quote:

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The condition of the streets is an old, old complaint. I found in a 1902 copy of the Corpus Christi Crony a description of “street improvement,” which the newspaper said is a Latin term that means to befoozle the public.

“This is done by 30 men with 16 wagons and mule teams. The 30 men get themselves with their wagons into the midst of the highway, where they can stop vehicles of traffic. When they have stood there for four hours, listening to leaves growing, they move forward three or four feet and block traffic some more. At length, after three days, they become exhausted by this exertion, and desist, whereupon the foreman comes with a spade and searches carefully until he finds a place where the street is smooth and good to travel on. There he digs a large hole, into which each of the 30 men drops a gravel. The 16 mule teams are allowed to walk over the hole and paw the gravel until it is scattered, after which the foreman pronounces blessing above the hole, and they all go draw their pay. Sometimes, where the street is very good to travel upon, it is improved with a plow, so that no one can ever pass that way again. But this is arduous labor, and for it the 30 men must have extra pay and two holidays.”

Except for mules, that looks like the way streetwork is done today.

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