Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, March 8, 1903, Page 19

WATER WORKS FOR OMAHA History of the System from Inception to Present Time LOTAL CAPITAL BUILDS ORIGINAL PLANT Many Turns and Changes from the Tivie the Agitation Began to the Magnificent Works that Now Exist, Supplying the city” of Omabha with water % been a subject before the public mind 1 one form or another for nearly a quarter of a century. At times it has involved fierce public controversy, at other times the battle was of & private nature carried ©n behind the ground glass doors of direct- ©rs’ rooms, while on still other occasions the United States courts have deliberated upon various phases of the matter, con- corning which numerous attorneys had filed lengthy briefs. At the presemt time the water works plant and system holds a prominent place In the public eye because the legislature has attempted to arrange that the property shall become part.and parcel of the municipality and be governed and operated by a water board of six mem- bers. To some who have followed the question of the municipal ownership of the water works closely for years the peopla are on the eve of taking possession. To others who have been as deeply inter- ested In the problom the acquisition looks doubtful, for a multiplicity of subtle rea- sons. Involves Some Millions, For the acquirement of the plant the city voted $3,000,000 worth of bonds three years ago. Certaln calculators had figured this amount to be one that nearly represents the value of the works. These mathematiclans etand for one extreme of public thought. The matbematicians who represent the pri- vate cpinion of capital invested are much mere aptimistic and cipher out a very plausitle value of more than twice as much, Whoever may be right and what- ever ‘value the appraisers settle upon, it is certain that Omaha at the present time is equipped with one of the finest and most #dequate water works systems in the United States. This is the verdict of both the technlcal and/the untechnical mind and is proven by the service. Public agitation, evincing itself in many ways, s largely re- sponsible for this condition of affairs. Nat- ural conditions have rendered much undue construction and expenditures imperative, while, as was recognized before a spadeful of earth had been dug for the fire tiing basin, the {mme: area of the olty and thee ratio of population to area has been 4nother cause for extensive pipe lines and widitional pumping stations. Also, the fact nhould not be overlooked that South Omaha, with approximately 25,000 people and its thirsty blg packing Industries, are furnished with er by the same works that water Omi To supply the fluld to 160,000 souls ecattered over the territory “hat the boundaries of Omaha and South * Omaha embrace is no mean task, and one ‘that is bound to cause the estimates of the engineer to take surprising jumps. Back to the Beg! But beginning before the beginning of water works In Omaha, there was a time, ©f course, when there wero no such things s, or faucets, stopoocks or water It was the perled of wells and wlsterns and disastrous fires which ate p wooden bulldings. In the year 1830 Omaha found Itself with a population of 80,000 and with & very resy outlook wpon the uture. There was every reason to bellove that the frontier town had become a city That wan bound te live forever and to grow o what sizo no one even, hazard guess. Every family had its own well in its own back yard and its own olstern and barrels under the raln water spouts, At most of the street fnterseotions, at least down town, deep clsterns to store water for fire extinguishment purposes bad been sunk. When the firemen had little to do and felt like Wworking they pumped water, by hand or ‘by steam engine from ndjacent wells that had been dug to supply the cisterns, To be brief, the leading cltizens came to Yelleve that this system was teo slow for much. @ swift town as Omaha was growing 10 be, 50 certaln ones of them, among whom peoified Nathan Bhelton, Bidney B. Locke, Samuel R. Johnson, Milton Rogers, J. Ty Clarke, Charles H, Dewey and John rolghton, began to agitate the subject. Thly did not need to push very hard to get the agitation under way, and the ory for water works, beginning along In 1878, was boomed n lls newspapers and echoed In publio gatl and re-echoed in the homes ui o mtually talk resolved itself 1nto the mction and remeved “Witoh Hasel™ Hammond, the Illlnols water wisard, and others of Nis {1k from thelr sphere of use- fulness, Coming of the Hollys, About the first definite act that has fm- printed itselt strongly upon local history was the Immediate Interest that the Holly Manufacturing company of Lockport, N. Y., ®howed In the water works agitation. This concern, which wi represented for the . Uime belng in Omaha by two gentlemen— " Colonel Flagler and Mr. Lenine—claimed ' h that It possessed, protected for its own of supplylng water by direct pumping from THE TRYING TIME | 1 irl's life is reached when rfl&éflfla uncertain steps mu-‘ the line which divides girlhood from ( B e e ey it this crif are for much of u;e‘ fter mi L e the womanly function, but there is almost always need of some safe, strengthening over- weakness, com- monly experi- enced at this time. Dr. Pierce's Favorite m“ i scription estal y. - "“‘““n,“"&“m-%:.:m enco a 1 restful -l;‘-p It contains no dm neither opin:n, cocaine or other narcotic. o1 wish o tell you the beneft we bave received from usi remedies,” writes | ( complain she was quite stout ; weighy o the picture of health, saul about the | age of fourteen. thea 18 sis mouths she was 5 oave ap. raiabin ';'-.«"'.'J"‘ i "&um i said, You will fiu ¥ ghan 1 -th.‘h l&fi u::fi:.u. the unul Reetion wye h; _\;lh:: end we ome. mak: ly the source of supply to consumers. firm lost no opportunity The to impress upon the public mind the necessity for water works and the imperative need of the Holly system. 'n the preliminary discus- sion this company and what it had to ofter had its foes and its friends. There were loud cries of an attempted “steal” and the like. As in all public movements, where a big question is Involved, the city did not know which way to turn. The Holly fight got into local politics and it is worth while mentioning that former Governor Boyd now chairman of the Water board, was first projected into local politics by this struggie, he being elected to the council from the Sixth ward on a platform that opposed the Holly plans. He spoke of this the other night when the Water board organized. The council which was produced as a result of the discdssion set about the water busi- ness by hiring an expert hydraulic en- gineer, J. D. Cook of Toledo, O., to in vestigate the conditions and to tell in detail just what was wanted. Report of Engineer Cook. All of this Engincer Ceok did, submitting a long report in May, 1880. With very slight variations the council and the mayor, Mr. Champion S. Chase, indorsed and adopted the findings of the engineer and used them as a base for establishing a water works system for the city Engineer Cook's plan distinctly did not favor direct pressure. He inclined toward a supply forced through the pipes by grav ity pressure, and he prepared two estimates for this kind of water works. One of them was for a reservoir on the heights near Hanscom park and costing $319,100, while the other contemplated the reservoir loca- tlon at Farnam street and Fairview avenue at a total cost of $288,000. Nelther site was chosen, the location of the present reservoir at Fortieth and Hamilton stréets, then the Baker farm, being found to pos- sess higher altitude and other advantages. For the three locations the height above low water In the Missourl respectively is 305, 260 and 310 feet. Mr. Cook contem- plated some twenty-eight miles of pipe lina and about 250 water hydrants, fire protec- tion as then contemplated being by hydrant preesure alone, without the help of eteam pump fire engines. For both his estimates the engineer chose as a site for his pump- Ing station the land at the foot of Izard street, or rather on the river front between | Izard and Burt streets. As to the senti- | ment regarding public ownership at that | time, a section of his report no doubt | gauges the majority of the views of think- ing people. He sald: | I deem it unimportant whether the works are to be constructed and owned by the city or by a private company, under a fran. chise contemplating a stipulated annulty to be fixed by the city, The same considera- | happen. ald company. Might Have Saved Debate. | If this little section had but sald twenty years after what, much random talk would | have been saved. The view geenrally ac- cepted s that adhered to by City Attor- ney Connell, which is twgnty years after | the completion of the plliv At any rate the “twenty years after” episode is to be settled this way, for the time is up Sep- tember 4, 1903, and the city may then ac- |quire the plant by what s called “the | purchase right.” The city has arranged for this mode of procedure, as opposed to that by right of eminent domain. Rea- | | soning that the twenty years after is after the finishing of the system, the contract | of the company for water hydrants does not expire until July 20, 1908, and that re- calls the letting of this contract, the de- termining thereby of the men who were to bulld the water works and some very interesting matters connected thereto. By | the terms of the ordinance sealed bids, after duc advertisement, were to be re- celved by the city clerk July 29, 1880, making proposals for supplying hy- drants and water from them for a period | of twenty-five years. There were to be | not less than 250 hydrants located as per | Cook’s report. In reality, whoever