The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-15
ISLANDS TO BE TAKEN OUT
River tie be Brought Back to
It's Old Channel
NORTH OF THE PARK
WaSteway at Dam Is to be
Widened Twenty Feet.

The park commissioners are determined
to stop the flooding OF Riverside park,
| and no expense viii be spared 10 accom-
contemplate the raising of the drive
along the river in North Riverside
park, the building of an embankment
east OF the Grienenstein bridge to pre-
vent the river backing up into the park,
the clearing out OF the channel by re-
moving the islands at the Grieffenstein
and Eleventh street bridges, straighten-
ing out the channel between Thirteenth
and Eleventh street and widening Of the
waterway at the Central avenue bridge
and the lengthening of that bridge.
These alterations and construction work
viii cost a considerable sum OF money
and VIII take a great deal of time. but
tho commissioners do not feel like spend
ing a large sum of money every year
and then have it destroyed by the high
water, and they will now adopt. the
plan OF building embankments and open
! ing the channel, and take the necessary
precautions TO prevent flooding and viii
improve the park after they are salts
fed that the improvements will be per-
manent and not liable to be washed
away every time there comes heavy
rain or two and the river raises three
or four feet
The first step toward the above men,
toned Improvements will be the raising
Of the driveway along the north bank
or the river from the GFieffenstein
bridge to Eleventh street. The level Of
the drive viii be raised two feet. The
earth necessary to thus raise the drive
will be taken from the islands below
the Grieffenstein and Eleventh street
bridges, and they will accomplish two
things at one time by doing this. They
VIII remove the two big distractions in
the channel and raise the drive at the
same time. The drive VIII be covered
with eighteen inches of dirt and then six
inches of crushed rock will be placed
to give it a good wearing surface.
East of the Griefenstein bridge there
is large area of low land and the
river overnows this and then the water
backs up into the park. \ heavy en-
5ankment VIII be thrown up along the
bank and enectually prevent this food
ing.
South of Thirteenth street there is a
big bend in the river and for many
years the river has been cutting its way
farther east until now its channel is
nearly goo feet farther east than it was
ten years ago. The park commission
ers believe that if the river was restored
to its old channel there would not be
so much danger from flooding, as the
river would be better able to carry off
the surplus water. When the driveway
is raised in the park the men and teams
win be put to work opening the old
channel and throwing up an embank-
ment to prevent the river from running
in the roundabout way through the new
one and also prevent the cutting away
J of the banks on the east side Of the
rivre The place of the old channel is
low land and worthless at present,
| Probably the biggest undertaking viii
/ be the widening of the wasteway at the
! Central avenue dam and the lengthen-
/ ing of The Central avenue bridge. This
wasteway is now twelve feet wide and
about twelve feet deep, and it carries
! off a large amount of surplus water. but
/ it has been found that it is too small
| to prevent flooding Of the South River
side park. This wasteway will be WI
dened twenty feet and viii also be cut
a little deeper.
The Central avenue bridge will have to
be heightened TO correspond with the
widening of the wasteway. so that the
abutments viii not interfere with the
I Cow OF the water.
The commissioners viii also ask the
water company to take its bis main of
the bridge and lay it on the bed OF the
river. This pipe is quite an obstruction
70 the bridge. and a number Of horses
have been badly frightened by it, and
the commissioners viii request the COM
pany to take its pipe of the bridge when
the bridge is heightened and the aitera-
lions made necessary By this change are
made.