Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-02-12
CITY REAL ESTATE TOPICS.
An Important Committee Meeting
Held Yesterday,
At Which a Quorum Was Not
Personal---very. City Officials in
Attendance, and Matters of Con-
siderable Moment Up for Dis
cussiOn.

Attendance, and Matters of Con-
siderable Moment Up for Dis
cussion.
The Council Committee on Real Es-
tate met yesterday afternoon at half
past three oclock-or rather, three
members of the Committee met, Chair
man Schmidt presiding. With the
Committee were Mayor Butts Receiver
Forgey, Engineer White and Health
officer Jepson. A number of import
ant matters were up for consideration,
but were deferred, after a full discus
sion, until a quorum could be had
The petition Of Dora klatz, offering
to sell to the city a triangular piece OF
ground at Fourth and Market
streets, which ground is alleged to have
been used by the city as road for at
least seven years past, was first acted
upon The map was examined, and it
was agreed that the Committee or
Subcommittee, should visit the local
ity at an early date.
The question Of changing the loca-
ton of the Office of the City Engineer
from the present location on the first
door, to the Committee rooms on the
second floor, was exhaustively dis
cussed. The idea is to have the En-
gineer on the same floor and as close
as possible to the Board of Public
Works, and the suggestion has been
made to give the present Office Of the
Health Officer to the Engineer for an
instrument room, make the large adj
joining committee room the drafting
room, and the smaller committee room
next on the south the Office of the En-
gineer. At the Committee session it
was proposed to give the Board the
present Health Office for the Office of
the Board, and have the Board aban-
don the two rooms at present occu-
pied, which could be changed to COM
mittee rooms, with the privilege to the
Board to hold meetings there, as might
be necessary. Nobody present could
speak for the Board in this matter.
AS part of the proposition it was con-
templated to remove the Office of the
Health officer to the lower floor, in the
larger of the two rooms at present
occupied by the City Engineer, and give
the smaller room to the Mayor for a
private Office. The proposed changes
were discussed for long time, but
action was deferred.
The question of reitting the wash
room at the south end of the building,
between the two Council chambers,
was also discussed and deferred. The
room has been in a dilapidated and
useless condition for years.
On the question Of selling the TRAN
gular piece Of ground at the intersec-
lions Of ThirtN-third, Thirty-fourth
and Chapline streets the City Solicitor
said such sale could be made if the
title was in the city in fee simple, or
the city could vacate if adjoining
property owners were not directly in
jured. No final action was taken
The major portion of the time was
consumed in an examination of the En-
gineer's blue prints CT the recent sur
vey Of so much Of the city commons
as lies along Alley G and Chapline
street, from Tenth street north. AS
has already been set forth in this
paper, Alley G has been e1croached
upon until its original width Of twenty
feet has been entirely covered at three
or four places, and partially at almost
every piece Of property, and the thor
oughfare has been practically oblit-
Grated, and much Of the land has evil
IDENTIFY been hopelessly lost to the city
by adverse possession. The same
thing is true of Alley 6. In several
instances, as regards Alley c, build
ings are built clear across the al
ley and several feet on the east side
Of it, while in other cases the width
of the alley is reduced from twenty
feet to FIVE or six The Engineer pro
poses to widen The alley to thirty-four
feet by taking in fourteen feet on the
east side, having the city assert all its
rights in the premises, and change the
name from Tenth street north to a
street. He also proposes to lay out the
commons in regular lots, duly num-
bered, to square up enclosures and
buildings, and generally to put in
shape a lot Of valuable city property.
The full Committee will pay a visit 10
the locality and make a full investi-
CATION of very bad state of affairs
Another matter of a private nature
was thoroughly discussed with the
Mayor, and appropriate action will be
taken
1t is unfortunate that there was not
a quorum Of the Committee present
yesterday.