, 1874-12-06
system Of the Late Administration
The New Railroads,
ComnIetion Of tho Halsted-Kinzie Vi
adtlct---Cost OF the Structure.
Benefit to tho Railroads.

CITY was little better than struggling town,
bounded by the river, the lake, tho South
Branch, and Twelfth 1troct. There were 4 few
residences On this North Side, scattered settle
ments upon the VEST and occasional houses
upon tho rocds running south OF Twelfth street.
Lake aud Water streets, one now almost dead,
and tho other given up to commission business,
were tho great tradc-cent1es Of the Chicago folk
ut tha. early day.
It was, therefore, an easy matter for tho
railroads to enter what il now the very heart Of
Chicago. The Illinois Central. skirtlng tho lako
ehore, ostabliehed itself at tho foot Of Lake
street. The Fort WaJne and tho Alton j. St..
Louis we're enabled to run up tho South Branch
to Madison street. The many corporations
which mado up tho Northwestern took poB5es-
sion If West ki2zlo and North Wells streets. and
their tracks. running down West Water street,
connected with those Of tho Alton Road. TIE
Burlington e. Quincy travoEaed the city from
east TO nest On Sixtecnth street, and, few
years later, the Cincinnati Airline Road, unable
to enter tho city from the south. was forced to
run northward, jus: west CT Wea:czu avenue,
until it reached kinz;e street, and came in on
the Northwesterns right Of ray
Tho result uag that tho pccEcat city WIS Glvid-
cd off into rwo compartments, lnc!oaed on near
II all sides By railroad tracks. One Of these d.
visions was bounded bg North and West Water
streets, by Sixteenth and tho lake. The other
lay bcs,feen hiazio aud Sixteenth, West Water,
a,.ti tho tracks Of tho Airline Road. But SO
little Was tho future growth OF the city antlci-
pated that No one d1canaed Of tho title waca
theso much-dozred tracks Tould provo an al
most utolerables barrier tointrarnural traflic-a
barrier only to ba overcome by years OF lighting,
and tho expenditure OF immense GUMS Of money
y1AnCCrs At DltDGEB.
In tho course of tliuu, however, the farms OF
the Yves. Side wore nubdivldea AMI si1en up
for building purposes. Til, struggling houses
which lined Madison. Washington. uud Randolph
streets gradually consolidated Tho toilcrs Of
the city began living 10 the West Division, ana
She first symptoms appeared Of that g-ea: daily
itself ot Madison and Randolph street bridges.
Tho moment this forward and backward tide be-
gan to show itself, tho danger Of tho CROSS.
lngs ut West Water street became apparent.
In 1859 tha West Side Strco:-Eailway Company
began operations, driving of tho few rck8.y
buses which had previously occupied the fold.
Then appeared the double delay which was felt
80 long in crossing TO tho North Sido,-tho delay
Of opening bridges and passing Trains. After 1t
had been endured for years. the raising OF the
overcoming tho difficulty. In 1865 the export
1ncnt of bridging Wost Water street was tried at
Madison street, and, proving unsuccessful, YVES
repeated ut Randolph street, tho railroads pay
ing tho expense. Since that time the
worx has gone steadily forward, until
nor all the diifcnlsies and anuoyauces incident
70 intercourse between the North and South Di-'
visions, duo to tho trucks on North Wafer
street, hnve been done away With The West
and North Divisions have also been connected
by the v1aducts at Ellie and Indians streets, and
tho West aad South By those ct Adams, Twelfth,
etc, .........
TIE NEXT DIFFICULTY.
But the food OF Vest SIDE population, nllared
by the prospect Of cheaper lani. moved south OF
Sixteenth Street, on the one side, and north Of
Kinzio on tho other. Tho result Of this was tho
creation OF tnree great thoroughfares, Milwau-
kee aud Blue island avenues a1d Canal street..
Along them tho laoorecs Of the Fifteenth, Sow
onth, aad Eighth Wards found their way to the
centres OF activity and employment.
