Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-09
CARNEGIE CAPTURED
By the Panoramic View From
the Top Of Heron Hill.
SCHENLEY PARK FAVORED.
The Free Library Trustees on a Cable
Car Juuket.
BEDFORD BASIN ONLY A BRANCH


"For the first time in my life in Pitts
burg" said Mr.. Carnegie last evening, a
he alighted from James B. Scott's private
carriage at Union depot, preparatory to re
pairing to Mr.. H. C. Frick's suburban
home, "I have viewed the length, breadth
and height of our city," and that abou
expresses the results of the tour of tine Boart
of Trustees of the Carnegie free library.
As to the net results of the tour it canno
be said that anything is settled, as a forma
meeting of the Board must occur before any
definite action can be taken in favor of any
site or sites, but if straws show which way
the wind blows. a whole stack was turned
loose to indicate the drift of sentiment yes
terday. As fair assumption, the Bedford
avenue site may get a branch library, but
in the vicinity of the entrance of Schenley
Park will be the aggregated buildings which
Mr.. Carnegie has denominated as ''the main
arrangement" including a magnificent
music hall, an art gallery, a museum OF
science and curios, a scientific reference
library, and the academy of arts and
sciences building.
AN INTERESTING TOUR.
The trip was OF great interest to the Board
of Trustees, nearly all of whom, both civic
and official, managed to make it convenien
to be present. At just o'clock the assem-
bled gentlemen clustered around Mr.. Car
negie upon the lower parapet of the Bedford
basin, and looked ruefullY at the squalid
tenements and rookeries which fringe the
city land. Mr.. Carnegie had a tracing
paper map of the Bedford site, which he un-
folded and pointed to as he gave expression
to his evident prediction for the site as the
location of the music hall and the main
library, but it must be said that Mr.. Car
negie approached the site with much more
favorable impressions than those he carried
away with him.
The discussion was democratic, everybody
taking hand. Said Mr.. Heating: 81 be-
lieve could promise that the city would
rather buy a more eligible site and donate
it, than to give this site for the main library
and music hail. Mr.. McCargo remarked
that in winter time people who desired to
scale the hill would need Canadian snow
shoes and an alpenstock. Mr.. Scott called
attention to the inaccessibility exceptby one
channel of traffic,
SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS.
Mr.. Carnegie thought a row of trees along
the hillside would keep away the smoke
from the railroad. 1t was conceded that
great local improvements would have to
take place in order to make the surroundings
harmonic with the building. Another re-
mark made was that the building or build
ings were bound to be archftecturally over
shadowed by the gaunt facade of the High
School. Mr.. Carnegie said that the sur
roundings would come all right, as indeed
they would when any fine building was
located in given spot. Mayor Gourley
thought the draining of the basin would
give a chance for a park on either side of the
buildings.
All sorts of ideas were advanced, but the
sentiment against Bedford avenue for a
main library and music hall was so en-
phatic that it was easy to be seen that site
would not be "kneehigh to grasshopper"
when the trustees assembled in solemn con-
clave. Mr.. Carnegie sighed and folded up
the little plan, which was seen no more.
GOOD FOR A BRANCH.
1t was remarked pleasantly that Mr. Car
negie resembled Speaker Reed in being al
wavs ready to bolster up the views of the ma
jority, and the majority left the basin with
the fate "f that location decided upon as a
good place for a branch library if the city
would park the property and clear away
some of the debris infesting the proximity
"On to Hardscrabble' was next the
watchword, DR.. McKelvy being anxious
that the trustees should view that deleetable
locality. The gentlemen made an imposing
arrav as they tramped vigorously down
Wylie avenue and across to "Hardscrabble"
via Ross street, and the tatterdemaliuns of
the localities traversed gazed awestruck at
the man who had given away 81 600, 900 and |
the gentlemen who were to e1peud it for
him. Right opposite the mouth of the tun-
mel the party halted and gazed at the monde
script architecture which constitutes the
settlement clinging to the city side of
Boyd's Hill. The festive goats still digest
ing the matutinal repast of tomato cans, and
the prize shanties from which trowsy young
sters poured to undergo examination, made
q picture of some interest from a spectacular
but for library purposes not
even of passing interest.
AN ANIMATED DEBATE.
The party formed group, with Mr.. Car
AegIe in the center, and an animated debate |
took place upon the accessibility of sites in |
general. Mavor Gourley advanced the |
opinion that so long as the great mills and |
continued to skirt the banks |
of the rivers, so long would the masses pre-
serve q residence proximity. In support of |
that argument he asked which the main |
library and the music hall was for, the |
masses or the classes? Somebody said |
''both," and everybody laughed. Mr.. |
Heating maintained that in New York |
Citv no public hail or theater below Union |
square was now a success.
The discussion became general, and was |
BY Mr.. Scott, who requested Mr.. /
and the trustees to journey to the
top OF Heron Hill, where an instructive |
view of the city, past, present and future,
could be best obtained. So the procession
wended its way to Wylie avenue, where a
Central Traction car was boarded. Mr. H. /
K. Porter played the Macenas to the extent
OF Is 5-cent fares by virtue of getting a
daddy dollar into the hands of the conductor
before the other solid men dived into their
pockets.
EFFECTS OF RAPID TRANSIT.
1t took Just Is minutes to reach the ter
minus, and meanwhile everybody chatted
pleasantly and craned their necks out of the
car windows, noting the marvellous improve
ments which have taken place in the Hill
district since rapid transit was secured.
Mr. Holiday looked at the steen ascent
Of Heron Hill and then at his injured and
scarcely healed ankle, and concluded to
forego the climb. Mayor Gourley returned
10 CITY Hall, and Mr.. George a. Macbeth