The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-10
THE cIrY's NUMBERING.
Mayor McDonough Thinks the Work
should be Undertaken at Once.


Mayor McDonough Thinks the Work
should be Undertaken at Once.
Mayor McDonough said yesterday that
he fully agreed with Mr.. A. E. Sholes,
publisher of the city directory, as to the
desirability of REMEMBERING the city.
1T is a work, said the mayor, that
should have been done some time ago,
and which must necessarily be done soon.
Mr.. ShOles' statement as TO the
chaotic condition of the street
numbers in some sections of the
citv is not one bit overd wa
The question of REMEMBERING the city
was discussed by the committee of the
whole while preparing the budget II
was generally admitted that the city
should be renum bered, but it was urged
that there was no money to spare for such
3 purpose this year, and as the reminder
ing was not an immediate necessity no APP
prOpriation was made for it. | think we
can count upon an appropriation for this
purpose in the next budget. | shall urge
the matter upon council, and l believe
the appropriation viii be made"
Mayor McDonOugh remarked as an af-
ter-thought that he saw no reason why
the city should not be REMEMBERED this
wear. as it would require only triAing
Appropriation. II is estimated that the
work can be done for 81 500 and almost
every cent of this will come out Of the
rockets of citizens. as each house owner
will be required to pay for his number,
which will be only trihing sum in each
case.
The mayors estimate of the cost agrees
almost exactly with that of Mr.. Sholes
and if this is the case there seems to be
no reason why the council should not or
der the REMEMBERING at once. 1t could
be completed during the summer and
next years directory would contain the
new numbers.
In discussing the subject yesterday Mr.
Sholes brought out some further facts
showing the need of REMEMBERING.
There are 1900 houses in the city"
said MIR. Sholes, Including 1900 in the
lanes and 900 south of Anderson street.
Of this number not more than 5000 have
numbers, and these are almost entirely
included in the section between Bay, East
and West Broad and Anderson streets.
In this section, however, there are great
many houses withot numbers. There
are a great many houses occu-
pied as dwellings in the lanes
in this section not one of
which has an official number In a few
instances the occupants of the lane
dwellings have put up numbers to cor
respond with the number of the house
facing on the street, but this has been
done by private parties and is not official
OF the 900 dwellings south of Anderson
street, not more than ten have official
numbers. In many instances the occu-
pants have numbered the houses accord
ing to their own ideas, with the result
that on some streets there is a
ludicrous variety of numbers. | know of
one instance where there is a difference
of 100 numbers in houses Immediately ad
joining and of numerous instances where
the numbers are ineXtricably mixed with
out any regard for order"
"Yamacraw is very poorly mum bered.
On Indian street lane, which has a large
colored population, the residents have
numbered the houses to suit themselves.
In making up the directory
took the liberty of tearing down
many of these numbers and marking the
correct number in chalk over the door
way, assigning these numbers to the
houses in the directory. The residents
strongly objected to any such procedure
however, and invariably replaced the old
numbers
On some OF the unnumbered streets in
thSsection south of Anderson street MIR.
ShOleS stepped off the distance and as
signed the proper numbers to the houses
on the streets, marking the numbers over
the door with chalk
In REMEMBERING the city Mr.. Sholes
suggests that the decimal plan now in use
IN all the larger cities be introduced. The
decimal plan is simply to assingn 100 mum
bers, or fraction of 100, to each block
the idea being that if a person is in search
OF certain number he will know that il
IS in the first, second or third block, and
SO on, simply by the number. For in
stance No. $50 would be in the middle OF
the third block
Mr.. ShOles' purposes to do awav with
the abomnlable alphabetical system now
usedfor the portions of streets running east
OF East Broad street, by dividing the city
at Bull street and running the numbers
east and west. With this system il
would be possible to continue the num-
oerlng Of any street, old or new as far
east and west as it now does or NAV here
after extend, in consecutive order with
out confusion
Another thing that Mr.. Sholesis greatly
IN hopes Of, is that when the re-enumera.
ZION IS undertaken the council will select
new names for East Broad, West Broad
ana South Broad streets Their present
nomenclature is very confusing to stran.
gers, who are accustomed to regarding
East Broad as the eastern half and West
broad as the western half of Broad
street.. The present names were
We'll enough when Savannah was
village and the breads or commons
We're the boundries of the city limits.
Broadway or Park street is suggested as
good name for South Broad street and
satisfactory names might easily be found
iOf lue present East and West BROAD