St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-06
Twelve Miles of Different Kinds of Sewers
Laid in the Capital City Since
April l.
Fifteen Miles of New Streets Opened
and Twenty Five Miles Graded
--Costiy Paving.
hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
Expended on improvements
Robert Street Bridge.
ST. Paul Public Works.


casual observer and in fact one can hardly
comprehend its magnitude in travelling over
the ground unless he possesses a nice
faculty for calculation. Hills almost noun
tains, that but year ago seemed to de-
terminedly oppose the progress of streets.
have melted away before the shovel and
pick OF the laborer and given place to thor
Oughfares and bOulevards: valleys and
ravlnes that seemed to be impossible, have
been brdged with iron, arched with stone
or filled with dirt and converted into popu-
lous stretches of territory that have become
peopled and filed with active streets and
pretentlous business houses and mills, and
sewers have been laid thousands of feet of
streets been paved, leagues of thorough
fares been graded and miles of stone and
wooden sidewalks been built. All these
are undeniable proofs of the city's almost
phenomenal growth and spreading out. and
yet the demand for the extension of these
improvements is not satisfied, and appeals
are constantly coming in for them from re-
gions that less than a half a decade ago
were wild prairies, hardly within view of
the city limits.
IN THIS BRIEF REVIEW
Of these improvements, only those of pub
lie nature will be mentioned, while the
millions of dollars invested in the constitute
ton of dwellings and business houses will
be reserved for another report. The re-
port here given, while not official. is close
estimate of the amounts expended in i'm
prOvementS.
THE SEWER SYSTEM.
st. Paul has one OF the finest sewer sys-
TENS of any city in the United States, and
experts say that one can only find its equal
in this respect in Paris, France, or London,
England. The topogl Apply of the city has
made this possible, and the sand-rock foun-
datiOn On which it stands has been pierced
by a net work of tunnels that carry Off the
otfal of the city and cast it into that great
and natural sewer of the Northern and
Central states, the Mississippi.
The system is far from complete, and
each year its extension is increased. An
investigation of the records and assessment
rolls for So shows that since the LIST of
April about fifteen miles of sewer have
been laid. This is divided up between ce-
ment and vitriied pipe brick and sand
rock sewer. OF these. the vitrifed pipe is
the most popular. Following are sewer
contracts completed for sums amounting to
more than $4,000:
On Bradley street, from North to Fifth 81, 200
On Dayton, Harrington and Summit av-
enues. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1000
The Sixth Ward system. including Moses,
Indiana, Hyde and Chicago avenues. $500
On Nina, Selby and Summit avenues. 5000
On Rice street, from Rondo to Uuiver-
sity.. Observation-Disclosures. $500
On Seventh, between Hoffman and Third
streets. ......................1 II, 700
On Garfield, between Lisbon and Prai-
RE streets. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
st. Anthony Hill system, consisting of
WnCtn 'nTr slr1c Tr.lD
hart street, Marshal, Nelson, Dayton
and Selby avenues. ......... 500. 20, 9t7
On DAYTON and Summit avenues. 6,91o
On Josette and Iglehart streets. .... 1888
1t cost S73, 45S to lay the lines of sewers
above mentioned. and the contracts will
swell the total to about $685. 900. The ST.
Anthony Hill system. which is the most
extensive. was paid for by assessments, no
bonds having been issued for that purpose.
STREET GRADING.
Although amounting to thousands of dol
lars the sewer improvement is but a small
part of the expense the city. has gone to,
to increase its metropoitanism. The grad
ing OF streets has neceSSitated a heavy out
Law of money. TWENTY-FIVE miles of grading
has been or will be completed before the
middle of the present month. costing
upwards of $3.50, 600. Below is given some
of the most important gradingS, with their
cost:
Harrington avenue, between Dayton and
Como NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. S5,5n
Park avenue, between Martin and Sher-
purhe ......... lo'4OV
Wabasha street, from Bluff to Rice.... 5,753
Aurora avenue, from Rice to Grant . 10, 555
Whitall street, from Westminster to
Payne ..... 1855
Mississippi street, between PenuSyl-
vanjo M A n
University avenue, from Rice to
Grant. Il, ST.
Dayton avenue, between Dale and Vic
toria streets. Observation-Disclosures. $3.50
Duke street, from Randolph to Good
rich. ................. $500
Warsaw. from Stewart to Grace. ..... 1900
Forest street, from Cass to Maryland. 5000
Oakland avenue system, consisting of
Goodrich avenue, Oakland street. Dale
street, Hennepin. Portland, Holly,
Ashland, Laurel, Summit, Seby and
Dayton avenues 81, 900
La Fond street, from Rice to Victoria. $500
Margaret street, from Arcade to city
limits. .......................2 10000
Tuscarora street, from Warsaw to Mil
ton Observation-Disclosures. $500
Canada street, between Ninth and VAL
ley. 5000
Oak street, from Third to Ramsey go. $500
Portland avenue, from Dale to Victoria 5000
Fillmore avenue, from State street to
the proposed levee in the Sixth ward. L., 900
Jessamine street, from Forest to Edger-
ton 10000
Lincoln avenue, from Oakland to Vic
tOria. 3,0UU
Maple street. from East Seventh to
Hastings avenue Observation-Disclosures. 1880
Kent street, from Marshal to University
avenue Observation-Disclosures. 1850
Grading and walling Oakland street.
from Ramsey to Summit avenue. 80. 81, 800
Total. $3.50, 900
THE OAKLAND STREET IMPROVEMENT
is one of the most extensive in the city.
The street was opened from the corner of
Pleasant avenue and Ramsey street to old
Oakland street. cutting through property
which was condemned for the purpose
amounting to S42, 900. 1t runs up the hill
at grade of three feet in hundred and
affords the people living in that vicinity
nearer route by half mile to the court
house than they could get before it was
built. In the condemnation of the property
for this improvement there was little or no
opposition by the property owners. On the
east side is retaining wall of stone 800
feet long, of a thickness ranging from three
to four and half feet The height of the
wall from the bottom of the foundation to
the top varies from eight to twenty three
feet. The issuing Of $50, 900 worth of city
bonds for the construction of this wall was
authorized by the legislature during its last
session.
THE EAST SEVENTH STREET FILL.
The East Seventh street fill, began in
January. 1884, was completed this year and
accepted by the city. 1t was one of the
largest enterprises the city has ever entered
into. 1t consisted OF the filling of Trout
Brook valley, which cut through Seventh
street, between Kittson and Minnehaha
streets. and completing graded street that
connects the west side of the valley with