  are  so  far  humanly  un- 
preventable.  We  are  interested  particularly 
Ji  the  ills  that  do  not  have  to  be. 

A  Community  Health  Program 

The  coniniunty  can  perform  for  the 
school  pupil  three  distinct  services  that 
make  for  health.  First,  it  can  institute  a 
system  of  daily 
nursing  service  in 
each  school  build- 
ing, with  the 
object  of  control- 
ling contagion. 
Early  symptoms 
of  communicable 
disease  are  de- 
tected, and  chil- 
dren thus  affected 
are  excluded  be- 
fore there  is  op- 
portunity for  ex- 
posing m  any 
others.  Secondly, 
there    should     be 

complete  inspection  of  pupils  at  least 
once  a  year  for  the  purpose  of  revealing 
physical  defects.  With  this  knowledge, 
parents  can  take  corrective  steps  be- 
fore the  condition  becomes  aggravated. 
Thirdly,  the  community,  through  its 
educational  forces,  can  familiarize  children 
with  health  history  and  with  good  personal 
hygiene  and  can  arouse  in  the  child  a  de- 
sire to  establish  good  health  habits.  This 
program  is  dictated  as  a  governmental  re- 
sponsibility, as  a  groundwork  for  a  healthier 
commonwealth  in  the  years  to  come,  and  as 
a  business  investment.  The  prevention  of 
sickness  and  incapacitation  means  fewer 
charitable  institutions,  asylums,  prisons  and 
relief  agencies. 

The  need    for    these    health    services    is 


It  is  well  worth  the  trouble  and  expense 
to  incorporate  health  education  in  the  ele- 
mentary, as  well  as  the  high  school, 
curriculum.  This  information  must  come 
from  the  medical  and  nursing  personnel  of 
health  departments,  from  the  instructors  in 
physical  training,  and  from  the  school 
teachers.  The  already  crowded  school  pro- 
gram should  be  adjusted  or  balanced  to  meet 
this  situation,  even  at  the  expense  of 
eliminating  some  of  the  most  desirable, 
though  less  necessary,  cultural  studies. 


illuminatingly  shown  by  the  experiences  of 
any  of  our  municipalities.  It  has  not  been 
uncommon  to  find  at  the  beginning  of 
school  in  September,  children  in  advanced 
stages  of  acute  infections — scarlet  fever 
cases  with  skin  beginning  to  peel,  chicken- 
pox  and  smallpox  cases  with  pustular  erup- 
tions. These  are  mild  cases  which  no 
physician  has  seen,  but  which  are  capable 
of  causing  severe  illness  in  others.  During 
the  year  192 1,  school  nurses  of  the  Detroit 
Health  Department  found  15,000  cases  of 
dsease  in  the  school  and  in  the  home.  These 

infections  would 
have  been  passed 
on  to  many 
others  had  not 
the  nurses 
brought  them  to 
the  attention  of 
the  medical 
diagnosticians.  A 
thousand  cases 
o  f  pediculosis 
(head  lice) 
threatened  the 
disruption  of  a 
high  school  one 
winter.   The  next 


year  an  mspec- 
tion  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year 
ruled  out  the  few  guilty  ones,  and  this 
practice  annually  has  prevented  the  repeti- 
tion of  such  a  condition. 

We  self-satisfied  Americans  received  a 
jolt  in  19 1 7  when,  to  our  astonishment,  we 
read  that  Uncle  Sam  had  to  examine  three 
drafted  men  in  order  to  find  one  fit  to  bear 
arms.  We  can  see  physical  defects  in 
embryo  by  looking  at  our  school  children 
to-day.  The  examination  of  13,000  first- 
grade  children  in  the  Detroit  schools  in 
1922  shows  the  following  departures  from 
physical  perfection : 

Per    Cent   of   Children   with    the    Following 
Physical  Defects 

Enlarged    cervical   glands 0.8 

Enlarged    thyroid    ,  . .  .  .        1.3 

Defective    vision     '. 5.1 

Impaired    hearing     1.5 


556 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


Month     breathing     12.0 

Enlarged  or  diseased  tonsils 57.0 

Skin    diseases    1.6 

Anemia      6.0 

Defective  teeth    22.0 

Deformed    palate     0.02 

Abnormal  heart    signs     3.0 

Abnormal  chest    signs     3.1 

Orthopedic 0.9 

Eighty  per  cent  of  this  group  had  one  or 
more  defects.  It  should  be  noted  that  in  the 
Detroit  examinations  only  marked  cases  are 
listed  as  defects.  Slight  or  doubtful  de- 
fects are  not  included  in  the  above  table. 
For  this  reason  the  number  of  teeth  defects 
seems  small  in  comparison  with  the  rec- 
ords of  other  cities.  Slight  pit  cavities  or 
unclean  teeth  without  pronounced  cavities 
are  omitted  from  the  tabulation.  If  these 
were  included,  our  records  would  indicate 
that  at  least  80  per  cent  need  dental  atten- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  physically 
perfect  specimen  is  rare  indeed.  Probably 
not  more  than  two  out  of  a  hundred  are  free 
from  at  least  one  imperfection  in  physical 
health. 

The  largest  item  in  the  table  is  abnormal 
tonsils,  57  per  cent  of  first-grade  children 
showing  the  defect.  In  many  cases  this 
condition  may  be  temporary  and  will  shortly 
correct  itself.  In  other  cases  we  find  here 
the  seat  of  frequent  colds,,  malnourishment 
and  general  ill  health.  This  condition  war- 
rants a  more  careful  examination  by  a  pri- 
vate or  a  clinic  physician  to  discover  the 
corrective  procedure  necessary.  Mouth 
breathing  is  frequently  associated  with  ab- 
normal tonsils,  and  unless  the  condition  is 
purely  temporary,  the  removal  of  adenoids 
may  be  indicated.  Anemia  and  defective 
vision  affect  6  per  cent  and  5  per  cent,  re- 
spectively, of  first-grade  children.  Ob- 
viously, these  conditions  demand  more  care- 
ful medical  examination  to  determine  their 
true  seriousness.  Left  undiscovered  or  un- 
attended, we  have  in  our  growing  school 
population  physical  abnormalities  which  will 
handicap  many  children  all  their  lives  and 
even  materially  shorten  the  lives  of  some. 

Definite  Healtli  Lessons 

These  facts  are  not  so  much  a  cause  for 
alarm  as  for  action.  It  should  be  the  con- 
cern of  health  departments  to  devise  ways 
and  means  to  lessen  the  occurrence  of  health 
defects.  This  involves  intensive  study  of 
their  causes  and  means  for  their  prevention 
and  correction,  and  then  popular  education 
in  the  subject.  The  educational  program 
must  reach  into  the  home  to  protect  the 
child  before  he  enters  school.     The  school 


itself  can  do  tremendous  good  by  reaching 
the  home  through  the  child  and  by  prepar- 
ing the  child  to  take  care  of  the  next 
generation. 

Through  health  education  the  school 
child  must  learn  something  of  the  history 
of  disease :  that  diphtheria  caused  ten  times 
as  many  deaths  forty  years  ago  as  it  does 
now;  that  it  is  possible  to  protect  against 
diphtheria  by  immunization  with  toxin- 
antitoxin;  that  vaccination  protects  against 
smallpox,  and  that  in  the  Western  States, 
where  vaccination  is  lax,  there  is  one  hun- 
dred times  as  much  smallpox  as  in  the  East- 
ern States,  where  there  are  stringent 
vaccination  rules;  that  drinking  sewage- 
polluted  water  has  caused  thousands  of  un- 
necessary deaths  •  from  typhoid  and  that 
American  cities  now  have  one-fourth  the 
number  of  deaths  from  this  cause  that  they 
had  in  1900,  very  largely  because  of  filtra- 
tion and  sterilization  of  water-supplies. 
.  The  first  grader  is  not  too  young  to  learn 
that  he  should  not  put  his  fingers  into  his 
mouth,  that  he  should  not  swap  lollypops, 
that  coughing  and  sneezing  should  be  done 
in  a  handkerchief  rather  than  in  someone's 
face,  that  he  should  not  drink  from  a  pub- 
I'c  cup  or  use  a  common  towel. 

There  is  the  whole  question  of  diet  that 
must  be  put  across  in  a  way  that  will  leave 
its  imprint  on  the  child's  mind.  Thousands 
of  children  are  reared  on  coffee  and  pastry. 
Their  acquaintance  with  milk  and  vegetables 
is  scanty.  Just  question  a  roomful  of  pupils 
in  your  neighborhood  if  you  doubt  this. 

Much  of  the  spread  of  acute  infectious 
diseases  is  due  to  failure  of  parents  to  ob- 
serve the  Golden  Rule.  When  "other" 
people's  children  are  running  loose  with 
whooping-cough  and  measles,  it  is  shocking 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.,  who  have  children. 
But  the  shockingness  is  forgotten  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  A.'s  children  are  affected,  and  it 
is  so  hard  to  keep  the  children  indoors  when 
the  case  is  mild.  If  growing  children  ap- 
preciate the  means  by  which  disease  is 
spread,  when  they  become  parents  they  will 
think  and  act  with  more  intelligence. 

In  thirty  years'  time  our  American  death 
rate  has  been  halved.  The  motive  for 
broader  education  in  health,  however,  is  not 
only  a  longer  life,  but — what  is  equally  im- 
portant— a  more  efficient  and  comfortable 
life  freed  from  the  distressing,  the  debilitat- 
ing and  the  expensive  handicap  of  unneces- 
sary physical  defects  and  disease. 


557 


The  Municipal  Swimming  Pool 
in  Johnstown 

By  H.  Lee  Wilson 

City  Engineer,  Jolinstown,  Pa. 


FOR  many  years  the  residents  of  Johns- 
town, Pa.,  were  without  one  of  the 
most  enjoyable  forms  of  recreation — 
outdoor  bathing.  Two  rivers  flow  through 
the  city,  but  their  unsanitary  condition 
makes  them  unsatisfactory  for  bathing  ex- 
cept at  points  too  far  distant  for  con- 
venience. During  1920  the  Lorain  Steel 
Company  built  a  small  concrete  swimming 
pool  on  its  property  in  Johnstown.  This 
was  so  successful  that  the  public  demand 
impelled  the  construction  of  several  small 
privately  owned  pools.  As  all  these  were 
far  too  small,  the  growing  demand  for 
adequate  bathing  facilities  resulted  last  year 
in  the  construction  of  Johnstown's  first 
municipal   swimming  pool. 


In  connection  with  extensive  improve- 
ments which  the  School  Board  was  making, 
the  Recreation  Commission  found  that  a 
much-needed  recreation  center  could  be 
built  on  an  irregular  tract  of  land  owned 
by  the  Board,  without  seriously  interfering 
with  the  building  plans.  The  swimming 
pool  is  part  of  this  recreation  center,  and 
the  property  will  be  further  developed  with 
a  baseball  diamond,  tennis  courts  and  a 
playground. 

The  circular  or  oval  type  is  particularly 
adapted  to  public  pools.  The  shallow  water 
space  provided  at  the  edge  tends  to  reduce 
the  overcrowding  so  common  in  public 
pools  because  more  than  75  per  cent  of  those 
bathing  do  not  swim.     A  diving  platform 


TSS  JOHNSTOWN  FOOL,  UNDEB  CONSTBTJOTZON 


558 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


at  the  center  gives  open  space  for  the 
swimmers,  as  only  those  who  are  able  to 
swim  can  reach  it.  In  Johnstown  a  survey 
of  the  character  of  the  available  ground  in- 
dicated the  advisability  of  an  oval  pool,  and 
this  design  was   adopted. 

The  Engineering  Department  took  ad- 
vantage of  all  the  space  and  designed  a 
pool  252  feet  long  and  165  feet  wide.  It 
has  a  capacity  of  1,000,000  gallons  and  ac- 
commodates over  1,000  bathers  at  one  time. 
The  water  depth  at  the  center  is  10  feet, 
gradually  decreasing  until  at  the  edge  it  is 
only  15  inches.  At  a  po'nt  54  feet  6  inches 
from  the  edge  there  is  a  more  precipitate 
increase  in  the  depth,  from  6  feet  to  9  feet, 
giving  ample  depth  for  diving  from  the 
platform  placed  at  the  center.  The  floor 
is  6  inches  thick,  reinforced  with  steel  wire 
mesh  weighing  35  pounds  to  the  100  square 
feet.  The  s'de  walls  are  12  inches  at  the 
top  and  18  inches  at  the  bottom,  providing 
a  batter  on  the  inside  face  to  offset  ice  ex- 
pans'on  when  the  water  is  allowed  to  freeze 
to  afford  skating.  The  reinforcement  is 
continuous  from  floor  to  wall,  and  the  walls 
are  additionally  reinforced  by  i-inch  steel 
rods  placed  vertically  6  inches  apart,  and 
by  three  i-inch  horizontal  rods  at  both  the 
inside  and  the  outside  faces.  A  9-foot  con- 
crete sidewalk,  6  inches  thick,  was  placed 
entirely  around  the  pool.  The  walk  slopes 
away  from  the  pool,  >^-inch  to  the  foot, 
and  this  prevents  surface  filth  from  enter- 
ing the  pool.  Bath-houses  will  be  provided 
and  are  now  being  designed  in  connection 
with  the  other  improvements. 

The  expansion  joints  were  arranged  so 
that  a  day's  work  would  consist  of  entire 
slabs.  They  were  therefore  placed  32  feet 
6  inches  apart  on  the  long  arc  and  46  feet 
on  the  short  arc,  converging  toward  the 
center.  Joints  were  also  placed  at  all  breaks 
in  the  grade  of  the  floor.  The  platform 
was  designed  of  wood  construction  so  that 
it  might  be  removed  in  the  winter  to  pro- 
vide a  clear  way  for  ice  skating.  It  is 
bolted  to  concrete  foundations  under  the 
floor. 

The  wet,  soggy  condition  of  the  subgrade 
necessitated  extra  care  in  providing  drain- 
age. A  rather  extensive  system  of  sub- 
drains  leads  to  a  main  drain  placed  length- 
wise under  the  pool.  The  main  drain  in 
turn  leads  to  an  outlet  under  the  center  of 
the  pool  which  carries  the  water  to  a  12-inch 


sanitary  sewer.  A  concrete  sump  prevents 
the  overloading  of  this  sewer,  which  is 
only  a  temporary  connection.  The  perma- 
nent connection  will  be  made  as  soon  as 
the  construction  of  the  new  36-inch  con- 
crete storm  sewer  is  completed.  This 
drainage  required  1,764  lineal  feet  of  6- 
inch  and  8-inch  drain  tile  laid  in  trenches 
12  inches  deep  and  10  inches  wide,  filled 
with  coarse  broken  stone.  One  6-inch  drain 
was  placed  under  the  outside  wall,  into 
which  lead  the  four  overflow  pipes  from 
the  pool,  thus  maintaining  continuous  flow 
to   keep   the   drainage   system   clear. 

Two  distinct  sources  of  water-supply 
are  available.  The  main  supply  will  come 
from  one  8-inch  driven  well  which  assures 
pure  water.  The  pool  is  also  connected  to 
the  city  water-supply.  In  the  event  of  a 
drought  affect'ng  the  flow  of  the  well  in 
warm  weather,  when  the  pool  is  most 
needed,  the  c'ty  supply  may  be  utilized. 
The  design  at  first  contemplated  locating 
the  water  intake  at  the  edge,  but  as  this 
would  not  provide  proper  circulation,  it 
was  finally  decided  to  supply  the  water  at 
a  point  in  the  floor  near  the  center  of  the 
pool,  through  an  8-inch  cast  iron  pipe.  The 
d'scharge  is  effected  through  a  special  grate 
in  the  floor  at  the  center  of  the  pool  and 
through  a  24-inch  pipe  line  which  empties 
into  the  sewer  in  the  same  manner  as  does 
the  drainage  system. 

In  the  construction  of  the  pool  a  1:2:3 
mix  "was  used,  with  river  sand  as  fine  aggre- 
gate and  blast-furnace  slag  as  coarse  aggre- 
gate. Slag  was  used,  not  because  of  its 
quality,  but  rather  because  an  available  sup- 
ply was  readily  produced.  The  slabs  were 
laid  alternately.  The  extremely  soggy  con- 
dition of  the  subgrade  under  one  of  the 
slabs  necessitated  extra  reinforcement.  This 
was  obtained  by  placing  additional  steel 
5^-inch  rods  12  inches  apart  each  way.  The 
forms  for  the  side  walls  were  made  in  sec- 
tions and  used  repeatedly.  An  interesting 
incident  was  the  cooperation  of  the  boys 
from  the  city  vocational  school,  who  built 
and  placed  the  side  walls  for  the  concrete 
walk  The  concret'ng  operation  was  per- 
formed by  having  the  concrete  mixer  set 
in  an  elevated  position,  the  concrete  placed 
in  wheelbarrows  with  a  long  chute,  and  the 
wheelbarrows  run  along  elevated  boards  to 
the  desired  location. 

All  expansion  jo'nts  were  specified  to  be 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


559 


LONGITUDINAL  SCCTlON 


PLAN  AND   SECTIONS  OF  THE  NEW  JOHNSTOWN,   PA.,   SWIMMING  POOL 


of  K-inch  premolded  Elastite  joint  mate- 
rial. Lack  of  joint  material  at  the  start  of 
the  work  necessitated  some  other  method 
of  forming  the  joints.  The  wooden  side 
forms  of  the  slabs  were  left  in  place,  and 
it  was  intended  to  remove  them  when  the 
concrete  had  set  and  to  pour  the  joint  with 
asphalt.  The  great  difficulty  of  removing 
the  wood,  however,  made  a  very  expensive 
method.  All  joints  were  sealed  with  asphalt 
at  the  completion  of  the  work. 

An   average    force   of   2^    men   was    re- 
quired. 


The  summary  of  the  final  cost  account  is 
as  follows: 

700  tons  of  blast  furnace   slag,    delivered $  1,400 

500    tons    of    river    sand,    delivered 1,700 

1,000    barrels    of    cement,    delivered 4,000 

1,764    lineal    feet   of   drain    tile,    delivered 352 

184     lineal     feet     cast     iron     pipe     and     valve, 

delivered     1,700 

12,000      pounds      of     steel      reinforcing     mesh, 

delivered     480 

5,000  pounds  of  steel  reinforcing  rods,  delivered  200 

Rent   on    mixer,   60   days    at   $10 600 

Labor     11,500 

Miscellaneous,    expansion    joints,    form    lumber, 

tools,  etc 3,000 

Total    $24,932 

Acknowledgment. — Photographs   by    Ressler,   Johns- 
town,  Pa. 


56o 


Some  Conclusions  from  Recent  Visits  in 

Germany,  Holland,  Belgium,  France 

and  England 

By  Stephen  Child 

Fellow,  American  Society  of  Landscape  Architects 


AS  outlined  in  The  American  City 
last  month,  the  writer  has  recently 
had  the  privilege  of  visiting  the 
countries  enumerated  above,  with  parties 
of  trained  city  planning  and  housing  ex- 
perts, and  has  therefore  had  a  particularly 
good  opportunity  to  study  their  conditions. 
The  question  comes,  how  can  these  ex- 
periences help  us  in  America? 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  planning 
of  towns  (not  the  broader,  all-inclusive 
subject  of  city  planning),  they  cannot  help 
us  very  greatly.  Little  is  being  done  in  any 
of  these  countries  in  regard  to  comprehen- 
sive replanning  or  rebuilding  of  the  older 
portions  of  their  cities,  even  the  devastated 
cities,  nothing  at  all  comparable  to  what, 
for  example,  Chicago  is  accomplishing. 
(Rheims  is  a  brilliant  exception  and  the 
work  of  an  American.)  The  making  of 
town  plans  in  most  of  these  countries  is 
confined  to  the  preparation  of  what  we 
should  call  new  allotments  on  the  outskirts 
of  towns,  and.  as.  in  most  instances  the 
topographical  conditions  are  simple,  the 
plan-problems  are  correspondingly  so. 
Formality  is  appropriate,  with  straight  lines 
of  streets  rather  than  curved.  Diagonals 
are  usually  not  forgotten.  Narrow  pave- 
ments are  wisely  used,  few  alleyways  are 
employed,  and  frequent  park  spaces  and 
open  squares  occur.  The  court  or  place  has 
been  quite  generally  overworked,  especially 


THERE    ARE    FEW    DETACHED    HOTJSES,    BUT 

MANY  OPEN  SQUARES.     A  GROUP  AT 

DUSSEIJ>ORr 


in  England.  Little  or  no  attention  is  given 
to  organized  play  and  the  providing  of 
playgrounds.  Front  dooryards  are  gener- 
ally not  deep,  15  to  20  feet  is  the  average, 
and  rear  yards  are  also  for  the  most  part 
comparatively  shallow,  seldom  more  than 
50  or  75  feet  in  depth.  Allotment  gardens 
are  not  uncommon.  Parks,  as  we  know 
them,  especially  genuine,  comprehensive 
park  systems  as  in  Boston,  Chicago,  Kansas 
City,  and  Portland,  Ore.,  are  almost  un- 
known. 

The  great  question  of  zoning  has  hardly 
been  considered  in  either  Belgium  or 
France;  and  while  it  may  be  said  to  have 
originated  in  Germany,  it  is  not  being  very 
actively  considered  even  there  at  present. 
There  is,  however,  an  awakening  in  this 
regard  in  England.  In  all  these  countries, 
natural  conservatism  has  served  as  a  par- 
tial protection. 

These  countries,  however,  have  much  to 
teach  us  about  housing,  particularly  hous- 
ing for  the  poor.  In  every  one  of  them  a 
great  deal  is  being  done  to  help  the  poor 
man,  not  by  building  model  tenements,  but 
by  housing  him  and  his  family  in  condi- 
tions that  are  usually  excellent  and  occa- 
sionally luxurious.  We  are  not  doing  this 
in  America.  We  are  building  our  Roland 
Parks,  our  Forest  Hills  Gardens  and  the 
like,  but  these  are  for  what  we  should  call 
the  middle  class,  certainly  not  for  the  day 
laborer.  And  as  to  the  various  government 
war  housing  enterprises,  this  admittedly 
emergency  effort  was  not  only  conducted 
under  most  abnormal  conditions  as  to  costs 
and  speed,  but  was  rightly  directed  largely 
to  the  better  housing  of  the  higher-paid 
skilled  mechanic  and  foreman  rather  than 
of  the  really  poor  man.  Is  it  not  our  prob- 
lem here  and  now  to  do  better  for  this 
enormous  group?  Must  they  always  "con- 
tinue to  occupy  the  cast-off  houses  of  the 
better  paid?" 

How  are  the  Europeans  doing  it?  First, 
by  mass  production.    Projects  of  from  200 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


S6i 


THE  APPROACH  TO  MABGABETENHOHE,  ESSEN,  IS  BY  WAY  OF  THIS  FINE  STONE  ARCHWAY 

CROSSING   A   VALLEY   PARK 


to  500  houses  are  quite  common,  and  we 
noted  one  or  more  of  3,000.  Then  there  are 
really  very  few  detached  houses,  many 
semi-detached,  and  many  more  in  rows  or 
groups  of  from  four  to  ten. 

Eliminating  Non-Essentials  in  Housing 

As  to  details,  an  enormous  amount  of 
money  is  saved  in  the  aggregate  by  the  al- 
most universal  method  of  not  building  cel- 
lars. If  there  is  any  substructure,  it  is 
small;  more  often  there  is  none,  but  a  con- 
venient outbuilding  serves  for  coal,  wood 
and  supplies,  at  far  less  cost.  Modern  heat- 
ing methods  do  not  demand  a  cellar  for 
genuine  comfort  in  many  parts  of  America, 
and  we  should  do  well  to  adopt  some  of  the 
ingenious  heating  and  cooking  devices  noted 
in  England  and  Germany.  These  are  being 
introduced  in  France,  Holland  and  Belgium. 
Simpler  methods  of  plumbing  must  be  de- 
vised and  our  plumbing  and  building  ordi- 
nances amended  to  permit  them — they  can 
still  be  safe,  sanitary  and  healthful.  For 
example,  it  should  be  noted  that  in  the 
homes  of  the  really  poor  it  is  not  absolutely 
necessary  to  have  porcelain  bathtubs — often, 
as  we  know,  abused.  With  other  toilet  and 
heating  facilities,  portable  tubs  or  inex- 
pensive shower-baths  are  perfectly  proper. 
Among  other  things  worth  noting  are:  the 
comparatively  small  size  of  rooms,  and  the 
fact  that  they  are  often  relatively  low- 
studded;  the  common  room  or  dining-room- 
kitchen,  doing  away  with  the  extravagant 
parlor  usually  shut  up  except  for  funerals 
or  weddings;  and  the  small  kitchenette, 
which  saves  money  and  steps.  Standardized 
details,  such  as  window-frames,  doors, 
sashes,  shutters,  or  blinds,  and  the  produc- 


tion of  these  in  large  quantities,  contribute 
toward  economy   in  construction. 

As  to  exterior  architecture,  our  American 
architects  are  by  no  means  lacking  in  skill 
and  taste;  certainly  Germany  and  Holland 
can  teach  them  little. 

The  policy  of  buying  land  ahead,  at  or 
near  agricultural  values,  and  holding  it  for 
housing  needs,  is  of  the  utmost  importance, 
and  there  would  seem  to  be  no  good  reason 
why  foreign  principles  in  such  matters 
should  not  be  adapted  to  our  conditions. 
The  Society  "0ns  Limbourg"  that  buys  the 
farm  lands  in  the  Maestricht  min'ng  district 
of  Holland  is  run  on  principles  that  could 
be  readily  employed  in  America.*  To  be 
sure,  it  demands  foresight,  good  judgment 
and  a  spirit  of  cooperation,  but  no  Ameri- 
can will  admit  that  our  people  are  lacking 
in  these  qualifications.  The  problem  is  to 
stir  them  up,  set  them  to  work. 

The  writer  holds  no  brief  for  many  of 
the  foreign  financial  methods,  however,  cer- 
tainly not  for  the  private  philanthropy  of 
Port  Sunlight  and  Essen  with  their  over- 
luxurious  provisions,  nor  the  over-subsi- 
dization, the  real  government  charity  meth- 
ods that  have  been  so  common  in  England, 
France,  Holland  and  Belgium.  He  became 
fully  convinced  in  1920  when  England's 
methods  were  at  full  cry  that  they  were 
"riding  for  a  fall,"  and  the  slump  has  now 
come,  with  disastrous  results  to  housing  and 
labor  conditions.  Holland  did  not  go  to 
quite  such  limits  and  is  now  proceeding 
more  conservatively  to  retrench.  Belgium 
is  following  closely  in  Holland's  footsteps. 
Germany's    methods    of    spend    and    make 


•  See    The    American    City    for    February,    1922, 
page    103. 


562 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


NO  CELLARS— A  CONVENIENT  OUTBUILDING 
SERVES  FOR  STORAGE 

Note  small  individual  rear  yards  and  the  allotment 
garden  area  in  foreground 

debts  and  "the  devil  take  the  hindmost"  cer- 
tainly are  to  be  avoided.  On  the  whole,  per- 
haps France  is  turning  out  to  be  the  most 
conservative.  Financial  conditions  have  no 
doubt  had  much  to  do  with  this,  and  there 
to-day  among  the  most  thoughtful  "it  is 
hoped  that  private  initiative  will  again  get 
the  upper  hand  when  the  people  have  been 
persuaded  that  the  provision  of  small  dwell- 
ings is  a  business  proposition  like  any  other, 
and  that  the  capital  which  is  involved 
therein  ought  to  bring  a  net  return  at  least 
equal  to  the  legal  rate  of  5  per  cent.  The 
philanthropic  societies  which  rent  dwellings 
at  lower  than  the  market  rent  have  killed 
private  initiative." 

And  "there's  the  rub" — how  not  to  kill 
private  initiative,  the  faithful  goose  that 
will  lay  the  real  egg.  Our  Congress,  state 
and  city  governments  have  been  slow  to 
act — and  perhaps  it  is  well.  Our  poor  peo- 
ple, however,  have  had  to  double  up  and 
live  in  crowded,  wretched  conditions,  but, 
except  for  the  various  war  emergency  hous- 
ing efforts,  now  being  liquidated,  we  have 
not  piled  up  huge  house-building  liabilities. 

Three  Lines  of  Progress 

Why  should  we  not  organize  in  America 
"Our  Boston"  and  "Our  San  Francisco" 
societies  to  do  as  "0ns  Limbourg"  has  done 
— buy  housing  lands,  not  for  exorbitant 
profit,  but  for  genuine,  future  building 
needs,  then  establish  other  coordinate 
groups,  building  societies,  and  so  on,  for 
the  mass  production  of  inexpensive  homes? 
These  societies  would  of  course  employ 
standardization  for  all  it  is  worth — and  it  is 


worth  much.  It  is  in  these  three  items,  the 
buying  of  cheap  land,  the  mass  production, 
and  the  standardization  of  parts,  that  they 
are  making  the  greatest  gains  in  Europe. 
•Some  of  the  methods  have  been  alluded  to. 
We  must  devise  and  establish  similar  meth- 
ods suitable  to  our  own  conditions.  Such 
organizations  will  then  employ  real  econ- 
om'es  for  the  poor  man,  will  not  permit 
him  to  waste  his  money  on  cellars,  porcelain 
tubs,  high  ceilings,  and  stuffy  parlors,  but 
will  so  direct  things  that  he  will  put  his 
hard-earned  dollars  into  what  he  needs — 
not  tenements,  but  comfortable,  attractive 
row  houses. 

To  attract  the  working  man's  dollars,  we 
must  increase  the  scope  of  the  splendid 
work  done  by  the  building  and  loan 
societies ;  for,  in  the  op'n'on  of  those  far 
better  able  to  judge  than  the  writer,  our 
financial  and  building  conditions  would  be 
infinitely  worse  to-day  but  for  these  or- 
ganizations, and  their  usefulness  must  in 
some  way  be  greatly  increased.  Some 
method  must  be  devised,  too,  in  regard  to 
our  savings  banks,  whereby  the  honest 
laboring-man-depositor — the  man  who  is 
really  saving  to  build  his  own  home — may 
be  assured  by  some  sort  of  certificate  that 
when  he  makes  a  deposit  it  will  be  used  to 
buy  cement,  brick,  lumber  and  nails  and  not 
be  diverted  by  methods  of  high  finance  to 
other  purposes.  To  really  secure  home 
ownership  and  help  forward  the  "own  your 
own  home"  campaign,  the  loo-monthly- 
payment  idea  of  Germany  and  elsewhere 
may  well  be  adopted  by  the  mass  production 
organizations  above  alluded  to. 

Mr.  Hoover,  through  the  Division  of 
Construction  and  Housing,  the  Bureau  of 
Standards,  and  the  National  Zoning  Com- 
mittee of  the  Department  of  Commerce,  is 
doing  a  great  work  and  should  receive  our 
support. 

In  order  that  these  efforts  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  may  bear  the  most  fruit, 
is  it  not  most  important  that  the  Division 
of  Construction  and  Housing  be  per- 
mitted to  organize  in  cooperation  with 
the  Library  of  Congress  an  American  Cen- 
tre of  Civic  Documentation  to  be  affiliated 
with  the  International  Union  of  Cities  and 
its  European  Centre  at  Brussels — the  proj- 
ect recently  presented  in  The  American 
City — the  so-called  "International  Clear- 
ing-House  of  Civic  Information"? 


563 


fhrvoard  ^tops 

in 

Municipal  j\f fairs 


(jtty  Managers 


City  Manager  Plan  Makes  Good 
in  Bluefield 

Bluefield,  W.  Va. — Last  spring  a  strong 
agitation  arose  in  Bluefield  for  a  substitute 
for  the  old  mayor-and-council  type  of  gov- 
ernment, which,  in  the  minds  of  many 
people,  had  too  long  paid  political  debts  out 
of  the  city  treasury.  As  a  result,  a  new 
charter  was  drafted  by  a  committee  of  one 
hundred,  providing  for  the  modern  com- 
mission-manager type  of  government.  Five 
directors  or  commissioners  were  provided 
for,  they  in  turn  to  appoint  the  city  man- 
ager. The  new  charter  became  effective 
August  I,  and  Clarence  E.  Ridley,  formerly 
City  Engineer  and  Superintendent  of  the 
Water- Works  Department  of  Port  Arthur, 
Tex.,  was  selected  as  Manager. 

Among  the  first  things  accomplished  by 
the  new  government  was  a  change  from  the 
slipshod  method  of  purchasing  and  disburs- 
ing, to  an  up-to-date  and  systematic  plan 
which  furnished  a  definite  and  accurate 
control.  A  part-time  health  officer  gave 
way  to  one  on  full  time.  A  city  physician, 
a  sanitary  inspector,  public  health  nurses, 
and  a  bacteriologist  were  appointed,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  people  of  the  city  felt 
that  their  health  was  adequately  safe- 
guarded. A  capable  engineering  staff  was 
provided  to  care  for  public  works.  The 
salaries  of  the  chiefs  of  the  fire  and  police 
department  and  of  the  underpaid  men  un- 
der them  were  increased,  and  they  were 
told  to  "produce  results."  The  outcome 
has  been  a  decided  decrease  in  crime  and 
lawlessness  and  in  the  number  of  fires. 
Back  taxes,  old  assessments,  and  uniform 
collection  of  licenses  were  met  in  order, 
and  because  of  the  collection  of  these  ar- 
rears and  strict  economy  in  the  expenditure 


of  the  city's  revenue,  additional  services  in 
all  departments  have  been  _made  possible, 
especially  in  the  health  department;  a  sub- 
stantiar  sum  has  been  set  aside  to  redeem 
the  bonded  debt,  something  that  had  never 
been  done  before ;  a  floating  debt  of  $25,- 
000  has  been  paid,  and  $35,000  has  been 
set  aside  to  defray  the  city's  share  of  perma- 
nent improvements.  For  the  first  seven 
months  of  the  new  administration,  the  oper- 
ating cost  was  $20,000  less  than  the  budget 
estimates  which  were  prepared  by  the  old 
administration,  based  on  the  average  oper- 
ating costs  under  the  mayor-and-council 
plan. 

During  the  coming  year,  the  city  expects 
to  be  able  to  provide  a  considerable  amount 
to  apply  on  the  bonded  debt.  It  expects  to 
appropriate  at  least  $20,000  for  the  city's 
share  in  permanent  improvements,  and  to 
set  aside  $10,000  for  the  making  of  a 
topographic  survey  and  the  preparation  of 
a  city  plan.  It  plans  to  make  provision  for 
the  free  collection  and  disposal  of  munic- 
ipal waste  and  to  do  all  this  without  in- 
creasing the  present  tax  rate  of  $1  on  $100 
valuation,  even  though  this  is  based  on  an 
assessment  of  approximately  one-third  of 
the  actual  value.  Notwithstanding  the  low 
tax  rate,  the  city  is  now  being  entirely 
financed  on  the  pay-as-you-go  policy. 

CLARENCE  E.  RIDLEY, 

City  Manager. 


Cit^E' 


ngtneers 


Pontiac  Tries  Oversize  Street  Signs 

PoNTiAC,  iMiCH. — Some  months  ago, 
when  installation  of  street  signs  in  this  city 
came  under  discussion,  our  daily  paper,  the 
Pontiac  Daily  Press,  suggested  that  a  large 
street  sign  be  placed  at  one  of  the  principal 
corners  of  the  city.  This  street  sign  was  to 
be  of  such  size  that  the  motorist  could  see 


5^4 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


it  a  half-block  away,  allowing  him  plenty 
of  time  to  make  the  turn.  As  we  have  a 
tremendous  amount  of  foreign  traffic  which 
may  take  any  one  of  seven  main  trunk 
roads  leading  out  of  the  city,  it  is  very  im- 
portant that  the  transient  motorist  be  helped 
as  much  as  possible,  so  as  to  avoid  traffic 
congestion. 

Accordingly,     the 
large  sign  shown  in  the 
■■tes*i*a-^^  accompanying   illustra- 

^^BBBiuii^QL-  i^on  was  erected  on  one 

of  the  principal  cor- 
ners of  the  city.  This 
has  been  in  place  some 
six  months  and  has 
caused  very  .  favorable 
comment.  There  is 
noticeably  less  traffic 
confusion  than  in  pre- 
vious years,  despite  an 
increased  amount  of 
travel. 

The  sign  was  made 
by  the  local  iron  works 
at  a  cost  of  $23.  It 
consists  of  a  3-inch 
cast  iron  post  14  feet  6 
inches  long,  on  which  are  mounted  two  10 
by  48-inch  plates  of  lo-gage  material.  The 
post  is  buried  3  feet  in  the  ground  and  set 
in  concrete,  leaving  11  feet  6  inches  clear 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sign.  The  background 
is  black,  with  white  lettering  6  inches  in 
height. 

It  is  planned  to  place  these  signs  on  nine 
of  the  principal  intersections  and  to  place 
street  signs  of  ordinary  size  on  the  prin- 
cipal streets.  An  appropriation  of  $4,000 
has  just  been  made  for  this  purpose  and, 
while  this  will  not  cover  the  entire  city, 
all  the  principal  streets  will  be  marked. 

L.  G.  LENHARDT, 

City  Engineer. 


FOUR-FOOT 

STREET  SIGN, 

PONTIAC,  MICH. 


£)eparimonts 
off^ducaiion 


The  Opportunity  School  in 
Columbus,  Ohio 

Columbus,  Ohio. — Five  years  ago  a 
teacher  in  one  of  the  grade  schools  in  Co- 
lumbus persuaded  the  Board  of  Education 
to  allow  her  to  conduct  a  special  room  for 
children  who  were  not  normal  in  ability  and 


therefore  could  not  be  taught  properly  in 
the  regular  classes.  From  this  beginning 
has  grown  the  Opportunity  School,  which  is 
now  housed  in   seven  buildings. 

Half  of  each  day  in  this  school  is  spent 
in  regular  school  studies — reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  language,  spelling,  geography, 
history.  The  other  half  of  the  day  is  spent 
in  the  manual  training  shop,  or  in  one  of 
the  cottages,  doing  reed  work,  caning  chairs, 
cooking,  sewing,  painting,  and  a  variety  of 
other  manual  work.  The  emphasis  in  this 
school   is  upon  the  hand  work. 

The  output  of  the  shop  is  indeed  surpris- 
ing. Bookshelves,  tables,  desks,  and  reno- 
vated chairs  have  been  added  to  the  equip- 
ment of  the  school.  Old  furniture  of  rare 
antique  type,  found  in  second-hand  shops 
and  bought  for  a  small  sum,  is  repaired,  re- 
finished,  and  sold.    The  wooden  toy  depart- 


"^    ^r 

«5» 

^^S 

m-pri 

mak 

i^g^^^^^^^m 

i 

BOYS  OF  THE  OPPORTUNITY  SCHOOL  CANING 
CLASS 

ment  is  a  revelation.  There  are  dolls  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes,  fully  equipped  with 
clothes  and  with  furnished  houses.  There 
are  baskets,  trays,  embroidered  articles, 
dresses,  millinery,  jellies,  jams,  canned 
vegetables,  all  made  or  prepared  by  the  chil- 
dren in  school.  The  salesroom  is  a  veri- 
table gift  shop,  and  with  prices  more  mod- 
erate than  are  found  in  the  usual  down-town 
shop.  The  boys  and  girls  are  thus  supplied 
with  really  useful  work,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  proceeds  help  to  maintain  the 
school. 

The  children  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
c'ty,  with  car-fare  provided  by  the  Board  of 
Education.  About  half  of  them  had  proved 
to  be  so  backward  mentally  that  they  were 
a  handicap  in  regular  classes.  The  rest 
are  those  who  have  been  sent  there  by  order 
of  the  Juvenile  Court  for  a  variety  of  of- 
fences.    Many  of  these  court  cases,  or  in- 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


56s 


corrigibles,    are    also    sub- 
normal in  mental  ability. 

The  aims  of  the  school 
are  implied  in  its  name — 
Opportunity  School.  It  is 
a  school  where  the  children 
who  are  not  able  to  keep  up 
with  the  regular  school- 
room classes  and  yet  who 
have  the  ability  to  profit  by 
special  training,  are  taught 
simple  occupations  whereby 
they  are  able  to  earn  their 
living.  Many  of  these 
children,  who  otherwise 
would  be  permanent  bur- 
dens upon  society,  become 
self-supporting.  For  the 
court  cases,  it  affords  a  place  where  children 
can  receive  school  training  and  vocational 
training,  and  still  be  under  court  super- 
vision. 

The  grounds  and  buildings  were  bought 
by  the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  cost 
of  up-keep  and  the  teachers'  salaries  are 
paid  by  the  Board.  In  all  else  the  school  is 
self-supporting. 

p..   H.   EISENBEIS, 
Principal,    Opportunity    Scliool. 


(Jommissions 


A  Comprehensive  City  Plan  for 
Richmond,  Calif. 

Richmond,  Calif. — At  a  meeting  of  the 
City  Planning  Commission  of  Richmond 
on  October  14,  1921,  a  comprehensive  City 
Plan,  prepared  by  Carol  Aronovici  and  Guy 
Wilfrid  Hayler,  associated  city  planners, 
was  presented  for  the  consideration  of  the 
Commission.  The  Plan,  which  was  under- 
taken at  the  request  of  the  City  Council, 
has  been  some  months  in  course  of  prepara- 
t'on  and  is  based  on  an  exhaustive  civic 
survey. 

