The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-03
OMAHA HAS A FREE HAND
ALDERMEN 4EF'UsE TO SANCTION
MOTION FOR AN
APPEAL
BATHS TO BE sAFEGUARDED
DR.. ohage's Protests Result in
Guarantees by the Road
More aBrauch Lines
Asked For.

The Omaha Railway company can now
proceed unhampered in its work of build
ing IT'S much advertised spur track on the
west side. BY a vote Of to | the
board OF aldermen last evening refused
to concur in the assembly resolution or
der1ng an appeal from Judge Kellys- re-
cent decision, and in consequence the
work Of laying the tracks can proceed.
The only impediment that may arise
will be the question of what constitutes
safeguards for the approach leading to
the baths, and this is to be embodied
In an ordinance which Judge Kelly's de-
cision provides and which must be rea-
sonable.
Both at the meeting of the committee
on streets of the board held yesterday
afternoon and the regular meeting of the
appeal from Judge Kellys decision re-
| ceived voluminous discussion. DR.. Ohage
| being alone in his stand to concur in the
assembly action for an appeal.
From nearly every commercial body In
| the city communications were received
| asking on-conCurrence, while many, in
| Guiding the railroad company, were rep
| resented in person. In this respect At
l~torney Nelson, representing the Com
| meroial club. ard eX-Mayor DOran, Of
| the West Side Improvement association,
were the most prominent. they taking
| a leading part in an endeavor to i'm
| press on the members the necessity OF
| placing no restrictions in the way of the
| improvement
At the meeting of the board last even
| ing, which resulted in a victory for the
| Omaha road, General Manager Scott and
DR.. Ohage We're alone in their contest
for the mastery, the latter making an
| urgent appeal for protection to the baths,
| while Manager Scott gave voice to his
| repeated statements that no harm or det-
| 1tment to tile baths was intended.
! Dr. Ohage, in support of his appeal that
| restriction be imposed on the company
making absolutely sure that the bath
| approach weuld not be encroached upon
or the future uof the island Imperfect,
| submitted a monster petition signed by
many. lie conceded the fact that the
| tracks would be Ultimately built despite
! his protests, and said that all he desired
| was written promise from the COM
| panY that the approach would be. prop
,erly safeguarded. that the triangle south
| of the island would not be turned into
Ia switching yard ana that smoke and
| SCOT in the vicinity OF the island would
i be eliminated ass far as possible. The
passage of the resolution ordering the
| appeal he said, would put a stop to the
work. and hold 1t UP until these restric-
| lions could be secured lie held that 1t
| was only a precautionary measure and
meant no delay if the company was wiz
| ing to comply ron . 90 -o+
In answer Manager Scott said his COM
ypany mad no intention OF encroachng
| on Harriet island, nor did it desire the
land adjacent for switching purposes. 1t
Simply des rcd to develop locality that
| had manufacturing future and to do
! this was willing to accede to anything
| reasonable, AS far as the baths were con-
| cerned everything possible would be done
| to protect the patrons of the institution
from danger, as far as the approach was
| concerned. The West side had future,
! he said, but his company from the pres
! ent venture did not expect compensat on
for the next five years. The investment,
ne said, was being made at the invitation
| of over 400 manufactures and TO pro-
| mote other industries which they in time
| hoped to locate on the West side.
In the vote taken which followed the
open discussion only cone dissenting voice
! was heard, that of Aid. Bantz! enGoo9s
| Additional to the main spur track the
company is contemplating switch con-
nectionS with many of the factories soff
| from the levee, and the first OIL. these to
fnakesits appearance was one asking a
right of way along the alley in the rear
of the Gedney Pickle factory. This spur
will diverge just above the bath house
dpPIOdCIl anu Will eAleIlu On TO w aQdSila
| street. A resolution was introduced last
night instructipg the legal department to
| prepare an ordinance granting the right
| of way. ~s.'. ~t''' ~.e-~r
A new element was injected into the
discussion at the meeting of the COM
! mittee in the afternoon when Butler
| Pierce, the attorney for the Omaha com
| pany, suggested that the counc.4 concur
in the enterprise}by preparing an ordi-
nance granting the right of way from
| Hyde street to the; Wabasna street
| bridge. This, he said, would eliminate
| the necessarily tedious work of the COM
mission appointed to condemn the right
of way and allow the work to proceed
1 without interference. The aldermen in
view oflthe fact that this would remove
| any possibility of the city receiving COM
pensation for ground taKen, refused to
| consider it.
| CITY WILL REALIZE SIS 900.
! Under condemnation proceedings, TAX
| ing as a basis the land taken for the
| approach to the Wabasna street bridge
| the city will realize about 5,C0] from the
| ground which the road will acquire under
the decision rendered by Judge Kelly.
| DR.. Ohage refuses to admit that he Is
| beaten, but says he will continue the
fight until he is positively assured that
the baths will not be jeopardized. AS to
| his next move ne has so far failed to
| enlighten his friends.