New Culverts Will Be Built

Bids Will Be Advertised for in a Few Days

THAT $17,000 OVERDRAFT

Alderman Hamilton Tells How It Was Contracted--Meeting of Council Last Evening

The common council Monday night authorized the Board of Public Works to advertise for bids for the building of new culverts to replace the ones swept away by the flood of last June, according to the specifications of the city engineer already furnished and such other specifications as may be furnished later. The culverts for which estimates have already been furnished and for which specifications have been made are the Broadway culvert, Seventh street culvert between Liberty and Jefferson streets and the Seventh street culvert between Washington and Liberty streets. The Main street culver has been ordered repaired.

Previous to the taking up of the matter of the building of new culverts, considerable discussion arose among some of the aldermen over the matter of putting in storm sewers in different parts of the city. One sewer of 24-inch tile was ordered built through the Hiscock and Milling Co.'s properties, while the advisability of building two storm sewers, one on Gott street from Hiscock to Felch, and another on Summit street from the railroad to the creek was referred to the city engineer. A storm sewer on Thirteenth street was also suggested and Alderman Schumacher worked vigorously for it, but no definite action was taken towards building it. It was merely referred to the city engineer.

It was when the proposition to build a sewer on Thirteenth street came up that Alderman Jenney made a strenuous kick. He said that the most important thing was to first get the culverts repaired. "We are now $30,000 behind," he said, "and I can't see why we should go ahead here and vote money for the building of storm sewers when we haven't got it to spend. Here are people at the lower end of Allen's Creek becoming ill because of the conditions of that waterway and we ought to attend to fixing it up before we attempt to build storm sewers."

Alderman Hamilton arose to pour oil on the troubled waters and made an effort to show Alderman Jenney how important it was that the storm sewers which had been mentioned should be built. Then he explained how the city had now an overdraft of some $17,000 burdening it. "If It hadn't been for the carelessness of an engineer," explained Hamilton, "in constructing a sewer in the sixth ward we would not have this overdraft now. That sewer, when we started to build it, was to have cost $4,500, before we got through with it the cost was over $17,000."

The proposition to straighten out Allen's creek was discussed and was referred to the city attorney, city engineer and street committee, who will confer with owners of the land along the creek about their property rights.

The Civic Improvement association sent the following:

"Resolved, that the Civic Improvement association heartily approve and fully endorse the action of the city council in acquiring the Cat Hole and Henning property for park purposes."

A resolution was passed enlarging the Felch street culvert to 14 feet in width and the $200 appropriation which was made last March for cutting down Traver street, north or the railroad was ordered used for that purpose.