The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-03

alongside of Us OF the hub, who GATE rom
the Puritan time.
nal, and We, of Boston, who advance In populs-
ton at less rapid rate, are at times inclined TO
sshide our diminished heads and award you
the palm for your remarkable energy and
Yankee-like push.
Nevertheless. when we reject that an old
community like ours shows q steady In
crease of from 10000 to I2,ooo per year, we take
"heart of grace"
/ well remember the Boston Of 1850. with In
quiet streets and It's staid, methodicaI citizens,
and compare II with the restless rush and roar
OF the present Then no one complained of
want of room for loconaotion. Omnibusses run
ming at intervals of i've or ten minutes on
Washington street 70 the South End and Rox-
bury served TO transport Ill who desired to
ride.
The inhabitants Of Charleston and Cambridge
found accommodation In q like manner. At
length daring innovator appeared and made
an application for charter for horse railroad.
aud a few DAYS ago one of the "city fathers, of
that period gave me q synopsis OF the discussion
which took place in the board OF aldermen re-
garding the matter, and the pros and cons ad-
vanced by the members. Many facetious
speeches were made. and verbatim report read
now would possess peculiar interest. The slow
but sure growth OF the town In wealth and the
necessity OF expansion to accommodate the In
creasing thousands who, not finding space for
homes In the old, contracted city limits. were
forced to seek them at greater distances from
their places of business, raised the question OF
''rapid transit" New York had been confronted
with the same dilemma, and had for the time
being solved the question by building elevated
roads Numerous petitions flooded the Massa-
ehusetts legislature for charters for the like.
Meanwhile the various horse railroad eorpor-
atoms were consolidated, and their wide awake
president, Mr. Whitney, carried out project by
which the "craze," Go be called 1t. could be al
layed and the restless masses transported at
more rapid rate. and in comfort TO themselves
and with profit to the holders of stock of the
"West End" His plan was to utilize electricity
as O motive power, and TO increase the seating
capacity of the cars. All very good, but entail
ing the expenditure of enormous sums of
money, and soon found of little or no avail in
relieving the congested arteries of the city's
cepter.
Plans for cutting new thorougfare through
an expensive section were formulated, but met
with formidable opposition from the larger
property holders, and at last, hemmed in on all
sides, he acknowledged TO the public shat sur
face roads were inadequate and must be aban
doned," and applied to Beacon hill for an ele-
vated charter which, by bribery through pow
erful lobby, he secured Nothing has been done
in the year that has elapsed since the granting
OF this valuable concession, and the public eve
elamoring for action. The long lines OF electric
and horse cars obstruct travel and render the
streets pandemonium. People who enter
conveyance have no surety OF arriving at their
destination in any given time, and curses both
loud and bitter are hurled at the management
which permits such state of affairs Now
comes q mayor, elected, so claimed, on bust
ness principles, and declares that something
shall be done" commission has been ap-
(f,fo ux,1 ha~-o 49,
the street railway committee OF the legislature.
One Henry c. spaulding has presented reti-
ton for charter to construct subferrauean
road. In his plea for a grant he spoke of the
meaning and advantages of swift transit of
the tunnels under the Detroit river and under
Broadway, New York (the latter never com
pleted). and of tunueling generally, together
with hasty glance at the Metropolitan railway,
OF London, which carried si,000.000 of passen-
gers in 1880. He then spoke OF the eighteen
lines o. steam railroads centering at Boston.
These lines, he said, ran 1850 trains day to and
from distance OF twelve miles, carrying S.
000, 900 passengers a year: not TO speak OF those
carried to and brought from longer distances.
1t was his purpose to accommodate these g.
900 600 OF people into and through the city by
underground railways / will no further
enter into the arguments he advanced,
and only add that estimates have been made
that the work can be done for little more than
81 100000 per mile. have herein spoken OF this
halter at some length. for deem Ii subject
possessing an absorbing interest for all who are
the denizens OF progressive city, and one thas
you of Seattle may at some future period find
OF importance. Had our forefathers had pre-
vision of the changes that the years were TO
bring, how differently would they have planned
Wide and straight avenues would have saved
the expenditure OF millions of money, This
work OF broadening our narrow aley-ways
falsely denominated streets) has been in pro-
gress since ls61. and it seems as though each
step In the process only entaied the necessity OF
additional expenditure. Our city debt limit has
been reached, and efforts are now being made TO
steal space from that sacred prerogative of the
people, old Boston common. Thank God! the
git OF that noble enclosure was so hedged
around with wise restrictions when bestowed
upon the municipality that il has remained
tnyioiate. EDGAR y. LORD.