The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-01-08
Miss Gertrude Durkee Resigns
Position With the City.
SUCCEEDED BY MISS BENNETT
Salary as Assistant Treasurer 10 Not
Sufficient, She Will Hold Posi-
ton With Lawmakers.


Bennett has appointed his daughter,
Miss Mary Bennett, as her successor.
Miss Dmkee resigned yesterday aft
ernoon to accept q situation in the state
senate, secured for her by Senator
Works. She does not know just what
the position is, but went to st. Paul
last evening i'll response to a tele-
gram from Senator Works, saying
that he had gotten her position.
Miss Durkee does not consider the
salary of the city treasurer sufficient,
and will not seek her position again
after the legislature adjourns. Miss
Bennett has been familiarizing herself
with the work for several days.
Miss Durkee will be stenogra
pher III the senate.
The matter came up at the a5-
journment meeting of the council last
night when the resignation and APP
pointment were presented and placed
i'll file.
Mayor Andrews presented request
from Van Brtlnt street resident
asking that street signs be placed OH
that street. The matter had already
been attended to.
City Attorney Schm;tt stated that
the city treasurer hid received let
ter from Miss !Iinchley of Owatonna,
saying that she and her sister had
contracted typhoid fever while in
Mankato, and felt that the city should
refund their expense. He had replied,
after consulting some of the alder
men, that the city did not consider
itself liable.
Water Mains Extension.
Aid Eichstaedt moved that the wa
ter mains be extended to the West
Nankato school, provided the school
board will stand one-half of the
cost, which is estimated at Sl,2S4.96.
He said that if there had been
hydrant there Monday night, j. ID.
Simmonds' house would not have burn
ed The motion was carried. Six
inch pipe is to be laid to west Sixth
West Sixth street, and four inch pipe
from there to the school property.
The park committee reported that
the excavation for the new building
lat the park is about completed
Retention Hospital Needed.
Health Officer Bjelland said that a
city burying ground is badly needed,
as there is no such place now.
detention hospital for contagious cases
is needed. st. Joseph's hospital is
going to discontinue its contagious
ward, as it does not pay. Cases are
apt to come up at any time, i'll ho-
tells and elsewhere and must be taken
care of. Recently cases were placed
in rooms in a private house and the
neighbors threatened litigation. Medi-
cal attendance and nursing has to be
furnished At present there is al
ways great deal of running about
to Get IL location, stove, cots, bedding
etc.
lie question of quarantine hos
pital was discussed at length, and
finally AID. Eichstaedt moved that
the matter be referred to the commit
tee on health and the health officer
to investigate and report upon at the
next meeting.
Aid. Schroeder suggested finding out
what other cities of the size OF Man
kato do, and Mayor Andrews Thought
that the only permanent solution
pital for the erection and 1Rainte-
nance OF Quarantine WdTu.
The motion was carried.
Bridge Needs Repairs.
Aid. Mahowald said that the board
of public works last summer was di-
rected to replank and repaint the
Minnesota river bridge.
City Engineer Wilson said that
some of the stringers are in bad
shape, but temporary repairs could be
made underneath until the new bridge
is built, when the old one could be
closed and thoroughly repaired.
Aid. Atchison said that he had had
an offer to replank the bridge with
white elm plank for $40 thousand.
He suggested that the plank be put
down diagonalIy, as he had been told
that it would last a year longer 1t
laid this way.
1t was suggested that new plank
could be put down diagonally over the
present planking. Two inch plank
would be thick enough in that case.
President Day said that a compe-
tent bridge man should be secured to
look at the bridge and see how it
could be strengthened. Aid. Atchison
moved that the board of public works
be instructed to advertise for bids
for replanking the Main street bridge
and this was carried.
Inspector of Cement Blocks.
Aid. Eichstaedt did not like the
plan of the board OF public works of
dropping the inspector of cement side
walk blocks. He thought it poor
policy, for people putting down walks
don't want to have to replace them
every few years, like plank walks. In
many towns the walks shell off in two
to four years, because not enough &C.
ment is used.
Aid. Atchison thought the inspector
ship a soft snap, and did not think
that much good resulted. He favored
d four year guarantee instead of
three year guarantee as now. He
thought that an inspector was neces-
sary where curb and gutter is con-
structed.
! Aid. Eichstaedt said that he had
just as soon have stone mason
put down walk as cement firms I'M