got tha contract got the perpetual franchise for a water works system, for one could not be | one without the other, and the construction | of the water plant and the matter of the | hydrants, therefore, wero Interdependent Between Holly and Wiley. On the evening of July 20, 1880, the crowsd that gathered in the old city hall, on the site of the Commercial National bank, at Sixteenth and Farnam streets, was not a | large one, the citizenry then, as now, dis. | daining to visit the council chamber even when momentous events were about to Long before this evening it was clearly recognized that the Holly Manu- facturing company was to be the only bidder. That is so fat as the public knew, The Holly people were pretty sure of their ground. They had a kind of small monopoly | on water works machinery and pumps and were going to play it for all they were worth. The only man they watched par- ticularly was Solon A. Wiley, then of Athol, | Mass., wko later was one of the big men | of the American Water Works company. He had been skirmishing around somewhat, but submitted no proposals. The bids were | beld until the last minute. Then one of the Holly representatives stepped forwara | which shall be ascer- | cers of the water works selebted ut Flor- | ana | A. B. Hunt and E. praised valuation ? the water wo - ence the only safe point on the en ¢ tained by the estimate of three engineers, | {rce the only safe b G ons” g one to be selected by the city council, one | miles where the ent s absolutely by the water works company and these two | stable, running as it ddbs through and over to aelect & third; provided, that nothing | {216 Foe, Neb Jon€ after he arrived Mr shall be paid for the unexpired tranchise of ¥ to lay the Dig thirtys six-inch main to F) Fineat In the Country. Florence, which stand today the very finest things of their kind in the country. Housed in & splendid and hand- some building of gray stone is equipment, including the largest pumps of their kind In the world, kept M the finest order and casting their reflections in ofled hardwood floors. pearance of a palace than that of a pump- ing station. Well kept, closely cropped grounds surround the building, and near it is the wonderful series of settling basins cascades, which were employed in Omaha for the first time and are a recog- nized success in purifying the water and making it fit for use Troubles About Finances. But the financial affairs of the American Water Works company ajways were turbulent to say the least. The first man to be | forced out was Wiley, whom it was alleged was extravagant, and then a fight between President Underwood and Vice President Venner ensued that shook the concern from center to circumference. It was planned make a gigantic thing out of the Ameri- n Water Works company. It was to em- brace, not Omaha alone, but Denver, St Louis, Ottumwa, Ia., and other places. that scheme never was realized and in the due course of time the American Water Works company passed out of existence. The Minne-Luea station was finished and put in use August 1, 1889, with due core mony by President Underwood and “400 of our foremost citizens,” as The Bee said Five coach loads of people went to Florence at 10 o'clock, had a banquet in the base- ment of the station, inspected the immense pumps and settling basins and listened to speeches by President Underwood, Con- gressman W. J. Conuell, Hon. Michael Lee, president of the city council; Colonel Chase, W. . Kierstead, then a member of the Board of Public Works, George Barker and 1. 8. Hascall. They returned in the after- noon and many others drove out during the day. It was a festive occasion and every one was happy. In Hands of a Receiver. In 1892 the bondholders of the company, | who held $4,000,000 worth of bonds, got tired of the fight that was being waged between Underwood and Venner, to the detriment of the company, and applied for a receiver in the federal court, and Superintendent L. Bierbower were ap- pointed jointly and operated the plant as Uon such as safety, efficiency and capacity | and placed his proposal in the hands of | gyen until August 8, 1566, with the excep- are equally pertineht in either case. With | City Clerk J. F. McCartaey. He had mo | 1y et by i ReiedB e equal benefits, public and priv it mat- tion of a short tim hen E. Hyd ust o ters little to the taxpayer whether the city | Soner done so than Sidney E. Locke did | New Jersey ruled as recciver at the in- pays interest on bonded indebtedness or | likewise. Locke had been walking up and | stigation of Venner. Finally the Farmers' Company. The city. howaver. a- directly | down the room, and no one expected any- | Loan and Trust company of New York, interested tn having such works as will | (hID of the kind from him. But it came | (rustec. for the bondholders, forced a fore- adequately moet all ordinary public ex-|and