Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-05-25
Levee and Reservoir Provided
For Last Night.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE SESSION
The Apportionment Includes
Many Improvements.
Engineer Darling's Surprising
Estimates.

The council laid out q splendid
rear's work in the apportionment of
revenue last night by providing for
the commencement OF two of the
mos: important projects In the city's
history, the levee and the reservoir
both on Mayor Medill's recommen-
dation-together with the paving of
seventh avenue west of Seventeenth,
and Twenty-frst street, as well as
giving the three lower wards the
necessary for the
com pletion of sidewalk improve
menis, viz, $1,000 each and allow
ing each of the others $500. Thus
public Improvements were once
more inaugurated in Rock Island
and with two such notable enter
prises as the levee and the reservoir
at the head, the season which the
council is providing for promises to
be one of the most prosperous and
distinguished in the city's progress
sive history. The two main i'm
provements proposed as urged by
Mayor Medill, the reservoir and the
levee, went through without pro-
nounced opposition. The merits OF
each were 50 strongly presented by
the mayor that the plans that had
been cunningly laid to catch the lat
ter failed to connect. added to
these the strange figures presented
by Engineer Darling as regards the
levee estimates were sufficiently
high to take the breath away from
the aldermen. There were those,
however, who were not so easily
moved. and the mayor and Aid.
Maucker were not long in convincing
MIR. Darling that he had been very
careless, to say the least The incl
dent should serve as furnishing am
pie ground for the city's appointing
a special engineer on this par tlcular
project before the final estim ates are
adopted. A year ago THE ARGUS pro-
tested that Mr.. Darling's figures were
ridiculously high and last night
when presented in contrast with
those for other projected i'm prove.
ments the council was enabled to
realize this fact. 1t is TINA
this kind Of work was stopped. The
stand that has been taken in behalf
of the levee is not boys play. nor is
it project that can be put aside
lightly. The undertaking is one Of
too great Importance to be hampered
further by such demonstrations ss
that of last night. All that is asked
for the levee is fair show. Give it
that and it will win. Aud that much
it's advocates are determined to have
even If, as has been said once before
in the history Of this government,
lit takes all summer"
In Committee of tie Whole.
The council went into committee
Of the whole. Aid. Msucker was
called to the chair.
On making an appropriation for the
fire department it was explained that
allowance had been made for the
anticipated purchase of an additional
thousand feet of hose and the lioui-
dation of several incidentAls, repair
ing Of the engine houses. painting of
hose wagons, etc. The apPropria-
ton as submitted was cut to Sl2.5O0
owing to the $500 insurance tax
which goes toward the maintena r CO
Of the fire department.
The appropriation for the police de.
partment was $12, 00l, $4,000 higher
than in 1896, but the increase is me-
by the replenishment Of
supplies, which have become entirely
and the addition of two
patrolmen. Aid. Kennedy wanted
to know If it was necess airy to put on
two more officers. The mayor ex-
planned that the city has been grow
ing rapidly and was entitled to more
protection, especially in the eastern
section Of the city, at night. Aid.
Kennedy favored q mounted patrol
man. Aids. Nelson and Soderstrom
said the Seventh ward was greatly in
need Of another officer. It was i'm.
pos sible for one man to cover the
territory, they said, and it was
thought since he had to put in much
of his time at the Rock Island depot
meeting trains. that the railroad
company employ q policeman for
this work. Aid. Kennedy wanted
the appropriation cut down q thons-
and; SO did few others, but they
we're in the minority, and the allow
ance originally submitted was
adopted.
The aldermen had quite q stormy
discussion over the sidewalk ques-
ton. There were motions, sussti-
tutes and amendments galore. The
down town aldermen said they had
been helping their up town brethren
until they had become tired of it;
they wanted something down their
way now. Aids. Winter and Mauck-
er believed the Third ward needed
as much money as any for sidewalk
improvement. IF you abdomen
are going to be SO greedy" said Aid.
Winter. "and will not help rs out,
why I'll go down into my pocket and
put 500 into the fund myself" All
kicked on having their sidewalk al
lowance shaved except. Aid. Dauber.
who said that since money was SO
scarce and his ward was in pretty
good shape in this respect. he guessed