Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-10-28
BRIDGE HACKERS
EXPLAIN POSITIONS
CONTINUED From First Pagc.l

| C.l
sity of this viaduct and the immense
| benefit which its erection will be, no
to the people of the Hill Section alone
but to the entire city.
| The Association asks justice only
not aims 1t requests that every tax
| payer, every voter of Harrisburg read
| this appeal If this be done; If every
| citizen of our municipality will read
! it thoughtfully, carefully, will weigh
the statements it contains, the mem
bers of our association are convinced
that the loan ordinance will carry at
the polls, on November 2. by a tri-
umphant majority.
The people of Allison Hill are
staunchly loyal to the best interests of
Harrisburg. They have zealously as
sisted in all the improvements of the
past fifteen years which have resulted
in giving Harrisburg a proud position
amongst the cities of our State and
nation.
A Harrisburg newspaper, under date
of October s, in an editorial utterance
indicating that the residents of the
Hill should cease their efforts for the
Walnut Street Viaduct in view of the
recommendations contained in a re-
cent report by the City Panning COM
mission, nevertheless pays the fol-
lowing high tribute to the citizenship
'Harrisburg's great development in
recent years is traceable to a wide
spread feeling of unselfishness, a de-
sire to exploit no one section at the
expense of the others, but a systematic
effort to beautify the city as a whole
This has been done. Allison Hill resi-
dents were among the pioneers of this
development. 1t was they who early
in the paving program invited the
PAYERS to their district when others
were slow to avail themselves of this
Improvement. They have ever been
progressive and they reside in what
many consider the choice section of
the city. No district has expanded so
rapidly and so beautifully and their
case is entitled by all the rules of
justice to be heard"
True, most true in every word.
The same paper in the same article
makes this statement:
The desire of the Hill residents for
better methods of communication be-
city is most natural. The Mulberry
street bridge serves the lower section
of the Hill very acceptably. The Mar
ket Street subway ought TO serve its
section just as readily, but II never has
and it never will, in its present form,
because, at best it is an engineering
botch, disgrace to the city and a dis
appointment even to its builders. This
subterfuge for a subway naturally in
spires the Hill residents to something
Again-true. most true in every
word.
Then. in the name of all that is right
and just give the people of the Hill
what they want. Do not try to befog
the issue with the voters of the city
by scheme of something the Hill has
not asked for-something, entailing
immense expense, which possibly may
come sometime in the far future. Give
them the speedy and permanent relief
n bfgsh h aF,.l1 ~
which can be accomplished at a mod
crate expense, and which, as this state
ment intends to show, will be lasting
benefit to the whole city of Harrisburg.
The Hill Residents Present the Pro-
per solution of the Problem.
The people of the Hill, substantially
move the inconveniences which have
existed for years and which are con-
stantly growing The Hill now con
Of the city of Harrisburg. At its pres
ent rate of growth IL will soon have
one-third of the taxable property of
the city.
Its people have rejoiced at accom-
plished filtration, at a beautifed River
Front; they have borne their full share
in securing parks and playgr3pnds and and
been no jealousy. no envy of any i'm
provement in any section of our prog
sfsye ssks y steos oF they IN ewfd Tess a aes
development for the good of the whole
community.
Now they present to you. citizens of
Harrisburg, what they regard as the
next logical step in civic development.
overshadowing all other propositions
in Importance fitting climax to the
fifteen years of civic development which
We have just celebrated so enthusias-
tically.
They present it not as sectional
nience of the whole city. And they
ask every voter to read the presenta-
tion of undeniable facts here given,
and then decide for himself If the Wal
nut Street bridge proposition is not
founded on plain common sense.
The ordinance authorizing a vote at
600 to build a viaduct across the rail-
road tracks and the valley AT the base
OF Allison Hill which would start from
Walnut street on the west and termi-
$50 feet west of Twelfth street was in
troduced into our City Council in ample
valid objection could be made. None
were heard in Council or out of II. 1t
passed unanimously. For time all
was quiet and then, as ii drew nearer
pressions of opposition were heard in
some quarters, Then came a report
from the City Planning cGmmisSion
that may come as roll along the years,
but which ignored the Walnut Street
bridge, the ready help at hand for a
fic congestion which has become an in
tolerable incubus on our citizens.
Our Association is not antagonizing
any proposition of the Planning Com
mission. The Commission gives no
statement of what length of time must
elapse before its plans can become ef-
fective. 1t gives no figures as to prob
able cost. 1t throws no light on the
manner in which certain difficulties
that confront its plans can, be over
come. Therefore this association can
see no other line of duty for its mem
bership but to press yet more vigorous
ly its clear-cut, and logical method
of terminating, at once. hindrances to
communication between different sec
| tions of our city at an expense far
! less than that involved in the plans OF
the Citv Commission.
The Planning Commission suggests
/ two subways for the relief of conges-
| tion and easy access to the Hill. Both
may come sometime.
| We hone "the engineering botch' in
| Market street may be widened But
| let ii be remembered that to attempt
| to make engineering changes upon a
| viaduct or subway whilst at the same
| time providing for its normal traffic
! the expense of the changes; SO that
when the Market street subway is wild
| ened, the Walnut street bridge will be
| an imperative necessity during that OPP
Grafton to provide for communication
| between the two portions of the city
| in a normal manner.
Again. the great floods of 1865, SIS
! and 1891 flooded the whole valley be-
| tween the two sections of the city
| In recent years have closed the subway
| TO travel for hours at a time. In the