The  work  has  comprised  stud'es  of  exist- 
ing conditions,  improved  streets,  major 
thoroughfares  and  transportation  facilities, 
public  utilities,  distribution  of  population, 
water-front  and  harbor,  and  land  values. 
The  Plan  provides  a  system  of  major 
thoroughfares  linking  Richmond  with  the 
surrounding  territory  and  giving  direct  ac- 


AIRPLANE  VIEW  OF  RICHMOND,   CALIF. 


cess  to  the  new  inner  harbor  being  con- 
structed by  the  U.  S.  Government,  as  well 
as  to  the  future  development  on  San  Pablo 
Bay.  A  boulevard  system  is  shown,  with 
a  scenic  boulevard  on  the  shores  of  San 
Francisco  Bay  and  a  linking  up  of  a  series 
of  city  playgrounds  and  open  spaces.  An 
aquatic  park  is  also  contemplated  in  the  re- 
gion of  swamp  lands  at  Point  Richmond. 

Considerable  attention  has  been  given  to 
the  industrial  and  traffic  development  of 
the  city,  and  a  new  neutral  freight  right 
of  way  connecting  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  is  proposed.  This  will 
give  the  harbor  and  adjacent  industrial  lo- 
cations excellent  opportunity  for  shipment 
over  trans-continental  lines.  In  this  con- 
nection the  municipal  wharf  facilities  are 
utilized  to  their  full  extent.  The  industrial 
locations  on  the  harbor  are  to  be  served 
by  new  street  car  routing  as  well  as  trans- 
bay  ferry  services.  The  existing  school 
playgrounds  are  to  be  extended  in  many 
cases,  and  provision  is  made  for  a  future 
high  .school  and  stadium.  In  the  northern 
part  of  the  city  a  large  public  park  is  pro- 
posed. 

A  zoning  scheme  was  also  submitted  in 
connection  with  the  plan,  making  zones  for 
residential  property,  business,  light  indus- 
try and  heavy  industry,  with  an  unclas- 
sified area  on  the  mountainous  backbone  of 
Point  Richmond.  The  vexed  question  of 
apartment  houses  and  multiple  dwellings  in 
the  residential  area  is  to  be  solved  by  local 
option,  the  adjacent  residents  determining 
the  use  of  the  land.  The  City  Plan  pro- 
vides sites  for  a  new  public  library,  a  hos- 


566 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


pital,  a  police  and  fire  hall,  a  post  office, 
etc.,  together  with  the  grouping  of  the 
present  city  hall  with  projected  city  build- 
ings so  as  to  form  a  central  city  garden 
plaza. 

With  a  few  suggestions  for  extending 
open  spaces  still  further,  the  Commission 
accepted  the  plans.  In  a  series  of  meetings 
the  Commission  went  over  each  phase  of 
the  work  in  detail,  and  several  citizens' 
meetings  were  also  held  to  discuss  local 
problems/  On  January  26,  1922,  the  City 
Planning;  Commission  formally  approved 
the  Plan  ;by  unanimous  vote.  The  City 
Council  h^s  since  approached  the  question 
of  adopting  ordinances  covering  zoning, 
setback  lines,  etc.,  as  well  as  propositions 
covering  the  larger  schemes  of  civic 
improvement.  An  interesting  feature  of 
the  publicity  campaign  for  the  Plan  has 
been  a  series  of  special  articles  in  the  news- 
papers, in  which  the  various  problems  have 
been  analyzed.  The  Plan  has  been  thor- 
oughly dissected,  and  a  further  number  of 
graphic  diagrams  have  been  compiled  from 
the  original  plans,  so  that  the  ordinary  citi- 
zen may  be  able  to  judge  of  the  merits  of 
the  proposals  without  technical  language 
or  unfamiliar  map  illustration.  In  order 
that  the  fullest  popular  consent  may  be 
given,  the  Commission  proposes  that  in  the 
near  future  the  citizens  shall  vote  on  its 
adoption. 

GEO.    B.    FREDENBURG, 
President,    City    Planning    Commission. 


pire 

Departments 


Fire  Department  Conducts   Essay 
Contest 

New  York,  N.  Y. — A  large  number  of 
fires  occur  in  apartments,  tenements  and 
dwellings,  over  which  the  Fire  Department 
of  New  York  has  practically  no  jurisdic- 
tion as  to  the  enforcement  of  fire  preven- 
tion methods.  In  order  to  bring  about  bet- 
ter cooperation  between  school  children  and 
the  Fire  Department,  and  through  educa- 
tion to  overcome  the  hazardous  conditions 
in  apartments  ajid  tenements,  the  Depart- 
ment has  recently  inaugurated  an  essay  con- 
test on  fire  prevention  among  the  school 
iJ^^^n,.^  the-  city. 


In  the  schools  of  New  York  there  are  now 
about  a  million  children,  comprising  one- 
sixth  of  the  population.  They  are  impres- 
sionable and  afiford  a  good  field  for  educa- 
tion on  the  subject  of  fire  prevention.  By 
starting  with  the  pupils  in  the  fifth  grade, 
it  will  be  possible  to  give  several  years' 
training  to  each  child  before  he  or  she  leaves 
school. 

In  this  way  it  is  hoped  to  greatly  reduce 
the  number  of  fires  that  occur  through  igno- 
rance or  lack  of  thought.  There  is  no 
question  that  the  benefit  of  such  training 
in  the  future  will  be  enormous,  and  the 
Department  is  therefore  supplementing  its 
present-day  fire  prevention  work  by  plan- 
ning the  careful  education  of  the  citizens 
of  to-morrow. 

THOMAS  T.  DRENNAN, 
Fire  Commissioner. 


PuhlicSl^elfare 
Departments 


Service-at-Cost  Succeeds  in  Toledo 

Toledo,  Ohio. — A  reduction  of  about  12 
cents  per  car-mile  in  operating  expenses 
is  shown  as  one  of  the  results  of  Toledo's 
II  months'  experience  under  the  "service- 
at-cost"  ordinance  by  which  the  city  trac- 
tion lines  are  operated.  The  first  annual 
report,  including  the  first  11  months  since 
February,  1921,  when  the  ordinance  went 
into  effect,  has  been  issued. 

In  February,  1921,  the  operating  ex- 
penses were  42.863  cents  a  car-mile,  and 
in  December  they  reached  the  low  point  of 
30.498  cents  a  car-mile.  On  the  other 
hand,  passenger  revenues  have  climbed  from 
38.045  cents  a  car-mile  in  July,  1921,  to 
46.354  cents  a  car-mile  in  December,  and 
45.407  cents  a  car-mile  in  February,  1922. 

By  February  i,  1922,  the  city's  equity  in 
the  Community  Traction  Company  was 
about  $212,500,  which  represented  23^  per 
cent  of  the  capital  value  of  $8,500,000.  The 
ordinance  provides  that  yearly  this  percent- 
age of  the  capital  value  shall  be  turned 
over  to  the  sinking  fund  until  this  amount 
equals  20  per  cent  of  the  capital  value,  when 
the  payments  shall  stop  for  the  time  being; 
In  II  months  $476,749  was  paid  out  in  in- 
terest and  dividends. 
-    The   Street   Car    Commissioner   has   had 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


567 


the  difficult  position  of 
striving  to  operate  the 
traction  system  with  the 
utmost  efficiency  and 
economy  and  yet  to  meet 
as  far  as  possible  demands 
for  service  on  the  part  of 
residents  along  the  car 
lines,  strenuously  made  on 
their  behalf  through  their 
councilmen. 

We  are  bending  every 
effort  to  build  up  the  fare 
stabilizing  fund  to  $400,- 
000,  at  which  time  the 
present  7  cents  and  i  cent 
transfer  fare  rate  may  be 
lowered.  This  fund  now 
aggregates  $86,412. 

W.    E.    CANN, 
Street   Car    Commissioner. 

Municipal  Vacation  Camps  That 
Work  the  Year  Round 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. — The  Los  Angeles 
municipal  camps — Camp  Radford  and  Camp 
Seeley,  in  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains 
— have  just  opened  for  their  tenth  season. 
Visitors  to  the  camp  in  1921  exceeded  4,000. 

"These  camps  are  the  only  ones  where 
the  main  object  is  to  accommodate  people 
without  regard  for  the  dollar,"  is  the  ob- 
servation of  a  Government  agent  who  in- 
vestigated the  system  prior  to  establishing 
others  in  the  governmental  reserves,  on  a 
similar  plan. 

The  Los  Angeles  Playground  Depart- 
ment was  the  first  to  undertake  a  camp 
system  outside  of  the  city.  Its  charges  are 
so  low  that  vacation  seekers  pay  but  $14-25 
for  two  weeks'  holiday,  and  only  $7  for  the 
children.      Fxpenses    can    be    cut,    as    each 


WINTER    OUTINa   OF   THE    SIERRA   CLUB   AT    CAMP   SEELEY 


CAMP  RADFORD  GIRLS  ENJOY  A  TUG-OF-WAR 


camper  gives  an  hour  of  his  time  each  day 
to  camp  duties — washing  dishes,  cutting 
wood,  building  bonfires,  etc.  Yet  the  rates 
charged  cover  the  entire  expense  of  main- 
taining the  camps,  the  salaries  of  play- 
ground experts  in  charge,  the  wages  of 
cooks  and  helpers,  and  the  cost  of  clerical 
assistance  and  advertising,  with  a  slight 
gain  besides,  accruing  to  the  city,  which 
seeks  to  give  it  back  in  service. 

Over  $30,000  has  been  spent  on  the  camps 
and  central  lodges.  One  camper  expressed 
his  appreciation  of  the  city's  wise  expendi- 
ture by  saying  that  it  was  a  positive  pleas- 
ure to  pay  taxes  when  he  found  out  what 
could  be  gained  in  pure  enjoyment.  Many 
who  have  hitherto  been  unable  to  afford 
holidays  find  it  is  no  more  expensive  to  go 
to  the  Los  Angeles  camps  than  it  is  to  stay 
at  home. 

While  whole  families 
attend  summer  camp,  cer- 
tain outings  are  arranged 
just  for  boys,  and  others 
just  for  girls  and  women. 
The  success  of  the  camps 
is  demonstrated,  not  only 
by  the  numbers,  but  by 
the  reunions  of  camping 
parties  held  in  the  play- 
ground centers  of  the 
city  in  the  winter  time. 

C.  B.   RAITT, 
Superintendent,    Playground 
Department. 


568 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


Highway 

Jjepartmenis 


Using  the  Old  Hitchiog-Post 

SoMERViLLE,  Mass.  —  In  establishing 
traffic  guides  in  Somerville,  we  have  made 
use  of  the  old-fash'oned  horse's-head 
hitching-posts  as  tops  for  the  silent  police- 
men.   -Hitching-posts   were   quite   common 


SHADES  OF  OLD  DOBBIN  GUARD  TRAFFIC   ON 
THE    STREETS    OF    SOMERVILLE,    MASS. 

in  front  of  residences  throughout  New  Eng- 
land in  years  past,  but  with  the  advent  of 
the  automobile  they  have  gradually  disap- 
peared. Havng  secured  a  number  of  these, 
we  have  set  them  on  concrete  bases,  as 
illustrated,  and  are  using  them  as  silent 
policemen  at  the  various  street  corners. 

The  post  proper  bears  the  name  of  the 
.square  or  street,  and  on  the  base  is  painted 
the  warning,  "Keep  to  the  Right."  In  ad- 
dition to  being  more  ornamental  than  the 
wpoden  sign,  these  posts  are  firmer,  as 
each  one  weighs  about  500  pounds.  Quite 
a  number  of  the  wooden  signs  have  been 
broken,  but  no  damage  has  been  done  to 
the  iron  ones. 

The  only  expense  connected  with  the  use 


of  the  hitching-post  was*  for  the  labor  of 
removing  it  from  the  sidewalk,  the  con- 
struction of  the  base,  the  painting,  and  the 
placing  of  the  warning  sign  on  the  street — 
probably  about  $25. 

ASA  B.  PRICHARD, 
Street   Commissioner. 


Police 

Departments 


Traffic  Booths  Lessen   Accidents 

Knoxville,  Tenn. — The  concrete  traffic 
booths  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustra- 
tion were  erected  in  Knoxville  about  a  year 
ago.  They  are  erected  in  the  center  of  the 
street  and  are  sufficiently  strong  to  endure 
the  impact  of  an  automobile  or  other  vehicle. 
The  signals  are  operated  electrically.  Since 
the  installation  of  these  booths,  accidents 
have  decreased  so  noticeably  that  automo- 
bile accident  insurance  has  been  reduced 
2>2>  1/3  per  cent.  Thirteen  booths  have  been 
installed  at  a  cost  of  $1,000  per  booth.  The 
city  regards  the  system  as  so  satisfactory 
that  it  is  now  contemplating  the  installa- 
tion of  four  additional  booths. 

EDWARD  M.  HAYNES, 
Chief    of    Police,    Knoxville,    Tenn. 


CONCRETE    TRAFFIC    BOOTHS   DECREASE 
ACCIDENTS  IN  KNOXVILLE,  TENK. 


5^9 


The  Business  of  Water- Works 
Management— Part  II 

By  George  A.  Johason 

Consulting  Engineer,  New  York  City 


Classes  of  Service 

THERE  are  four  main  classes  of  water 
service:  for  public  building  and  char- 
ity; for  fire  department  and  public 
works  hydrants ;  industrial  service ;  domes- 
tic service.  In  many  cities  the  first  two 
classes  of  service  return  no  revenue  to  the 
municipally  owned  water  department,  its 
only  revenue  coming  from  strictly  indus- 
trial and  domestic  service. 

There  appears  to  be  no  reason  why  every 
municipally  owned  water-works  system 
should  not  be  run  on  a  strictly  business 
basis,  and  for  every  measurable  drop  of 
water  in  whatever  service  rendered,  a  money 
return  should  be  made  to  cover  the  cost. 
There  is  no  reason  why  water  consumed  in 
public  buildings,  by  the  fire  department,  or 
at  public  works  hydrants  should  not  be  paid 
for  out  of  the  general  city  funds.  The  tax- 
payer has  to  foot  the  bill  ultimately,  and 
it  makes  for  much  better  bookkeeping  and 
management  if  every  city  department  is  re- 
quired to  stand  on  its  own  bottom.  The 
same  idea  applies  equally  well  to  reimburse- 
ment for  water  supplied  to  charitable  insti- 
tutions. 

It  is  often  the  case  that  no  charge  is  made 
for  the  large  volumes  of  water  used  from 
public  works  hydrants  for  street  sprinkling, 
street  cleaning,  and  sewer  flushing  purposes, 
nor  for  fire  extinguishing.  Measurement  of 
such  use  of  water  is  little  attempted;  in- 
deed, in  some  cities  the  water  department 


has  no  control  over  water  consumption  at 
such  points. 

In  the  eight  large  cities  referred  to  in  the 
table,  leakage  and  waste  (water  unac- 
counted for)  ranges  from  lo  to  34  per 
cent  and  averages  about  17  per  cent  of  the 
total  water  consumption,  and  municipal  use 
of  water  ranges  from  3  to  21  per  cent, 
averaging  about  8  per  cent.  The  domestic 
and  industrial  uses  of  water  are  about  equal 
in  these  cities  respectively,  amounting  to 
about  37  per  cent  of  the  total  consumption 
in  each  case.  The  average  figures  herein 
given  closely  approximate  average  condi- 
tions in  all  American  cities. 

In  some  cities,  as  has  already  been 
pointed  out,  of  all  the  service  rendered,  an 
average  of  only  about  75  per  cent  of  the 
water  actually  pumped  is  revenue-produc' 
ing.  In  Kansas  City  the  case  is  particu- 
larly accentuated.  There  no  revenue  is  de- 
rived from  35  per  cent  of  the  total  water 
pumped.  Obviously,  in  all  cases  the  un- 
necessary waste  must  be  cut  to  a  minimum, 
and  a  campaign  to  that  end  is  being  vigor- 
ously prosecuted  in  Kansas  City.  Also, 
the  endeavor  is  being  made  to  restrict  to  a 
more  reasonable  figure  the  use  of  water 
for  sewer  flush'ng  and  street  sprinkling. 

Naturally,  the  35  per  cent  of  total  water 
pumped  without  subsequent  revenue  must 
correspondingly  increase  the  charges  for 
the  65  per  cent  of  water  pumped  from  which 
all  of  the  revenue  of  the  water  department 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   W^ATER   CONSUMPTION    IN    VARIOUS   AMERICAN    CITIES* 

Kansas 

SERVICE                        Toledo     Milwaukee  Cincinnati  Chicago      Boston       Cleveland    Newark  City 

1918             1919  1916            1916             1892              1904  1918  1919 

Dnni«t,V    „<=P                  fG.  C.  D..       40.0              40.5  45.0              45.0              30.0              26.0  34.0  40.0 

L-oraesuc    use                  ^^ ^2.0              34.5  35.0              38.0              31.5              27.0  29.0  29.0 

Industrial    and   com-    JG.  C.  D..        40.0              45.8  47.4              50.0              30.0              40.0  44.0  49.5 

mercial   use                  \% 42.0              39.0  36.0              42.5              31.5              42.0  37.5  35.9 

Municioal     me               |G.  C.  D..          5.0              13.0  23.0                7.0                3.0              10.0  3.0  27.7 

Municipal     use              |  ^^ 5  0             jj  ^  j^  5               g„               3  0             ^^  ^  2.5  21.1 

Under    registration       ^G.  C.  D..          2.5               3.0               3.4             2.1 

of  meters                    1% 2.5'            2.5               2.5             1.5 

Leakaire   and    waste       |G-C.  D..        10.0               15.0  13.2               17.0               32.0               20.0  37.0  18.4 

i-eaKage  ana   waste      |  ^^ jO  5             j3  0  jq  ^             j^  g             3^  q             gi.o  31.0  13.6- 

Total    consumption,    gallons    per 

capita    daily    95.0            117.3  132.0            119.0              95.0              96.0  118.0  137.7 

•  Report  on  the  water-supply  of  Kansas  City.,   Mo.,  by   Fuller  &   McClintock,   1920. 


570 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


is  derived.  There  is  something  very  un- 
businesslike in  this  procedure.  Unavoid- 
able waste  of  water  cannot  be  included  in 
the  equation,  but  all  other  water  service, 
whether  for  domestic,  industrial,  charitable 
or  public  uses,  should  be  charged  for  on 
an  equitable  basis  and  actually  collected; 
and  the  amounts  collected  annually  should, 
in  the  sum  total  at  least,  equal  all  overhead 
operation  and  maintenance  costs,  and  in  ad- 
dition provide  an  annual  sum  sufficient  in 
the  aggregate  to  defray  future  replacements, 
extensions  and  improvements.  The  dates 
on  which  such  improvements  will  be  needed 
are  capable  of  prediction  with  a  degree  of 
accuracy  sufficient  to  make  the  idea  an  en- 
tirely workable  one.  In  this  manner  there 
will  be  avoided  the  necessity  of  special  tax 
levies,  borrowing  from  other  city  funds  to 
meet  deficits  in  the  water  department,  and 
eternal  geeing  and  hawing  of  rates  in  an 
attempt  to  avoid  the  contingencies  that  must 
be  the  natural  heritage  of  such  unbalanced 
and  inexcusable  business  management,  and 
there  will  be  an  end  of  many  new  bond  is- 
sues, the  approval  of  which  the  body  politic 
is  called  upon  to  give  on  relatively  short 
notice.  On  such  occasions  there  always  oc- 
curs a  division  of  opinion  as  to  the  neces- 
sity or  desirability  of  the  issue,  which  in 
consequence  is  just  as  liable  to  fail  as  it  is 
to  pass,  regardless  of  the  actual  merits  of 
the  movement. 

With  the  water  department  operating  as 
a  business  enterprise,  it  is  only  necessary 
for  the  taxpayers  to  see  that  the  admin- 
istrative and  operating  staff  are  selected 
solely  because  of  their  competence  and  are 
in  no  wise  indebted  to  political  contrivance 
and  favoritism  for  the  positions  which  they 
hold.  Their  annual  reports  will  constitute 
the  accounts  of  their  stewardship,  and  by 
them  they  will  be  judged.  Make  a  business 
of  the  water  department  activities,  run  it 
like  a  business,  and  the  community  will 
profit  by  better  service  and  lower  charges 
for  it. 

Adjustment  of  Rates  for  Different  Classes 
of  Water  Service 

A  competent  survey  of  existing  condi- 
tions should  determine :  first,  what  is  needed 
to  organize  the  administrative,  operating 
and  maintenance  staffs  on  the  best  possible 
basis  in  the  light  of  efficient  and  economical 
management  of  the  water  department;  and. 


second,  what  are  the  precise  physical  condi- 
tions and  needs  of  all  parts  of  the  system 
at  present,  and  the  probable  needs  for  a 
generation  to  come,  all  in  the  light  of  the 
ability  of  the  system  to  render  satisfactory 
service.  From  this  information  a  budget 
can  be  prepared  which  will  cover  the  esti- 
mated requirements  for  a  term  of,  say,  20 
years.  The  annual  budget  totals  for  this 
period  will  then  serve  as  bases  upon  which 
to  compute  the  charges  for  various  classes 
of  service,  the  receipts  from  all  of  which 
will  equal  or  moderately  exceed  each  an- 
nual budget  as  it  becomes  operative. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  proposition  of  how 
the  necessary  annual  revenue  may  be  raised 
by  even  and  just  distribution  of  the  charge, 
to  the  end  that  the  cost  of  supplying  water 
year  in  and  year  out  may  be  distributed  over 
all  classes  of  consumers  as  equitably  as 
such  things  can  be  done  in  this  world  of 
imperfection. 

The  minimum  rate. — In  fixing  rate 
schedules,  experience  indicates  the  appar- 
ent necessity  of  establishing  a  minimum 
rate  payable  by  each  individual  connected 
to  the  distribution  system,  regardless  of 
whether  he  uses  any  water  or  not.  The  rea- 
sons for  this  are:  first,  that  every  service 
connection  represents  a  certain  part  of  the 
total  investment  cost  of  the  system,  and  ac- 
cordingly should  bear  its  share  of  the  total 
cost  of  operation  and  maintenance;  second, 
it  is  desirable  that  every  citizen  use  a  cer- 
tain minimum  amount  of  water  daily  for 
sanitary  reasons;  and  third,  the  minimum 
rate  is  necessary  because  any  consumer 
using  less  than  the  minimum  volume  fixed, 
if  assessed  on  any  other  basis,  would  not 
return  a  revenue  sufficiently  great  to  pay 
for  the  maintenance  of  that  service,  and  it 
would  be  continued  at  an  actual  loss,  which 
would  become  an  added  charge  on  other 
consumers  using  more  water. 

Allen  Hazen  ("Meter  Rates  for  Water 
Works,"  191 7,  page  75)  found  that  the 
amount  of  water  furnished  for  the  minimum 
rate  varied  from  40  to  300  gallons  and  aver- 
aged 120  gallons  per  day.  These  figfures 
are  equal  to  8,  60  and  24  gallons  per  capita 
daily,  respectively,  assuming  families  of  five. 
A  better  way  of  fixing  the  average  daily 
volume  of  water  allowed  at  the  minimum 
rate  would  seem  to  be  to  fix  on  a  definite 
quantity  per  capita  for  each  actual  in- 
habitant of  the  premises  served.  This  would 


JUNEj    1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


571 


lend  to  obviate  difficulties  such  as  those  en- 
countered in  tenement  houses.  Hazen  states 
that  while  the  minimum  rate  might  be  ap- 
plied to  a  fixed  quantity  of  20  gallons  or 
so  per  capita  for  every  man,  woman  and 
child  living  in  every  house,  there  is  no  as- 
surance that  each  person  or  family  in  a 
tenement  house  would  get  its  share.  He 
suggests  a  provision  whereby  each  tenement 
would  be  provided  with  certain  fixtures  for 
the  free  use  of  tenants. 

Such  matters  as  these — and  they  are  im- 
portant, too — are  not  susceptible  of 
arbitrary  rulings.  Rather  are  they  best  set- 
tled in  each  case  with  reference  to  the  local 
peculiarities  of  the  problem.  But  if,  as  is 
sometimes  the  case,  half  of  the  domestic 
consumers  pay  for  water  service  on  the 
minimum  rate  basis  since  they  use  less 
water  than  that  allowed  at  that  rate,  it  is 
apparent  that  unless  this  minimum  rate  is 
high  enough,  the  revenue  derivable  from 
such  sources  is  not  commensurate  with  the 
cost  of  producing  that  service.  There  are 
many  cases  where  under  the  minimum  rate 
scale  the  charge  for  20  gallons  daily  is  quite 
as  high  as  that  for  100  gallons.  Quite 
patently  it  costs  more  under  equal  conditions 
to  deliver  100  gallons  than  20  gallons,  but 
the  facilities  are  there  for  producing  the 
higher  quantity  and  they  must  be  paid  for. 
This  may  be  inequitable,  but  there  seems  to 
be  no  workable  manner  in  which  to  avoid 
placing  upon  the  user  of  100  gallons  per  day 
or  less,  a  part  of  the  financial  burden  which 
properly  belongs  to  the  users  of  the  larger 
volumes. 

The  adoption  of  a  uniform  rate  of  so 
much  per  gallon  would  be  manifestly  in- 
equitable, inasmuch  as  it  would  raise  the 
charge  to  manufacturers  who  use  large  vol- 
umes of  water  far  above  the  figure  which 
would  be  fair  to  them.  As  Mr.  Hazen 
points  out,  this  can  only  mean  that  the  large 
users  of  water  would  then  be  made  to  stand 
the  brunt  of  the  deficiency  in  income  which 
results  from  supplying  small  users  at  less 
than  the  actual  cost.  To  do  this  would  place 
in  hazard  the  business  of  supplying  the 
large  users,  for  they  might  be  driven  to  the 
development  of  an  independent  supply  and 
thus  a  large  share  of  the  revenue  on  which 
the  municipal  water-works  depend  for  their 
support  would  be  summarily  wiped  out,  leav- 
ing the  community  with  the  same  fixed 
charges  on  its  water-works  investment  and 


approximately  the  same  operating  and  main- 
tenance charges.  Such  a  predicament 
would  be  extremely  disastrous  in  some 
cases,  and  very  annoying  in  any  event. 

Fire  hydrant  rentals. — A  community 
should  pay  fire  hydrant  rentals  and  collect 
taxes  from  the  water  department  just  as  it 
does  from  other  properties.  The  rental 
charge  should  be  based  upon  the  .fixed 
charge  on  the  investment  for  hydrants  plus 
repair  and  replacement  charges.  There 
should  also  be  a  service  charge  representing 
the  additional  expense  to  which  the  water 
department  has  gone  to  provide  standby 
service  at  times  of  fire,  that  is,  readiness 
to  serve  water  for  fire  extinguishing  pur- 
poses in  adequate  volume  over  and  above 
the  normal  peak  load  consumption.  This 
charge  ramifies  into  all  parts  of  the  physical 
plant,  being  reflected  in  the  capacity  of  the 
pumping  station  equipment,  reservoirs, 
mains,  operation  and  maintenance  costs, 
etc.  From  the  sum  total  of  these  costs  the 
fire  hydrant  rental  can  be  computed  fairly. 

Public  use  of  water. — There  is  every  good 
reason  why  a  fair  charge  should  be  made 
and  collected  by  the  water  department  for 
water  used  i^n  public  buildings,  public 
schools  and  charitable  institutions,  and  for 
all  water  used  for  street  sprinkling  and 
sewer  flushing.  This  charge  should  be  based 
on  the  volume  of  water  so  used,  and  the 
rate  should  be  the  same  as  that  properly 
applicable  to  large  domestic  or  industrial 
consumers. 

A  Business  Basis  Essential 

There  is  not  the  slightest  question  that 
municipally  owned  and  operated  water- 
works systems  can  learn  much  from  the  ex- 
perience of  privately  owned  works  of  a 
similar  nature.  The  latter  are  operated  on 
a  business  basis,  whereas  the  managers  of 
the  former,  in  all  too  many  cases,  are 
hampered  in  numerous  ways  when  attempt- 
ing to  do  likewise.  The  average  taxpayer 
cannot  be  expected  to  rate  as  a  business 
man  of  the  first  class — or  a  water-works 
man,  either;  still,  he  has  a  vote,  and,  what  is 
even  more  important,  a  voice,  and  when 
campaigns  are  going  on  for  a  water-works 
bond  issue  he  can  be  depended  upon  to  use 
it  for  what  he  thinks  is  right,  but  which 
may  be,  and  often  is,  utterly  wron^. 

Those  in  charge  of  municipally  owned 
water-works    systems    should    be    aided    in 


572 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


every  way  possible  in  systematizing  their 
work  and  reducing  it  to  a  strictly  business- 
like basis.  Their  revenues  must  equal  their 
production  costs,  else  maintenance  work, 
extensions  and  general  improvements  in  the 
system  will  lag  behind,  to  be  accompanied 
by  poor  service  and  high  costs  therefor. 
Last  year  the  July  2nd  number  of  Invest- 
ment News  contained  a  pertinent  paragraph 
along  this  line : 

"Knowing  that  rate  advances  would  be  un- 
popular with  consumers,  they  deferred  acting 
upon  such  increases  until  big  losses  were  being 
shown  and  revenues  far  from  met  operating 
costs.  With  the  municipalities  it  became  either 
necessary  to  make  their  utilities  pay  for  cost 


of  operation  or  assess  the  losses  upon  the  pub- 
lic in  the  shape  of  additional  taxes.  Inasmuch 
as  ordinary  expenses  of  operating  city  govern- 
ments have  risen  to  such  heights  and  taxes  were 
as  burdensome  as  the  people  would  stand,  it 
was  necessary  to  take  the  unpopular  course  of 
increasing  rates.  In  many  instances  the  in- 
creases in  rates  will  be  actually  beneficial  to 
the  municipalities,  inasmuch  as  operation  of 
their  utilities  is  being  put  on  a  business  basis, 
not  making  them  so  dependent  upon  taxation 
to  meet  deficits." 

It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  find  in  a 
few  words  a  more  convincing  argument  in 
favor  of  making  a  real  business  of  the  man- 
agement of  municipally  owned  water- 
works. 


The  Cost  of  Public  Health  in  Detroit 


IN  1883,  Detroit,  with  its  127,000  inhabi- 
tants, spent  $7,054  on  public  health,  or 
about  5J^  cents  per  capita.  In  1921,  with 
942,000  people,  Detroit  spent  $1,527,355  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  Health  Department, 


or  $1.62  per  capita.  Of  this  sum,  73  cents  was      was  11. 


devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  the  Herman 
Kiefer  Hospital.  The  maintenance  item, 
less  hospital  charge,  is  89  cents  per  capita. 
In  1883  the  total  death  rate  per  1,000 
people  was  22.3.     In   1921   the  death   rate 


Smallpox  by  Popular  Vote 


IN  the  United  States,  say  J.  N.  Force, 
special  expert,  and  Dr.  J.  P.  Leake,  of 
the  United  States  Public  Health  Service, 
in  a  recent  Public  Health  Report,  small- 
pox depends  on  the  popular  vote.  Study 
of  the  smallpox  statistics  in  twenty  states 
for  the  last  six  years  and  of  the  vac- 
cination laws  in  the  same  states  indicates 
that  the  people  have  generally  obeyed  the 
vaccination  laws  that  they  have  made. 
Where  popular  sentiment  has  sustained  a 
strong  centralized  compulsory  vaccination 
act,  smallpox  is  to-day  negligible ;  where 
local  authorities  have  been  given  discretion- 
ary powers  as  to  enforcement,  the  rate  has 
tended  to  rise;  and  where  the  laws  have 
lacked  compulsory  features  or  there  have 
been  no  laws,  the  rate  is  high. 

In  the  twenty  states  considered,  four 
Eastern  States  show  a  combined  smallpox 
curve  that  has  been  at  a  consistently  low 
level   for  the   six   j'cars,     Seven   Southern 


States  and  six  Central  States  show  curves 
that  are  much  higher  and  are  very  similar 
to  each  other,  though  that  of  the  Central 
States  is  about  twice  as  high  as  that  of 
the  Southern  States.  The  three  Pacific 
Coast  States  show  a  most  extraordinary 
increase  in  the  disease,  the  smallpox  curve 
having  soared  from  one  nearly  as  low  as 
that  of  the  Eastern  States  in  1915  to  one 
eight  times  as  high  in  1920. 

Within  each  of  these;  four  geographical 
groups,  the  better  the  status  of  vaccination 
in  the  law,  the  lower  is  the  smallpox  rate. 
The  states  where  vaccination  of  school 
children  is  generally  required  have  little 
smallpox,  averaging  three  cases  a  year  for 
a  community  of  100,000  inhabitants;  the 
states  where  there  is  no  such  requirement 
have  113  cases  per  year  for  each  100,000 
persons,  a  rate  high  enough  to  make  it  prob- 
able that  I  person  out  of  every  30  would 
at  some  time  have  an  attack  of  smallpox. 


573 


City  Demonstrates  the  Development  of 
Electric  Street  Lighting 

Progress  of  the  Art  of  Street  Illumination    Illustrated  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

By  H.  L.  DoUahan 


NOTABLE  among  the  cities  which 
have  passed  through  the  successive 
stages  in  the  development  of  the  art 
of  street  illumination  is  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Illumination  that  was  ample  for  certain 
streets,  boulevards,  traffic  ways  and  parks 
ten  years  ago  has  become  inadequate  be- 
cause of  the  growth  and  expansion  of  the 
city,  as  well  as  the  introduction  of  new 
modes  of  transportation.  The  need  of  re- 
habilitation of  the  street  lighting  system  in 
Kansas  City  was  realized  for  several  years, 
but  such  work  did  not  seem  to  be  advisable 
until   late   in    1920,   when   city   officials   felt 


that    prices    were    stabilized    and    financial 
conditions   warranted    the   expenditure. 

Street  lighting  contracts  were  formerly 
held  by  the  Kansas  City  Power  and  Light 
Company  and  the  Kansas  City  Gas  Com- 
pany. Outlying  districts  were  illuminated 
with  250-candle-power  series  lamps,  sus- 
pended by  brackets  and  mast-arms  from 
wooden  poles.  This  form  of  lighting  is 
very  efficient  and  satisfactory  for  this  class 
of  service.  The  lights  are  suspended  from 
18  to  22  feet  above  the  street,  and  the  light 
is  distributed  by  a  reflector.  The  use  of 
this  form  of  lighting  will- be  continued  and 


STREET  SCENE  IN  KANSAS  CITY,  MO.,  SHOWING  LIGHTING  STANDARDS 


574 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


BOULEVARD    LIGHTING   IN    KANSAS    CITY.    MO. 


extended  to  all  outlying  sections  of  the  city 
where  residence  streets  are  unlighted  at 
present  and  where  gas  lights  need  to  be 
replaced. 

The  principal  illumination  on  the  busi- 
ness streets  of  the  city  was  from  cluster 
lights,  each  containing  four  loo-watt  lamps 
supported  on  the  trolley  poles  at  a  height 
approximately  14  feet  above  the  curb  line. 
On  those  streets  nQt  having  trolley  poles,  a 
special  iron  pole  or  post  was  used  for  sup- 
porting the  cluster  lights. 

At  meetings  of  the  Joint  Light  Committee 
of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of  the  City 
Council  with  the  officials  of  the  Kansas  City 
Power  and  '-Light  Company,  all  existing 
forms  of  street  lighting  and  its^  future  trend 
were  thoroughly  considered,  with  a  view  to 
obtaining  a  system  suitable  to  the  needs  of 
the  city  at  a  minimum  cost  as  regards  in- 
stallation and  operation,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  secure  an  attractive  appearance 
with  an  effective  distribution  of  light. 


The  real  purpose  of  a  modern  lighting 
system  is  not  ornamentation  of  the  streets, 
but  protection  to  the  public.  With  this  ob- 
ject in  view,  the  new  lighting  system  was 
laid  out  so  that  all  streets,  traffic  ways,  and 
boulevards  where  traffic  is  very  heavy  were 
properly  illuminated  to  facilitate  the  rapid 
movement  of  vehicular  traffic  and  at  the 
same  time  protect  pedestrians.  Properly 
illuminated  streets  eliminate  the  necessity 
of  increased  police  protection  and,  whereas 
the  four-light  clusters  burned  only  until 
I  A.  M.,  with  one  light  all  night,  the  new 
system  provides  for  all-night  service,  for 
the  additional  cost  of  the  small  amount  of 
energy  consumed  is  fully  compensated  by 
the  increased  protection  to  those  who  must 
be  out  at  all  hours  of  the  night. 

The  members  of  the  Joint  Light  Com- 
mittee of  the  City  Council  and  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Kansas  City  Power  and 
Light  Company  spent  about  eight  months 
in  preliminary   investigations,   negotiations 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


575 


and  public  hearings.  A  satisfactory  con- 
tract was  finally  drawn  up  and  an  ordinance 
was  passed  in  June,  1921,  authorizing  the 
Mayor  to  sign  the  contract  on  behalf  of 
the  city. 

The  New  Fixtures 

All  the  four-light  clusters  are  to  be  re- 
placed by  General  Electric  Form  8  Novalux 
units,  supported  on  trolley  poles  by  a  special 
cast  iron  ornamental  bracket  made  by  the 
King  Manufacturing-  Company.  This  form 
of  lighting  was  adopted  as  the  standard  for 
business  streets  having  trolley  poles.  Where 
the  traffic  is  heavy,  the  lights  are  placed  on 
every  trolley  pole,  while  in  the  outlying  dis- 
tricts they  are  staggered  on  alternate  poles. 
A  6oo-candle-power,  20-ampere  lamp  is  used 
on  the  Novalux  unit  in  the  down-town  dis- 
trict, and  a  400-candle-powei",  15-ampere 
lamp    in    the    outlying    business    districts. 

A  Form  16  Novalux  unit  supported  on  a 
King  cast  iron  standard  of  Flemish  design 
was  adopted  for  the  boulevards,  parks,  traf- 
fic ways,  and  the  business  streets  not  hav- 
ing trolley  poles. 

The  new  standard  supports  the  light  cen- 
ter 14  feet  6  inches  above  the  base  of  the 
post.  These  standards  have  an  average 
spacing  of  200  feet  and  are  staggered  on 
both  sides  of  the  boulevards,  streets  and 
traffic  ways,  giving  a  very  even  and  effec- 
tive distribution  of  the  light.  Both  Novalux 
units  are  equipped  with  alabaster  ripple 
globes  and  metal  canopies.  The  use  of  the 
alabaster  ripple  globe  gives  an  intense  white 
light,  without  showing  the  filament  of  the 
lamp. 

The  current  for  the  lights  supported  on 
brackets  on  trolley  poles  is  supplied  from  a 
6.6-ampere  series  circuit  carried  by  ridge 
pins  on  the  tops  of  the  trolley  poles.  The 
series  circuit  requires  the  use  of  only  one 
wire  instead  of  the  two  and  three  wires  of 
the  old  multiple  installations.  A.  G.  E.  aerial 
type  transformer  is  used  with  the  15-  and 
20-ampere  lamps.  This  transformer  is 
mounted  on  the  trolley  pole  immediately  be- 
low the  series  circuit.  Between  the  series 
circuit  and  the  transformer  there  is  a  King 
disconnecting  pothead  with  a  film  cut-out 
to  furnish  absolute  safety.  The  low-voltage 
leads     from     the     transformer     enter     the 


trolley  pole  and  immediately  below  the 
transformer  come  out  at  the  point  where 
the  bracket  is  bolted  to  the  trolley  pole, 
thereby  concealing  the  low  voltage  wiring. 
The  use  of  the  above  type  of  installation 
thoroughly  insulates  the  series  circuit  from 
the   trolley   pole. 

The  lights  in  the  parks  and  on  the  boule- 
vards, traffic  ways  and  business  streets  are 
supplied  with  energy  from  6.6-ampere  un- 
derground series  circuits.  The  conductor 
is  a  No.  8  solid  single  copper  wire  with 
7^32-inch  paper  insulation,  5/64-inch  lead 
sheathing,  two  layers  of  asphalted  jute,  and 
a  braid  of  asphalted  jute  over  all.  The 
operating  pressure  is  4,500  volts.  A  G.  E. 
subway  type  transformer  and  a  King  dis- 
connecting pothead  are  installed  in  the  base 
of  the  post,  thereby  eliminating  the  hazards 
from  high-voltage  wiring  inside  of  the  post. 
The  use  of  the  disconnecting  pothead  is  a 
safety-first  measure,  as  it  permits  the  dis- 
connecting of  the  transformer  and  lamp 
from  the  rest  of  the  circuit,  making  it  pos- 
sible to  repair  the  lamp  installation,  if  nec- 
essary, with  the  rest  of  the  circuit  operat- 
ing, and  enabling  the  inspector  to  test  the 
circuit  in  cases  of  underground  trouble. 

This  installation  is  proceeding  very  rap- 
idly. When  complete,  there  will  be  ap- 
proximately 4,000  of  the  bracket-type  lamps 
supported  on  trolley  poles,  requiring  the 
stringing  of  over  650,000  feet  of  No.  6 
W.  P.  wire  for  aerial  conductors,  and  3,500 
of  the  post  type  lamps  requiring  the  installa- 
tion of  over  700,000  feet  of  underground 
conductor.  There  will  be  approximately 
250  G.  E.  20-kilowatt  outdoor-type  constant- 
current  transformers.  The  entire  cost  of 
the  installation  is  being  financed  by  the 
Kansas  City  Power  and  Light  Company. 
There  will  be  about  12,500  lights,  including 
the  250-candle-power  lamps  which  were  in 
service  at  the  time  work  was  started  and 
those  used  to  replace  gas  lamps  in  the  resi- 
dential district. 

