The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-20
POOR CITY ECONOMY
Injured Citizens Demand $4,000
Because Badly Planned Sewer
System Won't Work.
Girard Avenue Duct Supposed to
Drain Sewers Of Twice
It's Capacity.

Aldermanic pressure on the city engi-
neer may cost Minneapolis $4,000 and
vast amount Of litigation.
Charles J. Tryon, attorney for twelve
residents living on Girard avenue S, be-
tween Franklin avenue 8 and Twenty
second street, has filed claims against the
city to the amount OF $4,000 each for
damages caused by the faulty construc-
ton Of sewers in their neighborhood and
consequent overflowing Of their cellars.
Formal demand for an improvement
and notice that the claims had been filed
have been served on the city council and
the matter has been referred to the coun-
Gil committee on health and hospitals.
Twice this year the cellars of the prop
erty owners whose names are affixed to
the petition have been flooded from the
Girard avenue sewer. -&r
When the Girard avenue sewer was put
in from Douglas avenue to Twenty fifth
street and Hennepin avenue, it was built
to diameter of eighteen inches above
Franklin avenue and tWcnty-four inches
below, on the superstition that when sew
ers were built along adjoining avenues
they would also be continued along to
either the Henenpin avenue or Twenty
seventh street trunk sewers.
The Girard avenue sewer was built UNI
der City Engineer +. W. Cappelen with
that understanding, but under City Engi-
neer Sublette there were built in the past
y
boldt avenue and a twelveinch sewer on
Irving avenue, both from Summit to
Franklin, and both connected at Frank
lin with the Girard avenue sewer.
Protests were made against this change
but no harm came from it until this year
when a third sewer was built In connec-
ton with the Girard avenue line, this time
from Summit to Franklin on James ave-
nue..
This last connection has turned into
| the Girard avenue sewer three times as
| much sewage as 1t was designed to carry
and the heavy rains have done the rest.
| when that Girard avenue sewer was
built it was built to drain only Girard
avenue said Former City Engineer Cap
pelen, land under the then proposed sys-
tenn a sewer was to be built clear along
each of the adjoining avenues
"City Engineer Sublette objected to
building the connection sewers on Hum
boldt and Irving avenues, saying that
such a system was all wrong. But the
! aldermen wanted it done and 1t had tc
be done. guess.
Getty Engineer Rinker knows that il
Is all wrong to tap the Girard avenue
sewer with the one just built on james
avenue, but if the council orders it
suppose his. hands are tied. We have
asked the council committee on sewer,
to order In one along Humboldt avenue
to Twenty seventh street, but they hav'
paid no attention, and now the charte
limit, Aug. 20, has been passed and nom
can be built this year.
Even If one were built, it wouldn'
settle the case with us. II man wer
to offer you $4,000 to turn your cellar int
a sewer you would be apt to keep you
, cellar, wouldn't you? We believe tina
$4,000 does not more than cover the In
7 convenience and danger we have expert
enced. It's not pleasant to have the sew
age from the residences on the hills bac
| of you dumped into your house.
Those who are Interested In the dam
! age suits are. Frederick w. Cappele1
. Nettie B. Shattuck, Margaret M. Ed
munds, Charles J. Tryon, Elizabeth n
Chapman, Elizabeth B. Carroll Arthur "
: Lyon, George "A. Dearborn, Abbie R. Rut
:, ten, Milton F. Lenox, John D. Simpso
and Henry s. Gregg.