Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-26
Views Of City Engineer Rose
water.
Embodying the Reasons Why
the 800, 900 in Bonds for
Sewer Purp 1ses Should
Be Issued.
Some Facts and Comparisons
With Other Leading
Cities.
A Prophecy That Did Not Cons to
Pass.


fully at the reasons which have
brought about the recommendations
Of the city engineer for certain i'm.
%provements the coming year aud their
endorsement by the board of public
works, o BEE reporter called upon
City Engineer Rosewater and OBJ
tanned from him the following ex.
PLANTATION:
SIN the first place." said the city
engineer, ''let us go back to the orlgi.
nal proposition submitted to the PEG.
pie two years ago. Then there was
but one plan known to the public 1t
was the construction of the storm
water overs In North and
South Omaha as originally de.
signed by Mr.. Phillips In 1873.
A possible modification of these plans
was suggested by me then, as l thought
we could economize by avoiding the
construction of the large tntsrcepting
sewer along the east front line of the
city, wi ich was to connect the north
and south creeks near Jones street,
and discharge them both through one
ou,fall as or below the Union Pacific
bridge. That plan would have cost a
million dollars at iesst. In view Of
the Indebtedness Of any other plan ut
that time the proposition WIS
opposed by mary who otherwise
would have favored the bonds
However, m ire than two. thirds of the
voters were wiling to trust the mayor
and city couloil With the execution If
this work on the most economical plan
feasible. TIE r. asons ihsn urged by
the advoc.,es Of the measure were saw.
Ing Of further bridging expense In
north and sou,h Omaha, protection 70
life sgainst gym tic disease, the in-
provement OF the appearance of ths
city, util,z ,tton IF streets then impsss-
abe on account of the creeks, enhance.
ment Of values of property and there.
by an increase In assessment lists, and
among other things the employment of
mechanics and laborers In q GLASS OF
permanent improvements, which un-
der any circumstances would have to
be carried on some time or other.
Reporter What Influence had the
adoption of the Warning system upon
the plans proposed2
City Engineer Only this, water
works having been established through
out the city, the business part of the
city, especially the large hotels and
Wholesale houses with hydraulic cit va.
tors, required speedy sewerage ia.
o~ilities. These could only be extended
upon the plans adopted and l think II
the cheapest and most feasible one, the
entire city being considered, for the
disposal Of house and sewerage waste
But this does not by any means
meet the other problem nsmely: Tn.
disposal of the storm waters from SEQ
lions where 1t now accumulates, mol
does 1t protect the streets along the
path of these accommodating storu
waters from periodical wash; nor the
people from disease who live aiops
the lower Ines of level, and are sub
jeos to the siekening fleets of staguau'
storm waters, laden with all the de
composing wastes which hsve beer
gathered by the waters in their p,5i
through the filthy streets and cutters
Reporter-You are opposed theI
to the extension of the Warning sys
tenn
City Engineer-No, not by an,
means; but everything his Its time
We have lived here for many year
without any kind of sewerageat all ua,i
fin ally scarcely q well could be fouut
In central Omaha with fit water t,
drink. l personally know of one vel
near the p0stoffice to whi,h coul,
be traced half a dozen cases @
typhoid fever and one death. No,
we have done away with all this b.
sswering all that part of the city fror
CASA to howard street, east of tn
bluffs. Ia doing this we have pre-
tected the thickly settled part of tn
city from the effects incident to for
water and sewerage accumulation
and given them the much needle
conduit facilities for discharge c
of waste water OF elevators, etc. TIL
property back of the hills, and NOR
remote from the business center Is 1
no special need of sewerage accommo
dations. In time they ought to hsv
these facilities extended, and, In fac
I do not know but even now an 81
tension of the Wsring system to tn
extent Of say $l5, 900 worth might b
judloious, but when 1t comes to
question of absolute necessity / ool
slider of more immediate and high'
Importance the protection of tt
property along Chicago street again
storm water aocumulattons, and tn,
along Nineteenth and Harvey 81
Fsrnam, where the city pays tho'
sands annually for earth washed o,
and for wooden culverts washed ava
also the disposal of storm water aloI
the base of bluffs through sewers
order TIC better proportion quite
east Of Sixteenth street..
Then as to the proposed extensi'
Of the north and south sewers t
estimates shew that only $40, 600 "
be needed for them and when that
done we will practically need no me
bridges In north and south Omal
have street facilities full width and
I believe, the work will enhance t
value of property In those dIstri
sufficient to raise the assessment
In itself so that the tax on the advanC
values will pay the interest of
additional bonds to be issued. o
side of all this I consider the W.
proposed ought to be done II for
other than for sanitary reasons. Ii
conversation with DIS. Tlden Q
Jensen the other day / learned t
almost without exception the bulk
xymctic diseases such as dipthei