The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-01-04

assessment of $195 for the con.
struction of sewer along the west
side of its property; also the Sisters
hospital did not pay its sewer as
sessment of $290.50; also the
Lutheran and Presbyterian churches
did not pay their assessment of
$685. each for sewer.
Also, the First NJ. E. church did
not pay its sidewalk assessment
of S77.22.
These items amount to $627.22,
and is a total loss to the revolving
fund, as none of them were placed
on the assessment books by the
county auditor, being exempt from
ordinary taxation.
I make mention of this matter
on account of the seemingly large
shrinkage in the Revolving fund.
Total amount paid city engineer
for sewer construction and all other
work not heretofore mentioned was
1913; total sum paid for sewer inspec-
ton, $78; making a grand total paid
city engineer and his assistants of
$1638.50. Total amount of all
improvements for the year $780,
SO; percentage of total cost paid for
engineering, 2.93 per cent.
AS the year of 1910 will no doubt
be very busy one for the city,
with the coming of the 500 railway
and the fact that nothing of conse-
quence was done this year in side
walk construction and street grading.
and for the reason that there is more
or less talk by the business men
about street paving, I therefore wish
to cali your attention to some
important matters which should be
considered at an early date:
In the matter of street improve
ment, I wish to call your attention
to the fact that before anything can
be done in regard to improving the
condition of the surface of our
streets, storm sewer system must
be constructed.
The present sewer system is
strictly sanitary system, designed
to take care of the sewage only.
By putting in two systems instead OF
one combined system, the city saved
at least $4,000 in the first contract,
to say nothing about the amount
saved in subsequent contracts.
An outlet for a combined system
large enough to take care of all
the storm water which would collect
on the entire sewer district which
has an area of one square mile,
would have necessitated the con.
struction of a large brick sewer
with large pipe sewers as latterals,
none being less than ~ inches in
diameter and most of them being 18
to "a inches, and the additional cost
of maintaining a septic tank which
would collect tons of sediment
from the storm water. and the
cost of two or more catch basins at
all street crossings would have far
exceeded the combined cost of laying
a sanitary system with small pipes
to the necessary depth at 10 to IA
feet having one outlet and separate
storm sewer having several outlets
so that pipes larger than "a inches
need not be used and they may be
|.layed in trenches 4 to 6 feet deep
and no catch basins need be used,
but instead the water can be taken
from the opening in the gutter
directly into the sewer as there will
be no sewer gas to trap, and the
considerable expense of cleaning out
the catch basins would be obviated,
also the frequent cleaning of future
septic tank.
AS there has been some criticism
on the ACCESSIBILITY of the two
systems, I therefore wish to state
that while member of the State
Board of Health was looking owe,
the city several years ago, he re-
marked that Bemidji was one Of the
few cities in the state which hac
started right in regard to the taking
care of her sewage.
! "A great many cities in the east
are spending thousands of dollars tc
separate the storm water from the
\ other sewage So. that they may BE-
) ableto treat the sewage at a reason