Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 34, 27 October 1894 — THE GREAT I AM. [ARTICLE]

THE GREAT I AM.

A naujl>er of taxrwyers b«re hamblv appro«clieii tbe govern ment «itb « petition pr«yingthat the King street bridge be «idened. At pre«ent the bridge is « disgrace to the city and it is a wonder that no acci<lents have Lappened to people or animala. Altbongh the bridge leads from the main »treet of Honolala to the railroad dej»ot and altbongh thu trafic acroi*s it i» const«ntly ’ increasing, the great and almight | ty “hoea' Mr. II >well ean see no reason to f.»vor the |>oor jH-tit:on-er» but is sati»fied by grac;ously LoIding out a vague j>romisc that he may graut the town a |uew bridge two ye«rs frora no'. We wonder when the re«ideuts of \ School street will bo granted a | new bridge. Probablv after the j»reseut one has tumblcd down where Mr. I» well onght to be, at the bottom of the streara. The groat 6uj»erintcndcnt writes as follows to Ministor King: “ While iu geuer.il it must be ndiuitted that tho bridge is not aa wide«s tho streot, yet the <d>structionto travel is far lts.s than rej»reseuted in tho petitiou. “Although there is no sidewalk on tho makai side, trafilc is very se!dom so cougestod that foot passeugors eannol with reasouable safety cross over to tho sidewalk on mnuka sido. “The pctition avers that there is not room when the car is ou tho bridge for tearas to j>ass eaeh othor in oj>po-ito direotious on the makai side. "1 am surprised that there ahoukl bo any attempt to pass in opj>osite directions on the same side of Ihe bridge. The travel in une direc»ion should be confiued to ono side of the bridge and tho travel in other direction to the other sido. “The bridge is old and should bo rej>laced by a j>ermauent steel bridgo withiu two years, aud it socms to me in tho nnture of an extravaganoe to go to thoexponse of widening the bridge now. when the whole ihing muat be rej>laced in a short tirae. “lu comparison I wonkl cite the case of « bridge in CIiicago ovor whieh thoro is probab!y twentv times the traflic of Kiug stroet, where all teams aud borse cars have to cross iu a single line in eaeh directiou. “The ap(>roaches to the bridge sidewalk on the mauka side have alroady boen put iu good onler, and the pnhlio ean easily arfbrd to get along with tho present inconveniences until the Government is able to put iu a creditable bridge.”