St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-22
ST. PAUL NEWS.
STONE SIDEWALKS.
The Committee on Streets Concludes
TO Go Slower.

The committee on streets of the city council,
consisting of Alderman Johnson, chairman,
Dowlan, Robert, Cullen and Van Slyke, held a
meeting at 10 O'Clock yesterday morning for the
purpose of considering the matter of the laying,
within a certain district, mostly in lower town,
of stone sidewalks. This matter of putting down
these stone sidewalks is quite new departure in
st. Paul, and as matter of course, it meets with
a good deal of opposition, which makes its ap-
pearance indirectly: that is to say, men come
before the council and the committee and say they
going to build, and consequently ask
that their property may be exempted from the
sidewalk order. Others say that they have con-
tracts already made for putting down sidewalks
in front of their property. They therefore ask
TO be exempted. So, for variety of reasons,
the owners of good deal of property manage to
get it excluded from the operation of the order.
This was the case yesterday in the hearing of the
committee. The way the matter came before the
committee was a written report made by the
city engineer to the council last Tuesday even
ing. In this report the engineer enumerated a
considerable number of pieces of property, on a
variety of streets, in front of which the side
walks ought to be newly laid with stone.
Among those who were present before the
committee yesterday was John S. Prince, Thos.
Cochran, Jr., Geo. R. Finch C. P. Noyes, A
R. CapehpIt W. B. Dean, Maurice Lyons, Com
modore Davidson, and several other prominent
citizens and heavy property owners. The Mayall
interests were represented by an attorney. There
was a good deal of property designated by the
engineer on jackson street, in front of which
the sidewalks, he claimed, should be replaced
with stone, but the ground was taken, especially
by AID Roberts: that it was the intention to
take the wood pavement now on that street up
and replace it with a new one with granite curb
ing. This being the case, Aid. Robert claimed
that it would be a very great hardship to compel
the property owners TO put down stone sidwalks,
now and then have everything all ripped and
torn up in short time after. In his opinion the
only way to do was to first pave the street and
then put the sidewalks. Other men,
hers of the committee took the same view and
though the chairman was opposed to it the COM
mittee decided to exempt all sidewalks on Jack
son street. A. Il. COpeharJ was exempted from
putting down a sidewalk on Fifth arreet between
Wabashaw and Cedar streets for the reason that
he is intending to build in the spring, and Morris
Lyons was exempted from putting
down a sidewalk on the corner Of Sixth and
Sitley streets for the reason that he too was
about to build The result of the meeting of the
committee was that out of the whole batch of
sidewalks recommended by the city engineer
only about two hundred or three hundred feet
will be ordered.
The subcontractor, who is furnishing the
Euclid stone, appeared before the committee
and made statement in regard to the difficulty
he experienced in furnishing the stone for the
street paving, in consequence of his not
being informed in time to order it. This
stone was of an unusual size and
could not be kept in stock, but
bad to be got out to meet the orders as they
were made. He would like, If it could be done,
to have the city coancil or the committee make
some estimate Of about how much stone would
be required to complete the sidewalks that are 10
be laid this year, that he could order the stone
got out, and the understanding was that this in
formation should be furnished