The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-05-06
he In telli&enCer
GET ABOVE HIGH WATER

The suggestion that the street levels o IL the Island and in the
'ow-Iymg portions OF the South Side should be raised above food
stage Is no IDLE dream. Such a work i necessarily a n engineering
problem, but 1t is not = costly and is not 50 tremendous A. TO be
P'o"io'Ne' Naturally a work 50 extensive must be spread over a
number OF years. II cannot be done in a day or in a season. bu, il
can ne dohe II the people Of Wheeling make mp their minds To- do
II and there IS every reason why they should 50 make up their minds
IN .e lower Mississippi valley for a distance of one thousand miles
on both sides of the Mississippi river. the annual floods of the father
ID waters arc kept back from millions NJ acres of farm land. bv
enormous levee>. Ii these comparatively poor agricultural com
mfniucS can protect themselves against extraordinary flood dam
age every year and can carry their lines of protection for thousands
o' nheS why cannot this rich and prosperous, community protec,
i>eif against Hood damage in a territory a little more than six mile
long. on both sides of the river.
The lntellScncer has secured a few rough estimates Of the
ProoabIc co> OF raising a street level. ON South Front street the
street level can he raised t. a hftvfoo, stag at, Al apnr,>;na,c .s,
OF $50 per front foot This means the elevation Of the entire stree,
by ming and a gradual >lopinS back of the elevation to the lawn,
ON either side Take the beautiful and expensive homes in tina, ter
rltory, with a average frontage per lot Of fit, or sixty feet a., tho
moderate cost of a thousand or fifteen hundred dollars. the street
eNe M '' Ie\eI III most eases could be put we'll above a flood
stage Irop"rtionatcly. streets might lie raised throughout the en-
"e Island and South Side, and the gain in property valuation alone
within a Jew wears time would more than compensate tor III, cx-
rendture.
Now here i, a practical way 81 making these N, mon,
Let te cost be assessed one third to the city. and one third to ,c
abutting property owner, on each side. Let bonds be issued asair.,
'Ve mPro lei IN the same manner j. our present street I'M
pT"vement bonds are issued. Ii limitations in our charter .,,nd N
me way. those limitations can he removed by legislative action. The
city OF Wheeling with It's S1on"ouOuo Of wealth can well afford g.
spend t"o or three. or even h>c million dollars to Iii, it,elf ONT Il
the recurring flood danger. W thin the last ten wear. We have 500,
enormous stretches 81 residence property on the South Side and The
Island constantly dcprcciating in value This depreciation Ia, he r
caused by no other thing than the frequently recurring floods. II
{ % No more than put Island and South Wheeling property back
10 ,me valuation points that they held ten and fifteen years ago. we
VIII be well repaid Tor the money To he expended in raising street,
levels t a reasonably >afe height.
This l. not an undertaking To be gone into lgh,l, and viir,u,
m'rnd'r'n. The hr>t step should be the acquisition II information
Let city council create a commission fr the purpose VI ,r,d,iu. tho
bet possible plan. the cost Of the work and The method, II fnan,-
"H II, ana "hen 'uch a well dEc>tci report i ready 20 he laid Le-
tore the people d" Wheeling, it will ind an enthusiastic and ready
response.