Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-23

and below the dykes. From Myrtle
street to the bridge, distance Of l.
400 feet, the bank is brought to high
water line and reverted the same as
in plan No. L.
Third plan. To riprap bank from
trestle of Wabash railroad to point to
join old riprap, about 500 feet. To fill
gaps in old riprap as far down as Myr-
tie street. From Myrtle street to the
bridge to build revetment and levee
as shown in plan No. L. To supplement
this by throwing out twenty stone
dykes built to height of four feet
above present low water mark, to be
constructed of willow fascines and
stone in alternate layers of one foot
each, to be twenty feet wide at the
bottom and eight feet wide at the top,
to vary from twenty to sixty feet in
length, to be placed at right angles
low River street to be removed This
may require new revetment evelitu-
ally above Myrtle street.
Recommendations in view of the
difficulties in. the way and the ntmer.
Gus and varying suggestions made by
residents and property owners and al
SO by engineers, | have consulted, it
was thought best to visit points on the
| mississippi river where similar work
is under way, also to interview the
United States engineer at Rock Island.
Il therefore submitted surveys, pro-
| files and plans to Major Mackenzie,
corps of engineers, U. S. A.. who has
been in charge of the improvements
of the Mississippi river for fifteen
years, and who is also member of
the MISSOURI river commission (the
Missouri river being the most difficult
stream in the world to control). From
hints and suggestions by him am led
to believe that plan No. / is the most
feasible and will give you the best re-
suits. Through. the courtesy of Major
Mackenzis was enabled to visit work
in progress on the Mississippi river.
THE writer has seen miles of bank
protection on the Mississippi and Mis-
SQUIRT rivers and watched the same
building; also consulted reports Of the
results obtained upon these rivers. as
we'll as upon many other rivers of the
United States and, with few exceptions
the revetment plan (No. IL is the most
generally adopted. The training dykes
in plan No. 2, may be used with sue
cess. but where town lots are concern
ed there would have to be more or
less revetment, constructed even with
dykes, besides il the river is thrown
back even towards its channel it might
cause much litigation.
From Myrtle street to the bridge.
a distance of ] 400 feet, where the bank
| is below high-wate: some four to sew
en- feet, unless the bank is raised the
dykes would be fianked by the first
high-water; ii the bank is raised it
must be revetted of the dykes extended
to the dump.
in plan No. the only difficulty
would be that the old riprap that ex-
lists above Myrtle street is poorly CON
structed and is now much damaged
and would eventually have to be re-
built. Above Myrtle street the bank
can be permanently held below Myrtle
street it will require strong work and
much attention during floods. The
bridge ought to have been extended
south two spans when built; then the
| protection would have been more sim
pie and much easier carried out.
| Which report was submitted to the
city council.
The city council adopted the recon-
mendations set forth in the report and
the engineer was instructed to stake
out the right of way required, and the
4 work was ordered begun whenever
owners had granted the right of way
without expense to the city. About
S5 per cent of the owners granted the
right of way at once. but Is per cent,
4 true to human nature, have refused.
and the very ones who have lost the
most land and are likely to soon lose
the balance. they want the city to pay
for the privilege of saving their lots.
You will notice that the protection to
property is only incidental; the
bridge and roadway being the chief
reason for the action of the city couii-
Gil.
by reference to the diagram No. 1
lit will be seen that the bridge is pc
culiarly located as to the direction of
| the current !"