Commerce.— Cleveland's remarkable growth in wealth and population is mainly due to its excellent geographical situation. It is the eco nomic focus of the Lake Superior iron and the Middle States coal regions; and nowhere else in the United States can these two products be brought together with less cost for transporta tion. In 1917 the total movement of freight was 37,306,259 net tons, of which 24,877,522 tons were received and forwarded by rail and the remainder by lake. Grain receipts in 1917 amounted to 13,037,254 bushels and grain ship ments to 5,190,256 bushels. These totals in cluded 2,09.4,953 bushels of wheat received and 598,595 bushels shipped; 2:023,555 bushels of corn received, 1,226,335 bushels shipped; 4,575, 497 bushels of oats received, 1 :::,681 bushels shipped; 54,070 bushels of barley received, 72,383 bushels shipped; and 268,984 bushels of rye and other cereals received, 93,842 bushels shipped. Flour receipts were 804,039 barrels and shipments 262,084. Iron ore receipts in 1917 aggregated 9,077,161 gross tons. Cattle and calves received in 1917 numbered 135,560, hogs 648,332 and sheep 182,065. The 1917 im ports at Cleveland were valued at $10,812,369 and the exports at $6,859,935. For the Ohio customs district of which the city is the head quarters, imports amounted to $16,616,285 and exports to $40,998,255.
Civic civic growth of Cleve land has not lacked in interest. Its group plan of public buildings is (1918) approaching visualization, inasmuch as the Federal, county and municipal buildings are completed, and these, with the Public Library, will mark the four corners of the project. This work has been the outgrowth of many years' work on the part of the Cleveland Outmher of Com merce, the city administration being assisted by such well-known architects as the late Daniel H. Burnham, John M. Carrere, Arnold W. Brunner and John C. Olmsted. The first two named buildings overlook the shore of Lake Erie and the other two face Superior avenue. Between the two buildings on the lake front is to be constructed a Union Depot of com mensurate dignity with the other public build ings and at a cost of about $4,500,000. From this station a Mall 570 feet wide will extend to the Federal and Library buildings, a distance of nearly 2,000 feet. The arrangement for the transfer of surface city land on the lake front to the railroads will produce $1,400,000, which will be available for the future acquisition of property remaining to be acquired in the pro posed Mall. However, owing to delay in the building of the Union Station on the lake front and by reason of changing conditions, it may be consolidated with other terminal stations in and about the Public Square. It might be said that the cost of the City Hall Building is about $3,330,000, the County Building about $5,000,000, the Federal Building $3,875,000 and the Library $3,000,000, malting something like $15,000,000 for building purposes alone. A referendum for a
bond issue of $2,500,000 was voted favorably upon at the 1917 election for a Public Hall and Auditorium. Work already has been com menced on this building and is progressing as rapidly as possible under existing war conditions.
Bridges.— Officially and legally Cleveland is one city, but from the earliest days it has been in reality two, divided at its centre by a deep ravine and flats, through which the Cuyahoga River malces its way to Lalce Erie. Factories, docks and warehouses, with bodi water and rail facilities, find in the flats an advantageous location, but through traffic down one side and up the other has been out of the question from the first. It was to obviate this that 40 years ago the Superior Viaduct, three-quarters of a mile of stone arches, with a swing bridge at the river, was erected, but the swing bridge to let the lake boats through to the up-river docics, with its 15 minutes' delay several times a day, was enough to choke the development of the west compared with the prosperity of the east side, where the business district grew up around the Public Square and public buildings. A second viaduct was erected farther south be tween Central avenue on the east side and Clark avenue and West 14th street on the west, but the steady growth of the city made even these provisions inadequate, and a new high level bridge has been completed to con nect Superior avenue and the Public Square on the east with Detroit avenue on the west, at a total cost of approximately $3,000,000. This bridge has two levels to carry the immense traffic between the east and west sides. It spans the river at a height which allows the tallest stacks and masts on the Great Lakes to pass under it, 96 feet above mean lake level and 93 feet above the highest lcnown water level. The upper floor of the bridge is 121 feet above the river. Six street car tracks occupy the lower level of the bridge, and road way and sidewalk the upper. The river span is of steel, 591 feet in length, and 12 spans of concrete carry the rest of the upper structure, which has a length over all of 2,880 feet. The width is 81 feet 6 inches; width of roadway, 45 feet; width of sidewalks, 14 feet 9 inches each. Twenty-eight miles of concrete piles were used, 108,000 cubic yards of concrete, 3,000 tons of reinforcing steel and 3,800 tons of structural steel. Five million dollars has been voted for another bridge across the river between Huron road and Lorain avenue.