Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 July 1905 — The Makemself Still gives Trouble [ARTICLE]

The Makemself Still gives Trouble

The Makemaslf ditch, now Makemself sewer, has been a source of trouble and contention from time out of mind, and there seems no present prospect of its ceasing to make trouble, While it was an open ditch it bred skeeters, stench and malaria, now that it is a closd sewer, it breeds bitter ness and contentions and threats of law suits. When it was made a closed sewer, and through a mistake in judgment, the sewer pipe was far too small in capacity, the people along the ditch were given to understand they could fill it up. above the sewer pipe and make level land, thereof. This quite a number did, and then came the deluge In fact, e whole lot of deluges, at one time and another, and the result has been that every time of high water cellars and door yards ere flooded with it for days together. Some of the owners of these submerged regions have threatened to sue the city if the council did not provide some means for the excess of water to get away more quickly- Ther.-fore a car load of 30 inch sewer pipe was ordered, with the-|intention of putting them across the streets, along the line of the ditch, but above tin origin, al and much smaller sewer pipe. But the big pipes had only been put across Alain street, when property owners below made objection and threatened to bring injuotion proceedings if any more of the pipes were put acroes the streets. And there the matter now rests for the present. If something is not done to get the water off from the region above Alain street the property owners will sue the city If an attempt is made to epen the ditch so ’as to get the water off faster, the property o wners below Main street will sue the city. So it looks like the city was up against some law suits, whatever course is taken.

In the meantime the laws and decisions bearing on thia peculiar situation are being investigated, bat both are hard to find. By going as far as California however a decisions was found very nearly covering the situation. It is to the effect that when a natural water course like the Makemself ditch, is made into a covered sewer then the sewer pipes mint be made of as large a carrying capacity as the original open ditch, or the light rt mains to again make it an open ditch.

Therefore the idea now seems to ba that the Council will proceed to putin the big pipes in the streets and to reopen the ditch' at least enough to carry of the surplus witer in times of flood. And if any property owners object to the ex tent of going to law, the courts can settle the matter as evidently they will have to do, one way or the other, whatever course is adopted.