Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1907 — "IMPROVED” METHODS OF DITCHING. [ARTICLE]

"IMPROVED” METHODS OF DITCHING.

The people of Milroy and Carpenter townships, in Jasper county, and of Princeton township in White county, have been considerably vexed over the long delay in the construction of the Nessius ditch. This ditch was commenced about five years ago and dredges have worked on the ditch from time to time, some of them standing over winter in the ditch and the sand drifting in behind them. About one year ago the dredge left the ditch at its outlet in the old Waukrusha ditch. The ditch has never been accepted and for a mile and a half or two miles has two to four feet of dirt in the bottom yet to be removed, and for the entire length, for more than eight miles, is not according to specifications and has not been fully accepted. Although a large amount of money has been paid out on this ditch, and there is more than $7,000 yet in the hands of the treasurers 6f White and Jasper counties to be expended, the land at the source of this ditch overflows about as badly as it did before the ditch was worked and the people are very much exasperated about the improvement and the dilatory methods of the contractor. Last week during the high water he placed teams on the banks on each side of the ditch connecting them to a large plow in the bottom of the ditch by means of long ropes, and with his helpers, who were provided with bathing suits, attempted to stir the sand in the bottom of the ditch so that it would wash down stream. The water was over the handles of the plow and the “diver” was almost under water as he held the handles of the plow in an effort to remove the debris in the bottom of the stream arid to set it afloat. By frequently changing men at the plow, and permitting the wet man to change clothes, they were enabled to stir the sand quite a good deal and quite an amount of it floated a few hundred feet down stream but it was impossible to stir enough of it to get it down to the required depth. Perhaps a few more efforts of this kind will so level off the dirt that they can “hood-wink” the surveyor into accepting the ditch. If this plan proves successful it will surely bring about quite a revolution in the ditch business, and the people may expect much cheaper work in the future. The interested parties, whose crops have been ruined for several years because of these dilatory tactics, are waiting with interest the outcome of this new process of ditching. “A Casual Observer.”