The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1901-10-24
To the Honorable Mayor and Coun-
ell. Gentlemen:


Since the new administration came in
TO power some considerable improve
ments have been and are being made in
The streets which is commendable even
though mistlireeted.
1t has brought before the public more
prominently than heretofore. the ques-
ton, What shall be done with the sur
plus water that flows down our streets in
such large volume during periods of
heavy rainfans', The inhabitants who
live on the high land ridges, rs well
as those owning busine IS property insist
that .-turn waters shall be made at
proper intervals on streets running north
and south. hat will divert this surplus
water into the iasines; while the people
living in the rayincs and near by them
demand that the water in those streets
shall flow down these streets to the bot
tom and getzfo the river The best way it
eau This policy has been purs ued by
previous city administrations, which has
resulted in making broad deep cutters,
impossible in many places on such streets,
destroyed the shade trees planted along
the Sidewalk, flooded the business part of
Town, filling the cellars and destroying
the roads tirat the gatters were made tc
improve, TINS requiring greater expen-
diture On the part of the city.
IL Is COntended Dy tnOSe living III LDc
valleys, that to pursue the policy of turn
ing the water into the ravines will injure
and destroy their property. 1t is quite
impossible to satisfy everybody and it
makes this question a difficult one for
solution by the city administration. And
the complaints, objections and threats
made to the street commissioner by The
property owners where the work is be
ing done ander the present policy of
street Improvement. makes his life mis-
erable. In the Judgement of the writer
the proper solution of this problem is to
act strictly III accordance with law. which.
as applied to this subject is as follows:
.sNo person, company. corporation. pri
vate public, can divert water frcm its
natural course, to the detrimeut of one
person for the benefit of another, under
any circumstances, and cannot divert the
flow of water for the use OF the public
where such diversion results in in jury to
any person or persons, his or there prop
erty. without proper compensation there
| for.''
| When a person buys piece of proper
/ ty, he buys it with the DurdeLs imposed
upon it by nature. To illustrate: The
| people owning property in the valleys
are legitimitely burdened with the vol
ume of water that would flow over their
water sheds that would naturally flow
there If there were no streets or improve
| ments around them, but with no more.
Where the city forces water to run down
| IA street in the town, when il would flow
! into the rasines if there WAS no street
there. then the city is diverting the wa
ter and using the property of one for the
| benefit of another.
East of the Court house nearly a block
IL.
| 1t has its source at point where the al
ley divides the block in which DIR. q. A
Milton lives. That ravine or draw should
naturally receive aud drain off what
water would fall on the two blocks south
of the 2nd Ward school house and the
water sheds Betveen Railroad Avenue
/ and Avenue a. That Is, nature imposed
| that burden on this ravine, but, What are
/ the facts? The water from the hill above
the standpipe flows down Railroad Ave
nue. to the Catholic church and is then
diverted into this ravine. thereby com
! peliing this ravine to carry the burden of
water three or four times greater than
nature intended it should carry. If this
surplus water with which this draw is
| burdened was not diverted from its nat
/ uraI course, part of it would flow into
/ the draw east of this one and part into
| the draw west of this one. That is, the
properly of this small draw is made TO
bear part of the burdens that nature
imposed upon the property in the other
two draws, while the property along
Railroad Avenue to the point of diversion
and the Inhabitants there along, are COM
PEELED to submit to having their street
flooded, the Inconvenience of deep draiu
and the destruction of shade trees they
have planted aIong their walks in order
| that those who purchased cheap lots in
rayines for homes may be benefited
The author of this letter, Jointly with B.
F. MiIton own n half block in the small
draw before mentioned and speaking in
his own behalf, declares his willingness
for that half block to convey the natural