The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-03
BEACH IN CITY
TO HEAR MILL
CREEK PROTEST
Chief Engineer Of War Department
Ipspects Region MeBaced By
I~nundatien.

General Lansing III. Beacn, cniei
engineer of the war department, ar
rived in Rock Island from Wash
ington, d. c., last evening and is
the guest of Colonel Harry Bur-
CESS, head OF the engineering stan
in this district.
He returns to Washington to-
morrow morning, routing his trip
by way of Chicago, Indianapolis
and Cincinnati eastward.
He is occupied this afternoon at a
conference which Congressman W.
j. Graham is conducting in Milan
locking TO the possible abatement
of the Mill creek food nuisance,
which mandates the town annually
when the Rock river overhows ITS
banks, damaging property and
making roads impossible.
General Beach is to inspect the
conditions in the Milan food dis
trict, and attend the conference at
Congressman Graham's request.
and in company with the congress
man and Colonel Harry Burgess,
went to Milan early in the after
noon.
The conference is being held in
the town hall. Residents of the To-
cality will be given an opportunity
to present their complaints, and to
confer with the congressman and
the chief engineer regarding the
procedure to be followed for the
abatement of the nuisance.
The chief engineer is a native of
Iowa, his home being Dubuque. He
has held his present post nearly
two years, but has spent SO years
in the engineering department OF
the United States army, beginning
as a second lieutenant in 1882.
Blame Hennepln Canal
Primarily the general is in this
district to ascertain from personal
inspection if the complaint so fire.
quently made to the effect that the
building of the Hennepin canal in
terriers with the natural flow of
Mill creek, is true.
1.-The meeting to be held at Milan
today" said General Beach this
morning, lis not, strictly speaking,
a hearing 1t would be more cor
rect to call it a conference And
the conference is entirely one which
Congressman Graham called, and
if the press deyotes any space to
it, he should be featured in the
story rather than myself, for l am
here solely on his invitation, and
am not to conduct the conference.
OF course, being here, l shall make
q personal inspection of the condi-
tions which l am told prevail in
this section.
81 have never visited the section
BEFORE although 1 was in Rock Is
land on official business about a
year and a half ago. l am glad
to be able TO oblige Congressman
Graham by inspecting the region
which | am told is subject to in
undation, and attending the con-
ference"
The procedure in CASE he should
I decide there is just cause of COM
Y plant will be recommendation on
General Beach's part that an ap-
preparation be made. This would
form one of the provisions of the
river and harbor bill and ultimate
ly find a place in the appropriation
bill.
Suggest Drainage District.
There is, however, another al
tentative" said the chief engineer,
land that would be for the resi-
dents of the Milan neighborhood to
take steps looking to the formation
of a drainage district. This would.
in my opinion, be a more expedious
way. In a 81 such a district is
formed, and the government de-
cides that the improvements de-
sired should be made, it is the prac-
tice of the government in such
cases to pay two-thirds of the ex-
pense involved"
Proposal TO construct a levee
from the mouth of Rock river to
the Andalusia bluffs, and to create
a drainage district in hat section.
is a matter not officially called to
his attention, but in any case, sep
aFate entirely from the Mill creek
proposition.
If a drainage district is formed
IN that section" he said. the mat
ter will come before the Mississip-
pi river commission of which Col
onel Burgess is a member, and in
due time would reach my Office in
some form"
Responding to a query in regard
to the disarmament conference
now being held at Washington,
General Beach said. THE confer
enee is not making such a stir at
the capital as one would suppose.
There are so many things going on
at the capital that the conference
resolves itself into only one Of the
things that is happening"
Settles This Question.
Referring - the World war, the
general said that it was being rec
ognized more and mor as a war of
engineers and their assistants.
Modern warfare is very largely an
engineering proposition" remarked
the chief engineer.