The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-07-19
sfECIAL SESSION OF COM.
Steps Leading to the Change OF Main
Street Switching Taken: Other
Matters Brought Up.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
What may prove to be the solution
of the switching problem by the
Milwaukee railroad across Main
street may be solved by the pur-
chase of the G.. M. Fletcher estate
between Pike street and the Omaha
railroad tracks, and from the DR.. R.
M. Dodds building to the Armour G.
Co. office near the old Shoemaker
building. The matter of taking
steps to discontinue the switching
across Main street was again taken
up by the council and Superintend-
ent E. G. Perkins of the Milwaukee
road, at meeting this morning.
City Attorney G. o. Daley had
written Mr.. Perkins reply to his
letter sent to the mayor, and stated
that the council felt compelled by
public opinion to enforce the ordi-
nance requiring the Milwaukee road
to change the switching from Main
street to some other place, away
from the congested district.
Mr.. Perkins appeared at the coun.
Gil this morning and requested the
council to look over the old Fletcher
estate near Pike street, as a pos
sible place for the new yards. The
council viewed the street after TAX
ing up some of the other business.
City Attorney H. F. Blomquist had
prepared plans and maps for the
construction of several storm sewers
After discussing the matter for some
time, motion to the effect that
the engineers plans and specifica.
tions for storm sewers on Sixth
street and Mulberry street be ap-
proved, and that the clerk be in
structed to advertise for bids, to be
opened July 20.
The Sixth street sewer runs from
the corner of Washington and
Sixth street to the Guenther creek
on the other side of Vine street.
The pipes on Sixth street are to be
of reinforced concrete and thirty
inches in diameter from Washington
| to Elm, thirty-six inches from Elm
to Rock and forty-two inches from
Rock to Guenther creek, the outlet
for the storm waters.
The Mulberry street sewer runs
from Sixth street to Second and is
| to be made of vitrified clay pipe.
The sewer is to be eighteen inches
in diameter from Sixth to Fourth
street, twenty from Fourth to Broad
and twenty-four inches from Broad
| to Second street. According to the
specifications the total cost of the
Mulberry street sewer would be
$2,622 and the Sixth street sewer
$5,112, making a grand total of
$7,734.
Complaints from every direction
have been received by the council,
stating that the city had not laid in
sewers sufficiently large enough to
carry away the rain water after a
storm These sewers, said one of
the aldermen, should have been laid
years ago.
The council decided to attend the
| funeral of George E. Blake, former
park superintendent, at the Chris
tian church at two o'clock this after.
noon. The council will go in body.
After this business had been trans
acted, the councilmen and Mr.. Per-
kins viewed the Fletcher estate, Mr..
Perkins seeking to impress upon
the council what a large expense it
would be to make the necessary fill
on the Fletcher property. If the
switching yards are transferred from
their present place to the Fletcher
property a track would be extended
from the present Gamble-Robinson
track, and then leads and branch
tracks would be laid over the estate.
Mayor Taylor stated that he would
do what he could to help the rail-
road company acquire this property,
if the company decided to purchase
it. A representative of the property
was seen by The Free Press today
and he stated that the arrangements
could in all probability be made
with the owners for it's purchase.
Should this track be laid, it would
necessitate the removal of the old
Shoemaker building at the foot Of
Jackson street and Pike street would
be cut up considerably.
Mr.. Perkins stated that if the COM
pany bought this property it would
do so, of course, under an agree
ment with the council that Jackson
street would not be opened up. 1t is
understood that the old Shoemaker
building was moved to the foot of
Jackson street many years ago, in
order that this thoroughfare would
not be opened up to travel.
Some objection would probably be,
made by the property owners near
Minnesota street, as all the switch
ing would be done across this road,
but the travel there is not nearly as
great as across Main street, and
this objection would easily be over
come. - i+s