Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-25
LEVEE PRIVILEGES
City Apparently as Much at Sea
as Ever With Reference
to Them.
THE SAND BARGE NUISANCE
First Consideration Should Be
For Packets in Accom-.
modations.

1 4n6 river IrOub privilege QucStiOH
is as much of an aggravation to the
city at the present day as it has been
at any time since the new leyee was
completed. And the great source OF
all the difficulty is found in the fact
that the city has hesitated to assume
the responsibility and control of this
part of the public property. After
months of agitation of the warehose
proposition the council turned the
petitions of business men and tax
payers down. and placed a ware
house in the control of but one of the
various steam boat interests, where it
has proven so far inaccessible even to
the public spirited owner, who has
built q very attractive building. In
fstead of making the matter of steam
boat accommodations of first consid-
GRAFTON, the sand and rock barges-
which it is not saying should not be
accommodated-have been permitted
to use part of the improved river
front. thus not only hindering the
packets from coming in and getting
out, but they have been allow to be
instrumental in cutting and marring
the levee shamefully with the heavy
wagons pursuing a beaten course to
and from the waters edge.
The council has reiterated its pur-
pose so far disregarded by the mayor
to order the barges removed to Twen-
ty-fourth street. There has been
some suggestion of disposition to
move the barges from their present
moorings east of Eighteenth street to
the river front between Seventeenth
and Eighteenth streets. Such a move
would only tend to increase the farci-
cal aspect of the case. The public
has not yet fully recovered from the
shock of the location of the warehouse
in the most difficult place to reach
along the levee proper and as far
away from the improved harbor as
possible, and now to locate the OBJ
jectionable barges in the harbor and
thus destroy it's usefulness absolutely
as far as the advantages offered to
steam boats are concerned, would lead
to a serious discussion of the sanity
of the moving spirits of the city.
On the other hand, there are those
who advocate the removal of the
warehouse that cannot be used at the
foot of Nineteenth street under pres
emit conditions down to the old land
ing at Seventeenth street. While
this undertaking might lead to COM
plications at first, it has been pro-
posed as the best solution proposed in
the existing state of affairs for the
restoration and accommodation of the
steamb traffic that belongs to the
city.
As to the Barges.
As far as the barges are concerned
they constitute an element in river
business that should be taken care Of,
but not to the detriment of the packets.
Davenport and other river towns
have had the same trouble with the
barges that Rock Island is experience
ing. and in every instance the barges
have exhibited the same obstinancy
in respecting the rights of the city
that has been shown here, until the
city has done what Rock Island
ought to have done long ago-given
all river interests to know that the
city is master, and that it proposes
to treat all alike and afford all the
best facilities possible for doing bust
ness. The present plan is to move
the sand boats to Twenty-fourth
street. Another suggestion has been
made that landing could be made at
Twelfth street also, at some expense.
The barges do not require the accom-
modations that the packets do, and
they should not be permitted to inter-
fere with this class of river COM
IN area