Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-24
DAMAGE CLAIMS NUMEROUS
--latest One Puts City Claim Agent in
Reminiscent Mood.
MUNICIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER IS KEPT BUSY
whenever Anybody Takes n Sidewalk
Fall the Picture Man Hurries to
the Scene with His
Camera.

The city clerk has received from Mrs.
Susie Cottrell a notification that she pro-
poses to demand Of the city Of Omaha
$1,000 for injuries sustained in a fall a
few weeks ago in front of 1401 Douglas
street. She AYERS that the sidewalk there
was rough and icy, and that the said
injury was caused on account of the side
walk being left in such rough and Icy con-
dltion." The injury, she explains, is per-
manent, as by falling she broke her coccyx,
the lower extremity Of the spine.
When the communication was mentioned
to City Claim Agent George c. Cockren,,
he said:
In view OF the fact that every time any
body gets hurt outside his own door yard
he generally tries to get the city to pay
for it, l expected that this claim would
be showing up in due time. and the city
lie fully prepared for It. 1t happened to be
two city hall men who picked up Mrs. Cot
trell when she sat down that evening, and
they mentioned the matter to me. l went
down the next morning and had the place
photographed. 1t was as clear Of ice as
II walk could be, and in addition to tho
evidence of the photograph, l have several
witnesses who will testify to the same.
Measure of self-PrOtection.
AtlemplS 10 make the city pay TOT all
accidents Of all kinds have become so
numerous that now we send a photographer
on the run nearly every time we hear Of
anybody falling and slipping. 1t is Il
measure Of self-protection for the city that
more than justifes it's slight cost. One
who has never had anything to do with
the legal department has no idea how
many fake claims we have to puncture
right at the start to save the bother Of
beating them in court, nor what a help
this photography is. Omaha paid out only
$3.50 in settlement Of personal injury
claims last year, whereas South Omaha,
one-tourth the size, paid out in the neigh
borhood Of 81, 200 for the same period. This
year our total will run a little higher, but
l do not know how much, as the annual
reports are not ready.
THE public never hears Of some Of the
claims and requests which are filed, as
they are Of such trihing consequence as to
receive scarcely more than a laugh and a
toss. One man wanted pay for breaking
the leg of his dog, and explained very
frankly that he himself had sat upon the
dog and caused the fracture. He consid-
cred the city responsible because the walks
were wet and slippery at the time.
Held City for His Nose.
Another man bumped into a telephone
pole out in the suburbs one dark night
and wanted damages for the resulting frac-
ture OF his nose. Another fell over q fire
hydrant, sprained his wrist and wrote City
Attorney Connell that he would settle for
$50 and a weeks board at some asylum.
One night last winter an Italian peanut
vender wrenched a wheel off his cart as
he was going over the car tracks and came
up to the city hall a day or two after to
make us pay for the glass broken and for
having a new wheel put on.
But the worst we ever had as a dem
onstration Of gall was by an Omaha busl-
ness man quite we'll known out in the
north part Of town. He slipped on the ice
or snow in front OF his own residence one
evening and wanted the city to pay him
for the time he was laid up with a sprained
ankle. ! told MIN II he ever made such
a proposition again we would have him
arrested and fined for maintaining r.
nuisance, endangering public safety and
conspiring against the city"