like a bombshell. When the envelopes | closure of the mortgage It held. and, with fRoms mrellabie. mAchiRery. from. TReQUen: | meseybe e, It a8 found he had slightly [ K. S Dundy, ir., acting s master in and excessive repairs, from inefliciency in | Underbid the Lockport concern and imme- | chancery, the property was sold to the bond- pipe and hydrant distribution and from | diately the contract was awarded to him. | holders in front of the federal building, avoldable interruptions of every mature. Knowledge of the Missourl. Engineer Cook in his report recognized extra cost because of unusual width of streets and the problem presented by a scattered population over a large territory. As a matter of fact he omitted few of the questions that troubled the water work people at a later day. He erred in his lo- cation of a pumping station, but that Is about all. As to purifying the water he recommended the use of elevated reservoirs “that can be used for the double purpose of storage and subsidence,” and, inasmuch as Omaha was to be a ploneer in drawing on the Missourl, he continued: *The treatment of Missouri river water being,a question for which we have little or no precedent, we are left almost wholly to the Qictates of theory. Actual experience may render necessary a more elaborate clean- ing device, and the influent arrangements should accordingly contemplate the addi- tion thereafter of preliminary settling basins near the river if found necessary.” These preliminary basins were found very necessary, indeed they did not clean the water well at all, and 1t remained for Cap- tain Frank Reynolds to invent a new sys- tem of purifying water, in order to subdue the public clamor. In the year 1880 to use the water of the Missouri to supply a big city for drinking and other purposes was | consldered quite daring, and Mr. Cook found | it mecessary to explain in his report how much better really it is than well or ecis- tern water. He sought to inspirg confidence in the following language: “On the other band, the Missourl river water, although at times unsightly, almost beyond com- parison, carries nothing really harmful either in suspension or solution. It is un- equaled anywhere in the rapidity with which its heavy sediments precipitate, and chemistry finds it almost unsurpassed in purity and fitness for all uses, public and private. These considerations vastly out- welgh all the expense and trouble incident to its clarification, and in this regard it may justly be esteemed in tMe light of a blessing to all the cities along its shores.” There is no doubt but Engineer Cook thought he was looking well ahead into the tuture, for he said: The foregoing estimates and recommenda- tions are Intended to describe and contem. plate throughout a_first-class system of works. A less elaborate system might fur- nish you reasonably well for a time, but with “your present corporate importance and inevitably great prospective Increase I do not feel justified in recommending with the single view of barely meeting present needs. I have endeavored to the cost as low as possible consistent with utility, realizing that the works if ton- structed will have to be done by a private company, who will naturally regard the en- terprise from a purely financial atandpoint, that a comparison of original cost with the revenues from franchise and all other sources must be the governing ele- ment In the negotiations. First Franchise Granted. It appears to have been a case where they followed the report of Cook. This re- port has become a famous document. The original water works ordinances and con- tract had It for their constitution, and it has been quoted and referred to numberless times in court and out. There is not a sec- tion that has not been carefully dissected and pawed over, and on the whole it has been found to be a very excellent thing of its kind. On June 8, 1880, the city council approved it and on June 11 that body passed ordinance 423, which had for its object the inducement to someone to build a water works. It was approved by Predident of the Council Boyd and by Mayor Champlon S. Chase on the same day, and granted to “any person” a perpeptual franchise in Omaba's streets and alleys for water lines and pipes, who would construct and main- tain a water, works system modeled along i | help, The representatives of the Holly company were very angry, and declared that water works could not be bullt without their | threatening injunctions and other court procedure. They had been very sure | of getting the contract, and had shipped to Omaha and unloaded on the streets great quantities of water pipe that was stored in charge of Thomas Swift, and later sold to the City Water Works company, an under. standing having been reached. Local Capital Takes Hold, It appeared that Sidney E. Locke, the then head of the white lead works; Nathan Shelton, who