Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-12
THEY HURT TRADE.
East End People Keep Up the ClamOI
Against Bad Streets.
DEEIALs OF A DEAL IN REALTY
Which Leave People Free to Pay Their
Money and Take Their Choice.
WILLIAMSBURG WATER WORKS TESTED

WILLIAMSBURG WATER WORKS TESTED
There are a number Of streets in the East
End which are practically blocked BY their
bad condition, greatly injuring the renting
and selling of property in their nelghbor-
hood. Why should these streets remain In
this condition in the face Of an ordinance
authorizing their improvement? Owners Of
abutting property are willing and anxious
to pay for grading and paving, but can DO
nothing until the authorities take the In
itiative. 1t is an important matter and
should be attended to at once.
1t will throw little light on this subject
to state that Wood street merchant started
for Williamsburg yesterday morning in q
buggy drawn by a strong horse, and stuck In
the mud on Penn avenue just where the pave
ment ends. He had to wade out and secure |
help to recover his rig.
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A denial was made in these columns BY |
Messrs. Heron & Sons that the Tradesmen's
National Bank was the purchaser OF the NC |
| Combs property, corner of Fourth avenue and |
| Wood street. Yesterday, however, the TACT |
came out unequivocally that the purchase was
for the bank and that while it was an indiVld
ual who appeared as buyer, he acted merely as
| agent for the bank.
Other denials were floating around yesterday |
very freely of the transaction reported in some
of our cotemporaries involving the sale OF the
| Bissell lot 8Sx6O corner of Sixth avenue and |
Wood street, for sl52 600 Mr.. Bissell denied it
l. to David p Black and other Fourth avenue
real estate people. Messrs. Heron Sons.
who were quoted by our cotemporarles rs the
agents selling the property, sent word to THE
DISPATCH last evening; I'VE are not aware
of the sale of the property"
If denials are at all supposed to deny in the
real estate business, it is presumed these
| ought to be tolerably conclusive, though 1t IS
strange there should be SO much smoke unless
there is some fire also.
The Philadelphia gentleman. Mr.. Herbert
| Crawford who came to Pittsburg few days
ago to buy q square of land upon which to
buildttenement houses, but abandoned the pro-
ject as he alleged, because Of the high price OF
property In the downtown district where he
desired to invest was easily scared. If he had
taken the right course and made application to
almost any real estate agent on Fourth
he could easily have secured all the ground he
wanted for this purpose at reasonable price.
Commenting upon Mr.. Crawford's fiasco, Henry
| A Weaver said yesterday: II have repeatedly
stated that when people come here, and with
great flourish Of trumpets announce that they
are going to buy up large blocks Of real estate,
| in nine cases out of ten they do not mean busi-
ness at all. It's all bluster and wind. A man
who proposes to invest largely in anything does
very little talking. l am afraid the Philadel-
phia gentleman is one Of the windy sort. II he
meant business. and had gone quietly to some
reputable real estate firm, he would have found
plenty Of land at reasonable figures. But it he
wanted merely q little cheap notoriety he took
the proper course to secure it"
Last week was a notable one in real estate
circles for the number of large transactions
and reports of important deals yet to be con-
summated. The sale of piece of business
property at the rate Of 81, 400 foot 'front.' the
highest price ever realized in Pittsburg, was
revelation to the public as to the financial altl
tude which downtown property has attained
This should not, however, be accepted as .
criterion of value, as the purchaser had
special object in view which was superior to
money, and owners who 60 wild over the at
tractive figures will make mistake. Such
sales are not made every day.
The interest shown by the public in this and
other transactions of recent date demonstrates
very clearly that more attention is being paid
to movements in real estate than at any other
time in the history of the city. The market is
not more closely watched by the capitalist than
the workingman. Both have special interest
in 1.-THE former as a medium Of speculation
and the latter to acquire a home; and as the
class of people he represents are the principal
buyers values to great extent are under his
control To put them beyond his reach would
curtail the demand. Owners understand this,
and seem disposed to be reasonable. The in
stances are rare where they place an extrava-
oIro as sud; |
cious management the real estate interest will
remain active for years. A contrary course
the adoption of extravagant ideas and all that
this implies-would inevitably result in rese-
tion similar in its effects and consequences to
that of 1873, of which many still retain a dis
tinct and sorrowful recollection.
There was no particular movement in the
general lines of trade. Weather and roads
were unfavorable to special activity in many
lines Money was easy. There were no new
features in the iron industry Prices were gen.
orally steady. There was more activity in local
securities, and some of the favorites-Philadel-
phia Gas ally-recovered lost ground.
Luster Mining Company was the weakest spot
in the market, but closed at something better
than the lowest point. There was rally in oil
on Friday, but the market took the opposite
tack yesterday. and got back into the we'll
worn rut
An official test by the Pennsylvania Water
Company given in Williamsburg, resulted salts
factorily to all parties concerned. Two previ-
Gus tests had been given. The Borough Water
Committee and several Pittsburg iremen were
present in addition to host Of local spec
tators, The demonstrations took place at four
different points, at the plugs located respect
iyely at the corner of Penn avenue and Hay
street, Wood and Ross streets, Wood and
Franklin streets, and Hay and Franklin.
streets.
A brisk wind was blowing and sprayed the
water sooner than ordinarily. With natural
pressure Of los pounds to the square inch, from
the plug at the corner Of Wood and Franklin
streets, 100 feet from the Catholic church. the
water reached the base of the cross on the
church steeple. The city fremen in charge Of
the nozzle said that on a calm day the stream
would have cleared the cross by ten feet. The
plug at the corner of Penn avenue and Hay
street threw solid stream horizontally dis |
tance Of l75 feet, oneinch nozzle being used
At the other two plugs the water was thrown
against the wind, and with a eorrespondingly
opposite effect
The above pressure, 1t should be remem-
bered, is natural one. no artificial force what
ever being used. With the reservoir full the
pressure can be increased to 150 pounds to the
square inch. The construction Of the system, 1t
is estimated, has increased the value of Will
kinsburg property Is per cent and given won
derful boom to building in that vicinity.
Messrs. Harlow q Co. were the constructing
engineers and the officers Of the company are:
President, John D. Cherry; Treasurer, Samuel
Doubt; Superintendent, W. A. Alexander.
Braddock will be supplied by this company
some time during the spring.
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