Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-12
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
No Action Taken on Franchise for Proposed
New Line to Manawa.
NUMEROUS PROPERTY OWNERS PROTEST
One Hundred Fifth Ward Residents
Complain of Dangerous Rail-
rOnd Crossing and object to
Further Laying of Tracks.

The city council failed to take any action
last night at its adjourned regular meeting
in the matter OF granting the Lake Manawa
C Manhattan Beach Railway company the
| right to cross certain streets and avenues
and lay its tracks on Sixteenth avenue be-
| tween Main and Sixth streets. At the meet
| ing of the committee of the whole before
| the session of the city council, the special
committee to which the matter had been re-
| ferred submitted the ordinance which it
| had drafted and the provisions of which have
been published. The aldermen decided they
| wanted time to look the ordinance over be-
fore making any recommendations to the
] city council.
| Attorney ]. N Baldwin appeared before
| the committee as counsel for the railway
| company and stated that the company had
| been Incorporated as a commercial railroad
| and II it was found that the law prohibited
the company operating its line with cleo
| trcity, unless under a franchise granted
by vote of the people, steam or compressed
air power would be used. If the manner
in which the company could operate its road
was contrary to the law 1t would then be
deemed a trespasser on the streets and ave-
nues and could be treated as such accord
ingly, he said.
A protest signed by about fifty property
owners along the proposed line of the Lake
Manawa & Manhattan Beach Railway COM
pany was filed with the council, in which
the signers objected to the council granting
the company any rights to cross any streets
or avenues on the grounds that the operation
of a commercial railroad would damage
their property. The protest was referred
to the committee Of the whole.
The following petition signed by about 100
residents of the Fifth ward was presented
by Alderman Sayles and referred to the
committee of the whole to wrestle with:
To the Honorable Mayor and City Council
titioners respectfully represent that the
railroad crossing at Eighth street, as being
laid out at the present time, is dangerous
In the extreme, in that openings are made
In trains and left up to the sidewalk line,
making it impossible to see approaching
trains until you are on the track; that en-
gines attached to incoming and outgoing
trains stand in and on the crossing from
one-half to one hour at time, making 1t
impossible to drive by in safety and danger
Gus to pedestrians, especially children; that
switching trains are holding this crossing
fifteen and twenty-five minutes before max
ing an opening Your petitioners further
say that Sixth and Eighth streets are the
only streets in the city that are public
thoroughfares leading to the south part
or night, are these crossings free from
obstruction; and further that the Chicago.
contemplates the laying of more tracks
across Eighth street, and the placing of
rouhdhonse use between set Ell Eighth and Ninth
with fifteen tracks leading thereto. We
believe your. honorable body does not
I and the mS aag The VIE the
the value of our homes in that the thor
oughfares are practically closed, that our
property will become unsalable We re-
spectfully request. that the laying of more
tracks across this street be stopped and
that fagman be placed there night and
day, and also one at the Chicago, Bur
lington e. Quincy on the same street. We
also respectfully ask that Tenth street be
opened through these yards, all for the
benefit of the Second precincts of the
Fourth and Fifth wards. We believe your
honorable body should deal as fairly with
vice versa; that the right of our people
should not be given away unless sane
toned by "a majority of the property
body view the situation and do what is
right in the matter.
In connection with the request contained
in the foregoing petition Alderman Atkins
introduced a resolution to the effect that the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
company be required to station a fiagman
at the Eighth street crossing, which was
adopted.
that it had elected to lay second track on
Main street from Tenth avenue to its term
mus at Sixteenth avenue and its request
that the city council determine the amount
that the company should pay for the paving
between and one foot outside its rails was
referred to the committee of the whole
Lighting Question.
Mayor Jennings called the attention of the
council to the fact that tho batw
the city and the Council Bluffs Gas and EIec-
trio Light company had expired and sug-
gested that some action be taken looking
10 temporary contract. The matter was
referred to the fire and light committee, with
instructions to secure figures from the COM
pany on temporary contract for either
sixty or ninety days.
In connection with the city lighting oues-
ton the following letter from the city clerk
of Des Mones was read
DIES MONIES. Ia, Nov 2l. 1S9s-N G.
Phillips, City Clerk, Council Bluffs, la.
Dear Slr-ln reply to yours of the 7th
inst, the prices fixed by ordinance Sep
the city is: For arc light of not less than
E,OOo-eandle power moonlight schedule, per
month, S.4l; all night schedule per month
s625; We have 12S OF the former and Isl
of the latter in operation.
Inc city has recently entered into con-
tract for 800 incandescent lights for the
outlying districts at $l.25 per month each
S3-candle power) until August l. 1900, after
which time. until the end of the contract
period, at SLAP per month each. The price
fixed by ordinance for domestic and COM
mercial rates is accent per hour for l6-
candle power and Ia cents for 32-candle
power.
We have also in operation at the pres
ent time 7O1 gas lights at 81 each per month
and 1875 gasoline lamps at Sl2l each per
month The gasoines will be displaced by
incandescents as fast pnss lbie. Respect
fully yours f.. W. WOODRUFF,
City Clerk.
From the Commercial Committee.
The three following communications from
the commercial committee were referred to
Mayer Jennings with power to act:
Is not the running of the Chicago &
Northwestern trains into and out of Omaha
a VOCATION of the company's charter and
Its agreement with the city under the or
dnance granting the right OF way? VIII
II not also affect the charters of the Iowa
land-grant roads receiving and delivering
their passengers aL Omaha, inF.ead of
this city as the laws of congress require
of the Union Pacific Railroad company?
VIII your honorable body address the
Union Pacific Railroad company through
the mayor or city solicitor as to the truth
of the report OF It's intention to close or
abridge the Transfer hotel and feed all
Its passengers in the Omaha depot? The
closing or abridgement of the Transfer
hotel Is an injury. to our business men
and farmers. WIN your honorable body !
pany the desirabilty of requiring its em- |
plAxpE Vvovlfipe, MARINA paDtIy In thie .tf.- 10