Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-31
SUCTION DREDCE AT CUTOFF
Work "n Mammoth Machine Begins
Middle Of July.
FEATHERsToNE WILL BUILD IT
Chicago Firm that Did work for
snsma Canal Gets the Com
tract from the omaha
Park Board.

Work will be begun BY the middle Of
July on a suction dredge to
be used in the new Levi Carter park,
and II is expected that the dredse will
be ready for operation by the first OF
November. At least twenty days work
will be done in re park this year, and
as soon as spring opens next year work
will be resumed and pushed throughout
the season.
Bids for building a dredge were opened
Saturday by the Board of PARK Commits
sioners and the contract was let to ths
Featherstone Foundry and Machine com
pany Of Chicago on its bid OF so, 12s. one
other bid was submitted by the Ellicott
Machine company OF Baltimore at s4, 500.
The Featherstone bid is for a dredge COM
plete, and the new machine and its work.
ings were explained to the board by ].
H.. Irwin. the designing engineer.
The Featherstone company built most
OF the dredges being used in the work
on the Panama canal, and one operated
by Mr.. Irwin on a continuous run Of two
years averaged 5000 cubic yards per day
al a cost of a.10 cents per yard. The ma
chine to be built for the Park board will
have n capacity of 120 cubic yards an
hour, and II is estimated that the silt in
the bottom of the lake In Levi Carter
park will be moved at a cost OF 4 cents
per cubic yard. One million, seven hun
dred thousand cubic yards Of silt will be
taken out Of the lake and spread over
the low lands! This silt Is extremely
nutritious and will make vegetation boom
at the park.
The dredge will be built IN the park and
Omaha labor and material will be used
as FAR as possible. silt will be sucked
INTO 1t through a 12-inch pipe and depos-
tied on the shore through a pipe $50 feet
long.
Three Men to the Dredxe,
Three men will operate the dredge. but
the company engineers will operate II for
twenty days before Il is accepted by the
Park board.
Plans for the pavilion in Elmwood park.
as drawn by r. A. Henninser. architect
were accepted and the secretary of the
board was instructed TO advertise for hid
The pavilion will cost about IS, 900 and will
be of nreproof construction. The plans
call for a pavilion along mission lines.
A COMMITTEES from the Fairgrounds com
mittee, composed of Mrs. Draper Smith.
Mrs. Harriet II. Heller, superintendent W.
M. Davidson and DR.. Harry A. Foster. ap-
peared before the board. The new charter
places the Fairgrounds under It's super
vision and the committee wished to Sc
cure locations along the b~oulevards for
Fairgrounds. The request was referred to
the committee on designation of grounds
composed of Commissioners Neble, Watson
and Cornish. The board empowered the
committee to enter into a lease for grounds
for this year and asked II to secure an
option on the land leased that the board
might buy II II thought advisable.
Thomas Swift appeared before the board
to protest against the use of jefferson
square by tramps to the exclusion of
other people. He wanted the seats fas-
tened securely and signs placed to keep
people off the grass. Commissioner Cor
nish said that people of Omaha had al
ways prided themselves on the fact that
there are less Keep Off the Grass signs
In our parks than in any other city in the
United States. Mr.. Swift was advised that
Jefferson square was not being harmed
materially by the people who c~ongregate
there.
Mrs. D. A. McCu-dy, who has the con-
cession at Miller park, reported that the
pavilion is now open and lunches will be
served at all hours to visitors. The lock-
ers in the pavilion for golfers are selling
rapidly.
The board adjourned to meet Monday
morning at 10 o'clock.