Kaw Valley Drainage District v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Dawson, J.:

This is an application for a writ of mandamus to compel obedience .to an order of The Kaw Valley Drainage District requiring The Missouri Pacific Railway Company to remove one of its bridges across the Kansas river because its low elevation, many piers, its southern abutment, riprap and filling obstruct .the channel and free flow of flood waters to such an extent as to menace the lives and property of the people residing or doing business in the bottoms of Kansas City, Kan.

Before going into the details of this controversy, a general…