The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-29
A BEAUTIFUL CITY.
SO BRUSSELS is CHARACTERIZED BY
AN AMERICAN TOURIST.

Some es It's Most Attractive Features-A
Han i.ome boulevard In Place of the
Old City wall-The Immense Town Hall.
How the Tram Cars Are Operated.
Brussels is beautiful city and owes
its beauty in "a large measure to the
good sense and public spirit of its citi-
zens OF ruling king who rules in the
interest Of the people.
One good thing comes of a fortified
city, or at least has come to Paris and
Brussels, and that is when by expansion
it has become necessary to tear down
the fertilization it has left the boule
ward. Brussels is now about three times
as large as the original walled city, and
| this boulevard forms broad street
around between the center and the out
side from 200 to 800 feet wide. 1t is
NJ ore than a street or avenue; it is II
street and park. 1t goes by different
names at different parts, and Boulevard
Waterloo-the widest-is first side
walk, then a paved street perhaps 10
feet wide for business purposes, then
ground with two rows of trees, 80 feet
wide, for horseback riding, then 40 feet
or so of asphalt or niacadam for car
riages, then so feet TAT a guess with
four rows of trees for pedestrians, with
seats for resting; then another paved
street for business and street cars and,
lastly, the other sidewalk. At different
| ,n1a no, 30 lt.o afr
waiting rooms for the street car service
and public conveniences. Through the
town there are two broad avenues ana
many outside, like the Avenue Louise,
which leads out to the Bots. and, like
the boulevard, has the same combina-
tion-part street and part park of itself
The other streets are neither wide nor
straight, but cool in hot day and like
ly warm in winter.
The buildings are not whole blocks
from street to street as in Paris each
separate house or store varying some-
what one from the other, but they are
all in locality or block about of the
same height and degree of finish-all
kept clean and bright-the telegraph
and telephone wires all over the tops
strung from roof to roof and the whole
city supplied with street car service
One Of the lines is supplied with cars
that run ON the track where there is a
track and turn out ON the pavement
where there is none. This is done by
using common omnibus wheels for the
carriage and two leading wheels which
drop into the grooves in the rails
when in line-which keeps the car ON
all right. By custom, law or common
sense none of the carriages has tires
less than about two inches wide, 70
that the ground rail does not interfere
at all with the common street traffic.
The king, either by his power or inf1u-
ence, sees to it that the companies give
the worth Of the money. The fares are
very low-only cent for short rides,
varying according to the distance-and
the companies are no doubt managed on
economical lines. AS an example, the
tickets OF receipts are printed on paper
and are Cancelled by the conductor tear
ing off the corner How simple com
| pared with the thick ticket and punch
The street cars, or tram cars have maps
Of the route over which they travel
posted so one who can follow a map
can see where the special line he is on
| goes, what main streets it crosses and
where it connects with other lines.
Probably nothing has been said about
Brussels for the last 800 years that did
not include the Hotel de Vile, or town
hall with SIC ofc::;w-crk spire. Inside it
| is a museums, witt many curiosities and
noted paintings. Surrounding it and
throughout the old part of the town
there are many ancient Flemish build
ings, and in the new part is the Hall OF
| Justice, one of the largest buildings in
| the world, if not the very largest, 1t
is larger than st. Peters, and though
Philadelphia claims to have the largest
( this is 500 by 600 and 400 feet high, as
| against the Philadelphia structures ACC
feet square by the same height, and the
Philadelphia building has a large open
court, which the Brussels Hall of Justice
has not. Anyway there is an awful LOT
| Of stone and architecture about it.
do not know whether they deal out
| justice on the same scale as the build
ing, but the affairs of the city seem to
be well managed, and one would think,
from the talk of the people, that the
king has good deal to do with it. He
! is greatly liked, is around the streets
| and in the exhibition every day and
stops to talk to the exhibitors and work.
| men. We had the honor of meeting him
| two or three times. He was going one
way in the aisles of the exhibition and
in the street, and we were going the
other. Long live the king John Z.
Sweet in American Machinist.