The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-21
MAY COST Sl,4OO.OO
LeveeS to Be Built from 18th
Street to Central Avenue.
DAM WILL BE WlDENED
Three Paving Petitions Were
Presented to Council.
DAM WILL BE WIDENED

According to the rough estimates fur
nished by the city engineer, the building
of the Ievees along the banks of TIT
Arkansas river from Central avenue t
Thirteenth street, and the necessar!
changes will cost in the neighborhood o.
$4,000. 1t is believed that the cost vii
be lower than this by the use of ny
6rauIic pumps in taking the sand from
the river bed instead of hauling it,
The drive in South Riverside park, along
the river. will be raised width of forty
feet to the Woodman hSidge. East OF
the Woodman bridge, along the south
bank of the river the levee will be thirty
feet wide. West of the Woodman bridge
along the north bank Of the river to the
high ground west Of the street railway
tracks, the levee VIII be fifteen feet wide.
East of the Greiffenstein bridge Ninth
Etreet is to be raised 10 the high ground
east and the levee is to be built from
Eleventh street to Thirteenth street,
along the south bank of the river. This
will necessitate the removal of 5000
cubic yards of earth az the estimated
stated that he believed this estimate
could be cut in two by using pump.
The two sharp bends in the river at
Jefferson and Carlos avenues will have
90 be protected by cribs and rip-rapping.
The Greifenstein bridge is TO be raised
and heightened and the Central avenue
bridge heightened sixty feet The dam is
10 be widened fifty feet and repaired with
new and larger sluiceways. which the
city engineer estimates Will cost about
$1,000
The city has purchased the low land
along the south bank of the river west
of Greiffenstein bridge. This property
extends LOO feet west along the river
10 the high ground near the Davidson
residence. The trees and underbrush will
be cut away, widening and opening the
channel.
sIr. Kietsted. the civil engineer who is
making plsns for the storm water sewer,
went over the ground and also made a
report in which he stated that the levees
were absolutely necessary, as the natural
channel of che river had been encroached
upon until the river did not have enough
room to carry its flood waters. Wichita
people know this very well from this
springs experience. and had it not been
for some rapid and thorough work on
the part of the city officials, good share
OF the town would have been flooded.
a r4monstrance, signed by some of the
property owners living along the river,
between the Woodman bridge and Pine
street was presented in which they OBJ
5ected TO the condemnation of the thirty
feet along the river. One of the petitions
presented stated that the demonstrators
wanted the levee built, but they did not
want the city to own it or use it for a
drive. Mr.. Davidson stated that the ex-
periezce Of other cities had shown that
Ievees built on private property to which
worlIpnen did not have free access and
which were not constantly under the care
of the city, were allowed TO deteriorate
and were not effectual. The petition was
referred to the committee having this
work in hand.
The weghmaster of the St Francis
avenue scales has been bothered with
pesky little flies which come into his
house, roost on the scale beams. get
tangled in the machinery and are other
=.
asked the council TO place screens on
the windows and furnish screen door
which the council obligingIy ordered done
forthwith.
For some time there has been complaint
of owners Of private scales weighing
stuff for the public and charging cents
per load for it. This is strictly against
the letter of the ordinance providing for
public scales maintained at the citys
expense, and the council instructed the
paving and scales committee to see that
the ordinance was enforced
The dozen sidewalk petitions which were
presented two weeks ago and referred to
the public improvements committee. were
brought up and Mr.. Davidson stated that
the committee had investigated some OF
the walks. but were not ready to report.
and asked for further time
Three petitions for paving streets and
alleys We're presented and referred to
the public improvements committee.
The property owners want Water street
paved with asphalt from Douglas avenue
10 First street. The street is to be 20
feet wide between clirbs. with the regular
paving as specified by the city engineer
y petition asks that the alley between
Wichita and Water street. ffom Douglas
20 First. be paved with vitrified brick
twenty feet wide.
Another petition asks that the alley
between First street. and Douglas ave
nue., from Water 10 Wichita streets. be
paved with either vitrihed brick or
cobble stones As the petitioners had
left a blank for the maximum cost per
yard for the paving. the council could not
act, and referred the petition TO the com
mittee 60 investigate how much the prop
erty owners wanted TO pay for the pave
ment.
Mr.. Mckee stated that the West Side
merchants had been kicking on the