The City Will Pave First Avenue—Cable Tracks or Not

The street committee of the city council has instructed Corporation Counsel Scott to draw up an ordinance for the paving of Front street from Yesler avenue to Pike street, including Pioneer Place, with vitrified brick, except where necessary to build retaining walls. If the property owners wish they may build the retaining walls themselves, or they can enter into a contract with the city to build them, the city charging up the cost to the property. If the property owners refuse to do this the street in front of their property will be paved with planks set on edge, running across the street and tarred. City Engineer Thomson's idea of running a conduit on either side of the street and occupying half the width of the sidewalk will not be embodied in the plan.

If the street should be paved the tracks of the Front Street Cable Company, which are four or five inches below the official grade, would have to be raised and almost rebuilt before the space occupied by them could be paved. The franchise requires the company to pay for the paving of this space whenever the city paves the rest of the street, but the management complains that the company is not in financial condition to spend the $16,000 or $17,000 which the improvement would involve, and has asked the council to delay action until the settlement of D. T. Denny's affairs is completed. The committee, however, will recommend that the city go ahead and, if the cable tracks are not raised, ignore them and pave clear across them without waiting. To this course the cable road company will undoubtedly make strong objection.