The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-08
Mayor 8. w. Mo = .

Mayor 8. ". Moorheaa
be great Improvement over the pres
emit structure. which It will replace.
BY landing the bridge on the bluff at
First street, the steep grade on Main
street between Water and First will b |,
avoided. Condemnation proceedings
are now under way for extension OF the
street leading to and from the bridge
through the remainder Of the block 10
9 junction with Main street just below,
the Blom-Collier property. This will
AFFORD q 2.40 per cent grade from tho
bridge to point less than 100 feet
from the top Of the Main street hill.
It was pointed out at the city hall that
the grade from the bridge to this
point on Main stree. will be less than
the grade on South Seventh street
from johnson to Main. with, a good
approach on the Illinois side, It will be
possible to haul much larger loads
across the new, bridge than across the
old one. All who may have occasion
to cross the new bridge will have 'rea;-
on to congratulate themselves on es-
Gaping the steep Main street hill.
Another important undertaking WAS
the purchase OF certain lots at South
Fifth and B streets, or more properly
at B street and Commercial alley,
whereby it became possible to extend
South Fifth street diagonaIly to a
junction with Commercial alley jus.
north OF the bending works. The ar
rangement involved the demolition OF
an old building that projected int J,
the street and was menace to life
and limb. The cost Of the right Of
way was $4,000, but the council dis
posed Of the remaining portions OF the
lots for more than enough to REIN.
burse the city for the outlay and pay
the cost Of making a six foot fill N
the new roadway. B street from Com
merctal alley to Blur and the new part
OF Commercial alley are now beins
paved with brick When the work ia
completed few days hence there will
be fine paved thoroughfare from
Harrison's box factory to Montrose, a
distance Of more than thirteen miles
Still other important new work was
the filling OF the river front from Main
street extended to the Keokuk an
Hamilton bridge. Cinders and like re-
fuse are being utilized for the purpose.
in addition the city hauled earth late
in the winter from the block bounded
by Second and Third, Timea and Des
Moines streets.A This work Afforded
greatly needed employment to MAJ
and teams at critical time and was
the means Of preventing much suffer-
ing and distress. To date about $500
has been expended for this purpose
There 10 still .;.bout 5000 remaining
In the river front fund which will be
expended in the future for the sana
purpose. Under the: law'it can be used
for no other. The work which has
been done Is an integral part OF a
general plan for systematic river front
improvement, including q sea wall
and modern terminals for the loading
and unloading of j. steamboats, and
barges by means Of travelling cranes
and other labor-saving devices. BY
next spring the part Of the river front
that has been filed will be ready for
conversion into q beautiful park.
Back Of the parapet wall at the west
ern end Of the Keokuk and Hamilton
bridge viaduct the city has made a
MI which brings the new roadway to
the proper level for paving. Some
grading is yet to be done in that To-
cality. This will be undertaken as
soon as the right of way is secured
through to Main street.
ether work Of a similar character
was the. opening Of Twenty-second
street from Main to Exchange, rendered
necessary by the erection OF the new
Jefferson school house. This work
was done at comparatively small cost
through favorable contracts entered
into with the owners Of Kings, addi-
ton. whereby the latter, met a large
share OF the expense. e street also
was opened from Park street to the
river front. To facilitate work OF this
kind the city last year added Ave new
wheelers, six drags and other grading
supplies to its equipment.
Altogether to date grading work
has been done amounting to over
$4,000. Included in the exhibit are
Johnson from Water to Second; Water
from Blondeau street north; Seven
teenth from Grand avenue to first
bridge; Eighth from Main to Blon-
deau; Ninth from Main to Blondeau;
Eleventh from Maip to Johnson; Com,
mercial from b to g: Fifth from Ca.
roll to B; Franklin from Fifteenth to
Sixteenth; Second from Johnson to
Bank; Home Park and Belknap addi-
tons: Palean street from seventeenth
to Twenty-third; e from river front
to Park; Sixteenth from High to
Franklin; alley in block 125; alley IN
block 1876; Nineteenth from Main TO
Exchange; Reid from G to K: a road
way to the Moose bathing beach
through new addition to Rand park,
and q lot Of miscellaneous work Some
of this belongs to the category OF
grading for public improvements ard
the remainder was general grading.
1t was all necessary to be done In
furtharance OF the onward and upward
progress of the city. In the line OF
street paving the record is as follows.