The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-12-21
BOARD Of
WORKS To
co AHEAD
Mayor Brown Says City's
Future Demands It


Things are happening swiftly in
Hammond these days.
At a meeting tomorrow the board
OF works will adopt a resoluttoo
10 st+atghten and widen the Grand
Calumet river.
me resolution will include the
condemnation OF property on both
banks OF the river necessary 70
straishten and widen the stream
The width or the river will be 50
feet
Follow ing adoption of the reso-
Iution, which IS similar to openinr
a street. the board OF works vii
TX damages and benefits and hear
renonstTances- Unless someone
presents good reason, Why the
river should not be improved the
remonstrsnces VIII be overruled.
CONFER WITH MAYOR
f9e board of works came TO the
decision to widen and straighten
the river al conference with
Mayor Brown who is anxious TO
carry out the Improvement which
was one OF the planks in his plat
form in his first campaign for cleo
tton
Mayor Brown has tried to carrv
out every one Of his pledges to the
people and the three most impor-
tant were those concerning in
creased water pressure. a deep sew.
er and the Improvement Of the
Grand Calumet river. He told the
people that he would endeavor TO
have the biggest lake freighters
docking along the Grand Calumet
river in Hammond.
The mayor said today that he did
not believe there would be any real
opposition to the boards action to-
morrow
Every man or concern owning
property along the river must rea-
llEe that the minute the govern
rent puts a shovel into the river
70 dredge it the abutting propertv
VIII double in value" declared Nav
OF BRO" n Much Of it is practi-
caiiy unsaleabie today.
4 GREAT PROJECT
I believe the widening. straight
enins and dredging OF the ,.rand
calumet river to make il a port for
Iake steamers is second in inpor-
tance to any project tina. is con
tenn mplated. not even Illians Harh,,r
or tae location Of the Jones ANA
Laughlin plant 1t is a vital i'm
provement that VIII make Hammond
the very heart Of the Calumet In
"a! district. We are deter
tnined TO carry out this project.
Mayor Brown has the promise Of
the United States war department
that IS soon as the city has pro
cured the right -os-way' the gov
eminent will begin dredging the riv-
er TO a dephth Of twenty-eigbt feet
10 allow passage OF the largest
Ireishters on the Great Lakes
WAsHINGToN FAVORABLE
Inc mayor together with Citv
Engineer, Bridge and City ATTORNEY
McMahon has discussed the nro5Act
with Congressman VIII r. Wood
and other officials at Washington
and has found the administration
entirely in sympathy with the i'm.
provement The Calumet ree,o,
pays tremendous surplus profit and
income taxes as well as other fed
erai taxes and IS clearly entitled
20 an appropriation for the improve
ment- Col. Judson, head of the
war departments engineering
ferce in the middle west has long
advocated the Improvement OF the
Grand Calumet river.
We should either widen and
straighten the Grand Calumet river
fill It In" said Mayor Brown. "a1d
II Is preposterous for anyone to
suggest that we will flll It in"
In addition to dredging the rly-
er the war department will build
a turning basin at the juncture oe
the river and the East Chicago
diana Harbor canal so that boats
may come in through the port OF
Indiana Harbor. through the canal
70 the river and through the river
10 the lake at the port Of South
Chicago, or vice versa The river
VIII be the most important harbor
on the Great Lakes.
ELEVATION NEXT
Following Improvement OF the RI
Yer. or possibly during the tnprov-
ment of the river, aIavor Brown
vii take up the problem Of track
elevation. He stated today that he
is inclined to favor d seven foot
elevation of the Nickel Plate. Erie.
G. & O. and Monon railroads and
few feet depression of the streets
beneath these elevations rather
than high elevation Of the roads
To elevate the roads to heighth
Of twelve or fourteen feet would
do irreparable damage RI orone-+-,
In the city" said the mayor. while
low elevation would do a mini
mum OF damage to abutting pro-
perty and be Of benefit TO the city
asa a whole. Now that the water
works and sewage problems have
been solved we are ready TO tackle
these big projects. To accomplish
big things for Hammond the city
must have the confidence and sup
port c. the people"