The  investigation  of  street  lighting 
methods  by  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  was  carried 
on  by  Aldermen  Bryce  Smith,  William 
Scannell  and  James  Mellody  of  the  Upper 
House  and  Aldermen  Edward  J.  McDonald, 
John  J.  Manning  and  F.  L.  Berry  of  the 
Lower  House. 


57<5 


State  Aid  for  Pennsylvania  Municipalities 

By  James  F.  Woodward 

Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs  of  Pennsylvania 


FOR  many  years  past,  Pennsylvania 
cities  and  boroughs,  as  individuals, 
have  vi'orked  diligently  for  civic  de- 
velopment. Civic  improvement  advocates 
working  for  the  betterment  of  local  con- 
ditions led  state  officials  and  the  Legislature 
to  take  cognizance  of  their  ambition  to  im- 
prove municipalities.  The  climax  of  the 
municipal  movement  came  in  191 5  with  the 
legislative  creation  of  a  Bureau  of 
Municipalities  in  the  Pennsylvania  Depart- 
ment of  Internal  Affairs.  The  sole  purpose 
of  the  Bureau  is  to  cooperate  with  the 
boroughs  and  cities  of  the  Commonwealth 
in  improving  local  conditions. 

The  original  act  creating  a  municipal 
bureau,  it  later  developed,  so  hampered 
constructive  work  that  the  Bureau  could 
accomplish  things  only  in  a  very  small  way. 
The  Legislature,  in  session  again  in  1919, 
broadened  the  scope  of  the  Bureau's  pos- 
sibilities and  enabled  the  Department  of 
Internal  Affairs  through  this  division  to 
branch  into  many  forms  of  municipal  en- 
deavor. 

The  departmental  bureau  maintains  a 
trained  corps  of  municipal  experts  to  ex- 
tend free  aid  to  the  municipalities  within 


SUGGESTED    STREET    EXTENSIONS    AND    WIDENINGS,    PREPARED 
FOE    McKEESPOET    BY    THE    BTJEEAU    OF    MUNICIPALITIES 


its  boundaries.  Since  the  creation  of  the 
Bureau  many  inquiries  have  been  directed 
to  Pennsylvania  by  other  states  as  to  the 
accomplishments  possible.  We  are  con- 
fident that,  before  many  years  pass,  every 
state  will  have  a  bureau  or  department 
similar  to  the  one  in  Pennsylvania  for  the 
help  of  municipalities. 

The  municipal  division  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Department  of  Internal  Affairs 
touches  on  every  phase  of  municipal  govern- 
ment and  municipal  development.  It  has 
in  its  employ  city  and  town  planning  en- 
gineers, landscape  architects,  expert  ac- 
countants, municipal  engineers,  and  others 
trained  for  municipal  work.  The  pro- 
cedure of  procuring  their  services  in  a 
municipality,  large  or  small,  is  simple.  A 
request  from  the  mayor,  a  burgess  or  the 
council  directed  to  the  Secretary  of  Internal 
Affairs  of  Pennsylvania  and  asking  for  the 
services  of  one  of  the  Bureau  men  to  assist 
in  working  out  a  particular  problem,  is 
sufficient. 

It  may  be  that  the  borough  or  city  making 
the  request  desires  the  installation  of  a 
modern  budget  or  accounting  system;  the 
planning  of  a  municipal  park  or  play- 
ground ;  the  working 
out  of  an  entire  city 
planning  proposition, 
which,  as  is  well 
known,  entails  a  con- 
siderable amount  of 
time  and  study;  assess- 
ment matters  may  be 
the  cause  for  asking 
aid,  or  it  may  be  that 
only  a  minor  question 
regarding  the  number- 
ing of  houses  on  a 
newly  developed  street 
has  necessitated  the 
seeking  of  outside  ad- 
vice. No  matter  how 
large  or  how  small  the 
job  involved  in  the  re- 
quest may  be,  the  law 
permits  and  authorizes 
the    giving    of    all    as- 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


577 


sistance  possible. 

Scores  of  Pennsyl- 
vania cities  and  bor- 
oughs in  the  last  two 
years  have  taken  full 
advantage  of  the  help 
extended  by  the  Com- 
monwealth, and  the 
result  is  that  many  of 
them  now  find  them- 
selves working  along 
modern  lines  so  far 
as  finances  are  con- 
cerned; more  of  them 
have  municipal  parks 
and  playgrounds ; 
while  others  are  de- 
veloping and  being 
bettered  in  numerous 
ways  under  the  prof- 
fer included  in  the 
legislative  enact- 
ments. 

It  may  be  proper 
at  this  time  to  point 
out  that  the  help  it  is 
possible  to  accord  municipalities  by  the  De- 
partment of  Internal  Affairs  is  free  of  all 
cost.  In  the  establishing  of  a  budget  and 
accounting  system  in  a  city  or  a  borough 
which  has  made  a  request,  it  is  necessary  to 
send  an  accountant  to  that  particular  mu- 
nicipality until  the  system  is  thoroughly  es- 
tablished. In  the  preparation  of  plans  for 
parks  and  playgrounds,  it  may  be  necessary 
for  a  landscape  architect  to  make  several 
visits  to  the  site  before  the  details  are  com- 
pleted. Even  in  these  matters,  where  con- 
siderable expense  is  involved,  the  munici- 
pality is  not  asked  for  pay;  but  instead,  the 
state,  through  appropriations  made  for  the 
maintenance  department,  foots  the  bill. 

In  park  and  playground  propositions  the 
completed  plans  show  the  necessary  grad- 
ing, planting  and  other  details,  so  that  it 
will  be  possible  for  the  municipality  to 
proceed  with  actual  development  imme- 
diately upon  receipt  of  the  drawings. 
Actual  development  of  the  land,  however, 
is  entirely  the  work  of  the  municipality. 

The  Coordination  of  Statistics 

The  service  of  experts  in  planning  and 
advising  is  only  a  part  of  the  actual  work 
done  by  the  department's  Municipal  Bureau. 
Annually,  statistics  dealing  with  every 
phase  of  municipal  government  are  gath- 


PETOlJYLVAniA   CEB&EITCJrr    -f  inTtBHAL   ATTAIBi 
BUREAU    ><   MUniCIPAUTItJ      AUGUiT  1920 


A  TYPICAL  PIAYGROUND  LAYOUT  PREPARED  BY  THE  BUREAIT 
OF  MUNICIPALITIES 


ered  by  its  men  in  all  the  cities  and  several 
hundred  of  the  boroughs  of  the  state.  These 
statistics  have  to  deal  with  fire  depart- 
ments, police  departments,  water  depart- 
ments, financial  accounts,  appropriations 
for  various  purposes,  parks,  street  paving, 
sewerage  systems  and  sewage  disposal, 
street  lighting,  ta>cation  and  assessment 
matters,  garbage  disposal,  bond  issues,  and 
other  questions  as  well. 

Following  the  gathering  of  this  informa- 
tion, data  thus  procured  are  compiled  and 
tabulated  so  that  it  is  possible  to  make 
comparisons  of  governmental  operations 
and  costs  in  the  respective  classes  of  mu- 
nicipalities. There  are  at  the  present  time 
38  third  class  cities  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
following  may  serve  as  an  example  of  the 
use  of  municipal  statistical  compilations: 

Taxation  figures  gathered  in  each  of  the 
cities  show:  the  assessed  valuation;  the 
assessor's  or  city  clerk's  estimate  or  the 
percentage  that  the  assessed  value  bears  to 
full  value;  the  estimated  full  value  based 
on  the  assessment  and  the  percentage  of 
the  full-value  figure;  millage  for  all  city 
purposes;  the  millage  if  based  on  full  valua- 
tion instead  of  partial  valuation,  which 
assessments  usually  represent;  the  total 
millage  for  general  purposes;  millage  for 
interest  and  debt  service;  millage  for  the 


578 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


poor  fund;  millage  for  improvements;  the 
assessed  valuation  per  capita,  and  the  per 
capita  taxation  for  all  city  purposes.  These 
figures  for  all  of  the  cities  of  the  third 
class  are  tabulated  on  big  sheets,  so  that 
it  is  possible  to  show  at  a  glance  just  ex- 
actly how  one  city  compares  with  another 
under  the  various  items.  Similar  tabula- 
tions are  made  for  every  other  division  of 
municipal  government. 

As  the  various  statistical  sheets  are  com- 
pleted, they  are  blueprinted  and  copies  for- 
warded to  officials  of  the  various  cities  who 
are  most  interested  in  the  particular  subject 
covered  by  each  sheet.  This  procedure 
enables  all  of  the  cities  of  one  class  to 
become  familiar  to  a  certain  degree  with 
the  activities  of  other  cities.  Likewise,  it 
saves  municipal  officials  considerable  time 
and  trouble,  for,  prior  to  the  establishing  of 
the  Municipal  Bureau,  city  officials  desiring 
information  on  one  subject  or  another 
would,  of  necessity,  be  compelled  to  com- 
municate with  officials  of  other  municipal- 
ities to  procure  the  desired  information. 
The  Bureau  has  proved  a  remarkable  time- 
saver  in  this  regard  and  is  acting  as  a 
clearing-house  for  municipal  information. 

Boroughs  in  Pennsylvania  range  in  popu- 


lation from  a  few  more  than  lOO  to  over 
30,000,  and  there  are  approximately  950  of 
them  in  the  state.  Municipal  statistics, 
similar  to  the  statistics  of  third  class  cities, 
are  gathered  from  several  hundred  of  the 
representative  towns.  The  boroughs,  for 
the  purpose  of  comparing  information  con- 
cerning them,  are  grouped  according  to 
population,  so  that  when  information  is 
sought  by  one  borough,  the  information 
given  it  is  that  procured  from  other 
boroughs   of  its   approximate   size. 

Questions  of  all  kinds  are  received  daily, 
and  they  are  given  immediate  attention  by 
men  trained  in  respective  municipal  lines 
Some  of  the  inquiries  relate  to  ordinances 
of  various  kinds,  and  the  department  has 
on  file  several  thousand  ordinances  relating 
to  all  kinds  of  municipal  subjects.  Advice 
on  the  drafting  of  ordinances  is  given  when 
request  is  made. 

Parenthetically,  it  may  be  stated  that  at 
no  time  does  the  department  endeavor  to 
persuade  a  municipality,  large  or  small,  to 
do  one  thing  or  another.  In  this  regard  it 
keeps  absolutely  neutral  and  confines  itself 
to  the  giving  of  advice,  permitting  the 
municipal  officials  to  be  the  judge  of  the 
proper  thing  to  be  done. 


On  the  Calendar  of  Conventions 


June    19-24. — San    Francisco,    Calif. 

International     Association     of     Chiefs      of     Police. 
Annual   convention.      Secretary,    George    Black,    Chief 
of  Police,   Wilmington,  Del. 
June   19-30.- — Chautauqua,    N.    Y. 

General    Federation    of    Women's    Clubs.      Biennial 
convention.       Corresponding    Secretary,     Mrs.     George 
W.    Plnmmer,   878   North   Clark   Street,    Chicago,    III. 
June  20-23. — Coiorado  Springs,   Colo. 

National  Association   of   Comptrollers   and    Account- 
ing   Officers.      Annual    convention.       Secret.ary,    Mark 
M.    Foote,    Comptroller's    Office,    Chica^^o,    111. 
June   21-22. — Crookston,    Minn. 

League   of   Minnesota   Municipalities. _     Annual   con- 
vention.      Executive    Secretary,     Morris    B.    Lanibie, 
The     Municipal     Reference     Bureau,      University     of 
Minnesota,    Minneapolis,    Minn. 
June   21-22. — Stroudsburg,   Pa. 

Association     of     Pennsylvania    Boro'n^hs.       Annual 
convention.       Secretary,    j.    Herririn    Knisely,    Capitol 
Building,   Harrisburg,   Pa. 
June    22-24. — Fort    Wayne,    Inh. 

Indiana  Commercial  Secretaries  Association.  Annuel 
convention.       Secretary-Treasurer,       G.       L.       Baker, 
Wabash,    Tnd. 
June    22-29. — Providence,    R.    T. 

National     Conference     of     Social      Work,       Annual 
meeting.      General    Secretary,   William   11.    Parker,    25 
East    9th    Street,    Cincinnati,    Ohio. 
June    26-30. — Seattle,    Wash. 

National    Organisation    for    Public    Health    Nur.<;ing. 
Annual  meeting.      General   Director,  Anne  R.   Stevens, 
870    7th   Avenue,    New   York,   N.    Y. 
July   3-9. — Boston,    Mass. 

National  Education  Association  of  the  United 
States.  Annual  meeting.  Secretary,  J.  W.  Crabtree, 
1400  Massachusetts  Avenue,  N.  W.,  Washington, 
D.  C. 


JULY_  14-15. — DuLUTH,    Minn. 

Minnesota    Association    of    Community    Secretaries. 
Summer  meeting.      Secretary-Treasurer,   W.  E.   Olson, 
Mankato,    Minn. 
July    27-28. — Wilmington,    N.    C.  _ 

North   Carolina    Commercial   Secretaries  Association. 
Annual   meeting.      SecretTy,   W.    T.    Ritter,   Winston- 
Salem,  N.  C. 
August    15-17. — Clinton,    Iowa. 

League    of    Iowa    Municipalities.     Annual    meeting. 
Secretary,    Frank    G.    Pierce,    Marshalltown.    Iowa. 
August   15-18.— San   Francisco,   Calif. 

International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers.  Annual 
meeting.      Secretary,    James    J.    Mulcahey,    City    Hall, 
Yonkers,  N.   Y. 
August    21-September    2. — Evanston,    III. 

National       School       for       Commercial       Secretaries. 
Address:    Robert   B.    Be5ch,   Business   Manager.    Asso- 
ciation   of    Commerce,    Chicago,    111. 
August   28-Septemeer   2. — Detroit,    Mich. 

National  Safety    Council.      Annual  Safety   Congress. 
Secretary,     W.     H.     Cameron,     1«S     North     Michigan 
Avenue,    Chicago,   111. 
October    1-6. — Cleveland,    Ohio. 

American     Society     for     Municipal     Improvements. 
Annual  convention.    Secretary,  Charles  Carroll  Brown, 
P.    O.   Box   234,   St.    Petersburg,   Fla. 
October  16-19. — Cleveland,   Ohio. 

.4merican      Public      Health      Association.        Annual 
meeting.      Secretary,    A.     W.    Iledrich,    370     Seventh 
.'Vvenue,  New  York,   N.   Y. 
October   23-25. — Chicago,    III. 

National  Association  of  Commercial  Organization 
Secretaries.  Annual  meeting.  Secretary-Treasurer, 
Tolin  E.  Northway,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Ifamilton. 
Ohio. 


579 


The  Administrative  and  Financial  Ma- 
chinery for  Carrying  Out  the  City  Plan 

By  Herbert  S.  Swan 

City  Planner,  New  York 


QUITE  as  important  as  the  city  plan 
itself  is  the  financial  and  legal  plan 
devised  to  carry  out  the  improvement 
contemplated  by  the  plan.  How  to  apply 
the  city's  resources  toward  the  carrying  out 
of  a  plan  in  a  manner  that  will  neither  em- 
barrass the  city's  finances,  endanger  the 
solvency  of  individual  property  owners,  nor 
unduly  disturb  the  conduct  of  business  dur- 
ing the  execution  of  the  plan,  are  adminis- 
trative problems  of  major  importance  which 
must  be  thought  out  before  any  real  plan 
can  be  undertaken  with  a  view  to  success- 
ful completion.  Both  the  city  and  the  prop- 
erty owner  must  be  in  a  position  to  pay  for 
the  plan,  or  the  plan  can,  of  course,  never 
be  realized.  It  is  this  homely  fact  which 
necessitates  the  consideration  of  such  tech- 
nical, but  none  the  less  fundamental,  mat- 
ters as  the  establishment  of  proposed  street 
lines  upon  the  city  map,  the  control  of  im- 
provements within  the  lines  of  mapped 
streets,  condemnation,  damages,  special  as- 
sessments, assessment  bonds,  debt  limits — 
indeed,  the  entire  administrative  and  finan- 
cial machinery  necessary  to  be  set  in  mo- 
tion for  the  carrying  out  of  the  plan. 

The  Establishment  of  Proposed  Street  Lines 

The  first  step  in  carrying  out  a  street  plan 
must  of  necessity  be  the  establishment  of 
the  proposed  street  lines  and  their  incor- 


STRAIGHT  STREET,  PATERSON,  N.  J. 


Notwithstanding  a  proposed  widening  from  50  to  80  feet  on  the  left 
side  of  tbls  street,  the  owners  of  the  house  on  the  corner  were  demol- 
isbing  it  and  preparing  to  build  a  substantial  building,  May  23,  1922 


poration  as  a  part  of  the  city  plan.  Only 
through  placing  the  projected  widenings 
and  extensions  upon  the  official  map  of  the 
city  can  owners  develop  their  property  in 
accordance  with  the  city's  program  of  im- 
provement. 

The  mere  mapping  of  the  proposed  im- 
provements injures  no  one.  Every  plot  can 
be  used  as  the  owner  would  have  used  it 
if  the  projected  street  lines  had  not  been 
laid  down  upon  the  city  map.  Mapping  a 
street  over  private  property  is  a  quite  dif- 
ferent thing  from  taking  private  property 
and,  until  property  is  actually  taken,  there 
need  be  no  compensation.  Since  owners 
have  the  right  to  disregard  the  plan,  so, 
too,  has  the  city — it  may  change  or  modify 
the  plan,  or  it  may  refrain  from  ever 
carrying  out  the  improvement  if  it  so  elects. 
As  this  is  the  law,  wherein,  then,  is  the 
advantage  of  placing  the  proposed  street 
widenings  and  extensions  upon  the  city  map  ? 
The  chief  outstanding  advantage  lies  in  the 
fact  that  it  gives  the  city  a  constructive 
program  of  development;  it  focuses  public 
attention  upon  a  group  of  coordinated  im- 
provements which  when  executed  will  fit 
into  a  comprehensive  scheme  promoting  the 
highest  development  of  all  parts  of  the  com- 
munity. If  they  are  not  placed  upon  the 
map,  they  will  never  be  carried  out,  and  if 
they  are  not  placed  upon  the  map  until  the 
city  is  ready  to  carry  them 
out,  their  execution  is 
likely  to  be  deferred  for 
many  years  after  the  time 
their  execution  would 
otherwise  be  possible. 

The  fact  that  these  im- 
provements have  been 
placed  upon  the  official 
map  after  an  exhaustive 
survey  of  the  needs  of  the 
whole  community  will, 
moreover,  tend  to  prevent 
the  spending  of  public 
moneys  upon  relatively 
unimportant,  i  m  p  r  o  v  e  - 
ments. 


58o. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


A  TYPICAL  SECTION  FROM  THE  OFFICIAL  MAP  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK 


All  owners  without  exception  are  anxious 
to  improve  their  property  in  a  manner  to 
increase  its  value.  Until  an  official  map  is 
adopted,  they  are  denied  the  privilege  either 
of  improving  their  property  in  a  manner  to 
give  its  value  the  maximum  enhancement  or 
of  helping  the  community  to  attain  a  com- 
prehensive plan. 

Immediate  Acquisition  of  Vacant  Land 
Within  Proposed  Street 

All  vacant  land  within  projected  street 
lines  should  be  immediately  acquired  by  the 
city.  Such  land  presumably  will  never  be 
cheaper  to  acquire  than  now.  So  long  as 
the  city  refrains  from  acquiring  the  land 
within  mapped  streets,  the  owner,  of  course, 
has  the  right  to  use  it  as  he  chooses.  The 
land  is  his  until  it  is  actually  taken  by  the 
city,  and  until  that  time  he  has  not  only 
a  right  to  develop  it  and  to  erect  buildings 
upon  it,  but  a  right  to  put  up  buildings  with 
the  single  object  of  extracting  larger  dam- 
ages from  the  city  when  his  property  is 
taken. 

For  the  city  to  defer  taking  the  land  that 
is  at  present  vacant  within  mapped  streets, 
whether  such  streets  be  widenings  or  ex- 
tensions, is  in  effect  to  give  tacit  approval 
to  its  development  without  reference  to  the 
official  plan.  If  the  map  may  be  changed 
and  the  street  completely  abandoned  with- 
out any  indemnity  against  loss  being  guar- 
anteed the  owner  on  account  of  compliance 
with  the  plan  in  the  development  of  his 
property,    certainly    the    owner    cannot    be 


blamed  for  taking  his  own  counsel  in  im- 
proving his  land  and  ignoring  the  mapped 
street. 

Justice  to  the  owner  of  vacant  land  with- 
in projected  street  lines,  who  will  suffer 
serious  loss  in  observing  the  plan  should 
the  city  alter  its  intention  of  ultimately 
taking  his  property,  as  well  as  justice  to 
the  taxpayer,  who  by  the  refusal  of  the 
municipality  to  take  such  lands  immediately, 
would  through  rising  land  values  and  the 
erection  of  costly  buildings  be  burdened 
with  increased  taxes,  both  demand  that  the 
land  now  unbuilt  upon  be  purchased  with- 
out delay.  The  acquisition  of  such  lands  is, 
moreover,  the  best  pledge  a  city  can  give  of 
its  intention  to  carry  out  its  program  of 
improvement. 

The  appropriation  of  so  much  of  the  front 
portion  of  vacant  lots,  or  of  the  forecourts 
of  improved  lots,  as  might  be  necessary  to 
afford  the  increased  width  to  the  widened 
thoroughfare,  would  make  the  owners  in 
front  of  the  widened  portions,  distributed 
here  and  there  as  they  would  be  throughout 
the  length  of  the  new  street,  the  staunchest 
advocates  of  the  quickest  possible  comple- 
tion of  the  improvement. 

With  part  of  the  street  widened,  the  own- 
ers along  the  widened  portions  would  never 
rest  until  the  entire  thoroughfare  was 
widened.  There  would  be  no  turning  back 
from  the  plan;  in  fact,  there  could  be  no 
turning  back  from  the  plan,  because  the  city 
would  stand  irrevocably  committed  to  the 
undertaking. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


581 


Gradual  Recession  of  Fronts  in  Built-on 
Portions  of  Widenings 

The  acquisition  of  the  vacant  land  with- 
in the  projected  lines  of  a  street,  of  course, 
still  leaves  the  built-on  land  to  be  acquired 
before  the  street  is  completed.  Alterations 
in  street  lines  are  at  best  always  difficult 
and  expensive  to  effect,  but  in  the  case  of 
improved  properties,  they  are  doubly  diffi- 
cult and  expensive.  The  land  values  ex- 
ceed the  building  values  in  very  few  locali- 
ties; indeed,  outside  of  the  business  sections, 
the  building  values  are  almost  invariably 
greater  than  the  land  values,  and  in  cases 
where  land  in  the  outlying  sections  is  im- 
proved with  expensive  buildings,  this  ex- 
cess is  often  manifold.  The  prudence  of 
proceeding  most  cautiously  with  the  widen- 
ing or  extension  of  streets  through  built-up 
localities  is  therefore  obvious. 

When  it  comes  to  the  extension  of  a 
street,  very  little  choice  is  left  to  the  city; 
to  get  any  benefit  at  all  from  the  street,  it 
must  expropriate  both  the  vacant  and  the 
improved  lands  at  once.  Unlike  the  case  of 
a  street  to  be  widened,  there  is  in  the  case 
of  a  street  extension,  no  existing  street,  not 
even  a  narrow  one,  to  be  used  by  traffic. 
The  use  of  the  thoroughfare  cannot,  there- 
fore, go  on  hand  in  hand  with  its  acquisi- 
tion; all  of  it  has  to  be  acquired  before  any 
part  of  it  can  be  used  even  to  the  slightest 
degree.  Every  consideration  of  prudence 
and  expediency  demands  that  an  extension 
be  carried  out  as  an  integral  improvement 
without  delay. 

But  in  the  case  of  a  street  widening, 
economy  demands — unless  the  increased 
width  is  required  at  once — that  the  widen- 
ing be  made  as,  and  when,  the  existing 
buildings  are  demolished  and  reconstructed. 
At  that  time  the  new  building  can  be  made 
to  recede  to  the  new  street  lines,  thus  re- 
lieving the  city  of  all  damages  for  build- 


MT.   VEBNON 


WHERE    TWO    CITIES    MEET 
A  striking  example  of  the  failure  to  plan 


BAD   DEVELOPMENT   WHERE   NO   CITY   PLAN 
CONTROLLED 

ings.  This  method  of  widening  streets  has 
been  exercised  on  several  different  oc- 
casions in  the  development  of  the  city  of 
Philadelphia. 

It  would  be  disastrous  to  the  city  to  re- 
quire that  all  the  streets  in  need  of  widen- 
ing should  be  widened  in  their  entirety  at 
once.  By  gradual  widening  as,  and  when, 
old  buildings  are  replaced  by  new  ones, 
progress  is  made  step  by  step  towards  a 
wider  street  without  unduly  straining  either 
the  city's  or  the  property  owner's  finances 
to  pay  for  it. 

Platting  the  new  or  widened  street  upon 
the  city  plan  interferes  with  no  one  in  the 
use  and  enjoyment  of  his  property  until  he 
comes  to  rebuild.  This  may  be  in  a  year, 
ten  years,  or  a  hundred  years.  But  when 
the  property  owner  does  rebuild,  his  build- 
ing must  recede  to  the  new  street  line.  It 
is  then  that  he  is  injured,  if  he  is  injured 
at  all ;  and  it  is  then  that  his  land  is  taken 
for  public  use,  and  he  is  entitled  to  have  his 
damages  assessed. 

The  instant  an  old  building  is  torn  down, 
the  city  takes  that  part  of  the  plot  within 
the  widened  street  for  public  use.  Existing 
buildings  are  not  interfered  with.  Imme- 
diately upon  the  destruction  of  the  old  build- 
ing, the  city  takes  possession.  Recession 
follows  upon  the  rebuilding  or  altering  of 
the  front  of  the  buildings  now  erected.  The 
moment  this  rebuilding  is  commenced  is 
therefore  the  moment  of  taking  which 
gives  the  person  whose  land  is  taken  the 
right  to  damages. 


;82 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


MARKET  STREET,  PATERSON,  N.  J. 

A  widening  from  50  to  70  feet  on  the  left  side  was 
under  consideration,  May  23,  1922. 

Making  Improvements  Pay  for  Themselves 

Judicious  expenditure  on  a  well-thought- 
out  city  plan  usually  results  in  an  apprecia- 
tion of  neighboring  land  values  that  is  at 
least  equal  to  the  sum  expended  upon  its 
execution.  In  some  instances,  the  enhance- 
ment in  near-by  values  may  even  exceed  the 
cost  of  an  improvement. 

Through  the  assessment  of  benefits,  a 
city  plan  may,  to  a  large  extent,  be  made  to 
pay  for  itself  without  encroaching  upon  the 
municipality's  borrowing  power,  increasing 
the  general  tax  rate,  or  throwing  new  finan- 
cial burdens  upon  those  least  able  to  bear 
them. 

It  is  a  rare  improvement  that  does  not 
confer  some  local  benefit  which  should  be 
assessed,  the  assessment  being  limited  only 
by  the  cost  of  the  improvement  and  the 
amount  of  benefit  conferred.  The  city 
should  assume  no  part  of  the  cost  where  the 
local  benefit  is  sufficient  to  pay  the  whole 
expense.    Only  in  instances  where  the  local 


benefit  does  not  equal  the  cost  of  the  im- 
provement, should  the  city  at  large  partici- 
pate in  the  expense.  When  the  city  assumes 
part  of  the  cost,  the  sum  assumed  should 
be  limited  by  the  amount  that  the  local 
benefit  falls  short  of  defraying  the  whole 
cost. 

Property  can  be  assessed  only  for  an 
actual  benefit  derived  from  an  improve- 
ment. The  assessment  may  not  be  for  ben- 
efit that  is  speculative  and  distant  or  de- 
pendent upon  remote  and  uncertain  con- 
tingencies. The  benefit  must  be  substantial, 
certain  and  capable  of  being  realized  with- 
in a  reasonable  and  convenient  time.  An 
assessment  cannot  be  levied  if,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  the  courts,  the  measure  is  premature 
and  will  cost  more  than  the  proprietors  of 
the  adjacent  land  will  be  benefited  by  the 
improvement. 

To  be  assessed,  property  must  be  of  such 
a  nature  that  its  value  is  capable  of  actual 
enhancement  in  consequence  of  an  improve- 
ment. Unless  this  enhancement  in  value  is 
susceptible  of  reasonably  accurate  measure- 
ment, the  property  cannot  be  assessed.  An 
assessment  should  represent  the  difference 
between  the  value  of  the  property  before 
and  after  the  improvement.  In  levying  an 
assessment,  the  enhanced  value  of  property 
by  reason  of  the  improvement  should  be 
taken  into  consideration. 

The  assessment  of  benefits  will  make 
great  improvements  immediately  possible 
which  if  paid  for  by  bond  issues  would  have 
to  be  deferred  for  many  years.  A  city's 
borrowing  capacity  is  quite  commonly  lim- 
ited by  law  to  a  certain  per  cent  of  its  as- 
sessment roll,  and  many  cities  are  very 
near  their  debt  limits.  Such  cities,  to  carry 
out  any  comprehensive  plan  of  street  widen- 
ings  or  extensions,  will  probably  find  special 
easements  the  best  means  of  financing  their 
program. 


The   Need   of  Municipal   Fire    Alarm   Systems 

Special  importance  should  be  placed  upon  the  necessity  of  designing,  installing  and 
maintaining  fire  alarm  systems,  so  that  alarms  may  at  all  times,  and  under  the  most  adverse 
conditions,  be  promptly  transmitted  to  fire  departments.  To  this  end,  attention  is  called  to 
the  supreme  desirability  of  providing  headquarters  which,  as  far  as  practicable,  will  be 
free  from  liability  to  damage  by  fire  from  internal  or  external  causes ;  of  installing  appa- 
ratus suited  for  promptly  and  correctly  transmitting  alarms,  but  which  will  be  simple  of 
operation  and  easy  of  maintenance;  of  placing  all  wires  outside  of  buildings  as  far  as 
practicable  underground ;  of  frequent  and  systematic  tests  of  all  apparatus ;  and  of  having 
in  charge  of  such  systems  only  men  of  known  judgment  and  ability. 

— From  report  of  Committee  on  Signaling  Systems,  National  Fire  Protection  Association. 


583 


Devices  for  Traffic  Control 

By  C.  H.  Shepherd 

Consulting  Engineer,  Chicago 


THE  problem  of  handling  or  dividing 
traffic  on  the  park  and  boulevard 
systems  in  the  large  cities  of  this 
country  has  grown  to  be  extremely  serious 
v^'ith  the  great  increase  in  the  number  of 
vehicles  and  their  speed. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  foresight  of  the 
planners  of  the  original  city  streets  did  not 
extend  into  or  beyond  the  present  day,  but 
the  conditions  which  they  established  are 
now  in  existence,  and  must  be  reckoned 
with. 

Many  devices  for  handling,  slowing  down 
and  dividing  traffic  have  been  put  into 
operation  with  varying  degrees  of  success. 
In  cases  where  it  is  necessary  for  pedes- 
trians to  cross  streets  filled  with  swiftly 
moving  automobiles  and  other  vehicles,  it 
has  been  found  expedient  to  establish 
islands  of  safety  in  the  center  of  the  road- 
way so  that  persons  passing  from  one 
side  to  the  other  may  find  a  safe  and  secure 
stopping-place  after  crossing  one  stream 
of  traffic  and  before  attempting  to  cross 
through  the  stream  moving  in  the  opposite 
direction.  In  the  case  of  Chicago  as  well 
as  other  large  cities,  the  difficulties  have 
been  greatly  aggravated,  not  only  by  the 
tremendous  increase  in  traffic  and  by  the 
narrowness  of  streets  and  boulevards  which 
were  ample  during  the  days  of  the  horse, 
but  also  because  the  great  length  of  the 
streets  makes  it  impossible  to  place  traffic 
officers   at   all    intersections. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  Michigan 
Avenue  Boulevard  Link  connecting  the 
down-town  business  district,  or  loop,  of 
Chicago  with  the  extensive  north  side 
boulevard  system  under  control  of  the 
Commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park,  the  speed 
of  unimpeded  traffic  has  greatly  increased, 
but  the  congestion,  instead  of  growing  less, 
has  increased  to  the  point  of  practical  im- 
mobility at  certain  times. 

The  first  step  in  traffic  control  taken  on 
the  Lincoln  Park  system  many  years  ago, 
was  the  installation  of  safety  island  lights 
along  the  various  boulevards.  As  these 
islands  were  placed  at  various  intersections 
where  it  was  necessary  to  slow  up,  divide 


or  divert  the  stream  of  traffic,  it  became 
the  practice  to  station  traffic  officers  at  such 
intersections  during  the  rush  hours,  and  as 
a  rule  these  officers  stand  either  in  front  of 
or  behind  the  islands.  In  conjunction  with 
the  installation  of  safety  islands  the  curb 
corners  at  prominent  intersections  were 
rounded  ofif,  thereby  providing  a  longer 
turning  radius  for  automobiles  and  allow- 
ing a  higher  speed  in  turning  corners. 

Tlie  Safety  Island  Lights 

The  first  safety  islands  used  on  this  sys- 
tem were  of  concrete  molded  in  the  shop, 
and  were  set  by  means  of  a  crane,  at  the 
proper  intersection  on  the  building  line  of 
the  cross-street  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
boulevard.  The  lighting  standard  was  of  cast 
iron,  carrying  a  ruby  globe,  i8  inches  in 
diameter,  in  which  was  installed  a  double 
cluster  of  incandescent  lights.  Each  cluster 
consisted  of  four  i6-candle-power,  iio-volt 


SIMPLE   POST,   UGHT  AND   BASE 


5^4 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


POST  WITH  TWIN  BASE  LIGHTS  AND  GOOSE- 
NECK TO  SHOW  OFFICER 

carbon  lights,  which  were  connected  in 
multiple  and  fed  from  the  secondary  of  a 
series-multiple  transformer  whose  primary 
was  connected  in  the  series  circuit  used 
to  illuminate  one  side  of  the  boulevard. 
Inasmuch  as  there  was  a  circuit  on  each 
side  of  the  boulevard,  each  safety  island 
was  connected  to  two  circuits,  each  circuit 
feeding  one  cluster  in  each  island,  making 
a  total  of  eight  lights,  or  two  clusters  of 
four  lights  each.  It  is  evident  that  the 
factor  of  safety  in  such  an  installation  was 
high,  for  in  case  one  circuit  was  out,  the 
remaining  cluster  still  had  four  lamps  in 
service.  Also,  the  fact  that  low-tension, 
secondary  current  was  used  to  supply  the 
safety  island  lights  minimized  the  danger 
of  shock  to  the  public  in  case  of  collision. 
The  original  safety  islands  were  not 
equipped  with  base  lights  as  shown  in  the 
illustration,  but  the  large  number  of  colli- 
sions due  to  cutting  off  the  driver's  view 
of  the  red  globe  by  the  automobile  top 
made  it  advisable  to  install  base  lights  so 
that  both  high  and  low  vision  could  be 
used.     This  was  done  by  installing  a  red 


marine  fixture  on  each  side  of  the  base  of 
the  standard,  each  fixture  containing  a  56- 
watt,  iio-volt  railway  lamp  connected  in 
parallel  with  the  lamps  of  its  corresponding 
top  cluster.  The  reduction  of  accidents  by 
means  of  the  base  lights  was  very  gratify- 
ing. As  may  be  seen  from  the  accompany- 
ing photograph,  either  the  top  or  the  bottom 
warning  signal  should  be  visible  at  all 
times. 

In  order  to  render  the  traffic  officer  visible 
at  night,  a  spot-light,  consisting  of  a  bowl 
reflector  mounted  on  a  pipe  gooseneck  and 
connected  in  parallel  with  one  of  the  cluster 
circuits  was  installed  at  locations  where  the 
traffic  officers  were  stationed.  Each  spot- 
light was  controlled  by  an  ordinary  key- 
type  snap  switch,  and  when  in  service 
illuminated  not  only  the  traffic  officer  but 
also  the  safety  island  base.  Different  types 
of  spot-lights  are  shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing illustrations. 

While  collisions  can  be  greatly  reduced 
by  such  methods,  a  certain  number  of  acci- 
dents are  bound  to  occur  and  it  is  apparent 


IMPROVED    POST    WITH    TWIN   BASE  LIGHTS, 
ISLAND    BASE    AND    SPECIAL   REFLECTOR 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


585 


that  a  dark  island  constitutes  a  serious 
menace  to  traffic.  Hence  it  is  necessary  to 
devise  some  means  of  restoring  signal  ser- 
vice quickly  in  case  a  post  is  demolished. 
This  was  accomplished  in  Chicago  by  means 
of  the  temporary  safety  island  light  stand- 
ard shown  in  the  accompanying  photo- 
graph. It  will  be  seen  that  four  fingers 
were  provided  to  slip  into  the  handhole 
of  the  island,  and  two  clusters  were  pro- 
vided in  the  top  globe.  The  main  leads  had 
slip  type  cord  connectors,  so  that  in  case 
of  emergency  it  was  only  necessary  to  take 
the  temporary  post  to  the  point  of  accident, 
remove  the  handhole  cover,  disconnect  the 
broken  leads,  connect  the  emergency  leads 
and  erect  the  post,  all  of  which  made  it 
possible  to  provide  emergency  signal  ser- 
vice anywhere  in  the  system  within  thirty 
minutes  after  the  receipt  of  the  accident 
report. 

With  the  increase  in  traffic  on  the  boule- 
vards of  the  Lincoln  Park  System  it  became 
apparent  that  some  means  was  necessary 
to  enable  a  traffic  officer  to  handle  both  the 
boulevard  and  cross-street  traffic  for 
several  blocks  on  each  side  of  his  station. 


After  investigation,  it 
was  found  that  this 
problem,  like  many 
others,  could  best  be 
solved  electrically,  and 
accordingly  the  writer 
designed  a  semaphore 
system  for  the  purpose. 
Unfortunately,  changes 
of  administration  and 
other  matters  pre- 
vented the  carrying  of 
this  project  to  comple- 
tion, but  the  scheme  it- 
self is  very  interesting. 

A    Semaphore  System 

The  semaphore 
standard  consists  of  an 
adaptation  of  the  regu- 
lar safety  island  lamp- 
post with  certain 
changes  which  are  ne- 
cessitated by  the  gen- 
eral type  of  construc- 
tion. Two  stop-arms 
are      set      to      oppose 


EMERGENCY 
LIGHT,  USED 
AFTER   ACCI- 
DENTS   TO    FIXED 
STANDARDS 


5TDP        O 


THE     COMMISSIONERS      OF     UINCOI_N      PARK 
ELECTRICAL         DEPARTMENT 
ORAWINS   OF  COM8■Ny^TION     SAIXTY     I5LAND      STANCMRO      AND 


KEEP  7.iRlCHT 

SLOWDOWN      SCALE -.-.«• 


"^="""  "^^^Uf^- 


TRONT  VIEW 


aioe  VKw 


PROPOSED   COMBINATION  SAFETY  ISIAND  STANDARD  AND  ELECTRIC   SEMAPHORE 


586 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Vol..  XXVI,  No.  6 


traffic  on  each  street,  the  idea  being  that 
the  flow  should  cease  when  the  arms  are 
against  Ciither  street,  and  resume  when 
the  arms  drop.  A  further  feature  of  the 
system  is  that  by  dropping  one  set  of  arms 
to  an  angle  of  45  degrees  with  the  horizon- 
tal and  raising  the  other  pair  to  the  same 
relative  position,  warning  to  get  ready  will 
be  given.  In  this  way  the  "Stop,"  "Get 
Ready"  and  "Go"  signals  are  incorporated 
in  the  action  of  two  pairs  of  arms  which 
carry  nothing  but  the  word  "Stop."  The 
arms  themselves  are  detachable  and  in  the 
end  of  each  is  a  two-way  red  bull's-eye  for 
use  in  night  work.  The  action  of  the  entire 
mechanism  is  perfectly  balanced,  requiring 
only  a  slight  pull  to  throw  the  arms  to  any 
position. 

The  standard  carries  the  usual  top  globe, 
double  cluster  and  base  lights,  the  normal 
operation  of  which  is  in  no  way  interfered 
with  by  the  semaphore  mechanism,  which 
is  operated  from  entirely  separate  and  in- 
dependent circuits.  Each  standard  carries 
a  master  control  switch,  a  bus  section 
switch,  and  a  jack  for  hand  operation,  and 
each  being  a  duplicate  of  all  others  on  the 
same  system,  it  is  possible  by  means  of 
proper  switching  to  operate  any  one  stan- 
dard alone;  to  operate  all  or  any  number  of 
others  from  any  standard  interchangeably; 
or  the  system  may  be  operated  in  whole  or 
in  part  by  a  traffic  officer  located  in  an 
elevated  control  station,  which  may  be 
placed  in  a  most  advantageous  position  for 
observation  of  traffic  movements. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  any  desired 
number  of  combinations  may  be  obtained 
for  various  situations  encountered  in  the 
handling  of  large  masses  of  traffic;  and 
such  a  system  is  admirably  adapted  for 
handling  traffic  for  some  distance  each  way 


from  the  main  control  station.  In  case  it 
is  desired  to  hold  all  vehicles  away  from 
a  boulevard,  or  to  clear  a  boulevard  for 
police  or  fire  purposes,  this  may  be  easily 
done  by  setting  signals  against  all  cross- 
street  traffic. 

