South Bend news-times., 1915-08-03
MANY Object To
MORE DRAINAGE
Petition if Approved Will Cost
1885, 900 for Work on
Kankakee.

Many Of the owners Of property IN
the Kankakee valley adjacent 10 Por-
tage township are up in arms over the
proposed increased drainage OF the
valley which has been petitioned for
by Dixon w Place and which Will cost
S466,0O0. The final report of the view
ers Ola this project was filed in the
LapoTte circuit court on June 81 al
ter year spent in the work of re-
view The assessment viii amount TO
from $500 TO $3.50 an acre.
The project, as reported by the
viewers. is much vaster than was
planned bya Place in the original peti-
ton. The original petition called for
a widening and deepening of the Kan
kakee river channel from a point but
a short distance east of the st. Joseph
county line to a point in Laporte
county near the Stark county boun-
dary. Only comparatively few of the
land owners along the upper part OF
the river were named in the petition.
| The viewers decided that the work
called for in the petition was made
Quate and they therefore boardened the
scope Of the work 10 include changes
in the channel from a p8int nearer
South Bend to English lake near the
Porter county line.
rear Harm Done.
1t is held by the largest land own
ers in St Joseph county part OF the
valley that the changes in the chan
mel as proposed by the viewers would
work harm TO the land near the head
of the river. This land. they hold.
is now sufficiently drained except for
a few places where the ditch
is not deep enough. Further deepen
ing or widening of the ditch is op-
posed by many Of the owners who
have been the most ardent before this
in the cause of drainage.
IT is not known just what action
will be taken by these owners to have
! the proposed plan set aside but there
! has been talk of an organized effort.
| George w Gale, one of the land own
I ers named in the original petition,
| is said 10 have filed a remonstrance
! but it is not known whether any others
| Of those named have done likewise. If
| the owners have not filed their remon-
STRANGE then il is doubtful as to what
/ can be done inasmuch as the law pro-
/ vides that remOnstrances must be filed
/ within 10 days on notice of the filing
| Of the final report. Persons named in
/ the original petition need not be sent
/ any special notice of the filing of the
| final report.
Stark and LapOrte object.
The Place project is also meeting
with opposition in Stark and Laporte
! counties. Previous TO the filing of the
! Place petition action was taken by
r. ID. Kline, owner of large onion
farm near Knox. Stark county, to Sc
| cure levees for the purpose Of protect
| ing a large section OF land lying be-
! tween Knox and the river. Objection
| to this work was made but Special
judge Bartholomew. in the Stark
| county circuit court, established the
| preliminary report and ordered a final
report. An appeal from this finding
is now pending in the supreme court.
| Action, which has precedence
against the Place project, is a plea
in abatement filed in the Stark county
! circuit court by Henry A. Steis, repre-
senting Kline and the Chicago & Erie
railroad. 1t is held in a general way
| that the Place project, which would
extend below the Kline project. would
| destroy the Kline project and be in
consistent with the Improvement pro-
posed by the latter There is also the
contention, based on recent and vol
luminous ruling of the appellate court
that the land at that point is mean
dered" land which belongs TO the state
and cannot, therefore, be taxed
l.. barrow Files Project.
Another action adverse to the Place
project IS one instituted by l.. Oar
row uf Laporte. in the Michigan City
superior court. This petition was
dOcketed on July 1st Darrow seeks
10 have a lateral ditch constructed
through the land lying between Knox
and the river 20 empty into the mair
ditch south of the proposed Kline
levee. 1t is proposed by this ditch tC
drain lands on each side of the river
in both Stark and LapOrte counties.
Vast interests are involved in pro-
jects effecting the Kankakee valley and
il is expected that no legal stone vii
be left unturned in the fight over the
Place project. Interests in four coun
ties. ST. Joseph, Laporte. Stark anC
| Marshall. are affected. The viewers
who were the I4aporte county surveyor
and drainage commissioner and
drainage commissioner appointed
from St. Joseph county. spent a yea
in the work Of viewing the proposed
project. The report not only plans fol
alterations in the main channel of The
river but also for many lateral ditche!
| extending into the three counties prin
cipally affected.