Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-23
Republican Councilmen Do /
That For Which Their
Predecessors strove.
DEATH TO "BABY PLANT
Mayor and Democratic Aldermen
Try to Block Plan.
ORDINANCE PASSES FIRST READING
Measure Contains Purchase Clause
Business councilmen Get conces-
sions From Water Company lasur-
ing Good Water to City.

In less than one month after taking
their seats the six republican rnen--
bers of the city council have reached
solution of the waterworks prob--
| lem and in an ordinance, which passed
| the first reading at a special session
last evening are seen all the provisions
for which the cid city council vainly
fought. The ordinance, which contains
a purchase clause, provides for tho
granting of franchise for twenty-five
years to the City Water Supply Co.,
with the provision that the company
shall within eighteen months after the
contract takes effect provide an intake
erect sedimentation basin, divided
into compartments, in which the water
coming from the river shall be purged,
and there shall be added to the pres
ent filtration plant two additional jew
| ell filtration tanks, each of the same
capacity as those now in operation at
the plant. The ordinance provides
that brick building shall be erected
ladjaeent to the present plant, il which
Twill be erected the sedimentation
basin and such pumps as may sbe nee
essary for raising the water from the
river into it,
/ The Purchase Clause.
| A purchase clause is contained in
the ordinance giving the city the right
to purchase the plant at any time with
in hrnn f,,,. -
cash cost of the improvements made.
The passage of this ordinance will eff
| lfectually settle the waterworks muddle
| into which the city has been thrown by
the inability of the old council to ar.
range settlement with the City Water
Supply Co., and the failure of that
body to grant a franchise to other par
| ties owing to injunctions secured
against the city by the present com.
pany to prohibit such course.
viii Be Accepted.
| Practical assurance was given by the
lsiX members of the council that the
provisions of the ordinance were satis-
factory to the City Water Supply Co.
To Stop Latest Proceedings.
A resolution was presented to the
council by Alderman Keyhoe authoriz-
| ing City Solicitor Jaques to ask for
continuance of the baby waterworlSsn
case which was scheduled to come up
today in the federal court at Keoklli.
! This passed the council by a two-thirds
vote and was telegraphed to the city
| solicitor last night
Stormy Session.
| The special meeting of the council
last night was the storniest session
of that body held in years, and in the
end the mayor and the three demo-
cratic alderman We're forced to sne-
cumb to the inevitable majority The
clash was anticipated by those who
have watched the workings of the
council, and it was on the waterworks
question that it was thought that the
strife would come. The new members
!, of the council have since their election
worked hard to arrive at a solution
of the much mooted question of sunply-
ing the city with water. and the sue
cess with which their efforts have met
| is readily apparent when it is seen
| that they have within a month solved
| the question. secured concessions from
the City Water Supply Co that the old
council was utterly unable to accom-
I plSH, dHu IellSNSu tie city ITOll lUS 5
| dangerous position of being left with
out water supply and fire protection in
a manner that will be adyanta geous to ,
the city, inasmuch as all the features
are embodied in the new ordinance
that the citisens of Ottumwa demand
ed
The Strife Commences.
The council was called TO order at
S:15 o'clock BY Mayor Picker. all the
members answering to the roll call.
The meeting had but fairly opened,
when upon the presentation CT the
resolution by tiderman Eeyhae. in
.struntinS the CITY solicitor to ask for
a continuance Of fhe "hahv water
works" case. the strife commenced,
! and from then until The close of the
meeting there WAS onon wsrfare. The
end was as might hage boan antiai.
pated The republican 2ldcfmen held
the whip hand, and as they had she
proposition to offer, whlia tfeir op-
ponents had nothing to substitute for
| it and could offer no suggestions which
would better it when the opportunity
was given them, the majority ruled
Contirro5 ~, Dao. q