Cleveland covers a large extent of territory. The width of its streets and the unusual amount of frontage possessed by most of the dwellings, made the work of city improvements in the way of paving, sewerage and water supply, at first very slow of execution. The light gravelly soil, on which the greater portion of the city is built, enabled these works to be postponed, until the increased number and compactness of the population, and excess of wealth, would render the expense less burdensome.

The first attempts at paving were made on Superior street, below the Square, and on River street. The paving was of heavy planks laid across the street, and was at the time a source of pride to the citizens; but when, in coming years, the planks were warped and loosened, it became an intolerable nuisance. On River street the floods of the Cuyahoga sometimes rushed through the warehouses and covered the street, floating off the planks and leaving them in hopeless disorder on the subsidence of the waters. It was at last determined to pave these streets with stone. Limestone was at first chosen, but found not to answer, and Medina sandstone was finally adopted, with which all the stone paving of the streets has been since done. Within two or three years the Nicholson wood pavement has been introduced, and has been laid extensively on the streets above the bluff. On the low land along the river valley the paving still continues to be of stone. At the present time there are between seventeen and eighteen miles of pavement finished or under construction, about half of which is Nicholson wood pavement, and the remainder Medina sandstone.

Within a few years the work of sewering the city has been systematized and pushed forward vigorously. At first, the sewers were made to suit the needs of a particular locality, without any reference to a general system, and consequently were found utterly inadequate to the growing necessities of the city. Proper legislation was obtained from the General Assembly, money was obtained on the credit of the city, the territory was mapped out into sewer districts, with sewer lines for each district, so arranged as to form a part of one harmonious whole, and the work commenced. All the main sewers drain into the lake. There are now about twenty-seven miles of main and branch sewers finished, and additional sewers are in progress of construction.

The rapid growth of the city, and the gradual failure, or deterioration, of the wells, in the most thickly settled parts, rendered it necessary to find some other source of a constant supply of pure water. It was determined to obtain the supply from Lake Erie, and for this purpose an inlet pipe was run out into the lake, west of the Old River Bed. The pipe is of boiler plate, three-eighths of an inch thick, fifty inches in diameter, and three hundred feet long, extending from the shore to the source of supply at twelve feet depth of water, and terminating in the lake at a circular tower, constructed of piles driven down as deep as they can be forced into the bottom of the lake. There are two concentric rows of piles, two abreast, leaving eight feet space between the outer and interior rows, which space is filled with broken stones to the top of the piles. The piles are then capped with strong timber plates, securely bolted together and fastened with iron to the piles. The outside diameter of the tower is thirty-four feet, the inside diameter is eight feet, forming a strong protection around an iron well-chamber, which is eight feet in diameter and fifteen feet deep, which is riveted to the end of the inlet pipe. An iron grating fixed in a frame which slides in a groove, to be removed and cleaned at pleasure, is attached to the well-chamber, and forms the strainer, placed four feet below the surface of the lake, through which the water passes into the well-chamber and out at the inlet pipe. A brick aqueduct connects the shore end of the inlet pipe with the engine house, three thousand feet distant. From the engine house the water is conveyed to the reservoir, on Franklin, Kentucky and Duane streets, built on a ridge thirty feet higher than any other ground in the city.

The Cleveland Water Works were commenced on the 10th day of August, 1854, and were so far completed as to let water on the city on the 19th day of September, 1856. The time required to build the Works was two years and thirty-nine days. The capacity of these Works to deliver water is greater than the originally estimated wants of the population the works were intended to supply, which was for 100,000. They are, however, capable of supplying at least 300,000 inhabitants with abundance of water. By an enlargement of the main pump barrel and plunger to each Cornish engine, which was contemplated in the plans, the supply may be increased to an almost unlimited extent. No fear can be entertained that the present Water Works in the next fifty years will fail to yield a superabundant supply of water.

The water was first introduced into the city temporarily at the earnest solicitation of the Mayor, Common Council, and Trustees of Water Works, in which the citizens generally participated, on the occasion of the State Fair, on the 24th of September, 1856. Apart from the Fair, this event was hailed with demonstrations of great joy as the celebration of the introduction of the waters of Lake Erie into the city of Cleveland. At the intersection of the road ways, crossing at the centre of the Public Square, a capacious fountain, of chaste and beautiful design was erected, from which was thrown a jet of pure crystal water high into the air, which, as the centre, greatest attraction, gratified thousands of admiring spectators. It became necessary after the Fair to shut off the water as was anticipated, to remove a few pipes near the Ship Channel which had broke in two by the unequal settling of the pipes in the quicksand bed through which they were laid. These repairs were promptly made, and the water let on the city again; since which time the supply has been regular and uninterrupted. The length of pipes laid up to the first of January, 1869, aggregated thirty-nine and one-half miles. The total cost of the Works to that period was $722,273.33. The earnings, over running expenses, for 1868, were $36,340.23, being a little over five per cent, on the capital invested. The preliminary work is now doing for the construction of a tunnel under the bed of the lake, in order to obtain a water supply at such a distance from the shore as to be beyond the reach of the winter ice-field and the impurities collected beneath the ice-crust.

Three commodious and tasteful markets have been erected within a few years, one on the west side of the river, one in the fifth ward, and the Central Market, at the junction of Woodland avenue and Broadway.

Four horse railroads are in active operation within the city: the East Cleveland, organized in 1859, and running from the junction of Superior and Water streets, by the way of Euclid avenue and Prospect street, to the eastern limit of the city on Euclid avenue, thence continuing to East Cleveland. This line has also a branch running off the main line at Brownell street, and traversing the whole length of Garden street, to the eastern limit of the city. The Kinsman street line, organized in 1859, runs from the junction of Superior and Water streets, through Ontario street and Woodland avenue to Woodland Cemetery. The West Side railroad runs from the junction of Superior and Water streets, by way of South Water, Detroit and Kentucky street, to Bridge street, with a branch along Pearl street. The St. Clair street railroad, the latest built, runs along St. Clair from Water street to the eastern line of the city. Besides these, a local railroad, operated by steam, connects the Kinsman street line with Newburg, and another of a similar character connects the West Side railroad with Rocky River. Charters have been obtained for a railroad to connect the Pearl street branch of the West Side railroad with University Heights, and for a line to run parallel with the bluff overlooking the north bank of the Cuyahoga from River street, to the boundary between the city and Newburg township.

[Illustration: Yours very truly, H. S. Stevens]