Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1905 — The Moffit Ditch In Stat[?] [ARTICLE]

The Moffit Ditch In Stat[?]

Wednesday was the dav set for Auditor Leatherman of this county and Purkey of Newton, to receive bids and again let the contract for the construction of the Moffit ditch. This is to be a joint county ditoh, some 17 miles long and 884,000 oubio yards of exoavation.| The original contract for its oonstruotion was let July 20th 1903, and the coatraot provided that it was to be completed in November, 1904, David H. Yeoman, of Rensselaer, took the oontraot at $32,175, and h-s übl t it to R B. Moffit, of Union tp. and the man for whom the ditoh is named. Owing to various casues not a yard of the hundreds of thousands has yet baen excavated and some of the land owners have beoome anxious about the matter and as a result bids were egaiu advertised for. Quite a number of professional dredge men were here Wednesday but the only bid submitted was one by Mr. Moffit, the present subcontractor; and that wss for the s. me amount, $32, 175 ss the original oontrect with Mr Yeoman. As co’hing was to be g-iined by reletting the ditch to praolioally the same pirty at the same sum, the bid was r jteted, and the matter stands just where it stood before. However Mr Moffit has a steam dredge set up and almost ready to begin work, and probably if be goes ahead and makes resonable progress with the work no further attempt will be made to re.'et the job. It is generally considered that there is 6ome money to be made at the prioe the ditch is contracted for.