The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-01
READY FOR DIKES
City Council Approves the Plans
Last Night.
Work Will Begin at Once at
Garfield Park.
NEW PARK FOR CITY.
Situated i'm Eth Ward and
Named Euclid.
Engineer Rodgers Works Off a
Brand New Joke.
NEW PARK FOR CITY.

|
| at once.
This morning $50 teams and pro-
portional number of men were put to
work on the bikes along Soldier creek
and from now until spring the work
VIII be pushed without a stop.
| The North Topeka drainage. board has
been working up the dixie problem ever
! since the last flood and their engineer,
| v r. Parkhurst, who has been figuring
/ out the construction problem for them
submitted the plans to the city coun-
| ell and after many stormy discussions
the proposition was allowed to pass.
The dixie on which the men and teams
are now working will be constructed
through Garfield park on the south
bank of Soldier creek, starting at the
west end of the park and running
| through the park down towards the
bridges. 1t is expected that this will
be sufficient to prevent an overlooking
of the creek during the freshet season
and relieve all the worry of the North
SiderS. Contrary to the expectations
of some of the councilmen the dixie will
be built south of the Casino which
stands just east of Kansas avenue on
the creek bank. This Casino is huge
frame affair constructed for park
amusements and during the floods it
has been a regular mill dam for the
rising waters. The dixie being built
south of this means that every little
flood will ebb and flow around the fam
Gus Casino. At first this looked like
shameless waste of wealth to the coun-
cilmen but after thinking and talking
the matter over it was decided that the
plan of the drainage board was the
best. 1t seems that if the dixie was
built north of the Casino it would cause
swerve in the course of the bikes thus
weakening them for one thing and
causing miniature floods every time it
rained, for another. The council and
drainage board decided that rather than
have a big muddy poo! of water stand
ing in front of the Casino every time
it rained it would be better to allow
the building to stand out in Che rag
ing torrents and sbe washed by the
main floods itself-and then it would
be all over The floods have failed to
dislodge or damage the building in any
way and it was thought best to allow
the inevitable to happen. The dixie at
this point Will only be a foot high and
will not make any Inconvenience to the
amusement public in the summer
months
From this point the dixie will follow
the brow of the high bank. This high
declining bank has always been the
"Spooners' Delight in North Topeka
and one of the greatest places in the
city on moonlight nights, not even bar
ring Washburn college. When the new
three and four foot dixie is built along
this bank the reputation of the place
will be one of national fame. But the
city council did not touch on this minor
detail, leaving that to Colonel Hughes
at the next regular council meeting
This will make an excellent subject to
be considered along with the clock ana
patrol wagon problems.
The drainage board submitted the
following additional proposition to the
council last night:
That the city of Topeka take steps
to do riprapping or construct break
water to prevent the cutting away OF
the bank for the protection of the levee
to be constructed in said park"
This was considered a good thing by
the council but was laid on the table
until the weather bureau began to Is
sue warnings. It is considered case
of emergency and would be useless un-
til the floods came. 1t will be accepted
however, and built when needed.
At the special session last night the
North Topeka drainage board was rep
resented by ]. B. Billiard, president; ;.
R. Kutz, secretary. and v r. Park
hurst engineer. The city side of the
question or the park board was rep
resented by ]. B. Larimer, A. Reinisch
and DR.. M. r. Mitchell.
Not long ago petition signed by sc
property owners living in the southeast
part of the city was submitted to the
streets and walks committee of the city
council asking that a new park be ere
ated in their district.
This proposed park was to be on
five acre triangular piece of land just
east of the Santa Fee and Missouri Pa
cific tracks and between F1rteenth
street and Euclid avenue. 1t is natur-
ally well located for park and Will
be a treat to the people of this dis
trict who do not have an easy access
to any park in the city. 1t would take
but very little grading and chart1ng
to make the park a beautlrul place
even during the coming summer months
and by the action the council took last
night at their special session it looks
as though the residents would receive
the consent of the city.
The owner of the park Hale Rllcnle;
sent a communication to the councli
last night in which he offered to sell
the tract in question for S2,5oO IN case
it was used for the purpose in view py
the applicants. This price was approx
ed by the city council and 1T VIII un-
doubtedly be raised by the next meet
ing. Another proposition that LOOKS
good to the council is the lacI tndI 50
many of the property owners are ar
fected by the tax of the new park The
Richie property runs from Kansas aY-
enue on the west to the west me Oh
the Dudley tract on the east ana from
twelfth street on the north to Twenty
first street on the south. rms pelng
such a large tract and facing such
large number of lots 1t means enat the
cost per lot will be very reasonable ana
can receive no objection from the city
council.
After the ways and means commit
tee had approved the matter ana the |
council had added their vote the name
of the park presented ltSelI. 1nere
were cries for '.Blakely' and '"Tandy'
but when silence and common sense
had settled among the tumult ana
caused a distribution of grey matter II
Vas decided that the park should be
named Euclid The city is full of
Euclid" having Euclid school.
Euclid avenue and "Eucnd caro-
clubs. reading clubs, churches, ana col
lege societies are as common as the
works of the mathematician h1mseH-
The reason the council suggested the
name was to pay a compliment to the
"; rl a md n