The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1914-08-06
LETTERS FROM THE
PEOPLE
Editor of the Herald


and friends, Messr.s Dyer and Law
ton, an injustice in your editorial of
the 23rd instant on The Southern
Pacific Ordinance and Improve
provements," and | would respect
fully request that you afford Inc
equal space and prominence for our
side of this, street-closing PROPOSE
ton in your next issue, so that may
show that the city delegation" have
been the real friends of Algiers in
this matter up to date.
To begin with, there is no such
official proposition pending as would
exchange shops, depots, boiler
wroks and other extensive improve
ments for certain unused streets"
The proposed ordinance granting
the NJ. l.. q. 7. X. II. & S. S. Co. the
right to close and use the streets
referred to was published in the
Daily States for two weeks follow
ing May 5 of this year, which pro-
posed ordinance embodies the only
official proposition made by the rail
road to the city, and this ordinance
does not obligate said railroad to
build anything or do anything eX-
cept to pay the city sum of money
to be agreed upon for the privilege
of closing and using said streets.
Section E of the said proposed or
dinance reads as follows:
"All Of the grants mentioned and
made in the preceding sections are
made and granted upon the follow
ing express conditions: That the NJ
l.. & T. r. r. & S. S. Co. Is to pay
TO the city of New Orleans as a con-
sideration for closing the said streets
the sum of -" When we took
the matter up Mr.. J. w. Lennox had
already made an estimate as to the
value of these streets of some SILL
900, which amount the city engineer
subsequently raised to $4,000, but
which latter figure, we were in
formed, however, was pronounced
too high by the railroad company.
Having, with Mr.. Dyer, invested
considerable money in the section be-
low the said railroad property, and
being therefore materially interested
in the districts development, / nat
urally looked into this matter care
fully, whereupon l found that If the
proposed ordinance went through as
written and became, as it states, "a
contract between the railroad COM
pany and the city," the municipal
treasury would be enriched possibly
by a sum midway between the Len
nox and Hardee estimates, while the
lower section of the district men
toned, with its great 100000
government plants and all of its pos
sibilities, would be practically fenced
off from Algiers forever. You will
appreciate, Mr.. Editor, that the New
ton Street opening, which is over a
half-mile from the river, is to-day
the only practicable means of in
gress and egress between these sec
tons, the Patterson Street connec-
ton being practically impossible for
vehicles owing to the danger of the
surface street and the steep grade
of the railroad viaduct.
You will also appreciate that
while the city, even after parting
with these streets, would still have
the right to appropriate them, but
you will recognize that this right is
a very precarious one after all, as
was forcibly illustrated by the re-
cent building of the Newton Street
viaduct, when, after a years delay,
the municipality was forced to sign
a deed for every post space required
by said construction. We found be-
sides, that this ordinance, IL passed
as proposed, would not only have
resulted in the city practically alien
ating her rights to cross over this
company's property, but that 1t
would actually render the building
of any viaduct over this railroad
company's property (between New
ton Street and the river at least)
physically impossible.
You will understand, Mr.. Editor,
that IL the towns streets are to be
stopped at Atlantic Avenue 1t would
be impossible to get disable
grade" within the one square be-
tween that street and Pacific Ave
nue., upon which avenue the trolley
line has its franchise, and that II
such an approach would be built over
he trolley wires 1t would necessitate
,oing too far into the heart of the
own with said incline to make any
UGH viaduct scheme permissible.
All that we have done so far is
D call attention to these facts, and .
, offer certain suggestions with a