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The condition of the river in simply inwmiable, Ita offensive odora are de structive of bolt and comfort. A man who ban to cross it neada to protect his nostrils and his clothing from the furl vaporn. The water has reached that point of solidity that it will not run up or down. It stands alill, and offers a resistance to navigation which can only be overcome by stent. No vessel can wave in the river by the mere force of mila. Nothing less than steam can part the validity of the waters. The water has reached that degree of Sisckness which bids defiance to comparisons. The * raven's uing,” “night,” “ink,” *ewal,” and all the other things supposed to represent intense luck, fail to convey an idea of the shade of the Water in the Chicago Silver. A silver plate cannot be seen half an inch below the surface, and apbect of white paper dipped into the rteat will become so blank as ta exclude all trace of original white. it is to be noted that the means of keeping the river as pure as the lake itself are at the command of the city; the poumpy are realy, and it only requires in order to have them empty the river in twenty-four hours of ellite impurities. Two members of the Board of Whlete Works cross the river daily to and from thereffee, but cannot plead ignor ance of its condition. + as they have some mercy upon the public, some regard for health and comfort, and give the onser that the pumps be put in motion? There is no economy in permitting the river to reach it a present condition, and the cost of pumping is the cheapest sanitary expenditure of the city, and we hope the pumps will be put at work and kept at work until the navigation of the canal is closed. CHICAGO AS A BUMMER RESORT. Two years ago, when Tae Corcico Tri- BUx ® called attention to the fact that of of parts of the country to which the tired denizens of crowded cities, unhealthy lo calities or pestilence-visited districts might fy for pure fir, pure water, salubrity of climate, cumbered with the“ comforta, ess gance and luxuries of life, Chicago was the test inviting, there was an attempt to turn the matter into ridicule. Previous to that time Chicago had so grown and extended her commerce that the culinary place whenes she obtained her water had become surrounded by commerce, and the supply was occasionally rendered unfit for use. But, with the promptness for which this city ling always been remarkable, that was remedied, mud measures were taken for a larger volume of pure water flon is furnished to any other city on the continent. We called the attention of our citizens also to the importance of furnish ing roadways and drives upon which the crowds of summer visitors might have the opportunity of visiting and enjoying the nalural beauties of this location, and of the adjoining country. Within the two years that have elapsed we have made ample pro vision in that matter. We have arranged for a series of parks which in their extent and in their diversity will be the admiration for the country; parks on the north, parks on the west, parks on the south, each park a large tract, and so lo cated on to furnish our citizens and visitors with a constant succession of pleasure grounds, and all connected by roadways and drives which, upon completion, will com pare with anything in any part of the world. Nor is thegall. North of Chicago, for a distance of twenty-five miles along the lake shore, is oneclusion of villages or rural gardens, each one a park in itself. To these, by rail, by water, and by roadway the access is easy, constant and pleasant. They are but ex tensions of our park systems, no less attract ive and charming because adorned with the cottages and stately mansions of our par Fle. On the west side riverside, with its broad boulevard of twelve miles of mag nificent roadway, in already taking the forco of a grand park, to where groves and upon whose streams are building dwellings whose architectural taste will give additional beanty to the whale. South of the city—in the whole district from Douglas Monument and the university to the remotest boundaries of the town of Dyde Park— the country presents the appearance of a vast park covered with dwellings, groves, forests and broad plains. All that is need ed to make this vicinity virtually a park, is the construction of broad and planted road ways with hard beds. This work is al ready commenced, and will be gradually pushed on. When completed, Chicago may be said to be located in one grand continu ous park, extending twelve miles south of the city boundary, as far to the west, and continued along the north shore of the lake even to the limits of Waukegan. The roads connecting the parts of this grand park will not be less than one hundred and fifty. No other city in the United States is surrounded by such an extent of garden, och mile was planted roadway, nor such a succession of grove, plain, water and land. heape Keenery the whale found in and ren dered complete by Lake Michigan. There is no means of enjoyment to be had in any part of the country that may not he had here—bathing, boating, yachting. There in not