The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-12
The Ruin of a Good Street.

The Ruin of a Good Street.
In 1858, just twenty-five years ago, Indiana
avenue, from Illinois to the canal, was graveled
with screened river gravel to the depth of
twelve or fifteen inches. For year or more it
was not an inviting thoroughfare, because 1t
was left in the unfinished condition of mere
coarse gravel without the needful top-dressing
Of finer gravel and sand to constitute a cement.
But by 1860 it was in general use, and no street
in the city except Washington street, has had
more travel upon it for twenty-three years.
Meanwhile it has been torn up by the water
works, the gas-works, the street railroad and
for a sewer, as freely any other street, and in
no case made good as before. For the first
twenty years not twenty dollars was spent in
repairs on the entire two-ffths of mile. DC.
casioually the city would scrape out the mud
from the unbowldered and uncurbed CUTTERS
and haul some off but leave more in
the middle OF the street, if not
washed again into the mudholes where
cutters ought to be. Only within a year or two
has even part of the avenue been curbed and
guttered To this day more than half of the
entire two-fifths of mile retains the rotten re-
mains of the old wooden curbing. and the gut
ters perennial mudhole Within the last
few years loads of gravel have been occasionally
scattered in spots along the street, but without
any skillful purpose to mend the road
way permanently, and now comes the
street commissioner, other
municipal authority, and orders the street
bowldered. In order to do this the workmen are
breaking up and destroying the best road foun-
dalton there is in the city, except, perhaps that
of North Tennessee and North East streets.
There is solid concrete of the best of river
gravel, nearly foot thick, where neglect has
ANITA fha
water and railroad companies have not bcoken
the crust. The piles of this exceptionally good
road material are a wonder to every observer,
ana the fu rther wonder Is what new street shall
be fortunate enough to wear this rejected
gravel.
A few years after Indiana avenue thus
grave led the city began to bowlder Washington
street, but 1t was not finished from the river to
POgues run for more than ten years after In-
diana avenue received the coat OF gravel which
the wOrkmen are now removing. Yet, In the
course of about twenty years, Washington
street has been almost rebOwldered it's entire
length-not consecutively, but whenever a place
gave way the city FASTENED to repair 1t at
the public expense-untIl it is not
extravagant to assume that the repairs, dur
ing these twenty years, have been equivalent to
acknowledging OF the entire street. Indiana
avenue mas Deeu neglected until the properly
owners compelled to pay for bowldering at
immense cost, which, in much less than twenty
five years, If 1t receives more timely atten-
ton than the street it is to replace has had In
the last twenty five, will be utterly impossible.
In contrast with this treatment of Indiana
avenue, we call attention to Ohio street, between
Meridian and Illinois With road-bed never
half so good as the other, tlIe property holders
have curbed and guttered the street as they
regraveled the road.bed, making it one of the
best streets In the city and at a comparatively
small cost. Who is responsible for
such hap-hazard methods, we do not
know; but we are sure that road-making should
be, by this time, reduced to something more
than mere caprice or experiment. 1t may be too
late to change the purpose Of the contractor,
yet we can hardly help recommending that the
squares between Tennessee and the canal be
treated as tie square Ohio between Meridian
and Illinois. Meanwhile, it Is matter OF no
mere local bearing to inquire why the city keeps
in repair some streets and neelects otheIs until
the repair is saddled upon the local property
owners In the way of an avenue new street,
Weintended, however, merely to call the atten-
ton of the curious, well as those interested,
to the remarkable condition of Indiana avenue,
after twenty live years of hard service and cul-
pable neglect, and to suggest that, after ALL there
is no kind of road bed so cheap as well-screened
river gravel, If 1t be given the attention that
Tennessee and East streets are receiving, but
which Indiana avenue never had.