Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-21
CITY COUNCIL.
OniciaI Proceedings of Monday Even
ing's Meeting.

Ulnctai hr0CeeusnsH OF MONDAY EVEN
ing's Meeting.
Council Chamber, City Of Ysnkton,
Dakota, Monday, February, Goth, 1888,
1850 O'Clock p. m.-Oouncil convened in
reg nlsr session aud called to order by
his honor, Mayor Teller. Roll called.
All members present except Alderman
Gilman. Minutes of Last meetleg read
and approved.
Alderman MoYay introduced an or
dinanoe entitled "an ordinance empower
ing Ephriam Miner, Joseph Ward and
Malcolm Walker to erect, construct
maintain and operate o system OF cleo
trio lighting within the city OF Yankton
and for transmission of power and grant
ing to said parties the use of streets and
alleys and other public grounds for said
purposes, for the term of twenty years"
which ordinance was read first time.
On motion of Alderman English the or.
dinance was referred 10 the committee
on ordinances with instructions to re-
port at q special meeting to be called for
action on said ordinance.
The building committee reported that
they had effected a settlement with the
contractor on the city hall and had re-
served $500 of the contract price OF said
building, to make good any claims upon
said building and under said conditions
they had accepted the building. On
motion the report wes adopted.
The committee on ewers and sewer
age presented the following report
which wes on motion adopted and the
committee instructed to perfect a pys-
tenn of sewers:
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen OF the
Council: The committee on sewerage
herewith present the following report
together with the accompanying maps
and q few explanatory drawings, the
map shows the city divided into three
sewer districts numbered respectively,
fret, second and third, the first district
to include ell that part of the city lying
east of Green street and south of Eighth
street, the second TO embrace all that
part west of Green street and the third
all east of Green street and north of
Eighth street. OF course these bounda-
ries may be changed if the council thinks
best to do so. All trunk sewers together
With the bank wall at the output should
be paid for jointly by the three districts,
and the extra incurred in laying sewers
of larger dimensions than required in
any district to accommodate another
district. should be paid for by the dis
trict SO accommodated. Our estimates
and calculations have far surpassed the
future occupancy by buildings. streets /,
avenues and alleys Of the entire area in
cluded within the present CITY limits. We
find that until quite recently, it has been
the custom, both IN Europe and this
country to construct drains, or sewers in
cities of sufficient dimensions to re oeive
and carry away the storm water. as we'll
as the house sewerage, but modern en-
cheering has proven the fallacy of this
system. In the frs. place the sewer must
be of such prodigious size, to accommo-
date the flow OF water during a heavy
rain storm, that the original cost of con-
struction precludes its use IN small
towns, or ever those of considerable
size, and during a terra of drouth there
is SO much surface exposed that the or
I LkINly hSa5S hnu VdSto
water would fail to keep it clean, Solid
matter would be deposited along the
bottom, until the becomes filed to
such an extent, that even the rain, when
it comes will fail to remove the ceumu
~lations. and the consequence is that
sooner or later the sewer becomes
choked, cellars flooded and other in
Jury incurred, and the final cleaning of
the sewer by manual labor, neither a
pleasant or healthy Job. Besides there
can be no &C I'D .eeson for admitting the
storm water into the sewers in q city like
Yankton, with q natural reservoir, the
Missouri river on n side, and the Rhine
running through the middle of the town
and emptying directly into the river,
and sufficient inclination to the streets
Ito permit its being conducted away in
properly designed oper cutters, along
the curb line in an hour aiterits delivery,
and before it coulf soak into the soIl
more than an inch or two OF fer less ex-
pense, than to convey it down, ten or
twelve feet under ground. Then too,
the clean water discharged upon the
roofs, in the yards, and on the streets
and avenneB, has the effect to wash and
cleanse them with proper provision for
its immediate removal in open cutters,
after this duty has been performed be-
fore it has time to enter the soil. The
next plan that we have had under ION.
sideration is that of using vitrified clay
pipes of moderate dimensions laid along
the center of the streets and avenues into
which the house drains lead, by pipes of
the same material of reduced size. We
find this system in general use ia hun
dreds OF towns and cities throughout the
United States and Great Britain, and
while 1T possesses some qualifica-
tions to recommend il, chief of which is
its simplicity, it has aiso some obiec-
tions, one of which is that it requires q
continual tearing up the streets IN order
to make connections with the houses,
and for repairs. This we deem q very
~ssrious objection, es il may occur at any
time, and will occur NO doubt, that
parties on opposite sides Of the street
will want to connect with the main at
the same time. This OF course, would
materially interfere with the traffic on
the streets of that block, for the time
being, besides uneven settling; no mat
ter how carefully the trenches are filled
would leave the streets in q condition
resembling o gigantic wash board. Again,
} the digging half way ACROSS streets as
wide as ours to make house connections
involves an expense almost equal to the
original cost OF the main sewers. There
fore for the reasons given, besides some
other meg that we have omitted tc
mention, we would NOT recommend the
adoption of this plan.
!, One other system has within the las,