Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-21

committee to which was referred the in
vestigation Of the claim Of John Rowe &
Co. on their contract to install the heat
ing and ventilating plant at the high school,
requested that the committee be empowered
to. employ an expert at an expense not
greater than 5000 to make a more thorough
technical examination than the committee
could make unassisted. Discussion OF the
resolution brought forth the fact that 1t is
the purpose OF the committed to bring the
exper from out Of the city, that he may be
some thoroughly uuprejudiced person. A
resolution empowering the committee to
employ such an expert was adopted.
A communication was received from John
Latenser. accompanied by af1daylts Of eight
members Of the grand jury Of the October
term Of court, TO the effect that John Rowe
had not made such statements before that
fury as had been reported In a letter from
w. F. johnson in The Bee OF October IL,
1902. as having been made by Mr.. Rowe.
The afRdavits we're signed by N. G. Denny,
A. A. Nixon, j. W. Austin, John Grant,
Frank Urban, Henry Ebrenpfort, Olaf Mas
lund and John o'Neill. The c~ommunioa-
tion was placed on nle.
When the communication and afhdavits
we're reed ~. +. Johnson said that at this
time he had no apology or retraction to
make. II he could be convinced that what
Mr.. Rowe had stated to him and he had
stated In the board meeting as coming from
Mr.. Rowe was incorrect. he would apologize
to Mr.. Latenser and make every amend In
his power. but yet he was not convinced
and he still believes Mr.. Rowe to be an
honorable and truthful man. He had shown
his letter to The Bee to Mr.. Rowe before
it was printed and Mr.. Rowe assured him
that the statements contained in 1t were
true.
Another investigation Referred.
The question Of the alleged substitution
Of a twenty-five horsepower dynamo for
q thirty horsepower dynamo at the high
school in the lighting plant was raised by
Mr.. Funkhouser and referred to the com
mittee on buildings and property.
A report from the committee on bound
aries recommending a change in the line
dividing the Columbian and Beal school
districts. to take territory from the Beal
and add It to the Columbian, was adopted
by a vote of II to 1, Robert Smith alone
voting in the negative. In this connection
the superintendent Of instruction explained
that this change would apply directly To
about thirty pupils living in five or sia
blocks near the terminals of the, Leaven-
worth street car line. This little portion Of
| the city, he said, was included in the Beal
district. although actually nearer to the
Columbian school, beside having better
roads in that direction. 1t had been Gus
tomary, he said, to grant the pupils thus
situated transfer certificates to the Colum,
bian school, and in effect the change II
boundaries would simply obviate the neces'
sity OF these transfer permits and would
make no difference In the present attend
ance Of the two schools concerned.
BY a full vote OF those present the presi
dent and secretary were upon recommenda.
tion of the committee on buildings and
property authorized to sign a waiver o.
damages for the five lots owned by thu
board at Monmouth Park by reason OF
proposed vacation Of the alley from Thirty
third to Thirty-fourth and the opening o
q new alley from Ames avenue to Meredith
avenue. The purpose Of this change is t
so locate the alley as 10 leave the new
property acquired by the board and the lot
formerly held by the board in one unbrokeI
plat, whereas they are now divided by tn
old alley.