The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-14
LAKE FOR $4,000.
will Cost That Amount to Dam
Biddle Greek.
City Engineer to Tell His Plans
to Commercial Club.
TO BE 900 BY 400 FEET.
Almost Enough Water to Be
Called an Inland Sea.
Necessary to Buy About %
Acres of Land.
TO BE 900 BY 400 FEET.

Biddle creek, which has given the
black eye to East Topeka for years
and years at every freshet, has left its
landmark upon the streets by long
strings of debris which it takes a big
force Of the street department to re-
move. will be a beauty spot if James
MeCabe, city engineer. has his plans
adopted at the meeting of the Com
mercial club this evening.
At the behest of c. K. Holiday.
president OF the club, Mr.. McCabe has
spent several days of thorough investi-
cation over the conditions surrounding
the stream and has evolved the plan
of damnling the headwaters and car
rying the excess water by spillway
to the Shunganunga-
Biddle creek takes its rise in High
land Park, drains practically that en-
tire area and flows in a tortuous fash
ion through the center OF East To-
peka- The little creek drains about
1900 acres of land and a sewer large
enough to carry away the freshet wa
ters would be too expensive an under
taking aside from any questions as to
its possibility of meeting the situation.
An open drain is out of the question
A lake 500 feet long and 400 feet
wide with a depth varying from seven
inches would result from the construc-
ton OF the dam. The possibilities of
lake of this sort are wide stretching
and as the nucleus of a pleasure park
or resort it would outclass anything
for miles around.
The cost of the construction of an
earth dam and the purchase of suf-
ficient land for the lake and spillWay
would amount, according to the en-
gineer's estimate, to $4,000. An earth
dam would be sufficient to answer all
purposes. thinks Mr. McCabe, while a
dam constructed from stone would
probably cost at least from two to
three times as much.
The proposed site of the dam would
be near Twelfth street, where the two
slopes Of the drainage shed come with
in ZOO feet each Of other on the west
and east By throwing up a dam al
this site and carrying it to the hills
on either side the results desired could
be secured Mr.. McCabe would con-
struct a spillway leading Iom some
point south of Eleventh street west
erly to the Shunganunga and all high
waters would carry over the top of the
dam by the spillway to the creek.
No fear of stagnant water or Un-
healthful conditions arising from the
artificial lake covering 20 acres, de-
clares Mr.. McCabe, for the presence of
numerous live springs, feeding constant
ly fresh water would keep the lake
from stagnancy.
The land necessary to be purchased
would amount to about 25 acres, 20
acres for the lake and the remaining
acres for the spillWay. The annual re-
occurring freshets Of Biddle creek have
cost the city considerable money, aside
from the annoyance and cost which has
been precipitated upon residents of
that section of the city. Flooded cell
lars are one of the commonest COM
plants when BidGle creek overf1ows. It
rises very quickly and because of the
almost plain level of East Topeka COW
ers a large number of blocks in a very
short space of time.
Residents east of the Santa Fe shops
are talking sewer The Second ward
east of the Santa Fe tracks is the only
big section of the city without a sewer
plan of building a small sewer and
letting it drain into the Shunganunga
creek has been talked of but the city
of this that it would be impossible for
permit this.
The agitation for the construction OF
a sewer is getting headway, especially
now since the residents of that section
have learned that the WaterWorks de-
partment Will not make main extensions
until sewer is built The board of
waterworks commissioners declares thar
it is suicidal as well as inpracticable to
attempt to carry out main extensions
without the presence of a sewer.
c. E. Jewell, of the board. stated that
the city would have to keep it's street
department over on that side most of
the time if the water mains should be
extended, for there would be way to
carry off the waste water and it would
run into the streets and alleys, causing
expense to the city for maintenance
of the streets and alleys.