Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-05-31
A REPORT IS MADE.
BY ENGINEER SMITH
ON PROPOSED RAISING OF
CREST OF DAM THREE FEET.
Presented to the City and is Now
on File With Clerk---tO Deter
mine Four Supplemental Cues
tiOnS-ShoWs Damages to So
Called WheIdn Marsh.


engineering department OF the state
university, on the proposed raising
of the crest of the Rough and Ready
dam three feet above the crest. The
report was presented to the council
at the meeting last evening. But
was not read. The report is as fol-
lows, less the description of the
bench marks:
Madison Wisconsin
May 22nd, 1907.
10 the Mayor and Common Council,
Watertown Wisconsin.
Gentlemen: =
The following report is based on a
survey made May Goth, to determine
LIST. Whether there was any dis
agreement between my former survey
May 18th, and that of the Jackson
survey and if so which was correct.
End. What effect the raising of the
crest of Rough and Ready" dam three
feet would have upon the so-called
"Whelan' marsh, in general, as we'll
as to the individual owners.
3rd. What effect it any such
raising of dam crest would have upon
riparian owners below said CROUCH
and Ready dam.
4th. For the purpose Of taking
the necessary levels to refer to the
height Of the old original crest of said
dam to permanent monuments or
bench marks so as to control any
future raising of same.
In making this survey | was as
sisted by representative from the
jackson firm. We found that there
was no disagreement between the sur
veys other than. as already pointed
out, that in my first survey my ele-
vatiuns were given above the present
crest while the Jackson survey levels
were above the old crest, point just
one foot below my datum.
Az the dam owners propose to raise
the crest three feet above the original
crest means that one foot should be
subtracted from the pond level as
given in my first report.
This lessons very considerably the
damage to high ways as first reported
at Oconomowoc avenue especially at
Whelan's and Wvlfrurn's marshes.
Oconomowoc avenue across Whelan 5
marsh will have no point On the trav-
eled portion less than feet above
the proposed new pond level while at
Wolfrum's the road will have it's low
est point about feet above new pond
level. An addition of one foot for a
distance Of 500 feet would make this
latter stretch as good as at present.
The road at Whelan's would not need
further improvement.
Whelan's Marsh An accurate to-
geographic survey was made of WHEEL
an 8 marsh to determine
(a) the level of marsh above pro-
posed crest.
(b) the acreage and ownership of
marsh.
The accompanying map shows the
results of this survey. A study of
this map shows that this marsh has
an elevation OF from one to two or
more feet above the proposed crest or
a TO feet above the old crest.
In determining the damage to this
marsh it is proper to consider both the
existing as well as the potential
value of this property.
By the latter mean it's value if
properly drained. An adequate ditch
dug north and south from Ann street
to the river with few laterals would
change large part of this marsh ad-
jacent to the hard land and all of the
marsh north of Ann street to tillable
land. The water table could easily be
lowered two feet from the present
level. If the crest of dam were rails
ed such ditch would obviously not be
as effective, but it would in my judg-
ment be able to keep this marsh in
substantially as good condition as it
is at present.
If the crest of dam be raised the
ground water in marsh can still be eff
fectiveIy lowered by digging drain
from a point below the dam, along
the natural low ground and running,
thence to the east end Of the street
just north of Mr., Loukota's land.
Such a drain would also assist in
draining Mr.. Luokota's cellar and by
being made part of the drain pro-
posed by the end owners to drain the
land of Mr.. Kaemig, would not entail
excessive cost.
The ownership of the so-calIed
"Whelan'' marsh is as follows:
Owners Acreage
Whelan .........., ...-.......ll.U
j. David ,................. .U5-s
j. LoukOta. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. IL
+. Loukota. ................... z
Emil Seibel NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. So
Schmidt 25
MalloW. ...-.-.,...-.,.... o
hiSuiSE - : 1890 i.o
Mary Allarmann ............... 20
East of Alderman. ,.......... IL
Total. .oi.9
mi L Il