The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-19
THE BULL STREET PAVING.
The Work May Be Done This Sprins
After All.

After All.
The paving Of Bull street Alderman Har-
mon says, cannot begin before Nov. 1, for
two reasons. One is the city ordinance
preventing the upturning Of the soil from
May TO Nov. l, and the other is the diff
Guilty in obtaining curbing, on account of
labor strike at Sparta, where the mate
rial has been ordered.
1t has been suggested that the grad
ing could be done by Nav II
commenced Immediately. and then the
paving could be carried on In con-
formity with the requirements of the ordi-
nance, and the people be given In
opportunity OF using the pavement
during the warm weather. Alderman Har-
mon SAID that this could be done, but tMr,
Schart, Of the Warren charf, has not vet
arrived to sign the contract, and will not
get here IN time to do the grading before the
prohlbitory ordinance takes effect The
street and lane department. he said, has
nothing to do with the grading. The con-
tract with the asphalt company includes
grading as well as paving. The explana-
ton given for the paving Of Bull street not
having been brought up earlier is that there
was other work to be looked after.
Aldermen Harmon and Bailey both ex-
expressed their disapproval of the prohibi-
tory ordinance on the upturning Of the soil
They think that the little excavating re-
quired for the laying of the asphalt would
not IN any way jeopardize the health of the
city, not over six inches excavation being
required.
Why" said Alderman Bailey, "heavily
loaded wagons and carts cut as deep into
the soil, and no trouble ever results. ~
Alderman Harmon said that the ordinance
greatly interferes with the work of i'm
proving the streets. at gives" said he,
practically but five months in the year
Tor work A crossing, even, cannot be put
down during the six months from May to
November"
Nevertheless, the ordinance is on the stat
ute books and remains in force until some
OF the aldermen find a remedy for it. AL
derman Bailey is In favor of having the
work of grading Bull street done by the city
before May aud charged to the Warren
Scharf Asphalt Company, but Alderman
Harmon claims this cannot be done.
Alderman Bailey wants to continue the
paving of Bull street to the park, and with
out stopping at Liberty street. He said
there will be money enough on hand to do
the work by November, and he sees no
valid reason why it shouldn't be done.
Taxes are being paid more promptly this
year than ever. and the first quarter shows
the biggest returns ever made to the treas
ury, $171. 900 being paid. This, Alderman
Bailey thinks, willgive the city big bal
ance, and he doesn't think it can be ex-
pended in more suitable manner than in
improving the streets He intends to fight
vigorously for the extension Of the asphalt
pavement to the park, both in committee
and before council.
Alderman Meldrim is another enthusi-
asst on the paving Of the fashionable
promenade. He goes even farther than
Alderman Bailey, and wants to see the as
phalt pavement carried out as far as New
Houston street around the park and extern
sion on Whitaker and Drayton streets. The
alderman says he was speaking to some
prominent property holders on Whitaker
street, and they favor the plan. One of
them went so far as to offer to pay a pro-
portion of the cost to have the City and
Suburban railway take no its track on
Whitaker from CASTOR to New Houston
street, and run through Howard street in
stead. Alderman Meldrim said that this
would give a magnificent drive and add
greatly to property values, not to say any,
thing about the Improvement it would make
to the beauty of that portion of the city.
The alderman believes his plan feasible, and
will, no doubt, ably second Alderman
Bailey's efforts when the matter comes UP
before council.
Another thing Alderman Meldrim is
anxious to have looked after is to prevent
nVo'J VI aLnC oil Jus SpuhlGeu sOT6etS. ne SAID
he would like to have a similar law to that
OF Chicago, which prohibits heavy hauling
over its asphalt streets. He doesn't believe
big trucks and wagons should be allowed to
use either Broughton, Bull or Liberty
streets. They not only tend to rapidly
wear away the pavement, but mar the
beauty of the streets as we'll
1t has been a matter of frequent comment
among citizens that these streets we're
never used for heavy traffic until they were
paved. The traffic made use of the cobble>
stone pavements. and if they could get
along on them before they should be COM
PEELED to do so now, and not ruin the hand
some pavements which were put down at
SO much expense to beautify the city.
Alderman Harmon says that the cause
of the delay in paving East Broad street
was the failure to secure a sufficient amount
of graywacke to begin the work. A strike
has been in progress at the quaries at
Lithonla, and the contract could not be
filed. The trouble has eased up, however,
and the work of grading the street and lay
ing the pavement will begin tomorrow
and be pushed rapidly to completion.