Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-30
THE SOUTHERN LIMITS.
4 Protest Against the Plot of the City
Extensiou


Editor Morning Ne,cS: 1 trust the i'm
portance of the subject, i. E., the plotting
Of the extension beyond Anderson street,
will be sufficient excuse for my intrud-
ing few remarks. The new map GER
tainly bears evidence of considerable
thought. 1t is, however, very arbitrary,
and while we do not specially object to
this feature. we are nevertheless con-
strained to believe that this objection to
an otherwise creditable undertaking could
have been, to a great extent, avoided. The
lands beyond Anderson street are owned
by great number of people, and are di-
vIded into tracts of varying proper
tons, in view of which fact
it seems particularly unfortunate
that street should be laid out, not dis
simultaneously to any one tract, put 10
all, and stranger still that all the streets
should have the same arbitrary pc
culiarity in referance to the lands through
which they are designed TO pass. Many
Of these real estate owners have long
since divided up their lands into build
ing lots with streets and lanes through
the same, which latter, in such cases,
would have been given to the city free of
charge. 1t is now rather unfortunate for
the purchasers of such lots to find that
the street they built their house upon
has been converted into lane fifteen feet
wide, or, what is still worse, to
to find great numbers of such lots, sold to
separate individuals, now rendered worth
less by having a street run directly across
the centre OF the entire string of lots, leav-
ing a worthless remnant on either side.
1t is notable fact that scarcely single
street conforms adVantageOuSly to the
tracts of land through which such streets
are designed to pass; and as these lands
have been greatly mutilated, and their
value greatly reduced as a result of such
arbitrary lines, it is a matter of regret
that the owners of such real estate were
not consulted in this particular, as 1t Is
more than probable, had such been
the case, all the streets through
these lands could have been opened up
without cost to the city, which is at pre-
sent a consideration of no little import
ance, in view of the depressed condition
of our money matters. | have no doubt
thousands of dollars could have been
saved IN this way. 1t is, however, safe
to assume that the almost numberless
lawsuits likely to arise from this arbi-
trary plan will eventually settle these
land questions or the owners. But what
is Of special interest as demanding our
present attention is the new park. We
are among those who strongly favor hav-
ing a park in the new part of town,
but, like everyone else, decidedly
object to the locality chosen as
being too near the old park, or extern
sion of same, too near COncOrdla Park, /
which affords sufficient pleasure grounds
for this locality, too near the negro hos
pital. and too near the Savannah, Florida
and Western Railroad. This really seems
the most unfit locality it was possible to
find. Especially does this seem to be the !
case when we consider that parks gener-
ally are used almost entirely by children, |
who with their nurses are thus enabled |
to spend the greater part of the day in |
open air. The proximity of this locality |
to the negro hospital will render it unde- |
srable for children as it is likely that the !
numerous friends of the sick will select /
the park as a faYOrite place to loaf as it |
will afford them an occasional opportunity |
to see their friends. Besides, there is but |
few hundred yards between the eastern |
limit of this proposed park and the S, +. /
Il W. Railway, and perhaps greater part |
of this will be occupied by the hospital, /
which makes the park, if located here, |
practically on the edge of town, and | |
think it is generally conceded desirable |
to have these breathing spaces in the |
centre of towns or cities. The entire /
space west of this proposed inclosure, |
extending to Ogeechee road and from An |
dersOn street south as far as the land is /
eligible for building, is left totally unpro- |
vided for in this respect, and as all this |
land will. understandable circumstances,
be settled up in a few years, the over /
sight, if such 1t may be called seems a /
matter of regret.
The writer has been informed that this |
locality was chosen on account of the /
land belonging to the city. This, how |
ever, is a poor excuse, as the lands thus |
donated for the park would have realized /
a handsome amount if sold out in lots. A /
tract of land twice the size in a more de- /
sirable locality could have been pur- /
chased with the proceeds of the sale, thus /
having enough to have made park quite /
the size and still have land enough left in |
the immediate vicinity of such park to /
equal in size and in a few years the value /
of the original tract now designed to be |
used as a park. Thus the city would /
have lost nothing, but gained considerable |
by the operation.
Should park be provided for either in |
the locality now proposed or farther south |
and west Of the line at present chosen, /
which is really the place for it, we ven
ture to suggest that such be named |
South Park" or 'sSOuthside Park" 1
Either name seems TO meet the views of |
perhaps the greater number of our citi-
Zens. who disfavOr the idea of using the |
names OF private citizens for public parks
unless the lands for such parks be /
donated by the party whose name it is in
tended such grounds shall bear. b.