Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1913 — IROQUOIS AGAIN OUT OF ITS BANKS [ARTICLE]

IROQUOIS AGAIN OUT OF ITS BANKS

Easter Rain Storm Brought Flood That is Greatest Since the River Was Dredged. • The weatherman-throughout the central states forecasted clear weather for Sunday. The Indianapolis forecaster, apparently confident that good weather was going to rule, said that if it rained he would not come back to the office for a week. But the weathermen were mistaken. It rained from eajly morning until late at night with but little relaxation. The result is swollen streams, washed out culverts and almost impassable roads and streets. In the northeast part of Rensselaer the water surrounds some twenty-five or thirty houses, overflows the sidewalks and people have been compelled to improvise methods of getting out of their homes. The entirely inadequate Make-em-Self sewer soon became overflowed and the water stands in places at a depth of from 18 inches to 2 feet. The sewer underlies what was for many years an open ditch and after it was laid the ditch was filled up and the surplus water has no means of escape until this sewer can carry it away. The force of the water in the sewer was so great that the sewer broke out on top near the Charles Pullin property on the street leading to the cemetery and helped to flood that section of town. This would have occurred, from the river, which is out of its bounds in that section and has backed up entirely across the cemetery street and sidewalk. The water is higher than it had been since before the dredge improvement transferred the Iroquois river into a ditch, but it lacks almost or quite two feet of reaching the high water mark of former years. Louis Ramp, who works at the Donnelly Planing Mill, states that the water is not so high by two feet as it was a time pr two prior to the dredging of the river. *r Many cellars In Rensselaer are flooded, even in parts of the" town where the surface drainage has worke# perfectly. A resident of the east part town called The Republican to suggest that “beautiful Rensselaer” will be an impossibility until some adequate drainage system is instituted. He says that it would be vastly better to run big sewer drains down several parallel streets leading from the flooded districts on the east side than to spend money on bricking Cullen street. That this drainage should be given attention without delay is apparent to any one who has visited the east side since this storm. Dr. E. N. Loy’s garage is surrounded by watgr, but he fortunately did not have his car in the building. His residence is on the river bank just below the College street bridge. The houses on Austin avenue, west of the river, which were generally flooded during the old days before the drainage, are still a foot or more above the water. The river raised 'about 6 inches since morning, and the rain, which has continued since 9 o’clock th!9 morning, may cause it to raise still further, although the forecast is for cloudy weather tonight and clear tomQrrow. The current is very swift and tne water will recede rapidly when it gets started. The Republican could get into communication with no one living near the Burk or Pullins bridges, north of town, but it is understood that both are impassible and that the approaches are under water. A report reached town to the effect that a team got down in an effort of its driver to cross the Burk bridge and was rescued with difficulty. Telephone wires are down ,in many places in the country. The Western Union is entirely cut off from all connections and Miss Spaulding, the operator, has been unable to communicate with any other places today. The storm is general and much damage Is reported by the morning papers. At Terre Haute several per sons were killed Sunday night at about 10 o’clock and many others injured. A washout at Terhune, near Indianapolis, caused the delay of the northbound trains and No. 32, due here at 10:12, did not arrive until 3 o’clock this afternoon. George S. Smith last week contracted the sale of his 5-acre , tract at the north edge of town £o John P. and Elizabeth McCord, brother and sister. The price paid is $1,600. Mr. Smith bought the place from an old gentleman named Carr and Improved it by the addition of two rooms and a porch to the house. He paid $l,lOO for It. Mr. Smith has not made an investment so far and may decide to leave Rensselaer and hunt another location. >