Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-09
Straighten the River From Dam to
Market Street. q
WILL PETITION CITY COUNCIL
Resolutions Ordered Prepared BY
Citizens Mass Meeting Will Be Pre-
scented to Council at Next Meeting
PLANS Suggested by Josiah Myers.
From Saturdays Daily.

d
In view of the great damage done
3 by the recent flood and it's promi-
hence as a topic of conversation where
ever two or three get together of
I various plans and schemes for the
future, the opinion of one OF the old
prevention of like disaster in the
est river men in the country will not
only be interesting but valuable
Josiah Myers has lived in this county
for fifty years. During the early part
OF this time he was actively engaged
IN river transportation and he knows
the Des Moines river as perhaps no
one else knows it. The plan suggested
by him is the practical and natural
solution of the problem.
Josiah Myers Gives Plan.
Mr. Myers communication is as fol-
lows:
Editor Courier-Our recent flood was
much more disastrous to property than
was the food of May and June, 1851. The
only reason for this was the greater
growth of the city and the accumulation
of 52 years of industry.
AT the recent citizens meeting held at
the Fry opera house on the South Side,
the opinion generally expressed was that
the river must be made straight from
Turkey island to the mouth of Sugar
creek, that the river must be opened up
and made ut least two hundred feet
wider, and that two additional spans
must be added to the south end of the
Market sweet bridge.
The reason for going so far down the
river is that there we strike swift water
over limestone bottom and that it short
ems the distance from Turkey island to
Sugar creek. 1t is four miles on direct
3 line but to follQw the bends Of the river
1t Is twice that distance. Giving the same
fall in half Of the distance it is plain 10
everyone why the water in West and
South Ottunwa will move more rapidly
out of the way than it does now.
The relation of the Market street
bridge to the current Of the water as 1t
strikes the pillars is not reasonable aud is
Sle least PHI osophcal piece Of engineer
Ing in this whole county. If vonr county
bi.6gt builder should be PIT up / Lrfdga
uGl'eue to the current of the s,1enm you
woilld Mt once say he was incompetent and
send him away.
TO relieve the situa.fon, therefore, for
North and South 0ttlnYa strnigaten the
river Your resources lie in Rock Bluff.
you want stsnr and dirt. You .lon'l wanL
said.
.Glganize n COMPANY Every ',,rsnr
owning land. n town ior or strips nf land
along the river or mn acre of property in
thr ilnotira ,li>iiift sl,,.ll lake stock.
There shonll he f,',ln Sl,D.n;9 Ii Si3o coo
worth OF steek ,;,i.',d IN this security
si,nrilDw money IN ols tine and go TO
w,ib,
ii you wnAt to lrL IN the banks If
tie river for inc convenience If me " a.
ter aEd thr sewerage Ally then r.u INST
tri. ~ Improve the situlii,n. Otherwise.
Won lad Letter m1ve back N the hills
Ri, thegrntlusiasn FOR ininrDvnment viii
srhsitle as the water goes down and the
lseple VIII be very thunkfu, that 1t Is no
Morse.
;'1'his Improvement shunll lie made by
a stUtk company. Ii tle rity should MI
dcItake it.. it will be lone in y superb
cid manner and left in an Unsafe rundl-
tion Josiah Myers
Petition Council.
n At the citizens mass meeting held in
Fryts hall, last Thursday evening, j. A.
Ballard secretary of the meeting, was
Instructed to prepare resolutions to be
presented to the city council Of Ottum-
wa. The report of tho meeting, synop-
sis Of which was given in the Courier
of yesterday, together with the resolu-
tions which have been prepared will be
presented to the council ut its next regu-
lar meeting.
The resolutions are as follows:
BE it resolved, BY a mass meeting Of
the tax payers ard voters Of the city Of
Ottumwa, assembled at Fry's opera house,
that 1t is the sense Of this meeting that,
If practicable way can be found to do
so, the channel of the Des Moines river
should be Strengthened from point near
the dam to Market street, across Central
addition, SO as to safeguard the property
and lives of our people against the con-
tingencies Of food.
Resolved, Further, that the chairman
of the meeting is authorized to appoint
committee to present these resolutions
to the city council of the city Of Ottum-
wa, with the recommendations that the
council should employ an expert in n.y.
drauiic engineering, to make thorough in
yestigation and report to the councik and
the practicability ana probable expense
Of such an improvement"