The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-15
SOUTHSIOER'S LAMENT.
SIDEWALKS AND WHISPERS AND
UNsIGHTLY POLES HIS TROUBLE.

Citizen of the Southern Section
Thinks the Appearance of That
Part of the City Is Being Ruined
or Impaired by the Construction of
Sidewalks That Grow Up in Grass
and the Erection of Telephone and
Electric Light Poles in Unseemly
Posftions-Grass PInts Ought to
Have Attention From the City.
Trees Can't BE Made to Grow.
Citizens of the south side, whose ambi-
ton it is 90 make their section the hand
soonest in the city. are gently murmuring
against certain conditions that render this
ambition difficult or impossible of attain
ment.
They are not rabid about their troubles,
these good householders, but they feel
that the situation entities them to a mild
protest. at any rate, and they are making
H. They understand we'll enough what
their troubles are. but just how they are
to be remedied is not quite so clear to their
minds Summed up, "Unsightly brick
of poles of all kinds" would be about the
burden of their cry.
One of them was talking to Morning
News reporter on yesterday. ITO any
one who rides around the southern sec
ton on the trolley cars he said, land
views the improvements that have been
made in that part of the city between
Barnard and Abercorn streets and Sixth
and Tenth. the possibilities of making
this section beautiful must be at once ap-
parent On Abercorn street, especially
the natural advantages are as great as
could be desired, and but a tri1ing atten-
ton to the demands of prudence, proprie-
ty and the artistic would suffice to make
of this street, and those that cross it
on the south side. one of the leading res
idence sections of the city,
yet, what do we find? The city ordi-
nance permits the sidewalks to be con-
structed of brick as well as artificial stone
or cement and the city, when it builds
these sidewalks itself. always uses brick
The consequence is that the grass grows
up between the interstces of the brick,
until the walks are more fit for the pas
sage of lawn mower than the passage
of pedestrians. A four-feet walk of arti-
fetal stone, which is permitted by the or
dinance, does not cost more than the
broader walk which must be constructed
when brick is used even if the cost for the
former pavement were more, the extra
expense would be well repaid by the i'm
provement in the appearance of the
streets.
Then there are the gr1 ss-p'ats on eth
err side of the sidewalks" continued the
SouthSider, with a wearied air. THE pro-
visions of the ordinance or the manner of
it's enforcement are 50 exceedingly I'M
fosf hot
lected. If they were properly planted and
properly tended they would add much to
the appearance of the city. 1t seems to
me that something towards this end could
be accomplished if the propertyowner
were required to plant the grass and that
the city would assume thereafter the care
of The plats. Let them, for instance. he
turned over to the Park and Tree Com
mission. Such plan is followed, and with
success, in other cities.
out in our section we are trying to
replace the trees that have been de-
stroyed by storms. or cut down to make
way for Improvements or have died from
old age within the last few years with
others of newer growth. Instead of hav-
ing a forest of trees we are rapidly ac-
cumulating a forest of poles. wherein it
is next to impossible for trees to grow.
The electric light company and the two
telephone companies are accustomed to
erect their ugly monstrosities wherever
they please, and they have a method of
ugliness in their madness that is some
thing unique. They manage to get the
poles in just those positions where they
will be most conspicuous, and if they
strike a favorable corner where every
body may see, they usually erect some
half dozen in a space of as many yards.
When they have crowded all the poles
about the corner that space will permit
they drive a short one into the ground
and rig up guy-rope to hold one or
more of the others in place The result
may be triumph of utility but it is a
| blow in the face to the picturesque.
I'VE think these matters might be rem
edied,' concluded the south" sider "by
the bestowal of some little attention on
the part of the city. We don't wish to
carp or complain or make trouble, but in
the effort 10 make the section attractive
we ought 10 have the concurrence and
the active encoura cement of the city
fathers"