Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 118, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1916 — The East End and Its Drainage Needs. [ARTICLE]

The East End and Its Drainage Needs.

The heavy rains of Saturday and Sunday nights caused another flood in the eastern part of Rensselaer and calls attention to the wretched drainage of that part of the city. Certainly all measure of “watchful waiting” should be dispensed with and a preparedness campaign should follow at once. Any person living in the territory south of the track will tell any who inquire that the water that causes them trouble comes from north of the track. Any person north of the track will tell yotrthat the only relief they have from the water is to have it cross the track grade. What is the answer? It may require a drainage expert to figure it out, but it would seem that simple reasoning would be to provide for the drainage of the north side and that it should be drained toward the west and south and reach the Iroquois ditch either through the Maxwell ditch or this side of Weston cemetery.

Since many of the homes in the eastern part of Rensselaer were built, the old Make-’errnSelf ditch has been converted into a covered drain. It has often proven itself inadequate. During the past ten years there has been a gradual and unrestricted filling up of the old channel over the sewer until now it would be next to impossible to enlarge the sewer. The east part of Rensselaer and south of the track could probably be drained through the present outlet," but when the rush of waters from many acres of farm land north of the track tries to crowd through the drain it is congested and the water floods the premises of many. Stock pen filth is carried into the yards and basements and in very high water times into the houses. There is a duty to those whose homes are afflicted in this way to give them drainage and to give them the right kind. It is more important than any other improvement now being considered in Rensselaer. Anyone who has had water standing about their yards or in their basement knows how terrible a thing it is. In the east part of Rensselaer it will occur at intervals until the ditch ig dug. It may occur only once every year or two and it mdy occur several times a year. But it will happen until the drain is supplied. We are opposed to Wilsoniting Rensselaer by any further policy of hoping it won’t rain so hard in the future. The council should not let matters rest until the contract has been let and the ditch completed.

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Vanatta have just received the particulars of the death of their grand nephew, little Robert Daly, the 6-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Daly, which occurred at Detroit. Bobbie was standing on the citrb and his .mother was looking in that direction when a large auto was driven along at a rate estimated at 50 or 60 miles an hour. The driver lost control and the car skidded a distance of i 27 feet. When next Mrs. Daly saw her little son he was on the other side of the street and crushed so that he died in just a short time. The shock almost cost the life of his mother, who has heart trouble and for a time her life #as despaired of, but she is better at the time the letter was written to Mr. and Mrs. Vanatta, about wo weeks after the accident. The driver is beMrs. Daly was formerly Miss Mabel j Sayler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. | John Sayler, formerly of this county but now living in Washington. ■