The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-06-10
WOLF LAKE
WATERS HIGH
Petition VIII Be Presented to Ham
mond's City Council to Remedy
Closing Up of Harbor at Wolf Lake
Which Is Being Cleverly Done By
Railroads.

The people of Hammond who live and
own property In the vicinity of Wolf
lake and Lake George are aroused over
the action of the Baltimore & Ohio and
Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern rail-
roads In closing the harbOr at Wolf
river and ignoring the fact that pro-
3ected harbor exists.
Already there has been enough sand
dumped across the mouth of this river
to completely stop the flow of water
into the lake and prominent Roberts
dale man made the statement yester-
day that the water of Wolf lake is now
ave inches higher than that of Lake
Michigan.
When it is remembered that there are
acres and acres OF land In the vicinity
of Wolf lake which would be sub
merged by this extra inches of water
and that the drainage OF a large area
81 land fn Hammond depends upon this
outlet TO the lake, it will be seen that
this is a serious matter.
Roads working Steadily.
was the usual steaIthy manner in which
they 20 about the accomplishing of a
purpose They did not begin the work
of filling the river with a blare Of
trumpets. They did not consult the
property owners in the vicinity. They
simply dumped an occasional car load
of sand. as by accident until the trestle
which crosses the river was finally al
most covered UP. -
Now there is only a small place where
the water could get through even If the
river was a great deal higher than 1T
is now and it would not take more
than three or four of those skulls" of
Stag to completely fill the passage way
to the lake.
Railroad Changes Map.
Time was when fishermen could take
a boat from Wolf lake to Lake Mich
igan by just drawing it across a small
narrow sand bar and in which water
o channel was always open to the lake
but the railroad has changed all of this.
The route that the excess water must
take now is through the channel to
Calumet lake and thence by way Of the
Calumet river to Lake Michigan. A
sudden rise in the level of Wolf lake
means that the surface of this lake will
than that of Lake Michigan.
The residents of Hammond along the
short line. of the Hammond, Whiting
and East Chicago line have noticed that
the water is a great deal higher than
II was in former years and they have
attributed to the great fall of rain this
spring because they did not know the
real reason.
In Robertsdale, where the new sewer
system is just being put in the differ
ence in the level of the lake is noticed
and there is a great deal more standing
water than ever before.
Matter Is a Serious One.
In fact, the matter is a great dea
more serious than would at first b,
suspected considering the fact tha
there has been only a five inch rise
The land is so low that a difference O
a few inches makes a great deal O
difference in the appearance of the sur
rounding country.
The people of the northern part O
Hammond have been in hope that whe1
the drainage canal was cut through t.
the Calumet river would drain off tn,
surrounding country to an extent tha
would make 1t great more habitabl,
thaln it is at present
AS 1S1tSo III great many IN
stances would disappear and instead O.
lowering the lake level and interferins
shipping as the shipping interests hav,
claimed the levels of Calumet, Wolf an,
Mud lakes would be lowered and tn,
land surrounding them would be mucl
more available for manufacturing sites
Even Pats park douglas park) woul,
then become a more attractive spot an,
might really be of some value to tn
city.
Public Sentiment Aroused.
But public sentiment is being arouse,
over the action of the railroads in pre-
venting the flow of excess water int
Lake Michigan and it is probable tina
petition will be presented to the Ham
mond city council in the hope that i
might do something to remedy the trou
BILE and bring the railroads to time