Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-16
Site For the School For the
Deaf at Council Bluffs Finally
Proved Unfortunate
STATES FARM LAND is RUINED
Floods Have Covered Both Farm and
Crops With Heavy Layer Of Clay
Deposited from the Hills = May Yet
Be Necessary to Move Institution to
Another Site or City.
Special to Times-Republican.


Des Moines, May ia legislative
blunder has again been brought to the
attention Of the people of Iowa by the
overfiowing of the two creeks near
Council Bluffs and the devastation of
the farm of the school for the deaf
The storms in western Iowa flooded
the streams and the overflow left a de-
posit of several inches of clay on the
meadows and farm land of the institu-
ton. When the institution was first
located there it was opposed because
of the location, but that was in the
dear old days when the corporations
ruled and everything was done for the
political effect of the immediate pres
ent. The board of control had not
been created.
When the institution burned a few
years ago the board of control made
a vigorous recommendation to the leg
islature that the institution be located
elsewhere but the short-sighted people
VI SOuuCll lllIQ pOllllSdi
ence insisted and the legislature had
the buildings replaced on the same site.
The action of the creek in practic-
ally destroying the usefulness of the
farm may yet make it necessary ulti-
mately to move the institution to some
other location. Had Council Bluffs
found better site when the buildings
burned few years ago it might still
have remained at Council Bluffs.
Some who have seen the institution
declare that a worse selected site could
not be found. The institution farm Is
between two creeks in bottom land
where overfloWs are annual Two big
bluffs rise on either side so that no
better land can be added to the farm.
In this bottom land there is one spot
about fifteen feet higher than the rest
and out Of reach of water, which is,
however, not large enough for all the
buildings. When the big building was
replaced it was necessary to make the
two wings slant back from the front
in order to get the building all on the
raised land. The farm finally is al
most inaccessible.
Information from Superintendent
Rothert to the state board of control
is that the storm of few days ago
has done the greatest damage to the
farm. The overf1oWing streams not
only left deposit of clay and debris
over the entire farm, burying the corn
and potato fields and the pastures and
but washed away the fences
and buildings and flooded the cellars
of of ipir ho
stock of paper used by the printing
plant Mud and debris was washed
into some of the buildings used for
various purposes by the institution and
the result was that the school had to
be closed and the older children in at
tendance set to work cleaning out these
buildings after the water subsidized.
There are doubts as to whether any
crops can be raised this year. The
are of course useless. The
pigs and cattle will have to he sold
because there is no pasture land on
which to pasture them and the land
cannot be gotten back into meadow
and pasture again short of one year.
In the district court of Polk county
UIl6 SIdle VI lONtt Stllu lillSS LES N1OllleS
charitable institutions are lighting hard
to prove that L. Hamilton was of sound
mind in 1895 when he made his last
will and testament If he was insane
at the time then the state of Iowa
will lose. a lot of valuable museum
material that was given by him to the
historical department and the three
charitable institutions will lose consid-
cradle property.
The suit was tried before jury. L.
Hamilton was an odd character who
lived in Des Moines for many years,
and died in 1898. He was worth about
$4,000. He had no family, but had
some cousins, who are now anxious to
secure his property He had rents
from Des Moines property that paid
time gathering museum specimens of
every character. The money he left
to the Cottage Hospital of Des Moines,
the Associated Charities and the
Home for F,riendless Children, and the
specimens to the historical depart
ment The court ruled that there was
no showing of undue influence in the
making of his will, and the only ques-
ton left is whether or not he was of
unsound mind.
The state board of railroad COM
missioners has been petitioned to low
er the classification of the freight rate
on waste paper. Paper making mate
rials have become so scarce that there
is profitable business in gathering
up the waste paper over the country
and shipping it back to the paper man
where it is manufactured
into new paper. But the local freight.
rates in Iowa are so high that this is
now next to impossible. The rate ts
second class on car load lots. and the
petitioners are asking that it be made
fourth class on less than car load lots
and d class on car load lots. The pa
per is compressed into close space and
is heavy, and for this reason it is