The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-05
City to Purchase Proper
ty Between Ash and
Nicholson Streets.
BEAUTIFUL PARK
ON RIVER FRONT
James River Improvement Com
mittee Recommends Plan TO
Raise Lester Street Fiji
teen Feet Out of
the Reach of
Freshets.

no greater movement for the public
good has been launched IN many years
tAan was made yesterday afternoon ~
tne James River Improvement Commit
Tee, Wien 10 unanimously passed q resOi4-
ton rcc0 llfaenllug tnat tue city Council
authorize the City Attorney 20 acquire
b. purchase. cor..- IlnatlOn Proceedings or
o-AC.s4se. tle property fronting on James
RIVER and r.lu-ug back between Ash
ana Nlcao.son Streets. 10 the Chesa-
peake and OHIO Nlad4ct.
Tho property fronts something like
@-- ieet 1n the river. extending from
TIE wnarfee of tae Old Dominion Steam
s-4p company eastwardly 60 the water
front owned by rho Davenport estate
IL is proposed 20 nu the Immense 'ba-
sin Incl -aed wlthin the area. and To
make tle property a beautiful puoLc
PARK running down % the waterfront,
where splendid docks VIII be- constructed
To Raise Street.
Through tae centre OK tie property
nov runs RocAetts. or Lester street
which during high water and froshets
u so flooded that tle street railway cars
are unable 90 De- operated. cutting on
from ilcamoud the thriving section OF
Fulton.
The plan proposed viii call for raising
Lester street some Gfteen feet as
wel as the al5oin.ng property. so that
hieh ~ater. It is also proposed 20
straighten the curve ln Lester street 90
that tne avenue VIII run on the bank
overlooking the river
Another Improvement that viii follow
the acquisition of the property Will be
the strengthening % Gillls Creek. which
row forms O. semi-c.rcie after leaving
tine city Gas Works The creek viii
be turned from lts present bed. ane vii
- made 40 flow into the river 4t-s-
Ioint some 500 feet lower
or the river front win De constructed
line OF docks nearly half a mile in
length. and above the reach Of high
water There will De- erected q stone re-
taininE wall. and the present unsighuy
irdentures OF the banks viii be changed
into graceful curve.
Important Work
This IS the plan that has been mapped
out hy the James River Improvement
Committee. and which viii doubtless re-
ceive the hearty approval OF the mem
be-s OF the Council and the Aldermen.
for not only wiH it appeal to those who
approve u developing city parks and
pleasure grounds. but 10 VIII have the
added weight of being 4 wonderfully
economic move really saving the city
many thousands - dollars.
Hir. q H. Fuusten. chairman of tie
subcommittee which formulated the re-
port has been working for years TO ac-
complish this scheme. for he was i'm
presses With the fact that the city was
spending immerse sums annually 20 i'm
prove the property Of individuals on the
waterfront instead of taking advantage
OF the expenditure for its own interest
Engaged in dredging the river are i'm
mense machines which pump through
great pipes sand and clay from the bed
or the stream 10 the banks below Lester
yards Of "fiu" have been made within
the last few years. great basins and dips
have been changed into stretches and the
entire section along the river front has
been raised. This work while costing
the city great sums Of money, has not
only kept the river navigable. but has
made the formerly almost worthless prop
ertv On Lester Street very valuable. In
dividuais have received the profit which
should by right accrue to the city. and
i. IS now proposed that the property be-
tween Ash and Nicholson Streets be Sc
cured al fair price and that the city
convert IL into great public pleasure
ground
It is explained thar il win be necessary
for the city 70 acquire property in the
neighDorhood upon which TO deposit the
sand from the river bottom. ana il is
pointed out that even If this prooerty
were sold afterwards, IL would necessarily
have Increased in value and would be a
valuable asset The plan has the warm
approval Of Colonel Cutshaw, the CITY
Engineer and Of Mr.. Beck, his assistant.
Meeting on Tug.
On the city tug Thomas A Cunning
ham yesterday afternoon at $50 o'clock
the James River Improvement Commit
tee held most important meeting There
were present Mr.. W w. Morton
chairman. and Messrs. O. H. Funsten
George Currie, Umlnuf and Peters. as well
as Colonel Cutshaw. City Engineer; Afr
Beck, assistant angineer, and Clerk
Ruskel to the committee
MT Funsten read his report which
called for the purchase Of the property
fronting on James River between Ash
and Nicholson Streets. The report was
unanimously adopted.
Mr. Funsten also moved to lease
FOR twelve months the property
known as "Soan's Basin" upon
which to dump the deposits dredged from
the river. with the understanding that
tho sand so deposited remained the
Ltoperty of the city.
Colonel Cutshaw offered a report, show
fng the sums appropriated and expended
on the river since l9O3 which was ac-
septed and filed. He also stated that
iuring the month Of October. 200 cubic
yards Of earth had been dredged. and
Surfing November. 2.S1 cubic yards. at a