St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-21
Public improvements Which
the Authorities Have Sue
cessfully Completed.
Streets Graded, Sidewalks
Laid, Sewer Systems and
Bridges Built.
Transfers and the General
Situation in Real Estate
Circles.
The Building Trade Continues
to Loom to Very Credit
able Proportions.

The year is drawing to a close, and
ere another one is ushered it is custom
airy, not to say profitable, to moment
arily suspend the mad rush for wealth,
cast our eyes over the credit and debit
accounts, and ascertain what progress
has been made in the twelve months.
Despite the croakings of few alarm
lists, the citizen, when he comes to sum
up the present position of st. Paul. can
hot fail but be torcIbly impressed with
the stableness and general all-around
prosperity. TO be sure, the public i'm
proYements of this year may not as
sumo the gigantic proportions of what
was chronicled few years ago. That
ought not to be expected. The I'M
prOvements accomplished in the city
in the past have more than
kept pace with its growth, great
and rapid as this has been. Conse-
quently it is more than can be expected
that the improvements should continue
on the same large scale; and to say that
it is sign of decay if the improve
ments do not maintain the same yearly
proportions is positively absurd. The
growth of the city may be equal. proba-
bly, more than equal. to that of few
years back. and yet so admirably have
the authorities laid the foundations Tor
a huge metropolitan center, that. be-
You'd private enterprise, there is COM
paritively little remaining to be done in
the way of public imprOventS. What
has been done this year and remains to
be done may be briefly mentioned:
Something Accomplished.
The most important piece of grading
inaugurated was the cutting of Fairview
street, through Jackson street hill. by
which cut the city railway is to pass to
northern parts The material taken
out is used to fill up about eighteen
acres of low land south of the Great
Northern railway shops and between
Rice and jackson streets. The next
important piece of grading is the West
side level, from the Kansas City railroad
to the high bridge. The Langford Park
tract of about eight and a half acres
was to have been filled this season, but
the search for the bottom will
delay the work until next sea-
son. Three and half miles
of work Oh Minnehaha street has been
undertaken, and, when this is finished,
seven and quarter miles of this street
will be graded. Rice, Mississippi and
CORTLAND streets have been graded to
the north city limits. Two miles of
Fairview avenue, south of Marshall.
are under way, and the widening of
West Seventh street to eighty feet for
about three miles from the Fort Smell
ing bridge will be completed the coming
summer. Other work of the year may
be grouped i'll this wise:
West of Covington and South of University,
six miles.
West ST. Paul, exclusive of the levee, four
miles.
jerks and Lawson streets, from Mississippi
to Earl, three miles.
Vicinity Of Como Pork and Hamline, four
miles.
In Rice Street Villas, two miles.
lie great Midway system OF sewers.
AZ miles; the Milton street system, 4
miles; and the ROBBIE street system of
" est st. Paul, 2 miles, have been fin
iShed. The Arlington Hills system. 4
miles, is three-quarterS done, and the
large sewer TO run from Minnehaha
stree tthree-quarterS of mile up Phalen
creek is well started.
Paving has been confined principally
to Maria avenue. All of the street
east of Seventh has just been finished.
The Selby avenue paving has been ex-
tended tour blocks west of Victoria
street.
Headway is being made in bridge
building. The Broadway piers will be
brought above high water, in accord
ance with the modified injunction. The
Selby avenue bridge across the 81 ort
line was completed in October. The
foundations of the Sixth street bridge
across the railways are completed. and
the work Of erection may begin in Feb
ruary.
About half as many woed sidewalks
have been laid as last year, and the
stone and cement works-about three
miles and a half in all-have been prin-
cipalDy laid by owners.
The mileage of streets sprinkled was
increased about 10 per cent over last
year.
There were 800 gas lamps and pa
gasoline lamps have been added during
the year.
Contracts.
The contracts for public improve