The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-09-29
LOCAL MATTERS.

THEIR NUIDERs.-Thcre are in the city OF
Richmond fifty-eight miles of streets, of
which eight miles are paved. Of this eight,
two miles are of granite block and the re-
mainder, except q few hundred feet on
Franklin street, is Of cobble-stone. In
about nine-tenthS OF the city the streets run
at right angles, and in the other tenth they
are to the citizen stumblinc-block and to
the stranger foolishncsS. 1t is not flial
thing to attack the Fathers, who have long
since fallen asleep; but when q taxpayer
becomes entah@led in the labyrinths OF
"Duval's Addition" or "Tyler's Plan,"
or "DObbs's Survey" on a dark night,
without gas-light in sight, he is filled
with bitterness Of soul that would
tempt him to ''go for" his own grand
father. He is apt to forget that those old
gentlemen lived in slower days than these ;
and he gets absolutely to hate them and
their wretched gold spectaclcs and hOrrid,
wel!-ilcd white waiStcoat>, and the very
tallow dips, by the light of which they
adopted their stupid street plans years ago
around the Council board. All this while
stumbling about in "Dobbs Survey" but
he GETS to better frame Of mind when q
charitable policeman leads him back to
| Broad street, with its magnificent width,
| blazing Shop-windOWS, and miles Of star
| like strect-lamps, taStooned, IS it were,
over the broad sidewalks, and stretching
away as far as the eye can see. This
looks comfortable, and he begins TO
wonder if something like this may not be
done for the jungle which he has just wan
| dered out of. Just ID little bit dashed by
| finding that the crO*S-streetS cease to be
numbered almost III the middle Of the city,
| L. ,q,,Il, 10, nt
US think with him..
The folly of commencing to number the
lateral streets of city from the west, when
the city is running tnaC way, is SO plain rs to
need no demonstration {; but it is the greater
| folly Of letting it remain atterit IS done that
is now to be complained of. The last street
| in the city that runs straight across without
being utterly knocked out of line by an
"addition," or "plaA," or survey" Is
Thirty-fourth street, and that gets Il jar from
an "additon" that knocks of one end OF
it. Now, the city is not running down the
river, and never will 10 any considerable eX-
tent, and yet the numbering is done on
the suppGsition that it is. One natll-
| rally concludes that First street, up
town, is the beginning Of the streets, but
! when he reaches there iinds that he is III the
| centre of the fashionable portion Of the city,
and that there arc perhaps score OF streets
! ADORE First, and that these streets, rs if to
make the thing entirely stupid, are not
| numbered. but named. As if being on
| Foushcc Street was the least guide TO
Smvth, or Henry, or MuntOrd street, or
IS if onc-lifCh Of the population knew
| where these streets are at all! Even
If the streets above First were marked
| West First, West Second, &C., it would be
better bat still that IS not The best way.
The best WAY is that which has proved best
! in other cities. Take the street five or ten
| blocks below what is now Thirty-fourth
| street. call it First street, and commence
| numbering UP westward. Thirty-tourth
street would then be, say Tenth what Is
| now First street would bc Forty-tourth
| street. and what is now Munford street Qt
one man out of 1ii'ty can tell where that Isl
| would be Firty-second street. As the city
runs, then the numbers would also run.
! And now about the main streets of the
city. Nearly Ill OF us who were born here
IRE perrcctly familiar with their names and
| localities and some Of the worst Of us, i'll
o1Ir SNOWFALL and how-aId-arroW days,
have spent anxious moments ut every cor
ner of them in diligent reconnaissance OF
| those famous conscTvatOrS OF the city laws
| Glenn White and Byrd Page, who were po-
p,llarly believed ever to be lying in wait to
| hale little boys before the Judge and cast
| them into prison. But everybody can't be
| born in Richmond; and even If sucha thing
were possible, the place would be so over
run with babies that nobody except nurses
could stay here long. There are TO De
| strangers here. and Il good many Of them,
| we hope, from every part Of our country,
and any other country that has good ones
! to send. 1t is ior these that the improve
ments named here should be made. If our
main streets were marked rs avenues, q
child of common intelligence might find his
way to any part of the city. Let the marking
| commence ut the riyer-makinG Arch street
| first avenue Byrd, second avenue; Gary,
] third avenue and 80 on IS far rs the streets
| are now laid out. \ stranger could lind the
corner Of Fiftieth street ana tlith avenue
now Main street, without asking Il man Oh
| his way there. The cost OF all this would
| inc next to nothing; and in sixty days every
one would be familiar with and commence
| usino the new names and numbers, which
| should be painted distinctly Oh every gas
| lamb or strect-corner.
| OF the serpcntine walks and lanes III the
additions, and plans, and surveys, 1t Is harc
! TO speak with the least bit OF reverence. A
very fine map Of the city has just beeu
finished bv Mr. S. l.. Bates, OF the City En-
pineer's oilics, from L survey commences by
Mr. W. Gill, late City Engineer, and finished
bv Mr. Joseph j. peasants. \ look at 1t l:
sufficient to show with what little dlscre
| ton the old Councils managed this matter
! DuyaPs Addition, 4 small town OF Itself, Ills
| the north corner of the city with q lot o.
| streets laid out without regard to, and III III
| onposite direction from, the other streets O.
| the city and yet this addition is one o.
| the most thicbly-settled portions of Rich
| mond, and extends its deformed streets TAR
| ther and farther every year. Then Little
west of that is somebody's plan the
streets Of which run at variance With both
the old streets and those OF DuvaFS Addl
ton. Just below Thirty y-t0urth street ROCK
etts) there is another case, and the whole
| line of city streets is again broken. All o.
this thing will some day have to be, and vii
he. remeded, but it will, if far of In the
| future, be done at q fearful cost. Inc
property OH the suburbs can he condemned
now, and the streets straltened, at a com
| paratiyely small sum but not so ii this In
provement is delayed until properly IN
creases in value TO that extent that million:
Instead of thousands will have to be paid fol
it's demolition. To-day, if the Council vii
not harden their heads, as in the days OF ole
foeyism, there is one thing that can ant
should be done. Many Of the streets not IL
line are not vet built up. Let Il survey bt
made. and the regular streets run through
these unbuilt districts at once. This will a
least arrest an evil which may hereafte
be entirely cured, and that, it is t.
be hoped, shortly. Our City, Counci
has in it as many of what are called :" live
men, as any similar body in this country,
There will not be two members VINO WI!
not acquiesce in every fact ana SUCCESSION .?1
given above, and Is to be hoped there WI
Sot he one who will vote against resolu
ton to change the numbering and naming
of the streets non, and resolution looking
to the straitening of them at an earl,
day. Will the Committee on Streets TAX
thIs matter in hand?