Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-01
NORTHERN SUBURBS
ARE KNEE-DEEP IN MUD
Wagons Line Roads OF North
Richmond.
CONDITIONS WORSE THAN EVER
Race to Install Bond Issue Improve
ments Before Annexation, and for
Which City Would Eventually
Have to Pay, Cause OF Trouble.
Mud. mud. mud,

Mud. mud. mud.
| Mud up to the hubs-mud bottomlcss.
hopeless and impossible. Mud in which
automobiles stick. in which delivery
wagons are mired and through which
pedestrians struggle valliantly to reach
belated street cars.
Such is the description given OF the
recently annexed territory. and it must
be said that in some respects, ~ least.
II is II true description. Nor does it
help the temper OF those living in the
northern suburbs TO be told that the
conditions are largely their own fault
due to their effort to get something tor
nothing by rushing in Il lot of So
called improvements just prior to an
neSation. for which the city will have
to pay.
In those sections OF the annexed ter
ritory taken directly from licnrico
and Chesterfield counties there is mud
plenty of it--but the citizens frankly
admit that conditions are certainly no
worse than they have been in previous
winters. when the counties did nothing
for their relief. and they are living in
hope that when the surveys are CONF
pleted. Richmond may redeem its pledge
TO the newly annexed territory as lib
orally as ii has 10 the city Of Man
chester or to Lee District or former an
neXation areas.
CONDITIONS ARR: WORSE THAN
THEY HAVE EVER BEEN
But in the incorporated townships
north OF the city 1t mast he admitted
that conditions are actually worse than
they were under the old regime. and
that there seems little prospect of their
being bettcred for some months to
come Each little town rushed into
bond issues, put down some walltways
and made other alleged improvements
and piled up debt for Richmond to
pay on annexation. How far these
improvements" will prove Of actual
value remains to be seen. The city'S
experience with tho ungradcd streets,
small sewers and inadequate water
mains OF the town Of Paramount was
not such as to encourage the belief
that much of it will bear the test Of
actual Typographical surveys or meet
the requirements of storm drainage or
fire protection.
Probably tho worst street condition
in the corporate limits to-day is that
section of North Avenue extending from
the Barton Heights line through North
Richmond to the Brookland Park
boulevard The town of North Rich
monu attempted some grading and
GravelinE of this thoroughfarc just he
fore annexation and the work was not
completed when winter came on. II is
no unusual sight to see from one to
five wagons and automobiles stranded
and abandoned. and. "a tho best part
OF the muddy thOrouRhfarc is that oc-
cupied by the street car tracks, Ii fol-
lows that there have been frequent de-
lays in service, while car men and
passenger helped some struggling
team TO pull from mud hole TO one
side of the road
The Administrative Board has faced
the problems placed before IL by an
neXation seriously, and was preparing
to go into an Improvement plan on a
large scale when the Council Finance
Committee reported a budget which
cuts the appropriation for street work
to about onc-third what was provided
in tho budget OF last year.
Shortly after annexation was made
effective in November. r. T.. d. Myers.
Jr., n civil engineer with long rail
road experience. was retained under
advice OF City Engineer Charles l..
Boiling to make the surveys Of the an
ncNcd territory. The survey corps be-
gan its Work at the river bank just
east OF Fulton, and has continued
working in northcrly direction,
though much hampered by bad weather.
! Its stakes may be found as far north
as lakewood Cemetery. As the weather
opens additional men will be retained
and the work pressed north OF the
city. including Highland Park, Barton
Heights. North Richmand and Ginter
Park. Until these sections are def
nitely surveyed and grades established,
| little or no work Of permanent char
acter can bc done by the city Once
the grades are adopted. the sewers will
! follow BY the time big storm drains
are installed. gas mains put in. with
house connections. and water mains
large enough to give fire protection put
under the streets. 1t Is feared that there
! will be little left OF the surface i'm
| provements the townships have made,
even II their grades are found to con-
| form to the general plan OF the engi-
neer corps now at work.
WILL. DRAG AND ROLL ROADS
| WHENEVER WEATHER PERMITS
| For the mud roads the Improvement
OF which must be long in the future.
! the City Engineer suggests the use OF
the split-log drag. used TO good advan-
tage In the country, and when the
weather Will permit the constant use
! OF the steam rollers and graveling as
| far as practicable North Avenue is the
main traffic thoroughfarc of Barton
Heights and North Richmond and it
is expected that it will be the first
suburban street to be paved. the work
J to be done az soon as the necessary
underground constructions can he made
/ For street work in the annexed terri
| tory the pending budget provides but
$4,000. While this is far more than
lienrfco County has ever spent In that
area, il is believed that il will be suf-
ficient to accomplish little more than
the maintenance Of Il repair force
gravel carts and the steam rollers
leaving more permanent work to fu-
turc provision.
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