The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-29
CAUSED CITY TO BE SUED
BOARD OF WORKS AFRAID TO Or
DER NECESSARY SEWERS.
Two More Suits on Account of FIetch-
er-Avenpe Drainage-Samuei Gets
Heavy Sentence.

Two more suits against the city on &C.
count of the overfows in Fletcher avenue
were filed yesterday Emma f. Schroyer
asks for $500 damages and William a.
Woldt wants $500. In both cases the
complaints are exact copies of the two
filed Saturday, with the necessary changes
in names and description of property.
This places the city in a peculiar situa-
ton, and it is probable that the entire
blame can be laid at the door of the Board
of Works. The first overflow that is men,
toned in the complaints is that of Sept.
A. 1885, when more than six inches of
water fell in a few hours. OF course this
storm unprecedented. but neverthe-
less Mr.. Brown, who city engineer
at the time, and the members OF the for
mer Board of Works recognized that some
thing had to be done to relieve the street,
for it was plainly apparent that even a
much less fall of rain would overflow
much Of the property. An examination
showed that the fault was that the Fetch
er avenue sewer not large enough to
carry off all the water that had fallen in
the district drained by it The sewer was
large enough for it's own legitimate dis
trict, but because other sewers in the
neighborhood that were contemplated had
not been built, it compelled this sewer TO
carry off more water than it intend
ed that it should or in other words, It
was compelled TO drain a larger district
than the sewer plans of the city contem-
plated.
1t was then too late in the fall to prepare
plans and let a contract for another sew
and have it built that fall. One of the
first recommendations made by City En-
gineer Jeup last spring was that certain
other local and main sewers be
structed to relieve this district. Most Of
the surplus water that flowed on to Fletch-
er avenue came from the northeast, and
plans were adopted by the Board of Works
and notice of their adoption published
July 20, providing for sewer with sew
eral branches. The branches extended
streets in English avenue and in the first
alley north of Fletcher avenue. This
sewer would have relieved the flooded
district and made similar occurrences al
most impossible, for it would have cut the
Fletcher avenue drainage district in two
and taken away half of it.
The people who would have had to pay
for these sewers made a great howl about
it and filed a number of remonstrances
provides for just such cases. 1t was known
at the time the charter was drawn up that
in districts where the owners of AUDITING
property did not. desire them and would
that reason the board was given full pow
err to act, and it was provided that the
board had q right to overdue any remOn-
STRANGE against the building of a sewer.
In this case the property owners who
would have had to pay for this sewer did
not want it. There probably would not
have been many as a dozen house con-
nections made on it's entire length in ten
years, unless the city compelled connec-
lions to be made by doing away with
vaults. The property owners did not care
for the surface drainage, for the water
that fell on their streets readily ran Off
to the south and was soon out of their
floods on Fletcher avenue.
People who looked upon the matter In
this light secured signatures to re-
monstrances and filed them with the
Board of Works. The board looked upon
the remonstrances with despair. Almost
every property owner in the district that
would be assessed filed his remonstrance.
The board examined them and finally de-
cided that it would not be good politics
three-fourths of it's votes for the Demo-
cratic ticket, and simply pigeon-holed the
resolution, without either resembling 1t or
taking final action. 1t is thus that the
matter now stands. The resolution has
been properly adopted and is now on hle
in the office of the Board of Works, where
it can be resurrected at any time and a
contract let to do the work. but the voters
of the district hold their club too danger
ously near for action to be taken:
Three times this year the district that
is suffering has been flooded. The resi-
dents realize that the Board of Works has
full power to build the sewer and that a
remonstrance signed by every property
owner in the city cannot stop the work,
for it is a matter that is wholly within
the discretion of the board.