Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-03
GREAT SPECULATION.
sceculatOrs Trying 10 Improve Their
urnnertY at (ublic txnense.

s,eculatOrs Trying 10 Improve Their
property at public Expense.
The proposed extension OF Massacbu-
..,,s avenue is attracting more attention
- washington than anything else at
,rosent. The purpose is to extend 1t two
nile, INTO the country, through woods
and folds. The Washington correspond
n,of the New York sun says that if the
rnrk is to be done at the expense OF The
hall a dozen real estate owners, through
1850 ua'o lands the road will pass, the I'M
o,overnent Will be hailed with universal
w II will doubtless enhance the value
ioithair property twenty, perhaps a bum
80 fold. For whereas IL is now bought
nd sold by the acre, it Will, when the con-
'amnIated improvement shall have been
nooda he placed on the market and dis
nosed of bv the square foot at n mean
t,nrr. An acre contains nearly $4,000
nenare feet. Half a thousand dollars per
ecre is a high price for land, while one
JoIIsr per loot tor city lots, in the west
ond is now considered low. The owners
If the land. therefore, can well afford to
sypepd half million upon the proposed
,mnroyement. 1t will not cost less,
df the Two miles extension beyond the
boundaries. one and a half miles will be
rosd or street. and half a mile bridge,
- snan the deep and wide ravIne. or
sbssin made by Rock creek. The bridge
sboud be at least 100 feet above the
wafer IL should be OF stone, having re-
GARD TO the picturesque as we'll as to du-
eabIity. confess am at loss to cal
cnlste its cost. but certainly structure
worthy of the grand design will cost not
less than 100000. l am equally at
loss in estimating the cost OF grading
the road before reaching ana
after passing Rock creek. They
shnnld be on the city side, before reaching
Kslorama, a high embankmenl, inside
the CITY. so as to have the gentlest posi-
he gradient. 1t would mar the beauty
md the utility of the road if it were left,
"a nature has left 1t, steep and difficult OF
ascent. 1t would violate all the laws OF
GOOD taste in like manner to cut the hill
down. The suburban hills around " ash
ineton constitute great attraction OF the
Mace. aid to cut them down were the
vilest vandalism. We must level up-not
down. Beyond the creek the bridge
should abut on the high ground, and thus
avoid an unsighty deep cut. Any de-
pressions iu the ground should be levelled
No Ike that OF the city side. These grades
will cost perhaps $4,000 or Sl5,OOO pef
mlle-a mere DdsdJGlI0 S'LlBulSQ W AN
that Of the paving.
Fortunately, we know what paving
COSTS The aspbsltum is now universally
used here, except on steep hillsides,
where square blocks of stone are subsJ-
uted. Inc sspnaltum pavements cost
tue city 81 30 per square yard. Massa-
chusetts avenue is fifty yards wide, ill.,
cludlng the sidewalk6, aud paving side
walks with curblng must cost as much as
The middle of the street. Here, then, we
have a mile and a halt of street fifty
Yards wide TO be paved at cost of 81 so
per square yard, and the cost will be
s325,OU0. The bridge l put at the low
fsure of $500, 900 and the grading 5000.
TOTAL $550,O00.
IL is obvious that the taxpayers OF
Washington and the taxpayers OF the
United States have no pecuniary or other
interest In this proposed suburban. I'M
proyemept. They would be pleastd to
see ii, just as they are pleased 10 see fine
houses going up within the city; but they
would nOt-tbat Is to say the people OF
this city would not, il they constituted
| Tree, self-gOverning communicative
their voice in favor of taxing themselves
tOcarry cut the plan. They live under
| desp0tism-a triumvirate-and they may
be compelled 10 loot the bill, in order to
enrich halt dozen landholders; but they
claim the right to protest against the
| wrong at least.
The fragrant injustice Of the scheme is
loo palpable TO be argued. The proposed
street will have no houses, no Inhabi-
tanls upon it. 1t will pass through
woods and fields, through thinly peO-
pied country district, over high hills and
adeep ravine. 1t has not the argument
IN It's favor of opening up the populous
country districts, for the reason that there
are already good country roads leading
out tnat way.
How shameful the idea of making such
street. beyond the city boundaries when
l0ere are mles-yes, at least 100 miles-ot
IOugh sidewalks within populous parts of
me city. There are also ravines and stag
nant pools-pestilence-b pools
within the city that should be filed or
Grained. There IA such an one on the bor-
0er Of Rock creek. very near the starting
point oil this proposed extension of Mas
sachusetts avenue.
washington is growing with great
tapldity. At the present rate of increase
tae population, in the course Of a quarter
century, will be quite half a million:
sla When 1t approximates that figure it
Will De time To make the costly improve
uent now proposed. But to make the
Improvement in advance OF the popula-
1oa Is simply to tax the people in order
uat certain men may be made rich at the
PUBLIC expense. There arc other avenues
ana streets that will require To be ex-
ended long before this one, and they may
W eStended at Tar less expense. POpula-
Hon mas not gone beyond the boundary in
~e direction OF the proposed extension,
NLereas all along on the northern border
Il
WY Then, are northern extensions of
,uetls overlooked, where the expense
pVu.d De trltilng mparatively. while
Jus most expensive and least needed one
sSplain2