The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-07-28


down more rapidly no one can doubt,
and will be held back below until car
ried off by the present channel, and
that valuable cultivated lands will be
flooded and mills seriously damaged,
for which the county will, undoubt-
eddy, be responsible.
DRAINAGE.
II is we'll known that the Paw Paw
river and its north and south
branches, along which the survey has
been made, have banks from 10 to IS
feet high above the bottom land
through which the stream flows, Civ
ing ample fall for the drainage of all
low lands lying back from the bluffs
on either side of the river; and num-
eroIs bitches have been constructed
for that purpose and are now in good
working order. Hence the benefit for
drainage to be derived from the new
channel must be confined to the bot
tom land lying between the bluffs; and
as the bottom of the new channel as
surveyed is to be no lower than that
of the river bed below the forks, and
but very little, if any, along the
branches, and as the bed of the north
branch is quick sand and much of the
south branch deep soft muck, and in
places springy, through which experts
in drainage say that channel can
not be maintained deeper than the bed
of the river, it seems difficult to under
stand how the bottom lands can be
more successfully drained by the pro-
posed channel than by the present
one. 1t is my candid opinion that the
bottom lands along the river are more
valuable for pasturing and the grow
ing of timber than they can ever be
made for cultivation, and that the cost
of the contemplated work will be ten
times more than all of the reclaimed
land could be sold for.
SANITARY EFFECT.
Paw Paw river is beautiful swift
" running stream of clear water, and
the sanitary condition of the country
along its borders has never been
questioned. The present channel of
the river must be kept open TO carry
off the water while the new one is be-
ing cut, consequently will remain OPP
Ell for all time, and there will be two
channels instead of one, both about
equal depth, the new one to carry
down the running water and the old
one to hold stagnant water, throwing
off malaria and disease germs. If
anyone is skeptical about the unsani-
tary condition of the stagnant pools
and sink holes that will remain in
that ~ miles of old channel, they can
find convincing samples in few in
stances where the channel has been
changed to aid in bridge building,
notably, where the Allegan road cross
es the north branch, and where the
south branch is crossed by North
street of this village, and another on
the main stream near Gliddenburg.
n man living in the vicinity of one of
the above places said TO me, using
his own language: The old channel
is miry stink hole. No animal can
get through it. l have assisted, re-
peatedly, in getting out horses and
cattle. The water holes are filled
with snakes and hideous vermin and
the water is covered with a nasty
sinking green scum, requiring one 20
hold his breath as he passes by it."
heard a doctor, of long and success
full practice in this county. say: IF
that channel is cut, habitation along
that river will be untenable." Iheard
prominent citizen, who lives near
the river and whose farm includes
considerable bottom land, say: II
would not have the channel cut
across my premises for 5000.
Who are the promoters of this pro-
ject? If | am correctly informed, but
few who signed the application liye
near the river but far away; and
some who are anxious for the work to
go on live out of the state. They
bought the land for the timber and
speculation, and having removed the
timber are ANXIOUS to have their land
drained and made more saleable.
One man who signed the application
declares TO me that he did so under
a mistaken idea of what was intend
ed. y" He understood that it was "a
petition TO clear out the channel and
straighten some of the large bends,
and never thought of a new chan
nell. He said ''the survey cuts his
land into five pieces and will be a
great damage to him, and he is OPP
posed to it. | am told that others
who signed the application make sim
liar statements. l have no words of
censure for those who signed the petit
ton. 1t is said that most of them did
so without realizing the enormous tax
that would be levied upon the town
ships and persons owning land and
living along the river, or the disas
trous effect the work would have up
on the sanitary condition of the
country, and 1.-The damage of changing
the boundary line between farms,
which the river generally constitutes.
am informed that most of those who |
signed release of the right of way |
have most cheerfully signed a remon-
STRANGE against it.
a remonstrance signed by over $50 |
prominent citizens and tax PAYERS of |