The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-19

Saved.
The action of the street committee of
Council in recommending the payment
OF $500 per front foot to the Common
wealth Land Company for property
taken illegally by the city for street
and sewer purposes, AUDITING on Shen
andoah avenue and running parallel
with Holiday street, has been subjected
to criticism in and out of Council with.
out thorough knowledge of the facts.
In connection herewith there comes
thr rough The TIMES an exclusive an
nouncement OF considerable Importance
to Roanoke.
The property of the Commonwealth
Land Company is bounded on the south
by Shenandoah avenue, on the west BY
Commonwealth avenue, on the north by
Third avenue and on the east by Holli
day street, Randolph street bridge butts
into it and little 20 the east of the
line of the bridge Lick run intercepts
it, forming with holiday street an
acute angled triangle with Shenandoah
avenue for the base and Holiday street
for the longer side.
1t Is along the Holiday street side
that the encroaching sewer is built for
some 165 feet, reaching in on the line of
the property from three to five feet
The previous owners of this property
had among their largest owners c.
O'Leary and S. B. Haupt. Along Lick
run it was low and swampy. 1t was
understood by q previous City Council
that II the city would wall up and covor
Lick run and fill he property to grade,
all that section to the east OF Lick run
would be given to the city to straighten
tho approach to the then proposed Ran.
dolph street bridge, and although thess
things were done, owing to the obiec-
ton of s. b. Haupt, no deed was III ado
to the city OF tho property in question;
and through someone's carelessness tho
encroachments were m adc, and not only
the sewer but the street railway en-.
croach on the property which has now
passed into the hands of third parties
innocent of any previous verbal under
standings.
Among these present stock olders in
the Commonwealth Land Company are
o-"~rN Il Ga ~Ae. riao r-ae;dant 0f tho
Norfolk and Western Railroad Company,
and ID. w. Flickwir, general superin.
tendent OF the eastern division. They
appeared before tho street committee
with the claim of 5000 per front foot for
tho amount OF encroachment, and to
justify such q claim for property which
would not bring over $50 front foot
under forced sale, made certain state.
ments which, coming from such high
of1cial sources, were accepted as inside
Information of a reliable sort. Although
this information was supposed to be
strictly private THE TINES reporter
was. as usual, in the inkstand and greed
lily drank it all in.
1t was stated that none of the prop
erty was for sale for less than $500 a
front foot, and that the company was
not anxious 10 sell for that, especially
slice along tho Holiday street front
which would spoil the symmetry of two
or three lots. The Norfolk and Western
railroad would THIS SUMMER ("this
summer" was heard distinctly build
It's new depot at an expendi.
ture OF some S35, 900 or $4,000,
perhaps more, and this property
OF the Commonwealth Land Company
would BIO used fer the erection of the
largest, finest and most expensive ware
houses in Roanoke, and would represent
an aggregate investment of nearly as
much as the Terry building. This was
corker, and the further statement
that If the price of $500 had not been
set the company would not accept
cent less than $500 front foot, was
accepted by the committee as a clear
statement not to pc gainsaid.
This is all very good. 1t will please
everyone to learn that such improve.
ments are contemplated, and 81 900 is q
low price for the information, but the
sewer committee proposes to save that
$1,000 by throwing a syphon across Lick
run near the junction of Holiday street
and Commonwealth avenue, and run the
sewage into one OF tho sewers which
parallels Lick run. Then the city can
tell the Commonwealth Land Company
to take their little six feet and play ball
with it. The Street Railway Company
may be willing to pay something; we
guess not, but no one else will got a
cent, If the sewer committee prevails.
Now comes the revelation in regard to
that magnificent union depot to be built
this summer &C :ording to the statement
of Norfolk and Western officials. The
approaches and abutments to the Ran
doiph street bridge have been built in
accordance with this plan. The depot
VIII be 300 feet in length. running
ao"n TO within some 30 feet of the Ran.
dolph street bridge.
In the first place all trains will nass
around the north side of the Machine
Works instead of the south side. excent
Inc trains over the Winston. Salem
division. Next all tracks on the north
SIDE OF the present depot will be taken
up and transferred to the south side.
where there will be five tracks Separated
as at present from Norfolk avenue bv a
fence. Hotel Roanoke grounds will he
cut back thirty feet from about 100 feet
from Jefferson street and Shenandoah
avenue moved back that far. This