The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1903-06-18
VERY WARM SESSION.
The City Fathers Tackle the Sewer
Problem and Get Hot.

city council Monday evening, Dlffer
ences of opinion were expressed an,
considerable warmth was exhibited ii
the discussions that ensued. On,
question was the matter Of having {
practical engineer come to the city
and work out some sort of permanent
relief from the sewer torments thai
are now engaging the time and atten
ton of the council almost every ses
sion. There was a lengthy discussion
over the problem and vote resulted
in the carrying of the motion favoring
the engineering plan.
The warmest jangle of the evening,
however, resulted when the Gum COW
yard nuisance report was made. The
special committee appointed Go make
investigation into the matter had a
difference of opinion itself, and upon
this hinged the trouble.
The council was opened with eight
members present and one more came
later.
The minutes of the meeting OF June
10 were read and approved.
Sewers.
The meeting now seemed to resolve
itself into sewer meeting and this
formed the bulk of the transactions Of
the evening and together with the dis
cussions that followed took up a great
amount of the time of the session.
Councilman O'Hearne reported in
favor of the extension of the G avenue
sewer between ID and streets and a
ten inch sewer will be built there.
e. H. Clifford, representing Penn col
lege, came before the council in the in
trests of the sewer Improvement that
is desired at that place. He made
quite talk before the council. City
Solicitor Bolton reported that on ac-
count of the water course north Of the
college being a natural drainage way
and water course; it could not be
closed PIT was finally moved to
put in1.the sewer as desired, making an
eighteen inch sewer east of Market
gtreet and twelve inch sewer west
of that street. The motion was lost
by a vote of four to Ave and will now
probably stand until the investigation
of the practical engineer.
The Frankel sewer now claimed the
attention of the council and along
with it the problem of relief for the
Fifth avenue sewer. The council was
getting into deep water here and the
result of the discussions that arose
was a motion to employ an expert
sewer builder or engineer to come to
the city and give some sort Of perma'
nent relief from the existing conditions
and a muddle that is yearly becoming
a worse tangle. The motion carried
by vote of six to two.
A couple of petitions for new sewers
were received and were referred to
the sewer committee for investigation
The petitions came from residents OF
the Third ward. Relief is asked for
| Second and Third avenues in the To-
cality of Seventh street, and the other
is for the residents between Seventh
and Eighth street in the vicinity OF
Eighth avenue.
Other Matters.
The sewer problem having been dis
posed of for the evening, the council
now turned it's attention to other mat
tiers.
1t appears that ]. l.. Nelson, resid
ing on South Market street, has
kitchen drain or sewer that emptie'
into Sixth avenue. Complaint hal
been made of this drain and the coun
Gil has been called to look into thu
same. Resolutions were called for II
which the drain will be declared
nuisance and will be ordered abated.
Resolutions were adopted declarin
; the Hamilton catch basin in tn
Fourth weird a nuisance and requirin
an. abatement of the place in the i'm
mediate future.
The Cow Lot.
This is the place where the Gun
COW lot controversy came up. Nj
O'Hearne was chairman Of the con
mittee that was specially detailed t
make a visit to the place and to Ell
auire into the local conditions. tn
report of the gentleman favored Mr.
! Gum. He said the place was not
all slightly, but that 1t did not smell
, very much. II the twenty-six COW
were kept in pasture during the de
and the lot was kept clean he though
there would be no difficulty in the ma
ter. He desired to work no hardshi
: on the lady.
Mr.. Christie, Of the same speci
committee, had a different sort OF
report to make. He contended tht
the place was a nuisance, that
smelled to heaven and skunk. That
was a bad place and should be abate
by all means. At this point Mr..
Hearne asked that any action in Il
case be deferred until after the repo
of DIR. Cole, of the health departmer
This motion was lost. 1t was soug
to dodge the issue just at this time
adjourning and motion to that effe
was made, but the majority of t
| Il. - Al