Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-03-20
ALL OVER
A PORCH
City Commissioners Claim Ohtness
is Exceeding the Speed
Limit" With His Porch.
1T MUST NOT BE ENCLOSED
Ohtness Claims He Secured the
Proper Running Orders
from City Commissioners.

At the regular meeting Of the city
commissioners last Monday evening
there was considerable discussion in
regard to the Ohtness porch which
has been erected on the Ohtness
block on First avenue south, for the
Watertown Sanitarum.
1t seems that Mr. Ohtness appeared
before the city commissioners sew
eral weeks ago and asked permission
to erect a porch for the sanitarium.
He claims he submitted plans and
specifications for the porch and was
granted permit to build the same.
The commissioners claim that Mr..
Ohtness only submitted picture Of
the porch and that he was asked by
Commissioner Countryman if it was
Ito be an "open affair" and that Mr..
T9htness replied in the affirmative.
The building of the porch was COM
menced several weeks ago and some
one "hunched it off" to the commits
sioners that Mr.. Ohtness intended to
enclose the same with glass. Mayor
ness that the city commissioners did
not give him any authority to enclose
the porch but that it was understood
that it was to be an open porch the
same as the other pcrches in the bust
ness section Of the city. Mr.. Ohtness
contended that he had submitted the
plans and specifications Of the porch
and lad been granted permission to
erect the same and that he had been
to over $1,000 expense in the matter
and that unless it could be finished
according to the original plans it
would be no good to his tenant who
would refuse to pay rent for it unless
it could be used in connection with
the sanitarium.
A couple of weeks age the city
commissioners appointed Mayor Wag-
ner and City Attorney Mcfarland to
confer with Mr.. Ohtness and warn
him not to enclose the porch.
Commissioners Get Their Backs Up
After Mr.. Ohtness had retained the
law firms of Sherin & Sherin and
Loucks, Mather & Stoyer as his attor-
neys, City Attorney James G. McFar-
land began to strip his duds and get
Ieady for the fight.
y Do Some Surveying.
The city engineer and county sur
veyor were called into action and
after surveying Mr.. Ohtness' property
allege that it is 10A inches in the
street
Hospital Ordinance.
Ordinance A37 introduced by May
or Wagner provides for the erection
of hospitals and sanitariums and of
the locating and licensing of the
same. Among the other provisions is
one prohibiting the location of hos
pitfalls within the fire limits of the
city and an additional proviso to the
effect that any such institution here
tofore erected within the fire limits
prior to the passage of this act must
be closed, removed and cease to op-I
crate within 80 days. The ordinance
provides penalty for any violation Of
the act and with an emergency clause
attached it passed the first reading
Monday night.
City to Show Cause.
AT 10 o'clock next Monday morning
the city authorities must appear BEL
fore Judge Sherwood of the circuit
court and show cause why Mr.. Oht-
ness should not be permitted to erect
and maintain the porch in question.
7. H. Davis Resigns.
City Auditor Tom Davis read his
resignation to take effect on the first
of April. On motion the resignation
was accepted o. NJ. Lane, the pres
ent deputy, will probably be appoint
ed TO the position.
Want to be Set Outside City Limits. /
The petition of the property hold-1
ers living between the city and Lake
Kampeska who desire to be set out
side the city limits was to have come
up for a hearing Monday evening but /
by consent Of attorneys on both sides
Continued on Page