Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1908 — EXPECT TO COMPLETE DITCH THIS FALL. [ARTICLE]

EXPECT TO COMPLETE DITCH THIS FALL.

The big dredge worked all day Sunday on the Iroquois ditch and made very good progress. The ditch is now finished as far as the southwest corner of Weston cemetery, and the cut was made through the new channel south ’of the cemetery Sunday, or part of the way has been put across the river back of has been put through in back of the Wm. Washburn residence and the dredge will strip the rock of dirt to that point—probably has reached it at this writing—and then it will back up to a point south of the Washburn pasture and remain there while the 12 to 18 inches of rock through the cut made back of the cemetery is drilled, and blasted. It is estimated that it will take two or three wqpks to do this drilling and blasting. Then the dredge will be put to work thYowing out the rock down to grade.

The contractors say they will complete the ditch this fall, but It would seem that they must have exceptionally good weather to do this, and then that it would run to mid-winter at least. There is some 1,200 feet of rock to be taken out west 'of town, near Stott Grant’s and only about half of this has been drilled. generally necessary, to go back over a portion of the rock work and redrill and re-blast after .the dredge has taken out the first blasting, some of the blasting not breaking it up sufficiently for removal. Therefore the statement that the entire dredge work will he completed this fall should be taken with a grain of allowance, we think. ' '