Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-17
sHANTYTOWNHAS
ORDERS TO MOVE
davenport Improvement Commission
to Eyict Tenants of Three Islands
on April 1.
MOTHER CAPTAIN STREETER
loe Csskey, Aged Squatter. Refuses to
Surrender His Humble House.
boat Home.
ly0THER CAPTAIN STREETER

souattertown in Davenport is
doomed,
The seal of doom was signed
tuesday at the meeting of the levee
Improvement commission when
resolution was passed calling for the
eviction Of every tenant of Maple
stand, Willow island and City island.
APRIL is the date set for the evic-
lion of the 500 sQuatter families who
have set up their little homes there
snd have lived rent-free for years.
Notice TO vaCate the city premises
will be served on the residents of
souattertown through Attorney J. c.
Hall who was empowered to proceed
with the legal side of the eviction at
Tuesdays meeting of the levee COM
mission.
In order to make a clean sweep Of
the squatter tenants the levee COM
mission decided to take the matter I'D
with the D. r. l. G. n W. railroad
through 0. B. Grant, general manager,
and to ask the railroads cooperation
in clearing not only the city property
but also the railroads domain of the
people Of Fishertown.
In the Squattertown of Davenport
has been found an aged man who bids
fair 10 become another Cap" Streeter
who has for years given the Chicago
authorities any amount of trouble in
their effort TO evict him from his
squalid little lake front home.
This man is Joseph Caskey. He has
lived in Squattertown for many years
and is looked upon as "the first resi-
dent" by the other squatter families.
He declares that he will not bulge
from his home and that if he is evicted
il will have to be done by force.
Improve Water Front.
The eviction movement in Squatter-
town, while it may seem heartless to
the inhabitants of the sections, is in
line with the altruistic spirit that the
leyee commission is following out in
the EFFORT to send the name of Daven-
pert far and wide as City Beauti-
full"
The squalid habitations that fringe
the right of wawy of the d. r. l. &
" ", railroad and dot Maple, Willow
and City islands are an eyesore. They
house class of people that can never
hope TO make its home any more
permanent than at present The dis
trict provides refuge for the floating
element of undesirables that has lived
along the Mississippi since the white
man first came to Iowa.
The decision of the le<ee improve
ment commission Tuesday is a far
reaching move 1t aims for the final
and thorough cleaning up of this I'M
desirable section of the city. Incom-
ing passengers from the Illinois side
Of the river are brought through this
squalid district by the hundreds daily
and gain an unsavory impression Of
the condition of Davenport's poor in
habitants.
Then the district is not adapted and
never will be to residence purposes.
Only this winter the high water in
the Mississippi drove hundreds of
these Fishertown people from their
homes and imperiled that number of
lives. This condition may happen at
any time and the city may be put to
great expense in caring for scores Of
homeless and destitute men, women
and children.
Cleaning out the three islands that
belong 10 the city and the railroad
right of way will prevent anything
like this occurring, the levee com
mission believes.
W. ID. Petersen TO Confer.
The leyee commission appointed
". D. Petersen, the father of the
leFee reclamation work, TO confer
with 0. B. Grant of the D. R. l. and
secure the eviction of all tenants at
the same time.
Moves Of like character have been
made several years ago but this was
before the leyee improvement work
mad attained its present scope and
before plans for the utilization and
Identification of this district had been
thoroughly worked out.
In few years it is probable that
actual reclamation work will be be-
gun west of Scott street and eventual
ly the district now occupied by Maple,
Willow and City Islands is expected to
&c the scene of important reclamation
work on the part of the levee commits
sion.