Source:Streets-mixed-up/content
Half the people in Allegheny do not know on what street they are living. City Councils have forgotten, or rather just awakened to the fact, that Allegheny was laid out by the State in 1783. The Supreme Court has declared that plan stands. It calls for Federal street to run straight from Stockton avenue to the Reserve township line at a width of 80 feet. Looking only at this the city of Allegheny has sent notices to the people at the head of Federal street to vacate. Federal street, as is well known, ends at the hill on which Colonel Andrews' home is located. Beyond that there are rows of houses right on the street.
There is a question of whether the property owners can recover from the city if compelled to move their houses. As a result all along Federal street extension and Lombard street the property owners are wild with excitement and will call a meeting to take action on the matter. One of their number has gotten an original plan of Allegheny City. A comparison of it with the present city map shows that in the neighborhood of $50,000,000 worth of property in the city is built on streets, or so out of line as to be worthless.
Bankers May Become Beggars.
The people at the head of Federal street who have been notified to move have decided that if the original plot is carried into effect in one instance the original streets must be followed all over the city. The result will be that few of the property owners on the Northside, with the exception of the inlot holders, will know whether they own houses, or whether they belong to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Catharine McCaffrey little knew the storm she was brewing when she moved to have an obnoxious stable torn down. She brought suit against Menocher Brothers to compel them to remove the stable on the ground that it stood on what was the original survey of Federal street made by Daniel Leet in 1783. Two years ago Justice Sterritt, of the State Supreme Court, gave a final decision in the case in which he declared that as the State in that survey had given these streets to the public forever, no one but the State could have them closed. The burden of his decision was that borough or city Councils have no right to change or close up the streets. They could open new streets, but the original plan must stand.
Beaver in the Same Condition.
Judge Sterritt's opinion was based on a similar one given by ex-Chief Justice Agnew, of Beaver, on the survey of Beaver made over a century ago by the State. His decision was that the original survey was the only proper one. This decision was given by the learned justice in spite of the fact that he was at the time occupying six feet or more of the street on which he lived. Senator Quay in that same classic old town was also living on a portion of the State land. Beaver College is also a land thief to the extent of several feet. In spite of this nothing has ever yet been done there. One of the odd features of the Beaver mix is that one good old resident some 40 years ago built a house on one of the thoroughfares of that town which the State had made 200 feet wide. Some years after he decided to add a flower garden and fenced in [16?] feet of the street. The neighbors, fearing they might get left, followed suit. The flowers are blooming in those gardens this spring. Ex-Senator Rutan's Beaver residence also occupies 20 feet of a street.
In spite of the fact that Beaver sleeps, Allegheny is torn up. This agitation, it is said, is largely caused by George Cochrane, ex-Select Councilman from the Sixth ward. He owns a little lot up at the head of Federal street, and has discovered that if the original plan was followed his lot would have "front feet" instead of "back feet." He has stirred up Chief Ehlers, and, as a result, Superintendent Fulton, of the Bureau of Highways, has sent out the notices for the property holders on the State land to vacate.
Legislative Enactment the Only Remedy.
The survey shows that the late lamented Surveyor Leet and and [sic] his eighteenth centurn [sic] survey proves the people were as tired then as now. He probably made his survey from the Allegheny wharf, for Federal street, as he calls for it, runs into blank hillside and it would cost thousands of dollars to open it. To have used many of his streets would have been inpossible [sic]. The only way to set this survey aside is to have the Legislature approve the present plan of the city. This step will in all probability be taken, for it will cost millions to conform the city to the old survey. Nearly all of Allegheny City below the parks from Scott street to School street is altogether wrong, and to follow the old plan would cost millions of dollars. There is a question as to whether the city is not liable where Councils changed streets, but in this part of the town the streets were changed by the original owners, and so if the land reverts to the State the present owners will lose everything. In other cases where the city established the lines the damages will probably come off the taxpayers in general.
South of Stockton avenue there is no Federal street in the original plan, nor was there any Sandusky street.
The main thoroughfare up from the river was Sandusky lane. It was about 50 feet east of the present location of Federal street and Stockton avenue. There was another street the width of Arch street that came up from the river on the west side that does not appear in the present map. There is another 60-foot street between the present location of Sandusky and Anderson streets. The land down in there was owned by James Robinson, George Wallace, Peter Whiteside and Wandel Keller. They reconstructed the place in conformity with the in lots. Sandusky lane was wiped out completely as were the other streets. Federal street was opened almost in a straight line to the river and Sandusky street opened out in the same manner.
The Ft. Wayne Tracks in Danger.
The original plan also calls for a street running west from the present location of Federal street to about School street. This valuable piece of State property is now occupied by the Ft. Wayne Railroad, while Church avenue has been deliberately carved off the parks. All that portion of the city hemmed in by Ridge, Marion and Irwin avenues has also been taken from the commons.
One of the old streets that will cause the most trouble, however, is what is known on the original survey as Bank lane. It runs from South avenue along the river bank to Beaver avenue, and if opened will run straight through Lindsay & McCutcheon's mills, Excelsior Coffin Works, Labelle Steel Works and a number of other thriving manufactories.
Madison avenue and East street are the nearest approach to East lane, which should run in a direct line north at a width of 80 feet. Millions of property on those streets alone are affected. East of them are Long lane and Sassafras lane. Neither appear on the present map. They are 80 feet wide and represent from six to seven miles of streets that will have to be cut through solid brick dwellings and business houses.
All over Allegheny the same conditions prevail, and it will cost at least $50,000,000 to carry the old plan into effect. For this reason the property owners at the head of Federal street will not be in a hurry to answer the city's summons, and Colonel Andrews will still continue promoting his great bridge scheme instead of coming home to tear down a portion of his residence.
