The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-06-29
The Market street Improvement.


manic intellect that the improvement ot
Market street in the way Of widening the
pavements was, to say the least Of 1t, a
little premature in view Of the scarcity
OF ducats in the city treasury at the
present writing, and OF the still greater
scarcity in the very near future. Our
enterprising Street Commissioner has
succeeded in 80 managing his department
as to get away with over four thousand
dollars of the street appropriation during
the month Of May, aud when his June
bills are paid there will be left Of tue APP
preparation, available for street work, a
little rising above $1,000, to carry on
the department for the next Ten months.
This is why we say that the commence.
ment Of any improvement Of Market
street was premature. The fact is that
the widening Of the sidewalk has rem.
dered the street itself sort OF mild abor-
tion. The throwing Of the gutter some
two feet towards the centre Of the street
has narrowed its carrying capacity so as
to successfully flood the cellars with the
water Of a heavy rain, Toremedy this it
was proposed in Council on Wednesday
evening to alter and amend the gutter by
taking up narrow strip OF cobble stones
and deepening the gutter at a cost Of
one hundred dollars. This measure
passed the Second Branch, but the mem-
bers Of the First Branch were not long
in discovering that the remedy was worse
than the evil itself, from the fact that it
would materially increase the declivity
Of the street from tho crown towards the
gutter, still further damaging ii as n
wagon 'thoroughfarc. The truth is, that
knowing the depleted condition of the
treasury and the limited appropriation
for the street department, the Market
street pavement should not have been
touched the present season, and the work
was but partially completed when the
absolute folly OF it Twas apparent, unless
at the same time the street should be
lowered and repaved in conformity
with the plan pursued in the Main
street hill improvement. 1t was too
late to go back on the work and
the street was being materially damaged
for travel and the proposed remedy for
drainage purposes was only making mat
ters worse. MessrS. Gillespy 4 Slater
laid before the First Branch OF Council a
proposition to grade and repave the
street from 18th street to Egerter's corn.
er in conformity with the Main street
improvement, for six hundred dollars.
Advantageous aa the proposition seemed
in the opinion Of councilmen, they were
stared full in the face by the fact that the
city had no funds, and to accept the propo'
sition was simply to leave the street de-
pArtment without nickle for the balance
Of the year, because it was self.evideni
that contingencies involving more work
than ia embraced in the contract woult
eat up the little balance Of the appro
priation. In this dilemma, Mr., Egerter
who, by the way, is one Of the cleares
headed and most practical members ii
Council, came to the rescue with tht
pledge that il the Council would guaran
tee that the work should be done attel
the plan Of the Main street Improvement
hs himself would raise from the proper
ty owners along the line Of the propose,
improvement five hundred dollars, whicl
added to the one hundred proposed to b.
paid for altering the cutters would enabl
the city to accept the proposition o
Messrs. GilleSpy & Slater.
Right here we assume two propositions
The first is, that right now the Council
should put lis foot down upon any fur
ther ordering otlmprovements to be mad
this year. To do SO is in direct violation
Of the recent enactment Of the Legisla
ture, prayed for and obtained by actio,
Of Council itself, unless such order il
concurred in by three.fourths of til
Council. The resolution so boldly takel
to confne expenditures within the limit
OF receipts should be rigidIy adhered to
even at the sacrifice OF any and all im
provements, The second proposition il
that il property owners on certain street
desire them to be improved they will b
the gamers, both in the merit OF the wor
and the cost Of it by adopLin
Mr.. Egerter's plan; that is, g.
the assent Of Council to has
the improvements made, then get
areIiable contractor to do the work b
contract and pay for it themselves. l
our opinion the advantages will far ou
weigh any objections that suggest them
selves to our mind at present. Undt
such plan tho people would not
obliged 10 employ the firm who have Il
city contract for paving in case said fir
docs not give satisfaction in the worl
and the city under such conditions ougf
to relieve the work from the superb
tcndcnce Of an incompetent Street Con
missioner and allow it to be done und,
the superintendence either OF the Gil
Engineer or some other compete
man whom the property holder
at whose expense the work was beil
done, might select. We believe that SUI
an experiment as Mr.. ESertCr propos
will demonstrate that real Improvement
can thus be made at less expense to the ta
payer in the end, and we further belle,
that it ia the only way in which any e
tended and permanent Improvement
our streets can be obtained for lor
time to come, Il is at least worth Il
serious consideration Of the people.