The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-15
is LONG OVER DUE
East Eighth Avenue Bridge Not
Yet Completed.
Time Fixed to Turn 1t Over to
City June 10.
PENALTY is SO A DAY.
No Likelihood That 1t VIII Be
Collected.
Pavement to Be Rushed When
Bridge ls Completed.


Under the contract with the Topeka
Bridge and Iron company, the East
Eighth avenue bridge should have been
completed and open for traffic on June
10. At the rate of $40 per day, the
amount specified in the contract, there
is already due a penalty of $3.50 which
the city could probably collect. Accord
ing to the city officials, no extension of
time has been granted to the bridge
company.
1t is not likely, however, that the city
will collect the penalty. 1t is sort of a
percedent here never to cellect penal
ties. Under the circumstances, there is
no doubt that the work of building the
bridge has been interfered with by high
water, and the completion of the con-
tract delayed.
City Engineer McCabe says it would
not be rightto make the bridge COM
pany pay the penalty, as it has had
great deal of trouble with high water
since it undertook the work. 1.-The COM
pany gave US a very low bid on the
job" says Mr.. McCabe. land will not
make much at best. The high water
has cost them considerable. I believe
that the bridge is well made through
out. Besides it is a Topeka concern,
and we don't care about throwing any
STUMBLING blocks in its path
The bridge will be completed about
the end of this week. A State Journal
reporter who visited the scene of the
work today found that the bridge seem
ed to be practically completed with the
exception of the retaining walls and the
dirt fills at the ends. The floor is all
Lot n of fho hrid
where the work the walls is in
progress. The walls are being built un-
der separate contract by M. F. Wall.
The dirt fill back of the walls must be
more to be done to the bridge itself,
apparently, except to lay a few floor
plank and finish painting the iron work.
People are already passing over the
bridge by means of heavy planks laid
from the completed floor to the creek
bank
The cost of the bridge has been as
follows:
Removing old bridge. ................ 5000 :
Retaining walls, etc.-................ 10000
Total ...... ...................,s2 2,3456o
Property Values Increase.
There is a good deal doing down |
on East Eighth now days Besides
the large gang of men which Mike |
Wall and the bridge people have at |
work finishing up the bridge and the
retaining walls, there are long barri- |
cades of vitrified brick for paving
built up on each side of the street as
far east as the eye can reach. In the
middle of the street there is a small |
chain of dirt, thrown up out
Of the storm water sewer which is be-
ing put in for the purpose of carrying
off water from the proposed East
Eighth pavement, and sending it down
he Shunganunga, instead of allowing
t to run through town via Biddle
creek.
This sewer is now laid for a dis
-ance of several blocks east of the
creek, and scrapers are at work filling
up the trench. The construction of |
his underground sewer was rendered
necessary by the lay of the East
Eighth pavement. 1t was so fiat that
here would have been no good drain
ige for storm water if it was led off
places. So City Engineer McCabe de-
Used the plan of sending the storm
water back underground to the Shun-
sanunga, instead of allowing it to fol-
ow the natural grade to the east and
Empty into Biddle creek.
AS soon as the bridge is completed
he work of building the East Eighth
pavement will begin in earnest. The ]
# thousands of bricks will be hauled ]
cross the creek, and thousands of
Dads of sand will be dumped into the
Excavation for the foundation. 1t
Cast Eighth, and it will be the MAX
ng of that part of town. The i'm
which are now in prog
ess ought to raise the value of prop
5 per cent, and open up a sure ave-
Iue for still further increases in
alue.
Want a New Name.
incidentally, the people over in that
art of town have started an agitation I
fhn ,Io / !
ale" They even talk of getting up a
etition asking the newspapers to quit
eferring to that part of town as s"Park-
ale" Chris Roof, one of the leading
itizens of the neighborhood, and for !
1any years proprietor of a successful
last Eighth grocery, said today:
I'VE want people to refer to this part
f town as East Topeka or the East
ide.' We object to Parkdale. Park
ale used to be the home of a good
lany tough citizens; there were fights
nd joints and other things of similar
ature. People have come to think of .
moky Row. But things are quite {
hanged over mere now. There is no c
lore trouble, and our citizens are of
S good a class as can be found in To- Z
eka- We want to get away from this
Id name Parkdale. 1t always will have d
bad signifcation in the minds of
eople. I
'As a matter of fact. this locality is I
OF Parkdale. Parkdale on the city q
zap covers a comparatively small area
his place right around here is plated
s Metsker's addition We hope that
eople will just cut out this name of
and call this locality East b
de, just as they refer to the North t
de and West side; or East Topeka, c
Ist as they refer to South Topeka I $
an get up petition with 500 signers
skiing the newspapers to let up on this f
anne of Parkdale. and if the newspa- C
ers would stop, the name would soon e
lie OUT a