The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-27
Our Northeast Waterfront.

y
day, go to the northeast front? Not because
room for it was not needed; not because the
facilities there, belonging to the location ITSELF
were not of the first order in this respect. 1t
did not go there, because the northeast from
Is, rs matters stand and always have stoou,
Inaccessible by land for business purposes ~
is inaccessible II cannot be reached WIN any
degree of convenience over such roass do nav
been provided for its approach. All empty
cart is a tolerable load for horse up 'he pre-
cipitous grade abutting upon III Which, iaiu
out by nature before the deluge, mas been sui
fared to remain substantially as laid out, with
ont Modification or improvement, and as if
both were impossible.
Tn confirmation of the view here taken we
have evidence equivalent to demonstration.
For the actual fact is that years ago portions
of this front were either purchased or proposed
to be purchased by parties who supposed, not
unreasonably as they thought, that the city
would, upon prospect of its use, with the ut
most alacrity make all imp rovements required
ior bringing the property into ready business
relations with the other shore. and into social
and habitable relations with the main body of
the town west of the Hill.
To particularize, in 1854 three parties pro-
posed making large purchases along the shore,
intending extensive. sbipbuilding operations,
the locality being extremely favorable on va
rious accounts-on this with others, that their
material coull be dropped into their very
yards from the Grand Trunk railway. But no
motion was made toward opening up the shore
to reasonable access to the city, and the parties
consequently went elsewhere; carrying their
capital, enterprise and influence with them.
These parties alone would have taken up one
third of the whole front.
To-day patty known to the writer wants
to build wharf for lumber ON the shore, but
cannot for the reasons indicated. Another
party, also known to the writer, wants to build
Two parties. some years ago, began to build
wharf, got it half filled, and entirely walled in
with stone-work; but finding that all access to
the city was to be over pitch where strong
horse can haul not over 400 feet of lumber, de-
sisted, for ne other reasonthan that of inacces-
sibility, from completing their enterprise, went
to a neighboring town, and there for several
years have built six or eight vessels annually.
Their tax in that town last year was five hun
bred dollars.
In short from Fish Point to Congress street,
the whole front is already purchased, except
300 feet, in other words one half of the total
front from the Point to the railroad bridge, by
parties who are aoaaing and aod,sting to make
Improvements. OF the other half, the three
parties above referred to would have taken up
200 feet thirteen years ago, facilities for ac
cess had been furnished. 1t may be added that
every gear since 1854, applications have been
made for territory on this point by parties who
proposed immediate improvement, but who f.
nally went to other places by reason OF its mac
feasibility. This the writer knows upon unim.
peachable testimony. So much then as t.
whether the front is wanted or not. We have
cited but few facts, but those few seem to be
sufficient to outweigh any number of whole
sale declarations and unsubstantiated asser.
tions that no considerable use can be or will be
made of the district for years to come.
/ What then are suitable conditions of access?
| What will satisfy the parties interested, and
induce them to proceed in their projected en-
terprises? 1t Is obvious that to fulfil the re-
quirements of thorough business use nothing
short of a roadway round Fish Point, uniting
the northeast and southeast fronts, can be re
garded as entirely satisfactory, For by this
route only can the transportation of heavy
merchandise be effected upon level. But the
construction of this passage will be, as has
been before noticed in these columns very ex
| pensive, unless it is SO conducted as to have
collateral or contemporaneous enterprises call
ing Tor the eXcavated stone and debris, SO as &c
reduce the cost; and under such conditions the
cost would be reduced to next to nothing fol-
| the city. While then the parties interested
believe that the city should lag out the street
now while it can be done without interfering
with anybody, and by laying ii out, put itsel
| into position TO sell the stone, as it might be
required by other parties, they do not ask thai
the roadway be actually constructed at this
time, nor do they condition the further prose.
cution of their business projects upon its con.
structioD. They cannot afford to wait for It's
| construction.
They viii be satisfied, provided the city viii
sive them a roadway ooer Munjoy, roadway
| central in it's location with respect to the sea
front, and a roadway upon grade essentially
the same as that already constructed on the
hither slope of the hill on Congress street, or
Cumberland street. They will, upon the con-
struction of such a line of access to their
property. proceed at once to its further devel-
opment, as hereinbefore set forth.
Such grade as is here indicated, is that up
on which the excavation on Congress street
was proceeding this summer, and would have
been secured upon the completion of that un
dertaklng. But the representations that have
been made touching this lowering of the
grade, thi, ''cut," would tend to give the i'm
preston that it is something altogether mon
strous, something for which no precedent can
be found in the annals of this or of any other
city, work of untold expense, work which
only Goths and barbarians, interested iobbers
and reckless contractors, would have the
hardihood to propose, much less to attempt.
Let us, then, look back little. A few
years ago, it will be remembered, Munioy fac
ed the city with an escarp so steep that for the
greater part of its line of length a man could
scarcely climb the ascent, and q horse attempt
ing it would be more likely to turn summerset
than to reach the top. Some daring innovater
as length proposed cutting through this huge
embankment and leveling off trayersable
streets upon it! We all remember what COM
motion the proposition excited, and opposition
and ridicule. But it was done. The excava-
ton involved in the continuation of Congress
street up the hill necessitated a cut at one
point of fifteen feet on the southeast side of
the street and of twenty feet on the north
west side The cut on Cumberland street in
ore spot on the northwest side was thirty feet
deep! But the work went through
What has been the result? Why, the Hill
has become village, town of itself, covered
over scores of acres with houses, the habita-
ton of bread-eating men instead of an inacces-
slble horse pasture. Lots which before the
grading sold for five cents foot, after it sold
for forty cents, an advance of seven hundred
per cent? The wealth, population, and oceu-
pyable area of the city have been decidedly
and favoraby affected by the means. Now,
mark! The deepest utinvolved in the grading
begun this summer, on the northeast side of
the Hill, is only seventeen feet. So far from
going down into the bowels of the globe this
passage-way keeps nearer the natural surface
by seyenty-fve per cent. than did streets con-
structed years ago, and which we traverse
daily without a thought of their ancient sub
terranean location. This depth of excavation,
proposed and begun, will give grade on the
outer side of the Hill substantially the same
as that now existing on the inner, or Congress
street, grade which horse-cars can and do
traverse, and horse can draw LOGO feet of
boards over without oyer-exertion, a grade,
too as before stated which the narties com