St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-06
WABASHA LIKELY TO RE PAVED
WITH 1T FROM CURB TO
CURB.
FINAL ORDER is ENDORSED
BY ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON
STREETS, DESPITE A VIC
OROUS PROTEST..
LAWYER MUM FINDS BACKING
Street Railway COMMANDS Obiec.
ton to the AsphaIt-Contract
for West Fifth,

History repeated itself yesterday
at the session of the assembly COM
mlttee on streets. The principal mat
ter before the committee was tho
maj order, passed by the board of
aldermen, for the paving of Wa
basha street with asphalt from curb
TO curb from Third street to Col
lege avenue. AS in the case of the
mai order to pave Seventh street in
! Tie same manner, the street rail-
way company entered it's protest
against being compelled to pave be-
tween It's tracks and rails with as
phalt. further opposition to the
passing of the final order proceeded
from within the committee itself for
Messrs. Van Slyke and Robb both
favored a brick pavement on Wa.ba-
sna, or, failing to secure that. then
modification of the final order pro-
Vldlng for brick pavement be-
| tween the rails and tracks. But
it happened that there were three
more members of the committee
present - Chairman Arosin and
Messrs. Lewis and Strouse - who
voted to recommend the passage of
the final order for asphalt from
curb to curb, inasmuch as a petit
tlon signed by majority of the
property owners on Wabasha street
called for asphalt from curb to curb.
When the committee came to or
der in the council chamber. there
were present eight or ten property
owners on Wabasha street, as we'll
as lessees of property on this street.
including Mr.. Michaud, of Michaud
Brothers, and Mr.. Evans, of Schune-
man q Evans. Property owners
not present We're represented by
William P. Murray, Patrick Kav-
anagh and others, whom they had
deputed to speak for them. M. D.
Mum represented the street railway
company. At the opening of the
! session
MIR. MUM SAID:
Experience has shown that asphalt
| paving between the rails and tracks
! OF an electric street car line is not adj
| V1sable. This has been demonstrated
| In cities in which the system has neen
in effect for three or four years. All
l can say now, is that the city railway
/ company seriously protests against
putting asphalt between its rails and
tracks, and especially en- Wabasha
! street. Every street car in the city
except the cable cars and those on
! the Maria avenue line passes over the
| Wabasha tracks between the points
named in this final order. In case
| asphalt should be put in we would
have to relay it every five years in
order to gain access to our wires,
whereas, we could remove a brick
pavement between our rails and tracks:
without destroying the pavement
Brick is better than asphalt between
the tracks and rails and there is no
valid reason why it should not be
used
After Mr.. Mum had finished speak
ing, Chairman Arosin proceeded to
read the
| PETITION FOR ASPHALT
and the names of the signers. Of the
4,79O feet Of frontage between Third
street and College avenue, a distance
of 1886 feet. owners of 2,649 feet of
frontage, and lessees of AS fest more
making 1914 feet of frontage out of
the 1870, signed the petition.
| MI. NULL however, IlldL
as the street railway company would
| have to pay for one-half of the pave
ment, it was entitled to some con-
sideration.
Mr.. Van Slyke then made a speech in
favor of an all brick pavement. He
instanced the case of the asphalt
pavement on Seventh street, which he
considered a great mistake because of
the impossibility of keeping it free Of
fine dust and dirt. The dust could not
! be kept down, said Mr.. Van Slyke,
without constant flooding. He called
upon Mr.. Arosin, whose place of bust
ness is on Seventh street, to verify the
statement that the asphalt pavement
was a detriment to Seventh street.
Mr.. Van Slyke concluded with an argu-
ment in favor of a vitrified brick pave
ment which he considered more orna-
mental and more suitable for a bust
ness street.
MIR. Arosin did not indorse Mr.. Van
Sykes remarks concerning the Sew
enth street pavement On the contrary
he said that the asphalt is satisfac-
tory if it can be kept clean, and he
believed a method of washing would
soon be provided that would lay the
dust and dirt.
'AGIN" THE BRICKS.
Mr.. Kavanagh called Mr.. Van Sykes
attention to the failure of the brick
pavement on Virginia avenue, which,
he said, people would drive three
blocks out of the way to avoid riding
over.
After more miscellaneous talk and
the exchange of a few bits of choice
and peppery repartee between Mr..
Murray and Mr.. Mum, Mr.. Van
Slyke moved that the final order be
amended so as to provide for a brick
pavement between the tracks.
Mr.. Robb seconded the motion, but
when the chairman put Mr.. Van
Sykes motion, he and Mr.. Robb were
alone in their affirmative votes and
the motion was lost.
Mr.. Lewis then moved that the COM
mittee recommend the final order to
pass, first because the petition showed
that majority Of the property owners
want an asphalt pavement on Waba-
sha street from curb to curb, and sec
ondly in order to avoid the delay that
any change might occasion. This
motion prevailed by a vote of to L.
Mr.. Van Slyke declining to vote. Mr.
Robb said that he voted mo- be-
cause the street cars were so thick on
Wabasha street that the company, in,
his opinion, ought to have show.
The final order will go before the
assembly next Thursday evening at
the adjourned meeting, and if there are
eight members present, it will doubt
less secure the necessary six votes.
The committee also recommended for
| passage Mr.. Van Sykes ordinance
prohibiting the erection of any build
ing to a height in excess of the width
| of the street UPON which said building