Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-08

praised valuation which shall be ascer-
tained by the estimate Of three engineers
one to be selected by the city council. one
| BY the water works company and these two
to select a third: provided, that nothing
shall be paid for the unexpired franchise oi
| said company"
Might Have saved Debate.
| II this little section had but said twenty
years after what, much random talk would
have been saved. The view geenrally ac-
cepted Is that adhered to by City Attor-
ney Connell, which is twenty years after
the completion Of the plant. At any rate
the twenty years after" episode is to be
settled this way, for the time is up Sep
! tember 4, 1908. and the city may then ac-
quire the plant by what is called "the
purchase right" The city has arranged
for this mode Of procedure, as opposed to
that by right OF eminent domain. Rea-
soning that the twenty years after is after
the finishing Of the system the contract
OF the company for water hydrants does
not expire Until July 20, 1908, and that re-
calls the letting Of this contract the de-
termining thereby of the men who were
to build the water works and some very
interesting matters connected thereto. BY
the terms Of the ordinance sealed bids.
after due advertisement, we're to be re-
ceived by the city clerk July 90
1880, making proposals for supplying hy-
drants and water from them for period
of twenty-five years There we're to be
not less than 25O hydrants located as per
Cooks report. In reality, whoever got the
contract got the perpetual franchise for
water works system, for one could not be
WitnOnf hpr M he
of the water plant and the matter of the
hydrants, therefore, we're interdependent
Between Holly and wiley.
On the evening OF July 20, 1880, the crowd
that gathered in the old city hall, on the
site Of the Commercial National bank. AT
Sixteenth and Farnam streets, was not a
large one, the citizenry then, as now, dis.
daining to visit the council chamber even
when momentous events were about to
happen. Long before this evening 1t was
clearly recognized that the Holly Manu-.
featuring company was to be the only
bidder. That Is so far as the public knew.
The Holly people we're pretty sure of their
ground. They had kind of small monopoly
on water works machinery and pumps and
were going to play It for all they were
worth. The only man they watched par.
ucularly was Solon A. Wiley, then of Athol
Mass, wEo later was one Of the big men
or the American Water Works company.
He had been skirmishing around somewhat,
but submitted no proposals. The bids were
held until the last minute. Then one OF
the Holly representatives stepped forward
and placed his proposal in the hands of
City Clerk J. F. Mccartney. He had no
sooner done so than Sidney E. Locke did
likewise. Locke had been walking I'D and
down the room, and no one expected any.
thing Of the kind from him. But it came
and like a bombshell. When the envelopes
were opened 1t was found he had slightly
underbid the Lockport concern and imme>
diately the contract was awarded to him.
The representatives of the Holly company
were very angry, and declared that water
works could not be built without their
help, threatening injunctions and other
court procedure. They had been very sure
OF getting the contract, and had shipped to
Omaha and unloaded on the streets great
quantities of water pipe that was stored
in charge OF Thomas Swift. and later sold to
the City Water Works company, an UNDER
standing having been reached
Local Capital Takes Hold.
1t appeared that Sidney e. Locke, the
then head of the white lead works; Nathan
and paymaster for the Union Pacific Rail-
road company; Samuel johnson, a whole
sale grocer; Milton Rogers a hardware
merchant, and c. w. Hamilton, a banker.
had quietly got together and decided to
build the water works themselves and Sc
cure the contract by slightly underbidding
the only competitors. They we're success
full. Mr.. Locke transferred his contract
to the City Water Works company, which
was then organized by Samuel R. johnson,
president; Milton Rogers, vice president;
Charles II. Dewey, ]. T. Clarke, Nathan
Shelton and C. w. Hamilton.
The company employed Andrew Rose
water and A. B. Hunt as engineers and pro-
ceeded to build the water works. Bonds TO
the extent of s4OO 900 were issued and sold
and the expense Of the plant outran that
of the Cook estimates. The first work
done was toward stalking out and sinking
the settling basins at the Burt street sta
tion. This was done under the directions
of Mr.. Rosewater and Mr.. Hunt. There
were three basins holding about 5000, 900
gallons and one clear water basin holding
about 100000 gallons. The basins were dug
in quicksand and were not lined it being
discovered for the first time that the mud
and sediment from the water settled against
NAS NNiNhSHhN oAh hCu luluB nearly as
acceptable as though 1t had been concrete.
Later the basins we're lined with asphalt
instead over the mud walls and stand in
that condition today ready for use as aux
iliaries at any time. The 10, ,00O, ,0OO- gallon
capacity reservoir was built on Walnut hill
and the pumping station at Burt street
constructed. An Olds pump with a capacity
of 2,500.000 gallons was installed first for
high pressure to the Walnut hill reservoir,
and the same kind of a low pressure pump
to draw the water from the river Later
a 100000 capacity Holly pump wus in
stalled and still later a 1000 900 capacity
Knowles pump was put in. Finally another
low service pump was required, and a A.
900 gallon Allis pump was bought and
Growth of the Plant.
In 1885 about 5000 900 gallons of water |
we're being supplied the city OF Omaha each |
day the people were raising a mighty howl
about muddy water and the City Water
Works company was on its last legs II
was recognized that the further investment
Of much capital was necessary, but the |
Omaha stockholders had Just about ex-
halsted their resources and were casting |
about for purchasers to take the property |
of their hands. 1t was then that s. A. |
Wiley appeared out OF the east. He was |
An experienced water works man, controll--
ing plants at Athol, Mass, and Ottumwa,
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