The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-04-14
CONTRACTOR WATER
TANK GOES TO NIELSEN
His Company's Proposal Came
To $19,473
MAINS IN THE ALLEYS
Report of Health Commissioner
And Number of Other Matters
Considered
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
Resembling it's former action OF
rejecting all of the bids for the pro-
posed new concrete reservoir, the
city council this morning decided to
accept the bid Of the j. B. Nielsen
Construction company, which was
| $19,473 This was the lowest bid for
| the concrete work with continuous
pouring. There was no opposition.
Charles E. Wise, appearing before
the city council on behalf of the
Mankato Commercial club, spoke Of
the project for the installation OF
the siXteen-inch main through the
alley between Front and Second
streets northward from Cherry. Mr..
Wise said he had understood that
| there was a movement on foot to
have that alley paved. He urged the
| council not to have the alley paved,
until this main had been put in, so
that the necessity of tearing up the
pavement for the main might be
| avoided. He also remarked that this
| main should be for fire protection
alone. 1t would help to put the city
ment of insurance rates. At present
the city is in the fourth class. He
| said the water pumped into this
main for fires should be taken from
| the river and the main should not
be connected with the regular city
drinking water supply. The pressure
necessary on the main in case of a
fire might be too great for the drink
ing water apparatus.
F. M. Currier Endorsed all that
Mr. Wise had said. He remarked
that the city council ought to get that
new main in just as soon as the city
was in such shape that the expense
could be met. 1t was fortunate that
there had not been several big fires in
the down town district at once. That
very thing might occur at almost any
time and the city should be pre-
pared to meet that sort of an event.
Spoke For Storm Sewer.
L. Blum suggested to the council
that at the same time when the fire
service main should be laid in that
alley, it might be well to put in a
storm sewer to carry off the roof
drippings, and thus relieve the Front
street sewer.
Theodore Williams, the well
,, known insurance man, spoke of the
chances that the city of Mankato had
for getting into the third class with
this improvement and with the big
reservoir that was contemplated. He
made it clear that with such i'm
! provements in the fire protection
that the city had just made, and was
making, including the new well and
its intended connections, the city
was about entitled to be put into the
three and half class. He read the
| list of requirements for the three and
half class, as made by the hydraulic
engineer that visited Mankato some
time ago on this matter for the state
insurance commissioner. He said that
when Mankato was put into the three
and half class, it would mean the
cutting down of the fire insurance
rates about five per cent, or saw
ing of $500 annually to the business
men of the city. The installation of
the new fire fighting main, the new
reservoir and other requirements,
would bring the city into the third
class, and that would mean a cutting
off of five per cent more
Mayor Lamm remarked that the
proposed water main was going to be
an expensive undertaking, and the
council could not possibly undertake
it this year and perhaps not next
year.
Approved FiIIing-In Plans.
The city council this morning
passed resolution, presented by
City Attorney Phillips, formally ap-
proving the plans of the Omaha rail-
road company for the filling in of the
river bed and the construction of
concrete retaining wall. Judge Lorin
Cray told of his trip to St. Paul. He
said it would be necessary to have a
Mankato representative take another
trip to that city and present the
plans to the state highway commits
sion for its approval. The railroad
officials did not wish to do this them
selves.
DR.. A. F. Schmitt, city health COM
missioner, presented his report for
the year ending today. During that
year there were born in Mankato $50
males and 142 females or 292 in ALL
The deaths of residents included "a
males and 4S females or 1872, and the
deaths of non-residents were AZ male
, and 80 females, or 70 in all, making
a total of 204 births in the city.
Improvements For Year.
The doctor spoke of the improve
ments that had been made during the
past year at the detention hospital
He said that of all the scarlet fever
patients that had been taken care of
there during the past year, there had
been but one death, and that patient
was afflicted with Brights disease
He was at the hospital but one day
With that exception, there were no
scarlet fever deaths. The conditions
under which such cases were handled
had been greatly improved.
DR.. Schmidt said only fourteen
cases of chicken pox had been re-