Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30
TIE DAM 10 BE REMOVED.


West End People Rejoicing Over the Com-
ing Abolition ofa Nuisunce-A New Sewer
Not Needed.
A little more patience on the part Of the
West End people. and they will be rewarded
by the removal of the dam in the mouth of
Saw Mill run. tits reported authoratively
that J. W. Friend & Co., proprietors OF the
Eagle Rolling Mills, on whose property the
mill is located, have finally agreed to take
out part of the dam. This will be welcome
boon for the West End 1t is said that i've
feet of the dam will be cut away; the work
to be done April 1.
The citizens have been fighting the dam
for the last five years. Every summer the
sewers emptying into the run have become
choked up, and would overflow at every
freshet. The cellars of the houses were
flooded, and consequently the health Of the
entire West End was affected. a great deal
of the sickness was charged directly to the
condition of the sewers. The citizens pro-
tested against allowing the dam to remain,
as it raised the bottom Of the run on level
with and in some instances, higher than the
mouths of the sewers.
A wear ago last summer the citizens held
a meeting and directed a committee to in
stitute legal proceedings against J. w.
Friend & Co. to compel them to remove the
dam. The citizens lost the suit-the Court
saying that in the first place the sewers
should not empty into the run. as it runs
through private property, and in the second
place j. W. Friend & Co. could not be COM
PEELED to remove the dam because it is pri-
vate property. The citizens then gave up
the fight for awhile.
Later suggestion was made to have a
large sewer constructed to empty into the
river instead of into the run. The matter
was discussed considerably, and the people
were about to ask the Thirty-sixth ward
Councilmen to have an ordinance passed in
Councils providing for the sewer, when it
was learned that Friend & Co. were going
to remove a part of the dam.
1t is now stated by some that Friend &
Co. were scared into removing the dam by
the proposition to build a new sewer, as it
would have gone through or near to the
firms property, and their expenses on
new sewer would be much greater than the
cost of the taking out of the dam. This
theory is hardly correct though. Those who
seem to know say that the dam is to go
because it is injuring the property of Friend
& Co., on West Carson street. A cali was
made at the house of j. W. Friend yester-
day afternoon, but he is out of the city.
Councilman Evan Jones, of the Thirty
sixty ward, when asked about the proposed
new sewer, said: ST don't think an attempt
to get the sewer will be made now. 1t
would cost no less than $35, 900, and if
satisfactory remedy to our regulsr summer
difficulty results from the removal of the
dam we will not need new sewer. l
should not like to undertake to have the
ordinance passed"
As soon as the dam is taken out the Street
Commissioners will have the bottom of the
run loosened up and cleaned out thoroughly.
This will lower the bed below the mouths of
the sewers. The citizens of the West End
are very jubilant over the prospects of haV-
ing what they have always considered
nuisance wiped out.