The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-10
DANGER IN CHUCK HOLES
IMPROVED STREETS OF THE CITY
ARE DOTTED WITH THEM.
A General Complaint from Cyclists
Board of Works Gives Little At
tention to These Conditions.

The streets of the city are getting in an
abomnable condition. 1t would not be sur
prising any time to learn of damage suits
being filed against the city on account of
accidents to cyclists, for they are likely to
happen on account of the great holes and
trenches that are 10 be seen in most of
the paved streets about the city. If the
wheelman who happens to get hurt be
member of the League of American Wheel
men, members of the league say it is a GER
tainty that the city would be obliged to
pay the full amount of damages if there
is law on the side of the wheelmen
These bad places in the streets are most
ly the fault of contractors who cut into the
street and fail to make proper repairs, and
of the Board of Works and city engineer in
not prodding up the tardy contractors. The
Gas and Water Companies are by no means
the least of the offenders. Their mains can
be followed in almost any improved street
by the holes here and there along the line.
AT the corner of Ohio and Pennsylvania
streets there are two or three big square
blocks of asphalt which have been taken
out like huge chunks of ice and put back
into the street again. This seems to be
popular method of making repairs where
asphalt is cut and is not very dangerous
to wheelmen, except when, as it sometimes
happens. the cake of asphalt slips out Of
the place. This kind of repairing is to be
found at many places. There are several
jobs like it on Washington street, Massa-
chusetts avenue Virginia avenue, Fort
Wayne avenue and elsewhere.
Sometimes the asphalt pavement cannot
be taken out in blocks like ice and then
another scheme is resOrted to for present
ing an appearance of fairness and a bluff
a rppairiDp Planlxe 81 re laid n tho hes
approximately even with the surface of the
street There is a job of this kind on Vir
glnia avenue, near South street, that has
been there for several months, 50 long that
the plankS are beginning to decay. This
job was done when repairs were made to
the drinking fountain located near that cor
ner. long trench, extending diagonally
across the street as far as the street-car
tracks for a distance of seventy-five or d
hundred feet was dug. 1t was filled and
tamped to within a few inches of the sur
face and then, in place Of asphalt, planks
placed pretty well and bicyclists, who know
they are there, at night, can ride over them
without fall.
In some places, however, the plank road
process is not carried on at all artistically
or safely. At the intersection of Alabama
street and Fort Wayne avenue a trench
was dug several weeks ago from the west
side of Alabama street from a point above
the avenue to a point on the east side of
the avenue, extending entirely across both
streets. This was filled up full and then
planks were thrown upon the earth. What
purpose the planks are expected to serve
is hard to understand The purpose which
they do serve is to be a constant menace
to cyclists. They are warping out Of shape
and no longer lie fiat on the pavement. They
have already thrown several riders, but
none have reported serious injuries
On East Washington street opposite the
beginning of Davidson street a trench has
been dug entirely across the street 1t was
filled with the earth taken from 1t and left
for nature to settle. Nature has been too
busy bucking against the Weather Bureau
to take any interest in doing the work of
Indifferent contractors and the consequence
is that the earth has not been settled. 1t
remains banked up in some places ten or
twelve inches higher than the level of the
pavement.
The unrepaired trenches are not the only
bad places in the streets. There are worse
holes made by wear and tear on streets
which still have a guaranty upon them.
And there are holes just as bad in the
streets which the city ought to have re-
paired. There are a dozen bad holes in
Massachusetts avenue in the first block and
others further out. Many such holes are al
lowed to remain in the Virginia avenue
pavement. There is bad one at the cor
ner of Pennsylvania and st. Clair streets,
and one in the IllinOis-street pavement near
Tenth street; There are few in Washing
ton street rect put they are not noticed, be-
part, is a series of holes and bumps.
Wheelmen cannot see these holes at night,
and to drop into one of them while riding
the least bit rapid is sure to result in
header They are especially dangerous
when the streets are wet.
ALONG The CAR TRACKS.
Another menace to wheelmen is the con-
dition into which the streets have got where
there are car tracks. The asphalt pave
ment has been allowed to wear away, or
the powdered substitute to sink into the
ground, so that the car tracks are raised
above the street surface 1t would be more
correct probably to say that the pavement
is below the tracks, for doubtless the tracks
hoy tho TO,,+
position of the two is wrong, at any rate,
and should be corrected. Great holes are
worn IN the street on each side and between
the tracks at the crossing of Pennsylvania
street and Washington street. This is also
the case at East street. On East Washing
ton street, at the railway crossing, the
planking has been allowed to get out of re-
pair and the asphalt on this side has huge
holes in it. This is an extremely dangerous
place for Wheelmen. On North Pennsyl-
vania street and on Shelby street and else
where where the street is paved between
the tracks, wagons have worn the asphalt
badly along the rails. An attempt by a
wheelman to cross the rails diagonally,
especially If the street is wet, is almost sure
to cause a fall.
These matters are extremely important to
riders of bicycles and it has been urged
that they be taken up at once by the fed
GRAFTON of wheelmen or the local L. A. W.
II that organization is to do the work pro-
posed by the federation. The condition of
the streets is not such as to be a source of
great annoyance or danger to carriages and
heavier FenCleS, put IL Is an actual menace
to the life of every wheel rider If holes
relatively as dangerous to occupants of car
rlageS and heavier vehicles as there are to
wheel riders were allowed to remain unat-
tended to in single street of the city the
seven thousand people of the city who drive
in such vehicles would raise such a row as
to cause a revolution. Why, then, should
not the twenty thousand wheelmen have a
right to expect something to come of their
complaints?
Another thing which has caused many ac-
cidents to Wheelrnen and which goes on
without abatement, is the custom of the
steam street sweepers to dump their dirt in
piles in the streets. They go along until a
wagon load has been gathered and then
drop it at any point where it is taken up
by wagons and hauled away. No effort is
made to protect wheel riders. No danger
signal is displayed, and frequently riders of
bicycles run into the piles of dirt and are
hurt or their wheels are broken up.
THE MILITARY CYCLISTS.
They VIII Reach This City This Morn
fnE-At Lebanon Ia~f