Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-10-29
aI|lP'|o .B!TllN| / PROJECT
ssll6abN aysb Done With&Holt St,
Bid ge and Mahone's Lake,
#S


Sand sM;ahon Lake.
sEkbSiss Izny no Rrcased. tho Lake
y lilo anissiS PARKED anu Driveways
n ssss ,ink This n noautsral
SIG GatIng Sppt for East End Norfolk
S SIts Isl unde that an important
pToj ct Concerning Mahone's Lake. is
J und srSconsideratlonSb by the city author
Il ties, sahd al that the ma tier Is at present
& iii q iie 4 h Ids of City Engineer Brooke
"a a n 1.-THE Committee Of the Councils on
Several lights. ago n meeting Of the
Street COMMITTEES! of the Councils was
"a n cid, rs at which City. Engineer Brooke
sap as present; and, as he is well known
itssasg zone Sof; the most progressive and
Sliberal q tn mixers in the line OF actual
5 tygtmproYements, considerable inter-
& est cent cred in the object and work or
sst he meeting. But 1t was private, none
s$pfs the press or public being admitted
s save one. Mr.. NIcKimmie, proprietor Of
sss The Venice" at the Holt street end of
Brambleton bridge.
twas rumored that Mnhone's Lake
&Sands It's disposition was under discus
& sionSa a this meeting, and that two rail-
way lines, asking pei mission to I'LL, or
~ have filled, the lake for terminal pro-
q pertIes, presented propositions. The
n latter idea, however, has been found to
IS be#erfoneous, though 1t Is said the At
& 5lantlc II terminal Company and Chesa-
4: peaket railway are seeking for such &C
s stionl by. the city.
Mr.. Nc1Simmie was seen by Viz
Is gilman Pilot reporter and refused to
q tate what his mission before the COM
mlttee was. and his gracious and
scharming wife was no more communi-
~ ~ catiye ;syet the reporter found out from
n others what he wanted to know.
,,SSis + lis known that Brambleton bridge
rs Is to he remodelled, or rebuilt. or-nnd
x ri ght here comes the story-done away
with so far as It's present style, length
and condition is concerned. Mr.. Nc
& TX imn1ie went before the committee to
Z protest against the proposed rein
sSforclng of the present bridge and to
Surge the charging OF the bridge to the
Is full width of Holt street, or of con-
7$tinuIng the street across the lake at
the same width with which 1t joins
Sthe bridge.
gs When 1.-THE Venice" was allowed to
be constructed it was stipulated by tho
III city that 1t should be on the line Of
u the street, though that arrangement
6 brought 1t at fully twenty-five feet
4. from the bridge; and one must now
a come back to the Holt street sidewalk
and the street to reach the bridge en-
trance from that building. 1t Is con-
tended that tho entrance grade Of the
T bridge is dangerous; that the driveway
= is too narrow, and that the present ar
arrangement Is bad all around; and peo-.
4 pie living on Holt street, or those
r-xt<3 a.
will fully concur with these objections,
Y and do freely complain OF them. II Is
< said that number OF plans for filling
a NIahone's Lake and continuing the
8 street across 10 LOvitts avenue were
ii suggested at this private meeting.
Many years ago the idea was adj
yanced of filling In this eXpanse OF
3 shallow water, thus converting the
% area mentioned into made land" avall-
> able for various uses. This idea has
bobbed up from time to time, one
81 scheme being to fill portion OF the lake
4 to furnish land for n Union railway
B depot railway tracks. etc.
4 4g{It Is not now considered that such
4 a scheme will ever be decided upon.
The idea now favored by many per-
4 sons Is to improve the shores OF Ma
Z hone's Lake In manner similar to the
4, improvements that have been made at
Client and Ribble Place. This will ne
h cessitate filling In and bulkheading
around the shore line OF the lake. 1t is
|. suggested that the shore line be eS-
tended out enough to provide for a
& handsome driveway around the lake.
tits believed that the city authorities
deem 1t very important to keep Ma
5 s1one's Lake and all other natural wa
terways In the city limits open to tidal
action for san advantages result
u ant therefrom. An improvement Of the
!, n i've
5tabllshing a driveway, Will tend to
4 Sbeautify this section of the city with
out detriment to its sanitation, in fact,
4 the improvement will tend toward an
} Improved sanitary condition by doing
y away with a large area OF mud covered
with debris. alternately flooded and
then exposed to the action of the sun.
It Is stated that 1t IS now admitted
u that in filling UP the canal Cat the KEEL
q ley avenue crosslng) that originally
u reached Queen street at the bridge, q
Il grave mistake was made and one of
I; the plans submitted Mt this meeting
II proposed the re-opening of this as well
!: as the dredging tho main canal from
5; the Eastern Branch and Its three prom
$inent branches: to Cove street, to
81 Queen street. and to Etheredge's mill,
4 to a depth considerably greater than
4 anywhere in them at present, making
& them 200 feet wide each and filling in
for % park of all the flats bordering on
these channels, leaving ponds connect
Led by small canals with the channel
81 and laying out In drives, walks, lawns
q and shrubbery the land thus gained,
Z surrounding 1t with n street on which
6 nire residences might be erected and
q thus giving to Brambleton and the east
lend What they SO much need, a breath
ling place. and which the vast numbers
n who visit the Holt street bridge prove
8 would be exceedingly popular. as we'll
as conducting to the health OF the local
81 1ty. This would only call for a 20O-foot