Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1904 — About the Big Ditch. [ARTICLE]

About the Big Ditch.

In the Iroquois Ditch notice, now being published in The Republican there are about 1,450 names, which is far more than were ever published in one list in Jasper county before, for any purpose. The ditch affects, or at least assesses, practically all lands in Barkley township, most of Walker, and large parts of Newton, Union, Gillam, Hanging Grove and Marion townships. Its estimated cost is 1151,000. Of this sum it is estimated that SI3OOOO will be for the main ditch and about $21,000 for th£ dozen or so laterals and spurs. Of the co°t of the main ditch it is estimated that half, or $65,000 will be expended in removing the rook at Rensselaer and below. It is also figured that the rock from these cute will be valuable assets to sell for road-building purposes. This rock out is to be 30 feet wide on the bottom, with sloping sides, and the deeper it is of course the wider it will be at the top. Besides the cut all the way through town, there will be a shorter rock out about a mile below town, near J. D. Baboook’s place. It is stated that the total amount assessed to lots in Rensselaer for the construction of the ditoh is about SIO,OOO.