Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-22
PROCEEDINGS or rue CRY COUNCIL.
Many Important Matters Given Partial
Att..ntInn, NJ tI.L. Mcaiinrr

Many Important Matters Given Partial
Attention at the Meeting.
Mayor Carson submitted a communication
at the opening OF the meeting Of the council
last evening asking that an ordinance be
passed regulating the speed OF bicycles on
the streets. Some Of the aldermen had been
shocked by the spectacle OF the humpbacked
scorcher speeding through the streets and
they readily acquiesced IN the recommenda-
tiun and Instructed the city attorney to draw
up such an ordinance and report it at the
next meeting OF the council The speed at
which wheels may hereafter travel without
danger OF arrCst viii not be fixed until the
ordinance il submitted for discussion.
l.. c. James was appointed special watch
man in the western part Of the city.
a communication was received from Presl-
dent y " Wells o, the Motor and Bridge
company asking the city for bill Of $1,000
as the portion OF the motor companys con-
tributiyu to the Broadway macadam. The
communication stated that the bill would be
submitted 10 the board OF directors at their
regular meeting in July.
e. ID. Jones notified the city that he had
appealed to the distric; court from the soun-
/ ellis equalization OF his taxes on lots Is and
l6. in block =. Bayliss first addition.
! The ordinance granting franchise to the
I American Long Distance Telegraph aud Tele-
/ phone company OF Iowa vas reported by the
! special committee instructed to prepare IT..
/ The ordinance only grants the company the
right to construct it's lines through the city
j on such streets or avenues Is 1t may select,
/ and 10 open and maintain an Office. IL grants
7 no general franchise under which telephone
| stem could b. operated, but is simply such
| a charter as the telegraph companies operate
under. W. y. Johnson. the company's rep
. resentative, was present, and asked Tor some
/ slight changes in the ordinance. one change
was the elimination OF the clause requiring
h. gonr itS wires UNDERGROUND.
! whenever the council shall order II. He
stated that underground wires would seriously
! interfere with the efficiency OF the service
and that at no place had his company been
required TO accept such franchise. He said
that the company had not been asked to dc
this even in New York City, and that ite
lines were the only oys-ground wires il
that city. The council. however, refused tC
recede from the position taken and passed The
ordinance with the Objectionable clause. Mr.
Johnson promptly notified the council tha
he believed his company would refuse t'
accept the franchise and would build its lint
around the city. The city clerk was noti
fed not to publish the ordinance until th
city had received written acceptance from
the company.
; The directors to the enforcement of tn
wide-tire ordinance were given some atten
tion. Alderman Pace from the special com
. mittee to investigate and suggest compro
mise, reported that this committee had bee
uEaDlG 10 agree upon d tOlHp Nhd
: there were too many conflicting interest
: involved to be easily settled, and favore
reference OF the matter to the committe
4 OF the whole. Gilbert Bros. asked for
. modification that would permit them
operate their ice wagons with less than louI
y inch tires. Protests from implement deaI
e ers who handle traction engines were sut
mitted Alderman Shubert, who suggeste
that adverse action might drive these larg
i business firms out OF the city. advers
Ns1 Arit iaFp str
enterprise away. Alderman Atkins said b
wss tired OF hearing about driving bushes
away by adverse legislation, and he though
| the time had come when the rights OF tn
: poor property owners should be taken INT
/ consideration, well as the privileges
| the big firms, and corporations. Alderma
; Shubert presented a motion that prevaile
directing the mayor TO appoint commltte
r ! of three aldermen TO confer with the cit
. engineer, city attorney and the mayor,
n draft an amended ordinance, and the operi
y tion of the present ordinance be suspende
for thirty days to permit the amended o.
: dinance to be prepared.
: Alderman Shubert called attention to II
y damage which he alleged was being done
j. the shade trees on Lower Broadway by Il
, telegraph wires. He said the trees ha
= grown up to the wires, and the wires wei
n beheading them. He moved that the tel
q graph company be instructed TO move Il
wires at once from the south side of Broa
#, way from the Northwestern railway to Il
= river and that the marshal Gee to 1t tn
q 1t was done The council uncerta
= whether the wires belonged TO the Westel
d Union or the Postal Telegraph compan
n ! and the matter was deferred to the ne
g regular meeting. The plan is 10 force Il
/. | wires into one Of the parallel alleys.
: The North First street bridge was ORDER
J; to be closed until it could be repaired.
/. partially burned building on avenue
= and Twenty-eighth street was declared
}; | nuisance and ordered torn down.