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A Decided Set-back

A Decided Set-back image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
August
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

At last! At last! Sewerage came ap at the last meeting of the council. Every alderman must have known that itwould, for there was not one vacant Attorney Norriswas also present. bat n'ary a word said he. AVhen Alderman Wines rose to read the carefally prepared report, the very air of the room was freighted wi h suppreBsed excitement. Every one knew that i was ft question of "now or never" with th sewerage project. The report of Prof. Greene, extract from which appeared in tbis paper but a few weeks ago, was read at length. The complete text of the committee's report is as followe: RKPOBT ON SEWERAGE. "Your oommittee oa sewerage, appointed to act jointly with the board of pnblic works and a committee of five from the Business Men's Association, would respectfully submit that they havehad the subject under consideraron, andhereby present the folio wing report: We were early convinced that the report submitted to the common council in March, 1890, by Prof. Charles E. Greene, was the only system of sewerage to adopt in the city, and in view of the fact that he then made a thorough study of the subject in connection with a proper survey of the city, we did not deern it necessary that the same preliminary work should be done over agaln, and accordingly re-submit his report to this council as a part of our own report. We therefore attach his original report and sewerage map to this report. "Your committee wishes to cali special attention to several parts of Prof. Greene's report as well as to some of the matter contained in the report of the committee on sewers, madeto the council March 17, 1890, when Prof. Greene's report was made. "In view of the improved methods of c&ring for sewage in towns of moderate population, it is clear that a large amount of money is not needed, either n laying the main sewer or in the conetruction of the laterals. As an illustration we wish to quote the cost of eewers in the city of Schenectady, New York, a place whose population in 1889 was 15,320. EXCAVATIOK. DEPTH. FEET. PBICE PKB IT. COST. Lesathan6ft. 14.509.Í 13 Cents. 81,886.20 6W8 feet. 28,836.4 20 " 6.667.28 6 "10 " 5,186.1 30 " 1,655.83 10 "12 " 2,805.6 85 " 981.92 12" 14 " 1,395.0 40 " 567.20 14 "16 " 250.0 50 " 125.00 16 "18 " 60.0 100 " 50.00 Total, 61,532.2 Total, 110,823.43 Pipi Laid and Fuenishkd. l'kain. l1ngth. prk e per ft. cost. Ginohes. 202.00 17 Cents. Í 84.84 8 " 38,254.00 IS " 7,268.26 10 " 6,187.2 26 " 1,348.67 12 ' 5,487.3 32 " 1,756.95 18 " 3,313.00 55 " 1,822.15 Total, 112,229,37 ACCKSSORIES. % Man-hole @ Í30.00 Ï720.00 iriush-tanka " 45.00 180.00 SFlush-tanks " 40.00 1,10.00 137 Lamp holes " 6.00 822.00 15,690.8 Un. ft. repairlng of Pavement " .63 1,599.18 593 B. M. Lumber " 20.00' 131.86 Eltris 210.65 OuUet 125.00 hmPipe lald 791.18 Total, 6,739.87 SUMMAKV. ücavation 110,823.43 Plpeand Laying 12,229.37 ecereories 5,739.87 128,792,67 " It is said that the work allorded the rontractors a reasonable profit, but it is doubtful if at present prices it could be dnplicated. The entire cost of the systotn, including man-holes, flush-tanks and all accessories, all expenses of engineering and preparation of plans and corda, expenses of sewer committee 'od all costs of whatever nature charge'We to the Nsewers, was 72 cents per lineal foot; therefore the entire cost of &e eystem of 51,532.2 feet of sewers at :- cents per foot was $37,103.18. " "The above figures are taken from 1 statement of actual cost given by "ady Stayley and George S. Pierson E., in a treatise on the "Separate Wem of Sewerage." "There is no doubt but that the ultinte total cost of the main and lateral 'era in this city will be more than "e amount quoted above, but as only 'w main sewer will necessarily be built "? the city, and the construction of "te laterals distributed over a number cf?ears, the matter of cost is of but "Aérate importance when compired ift other considerations. The cost of the average mile of the r in the city of Kalamazoo was K.771.36. Prof. Greene's system for a j?a'o Bewer, from the milroad bridge to ove or Packard-st.,is 14,900 feet, or 2 miles, which at a cost of $5,771.36 is H178.05. It would therefore seem as though the estimated cost of the main sewer at $20,000 is on the safe side. "Calling the population of Ann Arbor 10,000, the cost of the main sewer per capita will be $2.00. But this is not the way our taxes are assessed. The equalized valuation of Ann Arbor is over 16,000,000, of which $20,000 is lees than one third of one per cent, so that a person who has property assessed at 1100 will pay lesa than t .3314 200 - " " 66% 300 " " " 1.00 400 1.88V4 500 " " " _ 1.66 600 ' . .- 2 00 700 " ' " 2.S3U 800 2.66 900 " " " „_... 3.00 1000 - 3.88% 1200 " " " - . 4.00 1600 ' " " ....... -... 