Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-27
AN ORIGINAL IDEA.
A Market House on the Allegheny
River for Use of Both Cities.
DETAILS OF THE BIG SCHEME.
House Building Goes Bravely On, and .
Word About Moving Day.
PITTSBURG AND HER LITTLE CRITICS

Land is scarce and valuable in the bust
ness part of Pittsburg, and any suggestion,
idea or plan to ease up the pressure and in.
J crease the business area is entitled to re-
!, spectful consideration. From multiple
lty of devices there may eventually be
evolved project which will give the neces-
sary relief.
With this purpose in view, former resi-
dent Of Boston, but now prominent manu-
faeturer of this city, whose name is at the
command Of anyone who may become inter
ested in the matter, in coversation with
The DISPATCH representative yesterday,
advanced an idea, at once original and
novel, the adoption of which, in his opinion,
would bring into use large amount OF sur
face space in the heart of the
city, which is greatly needed for
business purposes. The idea is this:
That when the contemplated bridge
over the Allegheny river at Fifth street, shall
be built, the space between it and the Sixth
street bridge be floored and rooted over SO as
to form building of sufficient size and strength
for market house for the two cities, and SO
constructed as to afford a convenient passage
way for teams and pedestrians from one side OF
the, river to the other. In other words, the
| proposition is to make continuous bridge from
| Fifth to Sixth street, rooted and Aoored, with
doors, windows, stalls and other conveniences
for the purposes of general market, and with
| roadways at the sides and in the center to allow
of free and easy ingress and egress.
He is perfectly satisfied as to the feasibility
| of the scheme. As to the cost, he thinks it
could be easily betrayed by the proceeds of the
sale of the property now used for market house
| purposes in Pittsburg and Allegheny; or, if the
cities should prefer to hold this property for
other municipal uses. bonds could be issued to
| cover the expense, which would not be great.
| Rents from stalls and other market privileges
would be large enough to soon cancel the debt.
The gentleman, who has given considerable
| thought to the matter, maintains that 1t is en-
tirely practicable, in proof of which he cities
Similar structure over the river Seine at Paris,
one over the Danube at Buda-Pesth and the
old London bridge over the Thames, which was
| covered with substantial houses, used both for
residence and business purposes.
Should the space between the Sixth and
Seventh street bridges be deemed preferable
for any reason-centrality of location, for in
stance-the improvement could be made there.
The lateness of the season makes but little
impression upon the building industry 1t was
active last week. Fifty-one permits were taken
out. The estimated cost of the improvements
is s112567. Very few large houses figure in the
list, the large majority being of medium size,
which is just what Pittsburg needs-houses to
shelter the bone and sinew, the wealth creators
of the community.
So far this year. the permits issued from the
Building Inspectors Office, numbers 2,225 To
this must be added large number of houses
in various stages of completion, for which per-
mts have not been applied for. These number
probably 2O0 making total for the expired
portion of the year of nearly $500 the cost of
which will exceed IS. $50 900. This is doing well
Pittspurg is growing.
While nearly everybody is friendly to Pitts
| burg for what she has done as a leader of
| thought and action in all the great movements
| of the age, once in a while Rip Van Winkle
from some comatose community, Philadelphia
or Baltimore generally, pays us a visit to gather
inspiration from the rush and push SO charac-
teristic of our people, stays few days, and
falls to sleep again. Before doing whicn, how
ever, he summons up sufficient energy to say
that Pittsburg doesn't amount to much, is
overrated, that natural gas is playing out. that
the streets are dirty. the buildings .scrawny,
and more Of the same sort of stuff
Pittsburg can stand any amount OF this kind
of criticism. No one has ever claimed that she
is pleasure resort, or a retreat for loafers.
The city was built for business, and the original
purpose of its founders has been literally car
ried out. She is to-day, as she has always been.
hive of industry, devoted to the development
of the resources Of nature and all that is best
in man. The streets are for business, and they
serve this purpose admirably. The same kind
OF traffic passing over the streets of Philadel-
phia or Baltimore would ruin them in a month
The buildings are for use, not show. Still
many of them are imposing in size and dis
tinguished for architectural beauty. As for
natural gas. it hasn't played out. There is
plenty of 1t for manufacturing and domestic
purposes, and will be for years to come Pitts
burg possesses other things to make her great
and prosperous, which should be taken into
the account by her critics-for instance, brains,
energy and money.
With her marvellous growth in population
and business, and with a manifest destiny TO
still more completely overshadow all rivals
Pittsburg well afford to let her critics rave
Of all the cities in America which will be
visited by the South and Central Americans
more will so deeply impress them as Pittsburg,
and of none will they carry to their homes |
such pleasing and lasting recollections.
The principal features of local business last |
week were continued activity in the iron trade |
and liberal movement OF all the staple prod. |
ucts. There were no material changes in values |
but they were well maintained. There was |
surplus of money, although many other points |
east and west complained of scarcity. Rates |
were steady at 5G6 on call and 667 on time. |
Real estate wasactive.
In the speculative branch the features were a |
bad break in Philadelphia Gas Company stock. |
and sharp advance in petroleum. The in |
fuences affecting the Philadelphia stock were |
those which have been used BY the bears for |
some time-insuficient supply indicating per- |
manent shortage, and loss of business resulting |
in decreased earnings. The bears on the mar. |
ket were the only ones able to find sufficient |
reasons for these opinions. The stock closed |
steady at a fraction above the lowest point of |
the decline.
The advance in petroleum was due entirely |
to statistical conditions. which show rapid |
growth in consumption and steady depletion |
in stocks In view Of this fact, and of the ad. |
mitted scarcity of the product and with no |
prospect of making good the deficiency from |
territory where operations are now in progress.
the opinion widely obtains that the present ad.
vance will not be checked until the price
reaches 81 % or 81 So Statistics favor the latter
figure.
Those especially interested in procuring a
change of moving day from April to May l. to
avoid the inclement weather which generally
prevails at the former date, should begin to
stir ths9 9selves, as time is passing and the fate
f,,I v,ariod ;s drawInO naar Go 70 landlo.a,