Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-27

There will be an effort to keep the militia
from getting tae 50-year lease they have
been offered, and to have the place opened
| for market purposes, but 1 suppose it will
| not amount to anything The people in
! this neighborhood are not going to be shut
/ out without making some noise, how
ever"
Allen Marlatt, who lives on Forbes street,
opposite the market house, said he for one
would patronize the markets if they were
| opened.
''If the city is determined to make lease
| it should be for shorter time than so
| years." he continued. "The downtown
markets are ALWAYS so crowded that it takes
long time to be waited on. They are so
| far away that half day is spent in mar
keting. while if we had market house
| here it would not require more than half an
hour. 1t is all right for people who ride in
| carriages to go down town and order what
| they want brought to them, but those who
carry their purchases home in baskets would
sooner get them close at hand, epecially
when the city, with the taxpayers money,
bought a site and built big house for mar
ket purposes / don't think they have any
right to lease it, but if they have, and in
sist on doing so, it will be contrary to the
wishes of the people who live in this neigh
borhood.
A Plan for Public Accommodation.
Henry and George Smith. of the firm of
Smith Bros, hardware dealers, at 515 Fifth
avenue, stated that they had been talking
about the market house just before the re-
porter called.
"We were thinking" said one of them,
''that it would be capital idea to put an
other story On top of the one there now is
opd usa II foy ba1 ha loUor CT cou Id
then be used for market purposes and the
upper one or public hall. 1t would hold
= tremendous lot of people and would at
the same time be an ornament to the street.
A building like that is now is a disgrace to
the town. 1t would be all right if it were
taken care of, but it has been allowed to get
wrecked, until now only the brick walls
are in good shape.
81 think there would be no doubt that the
markets would be patronized if opened
again. There are great many more people
in this part of the town now than there was
ten years ago, and besides the downtown
markets are getting so crowded that custom
ers have to wait long time to be served.
When the market house was built out here
we thought were getting big boom.
Rents went up and every person congratu-
lated himself 1t seems to have been mis-
taken idea, however, but even at this late
day we might get some benefit from it. "
John Wilson, of Forbes street, and James
Sloan, OF Tustin street.. were asked if the
markets would be patroniZed if opened, and
both replied that they thought they would.
The former said public meeting might be
held to present the demand of the citizens
of that vicinity to Councils. He was in
favor of making a fight for a market house
and believed that determined move would
be victorious.
James Heinz, butcher on Fifth avenue,
opposite the engine house. said that he had
found from experience in business that peo-
pie would buy as near home as possible. He
did not see who the market house could not
be run successfully and said it was the
fault of the CITY officials that it was allowed
to 60 down before.
When the market house was visited
yesterday, the janitor, if there is one,
could not be found. A colored
minister was sweeping out room in the
lower corner that had formerly been drug
store 1t has since been rented by the
Free Baptists, colored, and the spot where a
few years ago oprescrIptionswerec compounded
is now occupied by the pulpit from which
gospel is.expounded.
A Very Queer Combination.
1t is Just on the opposite side of the wall |
from the place where prize fight was to be
fought, and under the floor was Gusky, the !
elephants, quarters last winter On the |
other side of the building, smother Baptist |
church has rented room.
The proposition to lease the property to
the Eighteenth Regiment and Battery B is
now before the Finance Committee. The
trustees for the military organizations are
c. L. Magee, A. f. Heating, Chambers Nc
Kibben, Lewis T. Brown. Alfred E. Hunt,
Norman NJ. Smith and William H. Davis
In the proposed lease they agree to put up
a $4,000 building to be finished July 1,
1898. The city is to have use of the hall
for public meetings and to get one-half of
for other meetings The build-
ing would, of course, belong to the city
after the lease expires. If the Finance
Committee recommends that the lease be
made, it will then have to go to Councils
for confirmation.