The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-27
Our Sidewalks.

PHILADELPHIA has ever had an unenyiable
notoriety for the surface drainage that floods
its pavements and cutters, to the intense an
noyanee of foot-passengers, and in winter
makes amiable pools for Jack Frost to practise
his art upon. Our best streets are beset by
the mud and water or the ice and slush that
result from this system, until, from the i'm
possibility of keeping dry in mild weather
and erect during a ''cold snap" our citizens
rightly pronounce the winter season to be q
prolonged bore. Though of late something
has been done towards remedying these evil
handsome buildings, almost without excep.
tion, being connected with the sewers-ye
there still remains enough of the old system
to induce the Grand Jury to "call attention
to the bad condition of our streets, both as to
cleanliness and paving" The case requires
municipal action, and our City Fathers may
assure themselves that any cure they may
devise will be gratefully received by pedes-
trians.
But our property owners (many of them,
at least) are not contented with deluging the
| feet of their fellow-citizens at a season when
out-of-door foot-baths are especially disagree
able; they will extend the bath indefinitely in
| tanned being directly proportional to the
weight of the passer-by and the peculiarly
| convenient positions of the bricks composing
the pavements. Hence they never have their
| sidewalks relaid or even filed in, when they
| have sunk down or been washed out, and the
| result is ''loose bricks" What stranger ever
visited Philadelphia and did not notice this
| peculiar institution?
To one phase of this neglect of sidewalks
we would call the especial attention of Coun-
| ellis. Persons having occasion to walk
through certain parts of West Philadelphia
have been, and are, greatly annoyed by the
failure of parties owning mpT0oed property
either to lay durable pavements or to keep
| them in order when laid. If the late action
of Councils in valuing the Almshouse pro-
perty at $4,000 an acre be not mere hypo-
| crisy, in order to avoid the sale to the Uni
versity, consistency will require that the APP
proaches to that property shall be such that
possible purchasers may be able to get at it,
AS the streets are now, a by no means incon-
/ siderable quantity of dirt, mud, poor side
walks, none at all, surface drainage and loose
| boards must be endured before reaching
| Thirty-feurth and Walnut streets, and from
| there wading, swimming, or skating is neees-
| sary, according to the season. Even Chestnut
street, east of hirty-fourth, is in wretched
condition. The crossing at Thirtieth street
is sinking al Gnfer0S, that of the
West Chester Railroad is paved only
with cobble-stones, the north crossing from
| the bridge to the west side of Thirtieth has
never been opened, and in bad weather con-
sists of a mud-puddle, and long stretch of
the pavement on the north side of Chestnut
street is worn-out plankway, under which
collects in mild weather Just enough water to
be constantly oozing through the cracks (and
thus making mud or ice), or to be thrown
violently over the boots or dress of the un-
lucky one who steps on loose board. There
surely is good food for thought for that Coun-
Gilman who thinks the Almshouse estate
worth $4,000 an acre. We do not allude
now to pavements in front of newly y-erected
houses Builders everywhere in West Phila-