By  proper  design,  the  extent  of  this 
system  may  be  increased  to  any  point  within 
reason.  Lack  of  space  prevents  the  show- 
ing of  mechanical  and  electrical  details  of 
the  semaphore  standard  iteslf,  but  these 
po'nts  are  very  simple  as  well  as  electrically 
and  mechanically  correct. 

Briefly  stated,  the  circuits  consist  of  a 
means  for  supplying  direct  current  of  the 
proper  voltage,  capacity  and  regulation,  to 
a  multiple  four-wire  bus  consisting  of  a 
positive  and  negative  feeder  bus,  and  a 
double  positive  control  bus.  Power  is  sup- 
plied to  the  operating  solenoids  from  the 
feeder  bus,  their  movements  being  con- 
trolled by  a  master  control  switch  which 
is  automatically  held  in  zero  position  by  a 
center  spring  when  not  in  use,  and  in  either 
the  "Stop"  or  the  "Go"  position  by  a  series 
retaining  coil  tapped  off  the  feeder  bus 
positive,  until  such  time  as  the  stroke  of 
the  solenoids  is  completed  in  either  direc- 
tion, when  the  circuit  is  opened  on  the 
completed,  and  closed  on  the  impending, 
stroke  by  the  action  of  the  automatic  limit 
switch.  Since  all  units  are  duplicates,  and 
the  entire  system  may  be  operated  from  any 
unit,  it  is  evident  that  the  operating  master 
control  switch  will  not  be  released  until 
the  last  signal  in  the  bank  has  completed 
its  final  stroke. 

The  cost  of  this  type  of  system  is  ex- 
tremely reasonable,  considering  the  results 
of  its  installation,  and  its  possibilities  are 
unlimited,   if   properly  engineered. 


An  Error  in  the  Report  of  Gainesville's  Population 


In  the  article  "Making  a  Municipal  Light 
and  Water  Plant  Pay,"  by  G.  H.  Cairns, 
City  Manager,  Gainesville,  Fla.,  the  figure 
as  published  in  the  1920  census  was  inserted 
for  the  population.    Mr.  Cairns  writes: 

"The  question  of  population  in  this  city 
has  been  rather  a  sore  subject  to  its  citizens 
since  the  Federal  census  was  taken  in  1920. 
At  that  time  a  figure  of  5,000-odd  was 
returned  by  the  takers.  However,  the  local 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  knowing  this  to  be 
incorrect,  had  the  census  retaken  after 
having   been    properly   Mi^horized    by    the 


Government.  This  time  the  total  count  was 
foimd  to  have  been  6,860. 

"This  figure  does  not  include  about  1,000 
students  regularly  in  attendance  at  the 
State  University. 

"Needless  to  say,  the  city  has  grown  con- 
siderably since  the  census  was  taken,  and 
a  directory  firm  of  good  standing,  who  have 
only  recently  made  a  canvass  of  the  city 
preparing  a  new  directory,  assure  us  that 
about  10,000  bona  fide  names  will  be  shown 
in  this  vear's  issue." 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


587 


UNFOKTUNATE  DAILY  EVENTS  "ON  THE  ROAD  TO  CANEY' 


Mud  and  Ruts  Strangle  a  County 

A  Kentucky  County  Practically  Isolated  by  Bad  Roads 


THE  two  pictures  above  show  roads 
which  have  been  in  existence  for  a 
great  many  years  between  Pippapass 
and  Wayland,  Ky.  The  distance  between 
these  two  towns  is  twelve  miles,  Wayland 
being  the  railroad  or  shipping  point.  Run- 
ning to  the  county-seat  in  the  other  direc- 
tion from  Pippapass  are  8  miles  of  road  in 
just  as  bad  condition.  There  is  not  a  single 
mile  of  improved  road  nor  a  mile  of  rail- 
road in  Knott  County.  The  only  travel  is 
by  wagon  or  horseback  along  the  sides  of 
mountains  or  through  the  beds  of  creeks 
without  bridges  or  culverts.  When  the 
creeks  rise,  the  county  is  practically  cut 
off  from  all  communication  with  the  outside 
world.  In  this  county  is  located  the  Caney 
Creek  Community  Center,  which  is  doing 
such  remarkable  work  for  the  unfortunates 


of  that  sect'on  who  are  isolated   from   the 
activities  of  the  world  by  poor  roads. 

How  much  better  off  a  community  is 
when  it  is  served  by  hard-surfaced  roads, 
maintained  in  good  condition  throughout 
the  year,  with  the  snow  removed  in  winter 
to  enable  traffic  to  pass  through  the  com- 
munity and  to  its  rail  centers  at  any  time 
during  the  winter  months !  Many  states 
are  slowly  pushing  their  improved  road 
systems  into  the  remote  corners  and  along 
what  were  but  a  few  years  ago  the  by- 
ways of  the  state.  In  this  way,  states, 
counties  and  towns  are  knitted  together 
more  closely  and  have  more  common  inter- 
ests. Through  the  highway,  trading  be- 
comes easier,  education  is  more  easily  se- 
cured, and  life  generally  made  happier  for 
the  small  community. 


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A   WELL-DEAINED    SURFACED   ROAD  IS   A   DISTINCT  ASSET   TO   A   COIUMUNITY 


588 


Gasoline  Engines  Are  Servants  of  Many 

Municipalities 

Whether  Installed  in  Autos  or  Motor  Trucks,  or  Running  Concrete  Mixers, 
They  Are  Always  Ready  for  Action 


A  WHITE  POriCE  PATROL  AND  AMBULANCE,  VILLAGE   OF  OAK   PARK,  ILL. 


A  GROUP  OF  AMBULANCES  MADE  BY  THE  V/HITE  COMPANY  FOE,  THE  SERVICE  OF  THE 

BOSTON   CITY  HOSPITAL 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


589 


BUILDING  THE  HABLEM  CREEK  SEWER,  ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

The  Smith  tilting  mixer  illustrated  was  sold  to  the  Department  of  Streets  and  Sewers  hy  the 
George  F.  Smith  Company,  of  St.  Louis 


THIS  2 1/2 -TON  STANDARD  TRUCK,  WITH  3-SECTION  TRENTON  TOWER  OPERATED  BY  A  WOOD 
HYDRAULIC  HOIST,  IS  USED  IN  STREET  RAILWAY  MAINTENANCE  WORK,   DETROIT,  MICH. 


590 


Worth- While  City  Work  for  the 
Unemployed 


AS  a  means  of  helping  to  solve  the 
unemployment  problem  and  at  the 
same  time  to  get  needed  public  works 
done,  the  Common  Council  of  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  recently  authorized  a  bond  issue  of 
$100,000,  the  proceeds  of  which  were  used 
to  give  aid  to  the  unemployed  through  pro- 
viding work  which  at  the  same  time  re- 
moved a  serious  flood  hazard  in  the  city. 

Schenectady  is  crossed  by  three  large 
creeks  and  culverts  which  run  under  the 
business  and  residential  sections  and  under 
some  of  the  largest  industries.  One  of 
them,  Veeder  Creek,  runs  under  the  city  for 
a  distance  of  more  than  three-fourths  of  a 
mile,  finally  emptying  into  the  Mohawk 
River.     This  culvert,  the  largest  in  the  city. 


SCHENECTADY    FINDS    WORK    FOR   UNEMPLOYED    IN    CLEANING 
CITY'S  SEWERS 


was  badly  choked.  For  several  weeks  a 
gang  of  workmen  varying  in  number  from 
20  to  70  were  engaged  on  the  task  of  dig- 
ging out  the  waste  material  and  debris 
which  had  accumulated  in  this  and  the 
smaller  culverts.  Hundreds  of  tons  of  this 
waste  material  were  taken  out,  and  as  a  re- 
sult the  water-level  in  the  culvert  has  been 


lowered  approximately  4  feet,  thereby  per- 
mitting the  water  to  flow  more  freely  and 
minimizing  flood  conditions  during  heavy 
rainfalls. 

This  is  the  first  time  that  the  culvert  has 
been  cleaned  in  many  years.  The  work  at 
first  was  quite  precarious  because  the  work- 
men could  not  enter  the  culvert  for  any 
distance  on  account  of  high  water  and 
sewer  gas.  An  extra  manhole  was  built 
about  1,400  feet  from  the  entrance  in  order 
to  allow  the  sewer  gas  to  escape.  As  the 
refuse  and  waste  were  dug  from  the  bed 
of  the  culvert,  they  were  loaded  onto  a 
scow,  which  was  dragged  to  the  entrance 
by  the  workmen,  and  the  debris  was  then 
loaded  into  trucks  and  carried  away.  In 
the  older  section  of  the 
culvert  there  is  a  plank 
flooring  sloping  toward 
the  river.  The  water  in 
this  section  rushes  along 
at  the  rate  of  16  miles 
an  hour,  and  the  floor 
was  so  slippery  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the 
workmen  to  maintain  a 
footing.  However,  the 
men  chosen  by  the  un- 
employment committee 
as  being  the  most  de- 
serving to  receive  these 
city  jobs  proved  equal 
to  the  task.  The  accom- 
p  a  n  y  i  n  g  photograph 
shows  the  workmen  with 
a  partly  loaded  scow, 
and  the  smaller  culvert 
to  the  left  of  the  picture 
gives  some  idea  of  the  cramped  quarters 
in  which  the  workmen  had  to  work. 

What  Schenectady  did  is  only  a  sample 
of  the  many  odd  municipal  jobs  that  need 
to  be  done  and  that  can  be  made  the  means 
not  only  of  protecting  the  city  against  haz- 
ards, but  also  of  providing  employment  for 
those  in  need  of  it. 


A  city's  real   strength   is  not   in  its   dollars  per   capita ;   it   is  in  its  character 
per  capita. 


591 


f=f  /=//=/  f^  f=/  f=/ 


— ^ — —      (^^  ' 


Middletown's  Civic  and  Industrial 
Exhibition 

MiDDLETOWN,  CoNN. — The  Combined 
Civic  and  Industrial  Exhibition  of  local 
products  and  activities  recently  held  at  Mid- 
dletown.  Conn.,  and  sponsored  by  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  had  an  immediate  favor- 
able effect  upon  public  morale.  Not  only 
did  this  exhibition  fulfill  the  usual  func- 
tion of  satisfying  the  curiosity  of  the  citi- 
zens as  to  what  is  being  done  in  their  com- 
munity, but  it  set  before  them  in  unmis- 
takable language  the  community's  strength 
and  resources,  both  tangible  and  intangible. 
It  put  an  end,  for  the  time  being  at  least, 
to  an  undercurrent  of  pessimism  which  was 
beginning  to  acquire  considerable  headway. 

From  a  purely  artistic  point  of  view  the 
exhibition  was  perhaps  quite  as  successful 
as  from  the  standpoint  of  public  morale. 
There  were  two  distinct  sections,  industrial 
and  civic,  the  former  occupying  the  first 
two-thirds  of  the  exhibition  floor  and  the 
latter  occupying  the  rest  of  the  floor  to  the 


rear.  Seventeen  civic  and  social  agencies 
were  represented,  and  31  industrial  and 
commercial  firms.  The  industrial  and  com- 
mercial booths  were  of  the  standard  10-  x 
lo-foot  type,  with  side  and  rear  panels; 
the  civic  and  educational  booths  formed  a 
complete  scheme  of  their  own,  being 
specially  made  and  decorated.  The  illustra- 
tion shows  both  the  general  arrangement 
of  the  floor  and  also  the  design  for  the  civic 
and  educational  section;  the  latter  included 
a  blue  and  white  "color  scheme  which  was 
remarkably  effective. 

This  show  developed  nothing  new  to  ex- 
hibition science.  It  did,  however,  bring 
out  the  fact,  sometimes  overlooked  by  those 
in  charge  of  public  displays,  that  the  less 
the  amount  of  distracting  influences,  such 
as  excessive  decoration,  loud  music,  etc., 
the  more  attention  is  paid  to  the  exhibits 
themselves.  From  all  points  of  view,  espe- 
cially the  financial  side,  this  is  well  worth 
remembering. 

T.  L.  HINCKLEY, 
Secretary,    Middletown   Chamber   of  Commerce. 


A  PORTION   or   MIDDLETOWN' S   CIVIC   AND   INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION 


592 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


Ballinger  Votes  for  Paving 

Ballinger,  Tex. — A  study  of  the  street- 
paving  and  water-supply  problems  con- 
fronting this  city  was  instituted  last  fall  by 
committees  from  the  Young  Men's  Busi- 
ness League  and  resulted  in  the  calling  of 
a  bond  election  on  April  i8,  at  which  bond 
issues  for  the  improvement  of  both  these 
utilities  carried  by  a  vote  of  370  to  150. 
About  $125,000  worth  of  street  paving  will 
be  laid  in  the  business  district,  replacing 
the  water-bound  macadam  laid  several 
years  ago.  The  present  water-supply  will 
be  practically  doubled  by  the  building  of 
additional   reservoir  capacity. 

Several  months  ago  the  League  fostered 
a  campaign  for  the  municipal  ownership  of 
light  and  power,  following  which,  suffi- 
cient bonds  were  voted  to  build  a  modern 
plant.  This  is  now  supplying  practically 
every  residence  and  business  house  in  the 
city.  The  Business  League  was  also  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  teaching  of  fire  pre- 
vention in  the  public  schools,  which  brought 
about  a  substantial  reduction  in  the  fire  in- 
surance key  rate,  and  is  expected  to  greatly 
lessen  fire  losses  in  the  future. 

The  commercial  organization  now  has  in 
hand  the  marking,  mapping  and  advertising 
of  three  cross-state  highways  which  pass 
through  this  city,  and  the  building  and 
equipping   of  a  modern  tourists'  camp. 

STUART   L.   WILLIAMS, 
Executive      Secretary,      Young      Men's      Business 
League. 

Chamber  Demonstrates  the  Value 
of  Organized  Effort 

Wheeling,  W.  Va. — After  having  voted 
down  bond  issues  on  three  different  oc- 
casions during  the  past  ten  years,  provid- 
ing for  a  filtration  plant  and  other  related 
improvements,  the  citizens  of  Wheeling,  by 
a  three-to-one  vote  on  April  20,  ratified  a 
two-m'llion-dollar  bond  issue  for  this  pur- 
pose. It  provided  for  a  rapid  sand  filtra- 
tion plant,  extension  of  water-mains  to  all 
suburban  sections  of  the  city,  rehabilitation 
of  the  present  water-works,  five  million  gal- 
lons additional  reservoir  capacity,  and  the 
purchasing  of  two  private  water  companies 
now  serving  the  suburbs.  Work  will  be 
started  just  as  soon  as  the  bonds  can  be  sold 
and  contracts  let.  Employment  will  be  pro- 
vided in  the  near  future  for  almost  one 
thousand  men. 


Several  weeks  prior  to  the  election  at 
which  the  bond  issue  was  ratified,  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  through  its  Civic  Com- 
mittee built  up  the  greatest  organization  in 
its  history.  Complete  cooperation  was 
given  by  the  Rotary,  Kiwanis,  Lions  and 
Women's  Clubs,  the  League  of  Women 
Voters  and  practically  every  social,  fra- 
ternal, and  labor  organization  in  the  city. 
The  four  daily  newspapers  also  supported 
the  project  wholeheartedly.  Sufficient  funds 
were  raised  by  the  Chamber's  committee 
from  the  members  to  cover  campaign  ex- 
penses. 

An  educational  campaign  was  planned 
and  carried  on  for  twelve  days  preceding 
the  election.  Display  advertising  was  used 
in  quarter-page  space  in  each  of  the  four 
daily  newspapers  during  this  time.  The 
Chamber's  Publicity  Committee  and  the 
city  officials  cooperated  in  furnishing  the 
material.  Fifteen  thousand  pamphlets  were 
printed  and  distributed  to  every  home  in 
the  community.  These  pamphlets  thor- 
oughly explained  the  proposed  improve- 
ments, the  cost  and  the  benefits  to  be  de- 
rived, as  well  as  what  the  cost  would  be 
to  the  taxpayers,  to  pay  off  the  interest  and 
principal.  Fifteen  thousand  novelty  but- 
tons with  the  inscription  "Vote  for  Pure 
Water"  were  distributed  among  the  10,- 
000  school  children  and  others  in  the  com- 
munity about  one  week  prior  to  the  elec- 
tion; 500  large  muslin  signs  bearing  the 
same  message  were  placed  on  500  automo- 
biles the  day  before  the  election.  Window 
displays  showing  the  muddy  river  water 
which  the  people  of  Wheeling  have  been 
using  for  years,  compared  with  filtered 
water,  were  placed  in  many  sections  of  the 
city. 

Four-minute  men  organized  by  the  Ro- 
tary, Kiwanis  and  Lions  Qubs  spoke  in  all 
the  theaters  and  in  many  public  meetings 
during  the  week  preceding  the  election,  ad- 
vocating the  ratification  of  the  bond  issue. 
The  Chamber  of  Commerce  committee 
cooperated  with  the  city  officials  in  effect- 
ing a  complete  organization  in  every  voting 
precinct  on  election  day  to  assist  in  getting 
out  the  vote.  Augmenting  this,  the  League 
of  Women  Voters  had  a  voluntary  or- 
ganization of  workers  in  every  precinct. 
These  workers  were  assisted  by  the  auto- 
mobile dealers  and  owners,  who  furnished 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


593 


more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  machines, 
which  were  used  throughout  the  day  until 
the  polls  closed.  The  organization  in  every 
respect  was  so  complete  that  it  was  a 
physical  impossibility  for  the  opposition  to 
have  any  effect.  The  ratification  of  the 
bond  issue  was  the  greatest  achievement  of 
its  kind  in  the  history  of  Wheeling,  and 
authorized  the  largest  amount  of  money 
ever  devoted  to  a  public  improvement  in 
any  municipality  in  the  state  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. 

H.   P.   CORCORAN, 
Manager,   Wheeling   Chamber   of   Commerce. 

Education  That  Helps  Boys  to 
Plan  Their  Lives 

New  Haven,  Conn. — Groups  of  high 
school  boys  are  being  taken  on  visits  to 
the  various  industries  of  the  city  in  order 
that  they  may  be  better  informed  as  to  the 
industrial  opportunities  offered,  and  the  ex- 
tent of  the  local  manufactures. 

After  a  meeting  of  representatives  of  the 
New  Haven  industries,  a  questionnaire  was 
sent  to  each  one  of  the  industries  to  obtain 
information  necessary  to  form  an  itinerary 
for  the  boys.  The  points  covered  in  the 
questionnaire  were  as  follows: 

large    a    group    can    you    accommodate 


1.  How  large  a  group  can  you  accommodate  at 
one  visit? 

2.  What  time  of  the  day  do  you  prefer? 
.S.     How  long  would   you   keep  the  boys? 

4.  Would  you  give  a  preliminary  talk  to  the  entire 
group  of  boys,  explaining  the  high  points  of  your  in- 
dustry and  its  products? 

5.  Would  you  be  willing  to  prepare  an  outline 
which  can  be  mimeographed  by  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  given  to  each  boy  previous  to  the  visit? 

Note. — The  preliminary  talk  to  the  boys  and  out- 
line to  be  mimeographed  may  cover  such  points  as: 

(a)  Raw   material   and    sources   of   supply 

(b)  Products  that  are  made  and  products  that  the 
group  will  see  made 

(c)  Methods  of  packing,   marking  and   shipping 

(d)  Market — where   products  are  shipped   to 

(e)  Emphasis  on  advantages  of  education  in  secur- 
ing advancement  in  the  industry 

The  boys  are  asked  to  use  the  informa- 
tion they  obtain  on  these  visits  in  their 
school  work,  in  the  writing  of  themes,  prep- 
aration of  short  talks  in  rhetorical  work, 
etc.  The  educational  authorities 
consider  this  experimental  work  of 
such  value  that  they  have  decided 
to  make  it  part  of  the  regular  class 
work  next  year. 

It  is  expected  that  the  "Know 
New  Haven  Industries"  visits  will 
promote  a  mutual  understanding 
on  the  part  of  the  industries  and 
public  school  teachers  and  public 
school  officials.  The  plan  is  based 
on  the  desire  of  industries  to  enlist 


the  interest  and  sympathy  of  prospective 
workers,  and  since  the  public  school  officials 
are  interested  in  promoting  the  highest 
type  of  education,  the  cooperation  between 
these  two  functions  is  most  desirable. 

It  will  help  to  educate  the  boys  in  the 
general  knowledge  of  typical  industries, 
thereby  increasing  their  range  of  choice  in 
making  it  possible  for  them  to  select  the 
kind  of  work  they  like  best  after  leaving 
school.  A  clearer  idea  will  be  given  them 
of  the  opportunities  in  New  Haven  and  this 
will  make  them  want  to  stay  in  New  Haven 
rather  than  go  somewhere  else.  Emphasis 
will  also  be  laid  upon  the  fact  that  the 
longer  a  boy  stays  in  school  the  greater  is 
his  opportunity  for  obtaining  a  good  posi- 


tion. 


W.   PHILLIP  SHATTS, 


Assistant     Secretary,     New     Haven     Chamber     of 
Commerce. 

City  Hall  and  Auditorium  Com- 
bined Is  Economical 

Newton,  Kans. — The  Newton  city  audi- 
torium well  illustrates  an  admirable  type 
of  municipal  building  adequately  serving 
the  needs  of  the  community,  in  which  every 
local  organization  and  interest  can  hold 
gatherings  and  where  all  the  people  can  be 
entertained.  Probably  the  greatest  advan- 
tages to  the  community  brought  by  such  a 
building  are  the  sense  of  common  owner- 
ship and  the  civic  and  patriotic  spirit  that 
are  developed  through  the  better  acquaint- 
ance and  fellowship  enjoyed. 

The  utility  of  this  Newton  building  is 
shown  by  the  freedom  with  which  it  is  be- 
ing used.  During  the  year  1921  the  audi- 
torium has  been  used  more  than  200 
evenings,  as  well  as  many  afternoons.  The 
auditorium  proper  seats  1,300  comfortably 
— 384  in  the  balcony,  and  916  on  the  first 
floor.  It  is  well  adapted  for  professional 
road  shows,  the  stage  being  65  by  23  feet, 
with  five  set  scenes  and  a  picture  curtain. 


CITY  HALL  AND  AUDITORIUM,  NEWTON,  KANS, 


594 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Vol.  XXVI,  No.  6 


There  are  eleven  dressing-rooms,  and  shows 
with  more  than  sixty  people  in  the  cast  have 
been  accommodated  comfortably.  These 
facilities  have  been  the  means  of  interesting 
a  booking  company  and  of  bringing  many 
good  shows  to  Newton,  although  it  is  a 
much  smaller  city  than  any  other  on  the 
same  circuit. 

The  Newton  city  auditorjum  was  erected 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce in  1912  and  191 3  at  a  cost  of  $40,090. 
Bonds  were  issued  bearing  4^  per  cent  in- 
terest, to  be  retired  in  20  years.  In  addition 
to  the  auditorium,  the  building  contains  the 
city  clerk's  office,  the  city  commissioner's 
offices  and  meeting-room,  the  city  engineer's 
office,  a  rest  room  for  women,  the  office  of 
the  city  health  nurse,  the  offices  and  store- 
rooms of  Company  F,  137th  Infantry,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  office,  the  Harvey 
County  Farm  Bureau  office,  the  rooms  of 
the  Boy  Scouts  and  the  American  Legion, 
and  a  meeting-room  seating  200  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
Farm  Bureau  offices.  Many  meetings  not 
large  enough  to  require  the  use  of  the  audi- 
torium proper  are  held  in  this  room.  Many 
of  the  most  progressive  and  forward- 
looking  movements  and  accomplishments  of 
the  community  have  been  launched  in  this 
assembly  room,  and  it  is  used  several  times 
each  week. 

The  average  cost  of  equipping  and  main- 
taining the  entire  building  over  the  past 
six  years  has  been  $3,300  per  year,  and  the 
income  from  rentals  on  the  aud'torium  has 
been  approximately  $1,500  per  year,  leaving 
an  annual  expenditure  of  $1,800  from  the 
city  funds.  fred  bowers, 

Secretary,    Chamber    of    Commerce. 

Ashtabula  Finally  Settles  Street 
Car  Question 

Ashtabula,  Ohio. — After  many  uncer- 
tainties, the  street  car  question  in  Ashtabula 
seem§  to  have  been  settled.  The  question 
of  purchasing  the  system  first  arose  in  April, 
1920.  At  that  time  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce appointed  a  committee,  which,  after 
several  weeks  of  careful  investigation,  re- 
ported unanimously  in  favor  of  the  pur- 
chase of  the  existing  system  for  the  price 
of  $296,000. 

The  property  of  the  street  car  system  con- 
sisted of  approximately  six  miles  of  single 
track  with  the  necessary  turn-out  switches, 
etc.,  ten  cars  in  a  very  bad  state  of  repair, 


and  a  car  barn  with  the  customary  equip- 
ment, but  no  power-house,  the  power  being 
purchased  from  other  sources. 

Following  the  report  of  the  committee, 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  began  an  active 
publicity  campaign,  as  a  result  of  which  a 
special  election  called  by  the  city  stood  923 
for  and  905  against  the  bond  issue,  the  very 
small  vote  being  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
a  special  election.  The  provisions  of  the 
bond  issue  were  that  the  bonds  must  be  is- 
sued against  the  utility  itself,  and  that  the 
rate  of  fare  to  be  charged  must  be  such 
as  to  make  the  system  self-supporting.  Be- 
cause of  general  market  conditions  the 
bonds  could  not  be  sold,  therefore  the  deal 
was  never  closed.  Immediately  after  the 
election  the  system  went  into  the  hands  of 
receivers  and  has  been  in  that  condition 
ever  since. 

Shortly  before  the  general  election  in  No- 
vember, 1 92 1,  an  offer  was  made  by  the  re- 
ceivers to  turn  the  property  over  to  the  city 
at  the  price  of  $197,000.  The  Chamber  of 
Commerce  again  appointed  a  committee  to 
investigate  the  matter,  which  it  did  quite 
thoroughly,  and  the  majority  of  the  commit- 
tee reported  favorable  for  the  purchase. 
But  a  referendum  taken  among  the  member- 
ship did  not  support  the  committee's  report, 
and  in  the  final  election,  November  8,  the 
ordinance  to  purchase  was  overwhelmingly 
defeated.  The  vote  stood  1,313  for  and 
3.303  against.  It  was  rather  difficult  to  ex- 
plain just  why  there  was  this  reversal  of 
sentiment  both  of  the  Chamber  and  the 
community,  except  that  the  purchase  at  this 
time  was  to  be  an  outright  one,  the  bonds 
to  be  issued  against  the  credit  of  the  city. 
General  business  conditions  and  the  attend- 
ing unemployment  made  the  necessity  for 
adequate  transportation  very  mucH  less  ap- 
parent at  that  time. 

Not  long  after  the  election  a  meeting  of 
the  stockholders  of  the  street  railway  line 
was  held,  and  following  this  meeting  an 
offer  was  made  to  the  city  to  sell  for  $150,- 
000.  On  January  9,  1922,  the  newly  elected 
City  Council  voted  to  purchase  the  car  line 
at  this  new  figure.  A  referendum  was  called 
for  by  a  2etition  of  those  opposed  to  the 
purchase,  and  on  April  24  at  a  special  elec- 
tion the  ordinance  to  purchase  carried  by  a 
majority  vote  of  856.  The  complete  vote 
was  2,164  for  and  1,308  against.  The  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  held  forum  meetings  and 


Tune,  1922 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


59: 


THE    SPRINGFIELD    CHAMBER   OF   COMMERCE    FINANCED    THE    MAKING    OF    THIS    ETCHING 
OF  THE  SPRINGFIELD  MUNICIPAL  GROUP 


furnished  speakers  on  the  matter,  and  the 
purchase  at  that  price  was  unanimously  en- 
dorsed by  the  Directors  of  the  Chamber. 
The  line  will  be  taken  over  and  operated 
by  the  local  authorities  as  soon  as  the  bonds 
can  be  issued  and  disposed  of. 

A.  J.  HORN, 
Manager,    Clianiber    of   Commerce. 

Chamber   Procures    Etching    of 

Springfield  Municipal  Group 

for  Publicity  Purposes 

Springfield,  Mass. — The  commission- 
ing of  Louis  Orr  of  Paris,  a  distinguished 
American  painter-etcher,  by  the  Springfield 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  to  make  an  etching 
of  its  famous  Municipal  Group  had  its 
origin  in  the  desire  of  the  Convention 
Bureau  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  for 
a  picture  of  the  group  worthy  of  its  recog- 
nized excellence,  which  it  might  use  in 
showing  Springfield's  advantages  as  a  con- 
vention city.  It  was  first  planned  to  secure 
an  oil  painting  of  the  group,  but  this  was 
found  impractical. 

The  work  of  Mr.  Orr  was  called  to  the 


attention  of  the  committee  and  a  year  ago 
he  was  invited  to  make  the  etching.  This 
resulted  in  a  contract  with  the  artist  by 
which  he  agreed  to  make  a  large  etched 
plate  of  the  group,  from  which  are  to  be 
pulled  fifty  first  state  artist's  proofs,  each 
to  be  signed  by  the  artist ;  the  plate  will  then 
be  destroyed.  Of  the  fifty  proofs,  five  are 
to  be  retained  by  the  Convention  Bureau 
for  exhibition  purposes  and  the  remaining 
forty-five  have  been  taken  by  private  sub- 
scription at  $200  each,  thereby  financing 
the  entire  undertaking. 

Mr.  Orr  came  to  Springfield  last  Sep- 
tember and  spent  a  month  in  making  his 
preliminary  drawing  and  detailed  sketches. 
He  returned  to  Paris  in  December  and  has 
been  working  steadily  upon  the  Springfield 
plate.  The  first  proof  recently  arrived  in 
Springfield.  The  etching,  which  is  223^ 
by  39  inches  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
copper  plate  ever  etched,  is  reproduced 
herewith. 

B.    A.    HAPGOOD, 
Secretary,     Springfield    Chamber    of    Commerce. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Concrne  pavement^  If'aUrvUet,  N.  > ., 
gipfft  hard,  long-wearing  surface  by 
Hard-n-tyie  Road  Treatment. 


—and  when  it  comes  to  concrete  road 

maintenance — read  this  book! 


For  ove 

r  twenty  years 

the  General 

Chem.ca 

1  Company  has 

been  at  the 

forefront 

of   chemical 

research    and 

manufac 

ture  in  this  cou 

ntrv.     Hard- 

n-tyte  is 

the  latest  contr 

ibution  of  its 

splendid 

staff  of  chemis 

ts.     It  is  the 

success^ 

1  result  of  long 

search  for  a 

concrete 

hardener  that  r 

eallv  hardens 

the  surface   and  materi 

Ily   increases 

its    life. 

It    enables    engineers    and 

contractors  to  deliver  a  q 

ualityofcon. 

Crete  wo 

rk  far  in  advanc 

e  of  anything 

that    ha 

s    heen    possibl 

e    heretofore. 

Weather-proof,  wear-proof  con- 
crete is  the  easiest  to  maintain. 

Hard-n-tyte  is  used  not  only 
for  new  work, — ask  a  few  high- 
way engineers  who  have  tried  it 
on  old  concrete  pavements.  Find 
out  what  state  highway  depart- 
ments are  doing  to  old  work  with 
Hard-n-tyte. 

They're  giving  it  a  surface  that 
water  doesn't  penetrate.  They're 
keeping  soft  concrete  from  crunch- 
ing out  under  heavy  traffic.  And 
put  this  down — you'll  need  it 
some  time  —  Hard-n-tyte  saves 


the  day  on  concrete  that  has  bi 
touched  by  frost. 

Hard-n-tyte  Road  Treatm 
gives  either  old  or  new  concret 
hard,  long-wearing  surface  i 
requires  little  or  no  maintenar 
It  is  quickly  applied  by  comn 
labor  and  increases  the  life 
concrete  roads  at  least  30%. 

Send  for  a  copy  of  "Hard 
tyte  Highways"  and  find  out  h 
to  take  the  trouble  and  expe 
out  of  concrete  highway  m< 
tenance. 

General  Chemical  Company 
40  Rector  Street  New  York 


11 


— makes  concrete  roads  wear  longer 

When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


597 


Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Stages  First  Radio  Meeting 

Albany,  N.  Y. — Successful  use  has  been 
made  of  the  radio  telephone  by  the  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  conducting 
what  is  believed  to  be  the  first  radiophone 
chamber  of  commerce  meeting  held  in  the 
United  States,  and  later  in  opening  its 
membership  expansion  movement  with  an 
inspirational  speech  made  by  wireless  from 
an  airplane  flying  2,500  feet  above  the  city. 

The  first  radio  meeting  was  held 
April  12.  More  than  1,100  members  and 
friends  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  gath- 
ered in  beautiful  Chancellors'  Hall  in  Al- 
bany to  hear  the  speakers,  musicians  and 
other  participants  in  the  program  at  the 
radio  broadcasting  station  of  the  General 
Electric  Company  in  Schenectady  (WGY). 
The  audience  was  therefore  assembled 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  performers. 
The  program  consisted  of  piano,  violin  and 
soprano  solos,  followed  by  a  radio  telephone 
speech  delivered  by  Roy  S.  Smith,  Execu- 
tive Manager,  Albany  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. 

A  most  interesting  result  of  the  meeting 
was  the  subsequent  receipt  of  telegrams, 
letters  and  newspapers  from  scores  of  cities, 
some  as  far  west  as  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in- 
dicating that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
speech  and  musical  numbers  had  been 
clearly  heard  by  thousands  of  persons. 
Among  those  who  sent  word  that  they  en- 
joyed the  entire  program  were  many  cham- 
ber of  commerce  groups  in  various  cities, 
who  having  been  previously  notified  of  the 
program  arranged,  had  scheduled  their 
meetings  and  tuned  their  apparatus  to  re- 
ceive and  enjoy  the  program  of  the  Albany 
meeting.  Still  another  interesting  reaction 
came  from  a  number  of  Albany  Chamber 
of  Commerce  members,  who  notified  the 
President  of  the  Albany  Chamber  the  fol- 
lowing day  that  they  desired  to  be  recorded 
"present,"  as,  though  they  had  remained  at 
home  the  night  before,  they  had  heard  and 
enjoyed  the  entire  Chamber  of  Commerce 
meeting  through  their  private  radio  sets. 

In  his  address,  "The  Forces  That 
Build  Cities,"  Mr.  Smith  gave  a  short 
outline  of  chamber  of  commerce  work, 
pointing  out  the  great  possibilities  of 
using  radio  communication  in  chamber 
of  commerce  meetings,  which  hitherto 
have    been    limited    to    those    who     were 


fortunate    enough    to    be    able    to    attend. 

The  membership  expansion  movement 
was  inaugurated  under  most  unusual  condi- 
tions. On  Wednesday,  April  26,  Lieutenant 
Maynard,  the  minister  who  won  the  coast- 
to-coast  race  and  who  is  generally  known  as 
the  "Flying  Parson,"  flew  from  New  York 
to  Albany  with  the  bride  and  groom  he  had 
married  the  day  before  in  a  Fokker  plane 
over  New  York  City.  The  plane  was 
piloted  by  the  famous  aviator  Bert  Acosta. 
The  machine  was  equipped  with  complete 
receiving  and  broadcasting  wireless  equip- 
ment to  deliver  speeches  over  the  cities 
visited.  At  Albany  the  entire  party  were 
the  guests  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

At  noon  the  aviators  took  Mr.  Smith 
for  an  airplane  ride  over  the  city,  dur- 
ing which  he  broadcast  the  beginning 
of  the  expansion  movement  and  in  a  radio- 
phone speech,  heard  not  only  by  every  wire- 
less equipment  in  Albany  but  within  a 
radius  of  200  miles,  announced  details  of 
the  movement  and  outlined  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  program  for  the  coming  year. 
The  event  had  been  extensively  advertised 
and  thousands  "listened  in"  on  the  ground; 
many  were  able  not  only  to  hear  the  speech 
but  to  see  from  their  homes  the  huge  ma- 
chine circling  over  the  city.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  speech  the  occupants  of  the  plane 
were  able  to  receive  messages  sent  to  them 
and  to  hear  musical  numbers  not  only  from 
Albanv  but  from  as  far  away  as  Newark, 
N.  J. 

This  agency  makes  possible  broadcasting 
to  the  citizens  of  the  surrounding  country, 
as  well  as  to  the  stay-at-homes,  the  inspiring 
message  of  chamber  of  commerce  speeches, 
and  the  educational  possibilities  of  such 
community  gatherings  are  thereby  vastly 
increased. 

W.  E.  BACON, 

Assistant  Manager,  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

EniTORiAL  Note. — The  Albany  claim  for  the  honor 
of  conducting  the  first  chamber  of  commerce  meetirfg 
by  radio  rests  on  the  following   record: 

April  12. — Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce  meeting 
in  Chancellors'  Hall;  musical  program  and  speech  by 
Roy   S.    Smith,   Executive   Manager. 

April  21. — Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
addressed  by  H.  V.  Kaltenborn,  Associate  Editor  of 
the  Brooklyn  Eagle,  from  the  Westinghouse  broadcast- 
ing station,   Newark,   N.  J. 

April  26. — Albany,  N.  Y.,  radio  speech  by  aeroplane 
to  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Roy  S.  Smith, 
speaker. 

April  24. — Clipping  from  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette- 
Times  indicating  that  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of 
Commerce  members  on  their  Golden  Rule  tour  were 
welcomed  in  Toledo,  the  following  week,  by  a  radio 
program  broadcast  from  Fort  Wayne,  Toledo,  Cleve- 
land   and    Pittsburgh. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Read  This  Street  Superintendent's  Report 


The  "Cater pillar' s''* 
field  of  usefulness  is  by 
no  means  limited  to  road 
making.  There  is  a  "Cat- 
erpillar"* of  size  and 
capacity  for  every  power 
need.  For  snow  removal, 
hauling  garbage  disposal 
trains  and  other  civic 
w  or  k — wherever  potver 
and  endurance  is  at  a 
premium,  the  "Caterpil- 
lar"* has  no  real  com- 
petitor. 

HOLT 

PEORIA^       ILL. 
STOCKTON.  CALIF. 


W.  W.  Jones,  Superintendent  of  Streets,  Memphis,  Tenn., 
says:  "We  have  had  splendid  work  and  satisfaction  with 
our  "Caterpillar,"*  crowding  it  to  the  limit  and  working 
constantly.  In  three  months,  sixty=five  streets,  which  had 
been  almost  impassable,  were  graded  and  surfaced  a  total 
of  over  thirty  miles.  On  ordinary  dirt  roads  we  cut  ditches 
and  surfaced  about  one  mile  per  day,  but  this  is  good  work 
considering  narrow  streets,  many  not  over  thirty  feet 
wide,  with  sewers,  water  pipes,  hundreds  of  plank  crossings, 
short  runs  and  contracted  corners.  We  can  do  this  work 
at  about  one=fifth  the  cost  of  teams  and  hand  labor. 
Our  service  has  been  excellent  at  all  times.  We  expected 
this  from  Holt,  and  we  are  not  disappointed." 

*There  is  but  one  ** Caterpillar** — Holt  builds  it 
THE  HOLT  MFG.  CO.,  Inc.,  PEORIA,  ILL. 

Branches  and  service  stations  all  over  the  world 
Eastern  Division:     50  Church  St.,  New  York 
2429   Farnam   St.,    Omaha,    Nebr.  305    Merchants   Bank   Bldg., 

417  Washington  Ave.   N.,  Indianapolis,   Ind. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  2045-47  Main  St.,  Kansas  City,    Mo. 

5th  and  Court  Sts.,  Des  Moines,  la.      Holt  Company  of  Texas,  Dallas,  Tex. 
Canadian  Holt  Co.,  Ltd.,  Montreal,  P.  Q. 


78 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American    City. 


599 


How  Rotary  Works 

By  Chesley  R.  Perry 

Secretary  General,  International  Association  of  Rotary  Clubs 


FOR  the  readers  of  The  American 
City  who  may  not  be  familiar  with  the 
Rotary  Clubs  that  are  now  being 
formed  in  our  most  progressive  cities,  let 
me  start  with  a  thumb-nail  sketch  of  Ro- 
tary's  purpose  and  growth. 

Founded  February  23,  1905,  in  Chicago 
by  a  lawyer  who  was  lonesome  and  who 
wished  to  know  his  fellows  better,  Rotary 
grew  from  one  club  to  three,  then  a  hun- 
dred, and  now  claims  eighty  thousand 
members  in  nearly  twelve  hundred  clubs 
scattered  through  twenty-five  separate 
nations.  One  of  the  early  clubs,  in 
a  city  in  which  three  or  four  civic  organiza- 
tions fought  among  themselves  and  ne- 
glected civic  leadership,  saw  the  need 
for  community  action  and  took  it.  After 
the  storm  of  protest  that  ensued,  this 
club  stated  its  position.  Rotary  would 
interfere  with  no  recognized  organization, 
but  it  would  make  its  own  those  tasks 
which  others  seemed  indifferent  to,  or  in- 
capable of  doing.  Thus  Rotary's  public 
service  began. 

Another  function  which  soon  evolved  was 
the  formulation  of  codes  of  business  ethics. 
Under  the  Rotary  scheme  of  organization 
there  is  but  one  representative  of  each  line 
of  business  in  a  club;  thus  each  member 
became  an  ambassador  to  his  business  as- 
sociates, and  when  the  need  for  a  state- 
ment of  business  ethics  became  apparent. 
Rotary  met  it,  as  the  organization  most 
truly  representative  of  all  business.  Rotary 
soon  recognized  that  he  profits  most  who 
serves  best,  and  this — simply  another  state- 
ment of  the  Golden  Rule — became  Rotary's 
creed. 