The increase OF the railroad system kept p.co
With that OF the city. Tie few trnlcs which used
to poyo daily along kinzio aud Sixteenth streets
had sTellcd to scores, and tho task OF crossing
these roads had become ono Of positive danger
to life. Notwithstanding the 1aSmen stationed
at ti,cso points, tho newspapers were daily called
upon to report accidents Involving mutiatlon or
doa,l. This was especially tho case at the Canal
stree. crossing Of Sixteenth. and the Hal.
atcd and Desplaines et5ees crossings o.. o.
s;rcc.-cnr lines hnd stretched over into these
outlying districts, and. owing to the delaJs
caused by constant stoppage3 of the railroad
trackR, were robbed Of half thcir usefulness.
Ingenious igurcrs hayo attempted to calculate
the lo=n Of tl:no occasioned by tho opening OF
the bridge, aud ii to their results the delays oc
caaioned By the passing aud rcpassl1ig OF trains
bo added, the grand total will probably CHOW that
every malo inhabltaut Of Chicago was yearly de-
prived of weeks time.
Before the first step was taken to do away
With this apnoyauce thoro vera years OF atar-
minabc discussion ia and out OF tho Common
Council. Thera Ucra sopo who wished tho rail-
roads to uso horse instead OF steam power within
Tue city limits which "as clearly impracticab;e
some who wanted the railroads 70 sink tnelr
tracks so ns to bring them either wholly part
ly below the streot-lcvol,-a scheme wllEh tho
character OF tho ground made imposs!blc,-nnd
some rho. frightened by the expense of con-
structing yiadCc1s, which Was ilnalT sc2a to ba
the only practical system, opposed doing any |
hing.
THE FIRST yIADCCT. !
At last in 1919, u step Was tascn in advance |
By tho construction OF the yladEcs Oh 1Iaiskc:l |
street over :ho tracks OF the Chicago, Durlng |
;on i Quincy Road, At Sixteenth Tho railroad |
paid for the bridge proper. and the coss CT tho t
the filling, masonry, etc., was borIln
" tho property specially benefited. This work
doubled tha salue OF Ha'sted stroet. It rnade it
IN llrurokon thorou9hfaro from kinzio stree. to /
he South Branch; it made c noH aTenue Of
anu the recognized. utility Of tho !!
york rot other Ecction3 to demanding a.niia1 al
|
Though the advantages Of this method ct
lIllslIr LuE EE'EIE4 EsC.41l41 Va ti1a Cltt HlTC
,!ainlv seen. it was net until 1878 that another
1laduct Was built, aud Tint Sixteenth street was
gam brilgcd, this time at Canal. This delay
vas due in part to the fire, ii Part to tile dis
al tha railroad companies to make tho
expenditure required, and in great par. to tho
.rife between tho different wards as to which |
trec.s should come frat. Where there arc many
for improvements it is often the caao
hat mona win aud SO It proved in this instance.
A Foley AGREED on.
The new municipal administration which caruo
q after tho tire OF 1871 recognized fully tho i'm
Of viaducts, and proceeded to front the
ubject with soHo degree Of system. The old
Dads, which already occupied Ito Streets could
70 deal: with only by moral Buasion. With tho
ew ones, which uero seeking to enter the CITY,
;,e case waa different, aud thsy Wcro required,
q a consideration for tls coveted privilege, to
rect viaducts at SUCH points as the Board
I Public Works might -, indicate. Tic
rdinance by which tito Chicago, Column
rs 1ndiaun Central, and Chicago,
,nnyille l. Vincennes were allowed the use Of
rockwell and kinzio streets, and the milwaukee,
st. Paul the nso OF Kirzio street, provided
Or tho building within year from date,--Insc!,
312,-ot yiadacts on HaIsted, sangnmon, Lake,
nd Madison ntrests. aud also tho annual crec-
ion OF TWO yladucta on streets to be designated
Y the Board OF Public Works. The Chicago &