Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-07-25
LIMIT OF A CITY's GROWTH.
London Declared to Be in Danger Of
Being Suffocated.

A writer in a London magazine de-
clares that London is in danger OF be-
ing suffocated. The trouble Is that the
streets in the densely-bult portions OF
the city are narrow, and means OF
transit are limited. In the congested
portions of that city there are no street
railways as there are in this city and in
most American cities. The writer in
the London magazine says that in that
city all manner of interests resolutely
oppose the street railway, for all man
ner of reasons-OwnerS or vehicles, De-
cause of the practical narrowing or
the streets which the lines, when much
used produce, and because OF the risk
of injury to their vehicles, the cycling
organizations. because the presence OF
rails. and the watering or them greatly
increase the risk Of sliding and acct
dents the landlords. because the proX-
unity of tramway is supposed to de-
teriorate the value of property; the
tenants, for the same reason, and be-
cause, when shop-owners, they imag-
inc that people with carriages VIII DE
driven from the street, and that thus
the richest customers will be lost; the
local bodies, because they represent all
these interests, and care nothing about
the welfare of the population which
has to move through their streets.
AS to the overhead and underground
steam railways. it is declared that 1t is
impossible to handle their local traffic,
and when it is asked why they do not
duplicate their lines and enlarge their
stations, the answer Is the inordinate
cost of such proceeding. Not only
have the railway companies to pay for
the land enormous prices, but they are
also saddled with the most onerous OBJ
legations in the shape of rehousing the
dislodged population. The cost of pro-
viding houses for the displaced popula-
tion so that the people will be equally
we'll off. and as convenient to their
places of business, will be enormous,
and the provision will be made with
difficulty. AS to the cost of multiply
ing the underground roads, it would be
greater than the traffic would justify.
The writer who is taking such a
pessimistic view of the condition of
London. mentions as an increasing
evil the bad condition Of the air, and
the insufficient supply of water He
says the Londoner's lungs are black
with SCOT deposit. and In winter the
London fogs, which are growing in fire.
auency and density each year. are an
obstacle of the most serious nature to
locomotion. The loss which they in
tiict upon a business community Ii! a
normal year must be very percepf.ble.
Not less grave is their effect upon vital
ity. To breathe foul, vitiatcd air Is
deadly to the weak and embedding to
the strong. The River Thames, which
furnishes the water supply, Is constant
~ becoming less able to perform its
task. and, as a summing up OF the
backsets of the worlds metropolis, he
concludes that bad transit, bad air.
high rents, and insufficient water,
| must, in the immediate future, begin
to react upon the greatest city of the
| world. limiting its size.
Certain 1t is that great city must
| have ready, abundant, and cheap COM
| munication with all sources of food
and other supplies, and markets for
| the sale of its products. Ii must have
at hand an unlimited water supply,
! and facilities for getting rid of its
| sewage and refuse in a manner COM
| porting with perfect sanitation. while
| II must have a cheap and thoroughly
organized internal passenger transit.