KinSource - Tale of the Week - City Struggles To Get Mud From Streets

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The St. Paul Daily Globe, March 11, 1903, p. 2

CITY STRUGGLES TO GET MUD FROM STREETS

Engineer Rundlett Explains That Appropriations Allowed For Cleaning Are Inadequate and That Department Is Therefore Unable to Cope With Elements.

St. Paul waded in mud and dirty water up to its ankles yesterday, and did not like it a bit. Madame viewed the sticky, sloppy mass with dismay, but as necessity knows no law, simply gathered her skirts about her and plunged in. The result was heartbreaking, but there was no relief.

While every crossing in the downtown district carries its shoe and skirt bedaubing mass of sticky mud and rotting ice, perhaps the worst feature of the whole thing is the condition of the crossings and streets in the vicinity of the union depot.

Here thousands of feet have worked the mass into a mixture that demeans and spoils everything it touches. Men with brooms attempted yesterday to keep the crossings clear, but their efforts were puny. Teams carried it back, and the public continued to curse. On Fourth and Third streets the conditions were similar.

Since the warm spell began perhaps no department of the city has been subject to more criticism than the engineering department, because of the sloppy and filthy condition of the streets, and this yesterday prompted City Engineer Rundlett to remark "that if some people knew how much money he had to do the work, they would not be so free with their criticisms.

Not Money Enough.

"All the charter allows this department," said Mr. Rundlett, with some warmth yesterday, "is $175,000, and I only get 9_ per cent of that amount. The money is for the repair, care and general maintenance of the streets and sewers, and when you figure how carefully the amount must be appropriated in order to allow for each item without being niggardly in any, you can see what a task it is. Why, for hand sweeping alone $25,000 is required, and the mileage of streets is increasing. The annual spring cleaning costs very nearly $15,___. Then there is the repair and care of the dirt streets, sewer repairs, street flushing and a hundred and one other things that I might enumerate, all of which must be provided for. I might have used up my money a month ago and removed the snow, but then there would have been nothing left to work with now.

"St. Paul and its streets and sewers are increasing every year, yet there is no increase in the annual appropriation voted for their care. We are simply trying to care of two miles of improved streets with a sum of money that will only care properly for one. The amount of money that my department is allowed annually was fixed several years ago, and no thought was ever given to the future. I have tried to interest the charter commission, but without success. I might talk figures all day long, but it wouldn't make the situation any clearer. The whole trouble is that St. Paul is growing, and the money for the care of its streets is not keeping pace."

Little Impression Made.

Nearly 200 men and 75 teams were put to work yesterday removing the winter's accumulation of snow and ice, but their labor was hardly perceptible when the close of day was reached. Load after load was taken from Seventh street, a part of Sixth and around Seven corners, but that did not relieve the crossings. Sweepers attempted to care for the crossings, but wagons and the grades carried the mass back as fast as it was shoved away.

Minnesota, Cedar, and Fourth streets, part of Sixth street, and Seventh west of Jackson were coated with the sticky mass and the fair sex had hard work in crossing. A path had been cut through by workmen at these crossings and the openings were quickly filled with the semi-liquid mud.

At the present rate of progress it is expected that every bit of two weeks will be necessary to clean up the paved portion of the city. This depends upon the continuation of the present weather, but if a cold spell sets in much of the work will have to be done over again. City Engineer Rundlett most fears cold weather with snow, for that would mean additional expenditure. It has been suggested that the mud might be flushed from the streets, but Mr. Rundlett says that would damage the sewers.

The chief annoyance just now is the boarding of street cars. This must be done at the expense of soiled shoes and skirts. The cars generally stop within a few feet of the crossings and the passengers must wade out to reach them.

City Engineer Rundlett promises some relief by the close of the week, but says it will take fully a month to complete the job. More men and teams are to be added today.