Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20
TIMELY REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Busy Season in Public Improvements
Forecasted by Craig.
U. P. DEAL BEST OF THE WEEK
Purchase Of Lots ON Fenth street for
Freight Depot Excites Interest-
CuttinE New =
Pr0bIem

Problem.
That Omaha Is to have a busy season in
the way Of public improvements was i'm
pressed upon the minds Of the Omaha real
estate dealers Wednesday when George w.
| Craig. city engineer. outlined what the pol
! icy Of his department would be for the
coming season. He told OF the $4,000
worth Of pavements which we're author
lied last year but which have been delayed
BY the early freeze and Of the 10000 worth
OF pavement which will be ready TO be
! laid as soon as the frost is out Of the
ground.
Mr.. Craig assured the exchange that the
utmost armon existed between his de-
partment and the city council and that the
council and his department would work
together to see that no administrative de-
lays we're permitted to keep back any
work, but tina all improvements would
be pushed as fast as possible.
Omaha has 500. 900 set aside for inter
section paving each year, but Mr.. Craig
asked the exchange to help him next win
ter in an effort to secure a larger appro-
priation for this fund. He said that the
increased paving which was now being
done made the fund insufficient and that
mara money Is needed, He will also ask
for more money for the sewer fund, as
considerable trunk line work is necessary
and Il costs. Mr.. Craig explained that in
sufficient storm sewers were responsible
for the. high c~urbings which adorned the
streets OF Omaha for so many years, but
he assured the exchange that as fast as
sufficient storm sewers can be supplied,
the new pavements will be laid with the
lesser cutters and curbing.
Time was not so very long ago when the
big cost OF improvements was In grading
streets to reach the different additions
which we're being laid out all over the
city. This has changed and Mr.. Craig
made the statement that Omaha was now
pretty well graded as far as the streets
were concerned and that all work which
was now being done was Of a permanent
and lasting nature.
In response to a query as to Why some
of the pavements Of Omaha did not last
better the speaker explained that 1t was
because when pavements were laid some
years ago 1t was thought Portland cement
was too costly to use for base for pave
ments and a cheaper cement was used.
This was not lasting and pavements which
have been torn UP have been found to
have their base entirely disintegrated. He
said that the base which was now being in
stalled with Portland cement would last
for a century, as it shows no tendency TO
wear out.
Residents of Dundee took occasion to In
oiIire from Mr.. Craig as to the relative
merits Of different kinds of paving. There
had been some talk Of using a concrete
L.. Darndoe btt the hackers of this
did not get much satisfaction from the
CITY engineer, as he informed them that
no had no faith In 1t.
Mr.. Craig told the exchange of the work
which was being done toward making a
better driving street from the stations to
the business center OF the city. He said
they had that idea in view when asphalt
was laid on Farnam street to Sixteenth.
and that three petitions we're now being
circulated for three different kinds Of
pavement from the stations on Tenth
street to Farnam street. The kinds for
which opinions are being asked are brick,
asphalt and creosote blocks.
on the question of street repairs Mr..
Craig explained to The exchange that his
department had contrived a scheme
whereby It could use the old asphalt in
making repairs and thus greatly reduce
the cost. He said that the saving thus
made would be used in extending the work
and that he thought his department was
now in such condition that it could keep
the streets in fairly good repair.
Within the next four months 1t is ex-
pected that all the downtown streets will
be repaved and this will permit the repair
department to pay more attention to some
OF the outlying streets. These downtown
streets have become so bad that 1t re-
auired a large per cent of the time of the
repair gang in keeping them passable.
The biggest deal of the week in real es-
tate circles was the announcement that
the Union Pacific was tn, probable buyer
Of several lots near the tiorth end Of the
Tenth street viaduct and that 1t expected
10 build a huge freight house, using both
sides OF Tenth street as well as the present
site. II has been recognized for some
time that the Union Pacific needed more
room for handling its immense freight
business.
c. F. Harrison asked the city Engineer
at the meeting OF the exchange If some
thing could not be done to stop people from
cutting holes in the newly laid pavements
for the installation of gas. water or sewer.
Mr.. Cralg's reply was, SHOW me a city
where 1t is not done and / will show you
a city that Is at a standstlll. Still. am
going to try to have a severe penalty at
tached for such cases and that may act
as an Incentive to men who know they
are going to build within a year to have
their connections made before the pave
ment is laid. It is absolutely impractic-
able TO order such work done before the
street is paved, as the owners do not now
where they wish to make the sewer con-
n%ections, and a connection at the wrong
place Is absolutely worthless"
List OF sales made by Hastings a Hey
den during the last len days. The demand
was remarkable when the warm weather
opened up a week ago. but when the cold
snap started In the demand quleted down.
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