Daily globe., 1883-06-05
OFFICIAL.
Proceedings Of The CjmmOn Council,
Special MesS'np.,

ST. PAUL, June l, 1883.
President Allen in the chair.
Present Aid. Dowlan, O'Connor, Robert,
Fischer, Otis, Smith, johnson, Van Slyke,
Starkey, Mccarthy, Mr.. Presidential.
COMMUNICATIONS.
From His Honor, the Mayor
Call for the meeting at request of Aid.
Johnson, Starkey and O'Connor for the
transaction of such business as may come
before it.
Also,
Mississippi Street Bridge
Accepted.
To the Honorable the President and
Common Council of the City of st. Paul:
consider it to be my duty to call your
attention to the existing condition of affairs
relating to the Mississippi street bridge
over the tracks of The st. Paul Minneapolis
& Manitoba Railway company On Feb
ruary %, 1882, your honorable body
passed a resolution to the effect that the
rebuilding of the bridge was necessary and
proper and instructing the City Engineer
TO prepare plans and specifications for
new bridge, and that after consultation
with the Chief Engineer of the said rail-
road company to submit the same to the
Common Council for its approval. Ac-
cordingly plan and specifications were
prepared and consultation had with the
Chief Engineer of said company and the
Mayor and City Engineer wait
ed upon the general manager of
said railway company and urged upon him
as very important that preparations should
be then made for building the abutments
and the iron contracted for, in order to
have the structure completed during the
year 1888. He admitted the necessity to
the public Of having the bridge rebuilt,
but owing to the great amount Of work in
the shops which the company required
for the service OF its rolling
stock, it was obliged to use
the old round house, portion Of which
would have to be removed before rebuild
ing the bridge, until the
new shops Of the company
could be made ready for use. The round
house has been disused for repair shop
many months. Interviews have since been
had with the general manager and bresi-
dent of said company but no progress has
been made in the matter. Indeed the pres
ident takes the position that inasmuch as
Mississippi street had not been laid out
where the tracks are located at the time
the road was built the company is not liza
bic to build the abutments or the bridge
under the agreement with the city exc
cuted by him as general manager, August
%, 1880, which recites that ''It is under
stood that it is the province of the City
Council to determine when and where such
eossings shall be made wheth
er at grade by bridges
over or roadways under the tracks = = x
That when the plan for any crossing
requiring bridge over the railway tracks
is adopted BY the Common Council the
railroad companies interested shall build
the abutments and the superstructure
over their right of way = 3 and the city
shall build the approaches thereto ETC."
How this agreement can be construed
TO aid the position taken by the president
It is impossible to discover; but whether
the position is technically good or not it
indicates an absence of good faith and q
disposition to treat the authorities of a
large and growing population upon which
the company is dependent for much of its
prosperity and the many concessions
VIII ch it will in future require, in spirit
of fairness and justice.
It is true that Mississippi
street was not laid out oyer
the right of way when the tracks we're
placed and has not since, but 2 road had
been IN use from time immemOrial within
few rods west Of the present bridge be-
fore and after the tracks were laid up to
the year 1872 when the, bridge was con-
structed, and considered by the predecessor
oE the present head of the corporation to
be OF so much advantage to it that the
then general manager, who was also Presl-
dent of the Board of Public Works, s,reported
officially that the company had subscribed
twenty-five hundred dollars towards its
erection. The old crossing was between
the conpany's shops and round house. up
on ground which it then greatly nesded
and does now, and the bridge relieved
1t from where it was obliged 20
maintain public Crossing, from the in
convenience incident to q large number OF
vehicles crossing its tracks where its roll
ing stock and workmen wee not CON
centrated.
If the bridge were to be abandoned the
company would still be obliged to maintain
the same crossing if travel should be re-
directed to the old county road from
L'Orient street.
After the interview between the Mayor,
City Engineer and General Manager, first
mentioned, to accommodate the company
the bridge was repaired and travel, which
had been temporarily stopped, was re-
sumed. 1t has been re-repaired and
patched until it has become so rotten that
it will not admit of further mending. 1t
is liable to fall at any moment. If the
axle of a loaded wagon were to break upon
it it would not Withstand the shock. 1t is
d constant menace to the public, and in
my judgment should be closed to travel
and taken down. AS long time must
elapse before it can be rebuilt, recon-
mend, in order to avoid any further COM
plications, that your honorable body di-
r3ct the Board of Public Works to condemn
the right OF way and open Mississippi
street from the north line of Minnehaha
street to the south line of Z. Rice's second
and Trout Brook additions to st. Paul
across the property and tracks of the said
company, and to cause the bridge to be re-
built as soon as practicable. Mississippi
street has not had the recognition by the
city authorities that is due to its impor-
tance. 1t is one of the great thoroughfares
between the city ard the country, and yet
north OF the bridge its grade has not been
established, and north of Trout Brook it has
been, and yet is, in most wretched con-
dition.
AS to the railway company. if it does not