The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-05
WyandOtte County Worrying
Over Blocking of the Kaw.
Claim Railroads Are Running
the River Channel.
WANT TO DO SOMETHING
Will Send for Congressman
Burton of Ohio.
Think He May Be Able to Get
Washington Interested.

Kansas City Kan, Aug. 5.-Mayor
Nef, H. c. Moss, General H. F. Devol,
Colonel John F. Richards. F. NJ. Glen
dening, S. H. Perkins, ]. r. Quarles
Reed, of AImourdale; S. S. Kirby, of
Armourdale; Alderman Rolla Spalding,
c. d. Parker, E. I. Farnsworth. of the
board of public works. H ]. Latshaw,
Z. NJ. Purdue, and Alderman Bayliss
Steele met yesterday to discuss ways
and means for widening the Kaw river
and removing distractions the net
result of the discussion was that Con-
gresham Burton, of Ohio, was invited
to come here and the committee was in
structed to go over Kansas City, Kan.
No one present could suggest a prac-
teal scheme for averting flood disas-
tiers.
Mayor Neff said that after one has
seen the New Orleans levees he under
stands in a minute the way to solve
this trouble in the west bottoms, but as
soon as he reflects that the KaW is in
Kansas and that this city, if it raised
the money TO build the levees, could not
build them-he realizes how useless the
scheme is.
IF we go to Kansas City, Kan" OBJ
served the mayor, 1.-THE council says it
cannot afford to make the necessary
improvements.
Mr. Kirby, of Argentine, said that the
Santa Fe railroad had stolen enough
river front to build five tracks on, and
pointed out that today it is to be haul
ed into court to show cause why ii
should not be prevented from building
out seventy-five feet into the bed of
the Kaw. He said it was useless to ask
Kansas City. Kan, councilmen to do
anything.
Mr.. Parker said Kansas City, Kan,
ought to compel the railroads to re-
move the wrecked bridges from the
I<aw at least, so the river could scour.
II
Kan. ought first to remove its own
wrecks. Mr.. Farnsworth said that
whereas the first bridge the Union Pa
cific threw across the Kaw was $50 feet
in length since then the river had been
SO patched that 300 feet was enough for
the Rock Island structure General
Devol said that sort of thing ought to
be stopped.
sOf course it should conceded
FarnswOrtn, land it might interest you
to know that when you were raising
money not long ago and sending a
committee to Washington to induce the
government to come here and do some
thing with the Kaw, there was a party
at the foot of Ohio street building
seventy-five feet out into the river.
They are at it right now, too"
Judge Moss agreed that the Rock
Island was putting more piles, most
obstructive material, in the channel
Kansas City, Kan, could not be
brought to pass an ordinance defining
the width of the river and the height
of bridges across it, Mention of the
Kansas City, Kan, council brought the
ArmouTdale and Argentine delegates to
their feet in protest They said they
had no faith whatever in the Kansas
City Kan, council. They had tried it.
they said, and had failed. Judge Moss
said that the only thing that could be
done would be to get the government
to order wrecks removed so the river
could Scour and widen the channel
again. though he admitted having no
hopes of crowding the stock yards, the
packers and others back on the main
land again. There was talk of getting
the Kansas attorney general to inter
fere, but Mr.. Farnsworth said that
would be a waste of time, as Kansas
had no engineering corps nor money to
employ one The mayor asked Mr.. Glen
dening If when in Washington he had
learned of a scheme to prevent a repeti-
ton of the floods of 1903.
The engineers have made a report
showing they can manage it for So
500. 0OO." answered Mr.. Clendening
SHOW u.s. said Mr.. Latshaw, where
the money will come from. and we will
show you a scheme that will solve this
for S9,OOO.OOO less than the government
engineers want. There is no question
but that ours is the proper method"
No amount of coaxing would induce
Mr.. Latshaw to explain what his scheme
was, nor would Mr.. Perdue, who SEEM
ed to be the man behind the scheme.
Mayor Neff said that the Commercial
club would be willing to underWrite a
paltry 81, 500 600 for a scheme that would
prevent overflows. Mr. Clendening
said he knew one man who had lost
$4,000. who would give $4,000 rather
than go through another flood like that
of 1903 This assurance did not thaw
out Mr.. Latshaw or Mr.. Perdue.
We have heard of plans for other
outlets for the Kaw," said General De-
vol. perhaps with an idea of getting a
cue from Latshaw and Perdue, but
without success.
After hammering at the Kaw and the
Kansas City, Kan. council for an hour
and a half, Commissioner Farnsworth
threw a bombsheIl into the meeting by
opening up closer at home.
There is this Bates company" he
said, referring to the Armour-Swift
syndicate, just east of the Hannibal
bridge. 1T has narrowed the river to
about 800 feet. Formerly the Missouri
was half mile wide there. This neck
has damned the Kaw. We ought to
get the government to get after these
people and make them put the harbor
line back where it was.
There was half an hour spent on this
proposition Nothing came of it, how