The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-12-20
PROGRAM
LAUNCHED
YESTERDAY
important Facts Develop
at Meeting of Rotary
Club

LAKE steamers Will be docLced A.
Calumet avenue bridge in Hamuond
IN three to five years. according "a
tne program that was launched a.
notable meeting OF the Hammond
Rotary Club yesterday noon.
The meeting was held for the n,r-
facts:
J. The United States engineers
OFFICE is ready and willing to make
q recommendation to congress. for
an appropriation sufficient to i'm
prove the Calumet river from its
junction with the Indiana Harbor
eanai in East Chicago to the forks
near Calumet Lake providing
?. The river is straishtened to
conform to plans and surveys that
were completed by the war depart
ment in 1920
g. The cities OF Hammond and
East Chicago have the power. under
state legislation enacted in recent
years, TO straighten the river By a
proceeding similar to that used for
opening or widening Of a street.
AA1GMoND ASLEEP ON THE JOB
Thus 1t appears that one Of the
prominent planks in Mayor Daniel
Browns platform. put forth in his
trst campaign. is not only possible
but probable OF realization.
| Away back In 1902 the presid4n.
LOT the Hammond Chamber of Com
merce wrote a letter to Major Biz
by, then in charge OF the district
or Chicago, asking what steps would
be necessary to procure government
aid In the Improvement OF the river.
Major Bixby promptly replied
that II the channel of the river w.re
to be straightened in conformity
with the recommendations OF his
department that he would recco-
mend a government appropriation.
That would be equivalent to get
ting it.
But Hammond went to sleep on
the job. With the river irnprovmens
virtually within It's grasp nothing
was done County Engineer Ray
Seely estimated that the county
Of Lake has spent s75o.ooo for bas-
cule bridge equipped with the deli
cate electrical machinery for rails
ing and lowering them over streams
that have neyer been navigated
NOT GovERNMENT's FAULT
| And yet the government engineers
were ready to go ahead. All they
asked was for a reasonable straight
| enlng OF the river to make nav!ga-
tion easier. The Hammond Rotary
Club was apprised OF this situation
H~T
pointed q special committee to
arouse public interest in the mat
ter
At yesterdays luncheon at the
Lyndora Hotel the guest OF honor
was Major Rufus W. Putnam. Unit
ted States engineer in charge of the
Chicago district which includes the
Lake Michigan shpre from Wauke-
gan to Michigan City. the Calumet
rivers and the Illinois river to It's
junction with the Mississippi
| Major Putnam came with maps
| OF surveys. extracts from laws Gov
ering the subject and letters from
| mis- files showing that for twenty
years the government had held open
its offer TO improve the Calume,
river. Thus the first premises wai
established; namely that the govern
ment is ready and waiting.
CITIES REPRESENTED
In order that the entire group OF
North Township cities and those on
the Illinois side Of the line might
near what Major Putnam had to
say the Rotary Club invited as its
guests the following persons. In
addition to the Major.
| Mayor Daniel Brown. whose tn
| terest in river and harbor develop.
ment is we'll known, A J. Swan
son. president OF the board of pub
lie works. and on this occasion the
representative OF the Kiwanis club:
William F. Bridge. the Hammond
city engineer. upon all OF whom
must devolve the responsibility for
| initiating the action for the
! straig OF the river.
East Chicago was represented by
George H. Lewis. president OF its
Chamber of Commerce. and by G.
K. Wallace. county engineer elect.
Mayor Frank Callahan and Carl D.
Norris OF the board OF public works
could not be present
West Hammond was represented
by Mayor Marradt and City At
torney Samuel K. Markham. Both
pledged their cooperation with thu
Indiana cities IN the plans for the
immediate Strengthening OF the
river
From Chicago there was a not
bale delegation consisting OF H. S.
Mccartney. who for years has tn
terested himself in the Improvement
Of the Calumet river from the state
line to the forks and has procured
number OF deeds for channel
Strengthening. BENJAMIN n. Branch.
a. Chicago attorney. representing
the Mandell estate and a man who
fought the United States Steel cor
poratioa through all Of tho courts
in an effort TO prevent the closing
Of the east end of the Calumet
river.
Then the club had as Its guest Al
Chas the real estate editor OF the
Chicago Tribune. who came not as
a speaker but as an observer ana
Tor the purpose Of better acquamt-
Ing himself with condition in ths
Calumet district which he has come
o regard as place Of great In
lerest and promise.
BNTHUSE OVER PE0sPE CTS
Major Putnam made II plain that
IL vas not the business OF the war
department TO promote these rroi-
ects for the improvement OF ths