St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-14
A Tunnel for the Cable Rail-
way Recommended by the
Special Committee.
Engineer Rundlett, However,
Is Not Wholly in Favor Of
the Scheme.
Two Plans Are Proposed That
Would Avoid the Danger
Gus Incline.
The Cost of Tunneling Es-
timated at Fifty Thou
sand Dollars.

On the chamber of commerce yester-
day morning. the committee to whom
had been referred the resolution of /.
+. Stevens reported that upon cOnSulta-
ton with the city engineer and with the
vice president of the cable company, the
committee finds the cost of tunneling
Summit avenue at the crossing of Selby
avenue and of lowering the tracks of the
cable line to the new grade will not eX-
ceed $4,000, aside from any damages to
the property owners arising from such
change of grade. The committee then
recommend that the proper city author
tiles be requested Immediately to take
the necessary steps TO construct the tun-
mel. a report of City Engineer Rund-
lett made to the committee was also read
before the chamber. The engineer
says that while he agrees with the ma
jority of the committee on the deSir-
ability of having the tunnel built, he
expresses grave doubts rs TO whether the
object 10 be attained will warrant the
damage TO the property, the cost of the
Improvement and the delay 10 the pub
lie in the operation of the cable road,
and also the loss to the company of any
time of the contemplated change. Mr.
Rundlett thus says: Two methods of
construction have been considered. One
TO change the grade of Selby avenue
from Nina avenue to Third street, to
eXcavate the street TO the full width and
Ia build the necessary retaining walls,
reducing the grade to about six feet in
the hundred, thereby making it the
most accessible approach to the st. An
thOny hill district. This would give a
cut at Summit avenue of forty feet,
would involve an expenditure of hun
dredS of thousands of dollars and large
amount of
DAMAGE To THE PROPERTY
aid probably require more than one
season in construction. For these rea-
sons it does not seem a practical i'm
prOvement.
The second method was to start
grade from the end Of the curve at the
intersection of Selby avenue and Third
street, keeping it a depth of about six
teen feet on the west side of Summit
avenue, to come out on the present
grade of Selby avenue not more than
200 feet west of the west line of summit
avenue. TO construct paSSageway of
sufficient width only to operate the
cable line, which should be arched over
across Summit avenue, the approaches
on each side of Summit avenue to be in
open-cut, held by sufficient retaining
walls and protected with proper fences.
This would give grade of eleven feet
in the 100 down Selby avenue in place
of sixteen feet, the present grade. but
it was the opinion of the experts pres
ent at the meeting and also of your
committee that the danger of the cars
Srn4finr no mfr ainnfIxy olina
mated by the change of grade to in any
way warrant the expenditure necessary
to accomplish the result.
Mr.. Rundlett expresses some doubt
about the city having the right under
the city ordinances to compel the street
railway company to take up and recon-
struct its line at different grade, with
out allowing the road compensation.
The cost would be something like $780,
600. No provision, he says, is anywhere
made for paying this sum, anu QueS
tiOnS whether, if the money is to be
raised by assessment it shall he assessed
upon the residents of Summit avenue
or should the Improvement be regarded
as one that was general in its character,
that the whole city should pay for? He
also considers the injury to Selby ave-
nue. and states that an officer of the
cable car company says the improve
mept would suspend the running of the
cable line
FOR SIX MONTHS.
and asks if the public would be willing
to wait SO long. and would not the cable
company demand compensation. He
closed by saying that he was personally
in favor of the improvement. Before,
however, the chamber committed itself
he desired to have the subject clearly
understood. The report Of the commit
tee was accompanied by a profile, show
ing precisely how the improvement was
ing diagram.