Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1897 — Pinkamink Ditch. [ARTICLE]

Pinkamink Ditch.

Can the Pinkamink be properly made? I have been asked the question several times and I wish to answer, yes, it can. How about the rock at Tailholt and Saltillo bridges? Well, I will say that there is no rock at Tailholt in the way of a big ditch. The first rock that we found by proper soundings was at stake No. 196, or 75 feet above Saltillo bridge, at a depth of 5 feet in the center of channel of the river, and from there to where the river makes a bend westerly on Mr. Burgett’s farm on the nw nw of section 10-29-5 the rock is 3 8-10 feet on an average. At this point where the river bends westerly it is only 1 5-10 feet to the rock fora short distance. At stake 213 and again at 214 the rock is 2 feet below, and the soundings show from 215 to 235 from 4 to 7 feet below. At stake 236, 4 feet, from stake 238 to 251, 4 end 5 feet. Between stakes 260 and 263 the rock is at surface in the bottom of the channel. This is’where Mr. Robert Randle blasted out a small channel through the rock which does good work for so small a cut.

The rock is 2 feet below at Parker bridge and ranges from 2 to 5 feet below from bridge to outlet, which is one-half mile below. The expense of removing the rock is small compared with the benefits. The gravel will be handled with less cost than the muck, as when you make a ditch through stone and gravel you have a ditch that will stand, will hold its banks and bottom in better shape than a muck or sand ditch. Pinkamink bottom that we surveyed is underlaid with gravel and rock at various depths, except the upper three-fourths mile, which is very deep muck. When we were ordered by the honorable board of county commissioners to go and make survey and locate sai'd ditch, we went there and found that there was great objections to the proposed ditch on the ground that the rock was too close to the surface. We went to a blacksmith and had a sharp pointed steel rod 8| fest long made for the purpose of testing the true depth .of the rock and found it as above described. Mr. Burgett and Mr. Robert Randle saw some of those tests made. They were even surprised to see the steel rod go through what they thought was rock. It was proper to make those tests, as we could not make a report on hearsay or reports of others, and with the aid of a two foot rule we knew just what we were doing and made our report accordingly. We tested from source to outlet one-half mile below Parker bridge- and will say that if the said ditch is constructed as we reported they will not only have a good ditch but a cheap one for the size. Respectfully, John O’Connor.