Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1909 — PREPARING FOR WORK ON THE HOWE DITCH. [ARTICLE]

PREPARING FOR WORK ON THE HOWE DITCH.

The Sternbergs are at work getting their "big dredge in the Iroquois ditch down stream to the mouth of Carpenter’s creek, some two miles from the end of the present Iroquois ditch, and will then begin digging up stream on the Howe ditch. The fall in water in the river makes it rather slow progress. Thex; Assert that the Gilmore dredge is *too small to dig the lower end 6f the Howe ditch without digging one side iht a time, while their big dredge used in the, Iroquois will dig it out easily. There is but little fall for nearly two miles up Carpenter's creek from the river, and they say they can go up that far without darning, i Then they must build a dam by hand, and four dams will carry %hem up to where the Gilmore dredge now lies. Arriving there, they say, they * UI turn their dredge and come back down stream, taking out the dams as they come, to (he river. If this scheme is carried out it will be necessary to remote and re-

place the bridges twice, and it looks as if it would be quite an expensive undertaking. It is rumored that Mr. Gilmore is figuring on backing his dredge up to his own land in Hanging Grove tp., but if he does this there are two big iron bridges at least that he will have to remove and replace, to get the dredge through, and it will be quite an expensive thing to do. However, unless he should make some disposal of the dredge or lease it to the Sternberg’s, he will likely have to make some such move.