The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-08-20
Now Is the Time to Mend
Your Easements.
THE GRADES IN LOWER TOWN
Not What They Should Be-FOr New
Buildings Need Relocating
For Future Demands.
Astoria, August 10, 1895.

Astoria, August 10, 1895.
To tlne Editor:-
The matter of street grades should be
reviewed and changed in 1.-The lower part
of town
To build brick buildings, foundation
wallis sufficient for a basement have to
be constructed. But If they are not car
ried high enough above high tide to keep
dry tine basement is lost and a great
additional expense Unnecessary is added
10 building. Some persons who now con-
template building ON Commercial Stre ct
are hesitating about putting up brick,
by reason Of the expense of THE founda-
tlon-the grade being too low.
ALI the bricks on THAT street except the
Odd Fellows building, ARE flooded with
winter high tides.
With the advent of new and modern
buildings will be needed room for heat
ers, motors and machinery in the base
nlentS. ~
If brick buildings are erected on too
low a grade great expense and difficulty
Will be experienced I'm "a change of the
grade hereafter. Business will leave THE
locality where THE grade Us wrong and
go elsewhere.
Newer places will profit by the ex-
ingly.
Altead yStepls are being taken in Scow
Bay, where there are NO buildings to
have higher grtades and ample Easements.
Better act now when but few permanent
buildings are up than to walt tin the
street is spoiled and deserted. Streets
and present improvements need mot at
once be changed Ito conform Ito new
grades, but the grade should be properly
established and then new improvements
as added would conform thereto.
A railroad grade Is about to be estab-
lished on the front. 1t and the city
grades Should agree. The road will be slow
to make "a change after the road bed
shall be made.
The base of city grades or zero is
about THE line of "loIw tide
The top of the wharwes in front of the
Occfdent and Parker OIotels is about II
feet above the base of grades. For con-
venience of shipping wharves should not
be higher than is necessary to avoid
overflow. To avoid heavy grade for haul
ing to lthe streets in the rear the wharves
should not be too low. The water and
the land carriers meet at the wharves
and must be mutually accommodated.
Probably the ship can more readily meet
extra height than the wagon. Extreme
tides in the winter come Ito within three
or four feet of the tops of tlhe wlarves
spoken of.
Mr.. Wilson, MAo was the government
tidal observer for years in THE CITY, al
ways asserted that if a sowtlherly gale
should ever come up ait the time of ex-
treme high tide the wharves would be
submerged How uikely that is to occur
can not be foreoold any more THAN such
foods as filled THE Columbia river in
1894. 1t would seem unsafe then no lower
the wharves. Some of the newer ones
on the city front, I think, are IS feet
above the base of grade. Perhaps this
latter elevation would be suitable for
the railroad grade, especially as the rail-
road will be on the ground in Hhe west
elHl par't of town.
To get tine basement floors above the
tide water and back flowage of sewers
to reduce the grade over THE hills, the
grade across tine flats in rear of the
wharf line Should be raised and increased
as much ais compatible with easy haul
ing. The fiat pants of town should not
be spoiled for heavy business by being
made steep. Grades heavy for teaming
should he avoided in these portions of the
city. The 1.-Two should here be provided
for. If possible, basem:nts and teaming.
The grade as now established on Bond
street in front of the Occddent hotel is
IS feet, or about five feet above high tide,
entirely too low. There shold be seven or
eight feet on 1.-THE street above tide water.
Commercial is 10 feet above base of
grades along the brick buildings standing
On it, But with the exception spoken of
THE Easements There are flooded by winter
high tides.
1t is proposed to establish the GRADE on
this street east of the o. r. & NJ dock
at % feet. Perhaps THAT is too high,
particularly as tine distance from that
point to the railroad will be short, but
Ii is a move in the right direction and
the grade on Commercial street W st
from There Ito the court house should be
raised and eslnbtished, but improvements
already made allowed Ito stand until re-
placed by new. Easements might be
cemented TO keep out the tide, but IT was
found in Portland last year that the
floors would not Withstand much upward
pressure. Besides that the basement |
floors should be above isne back flowage
of the sewers.
The matter of grades on the front
should be taken UP Immediately by the |
people, particularly the adjacent street |
owners, supplemented by fhe committees |
of the council on grades and health, and |
be rTad jointly with the city |
engineers and engineers of ehe railroad |
The architects also should be invited to
the conference.
This wifi save much expense and trcu-
Bile in future.
The ground is almost In a state of
rature and the cost of determining and
fixing this matter today Is small.
]. Q. A. BOWLBY.