Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-28
AUGUSTA LOCALS.
THE clTY'S FRONT YARD.
Stinson Gives forcibIe Reasons
tor Its Improvement


Mr.. CLARENCE B. BuRLEiGu, Editor of the
KESNEnEc Journal. Augusta, Me:
Dear Sir-In response to your verbal re-
quest of today that should state through
the columns of your paper substantially
shat | said before the recent joint conven-
alton of the city government, | take pleasure
ain doing 1t, in order that the attention of
1your readers may be called to the subject,
1and that they may give encouragement to
the city government if the matter meets
with their approval.
nder the recent Republican city gov
.ernment had the honor to call the attcn-
ton of the then mayor Mr., Chase, and the
other members to the condition of the road
way leading down to the p0st0iiice from
Water street, aud of making the request
that theY should improve it. 1t was very
near the closing days of that administration
and no action was taken. AT later date
sent the same communication to the pres
ent city government. Mr.. Allen Church at
a later time brought me 4 petition, which,
as custodian Of thy government building.
signed, T, Guestng that certain buildings
might be- removed from the town landing.
Being TINS Identified with the case, a
member of the city government courteously
invited me to give the reasons for the I'M
provement of this roadway before this joint
convention, which | did as recor he'd in
your report of the meeting Briefly
stated the matter is this Winthrop
proper runs from the kennebec river back
Il mile into the country. It's eight rods
wide, although 1t has been encroached upon
in many of its parts. The exact width of
the road is from the Allen bniliing u the
tower of the government building. | think
/ am right in saying that highway OF rhis
kind belongs TO the people in common. not
the people of the city but the people al
large The cItv becomes custodian of this
street and is bound to keep it in repair and
open to the public. FROM what my friend.
Mr. Heath, has told me in a recent CONVEX
sationI have no doubt but that the entire
decision Of the courts render it impossible
for the city to give the right to place suy
distractions whatever in such a highway,
and, therefore if any permission were ever
given to place buildings upon this highway,
it vas an illegal proceeding on the part of
the city think that there is law which
provides that If man places q building
upon 4 highway and is unrestricted N this
proceeding, and hollis 1t without condition
for 10 years, the right of highway il Lost.
AMI assume any encroarhment upon this
eight-rol road " hieh have stood that length
Of time could not now he changed
The conformation of the ground leading
from Water street TO the river renders the
roadway very steep and uneven. To OBJ
yiate this a succession of curves exists
down which all traffic going over this road
swings in and out until ii reaches the level
of the wharves. 1t Is calculated that no
piece of roadway ia the city of Augusta
sustains the amount of traffic in any one
.iay that passes over this road. Nearly
every ton of coai used in the city, ali the
mail ALI the stages. all the steamboat traffic
and a great deal of granite passes over it
continuously. It is not stretch of the lmag-
ination to say, that, on many days of the
wear over POO tons are carried back AMI
forth over this road and any person booking
down upon this road will see that il IL ia
dangerous condition aud that It should as
far as possible leveled and graded ont and
covered ither with pavement or nacaiam
to make it proper highway. Iufortu-
nately the people who drive over this most
ire men who pay but small taxes
being drivers of truck teams and
TO cent teams, etc, and it was
for them that ape red ia favor Of
this petition. do not understand that any
Of the people who use this road
or ans body who has examine t.
or loekei at it, object in the
least to the reconstruction of it. An1, in
fact. - far as have hearl the inertia Of
she case are so self-evident and the liability
of the city 50 great. that it meets the ready
approval of every person who stands on the
sidewalk and looks at il IL is for the i'm
provemeut Of this roadway and placing it
in safe and proper condition that have
40 far acted.
In conjunction with the roadway comes
up another question of improvement Of the
town landing by the removal Of the present
unsightly buildings standing thereon.
understand that two of those buildings are
owned by the Allen estate and one stable
by Mr. r. W. sCuie, and from all that
have learned the owners of the buildings
are willing that they may be removed.
There is no person in Augusta hnt that will
| realize how much better the view and the
whole appearance would be were these
| buildings removed and clear view had of
the river People coming into a city for
the first time naturally get their impression
| from first sights, and either from the rail-
| road or stean1boa. landings these building.
appear crowded in on a square whose con-
fines are bounded by four very handsome
buildings. II is the building of fine house
and the litteriBg up of the lawn. With
these cleared have no doubt that the Gus
todian of the public building would be per
fectly willing to see that any grass plots
there we're kept in slightly order.
Naturally the water end of this road is
the town landing aud should be used as
such. The present occupancy Of all
wharves leaves no such tosn landing what
ever and think it Is the sense of the city
government that such landing should be
| maintained as it was for years. What the
provisions or arrangements for such
wharf or landing should be in not for me
to discuss II I am not mistaken the Au-
zusta Lumber Go once offered 10 put mp a
wharf vhich was TO revert TO the city after
five years.
Beyond the fact that wi,h safe road
way 10 the hIsf mens Of the post office I
have no particular interest 10 this MATER,
except that beiievesthat when their atten-
tian il called TO themafser. the cisizsns Il
Augusta will be unanimous for these pro-