6.00 1800 6.00 2000 - 6.6% 300J " " " 10.00 "The queetion now arises, who will have to pay for this main eewer; manifest ly, from a glance at the foregoing table, the man who holds property, and the more he bas the more he must pay. It may perhaps be well to consider the fact that when sewers are laid and used in Ann Arbor, that the poor man receivea as much benefit from them ís the rich one, without having been obliged to pay for anything like what might have been his share, should the tax have been levied per capita; so that the idea that the poor man isto.havehisburdens increased is false to a large extent, for in many cases he will have an opportunity of earning many times the amount of his increase of taxes due to a main sewer. " That it is necessary to tax this city anywhere from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand dollars, with which to build sewers, 'u in ourjudgment without foundation, and the continued prevalence of the idea.as oppoeed to the judgment of Prof. Greene, one of the foremost engineers in this country, seems unwarrantable and' calculated to put in jeopardy the good healthand deservedly enviable reputation of our city." "Your committee is of the opinión that the yearly cost of building vaults and cesspools in this city and of keeping the same in proper condition will range in amount from $5,000 to $10,000. While thia work is of but temporary value only, its cost would in three or at most four years' time pay the entire expense of the main eewer, which the city must build. It is well known that Ann Arbor is this year building between 200 and 300 new houses. Taking the lowest estímate, 200 houses, one can easily determine the minimum expense of building vaults and cesspools during the present season: 200 Vaults and Out Buildings at Í25 $6,000 200 Oesspools at 15 8,000 50Vaults Renewed at 10 500 50 Cesspools " 15 750 Total $9.250 We are confident that these figures are below the amount of money actually expended. "When it is observed that this money is all expended for temporary work, and that the earth underlying our city is being polluted in this wholesale way is it not high time that the city of culture, education and ad vancement should awakenfrom its inactivityand demand, with a unanimous voice, that its government provide some better way at the earliest possible day? "Many of our citizens seem to think it necessary that before sewers can be of any value or use to a house, thatthey must be in direct connection with the water works; this is not so. A sewer and should be used by every person who has a sink, in which dishes are washed; it can be used by every person who has a sewer connection in his back yard; if he is so unfortunate as not to possess a siuk, it can be used to carry off the refuse from his vault. All of this can be done without one drop of wate from the water works, and the noti-Jn that sewers mean money for the vater works necessarily s unfounded. "The matter of the dispossi of our sewage has been coneideredand we recommend that the outlet be placed below the first railroad bridge, east of the city. That it will influence the quality of waterto some extent fiowing in the river at that point, nobody will question, but we do not think it necessary that inn Arbor should initiate works of yhatever nature to purify the effluent, áo long as no other city in Mbhigan haathought it necessary to de the same. But when the time comeï that such works shall be established there is overy opportunity desirable in that Jocality. Land could easily be obtaireu for establishing a sewage farm, orprscipitation works constrtcted for ciarifying the effluent before i( should be allowed to enter the river. Hiere is also the rulns of an old dam in that locality which could be reneted at a small expense, and water kept a Btorage for such seasons as might -equire that the river at the outlet be iushed and the effluent swept down thi river with a large volume of water, een in the driest season; or the bedof the river can be confined to a narro channel and made to do its own souring and mixing at all seaeons of theear. "A letter from L. E. Cooley, formerly chief engineer of the sanitary district of Chicago, says that the law for the dilution of sewage for Chicago requires a flow of 20,000 cubic feet per minute for each 100,000 people as a roinimum; or 3J cu. ft. per second for each thousand of population. That would make íor Ann Arbor a required flow of water in the Hurón river of 33J cu. ft. per tfecond. He further saya that from more extended research, he is now satisfied that for Chicago that is too low, as that city probably produces organic refuse at more than doublé the rate of the ordinary resident city or country town under 40,000 of population, so that the rate oí 33 cu. ft. per second, as stated above, is ampie to dilute the sewage of this city. The flow of water in the Hurón river may be approximately computed from the power detreloped at the different milis. At Swift's mili the power for the dry season is estimated to be, for the minimum, about fifty horse-powers with a head of eleven feet, which corresponda to a flow of about 53 cubic feet per second, or 3180 cubic feet per minute. At the Superior Milli the dry weather power is placed at 75 horse power with a head of 16 feet, which corresponda to a flow of about 55 cubic feet per second, or 3,300 cubic feet per minute. These figures probably mark the lower limita of flow in the river at this city, and for a period of two or three months only. It is certainly much more than this at all other times of the year. On a basis of 3J cubic feet for each inhabitant, the minimum flow would care for a population of 16,000. Mr. L. E. Cooley further says: 'My impression is that at this time it may be said that 20,000 to 40,000 cubic feet per minute for each 100,000 of population will mark the limita which will insure freedom from nuisance, and that in any event the btream will improve rapidly as it flows down the valley. One hundred cubic feet per second should care for a population of 15,000 to 30,000 people. The low water ia a small fraction of the year and your aewage probably below the average city per capita, all of which is favorable. I judge you have a liberal margin to go on. If there is any doubt, it is always possible to