Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-12
STOP REMOVAL OF HOSPITAL
Seventh Ward Property Owners Make
Successful Protest
OTHER LOCATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED
Captain Palmer Urges the Merits of n
River Tract-Advisory Board
Promises 10 visit the
Place Suggested.

delegation representing the property
owners of the Seventh ward made an effect
i've protest before three members OF the
Advisory board against the removal Of the
pest house in Fontanelle park to the county
poor farm grounds. At their solicitation the
board, or as muoh OF 1t as was present
promised to suspend the removal OF the
hospital pending an inspection of other sites
suggested by the protestants.
Yesterday the delegation appeared be-
fore the mayor and stated the object OF the
| call. The mayor consented to hear them
at once, but suggested that other members
| Of the advisory board should also be pres
ent and they were accordingly sent for.
Comptroller Westberg and Health Commits
sioner Spalding were the only ones who
could be found.
c. A. Baldwin asked the mayor and mem
bers of the board to consider the feelings of
| the men who had spent their lives in build l.
| ing homes for themselves in that portion
of the city. The location OF the pest house
| in their immediate vicinity, he said, might
| not harm them greatly, and the actual
| danger might not be great, but never
! tbeless they would consider themselves
| damaged were 1t placed where the board
| proposed to put 1t. Center street was the
| most popular street in the city, and in
cluding its connections with county roads,
was paved a greater distance into the coun-
try than any other Therefore thousands OF
| farmers used it every week and it was a
favorite drive for the people of Omaha
He and his colleagues of the delegation, he
asserted were not opposed to a pest house
| They were in favor of one and realized that
the city must have one, but they were un,
! alterably opposed to its location in the
heart OF the residence portion Of the city.
| Mayor Moores pointed out that there
would be objections from property owners
| no matter where the hospital were located
and asked what the city was to do He die
not believe the location OF the pest house
a part of the duties OF the advisory board
but the board had been forced to assume II
by cowardly council afraid to take W
it's proper responsibilities. The council hat
further tied the hands of the city admins
tration in this and all other matters by
foolishly making entirely inadequat,
levy.
Mr.. Baldwin asked IL the county commits
sioners had ever consented to the location o
the pest house there. Mayor Moores replied
that they had lately. Mr.. Baldwin theI
declared that the commissioners were who'll,
without power to grant such permission, o
put the grounds to any other use, but tha
for which they had been intended. If the.
attempted to do so they would be enjoined
Captain Palmer advocated the location o
the emergency hospital or pest house on
tract of land east and slightly north of tn
city, by the river. He admitted that tn
"Winspear triangle was totally unfi
place, but maintained against the objection
of Doctor Spalding that the tract he ha
in mind was an ideal place. 1t had neve
been overfowed by the river, he said, within
|
magnificent trees and had beautiful outroo
over the river. He claimed that it was no
open to the objection that the air would b
filled with fine sand, to the fatal injury Q
all smallpox patients, as DR.. Spaldn
| claimed.
The discussion that followed, over tn
comparative merits of the various location
and the methods of conducting emergenc
| hospitals in large cities, was animated and a
times became heated Mr.. Amber chairma
of the delegation, made particular
violent attack on the advisory board an
| vociferated the statement that the pest hous
would never be located at the poor farm.
Then the meeting became calmer, an
Comptroller Westberg drove the enterin
wedge for a temporary settlement of tn
trouble by agreeing, as one member of tn
board, to visit the location suggested b
captain Palmer ana examine It's merits care
fully. Mayor Moores then made the offe
that the board would go in a body to tn
place and look it over, meanwhile suspend
ing the steps toward the removal of tn
hospital from Fontanefle park. This offe
was greeted with applause and was cheer
fully accepted by the delegation. This aft
ernoon was set as the time for the offica
trip.
The residents of the Seventh ward hay
stationed a man near Fontanelle park so
is claimed, to see that no sudden action
taken while they are asleep or otherwise en-
gagged. Yesterday, however, they ex
pressed full confidence in the promise of tn
mayor and board.