had just retired as treasurer and paymaster for the Union Pacific Rail- road company; Samuel Johnson, a whole- sale grocer; Milton Rogers, a hardware merchant, and C. W. Hamilton, a banker, had quietly got together and decided to bulld the water works themselves and se- cure the contract by slighily underbidding the.only competitors. They were success- ful. Mr. Locke transferred hls contract to the City Water Works company, which was then organized by Samuel R. Johnson, president; Milton Rogers, vice president; | Charles H. Dewey, J. T. Clarke, Nathan | Shelton and C. W. Hamllton. = _ The company employed Andrew Rose- water and A. B. Hunt as engineers and pro- ceeded to build the water works. Bonds to the extent of $400,000 wery ued and sold the eettling basins at the Burt street sta- tion. Thi done under the directions ater and Mr, Hunt. There were three basins holding about 5,000,000 gallons and one clear water basin holding about 3,000,000 gallons. The basips were dug in quicksand and were not lined, it being discovered for the first time that the mud and sediment from the water settled against the quicksand and formed a lining nearly as acceptable as though it had been concrete. Later the basins were lined with asphalt instead over the mud walls and stand in that condition today, ready for use as aux- iliaries at any time. The 10,000,000-gallon capacity reservoir was bullt on Walnut hill and the pumping station at Burt street constructed. An Olds pump with a capacity of 2,500,000 gallons was installed first for high pressure to the Walnut hill reservoir, and the'same kind of a low pressure pump to draw the water from the river. Later a 5,000,000 capacity Holly pump wes in- stalled and still later a 7,000,000 capacity Knowles pump was put in. Finally another low service pump was required, and a 14,- 000,000 gallon Allls pump was bought and alled. Growth of the Plant. In 1886 about 6,000,000 gallons of water were being supplied the city of Omaba each day, the people were raising a mighty howl about muddy water and the City Water Works company was on its last legs. It August 8, 1896, for $4,009,500. The company was then reorganized by a majority of the stockholders and T. C. Woodbury of New York clected president, Underwood having been deposed previously and Venner's in- fluence curtailed. The various phases of the litigation were intricate and threshed out in many newspaper volumns before the public. They are not Mteresting save that they mark an exceedingly bitter fight for control. Meanwhile, under capable re- celvers,.the water plant was kept in ex- cellent and satisfactory condition. About the Present Plant. The present company Is capitalized at $6,250,000, $4,500,000 being in bonds and the remainder In stock. Its officers are: President, T. C. Woodbury; general man- ager, E. M. Fairfleld; superintendent, A. B. Hunt; treasurer, Siockton Heth. At the time of the reorganization the name of the corporation was made the Omaha Water company and at the same time the bond- holders had an appraisement made by east- ern experts, who fixed the value of the plant entire at $5,075,831.49. About sixteen years ago supplying water to South Omaba was begun and that city now receives its supply on practically the same basis and through the same large mains as does Omaha. From 18,000,000 to 23,000,000 gallons of water are pumped to the two cities each day through 223 miles of pipe. There are four pumping tions, the great one at Florence, the and the expense of the plant qutran that | 5341005, ; S0 3he Osok setimatht o At wark |t oA L otbes o0 Pebo done was. toward staking out snd sinking ton avenue Low service pumps are used to take the water from the river and raise it to the settling basins and high service pumps to distribute it over the city. The station at Florence has three low pressure pumps and two high pressure pumps, the former having a capacity of 4,000,000 gal- lons a day and the latter of 32,000,000 gallons. The largest pump is the biggest in the world, maintaining a head of 120 pounds pressure. Another pump now being installed will be the greatest of its kind in the world in all respects. It is an Allis high service pump with a 20,000,000-gallon capacity a day. The Burt street station has a low service capacity of 14,000,000 gal- lons and high service 12,500,000 gallons. Those on Walnut Hill and Poppleton avenue have high service pumps only, the capacity of the former being 9,500,000 and of the Iatter 8,500,000 gallons. They are used as ass| ts to gravity in distributing the water, a portion of the stream coming from Florence being distributed in the same way. Good for Disorders of the Stomach, “I am usipg & box of Chamberlain's Stomach and Liver Tablets and find them the best thing for my stomach I have ever | used,” says T. W. Robinson, justice of the peace, Loomis, Mich. These Tablets not only correct disorders