Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-17
A CLOSER INQUIRY
Council to Have Special Meeting
to investigate Railroad
Vacation Ordinance.
THE CITY MUST BE PROTECTED
Some Aldermen Up in the Air on
Meter Questicn-OIher
Matters.

II The city council had another round
last evening with the ordinance of
1 the Davenport. Rock Island d North
western Railway company providing
| for the vacation Of that portion of
! First avenue between East and West
| Seventeenth street on which i located
its depot property. again declining to
grant the concession desired until suf-
| ficiently assured that the city is pro-
| perly protected and that it viii be
/ free to admit the entrance of other
railroads in future along the limits of
the strip that is occupied by the pc
| titiOning company.
Col. {. L. Walker. Of counsel for the
| railroad company. with Charles G.
Grant, general manager of the latter
was present at the meeting. Col
| Walker stated that there was no de-
sire on the part Of the company to
rush through the council anything Of
which there should not be a full ana
free discussion and understanding.
The company. as he put il. was simply
endeavoring to secure itself in grants
given in a previous ordinance. 1t was
not seeking any advantage that it
did not now enjoy.
AID. Wilson. chairman of the ordin |
ance committee. had asked Il written |
legal opinion from City Attorney John !
X. Scott. 1t was read by the clerk. |
In part it said: If the city vacates Il |
strip describing it by metes and |
bounds, the vacation will be limited to |
that territory. and the city will still |
retain all riparian rights and powers |
of street control over that part of the |
street north of the tract described, |
to the center of the river
Neither Aid. Eckhart or AID. O'Con-
nor was of the opinion the members |
of the council had been sufficiently |
posted on the legal status of the ques-
ticn to vote intelIigentIy. and the mat
ter was accordingly referred. the or
Ginance committee receiving instruc-
tions to draft an ordinance embracing
every safeguard in the interest of the
city. 1t was voted also that the coun-
ell have a special meeting Saturday af-
ternoon to personally 90 over the strip
that the company desired vacated.
representatives of the road to be on
hand to place stakes for the guidance
of the aldermen.
All Meters Look Alike.
For weeks the finance and water
works committees have been confer
ring with the representatives. of the
various companies manufacturing me-
tiers. There are number of water
meters in use in the city now. and the
council had planned to install about
200 additional during the present sum
mcr. When the word went ont that
? no .i+ fnI hR
emissaries of the competing COM
panies began to drift in here and they
have been on the ground since preach
ng the virtues of their respective ma
-hines. The result is that the mem
bcrs Of the council committees are
beginning to feel that all meters look
alike TO them. The committees re
ported recommending that 80 each of
he keystone, Worthington, Trident
and Nash meters be purchased. They
range in price from $3.50 TO $50 each.
AIDS. Sexton and Eckhart thought il
poor business practice to invest in 50 n
many different types of meter. The
hing to DO was to investigate. deter
nine on the best one. and purchase all
# one make AID. Anderson stated
hat inquiry had been made of Il num-
Der Of cities, and il was found that
lifferent makes were in use in nearly | ;
very place. in some cities there {
we're as high "a cigh- different makes
lie favored test Of the four types |
recommended in the report. All I'M I
loubtedly would prove Serviceable, I
,ut the main point to be determined |
vas that of accuracy in measure c
nentS. The council voted to refer the !
meter question back to the water a
works and finance committees in the V
.opc that they would get together and T
gree on the hest make and recon-
mend the purchase OF the number de- G
ired by the council.
Take Fall Out of Plumbers.
Plumbers were scored for their neg
igcEce in failing to properly fill eN- "
avatiuns in paved streets for the lay I
ng of water and sewer pipes. The .
tTeet and alley committee reported J
,ack 70 the council a petition from
zeal firm. The work had been under e
way before the application was filed )
Nth the council. Chairman Westbay z
i'll not see the use in having commit
ces. II was decided hereafter that @
o one he permitted To open paved | "
trect without showing to the plumb q
NJ Inspector written permit from a
ither the street and alley or sewer
Of the council. II was
lso ordered that an ordinance he
rawn to he presented at the next
Meeting. regulating the opening If n
treets. AID Robbins here recalled
he fact that two years ago he pre- y
eHted such an ordinance. but that il
vas talked To death bv members Of
he council who feared that the city Q
y assuming responsibility for street | d
Ncavatiou was laying itself liable in
suits. The mayor volunteer Il
d the information that the city was {
liable anyway. y