Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-06-29
some Lively ralu Anou, our sewers.

down. and was dcte mined TO spare neither
time, pains nor money 10 have ms good 10 side
walk as could possible be made in the city Of
Springfield, although deemed the resolution
OF Council premature, in view OF the fact that
with every considerable rain the overflow of
the sewer at the corner OF Spring and Pleas
ant streets, iuundatiug our property, also
poured its superintendent aud torrent OF waters
in large volume down Pleasant street, which
certainly no newly constructed pavement
could possibly withstand. The paving was
ordered | already had a large quantity Of
gravel---the grade being made a foot higher
than the old gravel walk--eveuly and care
fully spread out and packed down ready to
receive the brick, when the rain Of sunday
the 2lst of June, came, and th" Tremendous
overflow OF the wretchedly constructed and
diminutive sewer washed away the gravel
from my new sidewalk and brought to naught
considerable amount OF tine and labor
which | had so industrously and carefully
applied toward the making OF a durable and
even foundation for the pavement of brick,
without considering the injury done to our
property in depreCiating the marketable value
of the same by these frequent overtlows OF
the inadequate sewer, is it TO be supposed that
the city will allow me any compensation ior
the immediate and undeuiable loss Of mate
rial. time and labor bestowed upon the new
sidewalk
Some member of the City Council-who
IT was do not know-was needless enough
to offer the resolution to have our excellent
Pleasant street gravel sidewalk paved. That
was all well enough, apparently.
4 l,n
of Council to the frequent overflow OF the
wretched sewer, inundatinC our property, aud
to the liability of the newly-made sidewalk
to be washed away? Did he do this?
Now ask all citizens who have property,
and all who have not, to consider this ques-
ton. When public work is undertaken,
should there not be an intelligent and con-
scentions management OF the same? Should
not the men who are deputed to conduct the
construction Of the public work pay some re-
| gard to the suggestions OF those who live in
the immediate vicinity OF the work under
taken who are acquainted with The locality
and the action Of the elements at such point
and especially to the suggestions OF thCss
who have intelligence and knowledge equa
| to the occasion2 Or are they to stand HlO0
in lofty grandeur, regardless Of the warnings
/
| peculiar circumstances of the situation
Before the work upon the sewer was begun
told the City Engineer that the Pleasant
street sewer as proposed and afterward ac
tually constructed. would prove too small
that it could not possibly accomodate thC
water that came down from Spring street
down Pleasant street. and from Taylo: street
Not alone furnished him this information
but others living in the ncighborho0d told
him the same thing. He needed no rcmous.
trance. He said the sewer would be large
enough-thst it would carry off more water
than could ever come to il.
Last autumn he told me that an additional
catch-basin would be put in on Spring street
and then the sewer would be sure to carry of
the water. In the spring he told me that an.
other catch-basn was not needed; that the
| overflow, inundsting our property, was sim,
| ply in consequence OF the catch basins already
| there not having been properly cleaned
| that SO long as they were kept clean there
| would be no overflow. Now. ! can bear
| cheerful witness to the fact that lately these
basins have been kept clean. Every lev
days they have been secured out; anc
only three or four days before tie heavy
| shower of Sunday not only the basins. but
| the insufficient pipes Leading from them t.
the sewer were cleaned or attempted to be
cles ned out. Now here was clear field for
the exercise of the flood. What happened ?
| ten minutes after the heavy rain began
the sewer was full. The torrent waters
rushing down Spring street, unable to get into
the contemplate little holes leading into the
catch h-basins rebounded from the cap-stones
in high-rolling billows and from every aperture
the water rose out of the sewer instead OF
flowing into 1t. In the street large lake
was formed. The supprabuudant waters sur.
| mounted the high bank which had made
on Spring street as protection against the
overflow OF the wretched sewer, the water
| inundated our property 10 an extent it had
never done before; 1t poured into the CELLAR
of our house on Spring street. which it haC
never done before it rushed dawn Spring
street in torrent, carrying away the grave
| from my sidewalk, and the Street Commits
| sioners gravel from the street, which haC
been placed there but three days before anl
| filed the cellar of the house on the opposite
side Of the alley.
On Tuesday, the Sewer Committee OF tho
City Council were on the ground. The City
| Engineer acknowledged that the sewer haC
been full, and more than full; and then de
clared that it bad never been contemplated
| that the Pleasant street sewer should receive
the water coming down Spring street trou
the region above; but that it was intended
that that water should be conducted along
| Clifton street to the Limestone street sewer
These various statements of the City Engineer
| are certainly contradictory and it it was
| never contemplated to have such water come
| down Spring street, why has the matter been
| lett so long in this condition? No matter
| how often, OF how much, our property was to
| be inundated by the wretched sever. Our
| rights were OF no consequence whatever
| But would the City Engineer have lett his
| own property exposed in that way? Would
| any member OF the City Council have left bis
property exposed in that way As my sister
Justly and aptly declares, the city for the last
twenty-five years has been dily-dailying
| with that Spring and Pleasant street water
course. II seems as if the Frankeu5teiHs had
no rights which the city Of Springfield was
bound to respect. Perhaps this 10 because
not one OF them has ever been u member OF
the City Council 10 exercise tyranny over
their neighbors, as some members OF former
Councils have done, to close up n public
water-c course for the benefit OF their owa
property and to the injury OF their neighbors ;
and to exercise their petty tyranny ia
various odious ways or perhaps it
is because not one of the Franken-
stems has ever been City Enginee: to con-
struct sewers whose overflow should throw
torrent waters upon somebody's property, and
wash away his new sidewalk Just ordered to
be made bv the City Council in the face OF
such inundating facts.
Is il not time that some common sense,
justice and intelligent engineering should be