The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-08
NEW STREET NAMES
ENGINEERS DEPARTMENT WOULD
LIKE TO SEE SOME CHANGES.
Two Streets of Same Name Not IN
Unusual occurrence-Renumber-
ing suggested.

~ . department. mas nd0
under consideration for some time the ques-
ton of remaining and REMEMBERING the
streets Of the city. The department be-
ieves that reform in this line is needed
ana a casual glance at that portion of
the city directory which contains the names
~ the streets and a short hunt for some
unknown number indicates that reforma>
tion Is needed. The engineers department
mas repair a number of ordinances with
an Improvement as the object, but for some
reason that they never appeared in the
council for consideration. 1t is said that
there are three or four ordinances cali
ing Tor Changes in street names and num-
pers now at rest with committees. The
ordinance providing for the most radical
Grange was prepared by Chief Clerk fuller
and he said the other day that he has
never heard from it since he handed it to
one OF the councilmen for Introduction and
consideration. 1t provides for the chang
ing OF all the cross streets north of WASH
ington street, calling Market street First
street and the other cross streets named
accordingly. The ordinance provided for
nfty numbers to a square, so when a per-
son found Third or Tenth street he would
know what numbers could be found near
those streets. This plan has been adopted
IN all the leading cities of the country.
~ oOANA tA4Ak has
the poorest numbered and worst named
streets in the country.
AT present there is no rule for finding
a given number but keep right on going
until you come to it, Persons who have
10 direct strangers find it difficult to do
SO. Street-car conductors, except after ac-
qualntance with the numbers, seldom know
where to stop the cars for given numbers.
me present method of numbering streets
running north and south from Washing ton
street and those running east and west
ircm Meridian street is said to be a good
one. Many of the downtown streets are
properly numbered. that is, for a certain
distance from the center of the city. After
a person gets out sopne distance, how
ever, he is likely to fine 1910, 1899 and 1857
on houses in one row.
sui the REMEMBERING of the streets would
not begin to cause the change which the
remaining of them would. There are sew
two Eases shown in the directory, where
nave the same name. Since the annexa-
ton OF North indianapolis the confusion
IS greater, Tor that suburb has many streets
bearing the same names as streets in the
old Irdinapolis. 1rvington street manners
seemed to take a delight in adding to the
confusion for a majority of their streets
nave the same names as streets in the
city; But as Irvington is a town all by
ltself the city cannot presume to interfere
the streets north Of washington Street satq be-
Af|A LAAloN ildlilGS lLC IdIIlGS WHICH
they now bear could be given to some OF
sH hard have run had for "a a name saPs that hat
name frequently heard but doubtless it is
little known that there are two College
street-car line is named and then over east,
somewhere in the vicinity of the Monon
tracks, there is another College avenue.
Should a seeker of the Col
lege avenue desire to find his way some
Noble jC another ia Daitiar street M mo and
it should be, for there are two Noble
streets, upon each of which live many peo-
street east of Meridian and the other Is
west of Meridian, near the river. There
for a distance under that name it changes
to Bruce street. Eleventh street acts in
adopts Herbert as a name. after a certain
length. Carter is the name of a north and
south street in the northern part of the
city and also the name of an east and west
street in the eastern part. Christian avenue
is a very pretty residence street north and
Christian street Is a street of homes east
northwest in the Fourth ward and a Davis
street southeast in the Twelfth, ward.
parts of the city and two Ellis streets sew
eral miles apart. There is an English ave-
nue. southeast and an English street north.
1t is a long distance which separates Har-
rison avenue from Harrison street, but q
s strange fags Won.d t pc APT p u 10 put he t fnsind very eps
and then learned that it was the other
he was seeking. There is a Michigan street,
a Michigan avenue and a Michigan road
and each has many residents. There are two
Nevada. streets, one way up north in the
First ward and the other as far south in
the Fourteenth. South, there is a Pennsyl-
vania avenue, although one of the principal
rth-and-sou streets is named Penn
sylvania, and the two are not related.
There are two School streets, two Smith
streets and two Sheridan streets and 81
number on either cannot be sought withouc
confusion. Walnut seems to be a favorite
name for streets in this locality. One OF
the leading cross streets on the North Side
is named Walnut, there is a Walnut in the
Fifth ward, a Walnut in North Indian
apolis and Irvington complicates matters by
having a Walnut avenue. Many cases APP
pear where two streets bear the
same name. West Indianapolis and
Haughville have been somewhat cons
siderate and but few of their streets
bear the same names as the indianapolis
streets.
Policemen who are expected to direct
strangers and answer all questions put to
them, daily realize the confusion resulting
from too many streets and too few names.
The engineers office also appreciates the
Embarrassment and the employees of that
department are anxious for a reformation.
The Council has the power to change the
names tf streets, but only occasionally is
such done. A councilman from one ward
naturally feels that the ether fellow should
ask the change and no councilman feels
called upon to ask the change of the other
fellows street.