The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-28
IS FALLING.
This Is True Because Govern
ment Gauge Indicates 1T.
Instrument Recently Installed
on Rock Island Bridge.
EASILY UNDERSTOOD.
Measures the Depth of Water
That Is All.
One Thing Uncle Sam Did for
the KaW.
EASILY UNDERSTOOD.

Who says the government of the
United States is unwilling to do any
thing for the Kaw valley flood suffer
ers?
Congress may be backward about
voting thirty or forty cents to repair
the washed out river banks, but not
so Uncle Sam. He has come to the
front with a rush. and has installed,
on the Rock Island bridge, a water
gauge, a real water gauge, made Of
real wood, which must have cost at
least $3.50.
The attitude of the government to-
ward the Kansas river seems to be
that II doesn't amount to a tinkers
swear word, but that it viii bear
watching.
Some tremendous pressure must
have been brought to bear on the gov
eminent to bring about this great con-
cession to Kansas. for it is rumored
that similar gauges have been install
ed at various points up the river from
Kansas City. By careful scrutiny it
is possible to detect, back of the gov
ernments philanthropy, the massive
hand of the Kansas City Stock Yards
trust. Oh, our native land, how noble
art thy mOtivesi Thou mayest turn
down the united appeal of all the peo-
pie of Kansas for assistance. but when
the mighty stock yards combine
speaks, thou gettest a great hump on
myself.
At the same time the government
established its official water gauge
in this city, the Kansas City stock
yards employed J. w. Farnsworth, city
food inspector, to read the gauge at 8
O'Clock every morning, and telegraph
the reading to Kansas City MI.
FaEnsworth reads the gauge on his
way down town every morning, as ne
lives near the Rock Island bridge Ine
/ t. r-e- tn Of
of the bridge. out in the middle OF the
channel.
One thing must be said in behalf of
the government engineers who came
here and located the gauge. They had
some common sense They went 10
work and determined what was the
bottom of the river, and started the
measurements on the gauge at thdt
gauge, you know how deep the water
actually is at that point That looks
simple enough. But the fact IS Lhat
this is the only gauge in town which IS
simple enough for anybody but a post
graduate civil engineer to understand
The city gaugue, on the MeIan
bridge is a scientific gauge, ana con-
sequently is no use to the common
| eminent sent representatives mere
long long time ago, and they found a
big rock down in. the city park ana
decided TO call it t'city datum Then
somehow or other they dropped a
pluub-line down to sea level, ana
! found that his rock is exactly SS7.64
| feet above the Atlantic ocean. Ihat
fact was taken as conclusive proof
that the rock was really city datum
and not some other datum which was
fooling around where it did not be-
/ long. Upon that rock the city OF To-
peka was founded. 1t is the Barney
stone of the city engineering depart
ment. Every city engineer has TO go
down to the city park, kiss that stone
and swear that he will defend 1t with
his life, his fortune and his sacred
honor.
AS result of this, the city engi-
neering department figures the depth
of the river from that stone; in other
words, the "city datum" OF course
/ the stone is away up above the usual
surface of the water, so as general
thing the city gauge is dealing in
river hasn't a blooming thing to do
with it. The river might all dry up,
, but the city could keep on measuring
| it's depth in minus quantities.
According to the city's system of
| measuring water, the lowest the river
has ever been is minus los feet-that
/ is, 20 and eight-tenths feet below
"city datum There was mighty lit
tie moisture in the river at that time;
/ hardly enough to float a squadron of
ducks. Last June the river went to
plus 1918 for it's high water mark,
which was 1925 feet above low water.
There is no such monkey business
about the government gauge on the
Rock Island bridge. When you read
that gauge you know how deep the
water is, and that IS what most peo-
pie want to know. Here are the off,
cial readings from the government
I gauge made at o'clock every morn
RE of