The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-01-08
st. Charles Avenue.

The paving on this street is nt.lcngth
finished, and Now Orleans is the posses.
sor OF the longest asphalt paved street
in the United States. 1t is true that il,
Washington over million square wards
have been laid, and that many OF tho
streets there have been thus paved for
several years, and that Buffalo, Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, st. Louis, and
Louisville have been paved with sheet
asphaltum, but no one of them has q
street the length of st. Charles avenue.
The plan of paving this street and re-
deeming it from its unsightly condition
originated with the late Charles A.
Whitney; and at his invitation a num-
Der OF the prOpcrty-lloldcr on tho aven-
ue met ut his Office for consultation. In
July. 1882, o meeting of the property
holders. on the report of committee,
that sheet asphalt was the best adapted
for their purpose. The committee was
composed of Mcssrs. Hernshcim, Hutch.
inson, Gomilia, Seton, Gidicre, jacob
Born, and j. X. Bell.
Many serious difficulties presented
themselves. Arrangements had to be
made with the city for the payment OF
its proportion of one-third of the cost
under that provision of the statute re-
lating to what are called ncutral-ground
streets, and with the New Orleans and
Carrollton Railroad company for its as
sumption of that portion of the expense
which the city was required to pay.
Several legal points had to be a,ljutlicat-
ed by the courts. Fortunately, all con-
trovertcd points were disposed of by the
decision Of Judge Rightor in manda-
mus suit against the city and the Car
rollton Railroad company, in which the
court decided that the law required the
city to pay one-third of the whole cost
OF the paving and the entire cost of paw
ing the intersections, and that under its
contract with the Carrollton Railroad
company, that company assumed the
city's obligations. The court also de-
cided that all the work had been done
in accordance with the contract. This
decision removed all legal obstacles.
The length of this beautiful avenue,
as now paved with asphalt from Lee
circle in Madison street. Carrollton, is
six miles on the south side and one and
three-quartcr miles on the north side,
in all nearly eight miles.
The work, it is now generally con-
ceded, has been we'll and faithfully
done. Experience in other cities, par
ticularly in Washington and Buffalo,
has proved that this pavement is of a
durable character and the best now
known for long drives. A large num-
Der of cities in the United States have
made contracts for this pavement, and
it is said that contracts are about being
made for paving the streets in Paris
and in Berlin.
St. Charles avenue has been wonder
fully improved since the paving was
done. Every where along the line of
the road handsome residences have been
erected, and many are now in course of
erection, making the avenue one of the
prettiest in this country. And there can
be no doubt whatever that the increase
in the value of the property far exceeds
the cost of the pavement.
The work is finished and the result is
now before our people; and the cxpc-
rience of st. Charles avenue will result
in similar enterprise in many other
streets. tending to the health, beauty,
and improvement of the whole city
Nev Orleans Times Democrat.