Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-05-29
l,ui7pi Account Of DOings in City and
Country.
THE DEPOT AGAIN.
:, Nav Yet Prove Expensive to
the City.

,norning, and setting the stakes for
tbe change in the siding.
The new building will be erected
,bont fifty feet south of where the
old one stood, and will be a two
tory handsome building. A plat
srm five hundred feet in length
and eichteen feet wide will extend
.lonc the track from the depOt-the
hilding being at the center of the
platform.
There has, in the years gone by,
been a great deal of kicking by peo-
nIe who have had occasion to come
into and 90 out of the city on the
Turner road which crossed the
track, by courtesy of the railroad
company, just south of the depot, at
DELAY occasioned by trains standing
on the crossing, and, day or two
since some plucky granger drove
nm on the switch crossing directly
in front of the yard locomotive,
which was approaching, threaten
inc to stay there until that train
standing on the main track, and
blocking the crossing, should "get
on, of the way" and let him pass.
He thought better of it, however, as
the ward engine continued to move
towards him, and he drove off the
track, and simply following in the
footsteps Of the lamented wilkins
Micawber, proceeded to "wait for
something to turn up" or for the
train to get out Of his way.
These travellers DER the road, and
very likely a great many citizens of
Salem, will be surprised to learn
that this crossing has only been al
lowed to exist through the courtesy
of the railroad company, and that
there is no public street or highway
between State and Leslie street (the
latter not Opened), and between 18th
and l4th streets.
Ordinance No. "A, approved
August 9th, 1870, reads as follows
"Be it ordained by the Common
Council Of the city of Salem, That
the streets and alleys included in the
following description, to-wit: All of
the alleys in blocks Nos. 43, "A, As,
IS and 80; Thirteenth street between
blocks 43, A, IS, ,4G, 40 and so; Oak
street between blocks 46 and 40, and
Is and 80; Bellevue street between
blocks Nos. A and 45, and 43 and 46,
all in the University addition of the
city of Salem, be and are hereby va
Gated, the same to be and form a
part Of the depot grounds of the
Oregon and California Railroad
Company provided, that the prin-
cpal depot for the city of Salem
shall be located on said grounds by
said company"
The new wplatform at the depotwill
completely shut off this crossing,
and will compel the seeking of
another route into the city, probably
via 18th street to State and in that
way. Having the welfare of the
city Of Salem ever uppermost in his
thoughts and work, and desiring
that the tax payers of the city
should know all that was worth
knowing concerning the matter, the
writer made an eye survey of what
will probably be the new,highway
INTO the city from the southeast,
this morning.
Fourteenth street is the eastern
most streetrunningn north and south,
now open in the city. The part
mat Will come into prominence, now,
Is mat portion lying between State
ana Oak streets-the Turner road
1Gelng the extension of Oak street.
hldlng over. this piece of roadway
Inls morning, the writer found that,
although it shows signs of being
'aVeled slightly, it was i'm very bad
condition, and in no way suited, i'm
us present state, for heavy traffic.
u0lng south from State street, the
SIDEWALK crossing is about twelve or
nlIeen inches higher than the road
grade; the road bed is fairly good,
although rough to Ferry street,
WI ,Mhere II crosses the oil mill race.
ms bridge is old, out ofrepair, and
u0es not appear safe at all. Two
oo'her culverts, or small bridges,
iiarIher out on the street are also in
uad repair, and, unless some means
may be devised for turning all the
y water that usually pOurs over this
NAT IN winter, into one of the num-
eIous channels of Mill creek, much
y the road way from Oak to Mill
sueet will prove dangerous navi-
fauo1n' in winter. A good deal of
olush, a stump or two and other
t9os'ructions in the road will have to
- taken out, and, i'm fact, a good
ueSl OF work will have TO be done
ana money expended to put Four
'eeilth street in a sufficiently