Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-09-02
THE pEAp HOG RACKET.

A gentleman of reliability says more than
fifth hogs can be seen in Little river in the
space of one mile above the water works.
When il is known that these hogs died OF
cholera and that the city is supplied In part
from water from the open river the above
statement is very alarming. This statement
was made publicly in the streets last night.
Daily EAGLE Of Sept 1st.
Mr.. Editor: The above il fair sample
OF local items which have appeared in your
paper from time to time all summer. The
first one that appeared was to the effect that
forty dead hogs had been thrown into the
Little Arkansas river at Valley Center. The
next day the fact was developed that none
had been thrown in but that the entire forty
had been burned. Notwithstanding the
fact that our engineer, Mr.. J. r. Myers,
(who is constantly employed within fifty
feet of the banks OF the river and who prob
ably sees its channel cftener than any man
in the county, has never seen single dead
hog in the river, yet, when we read the
above information, coming direct from
'reliable gentleman" We concluded to in
vestigate the matter. Procuring boat and
an assistant We made our way this morning
up the middle of the river for a distance OF
over one mile. In that distance, instead OF
finding fifty dead hogs"-the victims OF
"cholera"-we found not single dead hog
nor any other dead animal whatever. We
returned with the conviction that the So
called reliable gentleman" should here
after be designated with decided emphasis
on the second syllable of the adjective. We
presume much Of your information during
the summer has come from the same source,
and, as you have discovered that the party
has lied before, you now come to designate
his continued efforts to enlighten you, as
..re-lie-able"
In this connection we will say that just
after the appearance of a similar item to the
above, Councilman Healy, with true in
terest in the affairs of the city, traversed the
Little river to a point considerably above
the bridge, without finding any sign OF a
dead hog or or other animal in the river,
and returned with the same opinion of the
informant as ourselves.
These continued filings at the purity of the
river water operate to drive people from its
use for domestic purposes, and to resort to
the use of that obtained from the sewerage
polluted wells Of the city, which Is far more
impure and deleterious, than would the river
water be, if it were true that fifty dead hogs
floated down past the works every day. A
chemical analyses will prove this. We do
not think the water should be made tar
get for all the sings and arrows of every
disgruntled and malicious fellow who
wishes to vent his spleen. The company
have put eighty or ninety thousand dollars
of good money into the enterprise; they
have spent all their earnings in adding i'm
provements. They have complied TO the
letter with all their obligations TO the city,
as contained in the ordinance granting their
franchise. In view of these facts we think
it unfair for a great and liberal spirited pa
per ike the EAGLE, a paper that claims to
be the especial friend and champion of all
great public enterprises to lend its columns
to the circulation of every idle rumor that is
calculated to do us damage. Would it not
be more just and reasonable to unite with
us in asking the city council TO exercise
their prerocatiyc for our protection and to
pass an ordinance with appropriate penalty
prohibiting the pollution of the waters OF
the Little river within five miles of the city
and providing for police system along IFS
hanks that would secure its enforcement
B. b. EGGLEsToN,