Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-24
CITY MIL TAKE A
BAND IN ACTION IO
REMOVE MILL DAN
If the Dam Is Destroyed Water
Supply Would Be Seriously
Affected
COMMITTEE FoREsAw THE MOVE
Consulting Engineer Mead Visited in
Chicago on December 81 and Gave
His Views as to What Result Would
be-committee Thinks City Has a
Vested Risht-lf Present Dam is Not
Saved City Would Have to Build
One Of Its Own.

Vested Right-lf Present Dam is Not
Saved City Would Have to Build
One Of Its Own.
The announcement in the T.-R. Mon
day evening of the closing Of the deal
that has been pending for the past
few months, whereby G. w. LaPlant
purchases the land on which the Fall
gatter mill is located, for the purpose
of tearing away the dam to prevent
overf1owing of lowlands, has created a
stir in municipal circles and has
brought to light the fact that the COM
Mittee on water works and electric
lights has been investigating the city's
rights in the property for some time,
and is prepared to act. The city will
not stand by without making every eff
fort to prevent Mr.. LaPlant or any
one else from removing the dam, for
such action. the committee claims, will
seriously affect the citys water supply.
The transaction looking toward the
transfer Of the Fallgatter property to
Mr.. LaPlant has been talked for some
time. but the deal had not, until late
Saturday afternoon, reached the stays
where a public announcement of the
plans could be made. The water
works committee, however, has been
Investigating the city's rights for two
months or more, and is Of the opinion
that Mr.. LaPlant or any one else can
be restrained from removing the dam.
In Difference to the city's interests.
Chairman r. w. Mcbride, and Mr..
j.. G. Abbott, Of the water works COM
1nittee Of the council, and Superinten-
dent Hans Madsen, of the water works,
visited Daniel w. Mead, in Chicago. on
December ~, and presented to him the
possibilities that were in store provid-
ed the LaPlant deal was consumma-
ted. Mr.. Mead is the engineer who
was consulted in building the city's
new storage reservoir, and is therefore
greatly interested in the water con-
ditions here. He at once saw the dan
ger to the forty-two driven wells from
which the water supply Of the city is
derived, and said that the removal of
the dam could not help but reduce the
head Of the water in the field. While
he has not looked the matter up thor
oughly, as. to. whether the reduction
would be sufficient to materially affect
the supply, Mr.. Mead was certain that
the supply would be diminished several
feet.
Mack Says From Four to Six.
Superintendent of Mains e. q. Mack,
upon the request Of the water works
committee. has been at work several
days preparing a report upon meas
urements taken, and statistics that are
In the hands Of the water department.
Mr.. Mack, when seen this morning,
said that while the matter would be
largely speculative, he would say that
the dam maintains in the field a head
OF from four to six feet more water
than would be realized should the dam
be removed. This Is a great guam
tity Of water, and the lack Of 1t, in
emergencies, might prove a serious
matter. There is plenty of water in
the wells at the present time, and al
the present time the water is at the
lowest stage reached during the win
ter. The only season Of the year when
Il is lower is in August
inc NICyS nI9ntSs
Chairman Mcbride and Mr.. Abbott,
OF the water works committee, were
both seen, and while they did not care
to say what the city's course would
be, stated that they were confident
the city had vested rights that must
be respected. Mr.. Abbott said that if
the city could not restrain the new
owners of the property from tearing
out the dam, dt could build a concrete
dam Of It's own, at an approximate
cost of $4,000, that would answer the
same purpose of the present dam. Mr..
Abbott does not believe that damages
can be proved by reason OF the pres
ence Of the dam, for it has been built
close to fifty years. The farmers, too,
who claim to have been damaged have
nearly all diked their FARMS these
bikes running now on one side to Asher
Creek and on the other nearly to Mar
ietta.
Mr.. Mcbride said that there was one
thing certain, and that was that the
city would have dam. The peoples
rights would have to be respected, and
the committee would protect the citys
interests at all hazards. If the city
ing removed, it can build a dam of its
own, and it would pay to do it, rather
than to run the risk of being short on
water at critical time. There might
always be enough water in the wells
for consumption purposes, even tho
there was no dam, but in case Of 4
big conf1agration, and a scarcity of
water, serious losses might result.
1--WE will either have to have a dam
or new place to get our water" said
Mr.. Mcbride, land a new water sup
ply would cost us at least 100000"
Mr.. Mack's report to the committee
will soon be ready, and it is likely that
the committee will take some Official
action at once. The report has been
altered somewhat in it's phraseology
in view of the fact that the sale of the
has been made, as when the
report was being prepared Mr.. Mack
was acting on the theory of POSSIBLE
tiles, in case such an action was forth
coming, as the result of the rumor in
which the sale was considered.
Aside from the actual damage that
may result to the city's water supply. |
IL the dam were removed, the fact OF
the expected removal appeals to the
public In another way, In that the stage
Of the water above the present dam
would be such as to afford no pleasure |
u the summer months whatever. It J