The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-12
A NEW SYSTEM NEEDED.
Mr.. saOLEs ON THE NUMBERING
OF sAVANNAR'S HOUSES.

Worse Than Useless-As a Matter Of
Economy the Numbering Should BE
Done at Once-some of the Defects
of the Present System Pointed Out.
As every one who has much travelling
about the city TO do is doubtless aware, the
houses in some localities are 80 badly num-
bered that it is difficult for a stranger to
find bis way, even with the directions OBJ
tanned from the city directory. 1t is not
the directory that is at fault, but the extern
sion of the numbering system with the
growth of the city is very badly cut.
The REMEMBERING Of the city was under
taken 10 1885, and for some portions Of the
city, where Bay street aud East Broad are
used as basal lines, the system answers
fairly we'll. But outside of these lines, as
the city has grown the streets have grown,
and the numbering with letters and numer-
ais was introduced. For instance,
on Brought0n street east of East Broad
such a number as Az may be found, which
conveys an exceedingly indefinite idea of
the locality of that place to the stranger
hunting it.
Mr.. sHoLEs TALKS.
In speaking of this matter yesterday Mr..
A. E. Sholes, manager OF the city directory,
made some very pertinent remarks.
II am glad to see >" said he, "that the
matter of numbering the streets of Savsn-
nah has been taken up, aud it ought to be
kept up until something is done. There is
no city in America, that | know Of, and |
am familiar with a great many, either
directly or indirectly, that is so poorly
and ludicrously numbered as IS
| a guide to nothing. Numbers are sup
| posed TO be a guide for strangers. The
stranger can tell where PIC South Broadis,
| for instance, when he finds the street, but
as to where P2 BroughtOn is be has no idea,
unless he has been there before and seen it.
LETTERS POOR SYSTEM
"lt is customary in some cities for dl-
| rectOries to state between what streets a
number lies. and throughout the city the
numbers run tue same on all parallel
streets. But the directory here is powerless
to do that in the case Of letters and numer-
ais, az on one side of a street going
down the blocks may be numbered
Al, Az, then Bl and By,
while coming back the numbers opposite
may be Pl and P2
FRACTIONS a NUISANCE.
THE growth OF the city has 80 contracted
| and compressed the system of numbering in
the thickly settled localities that there is no
way of extending it except by fractions.
For instance on Broughton street there is au
entire block with but one number The
other buildings in the block are numbered
by halves, quarters and eighths.
| "Ou habersham street where Dr. Stone
| has just completed number OF handsome
houses, he correctly numbers the first
one so, and the numbers run on
up to G2. Then there is block entirely
| vacant, and on the next corner is the old
number, 62. That intervening block has no
way whatever of being numbered but by
fractions charlton, o%r
In the same crgmped condition, and are split
up until we have such numbers as 1873, 1873
| and SO on.
NO NUMBERS IN THE LANES.
I'm the lanes there are a great many
houses built for the poorer population which
| have no numbers at all, except some few put
up in chalk either by my men or those
at the postofiice. IL is often more important
| to business men to know the whereabouts of
such people than Of any other class, but so
! far as finding these houses by numbers is
concerned, it is practiC ally an impossibility.
Sin Indian lsne we found all sorts OF Inn
aginary numbers, which were probably put
up by the residents haphazard for their own
| convenience. Opposite AIS | found number
81, and so it goes throughout the lanes. The
numbers in the lanes, what few of them
| there are, are so badly broken up that they
are almost worthless.
| Perhaps there are ordinances compelling
residents to correctly number their houses
| but they have fallen into & state Of innocuous
desuetude, and with the present system
they would be Of little value il enforced.
ORIGIN OF THE LETTER SYSTEM.
"The letter system was aRitated some
years ago, and I have brought 1t up again
at every opportunity. The origin Of it was
probably with the city council committee
on streets and lanes, thinking that ID could
meet the demand by the use of letters and
L.. a ~ IL
they attempted to do instead of calling the
streets East and West Broughton, for ex-
ample.
''The city was numbered from the old
lines laid out at its foundation by Ogle-
thorpe. The difficulty might have been
met by the prefix east and west TO those
streets beyond the basal lines, but that
probably never occurred to those who had
the matter in charge. The city is now
growing in every direction, and there
is a necessity for making changes to meet
this expansion.
SHOULD BE DONE AT ONCE.
"Some fixed system Of numbering should
be adopted without delay, as procrastina-
ton will involve additional expense when it
is realized that the work has got to be done.
The city could take up the work now and
do it for far less than it can in one or Ewo
years. 1t will have to be done some day,
and for the sake of economy there should
be no delay in the work.
bay street is a perfect base line for north
and south numbering and Bull street might
be used for an east and west base line calling
the streets East and West Broughton, East
and West President, East and West Lib
ertY, etc. By taking some system like that
system of numbering could be formulated,
which could be extended indefinitely and
would last as long es time"
There is little doubt as to the necessity for
an early consideration of this matter and
it seems from what Mr.. Sholes says the
quicker it is done the better.
Mr.. Sholes also advocates a change in the
name Of South Broad street, lying in the
center of the city as it does. 1t is puzzle
to strangers why 1t should be called South
Broad street, as the term can no longer be
appropriately applied 70 it. He says also
the incongruIty of an East and West South
Broad street would be met il Bull street
should be chosen as the basal line in renum-
bering, as such would probably be the case.
Annual excursion to Florida April 10.
See advertisement e. NJ. R. Association,
al.