Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-23
BRoUGHroN STREETS NEED.

why Savannah's Principal Retail Thor
oughfare Is Unpaved- Business Men
and Property Owners Express Their
Opinions-A Question of Fifteen Years
Agitation.
The business men who own property
along BrOughtOn street are almost unani-
mously in favor Of having that through
fare paved, and are not likely to cease
urging that the work be done until the
City Council moves definitely in the mat
ter. The subject has been one of almost
constant agitation for the past 10 years. 1t
has been generally favored, but various
objections have been made from time to
time. Some years ago the reason for not
doing the work was stated TO be the
hampered condition OF the city's finances.
When the local authorities felt that they
could do the work some citizens objected
TO being taxed for the improvement
Of one of the principal thOroughfares OF
their city because they did not live upon
It. Later, when the object was about to
be attained through legislative enactment.
some parties owning property in the
western part Of the street get up a petit
ton and succeeded in killing the bill,
The proposition before the Legislature al
that time was TO authorize the city ID dc
the paving. The city was TO pay for one
third and the property owners on elthe'
side of the street would pay the other
twO-thirds. q similar bill was intro
duced in relation to streets in Atlanta. Ii
is a singular fact that the representa-
tiVes from Chatham county and the rep
| resentatIVes from Fulton county, voted
| against the Savannah bill, but voted FOL
TIE bill relating to Atlanta, which was
passed.
The need Of paving on BroughtOn street
has never been more plainly illustrated
than during the past week. All the fallii
has been deep with dust, and every breeze
would carry the minute particles into the
eyes Of pedestrians and over the goods OF
the stoTekeepers. With the rainfall OF
Wednesday all this was changed,
and the street on Wednesday and
Thursday was rendered almost
impossible, the mud and mire being IL
some places more than six inches in
depth. 1t was sudden change from dust
70 filth, and the change was about the
only unpleasant feature Of the needed
rains 10 the BrOught0u street business
men, and those who had 10 traverse that
~thOrOughfare.
\ NEWS reporter yesterday talked with
a large number Of merchants on the street
as TO the necessity for a pavement.
Among them were Messrs. John y. Doug
lass. f. Lowell, d. Hogan, John Lyons,
& Co., MeInhard Bros. n Co. aud
Mr.. George c. Freeman, the latter being
President of the Board of Trustees Of the
Independent Presbyterian Church, which
OWNS property on the street. All united
in the opinion that the work should be
done and done at once. They character
lied the failure on part Of the city to do
the work long ago as a piece Of shameful
neglect, and expressed their willingness
TO paw One-third of the cost. Mr. Meinhard
said that be would be willing TO pay for
the entire work of paving in front Of his
store. if it would do any good. All the
gentlemen talked with said they could
not be put down too strongly in favor Of
the work being done at once.
BrOugbtCn street is - feet wide. On
streets of this width sidewalks - feet
wide are allowed. but were laid much
narrower. Recently the property owners
on the south side OF the street. between
Barnard and Whitaker, widened their
sidewalk to Is feet. This is a marked i'm
prOVement. ShOuld the sidewalks all
along the street be extended to Is feet, 1t
would bring the street proper to a width
Of 10 feet and would greatly reduce the
cost of paving. Under the law, should
the street be paved, the street car COM
pauy would he obliged TO pay for the paw
ing between its tracks. This would
also reduce the cost. II the
street were brought to the width
of - feet, and paved from West Broad
street to the east side of Habersham the
space covered would be 1910 square
yards. This includes the work which the
street car company would have to per-
form at its W expense, which would be
a very considerable reduction. Ii is es-
timated that the paving could be done
with Graywack stone, similar to that
used on Bay street. at a cost Of a little
over $2peryard. Jtispr0bable that some
scti0n looking to authorizing the city to
d. this work will be taken by the Legis-
lature at its present session.