of the stomach, but regulate the liver and bowels. They easy to take and pleasant in effect. In 1887 work was begun on the works at | examples of | The interior presents more the ap- | But | OUR NEW_ SPRING GOODS ARE INCLUDED IN THESE SALES OUR DRAPERY DEPARTMENT SIXBIG SALES During the six days of the coming week we will endeavor to prove to our friends and patrons | that we know what is proper, and carry goods for the proper treatment of the different rooms of our modern homes. Monday we will place on sale such goods as are espzcially adapted for the Bed Room— T'uesday the Dining Room —Wednesday th: Patlor-=Thurs: day the Hall—Friday the Living Room and Library—Saturday th: Summer Home. SEE OUR EAST WINDOW—SPECIAL DISPLAY OF SPRING NOVELTIES. Simple and Restful are two desirable attributes for Bed Room. CRETONNES—RUFFLED SWISS CURTAINS, RUFFLED NET CURTAINS, SHIRT WAIST BOXES TO YOUR ORDER-- BED SETS, CRETONNE OVERDRAPES— Will be sold at special prices for the Bed Room Interest, but withal, a dignity must prevail in the Dining Room COLORED CURTAINS — CLUNY CURTAINS — ANTIQUE CURTAINS, EMBROIDERED SWISS CURTAINS — MADRAS CURTAINS—PORTIERES FOR THE DOOR — BURLAP FOR OVERDRAPES—TAPESTRY FOR THE WALL— Will be sold at special prices for Dining Room Louis the XV is good style for the Parlor. SAXONY BRUSSELS CURTAINS—ARABIAN CURTAINS Special drive Menday only — 15¢ to 20c Curtain Swiss 36-in. wide— per yard — Monday, March 9th 8:30 0'clock, for the || Tuesday, March 10 K110 O'elock, for the Dining Room | Wedncsday. Mch. 1l ot s Special drive Tuesday only, $6 75 cluny cur- tain linen, lace and in- 315 sertion, pair Special drives Wed- nesday only, $27.50 T ) | ) 8:80 O'elock, for the { MOIRE DAMASK—SILK VELOUR FOR CURTAINS AND FUR- + Saxony Hrus-. s Parlur NITURE COVERING—NEW SILK COLORED BROCADES sels Curtains, I5 Will be sold at special price on Parlor day | per pair— A cheery and hospitable treatment of the hull creates an ime ) Special drive Thurs— Thursday, March 12 | » pression of cordiality. , d:y only—60¢, 75¢ 830 0'clock, for the | MADRAS BY THE YARD ¥OR ALL SIZE WINDOWS - 2 Y SASH GOODS, ALL PRICES, WIDTHS AND COLORS—FISH > 85c sash “a“ NETS—TAPESTRY FOR THE HALL SEATS— { net, wlme c | and colored, ( Will be sold at special prices on Hall day | per yarde Quiet and comfort should be suggested in cvery portion of th Library or Living Room. ARABIAN CURTAINS—PLAIN BURLAPS, Friday, March 13th 8110 0'clock, for the e Special drive Friday only, Arabian Cure 50 IN. WIDE 4 | | Liviag Rbom 1 ;o rmsseicscoocuams ovseosacush tiriwrer + Wt werth 35 and lerary Wil be sold at special prices Friday ) per pair— Saturday, March 14 [ Cool, Restful and Washable are points to be taken into consider- \| 0 O'clock, for the J Special drive Satur— ation in selection summer furnishings. L day only, Cross stripe s SNOW FLAKE CURTAINS — PLAIN SWISS CURTAINS— U cyrtains, umm.' CROSS STRIPES—SASH NET—LINEN FOR DUSTERS— | al cotors, 3 950 y ds long, Home { Will be sold at special prices for Summer Home | i o€ It will be well worth your time to come in every day and look over our special displays. Learn what we know to be the right thing for the rl'zht place at the right price. Orchard & Wilhem Carpet Company ©Omaha, Nebraska. Window shades were special lot, size, 3x6, for 25c each complete. Removal of Milwaukee Ticket Office. «All the city ticket offices of the railroads entering Omaka, with one exception, are lined on Farnam Street, with the center of gravity heading for “16th and Farnam Streets.””—The Omaha Bee, Naturally' That is the location of the Milwaukee's new office. and travel is headed toward the Mllwaukee. Three fast trains to Chlcago every day. They leave the Union Station at 7.45 a.m.,, 5.45 p. m. and 8.05 p. m. F. A. NASH, 1624 Farnam Street, Goneral Western Agent. OMAHA, Chicagq, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. BLDIII) POISON Lt o] Spois, f»m;rm 1_' Sores, Vlcers” moatn, Ty or Pyeb\‘n'lhulu outseie. wny,» rever cared, withott the use of Mercury a. u: mun by e enerful uuuu omy of whicl wln.‘ “In mpln- Yulun v\ih lhe ’!m fipnfin = . Erdw g o — Free Homesteads Are becoming scarce, Join my Homestead Club and mcrelue your opportunities of obtaining one by being kept posted. 