The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-20
DANGEROUS DELAY.

The Revised Ordinances of the city
OF keokuk (section "a ct seq pro-
vide thac whenever in the Judgment
OF the city council any building, wall,
or portion of building or wall. is
dangerous Or liable to fall it may, by
resolution order same repaired. torn
down or removed, as the csse msy re-
quire, by the owner thereof, and speci-
fy reasonable time within which
such repairing, tearing down or re-
movai shall be made. The ordinances
further provide that if, after such
order has been served in the manner
specified by law same shall not have
been complied with within the time
limited therein. the council shall
order said defective structure to be
repaired, torn down, or removed, as
directed by the said order therefor,
same to be done under the supervis-
ion of the city engineer who shall
proceed to do such work as directed
and make return of the actual money
cost thereof to the city council" The
council is then authorized to assess
and levy such cost as a special tax
against the property, to be collected as
are all other special taxes.
On the 18th of April last some TWEEN
ty feet of the north end of Burrows
Row on North Ninth street collapsed
with a crash. On the following day,
April 10, committee consisting of
three contractors and builders, the
chief of the fire department and the
commissioner of public safety visited
the building, examined it and found it
to be in an unsafe and unsanitary con-
dition. a resolution was drawn up by
the visiting delegation, appointed by
authority of the city council, setting
forth the status of the aged structure
and recommending that IL be torn
down at once, as follows:
ITO the Honorable Mayor and City
Council of the City of Keokuk:
"Gentlemen:-We the undersigned,
desire to report to you that we have
carefully examined the buildings
known as the Burrows Row." stu
ated on Ninth street, between Main
and Blondeau streets, and find the
same in a dangerous and unsanitary
condition. Water is standing in the
cellars to a depth of from six inches
to four feet The walls are weak, nut
/ of plumb and dangerous, many of the
brick being soft and easily lifted out
of the wall, by hand.
/ 1T is our opinion that the lace is
dangerous to anyone who would at
tempt to inhabit it, and TO the pass
ersby. In fact, the northerly twenty
feet Of same has fallen down. We
believe, and respectfully report, that
the said buildings should be RACED.
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN W. YOUNG,
Builder and Contractor.
FRANK l.. GRIFFEY,
Builder and Contractor
H. D. FLEMING,
Builder and Contractor
JOHN ANDERSON,
T Chief Fire Department
z THOS. P. GRAY,
: Commissioner Public Safety"
April 10, 1911"
few days later the city council
J. took formal action in line with the
g. foregoing resolution. That was in the
IS latter part of april, four months ago.
Is yet not single brick Of the danger.
Gus structure has been removed to
date. Notwithstanding the order thai
d it be RACED, il still exists. in a dam
e. gerous and unsanitary condition-dan-
Ig gerous TO anyone who would at,emn,
m to inhabit it and to the passersbv 70
b. quote the language of the report Tho
soft bricks mentioned above have beer
still further softened by the recon-,
Of rains and are falling out of the wall.
ye daily. Portions of the walls are VIII
e. out roof or covering of any kind On,
he cracks are developing in them nre
al paratory to collapse OF additional ~
It. tons of the building. There is No ian
re ing at what moment there will bo ~
other crash, to the peril of life an,