a place of interest in the lakes, which may not be visited either by water or rail. There is not a mineral spring in all the land whose waters may not be obtained in Chicago. There is not on market for fish, ravats, vegetables or fruits—from the coast of Maine around to California and Aleska, taking in the West Inalies—whose products are not received daily in Chicagoo. There in no other city on the continent except New York where there is to be found visitors from so many parts of the world. Various localities send their popu lation to particular places. Thus Newport, Lang Branch, and other competing points at the Enat, are supported by special interests. representing special social cliques or solo —reach bidding high for a President, a Cabinet officer, or a military or naval offi cer to give a tone of fashion and respecta bility to its company. In Chicago we make Presidents, Cabinet officers, military aid naval heroes, and they are not only not essential of an at traction, but they are by no means regarded as giving lone to a society which depends upon no such accidents for its re spectability or refinement. ‘The visitor to Chicago has other advan tages, which are denied him elsewhere. He can live as expensively or as economically as he pleases. He can find hotela not sur passed by any in the United States, and he will never find Chicago so crowded but what it can receive 50,000 visitors, and give each of them comfortable apartments and plenty to eat. In short, Chicago unites all the de lights of country life, without any of its sacrifices and discomforta, to the luxury and display of metropolitan society—a combina tion so essential in a place of pleasure re sort, and not to be found elsewhere to the same extent on the continent. The means of obtaining a more respect able municipal government for our cities, is suggerted as one of the subject, likely to engage the attention of our approaching Constitutional Convention. The plan pro posed in the New York Constitutional Con vention, though not adopted, ponssesses maany element of strength and deserves thoughtful attenting. Troically none of the cities of Mirnum, except Chicago, suffer seriously from the special difficulties which beset the local government of cities, via, the want of sequaintance of the people generally, and especially of the more respon sible classes of the people, with the local politicians, or, in other words, the election to office by the varioun warda of men that little known, and that not favorably, to the city at larre, Mr. Opdyke's plan wat to divide the Common Council of the city into two houses, of which the Lower and most nu merous should be elected by all the voters of the ward or district represented by the member, while the Upper House should consist of members elected by the votes of the tax-payers, only, of the whole city. The Lower House would represent numbers, or population merely, The Upper would rep resent property, or the tax-pasing interesta, ‘The Lower House would be composed of the men best known and most popular in each word, so fares they would serve, The Upper would consist of men having a city fame and reputation, and of sufficient stand ing to represent specially the tax-payers. As Chicago increases in population the evils and diffculties of our city government, if it remains in its present form, will in crease. The government of the city will every year pass more and more out of the hands of the tax-paying class into those of the tax-plundering clang, until the city gov ernment will become a nest of harpies and a ring of thieves, as unscrupulous as that which simplis $24,41,000 a year of the earnings of the city of New York. The effect of electing on a body which should represent tga paseni or property owner ony, and abourd consist of man known to the wholes people, would be to imposs a check on reckless expenditure, and to pro vide a branch of the city government which would always be filled by the first and most responsible men of the city. This would exert that senatorial, conservative and dig nified influence over municipal affairs which is exercised over the affairs of the nation by the Senate of the United Statca. In the office of the Boari of Public Worka we were abown some hemlock paving blocks that were taken from Clark street, at the croming of Madison, and also pine blocks, from the same part of the street. The former were perfectly sound and solid, and not comparatively little worn off; the Latter badly decayed and much worn. Both kinda of Liocka had been laid down six years, and had been subjected to the same wear and usage. They were lid on the horsetrack of the Madison Horse Railway, the berplock on the one track, and the pine on the other. The pine blocks had core down an inch more than the others, and the wood was going to decay, while the hemlock looked #8 sound, drm, and solid as the day it was laid in the street. The price of hemlock is some three dollars per 1,000 feet cheaper than pine, and appears
Newspaper Details
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois, US
Sun, Aug 08, 1869
Page 9
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