Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-19
THE CITY COUNCIL.


tent and Facts and Figures Given to
Prove it-A Lively Epistle-A Mass of
Street and Routine Business.
A regular meeting of the council was held
yesterday afternoon, President Rhodes in
the chair, only seven members being present,
but messengers were sent out to gather 9th
ers in. Business was then begun as fol-
lows:
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, PETITIONS, ETC.
p. McManus' bond as market master for
$1,000, was referred to committee on ways
and means.
City Clerk Prendergast bonds for $4,000
was referred to committee on ways and
means. H. P. Riggs petition to put up q
shed on Commodore Davidson property be-
tween Levee and Third street went to the fire
department committee.
THE voLKszElTUNG.
A communication was read from A. Il.
Lindeke and large number of German
Americans asking that council
proceedings and other city ad-
vertisements be printed in the VOlts
Getting, German newspaper, alleging as
cause that one-third of the property own
ers in the city were German speaking peo-
pie, utterly unable to read notices, ETC., in
English. Referred to committee on ways
and means and the committee on printing.
ALDERMAN ALIENS RESIGNATION.
To the surprise of some members of the
council, and to the regret of all,
as well as the city at large,
Aid. Allen rendered his resignation, address
ing the council in the following letter,
ARRAIGNING CITY ENGINEER sEwALL FOR GEN
ERAL INooMPETENoY.
ST. PAUL, May is, 1880.
Hon. President of the City Council.
DEAR SIR: Allow me to tender you my re-
signation as member of your honorable body.
My relations with you for the past three years
have been of the most pleasant Oh aracter, until
the meeting of the new council. must say
was terribly disgusted, when the council con-
frmed MIR. Sewall as city engineer against the
wishes of a large majority of the taxpayers.
There is no public officer in the city SO
generally disliked by every one that comes in
contact with him on business as MIR. Sewall.
He is So impracticable, Grabbed and crusty, in
fact his contrary and cross grained disposition
will not allow him to do justice or kind act,
when his better judgement would dictate for
the right. Of all men he is the most incompe-
tent for such responsible position. He is
costing the city large sums OF money yearly for
his impracticable engineering.
Como Avenue is q sample. The citizens de-
manded broad avenue for public driveway.
The avenue was laid out eighty feet wide, and
the committee from the council asked the en-
gineer for a sixty-foot drive way, also asking
that the grade across the marshes should be
raised two feet above the surface and filed
with solid earth. This he promised the COM
mittee and they so represented to the council,
which adopted the grade. What is the result !?
We have forty-foot boulevard near ten feet for
cutters and a thirty-fOot driveway. The
marshes are not raised or properly filled; in soft
weather you cannot drive chicken over it
without miring in the mud. 1t will cost the
city $4,000 to regrade it and give the people
what they wanted and expected. Why was this
waste of money? Because Mr.. Sewall was op-
posed to the avenue and fought against it to
the bitter end. The same on LOrient
street. To abate nuisance the council
ordered the street graded, with the
following result The street is under water;
the work accepted by the engineer. Park ave-
nue. is another sample of skilled engineering
cOnfscated and destroyed most of the proper
ty on the avenue.
Third street, between Minnesota and Robert
Streets presents more engineering skill. The
old grade of ~ WAS entirely too low. Mr.
Sewall raised it in II, and now We find the
grads lower than in H. to the detriment Of
every business man and property owner 'front.'
ing on the block.
The new bridge over the railroad on Kalama-
zoo street. built on the o. G.. plan, higher at
either end and low in the center, is thing of
beauty. The school children drop their play
things to admire it..
The removal of the iron tops from the catch
hocs,a Toa cfr
protest, was the most wicked piece of vandal-
ism that has been perpetrated, and that done
out of pure cussedness. The result is, our
catch basins are now an eye-sore to an outraged
people.
The most scientific proposition presented to
the council by Mr.. Sewall was the short line
or elevated railway running through the city.
5000 feet, one and one-seventh miles on stills,
from ten to eighteen feet above mother earth.
This was too ridiculous to be entertained even
by the council.
The next plan presented was line fourteen
feet under ground through solid rock. This
plan was feasible. A car with stern wheel at
tached to the rear could run on rail or by canal.
These are few of the absurdities of first
class engineer. Our sewers are of the same
class. Fort street sewer, propped up with
wood; Rice street sewer, wide enough to drive
a load of hay through it, with fat bottom.
It will take the old Mississippi river on a boom
to wash it out. In other places, the engineer is
using nine-inch sewer pipe with six-inch bore
for sewerage, not large enough to carry the water
from an ordinary building.
Last but not least is the quality of the pipe
used Mr.. Sewall is using the vitrifed or
burnt pipe, which is pronounced in Chicago,
after thorough investigation, to be worthless
will not last two years before it becames porous
and spongy-while parties in this city are
making grout or cement pipe far superior to
that used-a pipe that is in general use in Min
neapolis, which grows harder and stronger by
age, but must be discarded as unit for use by
our competent engineer. Our sewer contracts
require the best of cement for constructing
our sewers, and We are using milwaukee,
cement, a third rate article, for reasons best
known to the engineer.
The chamber of commerce say ''he is SO
strict with contractors" Ohio street was near
two years grading. Many Others the same. if
they happen to be pets or men of influence. A |
poor man like Butler will catch rats, and get
blistered on every turn.
These are few of the many reasons l have |
for not wishing to serve longer in the council. |
l am harrassed daily by people complaining of |
grades, and cannot get satisfactory or civil |
answer from the engineer. l was in hopes of |
getting a more practical aud genial man for the |
position, and it would have been done had not |
the chamber of commerce interfcred and pro- |
nounced the council incompetent to Judge of |
whom they wanted. If am incomp etent in |
this particular am certainly incompetent to |
be in the council to act for others. l have no |
axes to grind-not even Ratchet. / think |
have done my duty in the council honestly |
and cheerfully. will now retire to my Hash |
an humble and obedient citizen. |
Yours truly, A. ALLEN.
Aid. Dowlan moved the reference of the |
to the committee on ways
and means, at the same time expressing the
hope that Aid. Allen would be induced to re-
consider his purpose.
The city comptroller submitted list of
audited claims and the aims house expenses,
81, 4O2.97, for April, which were allowed.