Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-05
MUCH TALK OF RAILROADS
City Council Devotes Considerable Time to
These Corporations.
GETS AFTER THEM WITH SHARP STICK
Nnrtf western Compelled to Plank All
Crnsafnus and settle fnr Indi-
vidunI Pruucrty DnmaTeS He
fore Laying a rhird Track.
GETS AFTER THEM WITH SHARP srlc

main TO the consideration anu hISEuea' ui
OF matters pertaining 10 railroads. A hau
been anticipated, The newly incnrpora ed
Lake Manawa e Manhattan Beach Rail
road company came before the council and
asked for permission to cross certain streets
and avenues in It's extension Of the motor
! cnmpany's line to Lake Manawa. The re-
quest was submitted in the form Of he
following resolution, which, on motion OF
Alderman Casper, was promptly referred 10
tha committee Of the whole after being
read by the clerk
! Resolved That consent and permission
ia hereby granted to the Lake Manawa
n Manhattan Beach Railrpad company 20
1 occupy construct maintain and operate Il
double-track railway over and across me
following streets, avenues ana aIeNS IN
the city OF Council Bluffs, Ia, to-Wll.
Across and along sixteenth avenue from
tho foot of Main street to point seventy
feet from the northwest corner OF me
Kansas city, st Joseph & Council BiuiIS
Railway c0mDanys depot grounds ana also
over and across Eighteenth, Nineteenth
Twentieth. Twenty first, ENent N-Sec0nu'
Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-hrth
and Twenty-nmth avenues, between me
east line OF sixth street and the west me
Of Main street or Fourth street. and over
and across all The east and West aieyS III
blocks :, g. l3, IA and ID IN hughes X Don
inhan's addition to council 5iuHS, IA,
and said company shall keep and MAINTAIN
said crossings in good condition for puhhc
travel and at the grades Of SAID streets
avenues and alleys now or hereafter eS-
fahlishpd and AL cOndiuOned upon Jhe
PAYMENT by said company Of all damages
resulting to sasd city and to any person
or corporation by reason Of SAID grant
and as may be required by statutes IL
such CaSuS.
/ rhis grant to become operative upon the
! ding with the city clerk OF said clty'
within ten days from the adoption OF TINS
resolutions the written acceptance thereof
by said railroad company. and when so
accepted the same shall become binding
/ contract between said city and SAID rall-
road company.
Re~uIates the Northwestern
The report Of the committee of the whole
relative to the proposed ordinance granting
permission to the Northwestern railway to
Law a third track on Eleventh street brought
forth a protest against its adoption from
the company's attorney and large portion
Of the, time Of the meeting was taken up
in discussing this matter In IFS reOort the
corSmittee recommended that the ordinance
be amended so to provide that the rail
road company should plank all crossings
of streets avenues and alleys to the full
width of the street and that the railroad
should first settle with the owners OF ahut-
! ting property and that when this was done
then the ordinance should be passed.
The. attorney for the Northwestern OBJ
iected to the report on the grounds that
IL until LDB OFullduCB was paSoci las SDAAip"t'J
had no basis on which to effect settlement
| with the property owners He suggested
! that the ordinance be amended so as to
provide that the company should not have
the right or authority to lay any further
tracks until every abutting property owner
had been settled With Several protests from
Interested property owners asking that the
railway be given no right to lay third
track until they had been settled with were
read
/ Alderman Casper urged the adoption Of
! the report of the committee on the grounds
! that he believed if the railway were given
the right to lay the track under any condi-
| tions whatsoever it would proceed to do so
| and then the property owners might
whistle" for settlement OF their damages.
/ This imputation was warmly resented by the
attorney for the Northwestern, who stated
that the railway was willing to do what was
fair and right in the matter and for that
reason had come before the aldermen for
! permission to lay the track. The protest
of the company's attorney however, was OF
no avail and the recommendation Of the
committee was concurred in by full vote
of the council.
After the Motor Companies.
The next railroad to come in for atten-
ton at the hands OF the city fathers was
the Omaha & Council Bluffs Railway and
Bridge company. Complaint had been made
by one Of the implement lines on Main
street that the motor company in laying
. portions Of track on that street to forestall
the new street car company had torn up
portions Of the paving and placed the paving
stones taken up along the curb line, which
had formed an obstruction to the dow Of
water along the cutters. The city marshal
. 49, ,-gF
to within three days remove these obstruc-
tons and to replace all pavement torn up.
In view Of the likelihood Of the two street
railway companies laying tracks on streets
already paved resolutions were adopted uotI-
flying both the Omaha & Council Bluffs
Railway and Bridge company and the Omaha,
Council Bluffs & Suburban Railway com
pany not to Iay or attempt to lay any tracks
upon any paved street in the city Of Coun-
ell Bluffs without hrsr paying into the city
treasury the cost OF the pavement between
the tracks so laid and one foot on the out
side thereof as may be determined by the
city council
City Solicitor Wadsworth called attention
to the fact that the time for the fling Of
motion for a rehearing In the matter OF the
ownership Of Seventh street, between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth avenues had expired
and that by the ruling OF the supreme
court the thoroughfare belonged to the city
and not 10 the Rock Island g. Pacific Rail-
way company the city now had the right
to take the necessary steps looking toward
the opening OF the street to public travel
After some discussion the city marshal was
instructed to notify the Rock Island railway
10 at once plank betweeh It's tracks the full
width Of the street and to lay suitable side
walks.
A. this point Alderman Atkins called at
tention % the fact that the Omaha Bridge
and Terminal company had despite the
many promises Of Manager Webster failed
to plank IT'S crossings or build the sidewalks
ordered and the city marshal was likewise
ordered to notify the company 10 do so at
once or the work would be done by the city
and taxed up against the company.
Alderman Brouzh said h.s constituents in
the south part of he city had a valid com
plant about the conditions existing on Six,
tesn,h avenue. between Main and Sixth, and
al his request the city marshal was directed
10 notify all the railroads having tracka
on thc avenue between those two strsets .
10 at once plank between their rails ana .
10 build the necessary sidewalks
W p. Barnett presented claim OF sl5 4
1T