Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-14

The Council Committee on Streets,
Alleys and Grades is called to meet at
half-past four o'clock this afternoon,
at Market and Twelfth streets, for the
purpose of taking important action in
connection with the improvement of
Twelfth street, now about to commence.
The main object of to-days meeting
is to take action regarding the sewers
and general drainage Of the street.
With its usual aptitude for doing things
wrong end formost, Council has pro-
vided for the paving of the street with
out making any provision for drain
age, and although parties in interest
drainage attended to first and the paw
ing afterwards, the short-sighted pow
ers that be have issued their edict that
the paving must go on, even if the
street is to be torn up next summer
to put in a sewer. AS every business
man on the street, from Chapline to the
river, knows, the sewage system has
been most inadequate. Time after time,
within the past ten years, the main
sewer. on the north side of the street,
has burst, damaging adjoining proper
ty, particularly between Market and
Main streets, and several times threat
ening to wash out large section of the
street. 1t is simply due to good luck
that this has not happened.
The City Engineer and members Of
the Board of Public Works realize that
it would be eminently foolish to lay
a permanent brick street on top of the
defective and dangerous sewer now eX-
listing along the north side of the
street, and at to-days meeting it is
proposed to obtain authority to fill up
the existing sewer and let the street go
without underground drainage rather
than have sewer in existence which is
a constant menace to property.
In brief, it is proposed to fill the
present sewer up, from Chapline street
to the river, carry the water coming
down Market street, north of Twelfth.
on down Market street, and confine the
drainage of Twelfth street to the sur
face, from one end of the street to the
other Water closets and other neces-
sary house drainage along the street
will be carried from the present main
sewer to the 20-inch crock sewer on the
south side of the street. and thence run
to the river This will be a matter of
considerable expense to property own
ers, but it is probably the best thing
which can be done under the circum-
stances.
What Twelfth street needs is sewer
at least five feet in diameter, from Eof
street to the river. Several times eff
forts have been made to secure this i'm
provement, and once 81 900 was appro-
priated by Council to commence the
work, but the money was diverted TO
other uses, and nothing was ever done.
Now instead of providing for the drain
age first and paving the street next
year, some of the shining lights con-
spicuous in TIE refunding nonsense are
insisting on paving the street from the
wharf to Market street, first, nd then
having it torn up next year or the year
after to nut in a sewer, which must
come sooner or later.
In order to make surface drainage,
the intersection of Market and Twelfth
streets must be lowered ten or twelve
inches. and the same at Market and
Twelfth, and the curb must be raised
at points on the south side OF the
street, throwing sidewalks out of grade
and entailing more expense on property
owners.
There will doubtless be a consider
able gathering of property owners at
this afternoons meeting, and a good
many individual views will probably
be expressed.