Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-11-29
For the Burlington Hawk Eye.
H0Wk-Eye Creek.


Hawk-Eye Creek.
Mccarthy Of making It .sraight.-Hs fea.ibilfy.-ln.
creased value Of property sohich rould be impaired
to the 'ohoIe BAILEY BY it, improvement.-Plank Road
ETC., etc.
MEssRs EDIToRs:-The improvement Of this
troublesome little stream, although it has slumber-
ed for some months has lost none ofts importance,
or oflts interest," The floods of the last few months
must have convinced every body, who will look at
its banks, that something ought to be done, to pro-
tect the owners of property from injury. 1t must
also produce the conviction that individual and un-
connected efforts to confne it, are worse than use.
less. How could it be otherwise2 The great trou-
bic now is, that it is as crooked Spoon River and
1t must be apparent, that an embankment or piling
on one side will throw the current the opposite
side below it, and thus make the channel tenfold
more crooked, than it was before. The diagrams-
herewith sent you, shows the devious course 1t
takes to reach the River, and also, in my judgment,
the only feasible and practicable plan of improve.
ment Thisis, as you see, the laying out Of street
so feet wide, extending from opposite schenck 4
Denise's Pork House, at the intersection of
Washington and Boundary Streets, in straight line
to the River, at or the intersection of Division
Street and Water. Along the middle of this street,
the creek should be conducted to the river. The
sides should, of course, be strongly piled and en-
bankments thrown up, where needed, so as to sus-
tain the Piing. The channel FOR the creek, ifmade
straight, need not be than feet, which would
leave a roadway on each side of ls feet and side
walk Of should it be thought best to make the
channel broader, the side walks could be reduced
to 8 feet. s..s..
But by what authority can this be done2 Tn
questonably by that Of the city government, and it,
az presume is the case, the act Of incorporation
will not permit the opening and closing Of streets,
without consent of owners, an amendatory act can
be obtained at the next session Of the legislature
and in the mean time, as heard suggested, the
Board Of Aldermen can locate and mark out the
street, and then all persons can know where it
would run, and improve, when they wish to do so,
up to 1t. This would serve to concentrate public
opinion upon it, and would go great way in con-
ciiiating many, who now oppose the improvement.
1t would afford the Plank Road Company such easy
to the centre Of town and to the River that
doubt not they would gladly adopt it, and assis. in
its Improvement. 1t would be, to them, the cheap
it, it would be straight, and therefore the short
aat sn"te- and there would be no great inequai.
ties OF surface to suEmouns. sr...,y
increase the value OF property along its routes that
owners could afford to surrender one half to get the
other improved and secured. Rut do not con-
template compulsory surrender Of a single foot
all who demand it should be amply remunerated
and this too could be done, without imposing any
burthen on the already exhausted resources Of the
city, by closing up some portions of Streets which
could be converted into lots fronting on the new
street-and using them as compensating fund to
those who are really injured. BY looking at the
diagram, it is easy to see that much can be taken
from streets, which are useless, as would be con-
sumed by this new street. And then again, res
pectable fund could be raised by the contributions
Of those who would be relieved from the neighbor-
hood Of the present crooked channel to go great
way in compromising those, whose property might
be injured. The great matter is to locate the creek.
Then every body could know what they had to de-.
pend on, and means would speedily be found to Sc
cure the right Of way and make the improvement
contemplated. For one, am willing to surrender
to the City without conpens ation, half lot, which
lies in the corner Of this contemplated improve
ment, provided the creek is rigidly confined to the
new channel, and provided further, that one side of
the street be rendered to the Plank Road Company.
This improvement must be made some day !; the
sooner the better. Every part Of Burlington is i'm
proving rapidly, except the valley of Hawk-Eye.-
Here nobody is willing to expend money, because
OF the insecurity of the creek. Is this blot upon
the prosperity Of our city to be much longer endur-
edP It cannot, 1t should not be. Confne the stream
make street. which can be occupied by the
Plank Road-and in one year from this date, we
will be relieved in a great measure, from the dis
gushing and unheslthful low grounds of Hawk Eye
creek. Then resident in the valley can sleep
quietly Of stormy night, without apprehending the
of his house, and the destruction of
his family or Of his fortune.
This subject has been presented, because it is |
one which cannot be much longer shunned-and
my object is to make the People, who are most in
erested, think and talk about it, until their minds
settle on some plan most feasible and least obnox
Gus 10 objections. A CITIZEN.
eve could aot. without considerable inconven-
ence, obtain an engraving Of the diagram. 1t can
,e a: our office. 4 walk from Boundary street
o the mouth of tho creek, would, however, give
letter view OF the proposed improvement than any
ttempt at illustrating it on paper could do.-IED.
New YoRK JUDGES TO the
New York Tribune, the Supreme Court
II u