The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-11
ROANOKE, VA. AUGUST IL, 1892.
TOO WIDE A GRANT.

The action of Council, Tuesday night,
in passing the ordinance re-enacting,
extending and confirming the franchises
of the Roanoke Street Railway Com
pany, might to good advantage have
been deferred for more mature consid-
Grafton. The street railway company
itself will undou btedly find flaws which
will need amendment, and the city, too,
MAY discover points where too wide
margin of privileges and powers has
been granted.
The TINES wishes the widest measure
Of success to the street railway company.
Its promoters are spending money like
water to give Roanoke the finest cleo
trio system in the South. They are fur
nishing the city with the best adver-
tisement of progress it has had in two
years, and it is.to be hoped that their
remuneration will be equal to their de-
serts. But, in granting franchises for
the use of public highways, the utmost
care should be exercised that the best
interests of the public are served.
For instance it is, not advisable to
confirm the right of the street railway
company, as the ordinance does, "to
operate its cars in any manner pro-
vided in its charter" That per1nits
the company to use steam and run
freight trains on any street occupied or
TO be occupied by its tracks. It's, more
over, Of questionable expediency to
allow double track on any part of
Campbell street.
There Is, besides, room for serious
question in regard to the occupation of
the streets in Northeast Roanoke and
the crossing Of Randolph street bridge.
The ordinance grants rights to occupy
streets there as follows:
"Beginnng at the intersection OF Campbell
avenue and Second street q. G.; thence across the
bridge TO Shenandoah avenue II. o.; thence ON
Shenandoah avenue toSccond street II G. thence on
Second street 10 Commonwealth avenue; thence
on Commonwealth avenue to Rutherford avenue:
thence on Rutherford avenue to Kimhall avenue:
thence on kimball avenue to Seventh street:
thence on Seventh street to Lynchburg avenue
Beginning at tho intersection
of Commonwealth avenue and Second street II.
G.; thence rorth on said Second street to North
Jefferson street,
This quoted section is of more impor
lance than appears at first sight. Roa-
noke is rapidly advancing toward the
honored position Of the second city in
Virginia. 1t is as inevitable as fate that
atan early day the Chesapeake and Ohio,
Gha Raltinnrn nd
some one of the several Virginia roads
will seek entrance to Roanoke from the
North. An examination Of the topog-
raphy of the country near Roanoke
shows that the two most avallable-in
fact, the two m ost Observation-Disclosures
into the city are included in the above
grant 20 the street rail way company.
Second street parallel with Lick Run
and Seventh street are the entrances in
dicated as presenting terminal facili-
ties for railroad companies. They are of
ancalculable value. For the legitimate
purpose OF the street railway company
they are of small value, for to the sim.
plest mind 1t must be evident that wears
must elapse before "a dividend earning
traffic could be established on the pro-
posed lines in Northwest Roanoke.
1t is certainly worthy of the most Sc.
rious reconsideration on the part of
Council, whether or not they are not on
the verge of parting with franchises
which would be of the greatest value TO
the city in the near future; whether or
not, in fact, they are not about to make
1t practically impossible for new rail.
road to secure an entrance into Roam.
oke. We believe that large majority
OF Council will be in favor of second
survey of the situation.
To the Mountain Ton