, 1873-02-21

VVAA NAo ~ DEBlu
wAa LOCATED At suAwaEETowN,
tho Intention boing TINT tic other en1 waa to bo
located at Alton. Work ,wnB begun on the road
In 1893. unaer tho auspices of tho State. And
now TO explain tho rosnl!. pack Of tho town,
' g ds,'n sna daSs Sag fF'at e. ths to pxs s fy' i
croot,," which recolvoa wator from tho
aurroandng hills; Before tho grading Of Tho
eldo # the ridge. into "s!oos' Fond, a md thonoo
into tho Saline Rivor, which omptioB into tho
Ohio fniles below Hhawncetown." Wlsilc grad
Ing tho roadt the engineers cut through tho ridge
aud lot tho watora Of tho creek
INTO THE TOWN.
within 750 feot OF tho Ohio. To carry OF I'll :,
accumulated wntor, tho State built a c,lfyort md
sewer to tho .rfycr, and, M shawnootown now
s,eges agreed to leop tin ropa,r for III tio
ssy h'gs ustss se's oas m' 9oSsl a,gsgi s
sandy soil, widoned, aud dooponod until now
tributary to tho Ohio, in nomo places 40 foot
doop aud 200 wido, whs flowing
THROUGH THE HTnrETs
Of shawneotoWn, or rather in tho place whore tho
after nome milcs Ind boon graded, and slawnoo-
town had for its share Of tile Intornnl Improve
ment appropriation big ditch TINT ato away tho
real ostGte oft town with voracity TINT soolnod
inaatlablo. It is clainlol that 16,0OO foot Of
stfeets hayo boon vanhod awny. bosidcs n,rmcr-
s Gus lots rendod valuoloss. No particular effort
control the water, though Tho work Of destruc-
ton must have been tho worls Of years. Now
tho city petitions tho Legislature
Justly duo sa af9 g3R 3ad 2d2 9Go 9o a,+ =, ,,o,,
for tho damages actually sustained by uaid citY
in tho construction OF aaid ditch and the diyof-
SION OF the waterH from their natural channel BY
tho state Of Illinois, in oraer to enable said city
TO- TO repair the damage already done, and to
and thereby SECURE our city from further great
injury, auel, is tho Language Of the memorial
Ihs 3Gn9 claim ATM i urged alao On tic ground that in
ttaScs leyiod Oh tho property within tho corpora
ton to the city for the period Of twenty years.
Up to 1850 the sum OF $4,000 was roalizod, and
In 1860 and 70 tho anlouas 7onlized was l,alf as
much rs in tue previous seven years. Encour-
aged by tho increase, eua by tho completion Of
two limos Of railroad. the city lot contract for
building the
"uprEn AND LOWER" LEvEEs,
a.! and issued bonds to the amount Of $4,000.
Ill TS ha 1as s u sat t. g. os w
needed. The snpromo Court cut OF tho sourco
Of revenue in 1860, by declaring the act Of 1861
unconstitntional. Now tho memorialiHts plead
their inability to meet their Indebtedness, thor
desire to improve their city, and tho justice Of
the claim agafnst the stato.
THE TOWN IS IMPROVING;
It has beon reused from its lethargy; and TN
aoubtedly its future will be brighton and busier
than Its pGat. Whnt tho Legislature
will do romans to be seen, and Will
depend to Bonlo o1tont upon the report Of q. Spe-
cia1 Committee sent to Investigate tho ditch and
tho claim. There is no record Of agreements be-
tween tho State md the city extant, tho city
claiming they wero lost sono years ago.
Having got through with ShawneetoWn, those
books might bc takon up again, aud =,
INTERESTING EXTRACTS MADE;
but this ID not history OF Illinois. Enough has
been given to Indicate the character OF tho boos
and manuscripts, which should not be overlooked
by the historian of Illinois, whenever ho ap-
pears. SUI.