To  maintain  a  working  membership,  Ro- 
tary developed  the  idea  of  compulsory  at- 
tendance at  meetings:  any  member  failing 
to  attend  four  consecutive  meetings  except 
for  illness  or  absence  from  the  city  is  auto- 
matically dropped. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Rotary  prin- 
ciples are  put  to  work  is  naturally  varied 
with  the  needs  and  conditions  of  the  com- 
munity.     It   is   the   ideal   of   the   Rotarian 


to  have  his  club  so  regarded  in  a  community 
that  its  interest  and  influence  in  community 
affairs  are  assumed  as  a  matter  of  course 
by  the  citizens  generally ;  that  whenever  a 
Rotarian  is  selected  to  participate  in  any 
community  activity,  the  sincerity  of  his  work 
and  the  single  purpose  of  his  motives  will 
be  understood  or  assumed  as  needing  no 
further  explanation  or  proof;  that  a  jury 
of  Rotarians  can  be  depended  upon  to  give 
a  fair  trial  to  any  sort  of  offender  and  help 
administer  justice  or  execute  the  law  in  a 
way  that  is  calculated  to  best  serve  the  needs 
of  the  community.  That  is  the  way  in  which 
the  Rotarian  wishes  his  club  to  be  regarded, 
and  it  is  the  mark  for  which  he  aims. 

Rotary  as  a  unit,  throughout  those  coun- 
tries where  the  laws  provide  for  jury  duty 
by  citizens,  insists  that  its  membership  shall 
assume  its  full  measure  of  jury  duty. 
Further  than  that,  it  insists  that  these  mem- 
bers shall  urge  their  employees  as  a  part 
of  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship  to  ac- 
cept jury  duty  and  to  serve  faithfully. 

Rotary  Backs  Up  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  Other  Civic  Bodies 

In  some  Rotary  clubs  it  is  compulsory  for 
an  applicant  for  membership  to  be  a  member 
of  the  chamber  of  commerce  in  his  city  or 
of  the  civic  body  that  is  equivalent  to  the 
chamber  of  commerce  in  other  cities.  The 
clubs  as  a  whole  encourage  membership  in 
such  civic  bodies,  and  some  of  the  literature 
published  by  International  Rotary  has  di- 
rect argument  as  to  why  a  Rotarian  should 
also  be  a  member  of  other  civic  organiza- 
tions. 

In  civic  movements  of  importance,  the 
Rotary  Club  will  always  be  found  in  the 
forefront  of  progressive  thought  and  ac- 
tion. When  one  club  has  performed  a  ser- 
vice that  seems  to  be  of  importance  and  is 
applicable  to  other  communities,  the  Inter- 
national Headquarters  usually  publishes  a 
resume  of  what  has  been  done,  in  The 
Rotarian,  the  official  organ  of  Rotary,  or 
in  the  Weekly  Letter,  a  weekly  bulletin 
that  goes  to  all  clubs, 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Built  spe- 
cially for 
Road  Main- 
tenance 
Work  By 
TRACTOR 
SPECIAL- 
ISTS 


Maintain  Your  Dirt  Streets 

WITH  TRACTOR  POWER 

Flesh  and  blood  has  never  been  able  to  compete 
with  mechanical  power     Why  attempt  it  now? 

SIMPLICITY        ECONOMY        DURABILITY 

Make  the  Hart-Parr  Road  Maintenance  Tractor  supreme  in  road  work. 

TWENTY-ONE  years  of  Tractor  Specialist  Experience  has  built  this  tractor 
simple  in  design  so  that  it  does  not  need  an  engineer  or  expert  to  operate  and 
service  it. 

SIXTEEN  YEARS  proven  work  in  building  Kerosene  Tractors  only  has 
made  us  supreme  in  the  field  of  fuel  economy — thus  cutting  your  operating 
expense  in  half. 

TWENTY  YEARS  of  continuous  operation  by  our  first  tractors  in  the  hands 
of  their  satisfied  owners  is  proof  of  Hart-Parr  durability  and  ability  to  deliver 
power  under  practically  all  conditions. 

Hart-Parr  Tractor  Power  JJfiL  o'tuwlyr^^Stigh! 

ways.    It  is  not  an  experiment.    It  is  a  proven  fact. 

Catalogue  and  record  of  performance  will  be  mailed  to  interested  persons  on  request. 

HART-PARR  COMPANY 


511  La^hr  Street 


Charles  City,  Iowa 


POWERFUL  STURDY  KEROSENE  TRACTORS 


FOUNDERS  OF  TRACTOR  INDUSTRY 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention   The   American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


601 


Work  for  Boys  and  Girls 

One  of  the  big  accomplishments  of  Ro- 
tary is  what  it  calls  the  '"back-to-school 
movement."  This  was  initiated  by  the  Ro- 
tary Club  of  Blackwell,  Okla..  three  years 
ago.  The  members  of  the  club  learned  that 
some  of  the  boys  and  girls  who  had  com- 
pleted the  elementary  and  secondary  courses 
in  the  public  schools  were  not  planning  to 
go  to  the  high  schools.  The  Rotarians 
sought  out  these  pup'ls  and  learned  the 
reasons.  They  then  set  about  correcting 
conditions  and  eliminating  the  reasons,  and 
persuaded  most  of  these  boys  and  girls  to 
continue  their  education.  Some  of  the 
pupils  were  being  forced  to  quit  school  for 
economic  reasons.  Jobs  were  found  for 
these  that  enabled  them  to  continue  in 
school.  In  some  cases  where  the  parents 
thought  the  pupils  had  received  education 
enough,  the  Rotarians  interviewed  the 
parents  and  proved  to  them  that  the  boys 
and  girls  ought  not  to  give  up.  In  one  way 
or  another,  most  of  the  boys  and  girls 
\icnt    back    to   school. 

A  statement  of  what  had  been  done  was 
published  in  due  course,  and  now  the  "back- 
to-school  movement"  is  a  regular  part  of 
the  work  of  many  Rotary  Clubs  every  year 
— as  much  so  as  the  election  of  officers  or 
the  annual  convention.  Last  year  it  is  esti- 
mated that  this  movement  was  responsible 
for  the  return  of  25.000  boys  and  girls  to 
school. 

For  two  or  three  years  past  a  very  im- 
portant place  has  been  given  in  several  of 
the  large  cities  to  what  is  called  "Boys' 
Week."  New  York,  Chicago,  and  Kansas 
City,  particularly,  have  staged  celebrations 
that  attracted  nation-wide  attention.  This 
is  a  Rotary  movement  of  a  different  sort 
from  the  "l)ack-to-schoor'  idea.  In  this 
case  a  non-Rotarian  conceived  the  idea  of 
a  "Boys'  Week"  celebration  and  he  turned 
to  the  Rotary  Club  of  New  York  City  to 
bring  about  the  realization  of  the  idea. 
Fifty  thousand  boys  participated  in  the 
parade  that  was  held  on  one  of  the  days 
during  the  week.  Each  day  has  its  special 
significance,  beginning  with  Sunday  as  a 
"Boys'  Day  in  the  Church" ;  then  iMonday, 
"Boys'  Parade  Day" ;  Tuesday.  "Boys'  Day 
in  the  Schools'' ;  Wednesday,  "Boys'  Day  in 
Industry" ;  Thursday.  "Boys'  Day  for 
Health    and    Safety";    Friday,   "Boys'    Day 


for  Thrift  and  Citizenship"';  and  Saturday, 
"Boys'  Day  with  Dad  and  At  Home."  This 
year  more  than  150  cities  are  celebrating 
Boys'  Week.  And  in  towns  where  there  is 
no  Rotary  Club  to  get  behind  the  move- 
ment, the  American  Legion  is  carrying  it 
on. 

Rotary's  connection  with  Boys'  Week  is 
temporary.     It  is  a  part  of  its  very  active 

nterest  in  what  it  calls  "Boys'  Work,"  a 
regular  feature  of  all  club  work.  The  or- 
ganization is  demonstrating  that  it  believes 

n  a  Boys'  Week  and  is  showing  the  com- 
mun'ties  the  value  of  the  Boys'  Week,  to  the 
end  that  an  appropriate  organization  may 
1  e  formed  to  carry  it  on. 

Pub'ic,  Not'Political  Service 

Rotary  does  not  take  any  part  in  political 
campaigns ;  naturally,  an  organization  of 
its  character  could  not  be  expected  to 
participate  in  such  campaigns  or  have  any 
l)art  in  political  discussions.  But  Rotary 
believes  in  good  citizenship  and  urges  its 
members  to  vote.  In  San  Francisco  some 
years  ago  the  club  started  a  movement  to 
bring  out  every  voter  in  the  city  to  the  polls 
at  an  election.  It  announced  frankly  that 
it  was  not  in  the  least  concerned  as  to  how 
the  cit'zen  voted  after  he  reached  the  polls. 
But  it  sought  by  every  possible  means  to 
impress  on  the  c'tizens  of  San  Francisco 
the  fact  that  voting  was  the  main  duty  of 
each  man  and  woman  on  election  day,  and 
that  the  man  or  woman  who  did  not  vote 
was  not  only  shirking  the  responsibilities 
of  citizenship,  but  was  also  making  it  im- 
possible for  him  or  her  ever  to  complain 
about  bad  city  government.  This  work  of 
the  San  Francisco  Club  has  developed  a 
healthy  sentiment  in  San  Francisco  toward 
the  ideal  of  good  citizenship.  The  club  was, 
of  course,  criticized  severely  by  political 
factions.     But  it  has  continued  on  its  way. 

Practically  every  Rotary  club  in  the  Brit- 
ish Isles — and  there  are  more  than  eighty 
clubs  in  that  section  of  the  world— has 
either  initiated  or  been  a  most  important 
factor  in  the  campaigns  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom  to  find  "Jobs  for  Demobs," 
as  the  movement  to  get  work  for  the  dis- 
charged soldiers  and  sailors  is  called.  This 
movement  has  met  with  considerable  suc- 
cess, and  much  time  of  Rotarians  has  been 
devoted  to  it. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


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June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


603 


The  prosperity  poster  campaign  of  the 
Rotary  Club  of  New  York,  carried  on  dur- 
ing the  current  year,  resulted  in  displaying 
optimistic  posters  on  80,000  bill-boards  in 
every  section  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Many  Rotary  Clubs  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  assisted  in  financing 
the  campaign,  but  it  was  undertaken  by  the 
New  York  Rotary  Club  alone,  and  two- 
thirds  of  the  total  cost  was  borne  by  mem- 
bers of  this  club.  The  posters  themselves 
simply  carried  the  signature,  "Rotary  Club 
Members." 

One  entire  issue  of  this  magazine  could 
be  filled  with  brief  paragraphs  of  this  sort 
from  every  section  of  the  world  regarding 
the  activities  of  Rotary,  despite  the  fact 
that  fully  80  per  cent  of  the  things  that 
Rotary  has  actually  done  to  promote  or 
initiate  civic  movements  will  never  be 
known,  because  of  the  idea  of  the  organiza- 
tion that  unselfish  service  means  service 
without  the  attendance  of  brass-band 
methods. 

The  various  clubs  in  the  state  of  Ohio, 
for  instance,  are  the  initiators  of  a  work  in 
caring  for  crippled  children  in  the  state. 
This  has  become  a  state-wide  activity  in 
which  all  sorts  of  organizations  and  civic 
bodies  have  taken  part,  the  Toledo  Rotary 
Club  being  credited  with  originating  the 
idea.  In  Erie,  Pa.,  the  Rotary  Club  main- 
tained a  paid  visiting  housekeeper  to  teach 
the  housewives  of  the  community  home 
economics;  the  McAlester,  Okla.,  Rotary 
Club  initiated  the  movement  to  create  pub- 
lic   sentiment   demanding   the   construction 


of  better  public  highways;  the  San  Jose, 
Calif,,  Rotary  Club  inaugurated  a  move- 
ment for  street  signs;  the  Minneapolis 
Rotary  Club,  assisted  by  the  other  clubs  in 
the  state  of  Minnesota,  obtained  the  enact- 
ment of  legislation  for  better  school  facili- 
ties for  crippled  children;  the  Superior, 
Wis.,  Rotary  Club  provided  the  means  for 
the  establishment  of  a  dental  clinic  in  the 
schools  of  the  city;  the  Denver,  Colo.,  Ro- 
tary Club  was  the  main  factor  in  the  work 
of  securing  the  famous  municipal  organ 
that  is  now  installed  in  the  city  auditorium; 
the  Winnipeg,  Man.,  Rotary  Club  raised  the 
funds  for  a  Boys'  Home;  the  Los  Angeles 
Rotary  Club  initiated  the  movement  for  a 
public  health  clinic — the  list  could  be  in-' 
definitely  extended. 

The  main  idea  of  a  Rotary  Club  is  to 
make  itself  useful,  not  to  acquire  merit  for 
itself.  It  is  the  desire  of  Rotarians  that  all 
organizations  engaged  in  civic  work  should 
know  the  Rotary  Club  as  a  backer  of  every 
worthy  civic  enterprise,  as  desiring  to  push 
forward  any  worthy  movement,  and  as  be- 
ing in  the  front  rank  when  support  for 
such  enterprises  is  needed — but  as  being  in 
the  ranks.  No  Rotary  Club  seeks  to  gain 
credit  for  enterprises  of  a  civic  nature. 
Rather,  even  when  it  initiates  a  big  Rotary 
movement  and  another  organization  takes 
charge  of  the  enterprise,  or  is  developed  to 
carry  it  through,  it  desires  that  the  whole 
credit  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise 
should  be  given  to  the  organization  that 
fathers  it. 


National  School  Announcement  Draws  Many  Inquiries 


GREAT  interest  in  the  second  session 
of  the  National  School  for  Com- 
mercial Secretaries,  to  be  held  at 
Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  111., 
August  21  to  September  2,  1922,  is  indicated 
in  the  flood  of  inquiries  which  poured  into 
the  office  of  Chairman  Robert  B.  Beach  of 
the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  School  im- 
mediately following  the  mailing  of  the 
formal   announcement   and   invitation. 

Two  courses  are  planned  for  this  year, 
one  for  experienced  secretaries  and  those 
who  attended  the  first  session,  and  one  for 
men  and  women  not  now  engaged  in  the 
profession  who  desire  to  prepare  themselves 
for  chamber  of  commerce  work.    Many  of 


the  leading  men  of  the  secretarial  profes- 
sion have  already  indicated  their  intention 
of  attending  the  School,  recognizing  its 
value  in  keeping  them  informed  of  the  latest 
developments  affecting  their  work,  and  as 
a  means  of  receiving  a  fresh  inspiration  for 
the  tasks  and  problems  of  the  coming  year. 

The  tuition  rate  will  be  $30.  Good  board 
and  comfortable  rooms  may  be  obtained 
for  $2.50  to  $2.75  per  day.  There  will  be 
special  accommodations  for  women  stu- 
dents, and  one  building  has  been  set  aside 
for  secretaries  accompanied  by  their  wives. 

Application  forms  may  be  secured  from 
Robert  B.  Beach,  Business  Manager,  Chi- 
cago Association  of  Commerce. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


KSki;^^^^, 


Harvester  Road,  Si.  Char  lei.  Mo. 
■ '  Tarvia-X,"  iq20 


Carthage-Antuerp  Road,N.  Y. 
Another  Tarvia  Highway 


Glastonbtiry-H  art  ford  Road, 
Glastonbury,  Conn.  "Tarfia-X"  JQIS 


State  Road  at  Ktttery,  Me. 
"Tarvia-X,"  JQI2 


farvia  transforms  old-fashioned  mud  roads 
nto  all-year  mudless,  dustless  highways— 


President  Harding  recently  declared 
lat  the  problem  of  distribution  "is  one  of 
le  greatest  economic  problems,  if  not  the 
reatest  problem,  of  modern  civilization." 

When  we  realize  that  it  costs  from  four 
)  ten  times  as  much  to  haul  a  ton  of  goods 
^^er  bad  roads  as  it  does  over  good  roads, 
e  see  at  once  how  vital  this  road  problem 

to  all  of  us. 

The  question  no  longer  should  be,  "Shall 
e  have  good  roads.'"'  It  should  be,  instead. 
How  quickly  and  how  cheaply  can  we  get 
ood  roads?" 


For  Road  Construction 
Ropair  and  Maintenance 


The  Road  Commissioners  of  hundreds  of 
towns  and  rural  districts  throughout  the 
country  have  found  from  experience  that 
Tarvia  pavements  are  the  most  economical 
good  roads  it  is  possible  to  build. 

In  first  cost  a  Tarvia  road  Is  only  slightly 
more  than  plain  waterbound  macadam.  The 
upkeep  of  Tarvia  pavement  is,  all  things 
considered,  so  much  less  than  that  of  any 
other  type  of  lasting  road  that  the  saving — 
over  a  short  period  of  years — will  offset  the 
original  cost  of  construction. 

Properly  looked  after,  there  is  no  limit  to 
the  life  of  a  Tarvia  road.  With  regular  but 
inexpensive  maintenance,  it  is  actually  im- 
proved by  time  and  traffic.  Its  easy-trac- 
tion surface  is  smooth,  firm,  dustless  and 
mudless  all  the  year  round — year  after  year. 

Illustrated  booklets  free  on  request 


N.wYo,k 


Detroil 


Peoria  AtUnta 

YoiiDcatovni  Tole<ja 


PhLUddphia 


rhtUdelph 
Birminsnai 
E>uluth  IV 

,-,_  Columbua  R 

Btjtimore  Omaha  Jsckaooville  \- 

THE  BARRETT  COMPANY.  Limited:  Monlieal 


,  S(.  Louit  OeveUnd  Cin 

^Ajmpany        Ban««  W«Ainiton  Jok 

wuver  St.  John.  N  B.  Haltfaft.N.S. 


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6o: 


The  Law  Covering  Trespass  on  Abut- 
ting Land  in  Highway  Construction 

By  A.  L.  H.  Street 


A  HIGHWAY  engineer  in  Ohio  asks 
jL\  for  a  citation  to  court  decisions  on 
*■  the    question    whether    an    abutting 

landowner  has  legal  recourse  against  grad- 
ing a  street  in  such  manner  that  an  em- 
bankment spreads  to  the  adjoining  property. 
The  question  is  specially  applied  to  cases 
where  the  surface  of  the  street  is  graded 
full  width,  permitting  the  dirt  to  form  a 
natural  slope  extending  upon  such  property, 
which  has  been  improved  without  regard 
to  the  established  grade  or  remains  unim- 
proved. Must  the  city  build  a  retaining 
wall,  or  does  it  devolve  upon  the  abutter  to 
protect  himself  if  he  does  not  desire  the 
dirt  to  spill  over  upon  his  land? 

An  examination  of  the  law  reports  shows 
that  the  general  rule  established  by  court 
decision  is  that  there  is  no  right  to  commit 
such  a  trespass  upon  private  property.  A 
city  has  no  more  right  to  occupy  private 
property  in  this  way  than  it  has  to  encroach 
upon  such  property  to  widen  the  surface 
of  a  street.  In  either  case,  the  right  to 
occupy  the  abutting  property  must  be  ac- 
quired by  purchase  or  condemnation.  We 
refer  below  to  a  few  of  the  leading  cases 
on  the  subject. 

In  the  case  of  Bunker  vs.  City  of  Hud- 
son, 99  Northwestern  Reporter,  448,  the 
Wisconsin  Supreme  Court  said : 

"Roth  allegation  and  proof  are  undisputed 
that  the  Council  ordered  Third  Street  graded 
to  established  grade  by  the  Street  Commis- 
sioner, within  whose  charter  functions  such 
work  fell ;  that  he  did  that  work  so  as  to  bring 
the  surface  of  the  street  to  grade  for  its  full 
width,  whereby,  of  course,  the  foot  of  the  grade 
necessarily  extended  onto  adjoining  premises 
in  absence  of  any  retaining  wall  or  other  pre- 
caution. It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  plainer 
case  for  corporate  liability.  In  grading  the 
street  the  city  was  doing  one  of  the  things 
which,  as  a  municipal  corporation,  it  was  author- 
ized to  do.  That  work  was  done  in  an  improper 
or  negligent  manner,  so  as  to  invade  the  rights 
of  the  plaintiffs,  not  as  members  of  the  public, 
but  as  adjoining  proprietors.  Toward  them  the 
city's  act  was  not  governmental,  but  proprietary. 
For  approximate  damage  thus  caused,  liability 
results  according  to  principle,  and  without  con- 
flict of  authority.  .  .  .  Counsel  for  ap- 
pellant   seeks    to   escape    this    result   by    urging 


tliat  the  city  did  not  place  this  earth  upon 
plaintiffs'  prtmises,  but  that  such  act  was  done 
by  the  Street  Commissioner  unlawfully,  and 
thus  as  an  individual.  Doubtless  it  is  true 
that  neither  the  charter  conferring  powers  on 
the  Commissioner  nor  the  resolution  of  the 
Council  requiring  him  to  grade  Third  Street 
expressly  authorized  him  to  cast  a  shovelful  of 
earth  on  plaintiffs'  lot,  but  both  conferred  on 
him  general  authority  to  do  the  work  of  grad- 
ing, and  in  the  good-faith  performance  of  that 
work  he  was  the  corporation  in  action.  What 
he  did,  the  city  did.  Express  authority  to  do 
the  specific  unlawful  act  is  by  no  means  essen- 
tial. It  suffices  that  such  act  occurs  in  the 
course  and  as  a  part  of  the  good-faith  per- 
formance of  an  authority  to  act  for  the  city 
upon   a   general    subject." 

The  subject  was  considered  by  the  Oregon 
Supreme  Court  in  Reiss  vs.  City  of  Port- 
land, 141  Pacific  Reporter,  167,  where  the 
Court  said  that  "the  city  had  no  right  to 
pile  earth  and  other  material  upon  the  abut- 
ting owners'  lands,  and  that,  if  this  was 
done  without  their  consent,  it  was  a  tres- 
pass, for  which  the  landowners  could  re- 
cover damages."  Citing  several  decisions 
from  courts  of  other  states,  the  Oregon 
Court  adds: 

"In  this  case  it  is  claimed  that  the  city  made 
a  fill  the  full  width  of  the  street,  and  made  a 
slope  extending  onto  the  lands  of  the  abutting 
owners.  We  hold  that  the  city  had  no  right 
to  do  this  without  the  consent  of  the  owners. 
However,  it  is  probable  that  the  city  could  have 
o'^tained  a  right  to  use  the  property  of  the  abut- 
'TiT  owners  by  proper  proceedings  and  payi  ^g 
for   it." 

In  Moore  vs.  Albany,  98  New  York  Re- 
ports 406,  407,  the  New  York  Court  of 
.'Kppeals   said : 

"In  grading  a  street  it  seems  clear  to  us  that 
the  public  authorities  have  no  right  to  invade 
private  property  outside  of  the  street  lines.  If 
it  becomes  necessary  to  use  or  interfere  with 
such  property,  they  must  in  some  way  acquire 
the  right  to  do  so.  .  .  .  In  order  to  grade 
the  street  to  the  full  width  thereof,  it  was 
necessary  either  to  build  retaining  walls  on  the 
sides  of  the  street  within  the  street  lines,  or 
to  support  the  street  bv  sloping  embankments 
upon  the  adjoining  lands.  It  is  evident  that 
the  latter  mode  was  the  most  reasonable  and 
economical.  The  lands  outside  of  the  street 
lines  .  .  .  remain  in  the  possession  and  oc- 
cupancy of  the  owners  thereof,  subject  to  the 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


.«19^^fj^ 

^^g^g^gl^^^^H^^^g^^^g 

^^^^^^^^I^^^^^^^^^K^B 

Birmingham's 

Record 


Nine  19  2  0  Harley-Davidsons 
served  Birmingham,  Alabama, 
so  well  that  today  a  fleet  of  20 
new  machines  polices  this  pro- 
gressive southern  city. 

The  Motorcycle  Officers' 
Monthly  Report  shown  at  the 
right  tells  how  successful  the 
Harley-Davidson  squad  was 
during  February.  Total  arrests, 
723;  total  fines,  $5,962.00/       4. 


Increased  efficiency  is  the  big  reason  why 
847  cities  and  counties  are  using  Harley- 
Davidsons  for  police  work.  The  increased 
revenue  to  the  city,  though  important,  is  inci- 
dental. For  chasing  automobile  speeders, 
running  down  "motorized  crooks",  enforcing 
parking  and  traffic  rules,  for  emergency  calls 


and  a  variety  of  service  duties — a  Harley- 
Davidson  is  ideal. 

Cost?  50  miles  for  a  dollar  (gas,  oil,  tires 
and  all)  is  the  average  upkeep  expense  of 
the  Harley  -  Davidson,  "America's  Police 
Motorcycle" ! 


Hon  about  your  city?  Lei  us  send  you  special,  illuslraled  lilera- 
iure  FREE,  shoroing  Tuhal  other  cities  are  doing  Tt>ith  motorcycles. 
No  obligation  to  you.    Or  asl(  your  dealer  for  free  demonsbraHon. 


HARLEY-DAVIDSON   MOTOR   CO.. 


Milw^aukee,    Wisconsin 


IJJorld's  Champion  Jvtotorcycle 


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June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


607 


burden  of  the  earth  cast  thereon.  These  em- 
bankments are  evidently  not  injurious  to  the 
adjoining  owners,  as  it  is  for  their  interest  to 
have  their  lands  filled  up  to  the  grade  of  the 
street.  It  cannot  be  presumed  that  the)'  will  dig 
away  and  remove  these  embankments,  and,  if 
they  should,  the  street  would  still  remain,  and 
the  city  could  support  its  sides  in  some  other 
way.  The  only  practical  remedy  for  the  owner 
of  the  lands  thus  invaded  is  to  sue  the  city  or 
these  who  placed  the  earth  upon  his  lands  with- 
out his  consent,  express  or  implied,  for  the 
wrong,  and  in  such  an  action  he  can  recover 
his  entire  damage  for  a  permanent  appropria- 
tion of  his  land  for  the  embankment.  .  .  . 
They  could,  if  they  had  desired,  have  restrained 
the  deposit  of  earth  upon  their  lands  by  an 
equitable  action.'' 

The  decision  of  the  Oregon  Supreme 
Court  in  the  case  of  Giaconi  vs.  City  of 
Astoria,  118  Pacific  Reporter,  180,  goes  a 
step  farther  by  holding  that  even  where  a 
street  embankment  is  constructed  wholly 
within  the  limits  of  the  street  lines,  the  city 


will  be  liable  for  invasion  of  lower  abut- 
ting property,  caused  by  subsidence  of  the 
embankment,  if  that  be  caused  by  a  defect 
in  the  construction  plan,  as  by  failing  to 
provide  a  proper  foundation,  thereby 
naturally  exposing  the  embankment  to  sub- 
sidence. In  such  case,  it  is  further  decided, 
the  city  cannot  avoid  liability  on  the  ground 
that  the  work  was  done  by  an  independent 
contractor.     The  Court  says: 

"The  standard  of  care  to  be  observed  by  the 
city  in  such  cases  is  such  that  a  reasonable  and 
careful  man  in  like  circumstances  would  use, 
if  the  responsibility  for  damages  rested  upon 
him.  All  would  most  likely  agree  that  a  wide 
and  level  pedregal  would  lie  a  safe  foundation 
for  a  fill  of  the  character  and  dimensions  de- 
scribed in  the  city  ordinance.  None  would 
'  obably  contend  that  a  steep  declivity  of  shift- 
ing sand  would  be  suitable  for  that  purpose. 
But  between  these  extremes  the  question  is  one 
of  fact,  which  must  be  decided  by  the  jury  or 
court." 


Insect  Pests  Must  Be  Considered  in  City 
Planning  and  Planting 

By  W.  Dwight  Pierce,  Ph.  D. 

Consulting  Entomologist,  San  Mateo,  Calif. 


IN  laying  out  new  suburbs,  planning  parks 
and  parkings,  great  care  must  be  given 
in  the  selection  of  the  trees  and  shrubs 
to  be  used,  not  only  from  the  standpoint  of 
landscape,  but  also  from  the  standpoint  of 
immunity  to  attack  from  insects  and 
disease.  Some  trees  are  far  more  sus- 
ceptible to  attack  than  others.  In  the  city 
of  Washington  on  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment grounds  there  is  an  avenue  of  Japan- 
ese maidenhair  or  gingko  trees,  presented 
many  years  ago  by  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment. From  these  trees  many  other  streets 
have  been  planted  to  this  species,  and  yet  no 
insect  has  ever  been  recorded  as  attacking 
them,  and  they  are  comparatively  immune 
from  disease.  This  tree  is  beautiful  in  form 
and  makes  a  good  shade  tree. 

Another  pretty  shade  tree  which  can  be 
grown  in  many  parts  of  the  country  is  the 
tulip  poplar.  It  is  also  remarkably  free 
from  insect  pests.  Standing  next  to  these 
in  the  Eastern  States  are  the  red  and  scar- 
't  oaks  and  the  plane  or  sycamore  trees, 
also  known  as  button-ball.     In  California 


and  the  Southwest  the  eucalyptus  and  pepper 
trees  are  becoming  quite  popular.  In  the 
Southeast  the  live-oak  is  a  good,  sturdy  tree 
not  easily  injured. 

Many  of  the  trees  we  love  so  much  to  see, 
as  the  elm,  the  locust,  the  poplars  and 
maples,  are  very  susceptible  to  insect  at- 
tack, and  where  they  are  commonly  planted 
considerable  entomological  control  work  is 
absolutely  necessary. 

Ambassador  Bryce  in  an  article  on  Wash- 
ington called  attention  to  the  plan  of  plant- 
ing a  certain  type  of  tree  on  a  certain 
street  for  its  entire  length,  and  another  kind 
on  the  next  street.  Thus  the  observant 
one  in  Washington  will  recognize  avenues 
of  hard  maple,  Norway  maple,  elm  cotton- 
wood,  poplar,  oak,  maidenhair,  tulip  pop- 
lar, locust  and  many  other  fine  trees.  If 
an  insect  pest  appears  and  ravages  certain 
trees,  it  is  certain  that  most  of  the  other 
species  of  trees  will  be  immune  from  this 
particular  pest,  for  there  are  not  many  kinds 
of  insects  which  attack  numerous  kinds  of 
vegetation,  and  none  which  attack  all  types. 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


The    Streets   are    illuminated    with   General    Electric 

Fixtures    supported    by    King    ornamental    cast    iron 

trolley   pole  brackets. 


King  Manufacturing  Co. 

Monadnock  Building,  Chicago,  111. 


^'^.g^^g^^HJ.n-JUB^g^'CIU.H^H.H^H^I.H^.t.H^^ 


88 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


JUNE,    1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


609 


Parkways  Should  Have  Protected  Trees 

All  trees  planted  along  streets  and  park- 
ways where  there  is  danger  of  artificial 
abrasion  or  gnawing  by  horses,  should  be 
protected  by  some  kind  of  wooden  or  metal 
guards,  which  must  themselves  be  harmless 
to  the  tree.  A  large  part  of  the  injury  by 
borers  and  diseases  starts  at  points  of  in- 
jury, such  as  broken  limbs,  gnawed  and 
scratched  places,  etc.  If  the  city  watches 
its  trees  carefully,  removes  all  dead  wood 
and  treats  the  scars  with  a  coat  of  white 
lead  paint  or  of  asphaltum,  insect  injury 
will  be  reduced.  Some  species  may  be  con- 
trolled by  pruning  the  infested  branches 
during  the  summer  before  the  larvae  have 
gone  too   far. 

Badly  Infested  Trees  Should  Be  Removed 

There  are  many  types  of  borers  which 
we  have  never  learned  to  control,  once  they 
get  a  start  in  a  tree,  because  of  the  im- 
possibility of  getting  killing  agents  to  reach 
them.  Often  sentiment  causes  a  city  or  a 
householder  to  cling  to  a  certain  tree  which 
is  slowly  dying  from  internal  attack,  when 
common  sense  dictates  that  this  tree  should 
be  cut  down  and  destroyed  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  pest  to  other  trees  in  the 
vicinity. 

Careless  Pruning  and  Trimming  Is 
Dangerous 

A  trained  expert  should  be  in  charge  of 
the  pruning,  trimming  and  care  of  the  city's 
trees.  By  careful  and  judicious  pruning 
much  insect  injury  can  be  removed  and 
prevented.  The  scar  made  by  pruning 
should  always  be  painted  to  prevent  attack 
by  boring  insects,  and  fungous  diseases. 
Tn  fact,  when  a  diseased  limb  is  sawed  off, 
the  spores  are  likely  to  adhere  to  the  saw, 
and  infest  the  next  limb  sawed.  An  ex- 
pert would  d'sinfect  his  tools  before  pro- 
ceeding. 

Proper  Tree  Surgery  Is  Often  Effective 

Certain  types  of  disease  and  injury  by  in- 
sects can  he  cut  out.  and  the  fresh  unin- 
fested  wood  disinfected  and  protected.  Trees 
in  almost  the  last  stages  of  decay  can  some- 
times be  saved  by  surgery  and  the  wound 
then  filled  in  so  that  normal  growth  may 
proceed.  Men  who  are  not  properly  trained 
may  do  more  harm  than  good  by  their  sur- 
gery.   They  must  know  how  to  provide  for 


expansion  and  contraction  of  the  cement, 
overgrowth  of  the  bark,  anchorage  of  heavy 
branches  to  prevent  splitting,  and  many 
other  technical  points  of  great  importance. 

Many  Trees  Need  to  Be  Sprayed 

Spraying  of  trees  v^^ith  insecticides  and 
fungicides  is  often  necessary,  but  is  worse 
than  useless  unless  directed  by  an  expert 
who  knows  what  spray  to  use  and  when  to 
use  it.  Some  sprays  are  designed  to  kill 
by  contact  and  are  used  against  sucking 
bugs,  while  other  sprays  are  stomach 
poisons  and  kill  when  eaten.  Kerosene 
emulsion  and  nicotine  sprays  are  used 
against  lice,  some  scales  and  certain  suck- 
ing bugs.  Arsenicals  are  most  frequently 
used  as  stomach  poisons.  In  the  case  of 
certain  scale  insects,  fumigation  only  is  ef- 
fective, but  this  is  not  often  practised  in 
cities  because  of  the  dangerous  gases  used. 
Poisons  in  the  form  of  impalpable  dust  are 
rapidly  supplanting  liquid  sprays  in  many 
of  our  pest  problems. 

None  of  Our  Pests  Are  Nation- Wide 

I  have  carefully  refrained  from  citing 
particular  species  of  shade  tree  pests  in  the 
latter  part  of  this  article,  because  to  do  so 
would  be  confusing.  There  are  multitudes 
of  them,  requiring  volumes  to  describe.  Our 
country  is  large  and  has  many  different 
types  of  climate,  and  no  species  of  shade 
tree  occurs  throughout  the  country.  The 
particular  pests  of  your  city  may  require 
separate  study  before  control  can  be 
effected,  or  it  may  be  that  work  has  been 
done  elsewhere  which  will  give  your  city 
scientists   the   basis    for   their   work. 

Make  Your  City  Beautiful 

It  is  the  duty  of  city  managers  to  make 
their  cities  beautiful  and  homelike.  Proper 
use  of  trees  and  proper  care  of  them  after 
they  are  planted  will  contribute  more  than 
any  thing  else  you  can  do  to  add  to  the 
beauty  of  your  streets.  Don't  permit  signs 
to  be  fastened  to  any  tree  in  the  city,  for 
they  not  only  mar  the  beauty  of  the  tree  but 
also  injure  the  tree  itself,  giving  entrance 
nnd  shelter  to  pests. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  city  official  to  pro- 
tect the  magnificent  shade  trees  along  the 
way.  Use  your  influence  to  protect  all 
trees  from  the  sign-board  pest  that  ruins 
both  trees  and  scenery. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


WOLLO^SPUM 


I 


Licjhiincj    Siandards 


^ 


'T'HE  appearance  of  the  business  district  of 
"■•  Miami,  Oklahoma,  was  greatly  en- 
hanced by  these  Hollowspun  reinforced  con- 
crete trolley  poles.  The  railway  company 
also  benefited  through  the  elimination  of  pole 
maintenance.  Lighting  standards,  trolley  poles 
and  a  combination  of  the  two  are  all  described 
in  Catalog  Supplement  No.  9. 

Massey  Concrete  Products  Corporation 

Peoples  Gas  Biulding  Chicago 


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i/ritincr    tn    Advprti«:prc    nlease    m£.ntir 


ThP      AXfTTRTr* 


6ii 


An  Avenue  of  Roses 

By  Florence  Holmes 

Bureau  of  Parks,   Portland,  Ore. 


AS  characteristic  as  the  hawthorn 
hedgerows  of  England,  the  cherry- 
blossom  ways  of  Japan  and  the 
stately  palm  avenues  of  California  is  the 
four-mile  rose  avenue  of  Portland,  Ore., 
now  in  the  making.  A  similar  street  is 
shown  on  the  cover  of  this  issue.  The 
lovely  Caroline  Testout  and  the  dainty 
Dorothy  Perkins  are  the  beauties  of  the 
rose  world  which  make  Portland's  rose 
boulevard  a  highroad  of  charm  in  June. 

Early  in  January,  1920,  the  Portland  Ad 
Club  put  before  the  public  the  proposition 
of  a  roseway  along  four  miles  of  the  Sandy 
Boulevard,  the  connecting  link  between  the 
city  and  the  famous  Columbia  River  High- 
way. Civic  clubs  and  city  officials  inter- 
ested themselves  in  the  project,  and  the 
plans  for  the  rose-bowered  avenue  are  now 
being  realized.  The  nursery  force  of  the 
Bureau  of  Parks  set  out  21,000  Caroline 
Testouts  and  4,500  Dorothy  Perkins  cut- 
tings to  be  used  on  the  roseway,  and  others 
are  to  be  grown  by  organizations  and  in- 
dividuals  at   various  times. 

The  choice  of  the  Caroline  Testout  has 
been  the  outgrowth  of  a  gradual  increase 
in  the  use  of  this  profuse  bloomer.  Port- 
land has  held  an  annual  rose  show  in  June 
every  year  since  1889,  and  in  all  these 
years  the  rose  growers  of  the  city  have  been 
endeavoring  to  produce  a  rose  that  will 
qualify  as  the  official  rose  of  Portland.  In 
1908  the  Rose  Festival,  supplementing  the 
rose  show,  was  instituted  and  held  in  June, 
the  gala  time  of  the  City  of  Roses.  The 
official  Portland  rose  has  not  yet  been  devel- 
oped, but  in  lieu  thereof,  by  common  con- 
sent, the  Caroline  Testout  has  been  serving. 
The  roseway  is  the  culmination  of  many 
plans  and  of  much  int-erest  in  Portland's 
peculiar  adaptability  to  rose  growing.  The 
name  "Rose  City"  was  first  given  to  the 
city  25  years  ago  by  the  Presbyterian  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  which  was  in  session  here. 
Later,  in  1905,  at  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Ex- 


position, the  rose  was  declared  the  queen 
of  flowers  and  great  bouquets  of  the  blos- 
soms were  presented  to  the  women  visitors 
at  the  fair  on  certain  days.  The  interest 
in  rose  culture  was  continued,  being  spon- 
sored by  the  Portland  Rose  Society  and 
other  organizations  and  by  individual  resi- 
dents. "Plant  a  Rose"  posters  were  pasted 
on  automobile  windshields  two  years  ago 
to  further  the  rose  idea. 

Rose  enthusiasts  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try took  a  new  interest  in  Portland  when 
the  International  Rose  Test  Garden  was 
established  in  Washington  Park  in  19 17. 
This  was  made  an  official  test  garden  of  the 
American  Rose  Society,  and  new  roses  from 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Europe 
were  entered  in  the  testing  plats.  At  the 
June  Rose  Festival  awards  are  made  for 
the  finest  blooms  of  the  season.  All  species 
entered  in  the  Test  Garden  are  new  and 
unexploited  commercially.  The  Rose  Test 
•Garden  is  a  unit  of  the  large  decorative 
rose  garden  now  being  built  in  Washing- 
ton Park,  where  eventually  there  will  be 
botanical  collections,  historical  gardens  and 
other  features  incorporated  in  one  compre- 
hensive design. 

The  Sandy  Boulevard,  which  has  been  set 
aside  as  the  Avenue  of  Roses,  is  a  broad, 
straight  road  of  few  grades,  running 
diagonally  through  a  residence  section  of 
the  city  into  an  attractive  rural  section  of 
fields  and  woods,  until  it  joins  the  eastern 
division  of  the  scenic  Columbia  River  High- 
way. The  roseway  will  be  a  fitting  approach 
to  the  majestic  river  highway  as  well  as  a 
striking  feature  of  the  Rose  City,  when  it 
is  completed. 

Under  the  direction  of  C.  P.  Keyser, 
.Superintendent  of  the  Bureau  of  Parks, 
the  parkings  were  surveyed  and  the  ground 
prepared  for  planting  last  fall.  More  than 
three  thousand  roses  were  set  out  at  that 
time  and  many  will  be  added  this  fall  when 
the  planting  season  opens. 


