Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 227, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1910 — Big Job of Blasting and Tiling in White County. [ARTICLE]

Big Job of Blasting and Tiling in White County.

Delphi Journal. Nelson F. Howard, a practical blaster of rocks and stumps, who resided near Radnor, in Carroll county, until about one year ago, has landed one of the largest contracts ever awarded in this section, in his line of work. He has the tremendous task of clearing a tract of land comprising 1,820 acres that lies in White county, near Monon, for Thomas Kelley, president of the Live Stock Commission company, of Chicago. On the land that is to be cleared by Mr. Howard, he has just completed the erection of four large barns, each capable of housing 320 head of cattle at one time. Nearly six hundred acres of the land is covered by timber and the contract calls for the clearing of all this to a deptfr of sixteen inches. It is the intention of Mr. Kelley to convert all his tract into grazing land. Mr. Howard is a practical man at the business, having had over twenty years’ experience, and this contract, amounting to SII,OOO, is the largest one he ever undertook. He expects to finish it in about one year, having a force of about fifteen men at work. The farm is to be thoroughly drained also, and a large force of men are at work. To drain the tract will cost the enormous sum of $40,000, 180 miles of tiling, ranging from six to twentytwo inches. Mr. Kelley, the owner of the land, has an 800 acre tract in the south, and has offered Mr. Howard a year round job. He wants him to work in the south during the cold months and during the summer time complete the job just started in White county. Mr. Howard will very likely accept the proposition.