Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-12
OrR GRowLEg.

do not feel like seoldinc. thi,
morning, remarked the erowler. bu,
nave one or two things I would like to
speak Of | want to tell you what
think abont fences in a city: and. with
out further waste of time. | say thsv are
NOS only totally unnecessary. bot a DOS
tive ofense to cultivated taste. III
we're autocrat Of this CITY, would NOT
nave fence within its limits. You
nave no idea, probably. of the pleasure
one feels while walking up Eaclid Ave
nue, IN Cleveland, or out toward ROCKY
river, to see the building lots and Yards
all open to the street, not fence to be
seen. Fences which were built wears
ago at an immense cost have been re-
moved, and the open lawns and door
yards have become a part Of the public
highway. One feels. while WALKING
along tnat he IL In an immense park
with walks and driveways. and not in
cramped, narrow street, as is she case
Ia most ancient cities Then how gen.
erons and confding Ia the spirit that
removes the line fences bet ween neigh
bors. How their absence increases the
SIZE OF the lots. Look at our lots on
Second and Third streets. Don't thev
remind You OF 30 many pens for stock
at an agricultural fair; each resident
shut up IN his enclosure as IL he was
afraid Of being attacked by his neigh
borf
" / see we are about 70 have a public
park. suppose IL is vain 20 hope our
rulers will be progressive enough to
adopt the Eastern fashion OF having no
fence to mar its beauty and crarnp its
size. With the exception of Central
Park, in New York city, there is not an
other public park in that large metrop.
oils enclosed with fence. And in many
OF the Eastern cities they have dis
pensed with fences from before their
houses and between their lawns and
lots, and the effect Is beautiful, | assure
you. The city Of Clifton, near Cincin-
natl, has made itself void Of offense by
not having a single fence within its bor-
ders, and the effect is to to call forth the
admiration of every person of cultivated
taste. The lawns and door-yards are
ornamented In a variety of ways, and
there is no provoking fence to obstruct
the view of the riders or pedestrians as
they roam about the city. You button
hole our Councilmen and shout in their
ears: No fencel No fence about our
parkv Surely young, euterprising
city like Seattle should not be destitute
of the spirit Of improvement which is
stirring the older cities. And | want
you to appeal to our residents. Tell
them to build no more fences than are
necessary to stay up bank or some
thing of that sort, and to remove all
front and division fences as speedily as
possible.
And now | want to speak of another
matter, and not small matter, either.
The winter months will saon be here,
with their rain and snow. We shall
hear the usual amount of profanity on
account of our muddy strests. Various
methods have been proposed for ren-
derinR our streets passable during the
muddy season. One plan ia seldom
mentioned, and that plan i. 90 insist on
every vehicle having broad tire. Tell
me why broad tires will not work az
well for streets in Seattle "a in Paris.
Any one who has particle of mechan-
ical gumption knows that narrow tire
cuts eeply into the earth, and that a
broad tire not only rolls ou the top, but
presses the water out so that the more
the streets are used the harder aud dryer
they become. Let our Cosnoil pass a
Law that all street vehicles shall have
tires from four to six inches broad. ac-
cordinR to the use required, aud then
round up our streets from the sidewalks
to the center, and, depend upon 1t, We
shall have smooth and comparatively
dry streets all the year round.
But / will tell You why we do not
like to use bu9gies with broad tires. Ii
makes them look clumsy and awkward.
The same reason prevents our ladies
from wearing rubber overshoes.. They
had rather go splashing through the wet
with thin, fine shoes than be protected
by rubbers, because rubbers make their
feet look 80 large"