Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-31
FIGURES TELL OF PROGRESS
Comprehensive and Intelligently Compiled
Report by City Engineer Rosewater
CONTAINS MUCH vAlUsB-e INFORMATION
Elaborate Review of Public works
and an Interesting Array of Facts
Relative TO Omnha-Compnr-
ison with other cities.

tive to public work in Omaha during the
last year. This document is addressed 10
the mayor and city council. From begin
ming to end it is replete with data that
is valuable to every citizen of Omaha and
much of it is Of special merit as reference
matter.
Mr.. Rosewater has also prepared numer-
Gus blue print tables. in which he shows
by figures many interesting facts about
what Is doing in the way of street paving,
sewer extension and other improvements.
In his capacity as city engineer, MIR. Rose
water is ex-oficio chairman of the Board
of Public Works and many years Of prac-
tical experience have made him eXcep-
tionally familiar with the subjects at issue.
In substance his report is as follows:
work by Contract.
The contract work of 1899, summarized as
to cost, amounts TO S22S, l3l.4l. 1t embraces
the construction of 2.29-lG0 miles of sewers;
l.Sj-1OO miles of %curbing; 2.i4-lW miles of
asphalt and brick paving; 3.6S-lOO miles OF
cement stone and brick sidewalks, and 10
g53 cubic yards of grading. These items rep
resent contract work completed and In addi-
ton there remains work under contract to
SOS. 900.
A large amount of new sewer construc-
ton, which IT. was deemed more economical
to do by day labor, has been completed our
contracted for. 1t comprises $40 feet
of pipe from 5torm Dodge se~e Street 9n to p'f'e Sapi,
toll avenue. costing 81 ,oiO; POS feet of brick
storm sewer on Hickory street from Second
| To Third, costing $3.50; sewer on Fifty-fourth
street, south of Center street, costing Sl,CV9,
| and loo feet of storm sewer on Boulevard,
costing Sl,3S1. This work amounts to l,,5S
feet of sewers, making an aggregate oil new
sewer construction Of 2.6S-lO0 miles and a
total mileage of l2l.22-lW of public sewers
in the city and cost 81 $50, 635. The total
| gnilpagp of nNpmpntS in the city is 80
at a cost of IS, OS6, 772.
In addition to the constructed
by the city under contract 6.6g-lO0 miles of
cement and brick walks were laid under the
supervision of city inspectors by private
Tcttizens. making a total OF lO$,-lN niles or
The engineering department Issued l.ISI
permits for street cuts, mainly for sewer
connections. Plans for these connections
were determined in the engineers office and
the work in each case laid out and the con-
struction supervised by the department.
The city treasurer received for fees as a
result of this work S2,O6S during the year,
which was credited by the comptroller to
the general fund.
repeatedly reported in dangerous condition
within the last few years, have received
considerable attention during the year. The
old brick ever on Twentieth street. near
Harvey, located thirty-tive feet below the
paved surface, was overhauled and about
nifty feet was entirely taken up and recon-
structed and new inlets and mani oles con-
strucbed in connection with 1t to admit OF
s mGrs rsaay drs T + ia qgd e exsent for Of fT WORK
found necessary to be done in consequence
of the neglect to give it timely attention in
past years has rendered the draft upon the
sewer bond fund necessary, owing TO the
exceedingly small sum provided IN the main
tenance fund levy.
construction this year has been upon the
sewer mains in North Omaha to disDose of
the flood waters Of the large creeks. The old
canal on Thirty-first avenue, north of Pink
ney street, has been entirely filled up and a
large storm sewer SX6A feet has been. con-
struCted from the creek, south of Pinkney,
and Forty-second street, east to Thirty-hrst
avenue. and north to Sprague street, thence
the North creek interseCts and enters the
sewer leading to Twenty-seventh street.
Paving improvements
The paved area of Omaha at the close of
the year is ~1,954,4l6 square yards, covering
eighty-two and one-half miles of streets
and alleys. OF this 1874 miles are wooden
block pavements and GIL are asphalt.
stone, brick and macadam, the latter being
on Lincoln avenue and covering one and
two-thirds miles. These paVements have
cost up to date, exclusive of repairs and
maintenance, Sc. 036, 772. The interest paid
on bonds issued for this work may oo be be
fairly assumed as amounting to $l,5OO,OW
additional. For maintenance the cost has
been approximately $3.50, 900. making the to-
tai cost to the city since 1882 for paving and
maintenance approximately ST, 1856, 1I2. This,
If paid up today, would represent an outlay
of nearly 1894 900 per year continuously for
seventeen years Tor paving alone.
In order to understand the significance OF
this extraordinary outlay | call attention
to n comparison of the paved area of
Omaha with that of leading cities much
older. Weather and more densely popu-
lated. st. Louis, with a population of be-
tween 10000 and 700 $1,000, has 3,7S3, ABS square
yards of paved area than Omaha, whilst
its population Is more than four times as
great. Milwaukee, with a population OF
$50. 900, has !, 76O. 600 square yards of paving
N. mes rlV In NOR cent ma we'd Gnrfnrp less
than Omaha, with nearly double its popu-
lation. Minneapolis, with a population OF
225, 900, has 1,574,649 square yards of pave
ment, being so per cent larger in point OF
population, with % per cent less paved
area. indianapolis, with "A population OF
200, 900, has 1,7S6, 629 square yards, or 10 pei
cent less paved area. with 30 per cent more
population. st. Paul, with a population OF
175, 600, has 1000, 900 square yards, having II
per cent more population and 100 per cent
less paved area. Denver, 10000 population
has $780, 900 square yards Of paved area, OF
10 per cent more population, with about q
per cent. or one-fourth of the paved area
Kansas City Is the only exception to the
list, having about % per cent more popula'
ton and 50 per cent greater paved area. A
large portion of this, however, Is macadam
representing a comparatively small outlay
A careful comparison of the mileage ano
paved area Of the various cities reveals two
costly features in the Omaha pavements-
First, the blocks are very short, making
nearly 30 per cent greater number of cross
streets per mile than the average of Other
I rltlpS, btCDfu, lIlt "luAh VI space pa b'
tween curbs is nearly so per cent above
the average in the business center and q
per cent above in the resident sections OF
Omaha, making the outlay per square mile
fully 40 per cent greater than the average
of eastern cities.
Condition of Sidewalks.
While considerable progress has beer
made in sidewalk construction and the
elimination OF the old wooden walk, there
Is still room for Improvement, both In the
character of walks to be constructed and
in the development of system In securing
uniformity of lines throughout the city
With many existing irregularities this car
only be done by mutual cooperation in the
spirit of compromise between different
reference by officials not charged with
such work. In districts where the use OF
construction of plank walk seems unaVoid'
able, a substitute cheaper and more secure
in the shape of a gravel or cinder walk
should be laid. Experience has shown thai
plank walks are a convenient commodity
in cold weather 10 the impecunious auC
even policemen nave been known to be oc,
casionally tempted to utilize loose planks.
In the absence of funds to purchase the
lumber, the repair of wooden walks by
contract was suggested by me last sum
mer and a contract was let for such work
based upon a price per thousand feet OF
lumber and a price bid upon for nails anC
fective. over sixty miles OF walks were
repaired from June to December at a tota
cost of $4,000, Less complaints We're re,
Ceived from the prosecution of this work
and the tax leV!es against properties front,
ing on such walks than under any DreVi,