New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-29
IMPROVEMENTS At CHICAGO.
Low wATER-LAwN IMMIGRATION
personal
Iur TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUSE-I

cHlAGo. April os-The present season IS one OF
remMable activity in improvement of city property,
lnd Re amount Of money that IS being expended IN
bcautying and adorning the grounds OF public ana
prive property Is wholly unprecedented In the
histOr OF Chicago. The spirit of Improvement IS
confed 10 no section Of the city, but Is every
wher U,anifest The vicinity of the Lake Shore drive
Is OF of the sections which is receiving most atten-
ton / the present time A number of fine residences
haveieen built here which adj greatly to the beauty
and effectiveness of this fashionable district Among
shonis the imposing house Of ]. V. Farwel ana De-
iwee Mr. Farwells and the neat house north, that
Of Ms. Jones, Mr.. Z. B. McCagg and Mr. Healy, the
srtis own lots On the corner of Bellevue place
and ne drive opposite Mr. Joness structure,
Is ID house of william Borden, which Is one OF the
hancomest in Chicago. NJ; Borden is a compare
tive young man and made fortune Of about a
millin some ten years ago by rich strike In the
Blsc Hills, where he was engaged as superintendent
Of anime. Between Mr. Borden's and the park arc
the residences Of Robert Lincoln, Potter Palmer,
Fraklln Mcveagh and two or three others. Several
Of tese houses have only boon lately finished The
wor Of building enormous concrete sea wall along
the rive, which begun last year, has now been
resumed and It is expected that before autumn the
who drive viii be protected by this structure
According to the city engineers, Lake Michigan this
yea is foot lower than year ago, and then the
lakevas six tenths of foot lower than in 1856 The
eres Of the low water felt at almost every port
on no lake, but specially here, al the mouth Of the
chi.go River, where extensive dredging will have to
be one TO make a proper channel The engineer
futer states that the average depth of in the
gret lakes run in cycles of nine years each that IS
thSe a down shoot FOR nine years and then an up
sh0t There Is nothing IN the explanation put for
wlh " some vesselmen that the lakes are being
dane by the deepening Of the channel in the rivers
bdweei Lakes Huron and Erie, as there low
water sfore these rivers we're disturbed and there
has beer high water since they deepencd.
Chcap made her usual rapid transition from winter
10 sumnr this week, and the mercury, which tho
first PAL Of the week was near the freezing point
yuddenlywent TO so degrees above on Thursday. The
warm wathcr has caused great activity among all
the tenn clubs here, and from present indications
this spoi will be more popular than ever here this
year Iere are three well-known clubs here In the
city bescs scores of smaller clubs In the suburbs
and eacione Of the Chicago clubs has now reached
the lminf its membership. The tournament OF the
Northwoern Lawn Tennis Association, which VIII
bring pkers together from all over the West, Will
DO held lere In July.
Mr.. Ell Sheldon, rich Chicsgoan now in Rome,
writes 3 Chicago Historical society that he has
purcha fine set of plaster casts of fourteen
antique ,,rtrait busts of famous of the olden
time web lie has donated to the society and will
ship TIM direct TO this city as soon the series
Is connected. The Executive Committee Of the
society making very earnest effort to raise
$4,000 for new building. OF which a considerable
portionaas been subscribed and II IS expected that
the who amount VIII be raise In time 10 begin
buildinf this season.
Msyt Roche has returned from MS inspection OF
elcyaeraiiways In the East strongly IN favor Of this
rapid transit for Chicago. Tho early intro
duetoDf elevated roads into Chicago Is no Longer
~ = haGh ocn A ~
10 ado In the light OF the experience Of otter
cities dnbined with the peculiar formation Of Chi