Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-20
TOPAVE HER STREETS
a NEW ORDINANCE ADOPTED BY THE
MANCHESTER COUNCIL
Several Important Thoroughfares to lie
Improved-Othcr Business-hore
Liquor-Dealers Fined, &c.

Llquor-Dealers Fined, &c.
J The Manchester Council is a working
/ body composed Of some Of the most pro-
( gressiye businessmen of the city.
The sessions are usually harmonious and
/ orderly, and while there is no undue haste
/ in the transaction Of business, there is usu-
( ally lack Of long, windy speeches.
( Nothing indicates the growth of the
/ city's affairs more clearly than the great
/ increase of the labors Of her lawmakers.
A few years ago il was rare thing 20
+ hold q special meeting, and the monthly
gatherings were usually dull and the SIT
tngs short. Now hardly month passes
without either special or ADJOURNED ses-
/ sion.
There were three meetings in May, the
I same number in June. and all OF them long
ones Two have been held this month
| and there will be another one next Friday
night.
LAST NIGHT.
At the regular July meeting there was
great mass Of business aud when most OF
/ the papers had been cleared from the table
+ the body decided to adjourn over 20 last
! night. when il was thought the only TWO
! important subjects left on the table-the
Free-bridge appropriation and the resoi u
tiOn 10 open Semmes street.might be
/ fully discussed and acted on A long ses-
sion was held, but neither matter was dls-
/ posed of.
When President Perdue called the body
I to order at 8:35 o'clock the following othcr
members were present Messrs. James l..
/ Bradley. John O'Bren, f. W. Weisiger, W.
/ s. Rollin. Philip Browder. II. G. Beatte,
/ Robert Harris, w. r. Hart, c. A. Jones,
and A. &. Jones The only absentee was
Mr.. BENJAMIN I. Faulkner. City-Attorney
/ William !. Clopton occupied seat IN the
chamber
sTREET-PAvING.
The first matter Of business taken up was
| the new street t-paving ordinance presented
AT last FRIDAY nights meeting and fully
reported in the DiY0'cb. The ordinance
provides in brief. that when the city -haN
! have graded any street and laid the cur bIns
and guttcring the propcrty-owncri snail
within fifteen davs, pave the sidewalk IN
front of their lots.
An amendment was adopted providing
1 that when the property corners ON TWO
streets the owners thereof shall bear one
/ half Of the expense of the pavement on
the side street, including the parailelogram
at the corner formed by the two curbings
and the two lines drawn thereirOm 10 the
corner Of the lot.
Several other amendments were pro-
posed. and nearly an hour was consumed
I in the discussion of the matter. Inc
amendments were all defeated and the or
dinance was adopted as a whole. The law
is the same now in operation in Richmond
with slight notifications.
BUILDING PERMITS.
Several pcrrons were granted permits for
/ the erection Of frame dwellings IN the city
limits. One or more of these are TO he
handsome Cowardin-ayenue residences.
STREET IMPROVEMENT,
The Committee on Streets recommended
the grading Of the following streets:
Porter from Twelfth to COwardin ave-
nue..
Perry from Fourteenth to Cowardin ave
nue.
Fourteenth from Porter TO Perry.
Also that Fourteenth street from Hull to
Perry and Ninth. from Hull to the River
View road be curbed and paved with grau-
ite spalls.
II is estimated that the work on Four
teenth street will cost about S3.0l8.l3 ::
Ninth street will cost something less.
The report was adopted.
STREET RAILWAY.
BIr. Beattie, for Mr.. John G. Robertson,
Of Baltimore, who was present, introduced
| the following:
Resolrod. That the Southsidc Land and
/ Improvement Company he authorized 10
| construct and operate street railway in
: the streets of the city of Manchester and
on the bridges the property OF sad city,
upon such streets and upon such terms as
NAV be agreed upon by the Committee on
| Streets and approved by the Council,
which contract snail be drawn by the City
Attorney, in pursuance of the provisions
of an act cf Assembly approved March 3;
1854. and printed on page 80 Of the Revised
| Ordinances.
Theresolution was referred to the Com
mittcc on Streets, where the petition of the
company asking to be permitted 20 con-
struct a railway now u. Neither the petit
tion nor the resolution specify on what
street the tracks shall be laid.
srNn1Es-srREET BRIDGE.
The following was read and referred TO
| the Street Committees
To ne Honorable city Council Of the city Of
| Manchester:
Gentlcmen.-In pursuance Of PROPOSE
tion made YOUR honorable body by the
owners of the Spring Hill land some
/ months ago relating to the opening OF
Semmes street and the building of an iron
bridge across the Richmond and Peters
burg railroad ! will state that our COM
panv is now ready to commence the con-
/ struction of the bridge. and as the small
wooden bridge recently constructed across
/ the railroad extends ont into Semmes,
/ directly in the line of our bridge, L
respectfully ask that our company be al
F lowed to remove the same, as our bridge
/ viii afford ample accQmmodationto tor traVel
across the railroad. ] would also ask that
we be allowed 10 extend our bridge as far
along the line of the railroad into COwardln
/ aVeuue rs may be necessary.
| Respectfully submitted.
! John c. RoBERTsoN,
General Manager.
! Mr.. Robertson said his company had
already had the specifications for the
! bridge prepared. Tho structure Will be
} an iron truss bridge, thirty teet VIDE, ana
will cost about $4,000.
FREE BRIDGE.
The resolution appropriating $4,000 in
addition to the $40, 900 already at the dis
poeal of the commissioners. as Nanchcs-
f ter's half of the fund needed to build a
new bridge on the piers of the present
/ Free bridge, was next called up.
/ The acting Clerk made a search for the
report of Engineer Shirreas submitted at
n former meeting Of the Council, after 1t
had been published in the DispGfcb, but
/ conld not find il and it was thought best
TO let the subject lay over until an adj
iourned meeting TO be held next Friday
night.
In this report Mr.. Shirrefs gives an esti-
/ mate of what it would cost to put the pres
ent structure in as safe condition n II can
possibly be made and gives facts and figures
foshow whereinit would be wiserand cheap
or to build a new bridge at a cost of $4,000
/ than to spend $40. 900 or more to repair the
present one. which could not be made TO
I last longer than ten years at longest:
/ Mr.. G. A. Jones said that he had been
/ led 10 believe that the bridge could be
made safe and strong for $1,000 or little
more. and be could see no reason for
spending $4,000 and perhaps more, If such
/ was the case.
Messrs. Perdue and Rollins explained
that these figures were from the first re-
port of the engineer when only partial
examination had been made whereas when
a thorough inspection was made 1t was
found that the structure was IA worse
condition than at first supposed.
Mr.. Weisiger said he could not vote Tor
the resolution. He believed the bridge
could be made perfectly safe for fifteen
wears service, and III that time something
might turn up which would enable the city
to build a stone bridge.
Tho rnattar WAS laid over for week.