A   park  is   a   growing  asset   to   a   growing  city — more   beauty,    more   comfort,    more 
people,  more  value. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The 

Recognized 
Textbook  on 
Playground 
Planning- 

This  128-Page  Medart  Catalog  is  recog- 
nized everywhere  as  a  text-book  on  Play- 
ground Planning  and  Installations.  It 
shows  in  detail  just  what  apparatus  is  best 
suited  for  boys,  for  girls  and  for  smaller 
children.  It  shows  ideal  playground  lay- 
outs, where  cost  is  secondary  to  service 
and  it  shows,  too,  what  combinations  are 
most  desirable  for  smaller  communities  or 
centers  where  only  a  limited  appropriation 
is  available. 

And,  of  course,  it  points  out  convincingly 
just  why  you  should  always  specify 
Medart  Playground  Equipment. 

Add  this  elaborate  book  to  your  library- 
it  is  an  actual  help  to  anyone  interested  in 
Playgrounds  and  Playground  Planning. 
Sent  promptly  on  request. 


FRED  MEDART  MFG.  CO. 

Potomac  &  De  Kalb,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

New  York  San  Francisco 

52  Vanderbilt  Ave.  Rialto  Bldg. 

Chicago,  326  W.  Madison  St. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


6i3 


Selecting  a  Boiler-Feed  Regulator  for 
the  Municipal  Power-Plant* 

By  W.  F.  Schaphorst,  M.  E. 


INEFFICIENT  hand  regulation  of  boiler 
feed  is  still  practiced  in  many  large  and 

many  small  power-plants  in  all  fields. 
The  writer  witnessed  the  installation  of  a 
new  500-horse-power  water-tube  boiler  in 
a  municipal  power-plant  about  a  year  ago 
and  inquired  concerning  the  kind  of  feed- 
water  regulation  that  would  be  employed. 
The  engineer  replied,  "Hand  regulation.  I 
guess  it  is  as  good  as  any  other  kind." 

His  guess   was  incorrect.     Much  money 


too  high  or  too  low.  Then  the  valve  is 
either  completely  closed  or  completely 
opened,  and  is  left  in  that  position  until  the 
water  is  again  too  low  or  too  high.  The 
water  may  be  too  low  just  at  a  time  when 
additional  boiler  capacity  is  required.  The 
feed  valves  being  open  at  the  same  time 
means  that  the  fires  must  be  forced  to  a 
far  greater  extent  than  should  be  neces- 
sary, and  this  means  that  a  large  amount 
of  heat   is   lost. 


THE  VAliUI!  OF  REGULATING  BOILER  OPERATION 

The  two  left-hand  charts  show  inefBcient  hand  regulation;  the  right-hand  chart  shows  the  effect  of 
modern  regulation  on  the  same  boilers 


can  be  saved  yearly  by  adopting  good 
mechanical  regulation.  Important  savings 
result  from  several  sources.  It  is  a  mistake 
to  believe  that  the  labor  is  the  only  saving. 
There  are  other  economies  of  much  greater 
magnitude. 

Two  methods  of  boiler-feed  regulation  are 
in  use  to-day — hand  and  automatic  regula- 
tion. In  the  smaller  plants  where  feed  water 
is  controlled  by  hand,  this  is  usually  taken 
care  of  by  the  fireman.  The  fireman,  how- 
ever, has  many  duties,  and  cannot  give  to 
the  regulation  of  feed  water  the  time  that 
is  necessary  to  insure  satisfactory  results. 
The  result  is  that  the  water  input  is  not 
changed  until  the  water-level  becomes  either 


•Copyright,   1922,  by   W.   F.    Schaphorst. 


In  the  larger  power-plants  a  water  tender 
is  often  employed  whose  duty  it  is  to  take 
care  of  the  input  of  water  to  a  number  of 
boilers.  If  he  is  taking  care  of,  say,  eight 
boilers,  each  boiler  can  receive  only  12.5 
per  cent  of  his  time,  and  this  is  sometimes 
cut  down  to  8  or  10  per  cent  because  of 
losses,  time  consumed  in  walking  between 
boilers,  etc.  Starting  with  No.  i  boiler, 
the  feed  valve  is  opened  because  the  water- 
level  is  too  low,  not  because  of  a  change 
in  output.  By  the  time  he  gets  around  to 
No.  I  boiler  again  the  water  may  be  too 
high  or  too  low,  and  an  adjustment  is  again 
made,  not  in  any  relation  whatever  to  out- 
put or  efficiency,  but  purely  in  relation  to 
the  level  of  the  water. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Coldwell 

Lawn  Mowers 


An  Exceedingly  Flexible  Mower 
With,  a  Considerable  Appetite   for   Work 

The  Imperial  Gang  Mower,  designed  to  fit  the  especial  needs 
of  cost-considerate  park  officials,  effectively  accomplishes  the  cut- 
ting of  spacious  lawns  at  an  employment  of  the  minimum  amount 
of  time  and  expenditure. 

Suited  admirably  to  the  strength  and  greater  speed  of  the  lighter 
type  of  utility  horse  (as  compared  to  the  slothful  ambles  of  the 
cumbersome  draft  horse)  this  combination  of  five  20-inch  Imperial 
Hand  Mowers  cuts  an  immaculate  swath  91  inches  wide  across  the 
surface  of  a  level — or  hilly — lawn  in  rapid  style. 

Over  the  triple  gang  mowers  of  the  side-wheel  type.  The  Imperial 
Gang  Mower  has  demonstrated  its  superiority  under  actual  condi- 
tions on  all  kinds  of  tasks,  and  on  all  public  grounds  where  it  has 
superseded  the  narrower  type,  the  comparison  has  proved  a  fea- 
ture of  saving,  with  better  work,  in  favor  of  the  Imperial. 

After  all,  it  IS  a  Coldwell  Lawn  Mower,  and  with  57  years  of 
constant  effort  forward  as  an  heritage^  it  should  be  a  marked  and 
cost-conserving  mower. 

By  the  way,  that  57  years  of  "knowing-how"  has  taught  us  many 
things  about  lawns — a  fund  of  knowledge — yours  for  the  asking. 

CoDBWnX  Lawn  Mower  Co. 

NEWBURGH.  NY.  U.S.A. 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


86 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


61S 


Some  power-plant  engineers  may  say, 
"My  load  is  absolutely  constant,  and  there- 
fore hand  feed  is  perfectly  efificient."  It 
may  be  true  that  the  load  is  fairly  constant, 
but  this  is  true  of  the  total  load  on  the  bat- 
tery of  boilers  only,  and  not  of  the  load  on 
each  individual  boiler.  In  other  words, 
with,  say,  six  boilers,  there  may  be  a  total 
load  of  2,400  horse-power,  but  this  does  not 
mean  that  each  boiler  is  carrying  400  horse- 
power. Instead,  it  is  more  likely  that  some 
boilers  are  delivering  considerably  above  400 
horse-power,  while  others  are  carrying  con- 
siderably below  400  horse-power.  Im- 
proper feeding  of  the  water  will  change  the 
steaming  output  of  the  individual  boilers 
to  a  marked  extent. 

Rapid  strides  in  automatic  boiler-feed 
regulation  have  been  made  in  recent  years. 
Practically  all  the  large  central  station  plants 
in  the  United  States  that  are  operated  with 
steam,  as  well  as  thousands  of  smaller 
plants,  are  to-day  feeding  their  boilers  by 
means  of  automatic  regulators  which  give 
the  proper  kind  of  control.  The  man  has 
been  made  the  supervisor  of  the  apparatus, 
instead  of  the  mere  supervisor  of  the  valve, 
which  is  as  it  should  be.  A  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Power  Generation  of  the 
American  Electric  Railway  Engineering  As- 
sociation says: 

"A  great  many  feed-water  regulators  are  de- 
signed to  maintain  constant  water-level  and 
are  of  a  type  that  closes  the  supply  positively 
when  the  water-level  is  above  the  desired  level 
and  opens  wide  when  it  falls  below.  This 
method  of  feed  control  is  responsible  for  a 
considerable  variation  in  the  steaming  capacity 
of  the  boiler.  Approximately  one-fifth  of  the 
total  heat  supplied  by  the  furnace  when  operat- 
ing at  200  pounds  pressure  is  represented  in 
raising  the  temperature  of  the  feed  water  from 
200  degrees  F.  to  steam  temperature.  The  full 
opening  of  the  valve  may  deliver  water  to  the 
boiler  at  a  rate  of  five  or  ten  times  the  normal 
rate  of  evaporation.  Thus,  if  the  feed  valve 
remains  open  for  any  considerable  time,  the 
total  heat  input  from  the  furnace  may  be  spent 
in  raising  the  temperature  of  the  water  and 
at  this  time  the  output  of  the  boiler  is  reduced 
to  practically  nothing.  These  features  of  feed- 
water  regulation  are  now  better  understood, 
with  the  result  that  regulators  are  now  available 
which  give  a  graduated  control  of  the  feed 
water  and  permit  a  variation  in  the  water-level 
between  any  two  extremes  that  may  be  fixed." 

When  high-pressure  boilers  first  came 
into  use  in  power-plants,  the  principal  con- 
cern of  the  fireman  was  merely  to  keep 
water  in  the  boiler  anywhere  from  the  top 


Courtesy  Chaplin  Fulton  Mfg.  Co. 
KEGUIiATOR   FOE   MAINTAINING   CONSTANT 
WATEE-LEVEL 

to  the  bottom  of  the  drum.  Water-level 
was  given  very  little  thought.  The  only 
real  concern  was  to  prevent  burning  the 
boiler  shell  or  tubes  and  to  keep  the  boiler 
from  blowing  up.  Injectors  were  used  to 
force  the  water  into  the  boiler  against  the 
steam  pressure.  These  injectors  were 
usually  poor  mechanically  as  well  as  in- 
efficient, and  their  operation  was  one  of 
the  most  exasperating  jobs  the  boiler  tender 
had.  Consequently,  the  general  practice 
was  to  start  the  injector  and  not  stop  it  un- 
til the  boiler  was  entirely  filled.  Then  it 
would  not  be  started  again  until  the  boiler 
was  practically  empty.  This  method  is  still 
in  vogue  in  many  power-plants,  particularly 
the  smaller  ones,  and  should  by  all  means 
be  discontinued. 

The  first  commercial  regulator  ever  made 
depended  for  its  operation  on  a  float  which 
rode  on  the  surface  of  the  water  and  rose 
and  fell  with  it.  This  type  of  regulator  is 
still  being  manufactured  and  is  used  to- 
day with  practically  no  change  in  principle, 
construction,  or  operation.  The  art  of 
boiler  feeding,  however,  has  advanced  so 
much  that  the  float  regulator  should  not 
be  used  excepting  under  certain  conditions, 


THE    AMEKICAX    CITY 


r=YOfR  OTT  6  mows  BT  HS  HOUL 


■^■T    •».«T,rT»*  «^T"^-T   *~?V  't'Z^'^' 


L«¥NN0WERS 


^^h 


9BiL 


t:53.   3ii::i 


£miCAar  ciTT 


ill      QMShMMnHI  WfpHMHM  (^  *Hfc  IHIfc  ^K  ' 

W  Y«me  «i  <att  IQ(9«>  «l  Vdtar  tram  1%^     ()»  tevuMi  «mi  riiiin>iiiwi  «t 
IhmI  •»  fraft:  Indl  »;  «ndk  as  *" 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


''Just  how  will  a 

FAIRCHILD  AERIAL  MOSAIC  SURVEY 


The  City  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  answers- 


help  our  City?" 


W0^  ,MPROVt^*t»«TS 


^'  v.u^^-'  Vo"'*^  r.r.Ai  "r/- 

Board  1«  ao«  andartftklcg 
for  tho  purpoto  of  Attrsi 
to  Vowark.  and  will  «■•  i 
tonol*aly   durinc   thi>   dri 


w*  '^= °uV.  ''■•  n.V;'»"/.  Y/^=i.i.  i 


"*p  •? I 


°°»PJ, 


»  pttblleitj    campaign 
ting  bo««-bQild«r« 
ba   aarlal   picture   az- 


«o  ab,'"'  J  "a' 


Ib  Tlow  of  thaao  clrcuattan 
can  roadily  undorotand  why  I  am  anzlo 
lag  to  tho  oarly  eoaplotloa  and  dollv 
plcturo. 

Tor/  truly  yourt. 


A 


Fairchild  Mosaic  Survey  is  made  by  photographing  and  as- 
sembling a  series  of  .overlapping  vertical  aerial  views,  resulting 
in  a  complete  map,  perfect  in  detail  and  mosaic  in  character. 

^  We  will  send  to  any  interested  City  official,  gratis, 

a  large  gravure  reproduction  of  a  Fairchild  Aerial 

Mosaic  map,  recently  made  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

FAIRCHILD    AERIAL    CAMERA     CORPORATION 

136    West    52nd    Street,     New  York    City 


88  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


619 


installed  merely  according  to  the  size  of 
the  feed  line.  Investigation  has  disclosed, 
however,  that  most  boiler-feed  lines  are  too 
large.  Not  only  are  the  feed  lines  generally 
too  large,  but  also  the  pumps,  regulating 
valves,  and  all  other  incidental  equipment. 
This  is  because  with  hand  or  old  type 
mechanical  feed  the  flow  of  water  is  in- 
termittent. Extra  capacity  must  be  avail- 
able so  that  the  system,  besides  supplying 
the  normal  demand  during  its  periods  of 
operation,  can  also  make  up  for  what  was 
not  supplied  during  periods  of  inaction. 
The  control  valve  should  not  be  chosen  in 
a  haphazard  manner  to  conform  to  the  size 
of  the  feed  lines,  as  is  ordinarily  done,  be- 
cause this  might  result  in  the  same  inter- 
mittent on-and-off  operation  characteristic 
of  the  old  methods  and  systems. 

Insist  upon  a  regulator  that  is  designed 
for  the  particular  conditions  under  which 
the  boilers  are  to  operate.  The  time  has 
passed  when  regulators  are  furnished  merely 
to  correspond  to  the  size  of  the  feed  line. 
There  are  now  available  regulators  which 
are  designed  for  the  particular  boiler  con- 
d'tions.  This  involves  not  only  a  considera- 
tion of  the  size  of  the  feed  line,  but  also 
normal  rating,  maximum  rating,  steam  pres- 
sure, water  pressure,  method  of  firing, 
method  of  pump  control,  etc.,  and  as  a  re- 
sult regulators  can  be  obtained  that  will 
give  the  best  possible  service  under  any 
specific  conditions.  Ragged  and  erratic 
feeding  will  almost  invariably  result  if  the 
control  valve  is  too  large. 

In  view  of  the  increasing  use  of  higher 
steam  pressures,  many  consulting  en- 
gineers are  now  specifying  that  on  all  pres- 
sures above  250  pounds,  cast  steel  should 
be  used  in  place  of  cast  iron  on  control 
valves  and  any  other  water-containing  parts 
of  boiler-feed  regulators. 

If  boiler-feed  water  contains  scale,  slime, 
grit  or  other  foreign  impurities,  great  care 
must  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  a  regu- 
lator. Be  sure  that  the  regulator  will  not 
be  rendered   inoperative   by  any   such  ele- 


ments. Should  grit  or  slime  be  present, 
or  should  wire-drawing  occur,  it  is  well  to 
insist  upon  interior  valve  parts  made  of 
monel  metal.  Such  parts  can  be  furnished 
by  the  regulator  manufacturers  at  a  slight 
additional  cost,  and  in  practically  every 
case  they  will  be  found  to  be  well  worth 
the  slight  additional  expense. 

In  the  selection  of  boiler-feed  regulators, 
the  following  specifications,  prepared  by 
the  Prime  Movers  Committee  of  the  Na- 
tional Electric  Light  Association,  will  prove 
helpful : 

1.  The  regulator  should  conform  to  the  con- 
tinuous-feed,   variable    water-level    principle. 

2.  The  regulator  shall  be  guaranteed  to  pass 
a  required  amount  of  water  at  a  certain  pres- 
sure drop,  based  on  actual  test  data. 

3.  The  regulating  valve  shall  be  of  the  "high 
lift"  type.  It  shall  lift  about  §^-inch  from 
zero  feed  to  maximum  required  feed. 

4.  The  regulator  shall  be  adjustable,  so  as 
to  give  the  full  valve  travel  for  any  desired 
limits  of  the  water-level  variation. 

5.  The  regulator  shall  be  adjustable  for 
raising  or  lowering  the  range  of  water-level 
variation  in  the  boiler,  at  the  same  time  main- 
taining  full   valve  travel. 

6.  The  regulator  shall  not  have  interval 
friction  in  excess  of  10  per  cent  of  its  actuat- 
ing or  moving  force.  If  the  internal  friction 
is  large,  the  regulator  is  liable  to  "stick"  and 
will  feed  intermittently. 

7.  The  regulator  should  be  indicating,  that 
is,  it  should  indicate  the  opening  of  the  valve 
at  all  instants  and  enable  the  operator  to  check 
it  up  against  the  water-level. 

Other  items  suggest  themselves,  such  as 
dependability,  attention  necessary  to  keep 
the  regulator  operating  efficiently,  life, 
cost,  etc.,  but  the  seven  points  mentioned 
above  really  constitute  good  regulation  and 
are  usually  sufficient.  The  right  kind  of 
regulation  should  not  be  affected  by  time 
of  service,  climate,  or  draft.  Its  response 
to  any  given  operating  condition  should  be 
constant  over  a  period  of  years.  On  large 
boilers,  two  regulators  should  be  installed 
to  adequately  take  care  of  the  differences 
in  operating  conditions  and  to  properly 
distribute  the  cold  water. 


Municipally  Owned  Power  Plants 

There  are  now  2,318  cities  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  that  own  and  operate  their 
own  electric  light  and  power  plants.  Of  these,  700  have  established  their  municipal  plants 
within  the  last  five  years.  In  1881  there  was  but  one  municipal  plant  in  the  United  States. 
Of  the  cities  that  now  own  and  operate  light  and  power  plants,  275  have  a  3-cent  rate, 
287  have  a  S-cent  rate,  600  have  an  8-cent  rate  and  615  have  a  lo-cent  rate.  These  are 
the  retail  or  maximum  rates. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Fence   Succeeds  Where  Signs  Fail 


KEEPING  them  off  the  grass,"  in 
Central  Park,  New  York  City,  has 
always  been  a  man's  size  job.  In  fact,  for 
a  time  it  seemed  well  nigh  impossible  to  keep 
the  big,  unmanageable  crowds  from  tramp- 
ling down  the  grass  and  turning  the  lawns 
into  an  ugly  barren.  "Keep  Off"  signs  were 
ignored.  But  now,  thanks  to  the  installation 
of  a  Page-Protection  Fence  around  some  of 
the  lawns,  the  problem  has  been  solved. 

When  it  comes  to  protecting  municipal  prop- 
erty a  Page-Protection  Fence  is  more 
effective  than  an  officer  of  the  law.  Many  a 
dollar  has  been  saved  by  putting  this  formi- 


dable fence  around  pumping  stations  and 
lighting  plants.  That's  the  only  way  to  keep 
trespassers  out  and  eliminate  the  temptation 
to  remove  tools  and  materials. 

If  you  are  looking  for  a  fence  that  will  really 
protect,  be  sure  you  secure  a  Page  Fence. 
The  many  years'  experience  of  the  Page 
Steel  and  Wire  Company,  as  well  as  the  fact 
that  the  company  conducts  every  process  of 
manufacture  from  the  open  hearth  to  the 
finished  product  in  its  own  mills,  renders  the 
Page-Protection  Fence  without  equal  in  gen- 
eral excellence  today. 


Page    Steel    and    Wire    Company 

Bridgeport,    Connecticut 


District  Sales  Offices: 


Chicago, 


New  York, 


Pittsburgli, 


Portland,  Ore. 


PAGE  PROTECTION  FENCI 


When    writing    to   Advertisers   please   mention    The    American    City. 


621 


BONDING 


Municipal  Finance 

ACCOUNTING 


TAXATION 


Municipal  Financial  Statistics  Require 

Explanation 


To  THE  Editor  of  The  American  City: 

Your  article  in  the  April  number  under 
the  head  of  ""Finance"  prompts  me  to  make 
some  comments,  even  though  I  am  no  longer 
a  city  official. 

These  census  bulletins  and  other  statis- 
tical tables  of  this  kind  are  apt  to  be  mis- 
leading. In  this  case  they  seek  to  show  the 
excess  of  receipts  over  expenditures,  or 
rather  the  reverse.  What  nonsense !  A 
taxing  body  is  obliged  sooner  or  later  to 
balance  accounts.  The  year  in  question  end- 
ing in  1921  was  a  peculiarly  inopportune 
year  for  any  such  conclusions. 

The  only  way  the  value  of  such  statistics 
can  be  tested  is  by  analyzing  a  concrete  ex- 
ample, so  let  us  see  about  the  city  of  Cedar 
Rapids.  In  the  first  place,  the  Census  Bu- 
reau data  include  schools,  which  in  this 
state  are  entirely  separate  from  city  busi- 
ness, and  what  I  have  to  say,  therefore,  does 
not  apply  to  schools,  as  I  know  nothing 
ahout  their  finances. 

In  your  case,  the  tax  levy  which  was  dis- 
bursed in  the  year  reported  upon,  viz.,  end- 
ing April  I,  1 92 1,  was  made  by  us  in 
August,  1919.  Not  being  good  prophets, 
we  thought  labor  and  material  costs  would 
certainly  decline  from  war  prices,  but  what 
happened  ?  Just  about  as  soon  as  our  levy 
was  made,  everything  began  to  soar,  so  that, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  year  in  question  was 
about  the  worst  in  the  whole  history  of  the 
city  government  and  business,  because  a 
c'ty.  like  any  other  institution,  must  pay 
the  fiddler.  In  this  connection  I  might  give 
our  experiences.  Our  levies  for  the  years 
1916-17-18  were  45  mills  (on  25  per  cent 
of  assessed  value)  ;  in  1919-20,  44  mills;  in 
1921,  50  mills;  and  in  1922,  46  mills.  This 
resulted  in  the  following  averages:  the  levy 
for  three  years  before  the  war,  45  mills; 
for  four  years  during  the  war,  46. 

In  our  City  Treasurer's  report  for  1920-1, 


in  the  funds  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  there  was  between  $300,000  and  $400,- 

000  proceeds  of  bonds  for  which  sewer  and 
bridge  contracts  were  outstanding,  only  a 
part,  or  about  $300,000,  of  which  were  paid 
during  the  year  in  question.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  receipts  for  the  year,  because  of 
local  changes  and  changes  in  bookkeeping, 
show  the  receipt  of  nearly  $200,000  taken 
into  the  accounts,  but  which,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  existed  in  special  funds  prior  thereto. 

1  know  that  this  matter  of  "capital"  invest- 
ments or  funds  is  kept  separate  by  the  Cen- 
sus Bureau,  or,  rather,  they  try  to  do  so, 
but  they  may  or  may  not  succeed. 

In  conclusion,  I  can  only  repeat  the 
opinion  that  inferences  drawn  from  such 
statistics  are  of  little  or  no  value. 


Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. 


J.  F.  RALL, 
Ex-Mayor. 


Editorial  Note. — Ex-Mayor  Rail's  criticisms 
of  the  financial  figures  issued  by  the  Census 
Bureau  and  printed  in  the  April  issue  of  The 
American  City  reveal  one  of  the  dangers  of 
comparative  municipal  statistics  which  confront 
the  investigator.  There  is  no  doubt  that,  with 
each  city  maintaining  its  own  system  of  ac- 
counting and  classification  of  expenditures, 
there  is  wide  diversity  in  the  use  of  terms  and 
in  the  grouping  of  figures  under  the  various 
accepted  headings.  In  some  cities,  for  ex- 
ample, the  total  tax  rate  is  figured  upon  all  the 
municipal  services,  the  debt  service,  and  the 
expenditures  of  the  board  of  education.  In 
others,  money  raised  for  educational  purposes 
and  that  applied  to  the  state  and  county  taxes 
is  excluded,  and  the  tax  rate  for  the  municipal- 
ity is  figured  upon  the  remainder.  Until  we 
have  a  system  of  uniform  municipal  accounting 
for  all  cities  in  the  United  States,  these  diffi- 
culties in  the  matter  of  comparisons  will  doubt- 
less continue. 

Great  strides,  however,  have  been  made  in 
the  matter  of  comparative  statistics  by  the  in- 
auguration of  uniform  systems  of  municipal 
accounting  in  a  number  of  states.  Where  such 
uniform  systems  exist,  comparisons  between 
cities  of  the  same  size  within  the  state  can 
be  made  with  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


CORRUC^Tffl"^™^LVERTS 


Inltheldevelopment  of  subur- 
ban sites  "ACME"  (Nestable) 
Culverts  offer  an  inexpensive 
and  permanent  means  of  drain- 
age. Moreover,  by  the  use  of 
cement  or  stone  work  they  can 
be  made  into  very  attractive 
forms,  such  as  above. 


This  pleasing  installation  is  in 
Shaker  Heights  Village,  suburb 
of  Cleveland.  The  two  6-foot 
"ACME"  sections  are  faced 
at  the  end  with  rough  ashler 
stone  work.  Installed  191 1  — 
still  in  perfect  condition.  Have 
you  catalog  M-78? 


THE   CANTON    CULVERT   &   SILO    CO.,    Mfrs.,    CANTON,    OHIO 


Lowest  Prices 
In  Years 


Let  us  quote  you  prices  on  the  iron  fencing  you  have  been 
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IRON    WORKS 

Indianapolis,  Ind. 


ENTEIFMSI 

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Buy  Kow  for  Less. 

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90 


When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


623 


Pasadena  Lives  Within  Its  Income 

To  THE  Editor  of  The  American  City 
Magazine: 
I  notice  that  The  American  City  Maga- 
zine of  April  shows  the  per  capita  expenses 
of  the  city  of  Pasadena  to  be  $73.57,  while 
the  per  capita  receipts  are  $67.69.  We  as- 
sume you  got  these  figures  from  the  Finan- 
cial Statistics  of  Cities  of  the  Department 
of  Commerce,  Bureau  of  Census.  It  is  in- 
correct in  the  way  it  is  stated.  Our  per 
capita  expenses  for  municipal  purposes  are 
$52.00  and  our  per  capita  receipts  for  mu- 
nicipal purposes  are  $53.71.  The  figures  set 
up  by  the  Bureau  of  Census  include  trans- 
actions other  than  those  of  the  municipal 
government. 


In  making  comparative  statistics,  it  is 
absolutely  essential  that  the  same  objects 
be  taken  into  consideration  in  each  case, 
and  one  reason  why  so  much  apparent  dis- 
agreement is  found  in  statistical  informa- 
tion is  because  this  fact  is  not  taken  into 
consideration  by  the  magazine  editors  and 
newspaper  writers.  The  Bureau  of  Cen- 
sus, being  under  the  direction  of  one  head 
at  Washington,  should  be  in  a  position  to 
give  accurate  comparative  information;  but 
unless  the  findings  of  the  Bureau  of  Cen- 
sus are  properly  reported  by  publicity 
agents,  the  records  they  furnish  can  be  very 
readily  misinterpreted. 

fT       1  /^   1-r  C.  W.  KOINER, 

Pasadena,  Lallt.  city   Manager. 

May  17,  1922, 


Make  Civil  Service  Do  What  It  Was  Intended  To  Do 


To  the  Editor  of  The  American  City: 

In  response  to  your  request  for  expres- 
sions of  opinion  on  civil  service  I  submit 
the  following  statement: 

1.  The  merit  system  has  not  been  tried 
and  found  wanting,  as  your  correspondent 
suggests;  rather,  it  has  not  been  tried.  In 
the  civil  service,  as  in  so  many  other 
branches  of  government,  we  have  put  our 
faith  in  the  saving  power  of  legislation  and 
machinery,  assuming  that  any  reputable 
citizen  could  carry  on  administration.  But, 
however  reputable  our  civil  service  com- 
missioners may  have  been,  generally  speak- 
ing, ignorance  of  examination  and  employ- 
ment technique,  i.e..  their  job,  has  been  the 
common  characteristic.  This,  combined 
with  limited  tenure  of  office  and  inadequate 
funds,  is  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the 
present  status  of  civil  service  administra- 
tion. 

2.  There  is  nothing  in  civil  service 
rules,  as  your  correspondent  states,  that 
calls  for  theoretical  examinations,  either  di- 
ectly  or  by  implication.  Theoretical  ex- 
aminations are  the  natural  recourse  of  an 
examining  body  that  exists  by  sufferance 
and  usually  in  a  state  of  splendid  isolation. 
So  far  as  examinations  are  concerned,  there 
is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  no  conceivable  type 
of  test  which  cannot  be  given  under  civil 
service  rules,  and,  what  is  more,  there  is  no 
conceivable  type  of  test  which  has  not  been 
given  in  one  civil  service  jurisdiction  or 
another.  The  tests  given  cover  the  whole 
range  from  a  personal  interview  to  up-to- 
date  forms  of  trade  and  mental  tests. 


3.  The  charge  that  it  is  impossible  to  re- 
move inefficient  employees  from  the  mu- 
nicipal service  is  a  widespread  fiction. 
There  is  no  basis  for  it  in  most  civil  ser- 
vice laws.  The  words  of  the  last  report  of 
the  New  York  State  Civil  Service  Commis- 
sion are  generally  applicable.  After  stat- 
ing that  the  law  offers  no  such  protection 
to  the  inefficient,  the  Commission  asserts 
(page  13)  that  the  retention  of  incompetent 
employees  is  "due  to  lack  of  administrative 
force  on  the  part  of  the  head  of  the  office, 
and  the  responsibilities  and  the  burdens 
must  be  borne  by  him  alone." 

The  remedy  for  the  existing  situation 
outlined  by  your  correspondent  strikes  me 
as  being  almost  academic  in  character.  No 
political  party  would  dare  include  the  pro- 
posed emasculation  of  the  civil  service  law 
in  its  party  platform.  The  man  of  the  street 
understands  civil  service  and  has  never 
failed  to  register  this  conviction  when  a 
referendum  has  given  him  the  chance. 
Civil  service  control  is  an  established 
institution  and  apparently  permanent. 

The  question  is,  therefore,  not  whether 
we  shall  emasculate  or  do  away  with  the 
civil  service  commission.  It  is  rather  by 
what  means  we  can  make  it  do  what  it  was 
intended  to  do.  The  remedies  here  suggested 
are  obvious  and  require  little  argument: 
(i)  Appoint  civil  service  commissioners 
who  are  qualified  to  administer  examination 
and  employment  policy;  (2)  provide  ap- 
propriations adequate  to  perform  these 
functions.  w.  E.  mosher, 

National    Institute    of    Public    Administration. 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


ENDURANCE 


ENDURANCE  is  the  ability  to 
bear  and  continue  in  spite  of 
destructive  forces.  In  this  re- 
spect  Newport  Culverts  are  pre- 
eminent in  the  culvert  field.  Made 
of  GENUINE,  OPEN.HEARTH 
IRON  (99.875%  pure  copper 
alloy),  these  culverts  are  the  most 
rust-resisting  on  the  market. 

In  strength,  th^  have  never  been 
found  wanting,  for  under  the 
heaviest  filb,  with  the  greatest 
loads,  they  have  carried  the  burden 
without  deformation.  They  are 
guaranteed  to  last  longer  under 
identical  conditions  than  any  other 
corrugated  metal  culvert  pipe. 

Newport  Culverts  are  made  in 
full-round  and  half-round  types,  as 
illustrated,  so  that  city,  county  and 
state  officials  may  have  a  culvert 
adaptable  to  every  condition. 

Newport  Culverts  endure  the  rav- 
ages of  time  and  rough  usage  for 
decades.  Let  us  explain  further 
why  we  thoroughly  believe  there 
is  no  better  culvert  made.  Send 
us  your  name  and  address. 


Newport  Culvert  Company,  inc. 

542  West  Tenth  Street 
Newport,  Ky. 


91 


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625 


New  York  Zone  Plan  Growing  Stronger 


By  Edward  M.  Bassett 

Of  the  New  York  Bar 


TWK  Greater  Xew  'S'ork  building  zone 
law  has  now  1  een  in  oi)eration  over 
five  years.  The  protective  requ're- 
ments  are  shown  on  three  maps,  known  as 
heglit.  area  and  use.  The  charter  provides 
that  changes  in  the  maps  can  be  made  only 
by  the  Board  of  Estimate.  The  aggregate 
changes  are  extremely  small  in  area,  show- 
ing the  remarkable  permanence  of  the  pro- 
tection of  the  zoning  system. 

Tn  the  years  1916-1921,  inclusive,  158  ap- 
plications for  changes  were  granted  by  the 
Board  of  Estimate,  and  134  were  denied. 
The.se  figures  tend  to  show  that  changes  are 
not  easily  obtained.  This  is  as  it  should 
be,  because  when  an  owner  builds  accord- 
ing to  the  zoning  requirements  he  ought  to 
be  protected  against  easy  changes  of  sur- 
rounding requirements. 

Of  the  total  changes  there  were  4  in  1916. 
43  in  1917,  26  in  1918,  20  in  1919,  27  in 
T920,  and  38  in  192 1.  It  would  appear  from 
the  figures  that  during  the  last  three  years 
the  map  changes  were  fairly  proportioned 
to  the  normal  growth  and  change  of  the 
city. 

Use  map  changes  were  143,  area  map  11, 
and  height  map  4.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
as    the    amount    of    new    construction    in- 


creases, more  changes  proportionally  will 
he  made  in  the  area  and  height  maps. 

In  1916  the  4  changes  all  relaxed  the  re- 
strictions; in  1917,  36  relaxed  and  7 
strengthened  the  restrictions;  in  1918,  20 
relaxed  and  6  strengthened;  in  1919,  13  re- 
laxed and  7  strengthened;  in  1920,  12  re- 
laxed and  15  strengthened;  in  1921,  15 
relaxed  and  23  strengthened.  In  other 
words,  in  1916  there  was  no  strengthening, 
in  1917  the  strengthening  as  compared  to 
relaxation  rose  to  19  per  cent,  in  1918  to 
30  per  cent,  in  1919  to  54  per  cent,  in  1920 
to  125  per  cent,  and  in  1921  to  153  per  cent. 
It  will  be  seen  that  during  the  last  two 
years  the  strengthening  changes  exceeded 
the  relaxing  changes,  and  that  each  year 
the  proportion  of  strengthening  changes  in- 
creased. These  figures  show  not  only 
official  support  of  the  zoning  plan,  but  they 
show  clearly  that  property  owners  are 
gradually  favoring  the  strengthening  of  the 
zoning  requirements  rather  than  their  re- 
laxation. 

The  building  zone  system^  of  New  York 
may  be  deemed  a  success.  Other  cities 
which  have  recently  adopted  it  or  are  pre- 
paring their  maps  may  well  be  encouraged 
by  the  experience  of  New  York. 


Building  and  Loan  Income  Exempt  Up  to  $300 
By  Charles  O'Connor  Hennessy 

President  of  The  Franklin  Society  for  Home  Building  and  Savings,  New  York 


NOT  sufficient  public  attention,  perhaps, 
has  been  drawn  to  the  provision,  in 
the  current  Federal  Revenue  Act 
which  took  effect  at  the  beginning  of  this 
year,  and  which,  by  paragraph  lo  of  sub- 
division (b)  of  section  213  exempts  from 
income  taxes 

"so  much  of  the  amount  received  by  an  indi- 
vidual after  December  31,  1921,  and  before 
January  i,  1927,  as  dividends  or  interest  from 
the  domestic  building  and  loan  associations 
operated  exclusively  for  the  purpose  of  making 
loans  to  members,  as  does  not  exceed  $300." 

The  Internal  Revenue  Commissioner  con- 
strues this  to  mean  that  income  received 
during  the  five  years  192 1  to  1926  inclusive 


by  a  member  of  a  building  and  loan  asso- 
ciation is  exempt  to  the  extent  of  $300  per 
year. 

This  provision  is  a  result  of  the  agitation 
carried  on  for  some  years  by  the  United 
States  League  of  Local  Building  and  Loan 
Associations  representing  more  than  8,000 
associations  in  the  country,  and  is  designed 
to  increase  the  funds  available  in  these  in- 
stitutions for  the  making  of  loans  to  indi- 
vidual homeseekers.  Such  loans  last  year, , 
according  to  United  States  League  figures, 
amounted  to  $700,000,000,  although  in  most 
sections  of  the  country  the  demand  for 
small  mortgage  accommodations  is  far  in 
excess  of  the  supply  of  money. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


The  Truths  About  Drinking  Fountains 


UNSAFE 


No.    1.  Vertical    stream 

which  permits  saliva  and  waste 
water  from  the  drinker's 
mouth  to  fall  back  to  source  of 
supply.  No  longer  consid- 
ered sanitary. 


UNSAFE 

No.  2.  Modification  of  ver- 
tical stream.  This  slight  angle 
is  little  if  any  improvement 
over  No.  1. 


IMPRACTICAL 

No.    3.     More    sanitary    if 
properly    used.  However, 

stream  is  hose-like  with  no 
definite  drinking  point.  Dif- 
ficult to  drink  from. 


THE  PERFECT  DRINKING  FOUNTAIN  STREAM 
WITH  AUTOMATIC  PRESSURE  CONTROL 

is  produced  by  the  famous  PURITAN  Cantonment  "2-stream  pro- 
jector" illustrated  in  connection  with  our  Puritan  605  Fountain. 
This  stream  producing  device  was  designed  for,  approved  and  adopted 
by  the  Government  during  the 
war.  Now  recognized  as  superior 
by  the  largest  interests  and 
schools  in  the  country. 

EXCLUSIVE    FEATURES 

Practical  drinking  stream! 
Automatic  stream  control — 
Stream  is  never  too  high.  Never 
too  low. 


CANTONMENT 


Write  for  illustrated  literature 


Puritan  No.  605  Vitreous  China  Wall 
Fountain 


THE  HALSEY  W.  TAYLOR  CO.    -    Warren,  Ohio 


8S 


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627 


An  Ideal  Fourth  of  July 

By  Mrs.  Percy  V.  Pennybacker 

Chairman,  Department  of  Citizenship,  General  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 


THE  General  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  has  undertaken  to  make  a 
direct  contribution  to  American  life 
by  transforming-  July  Fourth  into  a  day 
of  consecration  to  the  old  ideals  of  honor, 
patriotism  and  courage  that  have  lived 
always  in  the  pages  of  our  history — a 
great  Citizenship  Day,  for  all  classes  of 
Americans,  those  born  on  American  soil  as 
well  as  those  who  have  come  from  foreign 
lands.     Here  is  the  plan: 

Reawaken  the  dormant  patriotism  of  the 
native-born ;    stimulate    the    newcomers    to 
pride  and   interest   in  the  country  of  their 
adoption  by  a  reverent  ob- 
servance of  the  day. 

Rally  the  forces  of  the 
entire  community  to  par- 
ticipate in  an  outdoor 
meeting  at  which  all 
young  men  and  women 
coming  of  age  this  year 
and  all  foreign-born  citi- 
zens naturalized  within 
the  last  year  shall  be  the 
guests  of  honor. 

Let  a  great  processional 
be  one  of  the  outstanding 
features,  the  new  citizens 
leading,     with     civic    and 
patriotic      organizations 
following      in      distinct 
groups,    veterans   of    past 
wars — especially     of     the 
World  War — being  given 
the  places  of  honor  after 
the  new   citizens.     Have  no  music  that   is 
trivial,  unfamiliar  or  unrelated  to  national 
ideals.     Secure  as  many  bands  as  possible, 
using  foreign  bands  also. 

Use  the  flags  of  America  and  of  your 
state  in  conspicuous  places. 

Arrange  for  a  central  reception  place 
where  these  new  citizens  will  be  formally 
greeted  and  welcomed  and  where  a  brief 
inspirational  program  can  be  given. 

Select  speakers  of  the  highest  standing 
and  ability,  who  are  known  to  realize  the 
value  of  brevity.  When  the  orator  finishes, 
the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  town  or  county 


or  state  reads  aloud  the  names  of  the  new 
citizens  and  administers  to  them  the  solemn 
civic  oath.  He  then  charges  the  community 
to  see  to  it  that  they  do  everything  in  their 
power  both  by  example  and  by  precept  to 
help  the  voter  realize  the  honor  and  dign'ty 
and  responsibility  of  the  privilege  that  is 
now  his.  H  we  really  place  such  an  honor 
upon  the  entrance  into  civic  life,  it  will  be 
no  idle  dream  to  think  that  the  day  will 
come  when  each  young  person  on  the  eve 
of  casting  his  first  vote  will  feel  as  d'd  the 
squire  of  old  on  the  eve  of  knighthood. 
Programs   and   other  literature   concern- 


WELCOMING   NEW    CITIZENS,    ATLANTA,    GA.,    JULY    4,    1921 


ing  this  matter  may  be  had  by  writing  the 
General  Federation  Headquarters.  Mary- 
land Building,  Washington,  D.  C.  Last 
summer  some  three  hundred  towns  adopted 
this  plan.  This  year  we  fully  expect  three 
thousand  to  observe  July  Fourth  in  fitting 
manner.  The  President  of  the  United 
States  has  given  his  hearty  approval  to  the 
plan,  and  both  the  American  Legion  and 
the  Auxiliary  have  offered  to  help. 