1 have v e e B gl A my pamphlet of homestead Instructions and treatise on public land surveys. Price 25 cents sliver and stamp. €. J. CONNER, 1508 Howard $t., Omaha. diachars {rritations or -umm-. of mucous membranes. Painioss, and not astrin. gent or polronous. Sold ity fodi MEVNSOVEMEALCo. OINBINRAT, was recognized tbat the further investment of much capital was necessary, but the Omaha stockholders had just about ex- hausted thelr resources and were casting about for purchasers to take the property off their hands. It was then that S. A. Wiley appeared out of the east. He w an experienced water works man, controll- ing plants at Athol, Mass., and Ottumwa, Ia. He had plenty of eastern capital at his beck and call, and the result was that the Americain Water Works company was organized with W. A. Underwood, pre dent; C. H. Venner, vice president, and S. A. Wiley, general manager. The two men first named are New Yorkers and that is where the money came from. A cash price was handed over to the old company and the stockholders came out of the deal with- out loss, but little or nothing gained. So the lines suggested in the Cook report and nting a schedule of prices which are in effect today. The right to the streets Is to exist as long as the company maintains and operates its water works. The capacity of the reservoir was stipulated at 9,000,000 gallons, water to certain helghts was re- quired to be spurted through a fire hose in various parts of town and there were other minor conditions, including the furnishing of water free in the public schools. The tariff named annual prices of $6 a year for & six-room dwelling house and 75 cents for each additional room. Meter rates run from 35 cents per 1,000 gallons to 15 cents, ac- cording to the quantity of water taken. Engines bave to be increased as the growth of the city requires, due mention of the hydrant rental contract is made and there is this memorable “section 14, which has aroused so much debate: “The city of Omaha shall have the right at any time after the expiration of twenty years to purchase the said water works at an ap- stringent had become their affairs that they held almost daily meetings and re fused to authorize the purchase of smi quantities of emergency material. With the coming of Wiléy an era of ex- pansion began that culminated in the con- struction and completion of the magnificent Minne-Lusa pumping station at Florence, six miles up the river, and other and im- portant enlargements of the works. Mr. A. B. Hunt, at present superintendent of the water works company and the incum- bent of that position ever since there was a superintendent, or September, 1851, says of Mr. Wiley: Wiley was a splendid water works man. While he did not have a technical educa- tion, he had the faculty of looking ahead and ‘sceing what was needed and providing for it. He spent great sume of money, but good purpose. He realized early 'that the "intake for the water supbly wad ‘tns pumping station must be located far above the city In order to escape the sewn orth Omaha. wh saw would soon be du in_the above the Burt street plant. He snd the other ofi- Try again for Health 1 cheerfull; ago T was so ill ing on it and I vomited frequently. and sore, and I had ne desire to live. and she went at once and bought a bottle. but after a two weeks trial 1 began to slowly improve and 1 took nineteen bottles in all and believe that it saved my life. Ci .:.rg Cri10AGO, TLL., 222 South Peoria Street, Oct. 7 1902. give an endorsement for Wine of Cardui for the sake of suffering women who may read these lines, Kht months at I was compelled to lie or sit down nearly all the time. My stomach was so weak and upset that [ could eep noth- T could not urinate without great pain and I coughed so much that my' throat and lungs wers raw The doctors pronounced it Bright's disease and others said it was consumption. It mattered little to me what they called it A sister visited me from St. Louis and asked me if | ever tried Wine of Cardui. 1 told her I had not 1 really felt no better the first week after using it and had little hope that it would help me, u:d hap lllon of this well-known woman when she *‘cheerfull, r able state when she cared little 'flh had the dread consumption or the fatal Bright's disease, havin desire to live, and you will get an ndequne idea of the benent Wine of Cudnl isto ln{ ‘woman who takes it as faithfully as 1 "Dunbar took it. Wine of Cardui often makes quick cures. In fact it is known as an instant relief at menstrual nflenn! and bu.nng down pains, but there are deep seated troubles that ® takes time to cure. Wine of Cardui does nol simply benumb the nerves by anaesthetic ction, but goes directly to the root of the trouble, building up the tissue hly eradicating disease. - u’l’;:’:‘cur,u m'u \:lnllne of Cardui effects are lasting becsuse this great woman's remedy does its work thor- oughly: We oonld bhl.h letters_telling of 1,500,000 strong minded women who wanted health and b-rt mthn \r reach they grasped it and their efforts were crowned with ou wonder then that | am gnlehll to Wme of ui when I owe that medicine so much 1 believe many women could uvo much suffering if they but knew of its value. Contrast the healthy "wrote this Il-uer and her when” Wine of Cs success. Dentyanmt Do not be an object of pity !+ lennof(hrdm and make the one supreme effort to be well, Ywdnnat wbelvuh helpless sufferer. You can nlvn-n-had and & woman's work in life. h mlbouhdw_dcmh-mr It . tnwhno nliolhu “WINE*CARDUI