Evening journal., 1902-03-11
WANT RETAINING WALL
BUILT TO STOP FLOODING
Residents Over Eleventh Street Bridge Will
Send Petition TO the Street and
Sewer Department
HOUSES ARE KEPT DAMP;
CELLARS FULL OF WATER

become stagnant. The lots were al
lowed 10 remain unnoticed and that
Is all the good the petitions did. IL
doesn't affect me as much as Il does
many other people living over here.
but | feel sorry for them and would
Ike To see some steps taken to put an
END to- the floods. Ii rs n yearly affair
and every storm that comes helps TO
make the banks more shallow and
weaker"
Water in Her Paror
Mrs. Rebecca Fincher. OF No. 1909
East Fourteenth street. SAYS she has
lived In the neighborhood for more
than twenty-six years. She says. Il
never saw so bad a food as the last
one Everyone seems to get worse
land this time came into my parlor to
In depth of fourteen inches, and IL
had not had the furniture moved up-
Stairs before the water came I'm the
door. IL would have been ruined The
wall paper on all the rooms show how
| high the water was, as it faded the
paper In every room on the first 1oOr
/ have had the water pumped out OF
Tine cellar several times, but Il leaves
IL mess OF sticky, yellow mud.
never was in favor of signing any pc
Itition. but ! am ready and anxious to
do so now"
Two frame houses. Nos. Ills and
lll7 East Fourteenth street. and
brick building on the opposite side of
the street show the effects Of the in
undation are than any other Tho
front wall Of the brick house has fall
len in as far up as the second story
land from there to the roof the bricks
are hanging menace to pedestrians.
llt Will require only a slight Jar to send
them tumbllng down.
Kingswood Church Threatened
The most serious damage is vet
threatened, and II some metlhod
cannot be devised 10 keep the
water out Of the cellars OF Kingswood
M. p. Church. that structure stands a
lchance of being broken I'm half.
"The cellar Of the church" said w.
Nv. Harris. president OF the board of
trustees. only extends part way under
The building and this part rests on
brick piers. The remainder OF the
building is on clay bank and the
water In the cellar washing against
this all the time is causing il to sink.
llt we are not able 10 keep the water
lout, all OF the weight will be brought
on the piers and the building will break
right in half Last Sunday we had five
feet of water pumped out. on Tuesday
two feet and there is still fifteen inches
I'm there Where the water comes from
we don't know. but as fast as we pump
llt out. it seems to come back. The
dampness has caused the plaster TO fall
ION In several places IN the church and
hallway Some step is necessary to
prevent this yearly flooding"
The matter already has been laid
before the Street and Sewer Depart
ment and it Is hoped that they will
take some action on IL. It will be-
necessary TO build The wall from FIev-
lenth street TO the Lea mills and about
ten feet high The property along the
.atream then viii have to be filled In
10 bring it to the street level This
samo property at the present time
Is badly washed and the mud from h
iis being carried constantly ont into
the Christiana. on which so much
money has just been expended for
dredging.