McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1921-10-14
OHIO TOWN IS
BEING MOVED
An Buildings M Osborn to Be
Taken 10 New Site to
Prevent Flood.
LAWYER CRACKS HARD NUT
PrsAism sf How 70 Preserve Cor
herzts Existence ss Town and At
same Tame Destroy It's Very
Existence Aroused Interest.

SssO sNssC 0St$sVy ~ WV
Existence Aroused Interest.
Dayton. O.-The town Of Osborn,
o.. 10 moving. The story, briefly told,
IL this:
In March, 1918. the Great Miami
river and it's tributaries oyerhowed
their banks. The resulting food was
the worst in the history OF the Miami
valley. 1t IL known as the Dayton
flood. Hundreds of lives were lost,
and the financial loss aggregated hun
dreds Of millions Of dollars.
When the people recovered after the
shock Of the disaster and looked the
situation over, they decided that they
would prevent future floods, cost
what 1t would. Experts were ordered
to hnd way to keep the waters OF
the Great Miami, Mad river, SILVIA
ter river, Wolf creek, Big Twin creek
and smaller tributaries confined to
their several banks.
The plan finally adopted contem-
plated q series Of dams across the
streams. This simple method Of con-
trolling the flow during floods prom
Used the protection aimed at. The
dams would hold the water back.
emitting just enough to I'LL the river
bed below, and NO more.
Under this plan the water would
back up behind the dams for miles,
sllinx tho whole valley between the
hardening hills. These spaces were
called 4dry reservoirs which means
that In seasons Of normal flow the
land bordering the stream would be
dry, while In flood times 1t would b.
submerged to . depth OF many feet.
All homes located In the dry reser-
veirn. al buildings Of every descrip-
den, Ill towns and villages, mills and
every form Of structure; In fact. any
ching and everything that may be
damaged BY water must be moved 70
AigAer ground
viifags Must Re Moved.
he village ef Osborn. with popu-
laden Of 1000. was In emo Of those
dry" reservoirs. II was necessary to
msye n It was an old town and ono
~ the NEST attractive and most beau
tifui II Ohio, with hundreds OF won
derful shade trees, many churches. a
,splsndid high school. great Touring
mills. whOse products had national
reputation, waterworlks, railways and
accees u COED residences. When II
became known that all or these had
% - removed. or demolished. the In
1abitants were very much Distressed.
Iresy expedient known to lawyers
- ysscrtsd to to prevent the sacri-
0ce. hut the courts held that the law,
WhtcA created the Miami conseryancy
district, the cesporate body charged
witA the Hood prevention work, con-
1ezrsd all Of the powers which were
asserted
How to preserve the corporate exist
snce Of the town of Osborn. and ct the
same time destroy its very existence,
became The problem Of the ablest law
ycrs IT the state. Finally village
lawyer, Morris Rice, unknown 20 fame
sntil then. hit upon q way to save the
town SIS corporate entity. He found
nsthing IN the law books to guide
him. Nevertheless, he brought the
question - the courts, where he de-
mAnded IN Interpretation OF the word
~contiguous.-
The existing law Of Ohio authorized
towns. cities ana villages to extend
their corporate limits to contiguous
territory.
Mr.. Rice argued that the town Of
Osborn had the, right to extend Its
corporste limits to suit itself and that
the physical shape of the extension
could not be defined by law. He pro-
posed to take into the corporate limits
Of the village Of Osborn, as 1t then ex-
listed, an addition four hundred feet
iwide and q mile and quarter long,
at the extremity OF which addition the
plat broadened to include sufficient
are& to accommodate the buildings Of
tne ltown as they then were.
Opposing lawyers laughed and
1eered &C, the novel theory. but the
court did mot. It handed down de-
csioa which upheld every claim OF
Lawyer R.ee.
Accordingly the town OF Osborn ex-
tended It's corporate limits By laying
eat new addition distant mile and
= half from the old town, and con-
secting the new site with the old by
q sgzie Iear hundrsd. feet wide and