The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-23
MR.. LOVES DISCOVERY.
An Underground River Which May Be of
Value-A Revelation to the Council.

"The Council will now please give attention
to some things of strong contemporaneous in
terest that BEr. Love wants to say" remarked
the presiding officer of the Common Council
last night after the regular order of businass had
been disposed of. There was subdued laugh,
and the members of that august body winked
energetically as they settled in their seats in
expectation of a few moments fun.
Simultaneous with the presiding officers in
troductory announcement, Mr.. Samuel Love
arose from corner of the Council chamber
where he had been patiently sitting, and, as he
Strengthened into an erect posture, he raised
FROM concealment most capaeious carpet bag,
dozen or more volumes of appalling thickness,
and bundle, in size and appearance, suggestive
of folded circus tent. The outfit comprised the
illustrative accessories to what Mr.. Love desired
to say. The volumes of reference were piled up on
the reporters table. One bundle of folded. maps
was deposited on the floor, and the speaker took
position in the midst of these Notifications. 1t
seemed altogether probable that the fun would
last until after Christmas Appalled, at the
prospect OF the continuous extent of the amuse-
ment, the members of the Council arose in a
body and begged to be excused.
MY children are expecting me to spend
Christmas with them" pleaded Councilman
Newcomb, "and 1 should like very much to be
excused, Mr.. President"
II cannot remain until adjournment l have
case TO try next week, and hope you will ex-
cuse me, Mr.. President" plaintively begged
Councilman Spahr 1T is imperatively neces-
sary that should be excused, Mr. President
| must start East on business the first of next
year" argued Councilman Gallahue,
81 have promised to deliver grafton ON
George Washingtons birthday, and it will be a
disappointment If fail. l hope you will excuse
me- Mr. President" pleaded DR.. Edenharter
II want to attend Cleveland's inauguration
and l trust you will excuse me, Mr.. President,
begged Councilman Haugh.
But the president sternly refused to excuse a
single member and Mr.. Samuel Love began the
explanation of his theory of the existence of q
subterranean river which he claims to
have discovered running under indianapolis.
Discovery is nothing new to Mr.. Love. He
once conceived the idea of making aerial explo-
rations. and invented flying machine, the as
centive power of which was explosive at
tachment something like a sky-rocket. After
VIGOROUS coersive persuasions a son was induced
| to make trial "trip in the machine on what prom
ised to be sure course to heaven. When the sky
rocket exploded the boy and the flying machine
were fred thirty feet into the air as if shot from
a gun. They came down with the same sudden
ness that they went up, but III sections. MIR.
Love has since turned his scientific explorations
in the other direction, and he has made equally
as astounding discoveries. He has found a sub
terranean river, which runs, he
claims, from the lake on the northern
shore of Indiana down through the
State by a winding course to the Ohio river,
somewhere near New ALBANY. 1t passes under
the northeastern section of indianapolis, along
the course of Pogues run Mr.. Love read
two or three hundred pages, from books OF
authority, to prove his discovery to the mem bers
Of the Council. His works of reference en-
bfaeed a variety, including ecclesiastical history,
geographical textbooks, geological and ag-
ricultural reports, and all the stand
ard almanacs. The explanation and elucida-
ton of the discovery involved the exhi-
bition of a variety of cheese cloth maps
| to which fighting bull might have taken ex-
ceptions on general grounds. The purpose of
| Mr.. Loves explanation of his discovery to the
| Council was to do the city a great benefit by
! opening excavations from Pogue's run into this
subtarranean streams, which he was quite sure
was the ancient White river, and prevent fu-
ture overhows of the troublesome little ditch
! by giving the water an outlet through
the underground channel He estimated that
! this could be done at little expense. He wanted
| $1,000 to show how it could be done. If the
| Council allowed him to withdraw his plans, and
refused to Immediately adopt his scheme, he
| would not give them the benefit of his discovery
| for less than $4,000. He would do the work
! himself for 500, 900.
| Councilman Pearson thought that Mr. Love
| had really made great discovery. He told a
| picturesque story of how he had opened well
| in the north part of the city under a mill, and
when the auger had broken through the lime
stone, how it had been forced through the roof
by the water which spurted up and filled the en-
tire building to depth of ten feet The
| Council reluctantly consented to allow
Mr.. Love to withdraw his plans, but the books
of reference and maps of illustration cannot be
withdrawn without the use of dray The dis
coverer's lecture was brought to an unfinished
close, and further consideration of the beauties
of his scheme and proposition was indefinitely
postponed.