The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-05-27
MORE ABOUT our STREETS.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,

ing the SIfeeIS ana avenues, or IN 9th
er words to revise the plan Of your flu
ture city. AS the parties appealed to
may be so wholly absorbed in other
matters Of more immediate personal
interest or may not have had the OPP
portunItles. or experience necessary TO
enable them to formulate their ideas
on this subject, [ beg to be allowed
the privilege of adding few more
suggestions to those already advanced
and so heartily endorsed by gentle
man Of such extended experience and
knowledge as Mr. Robbins The plan
proposed is briefly to reduce the
widths ofof the streets generally from
50 to 20 feet thus adding FIVE feet to
the length of each lot; Of the avenues
from 100 to 70 feet adding an addi-
tional lot to each block; and of open
ing diagonal avenues on the section
lines, so or 100 feet wide and half
mile apart. The effect of such a
change would be to add about $40 lots
to each square mile and to Increase
considerably the frontage. If these
lots be estimated to be worth 5000
each there would result a credit for
municipal improvements of S6S,000
per square mile from these alone, and
the increated building area then az
forded as well Is the greater facilities
for the transaction Of business would
further swell the credit side Of the ac-
count by additional assessments. At
the same time the reduction Of street
area means, less capital expended in
removing the mud embargo and in
keeping the payements in repair,
which IS also a gain on the credit side
of the balance sheet. As taxes increase
and Superior ceases to grow, because
Of the magnificent distances to be
traversed, then your citizens may real
lie that ii was fatal mistake not to
have modified their plan before it be-
came too expensive and impracticable
Let Us cite a case in point Two hun
dred years ago Wm. Penn wrote con
corning Philadelphia, Seek out a
spot ON the Delaware river where it is
most navigabIe, high, dry and healthy
where ships may best unload without
litering and where there is a good soil
for pryisions. Having found such a
! lace lay out 10000 acres contiguous
to it in the best manner you can.
Let every house be placed, if the per
son pleases. in the middle Of its platt, as
to the breadth way Of it so that there
may be ground on each side for gar
dens, orchards or fields, that it may
be q greene county towne, which will
never be burnt and always be whole
some" Given at London Sept Is,
1851. Had these Instructions been
literally adhered TO Philadelphia
would still be greene country
towne' if in existence at all. The
streets were laid out on a rectangular
system and most Of them 30 feet wide
whilst many Of the lots are only Is to
Is feet wide and the houses are built
in rows. In the most densely populat-
ed ward there is one person to 291
square feet while at Superior with lis
. feet frontage, counting one house
to lot and five persons to a dwelling
there would be 1000 square feet per
capitum, thus furnishing ample air
and space for the most exacting. If
diagonals were opened through the old
portion Of Philadelphia it IS estimat-
ed that a saving Of one mile TO the
ONE HUNDRED MILLIONS Of passengers
carried by the street car compaies dur
ing one year would have resulted in a
saving to such passengers Of about 81 )
100000, for car fares alone. The gain
II TINE to the same number of people
who might save one mile Of distance
in walking would be 1852, years and
the economy in work would be over
100000 horse power from the move
ment of persons only. Hence the val
lie Of diagonals can scarcely be over
estimated. Suppose any resident Of
Superior wishes to walk from First
and Thompson street to Twelfth and
Robertson; by the present arrange
ment he would have, to 90 ZOO feet
or very nearly , miles, taking him
p minutes time but if the diagonals
were opened as proposed the distance
would only be about 54O0, or 23O0
feet less and the time about j min
utes or I minutes less. The saving is
about 30 per cent. Of the original dis
lance and the same per cent Of time
and power, when this is multiplied by
millions it becomes a question Of great
moment whether so enormous Il loss Of
time. distance and power can be justi-
fed by a conservatism which may hes
itate to spend q few dollars in making
the necessary changes, rs the opening
of such communications as are suggest
ed.
There are practical points which
have a erect bearing not only on the
future but also on the present welfare
of Superior and it needs no argument
to convince your intelligent and wide
awake citizens that NOW IS the time to
act. Every years delay, while it
makes the necessity more urgent, at
the same time makes It's ful6lment
more difficult and expensive.
You have an able and energetic
Board Of County Commissioners, com
petent to decide such questions and it
seems TO be imperativeIy necessary to
push on the more vigorously the good
work Of completing well digested
plan of municipal improvements. At
all events II would do no harm To call