The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-14
WHY NOT VE, TOO
Have a Pleasure Drive Worthy
the Name?
AN uNExCsLLED OPPORTUNITY
Offered for Twelve-Mile Boulevard
That Will be an Ornament
to the City.

Several leading citizens in discussing
city improvements yesterday had a num-
ber of different suggestions to offer as to
what was needed to place Astoria on a
par with other progressive cities in the
Northwest. Every town, whose citizens
have any ambition at ALL makes some
effort at beautifying its surroundings and
| providing places Of recreation were the
| people can enjoy the light and air and
| the beauties of nature. Public parks,
drives and boulevards abound in most
cities and even the villages in nearly all
| localities have their square, or village
| green, with its grass and trees, where
the children can run without let or
hindrance.
The gentlemen who were considering
these questions agreed that above all,
and foremost, Astoria was in need of a
| pleasure drive. At present there is not
a drive or street in or about the city
that is fit for a pleasure spin and one or
the first things that a stranger wants to
do after arrival in a town. particularly
when he proposes to become interested
in that place, is to drive about and
view its surroundings. To make such
request in Astoria is to suffer torture over
rough planked streets or rougher cor
duroy roads, but the time has come when
a magnificent boulevard can be had at
little expense. The means is at hand at
the present moment with which to secure
lasting source of pleasure and health
as well as a most conspicuous ornament
to the city.
The pipe line route from Bear Creek
to the reservoir, a distance of twelve
miles, offers uneXcelled facilities for
beautiful driveway and boulevard. Ira
verslng the crest of the high hills from
which can be had unsurpassed views OF
the Lewis and Clark and Youngs rivers,
Saddle mountain, and the valleys to the
south, the mighty Columbia and the for
est clad hills of Washington on the north;
now crossing a deep ravine and again
winding through the thick woods what
more picturesque location could have BEEN
selected for the peoples highway?
The grading has all been done ana
paid for and all that Is needed is a
permanent surface for this twelve foot
wide highway. The contractors have a
quarry opened on the hill, a 20 ton rock
crusher in operation, 10 ton roller on
the HILL and all of the teams and men |
necessary to put on a fine macadam
surface. There has been some talk be- |
tween the city and Messrs. Behm and |
Hamshaw of laying such a pavement as
far as the city limits on this pipe line |
road, but the work should not stop there. |
Never again in years can 1t be hoped that |
ali of these propitious circumstances will |
conjoin, and the spirit of public enter
prise If nothing else should urge the citl-
zens to take immediate action to secure !
this great boon to the city, even if 1t |
has to be done by private subscription.
Its cost would be more than repaid many
fold within two years from the added
business and population that would be
secured through its influence, to say moth
ing of the health and pleasure of the
people that would thus be provided for.
To delay means loss. Not in years can
the work be done so cheaply as now
and it would seem a shame that the
opportunity should be lost.
One of the gentlemen also remarked
that Astoria should never let the big
roller leave the town, as it will be needed
in the ensuing years and 1t
would cost double the amount to get
another one of this size here if bought
new and shipped from a distance.
No doubt the gentlemen who so earnest
y discussed these matters viii add their
Efforts to the movement already on foot
to secure the paving to the city limits.
% have the entire line macadamized, as
win others when the situation is consid-
,red