1884.] 453 (Graff 
tirely distinct and separate corporations, each having its own boards, offl- 
cers, surveyors and engineers, working without any concert of action, or 
connected fixed plans either of grades, standard of measures, or de- 
signs of sewerage. Even the records of the old Districts were deposited in 
discriminately in a City warehouse, and had to be collected, arranged and 
classified, \ 
It therefore became necessary to establish a general plan of grades, sew- 
ers, &c., &c., that would combine as far as possible the disjointed work 
previously done. To this task Mr. Kneass applied himself with all his 
energy, engineering knowledge, experience and capacity for classification, 
Maps were made of the whole area of the consolidated City, from which 
the grades were adjusted, the drainage areas carefully computed, and a 
standard of size for sewers established, that was intended to be useful not 
only for the sewers built whilst he was in office, but which amply provid- 
ed for the entire future drainage system of the City. 
Up to 1865, there was no record or plan by which the ownership or di- 
mensions of an individual property could be ascertained, Under an Act of 
Assembly, passed March, 1865, Mr. Kneass organized and put into suc- 
cessful operation, what is known as the Registry Bureau. By an exceed- 
ingly simple system of plans, and records, arranged in book form, the 
information in regard to any individual property can be obtained in a very 
few minutes, The record is of very great value and importance to the 
general public, and exceedingly usetul in getting data for an equal assess- 
ment of taxes, to effect which object the Act of Assembly was mainly in- 
tended. 
The method devised and employed has since been adopted by other 
cities, without any attempt to improve upon it, 
During Mr. Kneags’s term of office several very important bridges were 
required to be built across the Schuylkill at various points, the first and 
most important being at Chestnut street. 
In 1857, Councils advertised for designs for a bridge at that street, and 
appointed a Commission, consisting of J, Edgar Thomson, Ashbel Welch, 
and John C. Cresson, to decide upon the merits of the designs, which were 
all presented anonymously, being simply distinguished by the private 
marks of the designers, 
Mr. Kneass considered it his duty to present a plan, and did so in the 
manner described above, This plan was fully approved by the Commission, 
and recommended to Councils for adoption. 
The design was for the cast iron-arch bridge, essentially as erected, ex- 
cept in respect to the width of roadway, and length of the approaches; in 
regard to which the suggestions, and first plans of the engineer and sur- 
veyor were mot adopted by Councils, because of the increased expense, a 
matter much to be regretted, now that the traffic has increased so much 
beyond that anticipated by Councils, but foreseen by Mr. Kneass. 
This is believed to have been the first cast-iron arch bridge constructed 
in this country. 
