Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, October 18, 1903, Page 24

Municipal League Banquet Served in a Sewer NE of the most unique affairs ever carried out in this country was that of the banquet given at Waterloo, la., Thursday evening, in which the guests of the city, the dclegates of the lowa League of Municipalities, in session there, were en- tertained The banquet was tendered the Bucsts in o sewer thirty feet beneath the surf of the ground and was attended by over 300 persons, The event was gotten up in honor of the Towa League of Municipalities mecting held in Waterloo The guests were the mayors and city officlals of the larger cities of Jowa. The Dry Run sewer, in which the banquet was given, is one of the largest pleces of municipal engineering ever under- taken in Jowa and was a thing of great interest to the city's visitors, who greatly enjoyed a visit to the sewer and the fine five-course banquet which was served to them in the sewer as in the finest banquet hall in the land The principal toast of the evening was given by Mayor “Golden Rule” Jones of Toledo, O. Mayor Jones spoke of the affair as the most unique he had ever seen, and spoke of the work on the Sewer as being one of the largest tasks he had ever seen undertaken, and thought the people of Waterloo must indeed be public-spirited in order to allow such an fmprovement for their city. Other speak- ers were Mr. Coughlin, representative of Mayor Harrison of Chicago, who found it fmpossible to be present, Governor Cum- mins of Towa, ex-Governor Boles, Attorney General Mullan of Towa ard the mayors of several important cities in Towa. The sewer in which the banquet was held is built of concrete, extends over 4,000 feet and drains a country and city where here- tofore annual floods have caused the loss of thousands of dollars worth of property. Thé sewer is now nearly half completed, but it will take the rest of this svason and & good part of next year to complete the work. The place at which the banquet was held is about the middle of this great under- ground water outlet, and at a place where DO sewage comes into it, and where all fs cleanliness at the present time. In the SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE DRY FEET AND 4,00 FEET LONG. interior of a chamber thirteen feet high by an equal number of feet wide the tables for the guests were spread. The pas- sageway was decorated with unique de- signs and the whole, with an orchestra room and reception room divided off from the banquet hall and kitchen, looked like a splendid mansion. The entrance of the sewer was lighted by hundreds of in- candescent lights and the long stairs that .led to the banquet hall when the lghts were on was a blaze of glory. Tables 5.0 feet long were get in the sewer. For years the west side of the city has suffered from annual ravages from the wicked Dry Run. This treacherous stre am, at most times a deep dry chann<l, afler heavy rainstorms goes upon a rampage over the residence and business districts of the city, doing great damage. For just as many years attempts have been made to di- vert the stream to one side or other of the city, but all attempts have failed and the unruly stream continued on in its wicked way. In the spring of 1880 a flood came where three persons lost their lives by the sudden rising of the st m. For some years the stream did not again 80 on any great rampage until the growth of Water- loo made residence and business property more and more valuable, and the people who owned ground along the banks of the creek gradually encroached upon the chan- nel of the sleeping stream until it was badly blocked. Many fine residenc ©s were erected along its brink, only in late years o be made undesirable because of the proximity to Dry Run. Each vear after the encroachment commenced the floods be- came more and more dangerous to life and property. The matter became a political issue on the west side of the river and councilmen could or could not be elected to office acording to the stand they took in the matter. Not after the 1880 floods did anything of extraordinary seriousness occur until in the spring of 1897, when the entire lower part of West Waterloo was flooded by the turbulent stream. In each succeeding year until 1902 floods came, growing greater cach year and bringing greater damage, In 1902 two floods came that were disas- trous, one on July 3 and the other on July 23. The losses from the floods of July of last year were figured at over 50,000, The city council took up the mat- ter and consulted some of the most proml- nent engineers in the country. It was shortly decided to build the mammoth sewer as the surest way to secure relief. After compilation it was figured that it would take a sewer 14 by 14 feet to carry away the flood water, and that over 4,000 feet of sewer would be necessary. In the fall of l2st year the contract was let to Willlam Horrabin of Iowa City for a sum that will amount to about $75,000 before the contract is completed. Work was commenced upon the sewer in the spring of this year and since the start from 100 to 150 men have been at work at the struc- ture, preparing the channel and con- structing the sewer proper. But one-half WEST FOURTH STREET, WATERLOO AT THE TIME OF THE DRY RUN FLOOD IN JULY, uN@&-THR la. WATER WAS THREE FEET DEEP OVER THE CENTHR OF THE STREET, RUN SEWER WHERE THE BANQUET WAS HELD.—THE SEWER IS 14x14 of the work is now completed. It is hoped that by July of next year the work will be completed and that the flooded district will have its wished for and much needed relief. he sewer runs from the edge of the ecity on the west slde through what is now the principal part of the west side and into the river, cutting off many blocks over which the old Dry Run formerly meandered on its course to the river, Advice Turned Down “‘Annoying, isn't it?"” said the long lean, cadaverous individual at the lunch coun- ter, speaking to the man sitting next to him, “What's annoying?"’ asked the other man. “The way your jaws crack every time Yyou open your mouth to take anything inte it. I know just how troublesome it is. I used to be—"" “I'm not particularly annoyed by it, sir, and I don’t se2 how it concerns you?" “Well, that only shows,” rejoined the cadaverous individual cheerfully, ‘‘that you've got uscd to it. It must have bothe ered you like thunder at first, you know. The idea of a man partially dislocating his Jaw every time he inserts a slab of bread and butter into his mouth—" ““Suppose you don't let it bother you any more."” ‘Oh, it doesn't now. I got over it long ago. That is what T was —"* “Bay, will you just—'" “Pardon me for laughing, but I couldn't help it. There goes your jaw again. It sounds louder to you than it does to any= body else, of course, but it's quite evident, even to—-—"' ‘““You'll have enough to do if you will just attend to your own business. I don't need any of your advice.” “I beg your pardon again, but you do. It's an easy matter to break yourself of—*" “When I want any information from you, sir, I'll let you know." “Why, good land, you are letting me know every time you—there you go again. I was going to say that if you will eat & little slower—" “Just mind your own business, will you?" “Certainly. You will find you can't stop the cracking by opening your mouth at a different angle. I tried that, too. It cracks all the same. The only thing to do is to g0 a little slower, and not open your jaw quite so wide. With a little patience—" “Darn your meddlesome hide, how many times do you have to be told—" “As a matter of fact, you don't have to do the alligator act in order to get In your work on a cut of pie. The blackberry ple of commerce is only three-quarters of an inch thick, and it doesn't need a two-inch opening to take it in. Now, then, sir, 1 have told you how to muffle that jaw of yours, and I don't care two straws whether you do it or not I felt it to be a sort of duty, but you don't seem to take it kindly, and if you like you can go on crac king and snapping vour way through the world, and be hanged to you. Rather nasty weather we're having now, isn't {to" Here the long, lean, cadaverous individual rose, leisurely walked to the cashler's desk, paid for hia luncheon, and went oufy serene In the consclousness that he had tried, at any rate, to benefit a fellow b‘n. ~—Chicago Tribune, P e -