Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1913 — LOWER IROQUOIS TO BE DREDGED SOON [ARTICLE]

LOWER IROQUOIS TO BE DREDGED SOON

Remonstrators Fail to Appeal From Decision of Judge Hanan and Contract Will Bfe Let Soon. y The Borntrager ditch petition; which provides for the dredging of the lower Iroquois fiver from the mouth of the present Iroquois ditch, west of Rensselaer, to a point below Brook, is now certain to prevail and George A. Williams, attoriley for the petitioners, has been advising with Engineer ,Myrt B. Price, who/ was appointed superintendent of construction, and will proceed to advertise for the letting of the contract. The petition has been in the court for a long time and was assailed by a large number of remonstrators, represented by a large number of attorneys. The remonstrators were heard at a special term of court held last summer by John W. Hanan, of LaGrange, who was sent here by Governor Marshall as a special judge to hear the case. He made a few modifications in assessments but not enough to defeat the ditch. Attorneys for the remonstrators gave notice of appeal and filed an appeal bond. The law provides that all matters pertaining to the appeal must be on file within sixty days after the appeal is taken. The time expired Wednesday, Jan. Ist, and that was the last opportunity, the remonstrators had to defeat or further alter the petition. For thirty days is was practically certain that the remonstrators wQuld not appeal as nothing was being done to prepare the transcript from the circuit court. The petition is a virtual extension of the Iroquois ditch as dredged by Chas. Sternberg and sons. The specifications provide for the straightening and deepening of the channel. At the point where the new ditch has its proposed outlet the river banks are high and the outlet is regarded sufficient to perform the task of draining all lands in the watershed. About 20 miles of river will be

straightened into a ditch only about 10 miles long. - The contract will probably be let the latter part of February or the first of March and work begun soon after.