Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-06
AFFAIRS At SOUTH OMAHA
Suits Of the City Against the 0mAla Gas
Company Coming On.
INDEMNITY BOND THE BASIS OF AcTlOl
Cases Grow Out Of Judgments Secured
Against the City by Parties In
jured hrOug open
bitches.

bitches
The cases Of the city against the Omaha
Gas company are coming up in the district
court shortly. In these cases the city
seeks to recover judgments paid in the Els
fielder case. amounting to $4,000; In the
Burke case the sum of 81, 300, and In the
schlegel case the sum Of $500. At the time
the gas company was granted a franchise
here It gave a bond to indemnify the city
against any damages accruing from acci-
dents caused by excavations in the streets
or alleys. The contention Is the Elsfelder,
Burke and Schlegel were injured by reason
Of the opening of the streets by the gas
company. This must be so, as after a num-
Der Of trials the courts have sustained the
claims and rendered Judgment against the
city. Now the city is seeking to recover
money paid in judgments and Will show in
court the agreement entered into between
the gas company and the city at the time
the franchise was granted. These cases
have been carried on in the courts for a
number OF years and now the city attorney
and the other city officials hope to recover
on the bond given by the company. The
amount of the bond given at the time the
franchise was granted Is exactly the same
amount OF the judgments paid by the city.
Should the city recover, the money will go
into the general fund.
That water Contract.
The city Of South Omaha has a contract
with the Omaha Water company to run
eighteen months yet for the supplying OF
water to 2O2 fire hydrants. The annual
water rental for these hydrants amounts to
S12, 800 a year. This sum is supposed to DO
paid to the water company in two payments,
one on July l and the other on January l.
It nov takes all of the money levied for
water purposes to meet these payments.
The signing Of the water bill by Governor
Mickey causes South Omaha officials to
wonder where the city will land should
Omaha acquire the water works. 1t is pre-
sumed that the city Of Omaha will carry
out the existing contract, but what is TO
come after is worrying some Of the people
here. Those who have meters pay 35 cents
per 1000 gallons, while the house rentals
without meters are the same as in Omaha
Hydrant rentals are $50 a year. Some time
ago an effort was made to induce the coun-
ell to extend the franchise of the company
ten years upon condition that the city re-
ceive fifty FIRE hydrants free of cost for two
years, and the rate from that time to be $50
per hydrant per year. There was some op,
position to this measure and so the pfopo>
sition was laid aside. Now 1t is considered
too late and the city officials are inclined
to think that they made a mistake in not
entering into, a twelve-year contract when
the opportunity offered.
NeIs Johnson Killed.
Nels Johnson, a section hand, employed
by the Union Pacific. was struck by Union
Pacific passenger train No. 43 late yester-
day afternoon and killed. At the time of
the accident Johnson was working on the
track, and evidently did not hear the train
approaching. When he did start to get off
the track he was not quick enough in his
movements and the engine struck him.
When picked up 1t was found that johnson
had sustained a fracture OF the skull, sew
eral broken ribs, besides other injuries.
The remains we're removed to W
morgue, and Coroner Bradley notified. An
inquest will be held as soon as the train
crew can be summoned. Johnson lived at
Nineteenth and Monroe streets, and leaves
a wife and four grown daughters.
PrOspectOrs Return.
W.. B.. Check and ]. A. Cavers are back
from a two weeks trip through the tim
Der section of Oregon. The idea was to Sc
cure frst-class timber land, and In this
they were quite successful. Mr.. Cheek
says that there is an abundance of timber
land in Oregon, which can be easily ac-
quired, providing those who take up the
land mean business. While away Mr..
Cheek and Mr.. Gavers managed to get a
strip of timber land which will sell for
enough to help out when they have to pay
coal bills in their old age.
Cavalry Troop Dance.
The South Omaha cavalry troop. COM
manded by Captain Bruce McCulloch, will
hold its regular monthly dance at the ar
mory on Monday night. There seems to
have been some misunderstanding about
this dance. Some Of the members inferred
that on account OF the charity ball dance
the troop dance would be postponed. A
vote of the troopers was taken, and the
troop will hold it's dance entirely indie
pendent of the charity ball affair.
kenyon Advances Wages.
General Manager Kenyon OF the Union
Stock Yards company has issued orders
giving to engineers and fremeD in the en-
ploy of the Union Stock Yards company an
increase of wages amounting to 10 per cent.
This order goes into effect on February 1,
although it was only issued a day or so ago.
Naturally, the employees of the company in
the mechanical department are pleased at
the raise, which was wholly unexpected.
Must Work.
Some time ago the mayor suggested to
City Attorney Murdoch that It would be ad-
visable to draft an ordinance for the IL
censing of night lunch wagons. So far the
city attorney haa been too busy to take up
this matter, but the mayor hopes that the
time will come when there will be a let-up
long enough for him to prepare some Of the
ordinances desired by the city council.
BeaI still Hunting.
City Engineer Beal is still hunting for
the break in the sewer at Twenty-third and
e streets. 1t is easy enough to find where
the water is leaking out, but where the
leak is Beal cannot find out. He had beer
digging enough to hll all the holes nearby
but so far cannot find the leak. Should
the weather soften up a bit today the en-
gineer expects to find the leak and then
make repairs which will hold over the win
ter.
Magic City Gossip.
w. ID. Godfrey is hustling around again
after a severe attack of rheumatism.
Knoxall council of the Royal Arcanun
uUI Give a daura AT Masonic hall tonight