Will  you  not  join  forces  with  the  General 
Federation  and  assist  in  making  July 
Fourth  the  rnost  solemn,  the  most  uplifting 
and  beautiful  day  in  our  civic  calendar. 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Geedyear  (SO  Cushion  Fire  Truck  Tin 

On  front  wheels  of  heavy  duty  trucks, 
or  "all  around"  on  lighter  vehicles, 
Goodyear  SC  Cushion  Tires  are  ideal 
equipment.  They  promote  economy 
in  transporting  heavy  loads  or  in 
hauling  over  unfavorable  roads.  The 
ability  of  Goodyear  SC  Cushion  Tires 


Ctopyright  1922,  by  The  Gondye^  TiTP  &  TITlDber  Co..  Tno. 


to  serve  long  and  well  is  the  direct 
result  of  the  design,  materials  and 
care  used  in  their  manufacture. 
Goodyear  makes  other  special  tires 
for  other  types  of  hauling — Goodyear 
Cord  Truck  Tires  and  Goodyear  All- 
Weather  Tread  Solid  Tires. 


Single  Jacket 
Underwriters  Fire  Hose 


The  Underwriters'  label  on  Goodyear  Single 
Jacket  Fire  Hose  and  Goodyear  Monterey 
Chemical  Hose,  means  that  the  latter  will  re- 
sist satisfactorily  the  biting,  corrosive  action 
of  chemicals  and  that  both  will  withstand  a 
definite  pressure  per  square  inch.  Goodyear 's 
yearsof  manufacturingexperiencehasenabled 
the  production  of  hose  on  a  par  with  all  other 
Goodyear  products— hose  which  will  render 
a    denendable   and   economical    service. 


94 


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629 


The  City's  Legal  Rights  and  Duties 

Information   for  City  Attorneys   and    Other  Municipal   Officers,   Summarizing 
Important  Court  Decisions  and  Legislation 

Conducted  by  A.  L.  H.  Street,  Attorney  at  Law 


Ordinance  Imposing  License  Taxes  Against 
Sellers  of  Used  Automobiles  Held  Not 
Unjustly  Discriminatory 

"Every  person,  firm  or  corporation  en- 
gaged in  the  business  of  selling,  exchanging 
or  buying  second-hand  or  used  automobiles 
or  other  motor  vehicles  for  the  purpose  of 
resale  or  exchange  of  same  shall  pay  a 
license  [fee?]  of  $50  per  quarter  for  each 
such  place  maintained,  provided,  however, 
that  persons  reselling  used  automobiles  or 
other  motor  vehicles  taken  in  exchange  or 
part  payment  for  new  automobiles  or  other 
motor  vehicles  shall  pay  a  license  [fee?]  of 
$25  per  quarter," 

This  section  of  an  ordinance  of  the  city 
and  county  of  San  Francisco  is  upheld  by 
the  California  District  Court  of  Appeal  as 
being  a  valid  mea?ure,  in  the  case  of  Hig- 
gins,  195  Pacific  Reporter,  740.  Justifying 
the  distinction  drawn  between  the  two 
classes  of  dealers  in  used  cars,  the  Court 
says,  in  part: 

"It  is  a  matter  of  common  notoriety  that  the 
theft,  disguise,  and  resale  of  motor  cars  has 
become  so  common  as  to  tax  the  powers  of  the 
police  throughout  the  United  States  to  recover 
the  stolen  cars  and  to  bring  the  criminals  to 
trial.  It  would  be  fatuous  to  assume  that  a 
motor-car  thief  would  very  often  pay  the  dif- 
ference between  the  second-hand  value  of  a  used 
car  and  the  selling  price  of  a  new  car.  The 
tendency  of  the  thief  would  be  to  get  money  in 
exchange  for  the  stolen  car  from  those  in  the 
business  of  buying  used  cars  for  resale." 

The  Kansas  Supreme  Court  Denies  Validity 
to  Ordinances  Which  Arbitrarily  Obstruct 
Enjoyment  of  Private  Property 

In  the  case  of  Smith  v.  Hosford,  187  Pa- 
cific Reporter,  685,  the  Kansas  Supreme 
Court  not  only  annuls  an  ordinance  pur- 
porting to  give  municipal  commissioners 
arbitrary  power  to  deny  permission  to  con- 
duct garages  and  automobile  repair  shops, 
but  questions  the  validity  of  any  ordinance 
which  interferes  with  the  enjoyment  of  pri- 


vate property  arbitrarily,  capriciously,  or 
oppressively. 

The  ordinance  under  fire  was  one  adopted 
by  the  city  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  forbidding 
issuance  of  licenses  for  "carrying  on  the 
business  of  a  garage  or  automobile  repair 
shop,  unless  the  application  for  such  license 
be  approved  by  the  board  of  commis- 
sioners." 

The  measure  was  successfully  attacked 
as  failing  to  provide  any  general  rules  un- 
der which  licenses  might  be  issued  or  denied, 
and  as  permitting  arbitrary  denial  of  li- 
censes. 

The  city  attempted  to  support  the  ordi- 
nance as  valid  exercise  of  the  police  power 
to  promote  the  health,  comfort  and  safety 
of  citizens;  admitting  that  a  garage  or  re- 
pair shop  is  not  an  inherent  nuisance,  but 
contending  that  its  location  may  be  munici- 
pally controlled  to  prevent  its  being  so  con- 
ducted as  to  be  ofifensive. 

The  Court  does  not  contradict  the  city's 
claim  that  before  the  courts  can  interfere 
with  the  exercise  of  legislative  power 
granted  to  the  city  some  abuse  of  such 
power  must  appear.     But  it  is  said: 

"The  test  laid  down  in  City  of  Emporia  v. 
Railway  Co.,  94  Kan.  718,  719,  147  Pac.  1095, 
1096,  is  this: 

"The  question  is  whether  or  not,  considering 
the  entire  situation  and  all  the  circumstances, 
the  action  of  the  city  so  far  fails  to  measure 
up  to  the  fair  and  just  and  reasonable  as  to 
make  it  clear  that  such  action  is  arbitrary, 
capricious,  unreasonable,  and  oppressive.    *    *    * 

"Of  course,  a  garage  is  not  a  nuisance  in 
itself,  but  is  becoming  more  and  more  necessary 
and  profitable,  and  is  a  legitimate  and  lucrative 
means  of  making  a  living  and  adding  to  one's 
capital.  While,  no  doubt,  a  city  may  regulate 
and  look  after  the  operation  of  this,  as  well  as 
other  things,  which,  by  an  unlawful  use  may 
become  injurious,  it  cannot,  without  tyranny, 
refuse  a  citizen  to  use  his  property  in  this  way 
when  properly  managed.  And,  by  the  same 
token,  it  must  be  held  that  a  city  cannot  author- 
ize one  or  more  of  its  oflRcers  to  prohibit  such 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Warren  Pavements 

have    been    laid 

In  Toronto,   Ont. 

Since  1904. 

In  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J. 

Since  1904. 

In   Portland,   Ore. 

Since  1904. 

In   El   Paso,   Texas 

Since  1906. 

In   Honolulu,  Hawaii 

Since  1910. 

Warrenite-Bitulithic    Pavement 

is  making  good 

in  every  State  in  the  Union, 

in  all  kinds  of  climate, 

and 

under  all  sorts  of  conditions 


BECAUSE 

The  Quality  is  unsurpassed 
The    Service    is    unequalled 

The  right  materials,  laid  under  ex- 
pert supervision  backed  by  thorough 
laboratory  service  means  a  good  road 
to  start  with  arid  a  good  road  for 
years. 

WARREN  BROTHERS  COMPANY 

Executive   Offices : 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


District  Offices: 


Utica,  N.  Y. 
Portland,  Ore. 
liTeW  York,  N.  Y. 
New  Orleans,  La. 
Vancouver,  B.  C. 
Chicago,   111. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Toronto,  Ont. 


Phoenix,  Ariz. 
Winnipeg,   Man. 
Oakland,    Cal. 
Memhphis,  Tenn. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Washington,   D.  C. 
Minneapolis,    Minn. 


THE  AUSTIN-WESTERN 
LINE 

''It    Serves    You    Righf' 

LJERE  is  a  new  symbol  of  serv- 
*■  "^  ice  to  road  builders,  the  guar- 
antee and  pledge  of  the  oldest  and 
largest  of  road  machinery  companies 
— a  guarantee  that  every  machine 
in  the  A-W  Line  is  of  the  best 
material  and  v^orkmanship  and  will 
give  you  absolute  satisfaction,  and 
a  pledge  that  real  service  goes  with 
each  machine  and  stays  with  it  dur- 
ing all  the  years  of  its  use. 

Look  over  this  list  and  then  write 
for  General  Catalog  No.  21-G  or 
for  special  catalogs  on  the  machines 
in  which  you  are  particularly  in- 
terested. 


AUSTIN 

Motor  Rollers 
Steam  Rollers 
Rock  Crushers 
Reversible  Graders 
Elevating  Graders 
Road  Scarifiers 
Motor  Sweepers 
Street  Sweepers 
Street  Sprinklers 
Road  Oilers 
Dump  Wagons 
Culverts 


WESTERN 

Rock  Crushers 

Reversible  Graders 

Elevating  Graders 

Dump  Wagons 

Road  Planers 

Road  Scarifiers 

Road  Drags 

Wheeled  Scrapers 

Drag  Scrapers 

Road  Plows 

Ditchers  and  Back-Slopers 

Screening  Plants 


THE    AUSTIN  -  WESTERN    ROAD 
MACHINERY  CO. 

Home  Office      -      CHICAGO 

Branches,    Warehouses    and    Service    Stations 
in   23   Cities. 


95 


When  writing  to  Advertisers   please  mention   The   American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


631 


Equal  Benefit  to  All  Abutting  Property 
Owners  Is  Noi  Essential  to  the  Validity 
of  a  Local  Assessment 

Sustaining  the  validity  of  a  street  sprin- 
kling assessment  in  the  case  of  City  of 
Lafayette  vs.  Tanner,  89  Southern  Reporter, 
314,  the  Louisiana  Suprerhe  Court  lately 
observed : 

"It  is  not  essential  to  the  validity  of  a  local 
assessment,  or  forced  contribution,  imposed  for 
street  improvement,  that  all  persons  upon  whom 
the  assessment  is  levied  shall  be  equally  bene- 
fited. It  is  sufficient  that  the  theory  of  special 
benefit  to  the  locality  in  which  such  an  assess- 
ment is  levied  shall  be  founded  upon  reason,  and 
that  the  apportionment  of  the  assessment  shall 
have  a  reasonable  foundation  of  fairness  and 
equality,  and  be  not  arbitrary  or  discriminating." 

Keeping  Minutes  of  Municipal  Meetings — 
Validity  of  Ordinance  Suppressing  Pool- 
Rooms 

Among  other  matters,  the  Illinois  Su- 
preme Court  passes  upon  the  sufficiency  of 
a  municipal  clerk's  minutes  of  meetings  and 
upon  the  power  of  the  Legislature  to  author- 
ize suppression  of  public  billiard-  and  pool- 
rooms, in  the  case  of  Village  of  Atwood  vs. 
Otter,  129  Northeastern  Reporter,  573.  On 
these  points  the  Court  says: 

"This  Court  has  held  that  the  clerk  of  a 
municipal  authority  is  not  required  by  the  stat- 
ute to  prepare  by  his  own  hand  or  write  out  the 
"findings  or  orders  of  the  municipal  authorities 
in  the  record;  that  the  essential  thing  is  that  a 
record  be  kept  by  the  clerk  which  shall  show 
accurately  the  record  of  the  meeting,  that  is,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  show  that  the  record  is  his 
record  and  that  the  proofs  show  that  it  is  in 
accordance  with  the  truth.  Hepler  vs.  People, 
supra ;  People  vs.  Carr,  231  111:  502,  83  N.  E. 
,269.     .    .    . 

"The  rule,  as  we  understand  it,  is,  that  a 
statute  or  ordinance  which  tends  in  some  de- 
gree towards  the  prevention  of  offenses  or  the 
preservation  of  the  public  health,  morals,  safety, 
or  welfare  is  within  tlie  police  power  of  the 
state.  There  can  be  no  question  that  pool- 
rooms or  the  keeping  and  using  of  pool-  and 
billiard-tables  in  places  of  public  resort  may 
tend  in  some  degree  towards  a  disturbance  of 
the  public  welfare.  It  is  well  known  that  such 
rooms  may  become  congregating-places  for 
idlers  and  loafers.  As  was  said  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Nebraska  in  Morgan  vs.  State,  64 
Neb.  369,  90  N.  W.  108,  a  pool-hall  in  a  village 
is  apt  to  degenerate  into  a  trysting-place  for 
idlers  and  a  nest  for  vice.  Conceding,  for  the 
purposes  of  the  argument,  that  a  pool-room  is 
not  necessarily  in  itself  a  nuisance,  the  argu- 
ment of  counsel  for  appellants  practically  ad- 
mits that  it  might  become  so  because  of  its 
tsurroundings.     If  a  thing  neither  necessary  nor 


useful  may  or  may  not  be  a  nuisance  in  itself, 
depending  upon  local  conditions  and  facts  and 
circumstances  surrounding  its  use,  the  deter- 
mination whether  it  is  a  nuisance  or  not  rests 
with  the  Legislature  or  the  municipal  author- 
ities, and  their  finding  is  binding  upon  the 
courts." 

City  May  Adopt   Daylight  Saving  When 
Applied  Only  to  Municipal  Matters 

The  Ohio  Supreme  Court  recognizes  the 
right  of  a  city  to  adopt  daylight  saving 
where  no  attempt  to  interfere  in  non- 
municipal  matters  is  involved. 

An  ordinance  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati 
provided  that  there  should  be  submitted  to 
the  electors  of  the  city  on  April  27,  1920, 
the  question  of  establishing  in  the  city  from 
2  o'clock  A.  M.  of  the  last  Sunday  in  April 
to  2  o'clock  A.  M.  of  the  last  Sunday  in 
September  a  standard  of  time  which  should     :_^ 
be   that   of   the    seventy-fifth   meridian   of    s 
longitude  west  from  Greenwich.    This  ordi-    2 
nance  further  provided  that,  if  a  majority    p 
of  voters  at  the  election  voted  in  favor  of    fi 
the  ordinance,  all  municipal  offices  and  legal 
proceedings  should  be  regulated  by  the  time 
at  the  seventy-fifth  meridian  west  of  Green- 
wich.   The  election  resulted  in  a  favora\)le 
vote  for  the  ordinance. 

It  was  contended  that  that  ordinance  was 
invalid  for  the  reason  that  it  was  contrary 
to  the  statutes  and  constitution  of  Ohio. 

The  Supreme  Court,  in  denying  this  con- 
tention, says  (State  ex  rel.  Cist  vs.  City  of 
Cincinnati  et  al.,  129  Northeastern  Re- 
porter, 595)  : 

"It  is  to  be  observed  that  by  the  provisions  of 
the  ordinance  enacted  it  is  attempted  only  to 
require  that  the  purely  municipal  affairs  of  the 
city  shall  be  regulated  by  the  standard  of  time 
thus  adopted.  The  mere  statement  of  the  pur- 
pose and  effect  of  the  ordinance  shows  that  it 
has  to  do  only  with  the  details  of  local  govern- 
ment, and  purports  only  to  prescribe  a  standard 
of  time  which  shall  apply  to  required  acts  of 
any  board  or  officer  of  the  municipality. 

"This  is  clearly  authorized  by  the  provisions 
of  section  3,  art.  18,  of  the  constitution  (the 
Home- Rule  Amendment).  The  ordinance  has 
and  can  have  application  only  to  matters  com- 
ing within  the  express  power  thereby  delegated 
to,  and  conferred  upon,  the  municipality.  It 
prescribes  the  standard  of  time  in  accordance 
with  which  its  own  local  offices  and  purely  mu- 
nicipal transactions  shall  be  operated  and  regu- 
lated. It  must  be  conceded  that  the  standard  of 
time  prescribed  by  the  law  of  the  state  governs 
and  controls  as  to  all  matters  except  those  hav- 
ing to  do  solely  with  local  governmental  action 
and  procedure." 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 

Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy^  m 


The    Ideal    Road    Preservative 

CALCIUM  CHLORIDE  in  its  pulverized  form  is  one  of  | 

the  best  preservatives  for  macadam,  gravel  or  dirt  roads.  | 

Through  its  power  to  absorb  1  ^^  to  2  times  its  own  weight  of  | 

water  from  the  air,  it  prevents  dust.    It  is  readily  spread  on  | 

the  road  by  an  ordinary  scoop  shovel  or  a  horse-drawn  dis-  | 

tributing  machine  like  a  lime  spreader,  as  shown  above,  at  a  | 

cost  of  about  2  cents  per  square  yard.  | 

T3%    to    75% 

Pulverized 

CALCIUM  CHLORIDE 

Carbondale  Calcium  Chloride  is  shipped  in  400-pound  drums  | 

which  contain  sufficient  material  to  treat  a  road  1 8  feet  wide  | 

by  1  30  feet  long  at  the  rate  of  1 3^2  pounds  per  square  yard.  | 

Calcium  Chloride  is  not  injurious  to  rubber,  varnish,  paint,  etc.,  | 

and  is  only  washed  off  the  road  by  the  heaviest  rains  that  would  | 

carry  away  some  of  the  road  surface.  | 

Send  for  our  Booklet  "An  Ideal  Road  Preservative."  | 

riiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiii!iitiiiiinninnnitmiiiniiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH^  it,i 


CARBONDALE 


CARBONDALE 


@ 


CALCIUM  CO. 


PENNSYLVANIA 


i      NEW  YORK 


BR  A.NC  H 

CHICAGO 
BALTIMORE 


NEW   ORLEANS 


M 


OFFICES 

PITTSBURGH 

PHILADELPHIA  |       g 

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When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention   The  Amertcan    City. 


633 


Municipal  and  Civic  Publications 


Prices  do  not  include  postage  unless  so  stated 


CRIMINAL   JUSTICE   IN  CLEVELAND 

Reports  of  the  Cleveland  Foundation  survey  of  the 
administration  of  criminal  justice  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Directed  and  edited  by  Roscoe  Pound  and 
Felix  Frankfurter.  The  Cleveland  Foundation. 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  1922.  XXVII  +  729  pp.  Illus- 
trated. $3.75. 
This  survey,  undertaken  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
Cleveland  Bar  Association,  was  conducted  by  a  num- 
ber of  nationally  known  specialists.  The  substance  of 
the  report  includes:  "Police  Administration,"  by 
Raymond  Fosdick,  author  of  "American  Police  Sys- 
tems"; "Prosecution,"  by  Alfred  Bettman,  formerly 
City  Solicitor  of  Cincinnati;  "The  Criminal  Courts," 
by  Reginald  Heber  Smith  and  Herbert  B.  Ehrmann, 
both  of  the  Boston  Bar;  "Correctional  and  Penal 
Treatment,"  by  Burdette  G.  Lewis,  State  Commis- 
sioner of  Institutions  and  Agencies  in  New  Jersey; 
"Medical  Science  and  Criminal  Justice,"  by  Dr.  Her- 
man M.  Adler,  State  Criminologist  of  Illinois;  ''Legal 
Education  in  Cleveland,"  by  Albert  M.  Kales,  of  the 
Chicago  Bar,  author  of  "Unpopular  Go  ernment  in 
the  United  States";  "Criminal  Justice  in  the  Amer- 
ican City,"  by  Roscoe  Pound.  The  summary  was  writ- 
ten by  Dean  Pound  of  the  Harvard  Law  School.  Among 
the  principal  recommendations  may  be  cited:  a  single 
civilian  police  commissioner,  in  full  charge  of  promo- 
tion and  discipline  of  the  police  force;  greater  use 
of  motor  equipment  and  control;  better  organization 
of  the  work  of  the  prosecutors;  consolidation  of  mu- 
nicipal and  county  criminal  courts;  a  plan  whereby 
a  judge  who  is  a  candidate  for  reelection  may  run 
without  opposition;  and  the  abolition  of  the  coroner's 
office.  The  surveyors  found  that  the  chief  difficulties 
concerning  Cleveland  arise  from  the  fact  that  the 
police  and  criminal  systems  were  designed  to  fit  small, 
pioneer  towns.  Public  officials  who  have  to  do  with  the 
administration  of  criminal  justice  will  find  much  that 
will  help  them  in  the  thorough  analysis  and  summaries 
of  modern  practice  contained  in  these  reports. 

AMERICAN    CEMETERY    LAW 

A.    L.    H.    Street,    of    the    Minnesota    Bar.      Park 
and     Cemetery,     Madison,     Wis.      1922.      532     pp. 
$6.00. 
A  digest  of  the   cemetery  laws  of  all  the  states  and 
of    the    important    court     decisions.       This    volume    is 
divided    into    two    parts,    the   first   a    general   reference 
section   covering  the   legal  status  of   cemeteries,   liabili- 
ties in  the  handling  of  bodies,    cemetery  funds,   assess- 
ments,   the   law   on  permits,   perpetual   upkeep,    tax  ex- 
emption,   and    the    law    covering    cemetery    land.     The 
second  part  deals  with   the  various   state   statutes   and 
the   decisions    arising   under    them.      A   valuable    refer- 
ence  book    for    anyone    connected    with    cemetery    man- 
agement. 

ECONOMICS   AND  THE  COMMUNITY 

John  A.  Lapp.     The  Century  Company,  New  York. 

1922.  XIV  -f-  366  pp.  Illustrated.  $1.75. 
A  text-book  intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  first-year 
classes  in  high  school,  vocational  school  classes,  and 
continuation  classes.  The  plan  of  instruction  outlined 
provides  for  preliminary  gathering  of  local  data  for 
each  chapter,  before  beginning  (he  study  of  the  text. 
Questions  and  problems  follow  each  chapter.  Among  the 
subjects  covered  are  consumption,  production  and  dis- 
tribution of  goods,  business  organization,  transpor- 
tation, finance,  labor  problems,  taxation,  conservation 
and  social  control.  Well-chosen  illustrations  add  to 
the    value   oi   this    compact   and    timely   book. 

CITY  PLAN  FOR  EAST  ORANGE,   N.  J. 

A  quarto  pamphlet  of  80  pages  prepared  by  the 
City  Plan  Commission  of  East  Orange.  The  Tech- 
nical Advisory  Corporation,  consulting  engineers,  New 
York,  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  comprehensive 
plan,  the  final  report  on  which  was  recorded  by  the 
Ccmmission  last  November.  This  publication  is  an 
abridged  reproduction  of  the  report  and  covers  all 
the  arious  phases  of  such  a  thorough  study.  It  is 
adequately  illustrated  with  maps  and  drawings.  A 
number  of  methods  new  in  city  planning  were  applied 
by  the  city  engineers  to  the  collection,  analysis  and 
presentation  of  data  and  to  the  actual  solutions  of  the 
problems  involved.  (Apply  to  Charles  A.  Heiss,  Sec- 
retary  of  the   Commission.) 


THE  RURAL  COMMUNITY 

Llewellyn    MacGarr,    M.    A.      The    Macmillan    Com- 
pany,   New  York.      1922.      XV    +    239   pp.      Illus- 
trated.     $1.80. 
Chamber  of  commerce  secretaries,   farm  bureau  man- 
agers,   executives,    teachers,    preachers    and    leaders    in 
country    life    improvement,    will    find    in    this    compact 
volume  a  stimulating  guide.   It  discusses  briefly  the  stra- 
tegic importance  of  agricultural  life,   contrasts  between 
rural   and   urban    districts,   the   survey   and  its   adapta- 
tion   to   rural    communities,    their    chief   characteristics, 
the   problem   of   the  socially   defective,   district   schools, 
the  rural    secondary   school,    the    constructive    economic 
and    social    forces    in    farm   life.      Study   questions    and 
numerous  illustrations  and  copious  references  at  the  end 
of  each   chapter  add   greatly   to  the      alue  of  the  book. 


CIVIC    SCIENCE  IN   THE    COMMUNITY 
CIVIC    SCIENCE    IN    THE   HOME 

George  W.  Hunter,  Ph.D.,  and  Walter  G.  Whitman, 
A.  M.  American  Book  Company,  New  York.  1922. 
430  and  416  pp.  Illustrated.  Each  $1.40. 
These  two  text-books  are  frankly  designed  to  take 
into  account  the  view-point  of  the  child.  The  illus- 
trations are  chosen  to  interest  him.  The  first  discusses 
the  ideal  community,  the  effect  of  climate  upon  it, 
the  relation  of  water  to  power,  food  production,  for- 
ests and  community  health,  the  organization  of  a  city 
government,  how  the  city  obtains  its  food,  how  diseases 
are  spread  and  how  to  fight  them,  waste  disposal,  street 
lighting,  safeguarding  of  life  and  property,  good  roads, 
transportation,  and  aeronautics.  The  other  volume, 
"Civic  Science  in  the  Home,"  covers  a  similar  series 
of  subjects  dealing  with  the  home  as  a  small  com- 
munity. 


THE  EMPIRE  MUNICIPAL  DIRECTORY  AND  YEAR 
BOOK,    1922-1923 

Sanitary    Publishing    Company,     Ltd.,     8    Breams 
Building,   London,    E.    C.      4.      305   pp.    and   Diary 
pp.  for  the  years   1922  and   1923.    Price   lOs.  6d. 
This   volume    claims    to    be    the   most    comprehensive 
municipal    directory    published,    containing    a    complete 
list    of   all   the   corporations,    county,    urban    and   rural 
district  councils  in  the  British  Empire,  with  the  names 
of   all   officials.      The  directory   contains  up-to-date   ar- 
ticles  written   by   specialists   on   road    construction   and 
maintenance,     building     construction,     street     lighting, 
motor  vehicles,  water-supply,  sewerage  and  sewage  dis- 
posal, sanitation  and  waste  utilization.  It  also  contains  a 
list    of    the   municipal    engineering,    public    health    and 
scientific  societies,  and  a  bibliography  of  municipal  and 
public   health  literature. 

THE  SCIENCE  OF  PURCHASING 

Helen  Hysell.  Introduction  by  J.  George  Fred- 
erick. D.  Appleton  &  Company,  New  York.  1922. 
XI  +  261  pp.  Illustrated.  $2.50. 
A  handbook  on  the  science  of  purchasing  according 
to  the  most  up-to-date  practice.  The  book  opens  with 
a  discussion  of  the  personal  qualities  necessary  for 
successful  purchase  management.  Then  follows  a  dis- 
cussion of  plans  and  resources,  source  of  supply,  prin- 
ciples and  quality,  and  the  attitude  which  should  be 
taken  toward  salesmen.  Cooperation  and  coordina- 
tion between  executives,  standardization,  analysis  of 
market  conditions,  and  the  legal  side  of  contracts,  are 
each  covered  in  complete  chapters.  The  ethical  side 
of  purchasing,  the  organization  of  the  purchasing  de- 
partment, and  its  method  of  operation  are  fully  dis- 
cussed, and  records  and  forms  are  included.  Altogether, 
it  should  prove  of  practical  value  to  purchasing  agents 
and  those  who  wish  to  study  the  profession. 

WATER-SUPPLIES  IN  MASSACHUSETTS 

"Report  of  the  Joint  Board  consisting  of  the  State 
Department  of  Public  Health  and  the  Metropolitan 
District  Commission  Relative  to  Water  Supply  Needs 
and  Resources  of  the  Commonwealth."  January,  1922. 
House  Publication  No.  1550  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts.  284  pp.  Maps,  plans,  diagrams.  (Apply 
to  X.  H.  Goodnough,  chief  engineer.  State  Department 
of  Health,  Room  141,  State  House,  Boston,  Mass. 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


detracts  Utility  Is 
Almost  Unlimited 

/^^ITIES  owning  Cletracs  find  that  these 
^^  compact,  powerful  crawler-type  tractors 
are  able  to  handle  an  almost  unlimited  variety 
of  jobs.  In  the  parks,  on  the  boulevards, 
grading,  rolling,  mowing,  pulling  street  sprink- 
lers, pushing  snow  plows,  summer  and  winter, 
Cletrac  does  all  the  work  of  several  horses  and 
much  that  horses  could  never  do.  Remember, 
Cletrac's  operating  and  upkeep  expense  is  so 
low  and  its  range  of  usefulness  so  great — that 
Cletrac  will  show  a  saving  over  other  power 
or  horses  every  time. 

When  the  work  around  town  is  done,  Cletrac  helps  pay 
for  itself  by  taking  over  all  kinds  of  road-building  and 
maintaining  jobs  in  the  surrounding  country. 

If  you  are  interested  in  cutting  down  your  city  expen- 
ditures—  write  us.  We  will  gladly  supply  you  with  a  list  of 
towns  and  cities  already  using  Cletracs  as  regular  equipment. 
From  them  you  can  learn  all  about  the  saving  which 
Cletrac  performance  has  brought. 

The  Cleveland  Tractor  Co. 

Largest  Producers  of  Craivler  Tractors  in  the  World 
19205  Euclid  Ave.  Cleveland,  Ohio 


EASY  ON  A  TRACK 
THE  CLETRAC  WAY 


97  When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  American   City. 


June,  1922 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


63s 


ZONING  PATERSON,   N.    J. 

'"Zoning:  The  First  Step  in  Planning  Paterson." 
Final  report  of  the  Commission  on  Building  Districts 
and  Restrictions,  Paterson,  N.  J.  By  Herbert  S.  Swan, 
consultant.  Plan  adopted  November  29,  1921.  54 
pp.  Maps  and  diagrams.  Large  building  zone  map 
enclosed  in  envelope.  Explaining  the  plan  under  the 
following  chapter  heads:  Necessity  for  Planning; 
Building  Lines;  Location  of  Accessory  Buildings  in 
Residence  Zones;  Families  per  Acre;  Non-Conforming 
Uses ;  Board  of  Zoning  Appeals ;  Amendments.  Giving 
in  full  the  building  zone  ordinance.  (Apply  to  John 
J.  O'Rourke,  secretary.  Commission  on  Building  Dis- 
tricts   and    Restrictions.) 

THE   HEALTH    OF   PORTLAND,    ORE. 

"Public  Health  Methods  and  Their  Application  in 
Portland."  A  preliminary  study  by  the  Public  Health 
Bureau  of  the  City  Club  of  Portland.  February.  1922. 
40  pp.  Approved  by  the  Board  of  Governors,  but  not 
officially  adopted  by  the  club  before  being  published. 
Presenting  facts  on  the  organization,  administration 
and  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Health,  and  on  Port- 
land's water-supply,  sewage  and  garbage  disposal, 
housing,  port  inspection,  industrial  hygenic,  maternal 
and  infant  welfare,  school  inspection,  treatment  of 
tuberculosis  and  venereal  diseases,  and  out-patient 
clinics.  Recommendations  for  further  health  research 
work  by  the  City  Club  are  included.  (Apply  to  Dr. 
N.  E.  Wayson,  Chairman  of  the  Bureau.) 

RECREATION    TRAINING 

Announcements  for  1922-23  of  the  Recreation  Train- 
ing School  of  Chicago,  the  successor  of  the  Recrea- 
tion Department  of  the  Chicago  School  of  Civics  and 
Philanthropy,  800  South  Halsted  Street,  Chicago.  (Hull 
House.)  32  pp.  (Apply  to  the  school.) 
IVCUNICIPAL  RESEARCH  IN  TORONTO 

Eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Toronto  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research  for  the  year  ending  February  28, 
1922.  The  Bureau  is  financed  through  direct  appeal 
to  public-spirited  citizens.  (Apply  to  John  Mac- 
Donald,  President  of  the  Bureau,  189  Church  Street, 
Toronto,  Ont.) 
FUN  FOR  EVERT  ONE 

■'A  Pocket  Encyclopedia  of  Good  Times."  Sugges- 
tive social  and  recreational  programs  for  community 
groups.  Published  ty  Community  Service,  815  Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y.  April,  1922.  Price  50  cents. 
Convenient  handbook  size.  112  pp.  Fun  for  family 
and  neighborhood  parties,  for  separate  groups  of  boys 
and  girls,  men,  women,  and  young  men  and  women, 
in  rural  districts,  towns  and  cities,  readily  adapted 
for  use  in  schools,  church  parlors,  town  halls  and  all 
kinds  of  community  gatherings.  (Apply  to  publishers.) 
GOOD  ROADS 

Official  Proceedings  of  the  Twelfth  American  Good 
Roads  Congress,  Nineteenth  Convention  and  Annual 
Business  Meeting  of  the  American  Road  Builders'  As- 
sociation, held  at  Chicago  January  17-20,  1922,  and  at 
New  York  November  15,  1921,  respectively.  Officers' 
reports  and  list  of  exhibitors  at  the  Thirteenth  National 
Good  Roads  Show.  Edited  by  Clifford  Spurrier  Lee. 
XXIV  -f  273  pp.  Illustrated.  Price,  $3.  (Apply  to  the 
Association,  11  Waverly  Place,  New  York,  N.  Y.) 
KANSAS  TAX  RATES 

•'City  Tax  Rate  Bulletin  for  1921."  A  compilation 
of  the  city,  school  and  county  tax  rates  effective  for 
511  cities  in  Kansas,  together  with  their  population, 
assessed  valuation  and  bonded  indebtedness.  Bulletin 
No.  31,  compiled  by  the  Municipal  Reference  Bureau, 
University  Extension  Division.  University  of  Kansas, 
Lawrence,  Kans.  April  1,  1922.  Price  25  cents.  Pub- 
lished by  League  of  Kansas  Municipalities,  Lawrence, 
Kans.  Reprinted  from  Kansas  Municipalities,  April. 
1922.  28  pp.  (Apply  to  John  G.  Stutz,  secretary  of 
the  League.) 
MINNESOTA  CITY  CHARTERS 

"City  Charter  Making  in  Minnesota,"  by  William 
Anderson,  Ph.D.,  Associate  Professor  of  Political  Science 
and  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Research  in  Govern- 
ment of  the  University  of  Minnesota.  Bureau  Publica- 
tioi.  No.  1,  1922.  198  pp.  Diagrams.  Explaining  with 
careful  detail  how  city  government  has  developed  in 
Minnesota,  analyzing  its  present  forms,  and  showing 
how  far  the  power  of  the  State  Legislature  goes  in 
municipal  affairs.  The  principles  and  problems  of  char- 
ter making  are  dealt  with,  and  a  separate  chapter  on 
the  making  and  amending  of  home  rule  charters  is 
given.  A  model  charter  designed  primarily  for  cities 
having  less  than  20,000  is  given.  There  is  also  a  bib- 
liography of  the  subject,  and  the  book  is  fully  indexed. 
Price  $i.00.  (Apply  to  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
MinneapoliR,  Minn. 


TREES  FOR  TOWN  AND  CITY  STREETS 

This  bulletin  describes  the  principal  trees  that  are 
used  for  street  planting  in  the  United  States.  A  con- 
tribution from  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  Issued  March,  1922,  as  Farmers'  Bulletin 
1208  of  the  United  States  Departmeni  of  Agriculture. 
A  very  valuable  pamphlet  of  44  pages  describing  and 
illustrating  with  many  views  the  kinds  of  trees  suited 
to  different  types  of  streets  and  to  different  regions. 
Attractive,  interesting  and  authoritative,  and  an  im- 
portant aid  to  city  foresters  and  park  superintendents. 
(Apply  to  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington, 
O.  C.) 
CITY  NOISE 

"Health  Problems  Involved  in  Noise  and  Fatigue," 
by  Prof  Henry  J.  Spooner,  M.  I.  Mech.  E.,  member 
of  the  International  Committee  on  Industrial  Fatigue, 
London,  England.  Reprinted  from  The  Nation's  Health, 
February  and  March,  1922.  Quarto.  ^j  pp.  "The 
correction  of  badly  balanced  machinery  and  the  ob- 
viating in  civil  and  industrial  life  the  maddening,  mean- 
ingless fanfare  of  sounds  that  sap  our  nervous  reserves 
becomes  an  urgent  engineering  problem,  international 
in  scope."  (Apply  to  The  Modern  Hospital  Publish- 
ing Co.,  Chicago,  111.) 
NEW  JERSEY  WATER-SUPPLIES 

"Report  on  Water  Resources  of  the  State  and  Their 
Development,"  made  by  Hazen,  Whipple  &  Puller,  Civil 
Engineers,  to  the  Board  of  Conservation  and  Develop- 
ment, Trenton,  N.  J.  76  pp.  Maps  and  tables.  Clos- 
ing with  a  suggested  plan  of  procedure  for  providing 
water  enough  to  supply  a  district  in  which  there  are 
now  thirty-three  separate  systems  of  water-supply — 
a  plan  involving  the  creating  of  public  interest  ana 
the  securing  of  cooperation  to  carry  out  this  great 
project.  (Apply  to  the  Board.) 
HOTELS 

American  Travel  and  Hotel  Directory,  published  an- 
nually by  American  Travel  and  Hotel  Directory  Co 
Inc.,  Baltimore,  Md.  XXXII  -f  2,010  pp.  Many  illus- 
trations. Map  of  South  America,  showing  principal 
cities  and  railways.  Not  only  listing  hotels,  with  the 
usual  details,  but  reporting  historical  and  geographical 
details  of  the  various  sections  of  North  and  South 
America.  Leading  restaurants  and  commissary  supply 
houses  are  also  listed.  Price  |10.  (Apply  to  publish- 
ers.) 

THE  LINCOLN  HIGHV/AY 

•A  Brief  Account  of  the  Eighth  Year  of  Progress  on 
the  Lincoln  Highway — 1921."  Published  January 
1922.  24  12x9  pp.  Illustrated.  (Apply  to  the 
National  Headquarters,  The  Lincoln  Highway  Associa- 
tion, Detroit,  Mich.) 
MULTNOMAH  COUNTY,  OREGON 

"Budget  Facts  and  Financial  Statistics  of  Multnomah 
County  (Portland),  Oregon,  for  1922."  1921  Annual 
Report  of  the  Tax  Supervising  and  Conservation  Com- 
mission of  Multnomah  County.  92  pp.  Many  tables 
and  diagrams.  (Apply  to  C.  C.  Ludwig,  executive  sec- 
retary, 101  Court  House,  Portland,  Ore.) 
PENSIONS  IN  PUBLIC  EMPLOYMENT 

A  report,  under  this  title,  of  the  Pension  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Municipal  League.  Prepared  by 
Paul  Studensky,  director  of  the  Bureau  of  State  Re- 
search of  the  New  Jersey  State  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. From  the  National  Municipal  Review,  April 
1922.  30  pp.  Covering  the  following  divisions  of  the 
subject:  Main  Defects  of  Existing  Systems;  Prelim- 
inaries of  a  Sound  System;  Financial  Structures;  Ben- 
efits; Establishment,  Administration  and  Membership; 
Treatment  of  Unsound  Systems ;  Sound  Systems  in 
Operation;  Sound  Pension  Bills  About  to  Become  Laws 
Including  four  actuarial  tables  and  a  brief  bibliography. 
(Apply  to  the  National  Municipal  League,  261  Broad- 
way, New  York,  N.  Y.) 
WHERE  TO  FIND  OUT  ABOUT  ZONING 

A  "Selected  Bibliography  of  Zoning."  16  mimeo- 
graphed pages,  containing  critical  references  to  the 
most  important  articles  on  the  subject,  from  periodicals 
and  books.  Special  sections  are  devoted  to  the  argu- 
ments for  and  against  zoning,  to  the  legal  aspects  of 
zoning,  and  to  such  technical  matters  as  tho  relation 
of  city  planning  to  zoning,  the  different  types  of  dis- 
tricts, and  agencies  and  administration  for  zoning. 
(Apply  to  Division  of  Building  and  Housing,  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce,  Washington,  D.  C.) 
TAXATION  IN   CLEVEI^AND 

"A  Letter  to  East  Cleveland  Citizens  from  City 
Manager  C.  M.  Osborn,  Setting  Forth  the  Amount  and 
Distribution  of  Your  East  Cleveland  Taxes  for  1922  and 
a  Special  Bulletin  announcing  a  $78,000.00  Cash 
Balance  at  the  close  of  the  year  1921."  4  pp.  With 
"Tax  Dollar  Diagram."      (Apply  to  the  City  Manager  ) 


TRINIDAD 

Boston 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


in 


[Arlingrton  Street,  Boston, 
paved  with  Trinidad  Lake 
Asphalt  in  1901,  and  still  in 
splendid   condition. 


Quality  streets  demand 

a  quality  paving 

And  that's  why  Ariington  Street,  Boston — as  most  of  the  world's 
finest  thorofares — is  surfaced  with  Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  Paving, 

Attractive — resilient — noiseless — TRINIDAD  streets  are  also  long- 
lasting  and  remarkably  low  in  maintenance  cost.  Thirty  or  more 
years'  service — at  less  than  a  cent  per  square  yard  per  year  for 
maintenance — is  common  record. 

Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  is  a  native  bitumen — storm-beaten  and  sun- 
cured  in  the  tropics  for  Ages.  It  resists  heat,  cold,  water  and  wear 
to  a  greater  degree  than  any  other  bituminous  product  known. 

More  than  four  million  tons  of  this  remarkable  material  have  been 
used  in  street  and  road  building  since  1879 — enough  to  surface  a  road- 
way, eighteen  feet  wide,  extending  around  the  entire  world! 

Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  is  also  the  foundation  for  numerous  products 
included  in  the  famous  Genasco  Line.   Write  for  illustrated  folders. 


Tbe  Ctonasco  Line 
includes  asphaltic 
roofing,  flooring, 
paints  and  allied 
protective  products. 
Write  for  descriptive 
matter. 


New  York 

Chicago 

Pittsburgh 


THE  BARBER  ASPHALT 

PHI1.ADEI.PHIA 


St.  Looii 

Kansaa  City 

Atlanta 

San  Franciflco 


TRINIDAD  As^H^V 


•8 


When   writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The   American  City. 