plan your system so that at a future time the dry weather flow can be picked up by an intercepting sewer and carried to a sewage farm, or treated chemically.' "Your committee ia therefore confident that if the water ordinarily flowing in the Huron river ia properly mixed with the sewage, in it& already diluted condition, it would fail utterly to gire rise to any unpleasant odor or unsanitary influence on the locality below the outlet. "Kalamazoo, as far as we can learn at ihis distance, is perfectly satisfied with its separate system of sewerage, and has experienced difñculty in only one or two atreete where the fall is very slight, and this can be remedied by using a little larger pipe. This can hardly be a cause of complaint in a syatem of sewers in this city, because of the large fall that can beeasily obtained from the natural contour of our street levéis. "The report of a former committee on sewerage eays, 'The members of the committee were all originally opposed to emptyiiig the sewage of the city into the Huron; but a study of Prof. Greene's plan.and of further information furnished bas convinced them that it is safe, and in fact the only feasible methori of disposing of the city's sewate.' "l?e feel certain that the conclusión oí the former committee was correct, and also that the establishment of a system of sewera in this city will conduce to its healthfulness and prosperity. Ann Arbor is already recognized as one of the most beautiful residence cities in Michigan, and is rapidly approaching a day when it will be admitted, by all those who are familiar with other cities, to be the most desirable. But before that day can come, we must stand abreast of our sister cities and thoroughly sewer every locality within its limita. "In view of the foregoing statement we therefore recommend that this council cali for a meeting of the electora as provided by our charter for the purpose of deciding if $20,000 hall be raised by taz to defray the expenses of building a main sewer from its proposed terminus below the first railroad bridge to Grove or Fackard-st. "If it shall be the pleasure of this council to adopt thia report, work on this main sewer canbe begun in the fall and it can be made to provide many a day'a work for the laboring man at a time of year when he most needs it." Scarcely had Alderman Wines finisbed reading the report when Alderman AUmendinger, of the third, hastily sprang to his feet and moved that it be laid on the table. Alderman O'Hearn seconded the motion, which carried by a vote of aeven to aix. AyeB- Aldermen Herz, Allmendinger, Fillmore, O'Hearn, guson, Taylor and Rehberg. Xays - President Cooley, Aldermen Mann Wines, Martin, Hall and Kitson. So quickly was this done that Alderman Wines had time to utter only a few words of protest againRt the discourtesy shoWn the committee, before the whole question had been disposed of. ONLY A L1TTLE MAP. The suppressed excitement of the aldermen found vent in the discussion which followed, as to whether the proposed map cf B. B. Morgan, an Ypsilanti man, or tbat of Geo. H. Schwab should be accepted by the council. The bid ol the former was $160; that of the latter, $85. The special committee reported in favor of accepting the former, on the ground that it wae much better euited to the ases of the council. After considerable discussion, which was rather warm, the bid of Mr. Morgan was accepted, Alderman Herz alone voting nay. THE SÜMMIT-ST. MATTKB. The committeeappointed to negotiate with property-owners for the opening of Summit-st, reported that the gas company offered their lot for $300, and that Mre. Mary Foley asked $600 for hers. The latter demandtheyconsidered grossly exorbitant. Alderman Ferguson moved that the city attorney be authorized to instituto condemnation proceedings. It was moved by Alderman Mann, seconded by Alderman Martin, that the matter be laid on the table. This was done by a vote of 7 to 6. CULVERTS GALORE. Although the street committee reported adversely two weeks ago, Alderman Wines moved that $350 be appropriated for coping South Universityave. He said that the secretary of the University would continue the stone walk if the council would attend to the coping. After considerable discussion the motion passed. Then came the culverts. First one ward, then another, secured its little stone bridge. The sum of $450 was appropriated for building a culvert over the race on Felch-si; $350 for a culvert on Fifth-at, and $350 for a culvert on Hill st. It was decided to expend $2,500 for a new bridge over the Huron, in place of the one now marked "condemned." THE STRKET RAILWA' . Alderman Taylor offered scolution, unanimously carried, th Ve city attorney notify the street railway company that the provisión of their ordinance relative to the transfer of passengere is persistently violated, and that heaskthemto remedy the evil. Mr. Taylor thought the company had no right to compel paesengers on the Packard-st line to pay an extra five cents after they reached the court house. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. The old pound on south Fourth-ave was sold to George Allmendinger for $130. A number of sidewalks were ordered built. The telephone company was asked to remove the poles from the south side of North University-ave, and place them out of the way. A resolution with regard to the placing of two or three electric lights on the campus was referred to the lighting committee. A few petitions were introduced but no action was taken upon them. It was after eleven o'clock when the council adjourned.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register