Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-27
COFFEE srREEr BELL TOWER.

!
rho Residents OF the Ninth and
Tenth wards Again Aroused Over
the Seeming Apathy ofthe Fire Gem
missiOners.
70 the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The order passed by the court OF COM
mon council that the COTE strest bell
tower must be replaced 10 again the topic
of considerable discussion, and 1t is claimed
an effort Ia being made to avoid the replao-
ing of the tower. Although the order was
passed by last years court of common
council and an appropriation Of $500
made for the specific purpose of rebuilding
the tower nothing has been done by the
fire commissioners except to pass vote
over q month ago requesting that bids for
it's replacement be submitted to them.
Up to the present time nothing further has
been done, nor - far a. 10 known has any
effort been made to secure any bids.
This seeming apathy on the part Of the
fire commissioners has caused considerable
talk among the residents of the Ninth and
Tenth wards, who to the number of about
2, 900 signed the petition for the replacing
of the tower. Said one of the signers, who
has been especially interested In the re-
placing of the tower, yesterday afternoon:
II zee now that the FIRE commissioners are
trying to raise . sectional fight ameng the
siRners of the petition as to whether the
tower should DO rebuilt on COTE street or
located near Winchester's. It IL surpris-
ing how they will resort to almost any
measure to avoid rebuilding the tower
The fire commissioners, as I understand
It,, now make the claim that .
| number of the signers to the
petition are very much opposed to
having the tower rebuilt on COTE street,
but on the other hand want 1t built near
Wholesalers or nowhere. 1t is in conse-
| quence of this alleged diversity of feeling,
so the commissioners claim, that they have
not been able to move faster in this mat
ter. Now this statements is absolutely off
color. There is no diversity of feeling
among the signers of the petition in refer
ence to the location, and In my opinion
this is simply . scheme on the part Of the
fire commissioners to svoid replacing the
tower.
Now lock at the facts in the case. The
petition signed called explicitly for the re-
placing of the COTE street tower, and
every signer understood that when he
signed 1t. The order passed by the court
Il OF common COUNCIL was TO replace Gnt
tower. and the appropriation of 81, 800
was also made for that specific pur
pose. Now the Winchester people wan
the tower located on its old site and ar,
not desirous of having it near the factory
OF course 1t is true that If the location O.
the tower is to be chaeged, under those cir
cumstsncee the Winchester people woull
naturally prefer having it located as nea
their factory as possible. tell you en-
phatically the signers of that petition are
unit in having the tower relocated on it
| old site on COTE street. Instead of tn
IRE commissioners being asked by tn
petitioners to change the location and re
submit the matter back to the court o
common council, unless some decisive &C
ton Ia taken by the commissioners in tn
near future, the petitioners will 60 befor
the court of common council but their bus
mess before that body will bs to petitio
them to instruct the fire commissioners t
carry out it's order in this matter or sho,
cause why they do not"
Contractor Samuel R. Avis Of Winchel
bell tower, was seen and stated that ther
was no diversity of opinion about the loca
ton of the tower 60 far as he was awar
and that the petition specially stated tina
the tower should be replaced on Golf
street. "Of course" he continued, 81
the location is changed We should endeavo
to have 1t out Of our way, but are perfect
ly satisfied to have it at its old location
That IL all there Ia to this talk of diversit
| of opinion, etc "