637 


Methods,  Materials  and  Appliances 

News  for   City   and   County   Engineers,  City  Managers,   Water- Works   Super- 
intendents, City   Controllers,  Park  Superintendents,  Purchasing  Agents,   and 
Others  Interested  in  the  Economical  Construction  and  Efficient  Operation  of 
Public  Improvement  Undertakings 


A  Stone  Unloader  for 
Trucks  and  Cars 

Most  contractors  have  experienced  the  dif- 
ficuhies  of  unloading  stone  by  hand  from  rail- 
road cars  onto  trucks  or  wagons  for  delivery 
to  the  job.  The  Burch  Plow  Works  Company, 
104  Bucyrus  Street,  Crestline,  Ohio,  manufac- 
tures a  stone  unloader  which  handles  any  size 
of  stone  used  for  road  construction  and  saves 
the  labor  of  from  three  to  ten  men.  It  is 
simple  in  construction,  easy  to  install  and  op- 
erate, and  greatly  speeds  up  the  work.  Through 
the  feed  doors  of  the  platform  onto  which 
the  stone  is  dumped,  the  stone  falls  upon  a  con- 
tinuous belt,  which  conveys  it  to  the  wagon 
or  truck  bed.  This  belt  is  of  the  regular 
conveyor  type,  16  inches  wide,  4-ply,  5^-inch 
rubber-top  covered,  and  made  especiallj'  to  in- 
sure maximum  toughness,  strength  and  dura- 
bility. The  conveyor  belt,  running  at  a  speed 
of  225  feet  per  minute,  delivers  stone  to  the 
wagon  at  a  rate  of  i  cubic  yard  every  60  sec- 
onds. The  feed  platform  upon  which  the 
stone  falls  from  the  car  is  fitted  with  three 
movable  feed  doors  that  are  opened  or  closed 
by  means  of  three  easily  accessible  levers.  Thus 
the  feed  is  controlled  and  regulated,  and  be- 
cause of  the  convenient  manner  of  locating  the 
machine  and  the  accessibility  of  the  feed  levers, 
one  man  can  easily  handle  this  part  of  the 
work. 

The  machine  is  so  constructed  that  the  ele- 
vator  can   be   set  at   an  angle  of   26  degrees. 


Thus,  when  the  wagon  stands  on  level  ground, 
the  upper  end  of  the  elevator  is  7^  feet  from 
the  ground  ,and  the  wagon  or  truck  is  only  20 
feet  from  the  track.  The  machine  is  guaranteed 
to  carry  stone  at  an  elevation  of  as  much  as 
29  degrees,  making  it  possible  to  raise  the 
delivery  end  of  the  elevator  higher  than  7)^ 
feet  if  necessary.  A  clutch  provided  at  the 
delivery  end  of  the  elevator  and  within  reach 
from  the  wagon  enables  one  man  to  handle 
that  end  of  the  job. 

Special  Paints  for  Marking 
Traffic  Lines 

Many  of  the  cities  that  maintain  safety  zones 
at  street  crossings  or  where  street  cars  stop, 
indicate  them  by  white  strips  painted  on  the 
pavement.  To  keep  these  strips  in  such  condi- 
tion that  they  are  readily  recognized  by  vehicu- 
lar traffic,  a  paint  of  heavy  base  and  good 
wearing  qualities  must  be  used.  The  Hoosier 
Paint  Works,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  claims  to 
make  a  long-wearing  paint.  In  a  number  of 
instances,  lines  made  with  this  paint  have  lasted 
from  three  to  seven  months,  depending  on  the 
amount  of  heavy  traffic  which  passes  over  them. 
The  paint  can  be  applied  with  a  brush  or  a 
marking  machine,  and  dries  quickly. 

Technical  Publicity  Company 

The  Technical  Publicity  Company,  Bissell  & 
Land,  Inc.,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  has  removed  its 
office  to  Suite  609-611,  337-339  Second  Avenue, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


LOADING  GRAVEL  FBOM  FREIQHT-CAB  TO  TB.X7CK 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Wi-i^7' 


for  power,  speed,  economy 


Preparing  streets  for  repaving,  breaking  up  old  pavements,  making  new 
thoroughfares,  all  require  an  abvmdance  of  steady,  dependable  power. 

Scarifiers,  plows,  drills,  levelers,  scrapers,  graders,  etc.,  do  their  best 
work,  and  more  of  it,  when  propelled  by  good  tractors.  This  is  because 
the  tractor  has  the  reserve  power  to  keep  the  tool  moving  constantly 
at  proper  speeds  and  with  proper  adjustments  for  maximum  results. 

Tractors  like  the  BEST  concentrate  the  pulling  power  of  a  large 
number  of  animals  within  a  small  unit  which  is  easy  to  manage,  easy 
to  maneuver,  and  which  has  none  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh. 

Best  Tractors  are  famous  for  stamina,  power  and  dependability,  and 
their  cost  for  up-keep  and  operation  "is  small.  That  is  why  they  are 
being  adopted  more  and  more  by  municipal,  county  and  state  officials 
for  road  and  street  making  and  maintenance. 

Let  us  send  you  further  details  on  the  use  of  tractors  for  road  and  street 
work.     Write  for  catalogs,  prices  and  names  of  our  nearest  dealers. 

C.L.BEST  TRACTOR  CO. 

SAN  LEANDRO  -  CALIFORNIA 

There  are  three  models  of  Best  Tractors — the  "Sixty,"  the  "  Thirty" 
and   the   "Cruiser"    ((JO).     All  are  factory-built — not  assembled. 


'S^I^M 


m 


mm 


i^iif0"rl^i^ 


"Sixty" 


"Thirty" 


Cruiser" 


99 


When   writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The  Amekican   Crry. 


June,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


639 


BSDUCES  THE  NOISE  FROM  TELEPHONING 

Make  Telephone  Conversation 
Private 

One  of  the  annoyances  of  using  a  telephone 
in  an  office  is  that  any  conversation  is  practical- 
ly public.  The  Hush-A-Phone  Corporation,  41 
Union  Square.  New  York  City,  has  brought 
out  a  device  for  attaching  to  the  transmitter 
of  the  telephone  which  promotes  privacy,  ex- 
cludes outside  noises  from  the  wire,  thereby 
improving  transmission,  and  prevents  telephon- 
ing from  distracting  office  associates  and  work- 
ers, with  resultant  efficiency.  It  is  claimed 
that  this  device  is  equal  to,  and  in  many  respects 
superior  to,  a  booth.  Its  convenience  on  the 
desk  appeals  to  busy  officials,  and  its  use  is 
increasing  in  those  instances  where  telephone 
efficiency  is  recognized  as  of  prime  importance 
in    transmitting    business. 

Cletrac  Makers  Expand 

The  Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  manufacturer  of  the  Cletrac,  a  medium- 
weight  tractor,  is  to  be  reorganized  as  the 
Allyne-Zeder  Motors  Company,  to  manufacture 
and  market  the  new  six-cylinder  car  which  is 
being  designed  by  F.  M.  Zeder,  formerly  chief 
engineer  of  the  Willys  Corporation  and  the 
Studebaker  Corporation.  The  reorganization 
will  be  brought  about  by  adding  approximately 
$5,000,000  of  new  capital  to  the  present  assets 
of  the  Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  resulting 
in  a  corporation  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,000 
of  preferred  stock  and  200,000  shares  of  no  par 
common  stock. 

A  new  corporation,  subsidiary  to  the  Allync- 
Zeder  Motors  Company,  will  be  organized  un- 
der the  name  of  The  Cleveland  Tractor  Com- 
pany and  will  continue  the  marketing  of 
Cletracs  through  its  present  distributors  and 
dealers.      A   new    i-ton    truck,    embodying   ad- 


va:iced  details  in  designs,  engineered  by  RoUin 
If.  White,  will  be  added  to  the  Cletrac  line 
in  the  near  future.  The  reorganization  plan  is 
practically  ready  to  submit  to  the  stockholders 
of  the  Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  and  the 
cooperation  of  several  of  the  larger  stock- 
l.olders  practically  assures  its  adoption. 

E.  E.  Allyne,  second  largest  stockholder  in 
the  tractor  company,  whose  name  is  included  in 
that  of  the  new  company,  is  a  director  of  the 
.Aluminum  Manufacturers,  Inc. :  Rollin  H. 
White,  President  of  the  Cleveland  Tractor 
Company  and  a  director  of  the  Aluminum 
Manufacturers,  Inc.,  will  be  President  of  the 
new  corporation.  Other  officers  will  be :  R. 
T.  Hodgkins,  General  Sales  Manager  of  the 
Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  Vice-President ; 
A.  F.  Knobloch,  Works  Manager  of  the 
Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  Vice-President 
.uid  Works  Manager ;  F.  M.  Zeder,  Vice- 
President  and  Chief  Engineer :  C.  D.  Fleming. 
of  the  Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  Treasurer : 
F.  D.  Wilson,  formerly  Sales  Manager  of  the 
Willys  Corporation,  General  Motor  Car  Sales 
Manager;  O.  R.  Skelton,  formerly  in  the 
engineering  departments  of  the  Willys  and 
.Studebaker  Corporations  and  the  Packard 
Company,  Assistant  Chief  Engineer ;  Carl 
Rreer,  formerly  in  the  engineering  departments 
of  the  Willys  and  Studebaker  Corporations. 
\ssistant  Chief  Engineer;  J.  O.  Hahn,  for- 
merly branch  manager  in  several  cities  for  the 
Studebaker  Corporation,  also  will  be  associated 
with  the  company. 

The  Cleveland  Tractor  Company  is  an  Ohio 
corporation  with  a  capital  of  $6,000,000.  It 
owns  a  large  plant  in  Cleveland,  where  Qetracs 
have  been  turned  out  for  more  than  five  years. 
Its  tractors  are  being  used  in  65  countries 
throughout  the  world,  and  present  plant  facil- 
ities and  shop  organization  will  make  it  pos- 
sible to  proceed  with  the  manufacture  of  the 
new  Zeder  with  a  comparatively  small  expendi- 
ture and  without  impairing  the  production  pro- 
gram on  tractors  and  trucks.  The  productive 
capacity  of  the  factory  will  be  50  automobiles 
and  50  tractors  a  day.  To  provide  for  this  in- 
creased space,  an  expenditure  of  about 
$1,250,000   will   be   necessary. 

American-LaFrance  Moves 
New  York  Offices 

The  American-LaFrance  Fire  Engine  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  on  May  1  moved 
the  offices  of  this  company  and  of  S.  F.  Hay- 
ward  &  Company,  its  subsidiary,  from  their 
location  at  250  West  54th  Street  to  the  new 
Fisk  Building  on  57th  Street  between  Broad- 
way and  Seventh  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
The  new  offices  will  take  up  most  of  the  twenty- 
second  floor,  affording  ample  facilities  for  the 
growing   activities    of    these   two   concerns. 

The  new  suite  contains  private  offices  for 
fames  Rus.sell  Clarke,  president  of  the  Amer- 
ican-LaFrance Fire  Engine  Company,  and  new 
f|uarters  for  the  representatives  of  the'  Ap- 
paratus Sales  department.  R.  D.  Hazard, 
Clarence     D.     Stewart,     O.     F.     Beutell,     and 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


^x^' 


Bituminous  Distributors 

Like  the  motor  truck  itself,  the  problems  surrounding  the  develop- 
ment of  Bituminous  Distributors  have  been  varied  and  complex.  The 
economic  success  of  both  units  depends  upon  three  fundamentals: 

simplicity  of  construction 
quality  of  materials  used 
and  built-in  safety  factors. 

The  combination  of  a  Mack  chassis  and  a  Chas.  Hvass  bituminous 
distributor  has  proved  its  great  economic  value  over  a  long  period 
and  is  well  known  by  contracting  road  builders,  city  and  state 
engineers  throughout  the  country. 

The  Hvass  Distributor  is  oflfered  in  three  standard  types  that  meet 
every  conceivable  requirement  of  highway  dressing  and  mainten- 
ance with  bituminous  material : — 

Heavy  Bituminous  Distributor 
Mechanically  Driven  Air  Com- 
pressor and  Fuel  Oil  Burner 

Light  Bituminous  Distributor 

♦        ♦        ♦ 

^'Bulletin  17"  gives  detailed  descriptions  of  these  pieces  of  apparatus  and  outlines 

their  many  operating  advantages.  A  copy  will  be  sent  upon  request.  Write  today. 

INTERNATIONAL  MOTOR  COMPANY,  25  Broadway,  New  York 


Heavy  Bituminous  Distributor 
Centrifugal  Pump  and  Fuel 
Oil  Burner 


kk 


Branches  owned  by  this  company 
operate  under  the  titles  of:  "MACK 
MOTOR  TRUCK  COMPANY"  and 
"MACK  -  INTERNATIONAL  MO- 
TOR   TRUCK   CORPORATION." 


PERFORM 


Capacities:  V/z  to  T'/a  tons. 
Tractors  to  15  tons. 


COUNTS" 


1«0 


When   writing   to   Advertisers    please   mention    The    American   City. 


June,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


641 


George  E.  Merely.  The  Sundry  Sales  De- 
partment under  Hugh  Logan,  manager,  and 
R.  C.  Engels,  New  York  branch  manager,  has 
also  been  provided  with  larger  offices  and 
better  facilities  for  service. 

Facilities  for  show  purposes  and  service 
have  been  arranged  for  by  securing  a  large 
and  well-equipped  garage  with  a  floor  space 
of  12,000  square  feet,  located  a  few  blocks 
west  at  615  West  57th  Street.  The  service 
work  will  be  in  charge  of  Fred  Flosdorf,  de- 
livery engineer,  who,  for  the  past  several  years, 
has  been  in  charge  of  this  work  at  the  old 
office. 

An  Asphalt  Material  for  Road 
Repair 

A  specially  prepared  asphalt  for  repairing 
jf)ints  and  cracks  in  concrete  roads  and  for 
general  repair  work  in  filling  depressions,  ruts 
or  openings  which  have  been  made  in  the  road- 
way has  been  brought  out  under  the  name 
■'Road  Solder"  by  the  Waring-Underwopd 
Company,  Fernwood,  Pa.  It  is  claimed  that 
this  material  has  greater  adhesive  qualities  than 
ordinary  tar  or  asphalt  and  has  a  body  which 
allows  it  to  withstand  the  wear  and  tear  of 
traffic.  A  slight  amount  of  additional  skill 
or  care  is  required  in  handling  Road  Solder, 
but  it  is  claimed  that  the  results  obtained  justi- 
fy this  extra  labor  cost.  In  the  long  run,  it 
is  believed,  the  initial  labor  cost  is  less  than  the 
continued  cost  of  repairs  when  made  with  light- 
bodied   bituminous    materials. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  ordinary  cracks 
or  joints  in  any  one  section  of  a  road  require 
a  relatively  small  amount  of  filling  material, 
equipment  which  is  quite  small  is  ample.  The 
use  of  a  compact  outfit  will  allow  even  one  man 
to  operate  to  full  efficiency,  and  the  useless 
heating  and  wasting  of  excess  materials  will 
be  avoided.  The  outfit  used  should  have  a 
heating  capacity  just  as  little  as  possible  in 
i^xcess  of  the  amount  of  material  required  for 
one  continuous  joint  or  transverse  crack.  The 
repairing  material  can  be  melted  while  the 
crack  or  joint  is  being  cleaned  out,  and  after 
filling  the  joint  or  crack  the  outfit  can  be 
easily  moved  to  the  next  operation.  Such  .i 
procedure  will  more  readily  give  assurance 
that  each  joint  or  crack  has  been  properly 
repaired.  The  following  portable  outfit,  which 
costs  between  $45  and  $60,  can  be  carried  in  a 
s 'de-car    motor-cycle   or   light  automobile : 

1    plumber's    torcli  1    hatchet 

*   %  -gallon    ladles  1   point  chisel 

1    bale  hook  1    1  ^-inch   brick   chisel 

1   8-gallon   gasoline  can      1  machinist's       2 -pound 

1  street  broom  hammer 

1   plumber's  furnace  1    or    more    drums    Road 

1   sand    shaker  Solder      (90      pounds 

1    wire  brush  each) 

The  joint  or  crack  should  be  chiseled  out  to 
a  depth  of  at  least  one  inch  and  brushed  clean 
with  a  stiff  wire  or  heavy  bristle  brush.  If  a 
plumber's  torch  is  included  in  the  outfit,  it  is 
advisable  to  use  the  torch  along  the  joint  space 
to  dry  out  moisture  and  partially  warm  up  the 
concrete.  The  Road  Solder,  heated  to  about 
400  degrees  Fahrenheit,  is  then  poured  into  the 


joint  space  from  a  small  ladle  or  dipper  having 
a  rather  narrow  lip  and  holding  about  V^-gallon 
or  6  pounds.  This  small  pouring  ladle  will 
allow  material  to  be  freely  and  accurately 
poured  without  waste.  The  consistency  of  the 
material  is  such  that  it  will  remain  at  a  some- 
what higher  level  than  the  surface  of  the  con- 
crete and  will  be  gradually  compressed  by  the 
traffic  to  an  even  surface.  Dust  from  the  road 
surface  should  be  brushed  over  the  repaired 
joint  or  crack.  This  dust  will  adhere  to  the  re- 
pairing material  and  cause  it  to  become  a  gray- 
ish or  slate  color  and,  as  it  will  not  bleed  under 
the  action  of, the  sun,  the  repaired  joints  and 
cracks  will  be  less  noticeable  than  if  made 
with  other  materials.  It  is  claimed  that  repairs 
made  with  this  material,  when  properly  em- 
ployed, should  not  require  further  attention  for 
at  least  two  years. 

Is  Water-Main  Cleaning  Effective? 

Within  the  last  five  or  six  years,  a  large 
number  of  cities  have  contracted  with  the 
National  Water  Main  Cleaning  Company,  Hud- 
son Terminal  Building,  New  York  City,  to 
remove  incrustations,  tubercles  and  deposits 
from  water-mains  of  all  sizes  by  the  National 
method.  This  method  consists  in  opening  up 
two  points  of  a  main,  one  point  where  the 
machine  can  be  inserted  and  another  where  the 
material  removed  from  the  interior  of  the 
main  is  permitted  to  escape  after  it  has  been 
cut  oflf  by  the  machine  and  forced  ahead  by 
water.  A  survey  of  a  number  of  cities  which 
have  had  their  mains  cleaned  has  resulted  in 
an  interesting  collection  of  data  regarding  the 
effectiveness  of  water-main  cleaning,  which  is 
summarized  in  the  following  brief  paragraphs: 

In  1916  and  19 17.  the  water-mains  of  the 
Rloomsburg  Water  Company,  Bloomsburg,  Pa., 
were  cleaned.  Under  date  of  March  31,  1922, 
this  company  states  that  although  there  has 
been  no  further  inspection  made  for  the  results 
of  the  water-main  cleaning,  no  diminution  of 
flow  has  been  noted  since  the  cleaning  nor  have 
any  unfavorable  aspects  in  the  area  cleaned 
seemed   to   require  investigation. 

The  mains  of  the  Stroudsburg  Water  Supply 
Company,  Stroudsburg.  Pa.,  were  cleaned  in 
T912,  at  which  time  an  amazing  quantity  of 
barnacles  was  removed.  It  was  considered  at 
that  time  by  the  company  that  the  cleaning 
was  as  valuable  as  the  laying  of  new  lines 
would  have  been,  and  after  ten  years  there  has 
been  no  change  of  opinion. 

Mains  were  cleaned  in  Salt  Lake  City  be- 
tween T9T3  and  1017.  It  has  not  been  neces- 
sary to  open  up  these  mains  to  full  capacity, 
so  that  specific  information  regarding  their 
phvsical  condition  is  not  available.  However, 
the  Superintendent  of  Water  Works,  W.  K. 
Burton,  states  that  as  soon  as  funds  will  per- 
mit he  expects  to  have  more  lines  cleaned. 

The  mains  of  Altoona.  Pa.,  were  cleaned  in 
T9T4.  Pres.sure  tests  o-i  the  fire  hvdrants  on 
these  mains  have  .shown  no  decrease  since  that 
time. 

In  TOT 5  the  mains  in  Rrnddock.  Pa.,  were 
cleaned.      The   engineer    in    charge    stated   that 


THE    AMERICAN     CITY 


Packard 
Trucks 
Save 
Money 


<:r::^;^'CH  ^ 


It  is  perfectly  plain  that  the  Packard  Truck 
never  could  have  attained  outstanding  leader- 
ship were  it  not  a  sound,  saving  investment, 
from  every  viewpoint  of  truck  operation. 

The  comparatively  low  purchase  price  of 
Packard  Trucks— generally  lower  than 
prices  of  other  trucks  of  comparable  quuU 
ity — adds  great  emphasis  to  Packard  value. 

The  seasoned  and  stable  organization  building 
the  Packard  Truck  will  continue  to  advance 
and  fortify  still  further  its  leadership  and  its 
reputation  for  low^er-cost  haulage. 

Packard  Trucks  range  in  capacity  from  2  tons, 
to  7/2  tons;  and  in  price  from  $3,100  to  $4,S00 

PACKARD  MOTOR  CAR  COMPANY,  DETROIT 


Packard  Service 

In  585  Cities  and  towns 
througiiout  the  United 
States,  Packard  Truck 
Service  stations  give  own- 
ers higiily  skilled  service 
at  a  reasonable  cost.  Pack- 
ard Truck  costs,  always 
low  because  sound,  Pack- 
ard construction  mini- 
mizes need  of  repair,  are 
held  still  lower  by  this 
expert,  broadcast  service. 


PACKARD  TRUCKS 


1*1 


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Junk,  1922 


METHODS,     MATERIALS     AND    APPLIANCES 


643 


they  had  no  necessity  to  take  up  any  of  the 
pipe  cleaned  in  this  operation,  but,  as  it  is 
on  a  rising  main  and  the  friction  head  in  the 
main  nearly  constant,  they  do  not  beheve  there 
has  been  much  incrustation  since  the  cleaning. 
The  water,  prior  to  the  cleaning,  was  untreated, 
but  since  that  has  been  treated  with  lime  to 
neutralize  the  acidity,  which  may  be  a  reason 
that  deposits  do  not  occur. 

The  Town  Clerk  of  Sackville,  New  Bruns- 
wick, reports  that  their  mains  were  cleaned 
in  1918  and  that,  although  there  has  been  no 
occasion  to  open  up  the  lines  since  that  time, 
they  feel  that  the  system  was  greatly  benefited 
and  that  they  are  still  enjoying  the  beneficial 
results  of  the  work. 

The  mains  cleaned  in  the  village  of  Briar- 
cliflf  Manor,  N.Y.,  in  '1913,  are  reported  to  be 
in  excellent  condition,  and  from  general  usage 
there  is  no  evidence  of  reduced  pressure  which 
would  be  caused  by  the  pipes'  being  again  in 
a  scaled  condition. 

The  Water  and  Light  Department  of  Ottawa, 
Kans.,  reports  that  the  mains  which  were 
cleaned  in  that  city  were  those  used  for  de- 
livering the  water  from  the  river  to  the  main 
pumping'  s1;ation  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  apart.  There  has  been  no  decrease  in  the 
flow  sufficient  to  indicate  any  serious  obstruc- 
tion  since    the    cleaning. 

In  19 14  several  miles  of  6-inch  main  were 
cleaned  in  Durham,  N.C.  These  mains  had 
been  in  use  supplying  a  cotton  mill  and  the 
village  since  1886.  The  efficiency  of  the  main 
was  doubled  by  the  cleaning,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  growth  of  the  community,  the  mains 
are  still  giving  very  satisfactory  service. 

A  System  of  Traffic  Signa'ing 

The  subject  of  traffic  regulation  in  our  con- 
gested city  streets  is  one  of  ever-increasing 
importance  and  is  constantly  being  given  more 
thought  and  study.  The  result  of  this  study 
on  the  part  of  engineers  of  the  Federal  Signal 
Company,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  shows  that  traffic 
signals  should  be  consistent  in  their  indica- 
tions, that  is,  the  indications  given  by  day 
.should  be  the  same  as  those  given  by  night, 
conveying  information  to  traffic  in  the  same 
manner  at  all  times  when  the  signal  is  in 
operation.  The  "Go"  indication  for  a  certain 
direction  of  traffic  should  be  given  at  all  cross- 
ings in  a  particular  zone  at  the  same  time, 
thus  greatly  facilitating  the  movement  of  traffic. 
Studies  of  this  method  of  control  show  an 
enormous  increase  in  the  amount  of  traffic  that 
can  be  handled  past  a  given  point  in  a  given 
time. 

The  Federal  Signal  Company's  traffic  sFgnal 
system  claims  to  accomplish  this  by  means  of 
colored  lights.  The  signal  itself  consists  of  a 
box-shaped  head  having  two  compartments, 
provided  on  all  sides  with  suitable  colored 
lenses.  The  lenses  are  shaded  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun  by  hoods.  The  head 
is  of  such  size  that  an  electric  bulb, 
having  a  concentrated  filament,  is  located 
in  a  compartment  at  the  focal  point 
of  the  four  lenses.     This  arrangement  gives  a 


positive  indication  in  four  directions  that  is 
visible  under  the  most  adverse  sunlight  con- 
ditions, as  well  as  at  night,  so  that  when  a 
"Go"  signal  is  given  for  east  and  west,  a 
"Stop''  signal  is  given  for  north  and  south, 
and  vice  versa.  The  colors  used  should  be 
standardized  so  that  the  same  indication  will 
convey  the  same  meaning  in  all  locations  wher- 
ever used. 

To  allow  moving  traffic  to  clear  the  cross- 
ing, and  to  prepare  waiting  traffic  to  move,  a 
transition  signal  indication  is  given  by  using 
a  yellow  Fresnel  lens,  which  shows  an  elongated 
yellow  light  in  all  directions  for  a  predeter- 
mined length  of  time.  A  red  Fresnel  lens  may 
also  be  used  for  this  purpose,  but  yellow  is 
recommended.  The  head  may  be  supported  by 
brackets  attached  to  poles  at  the  corner  of  the 
sidewalk,  on  a  pedestal  in  the  center  of  the 
crossing  or  suspended  over  the  center  of  the 
crossing.  The  height  and  exact  location  of  the 
signals  should  be  determined  by  local  conditions 
of  clearance  and  other  factors. 

It    has   been    found   that    traffic    can   be   ex- 
pedited   by    so    arranging    the    control    of    the 
traffic  signals  that  traffic  in  a  particular  zone 
will  all  move  in  a  certain  direction  at  one  time 
for  a  predetermined  period  and  then  be  brought 
to    a    stop    and    traffic    in    the    cross    direction 
moved.     To  accomplish  this  method  of  control, 
the  Federal  Signal  Company  has  an  automatic 
control    device   which   may  be   located    at   any 
point    desired.      This    device    controls    all    the 
traffic   signals   in  a  particular   zone  and   is   so 
designed  that  the  time  intervals  for  "Go"  in- 
dications  may   be   adjusted   to   suit   the   traffic 
requirements    in   the   control    zone.     The    time 
intervals  can  have  a  range  of  from  30  seconds 
to    2    minutes    for    the    "Go"    indication    and 
from  5  to   12  seconds  for  the  transition  indi- 
cation.     The    change    in   the    time    interval    is 
readily  made  on  the  automatic  control   device, 
and   the   change   can  be   accomplished   without 
interruption    to    the    operation    of    the    signals. 
In   addition   to   the    automatic    control,    a   me- 
chanical control  is  provided   for  the  signals  at 
each    crossing,    thus    permitting    the    operation 
of    the   signal   at   every   crossing   by   a   traffic 
officer,    if    for    any    reason    such    operation    is 
found   desirable.     This  manual   operation  does 
not  affect  the  automatic  operation  of   any  of 
the  other  signals.    At  each  crossing  there  is  pro- 
vided a  single-stroke  gong  which   rings  when 
the    signal    indication    changes,    and    calls    the 
attention  of  the  public  and  the  traffic  officer  to 
the  change. 

Bi -Lateral  Moves  Offices 

Clay  Baird,  President,  Bi-Lateral  Fire  Hose 
Company,  Chicago,  111.,  has  just  announced  that 
the  offices  of  this  company  have  been  moved 
from  ;i26  West  Madison  Street  to  9  South 
Clinton  street,  Chicago,  111- 

Shepherd  and  Hovey  Join  Forces 

C.  H.  Shepherd  and  S.  S.  Hovey  have  an- 
nounced the  organization  of  Shepherd  & 
Hovey,  consulting  engineers,  with  offices  at  53 
West  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. 


THE     AMERICAN     CITY 


Crenei^l  Motoi^liiicksi 


One  Ton  GMC  Used  by  Detroit  Police  Department 

Particularly    Suited    for    the    Pick-Up    Work    of 
Detroit   Police  Department 


A  variety  of  hauling  is  given  to  the  one  ton 
GMC  truck  that  is  used  by  the  Detroit 
police  department  in  connection  with  its 
motorized  patrol  system.  This  sturdy 
truck,  a  successor  to  the  famous  Model  16 
that  was  adopted  as  standard  by  the  United 
States  army,  is  used  particularly  for  rush 
deliveries  of  various  kinds  within  the 
department. 

Used  by  Many  Cities 

Some  of  the  other  city  departments  in 
Detroit  are  also  using  GMC  trucks,  for 
their  hauling  and  their  service,  as  always, 
has  been  satisfying.  In  fact,  GMC  trucks 
now  are  offering  more  continuous  trans- 
portation than  has  heretofore  been  found 
in    a    motor    truck.      Advanced    improve- 


ments have  been  built  into  these  truck; 
which  contribute  directly  to  more  economi' 
cal  and  better  haulage. 

Sets  New  Standard 

In  price  also  GMC  trucks  have  set  a  ne\\ 
standard.  Their  cost,  in  comparison  tc 
their  exclusive  features  and  their  thorough 
high  quality  construction,  is  remarkablj 
low. 

The  chassis  now  list  at  the  factory  as  fol 
lows:  One  Ton,  $1295;  Two  Ton,  $2375; 
Three  and  One-HaK  Ton,  $3600;  Five  Ton 
$3950,  tax  to  be  added. 

Write  for  a  booklet  giving  details  of  these 
trucks  or  ask  the  nearest  GMC  dealer  tc 
show  them  to  vou. 


102 


General  Motors  Truck  Company 

Division  of  General  Motors  Corporation 

Pontiac,    Michigan 

DEALERS  AND  SERVICE  IN  MOST  COMMTTNITIES 
When  writing  to  Advertisers  please  mention  The    \mebtcan    City. 


June,  1922 


METHODS,    MATERIALS    AND    APPLIANCES 


^S 


Wagon  Loaders  in 
English  Road  Con- 
struction 

One  of  the  largest  road- 
building  organizations  in 
England  is  using  the  Haiss 
path-digging  wagon  loader, 
shown  in  the  illustration,  for 
digging  and  loading  tar  mac- 
adam, which  is  much  used 
by  English  road  builders  on 
their  roads.  This  material 
consists  of  crushed  stone 
mixed  with  tar,  weighing 
170  pounds  to  the  cubic  foot. 
It  is  of  such  consistency  that 
laborers  can  hardly  shovel 
it.  Before  using  loaders, 
laborers  forked  it,  but  it 
was  such  a  sticky,  gummy 
material  that  they  could  not 
handle  it  for  more  than  an 
hour  without  resting.  Over 
eight  months  ago  this  Eng- 
lish company  bought  a  path- 
digging  wagon  loader  from 
the  British  representatives  of  the  George  Ilaiss 
Manufacturing  Company,  143d  Street  and  Rider 
Avenue,  New  York  City,  for  this  work.  The 
readiness  with  which  the  machine  handles  the 
sticky  material  has  been  due  in  large  measure 
to  the  self-feeding  propellers,  which  cut  into 
the  material  and  push  it  towards  the  bucket, 
where  it  is  elevated.  The  machine  has  been 
readily  loading  a  5-meter  truck  in  from  five  to 
six  minutes. 

English  road  builders  are  very  favorably  im- 
pressed with  American  machinery,  and  at  the 
present  time  there  is  quite  a  demand  in  Great 
Britain  not  only  for  wagon  loaders,  but  also 
for  American-made  concrete  mixers,  steam 
shovels  ajid  other  such  material-handling  de- 
vices. 


LOADING  TAB  IHACADAM  BY  MACHINE 


A  New  Highway  Patrol  Outfit 

With  the  increasing  number  of  roads  which 
are  being  maintained  by  the  individual  patrol 
system,  new  apparatus  for  this  type  of  work 
has  been  developed.  The  Road  Repair  Equip- 
ment Company,  165  Broadway,  New  York 
City,  has  recently  placed  on  the  market  a  port- 
able heater  and  mixing  machine  of  sufficient 
size  to  repair  a  hole  three  square  feet  in  area 
in  one  operation.  The  machine  is  at  the  sarne 
time  small  enough  to  be  handled  by  one  man. 

The  heater  is  designed  similar  to  a  wheel- 
barrow, with  a  special  body  mounted  in  place 
of  the  wheelbarrow  body.  The  special  body 
contains  a  secondarj'  solid  body  or  tray  with 
a  given  space  between  the  tray  and  the  body. 


USING  THE  NEW  WHEELBARROW   TYPE   BOAD  REPAIR   MATERIAL  HEATER 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


DANGER 


STOP  LOOK  LISTEN 


The  hot  summer  months  are  coming.  Have  you  complete 
and  efficient  equipment  for  your  street  department  and  for 
the  collection  of  your  garbage? 

Will  your  equipment  serve  so  as  to  produce  that  clean,  sani- 
tary condition,  so  necessary  to  good  health  during  the  period 
of  extreme  heat? 

Let  us  help  you 

TIFFIN  FLUSHERS  FOR  YOUR 
STREETS.  TIFFIN  GARBAGE  EQUIP- 
MENT   FOR    THAT    DEPARTMENT 

Write   for   catalog 

THE  TIFFIN  WAGON   COMPANY,   TIFFIN,   OHIO 


REDUCE  TRAFFIC  ACCIDENTS 

Five  of  these  lights  installed  in  an  Ohio 
city  "have  been  a  big  addition  in  the  regu- 
lation of  traffic  and  have  been  a  means  of 
reducing  traffic  accidents  at  those  certain 
sections  about  one-half." 

The  Milwaukee  Type  Mushroom  Traffic 
Light  stands  only  8  inches  high,  is  made 
of  cast  steel  and  equipped  with  a  dual 
lighting  system.  When  lighted  it  is  a 
bright  spot  on  the  road  without  glare 
and,  although  not  large,  is  big  enough  to 
be  noticed  and  respected.  These  traffic 
guides  are  suitable  for  installation  at  street 
crossings,  on  heavy  traffic  streets  and 
boulevards. 

ELECTRICAL  &  SPECIALTY  SUPPLY  CO. 


Madison   Terminal    Building, 


Chicago,    Illinois 


103 


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June,  1922 


METHODS,     MATERIALS     AND    APPLIANCES 


647 


In  this  space  tlierc  is  mounted  a  gasoline  burner 
from  which  a  hot  flame  spreads  over  the  bot- 
tom of  the  tray,  producing  a  uniform  heat 
throughout  the  area  of  the  tray.  This  gasoHne 
burner  is  fed  from  a  tank  mounted  on  the 
handles  of  the  heater  immediately  in  front  of 
the  body,  permitting  free  use  of  the  handles 
and  also  protecting  the  tank  from  any  damage. 
Attached  to  the  tank  is  a  hand  force  purnp 
for  application  of  air  to  the  gasoline  for  proper 
mixture.  By  a  needle  valve,  the  proper  flow 
of  gasoline  to  the  valve  may  be  controlled 
by  the  operator.  If  the  operator  desires  to 
put  the  heater  out  of  service  for  a  time,  he 
can  lower  the  flame  and  save  gasoline.  The 
heater  may  be  put  back  into  service  by  simply 
turning   the   needle  valve. 

A  patrolman,  inspector  or  workman  may 
start  off  in  the  morning  with  the  heater,  load- 
ing it  with  stone,  bituminous  material  and 
tar  from  supplies  which  have  been  previously 
located  along  the  road,  and  then,  upon  reaching 
the  first  hole,  light  the  heater,  heat  the  mix- 
ture, turn  it  over  with  the  shovel  until  the 
proper  mixture  and  heat  are  reached,  then 
dump  the  mixture  into  the  hole,  leveling  and 
tamping  it  into  place.  The  complete  operation 
requires  less  than  five  minutes. 

A  Convertible  Street-Sweeping 
Machine 

For  the  last  two  winters  municipal  officials 
have  been  interested  in  the  Fox  Rotary  Snow 
Broom,  manufactured  at  2  Lombardy  Street, 
Newark,  N.  J.,  which  has  so  effectively  cleaned 
the  streets  in  a  number  of  communities  in  New 
Jersey.  This  machine  consists  of  a  circular 
broom  with  a  horizontal  axis  mounted  at  the 
front  of  a  motor  truck.  It  has  been  found 
very  effective  in  rolling  the  snow  up  and  to 
the  side  of  the  road. 

The  most  recent  development  in  the  use  of 
this  machine  has  been  the  addition  of  a  250- 
gallon    tank    and    a    50-horse-power    pressure 


pump,  by  which  the  machine  is  converted  into 
a  useful  street  sweeper  for  summer  service. 
Water  is  sprayed  through  nozzles  in  front  of 
the  broom,  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  The 
broom  is  well  boxed  in  the  front,  preventing 
the  scattering  of  dirt  and  other  refuse.  The 
sheet  steel  parts  are  easily  removed  when  the 
machine  is  to  be  used  for  snow  work.  When 
the  oufit  is  working  in  the  winter  time,  the 
water-tank  is  used  as  ballast,  being  filled  with 
gasoline.  Thus  the  machine  as  now  built  con- 
stitutes an  all-year-round  apparatus  for  remov- 
ing street  dirt  in  summer  and  snow  in  winter. 

Early  in  April  one  of  these  machines  was 
demonstrated  at  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  before  nearly 
50  engineers  from  New  York  and  other 
municipalities  in  the  metropolitan  district. 
Trips  were  made  up  and  down  various  blocks, 
including  streets  paved  with  cobbles,  which  are 
very  difficult  to  clean  under  any  conditions. 
Four  trips  up  and  down  were  made  in  less  than 
five  minutes,  cleaning  the  pavement  completely. 
The  machine  operates  at  the  rate  of  12  miles 
per  hour,  which  is  practically  double  the  speed 
of  most  other  street-cleaning  machines. 

J.  T.  Martin  Joins  Cleveland 
Engineers 

The  Frazier-Ellms-Sheal  Company,  Illumi- 
nating Building,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  has  an- 
nounced the  association  of  J.  T.  Martin, 
former  Water  Commissioner  of  Cleveland,  as 
an  active  member  of  the  company  in  the 
capacity  of  Vice-President  and  Treasurer. 
Mr.  Martin  has  been  actively  engaged  for  over 
20  years  in  water-works  projects,  covering  the 
construction  of  tunnels,  reservoirs,  distribution 
systems,  filtration  and  power-plants,  water- 
works accounting  and  administration.  As 
Water  Commissioner  of  Cleveland,  he  organ- 
ized, planned  and  commenced  the  execution  of 
a  water-works  improvement  of  greater  mag- 
nitude than  the  city  had  ever  previously 
attempted. 


A  ROTARY  BROOM  SWEEPER  FOR  CITY  STREETS 


THE    AMERICAN    CITY 


Lea-Courtenay  12",  double-suction 
volute  pump,   motor-driven. 

This  same  type  of  pump  driven  by  a 
steam  turbine  will  deliver  2000  G.P.M. 
against  150-foot  head  {average  city  press- 
ure) at  2000  R.P.M.  By  increasing  speed 
10%  the  pressure  can  be  increased  to 
100  lbs.,  and  to  deliver  1500  G.P.M., 
tvhich  is  Standard  Fire  Protection  Press- 


*'  Specialization  is  the  direct 
road  to  perfection  '* 

said  a  prominent  engineer  in  discussing  the  mod- 
ern trend  of  menufacturing.  And  the  thought 
was  a  sound  one:  that  perfection  of  product  can 
most  nearly  be  attained  by  concentration  of 
thought  and  effort  to  that  product  only. 

The  L-C  Company  are  specialists  in  building 
centrifugal  pumps.  Every  effort  of  this  com- 
pany is  wholly  devoted  to  designing  and  manu- 
facturing centrifugal  pumps  of  the  very  highest 
quality  and  efficiency. 

This  specialization  has  enabled  the  L-C  Company 
to  rigidly  adhere  to  the  very  highest  standard 
possible  in  centrifugal  pump  design,  manufacture, 
and  test.  There  are  no  other  manufacturing 
activities  in  the  L-C  plant  to  which  this  standard 
might  be  sacrificed.  L-C  Pumps  may  be  in- 
stalled with  the  assurance  that  in  dependability 
and  efficiency  they  represent  the  very  highest 
development    in    centrifugal    pump   construction. 

There  is  a  complete  line  of  L-C  Pumps 

including    fire,     boiler-feed, 

single-and    multi-stage. 

LEA-COURTENAY   COMPANY 

Manufacturers  of  Centrifugal  Pumps 
8  MAINE  STREET,  NEWARK,  N.  J. 

Chicago  Philadelphia      Boston  Minneapolis 

Atlanta  Pittsburgh         Cleveland        Detroit 

New  York        Oklahoma  City  Birmingham    Kansas  City 
St.  Louis  Baltimore  Montreal 

Write  for  Bulletin  M  on  high  hiad  pumps. 

2090- J 


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information   as   to   what  youi 

SYSTEM  OF  DISPOSAL 

will     do    toward    eliminating 

MUNICIPAL  SEWAGE  AND 
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CHARLES     E.     WHEELER 

Member  Streams   Pollution 

Commission 

MILFORD,  CONN. 


104 


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