The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-05


poratioai Gaused by Street Acct
dents-Lack of Proper Inspec-
tion the Cause for Damagex-
Cinder Or Cement PATHWAYS Arc
Desired---ConditiOn of the Banks.
Inc annual report Of City ATTORNEY
Markham for the year 1888. was fled with
the mayor Yesterday afternoon and con-
tains some interesting inforinatio
among other things 1t shows that Eat the
beginning of the year 1885, LOG civil cases
We're pending in the various courts. i'm
whlch the city or its board Of water
commissioners was party; eighty-seven
or these cases were either tried settled
or otherwise finally disposed of during
the year, while nineteen of this number
are still pending. During the year ffty-
Two new cases were commenced in which
| the city was party, and of this num-
ber twenty-nine have been tried and
finally disposed of, while twenty-one are
still pending. and undetermined. Thus II
Will be seen that 1856 cases have received
| the attention of the legal department
during the year $685. 116 of which have
peen hnally disposed of and fifty IF which
are still pending and undetermined.
| SIDEWALKS AND ACCIDENTS
In my annual report for 1897, took
occasion to call attention somewhat at
length to the large and constantly in
creasfng number of claims made against
the city on account of injuries because
| OF defective sidewalks, and also to the
difficulties encountered by the legal de-
! partment in defending successfully
against suits of this character, many Of
which were entirely without merit. A
Woeful lack Of systematic sidewalk in
| spect1on, and deplorable state Of in
difference obs the part of the police In
regard to the necessity for promptly and
intelligently reporting accidents, are
there stated ito be the chief cause for
| this unfortunate condition.
Suggestions were also made In the
1897 report sas % how systematic in
spection of Sidewalks and a prompt re-
port of accidents might be accomplished.
wv lille there isz hot yet an, ideal system
OF sidewalk inspection carried on by the
departments having such matters in
charge, am glad to report an increased
| activity in this regard, with the result
that there has been more thorough and
more efficient inspection during the past
year than ever before. In most cases
that have.3been brought to trial, the
street foreman or sidewalk Inspector has
| been able to produce some sort of q
| record showing when the sidewalk was
| last inspected and its condition at that
time, thus, to some extent. enabling the
city to meet the Invariably exaggerated
testimony given by the plaintiff as to the
defective condition of the sidewalk be-
l1eve. however, that this inspection is
not yet made as frequently and as thor
| oughly as is desirable, nor are the In
| speetors and street foreman so careful
| as they should be in recording the times
Of such inspection.
E9s"Qne difficulty in the way of securing
an ideal system of inspections; is lirldoubt :
4 sedly the lack of sufficient funds at the
! disposal of the engineering depar tment
with which ito employ an adequate num-
Der of inspectors The duty Of inspec-
| ton of sidewalks does not rest entirely
| upon the board of public works aid en-
| gfneering department, but by ordinance
| this, duty is also devolved.. upon the
police department: It is made the duty
| of each policeman, while patrolling his
sidewalks and streets dangerous to pub
lie travel ~ >-4ft r
WOODEN WALKS TO BLAME
ut may be safely stated that at least
nine-tenths Of the accidents on account
Of which damage suits are brought
eainst the city, are by reason of dilapi-
| Gated wooden sidewalks. The tendency
OF such sidewalks to become broken after
| a few days, renders them not only I'M
l desirable, but dangerous, and the common
| council, realizing that this is So has had
! under consideration for considerable
| time the passage Of an order prohibiting
the erection of new wooden sidewalks,
and requiring In their place the construc-
| ton of cement composition or cinder
| walks. From figures which have been
given by the BOARD Of public works it
seems that "a narrow cement walk can be
constructed, at u first cost, very slightly
| exceeding that of a siX-foot wooden side
| walk, while a cinder path, which is ap-
| propriate only. for outlying districts, is
| very much cheaper. If there were moth
| ing but cement composition or cinder
walks in the city OF St. Paul, the amount
Of personal injury claims would amount
to an insignificant sum.
FAILURE OF BANKS.
''In December, 1896. and January, 1897,
| banks having on deposit $250,000 of the
| citys funds. failed. During the year
1897 over 100000 was paid back There
| was on deposit IN the Allemannla bank,
when it suspended, s12O,47917. This bank,
desiring to 'reorganize, early In 1895, made
| a proposition to the city by which the
bank was, upon its reorganization, to pay
| to the city in cash, one-ffth of the
| amount of the funds on deposit at the
! time Of it's suspension, and to Issue its
! certificates of deposit. each Of said certi-
| ficates being for one-f1fth Of the amount
| on deposit, and to bear interest at the
| rate of 2 per cent per annum,- to be dat
| ed on the day OF the reopening of the
bank, and to be payable in one, two,
| three and four years respectively. The
sureties upon the bond executed by the
| bank to the city to secure city deposits,
and also the city treasurer and the sure
ties upon his bond were to be in no man
ner released or discharged by the accep-
| lance of this proposition, but the right
Of the city to sue upon these bonds was
to be suspended until default should be
made by the bank in the payment Of any
of the certificates upon the maturity
thereof.
1.-The principals and sureties on all Of
| these bonds consented to the proposed
settlement. This settlement was accepted
by the city in February, 1898. and the
city subsequently granted two extensions
| of time to the bank within which such re-
| organization might be effected, the final
| extension giving the bank until the 31st
| day of May, 1888, in which to so reorgan-
| ize On Nav 2Si 1895 the ca sh ma yrnent oe