Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-20
RIVER FRONT BLOT,
Appearance of New Terminal
Structure at Foot of Sew
enteenth Street.
IT IS A VERY CHEAP AFFAIR

An Example of the surrendering of Rights
Within the Fire Limits Without Knowing
Character OF the BuudiuE-An Agree
ment Said to Have Been Reached in Re
gard to the Burlingtons Spur Track.
The shell nearing completion on the
river front west of the line of the
levee at Seventeenth, and marking
the enterprise of the Terminal COM
pany, carries one or two suggestions
that should come to the public mind
which is now wrought up with disap-
point nent and in no little degree in
dignation over the character of the
structure. One of these suggestions
is that the city should in all instances
where it is sought to have the rules
governing the erection of buildings
within the fire limits, waived,
demand a definite understanding of
the nature of the building to be
erected. In the present instance, the
Terminal company instead of putting
up the elaborate depot that
was pictured at the time
it's river front franchises were
sought, and granted has constructed
a building on the cheapest scale pos
sihle, an Institution that has more the
appearance of a way station on
jerk handle railroad, or a barn, than
the depot or warehouse of great
corporation of which so much has
been promised. and expected. Promo
ter +. Z. Blair when spoken 10 con-
corning the character of the building
the other day, remarked that owing to
the newly made ill where the build
ing is erected it was not practicable
TO build it of anything but frame, as
it might settle. But wait until it is
finished" he said, land then you will
find it is not as deserving of criticism
as YOU think The building is not
yet completed, but it has reached the
stage of advancement that warrants
the conviction that it is to be a blot
on the river front at a most uufortu-
nately conspicuous point, a structure
of which corporation that has re-
ceived from Rock Island the advan-
tages--ights that only stopped with
the declination to give it control of
the levee-that the Terminal company
has, should feel heartily ashamed.
A second suggestion that comes
from view of the spectacle the Ter
minal company has made of the river
front is that the city has acted with
good sense and wisdom in refusing to
release to any corporation the control
and regulation of any structure that
may be erected on the pu bic grounds
of the water front The Terminal
has in the instance quoted
afforded a striking object lesson as to
what a corporation in the face of great
promises as TO what it would do, may
do, when the city gives it absolute
control of the situation. This is not
true of every corporation, and it
would not be Just to cite this circum-
stance as criterion By which to
the attitudes of corporations
generally in THEN relations with the
public Rock islands experience, on
the contrary, happily, has ben alto
gether different. That is one reason
why this example proves the more
surprising as well as effective.
An Agreement Announced.
1t is announced that the Burling-
ton and Terminal companies have
finally reached an understanding with
reference to the formers coal track.
which fronts the latter's warehouse
on First avenue, and runs east to the
west line of the levee proper, and
which Promoter F. p. Blair has
n source of great incon-
venience to his company, inasmuch
as it shut it off from getting onto its
ill from the west. The arrangement
reached, so The ARGUS is informed,
gives the Terminal permission to cross
the Burlington's spur about seventy
five feet west of the west line of the
levee, cutting off about four car
lengths of standing room from the
which uses the track to
deliver coal to Lamont & Son, and to
the steamboats,. This arrangement,
il is stated, will remove all complica-
tions affecting the various track rights
on First avenue, and it is assured,
will entirely remove any further dis
cussion of encroachments upon the
levee proper, which. it has been con-
tended by Mr.. Blair was essential to
the giving to him of the privileges he
has now secured. The companies in
terested assert that in view of the
terms OF the original ordinance. the !
now reached will not require
the approval of the council.
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