The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-06
THE CITY'S LIABILITY
SEVERAL FLOOD SUFFERERS PRE-
SENT BILLS FOR DAMAGES.
City Attorney Will Consider the Mat
ter-The High Water and
the New Sewers.

IA 1oC1tACA VI tAC jill W uaiAlaSto
sustained by tho people on account Of the
is now agitating the Board Of Works.
Yesterday W. ID. Wilson filed a bill with
the board for $50 for damage done to his
property. at 81 and 50 Fletcher avenue.
Krull & Schmidt, corner of Maryland and
Pennsylvania streets. filed a bill for S21.
Both these bills and a number OF others
were referred to the city attorney for his
opinion as to the city's liability. Mr.. Hol-
ton expressed himself in the belief that
the city could not be held responsible for
damage caused by such an Unprecedented
rainfall as seven inches If 1t could be shown
thai the facilities for carrying of the
water are equal to all ordinary rains or
extraordinary rains that are within reason
TO be expected. .
The city admitted it's hability for the
damage done in the wholesale district
by the flood Of 1892 and compromised all
claims against 1T, but in that case the
claim was that the city had been negligent
in allowing Pogue's run to be INSTRUCTED
by low bridges, built by the railroad COM
panies, which caused the water to be
up so it could run into the cellars.
No such condition existed at this time.
With all the water that fell at no time
did the capacity of Pogue's run prove in
adequate on account Of the bed having
been lowered sufficiently to compensate for
the low bridges. The entire damage seems
to have been caused by the fact that the
sewer system of the city is not complete
or that there were not sufficient inlets
to the sewers to allow all the water to
be carried from the streets with great
enough rapidity.
City Attorney SCOTS attention was called
to the matter yesterday and he was asked
to give In opinion on the case. He de-
clined to be interviewed, because. he said.
he had not yet received the papers and had
no time to examine the case. He will re-
port after a thorough examination.
The city engineer was asked by the Board
of Works Immediately after the flood to
make an examination of the sewers Of the
city and report as to their capacity for
carrying off the water. In the absence Of
City Engineer Brown the examination was
made by his assistant. J.. H. Deane. who
yesterday made the following report to
the board:
The first inspection made was that of
the State ditch district. l found that
the maximum now OF the sewer at It's out
fall was three feet (the height of the sewer
at the outfau is eight feet, so that the
capacity OF the main sewer was more than
adequate at its outfall. The State ditch
district east OF Central avenue, which has
been almost completely severed, was found
well drained, and the greatest accumula-
ton in this district was at Fifteenth street,
between Delaware street and Talbot ave-
nue., which has not been drained, and for
which a sewer was ordered at the last
meeting OF the board.
The branch sewer at the State ditch
and the first alley east Of Central avenue,
which is designed to take the drainage
of the State ditch from Columbia avenue
to Central avenue, carried the water from
the State ditch, although the inlet was
partially INSTRUCTED by plank and rubbish.
the inlet was protected by means of an
iron grating, and boards and rubbish had
accumulated against IL, causing the water
distractions were removed by the street
commissioner the water In the State ditch
did not fill the branch more than
avenue was found to be OF more than the
required capacity TO drain the district under
the present conditions.
levels were marked and levels of the marks
were taken in part to determine the effect
of each obstruction in the run from Mich
were not completed on the Pogue's run
section. While the bed of the run has
been lowered one foot, from south street
to Davidson street, Ii will be necessary TO
lower the run fully two feet mora to bring
il to the level of the proposed bottom.
Floods will continue until the run shall be
Sfr4lQnIenPQ. lOWeIeu anu .WlutICQ dila OD-
strucfions removed. plans for widening and
Strengthening the run were made two years
ago. but nave not been established by ordi-
nance.
avenue, Stevens street and Lincoln Lane.
The Fletcher-avenue overflow was caused
partly by back water, que sw 70 'a and pv to- sbe
accumulations Of the drainage or two
main sewer districts into the low district
in Fletcher avenue. In order to relieve
the district it will be necessary to con-
struct the English-avenue main sewer and
TO relieve the South-street sewer by over
flow ewers into Pogue's run ana by con-
struction Of lateral branches to the
Fletcher-avenue sewer.
.aThe floods on stevens street and Gresh-
a sion S Of lateral sewers and by the grading
of streets and alleys in the main W
drainage district"
sewer system of the city. so far as conf
Melted. was ample TO carry of the water,
but I'm many cases the work has only been
he done at once, and it is in these districts
that the most damage was done. On fletch-
er avenue. where the water entered the
and when completed will effectually prevent
ANYTHING OF the kind ever occurring again.
The same thing is true in many other To-
caiities. -
Improvement Contracts Let.
Bids were received and contracts let by
the Board Of Works yesterday as follows:
For grading and paving. with brick. the
sidewalks of Fulton street, from Market
10 ST. Clair street. The bids ranged from
37ls cents TO So cents. The contract was
awarded TO B.. b. Drake, at 3l1a cents;
For cementing the idewalks or Rudolpn
street, from Roller to Michigan street. Inc
bids were: F. Nj. Snyder & co, 10 cents;
b. Porter. 70 cents. Drawing OF lots gave
the contract 10 F. NJ. Snyder & Co.
For cemeting the cast sidewalk OF Ala
hama street. from Washington TO Mary
land street. The bids were N.Io, $l.s4 ana
81 .95. All bids were rejected.
For grading and graveling the nrst ailey
west of Hall place. from Seventh'to MINI
street. The bids were Is cents and lsl2
cents. The contract was awarded TO +. T..
Phillips. at Is cents.
Bridge Over Pleasant Run.
CITY Engineer Brown has been instructed
to prepare plans and specifications tor a
bridge over Pleasant run at Meridian
street; for graveling and curbing Seven
tenth street, from Meridian street 10 Cen
trail avenue: for paving with cement the
south sidewalk OF Maryland street, from
Delaware TO Alabama street; tor ralsiEg
grade and relaying the Sidewalk near luzV
West Washington street; for a sewer In
south East street. near Indiana Bicycle
Company's plant. and for grading and gray
cling the roadway and or East
ern avenue, from Washington street 10
Ohio street
Final Action Taken.
Final action was taken on Improvement
resolutions by the Board of Works yester-
day as follows: