, 1880-03-28
RELIEF FROM MUD AND DUST.

The necessity for a general and uniform
system Of street-improvements, extending at
the very least over the principal business
portion of the city embraced within the dis
trict bounded by Twelfth street, the lake,
and the river, has never been more strikingly
illustrated than during the past week. For
three or four days there was high and dry
wind, and the dust was simply fntolerable.
The subject was literally in eyerybody's
m0uth,-not only in eyerybody's mouth, but
in everybody's throat, nostrils, and pores, III
everybody's house, clothes, and furniture, in
everybody's shop, and goods, and tinery.
Conversation was divided between imprcca-
tions at the plague of dust and prayers for
relief. Friday night the rain came. It
poured in torrents. The dust was trans
formed into mud thick. heavy, black masses
of mud, Of every degree Of consistency and
every possible variation OF filth. It is evi-
dent that Chicago, in the present condition Of
its streets, is doomed to an unavoidable
alienation Of mud and dust, and it is diff
cult to determine which of the two vista
tions is the greater af1iction.
There is but one remedy for this vile and
injurious condition Of things that will be
satisfactory and enduring. It is that which
THE TRIBUNE has enleay0rel during tile
past few weeks to impress upon the Mayor.
the Council, and the public-viz.: a uniform
and as nearly as possible simultaneous im-
provement Of all the mud streets in the
South Division north of Twelfth street.
Inquiries which were made among the con-
tractors last week show that this is not SO
formidable an undertaking as is generally
supposed. Ordinances have already been
passed for the paving or nacadamizing Of
certain portions Of Congress street, Eldrldge
court, Fifth avenue, Michigan avenue (be-
tween Jackson street and the river), Hub
bard and Peck courts, Franklin, Harrison,
Jackson, Lake, La Salle, Market, Randolph,
Sherman, Taylor, Twelfth, and Washington
Streets These improvements are to be
made any way. But, if made, leaving
other streets in condition Of par
tial decay, and still others that have
never been paved at all, the new improve
ments will only help the particular localities
which are provided with them, and the
process of dragging the mud from the un-
paved and dilapidated streets, and distribut-
ing it over the good streets, will go on as be-
fore.
There are but q few blocks on which there
has never been any pavement, or for which
paving has not already been ordered Some
760 feet on Adams, $40 feet on Congress. $40
feet on Charles place, 1854 feet on Fourth
avenue, $40 feet on Quincy, TOO feet on State,
and {, ~ feet on Third avenue comprise the
localities for which no provision has been
made. An estimate of the cost of improving
these streets, including walls and curbfng
where needed, places it at about 600.
Perhaps 100000 more would repaye the
streets that require it. and put the alleys into
decent condition, outside Of the improve
ments already ordered. The cost, whatever
1t may be, will be distributed upon the prop
erty benefited, and will not exceed an average
Of S25o per front foot on property worth all
the way from $3.50 to 81, 500 per front foot.
An increase Of couple of dollars year in
the rental Of a building twenty-five feet front