The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-04-22

ty has paid the sum Of s70I, 90 for
its proportion in building county
bitches. Tho name of ono Of our
Commissioners heads the list and the
iathcr>in-law Of another completes il.
Aud as everything should havo
good beginning aud good ending
these items are larger than any of
the others.
Let us look at the "Tomb Ditch"
so called. Ia Pleasant township
there is a public highway, known as
tho Bender Road, running west from
Watson's Station, on the railroad, to
the Saudusky river. Tho entire
length Of the road is two miles. On
the east aud west ends Of the road
tho land is cleared aud improved
About n half mile running from the
Morrison State Road west is in woods
At the east nd Of this road, Watson,
one Of tho Commissioners, has his
homestead, aud at the west end of the
road on the north sidj, he has a
farm Of Two hundred and forty.threc
acres moro. On tho south side of
tho west end Of this road, Mr.. Tomb
has four Hundred acres of land
The road itself is but little travelled,
but IL will be readily soen that it is
the connecting link between Watson's
farms, and tho nearest road TO tho |
railroad to ship the produce of Wat.
SONS and Tomb's farms. This road |
through the woods is not as good as
Watson aud Tomb would like to
havoit, and so they, Tomb aud Wat
son, petition tho Board Of Commis
sioners, Of which Watson is nom
bor, to locate a county ditch through
the woods, on the north side Of the
road. Out Of respect for Mr.. Tomb,
they name it tho Tomb Ditch, not
withstauding his land docs not come
within third of mile of tho ditch,
aud not ono drop of water is drained
from or kept of his land by it. -
Watson'S land lies somewhat nearer,
but he is 10 no way benefited by it
except in the improvement of the
road between his farms.
In any other part of the county,
except where a Commissioner lives,
Tho Supervisor would have done all
tho work necessary to make tho road
good att cost of twenty-five dollars.
" wuv JUST such a piece OF road,
thro ugh the woods, as you will find
hundreds in tho county.
The Surveyor went out to survey
the ditch. Our disintcrested County
Commissi oncrS, Peter Ebersole and
Thomas W. Watson, went along aud
assisted one day, and charged 81 80
each for that service.
Upon the 6ual hearing Of tho case
tho ditch was established, aud the
Board decide that Seneca county
roads should be benefited one hun
dred dollars, and awarded FIVE hun
drcd aud fifty flct running measure,
twonty inches in depth, three feet
wide on the bottom, as its proper
tion Of the construction Of the same,
Then Seneca county to construct
that ditch, paid ono hundred and
thirty six dollars, The Board found
that it would benefit the roads oLe
hundred dollars, aud paid one hun
dred and thirty.six dollars for that
amount Of beuo6t. Great econom-
lists The ditch IS three thousand
fvO hundred feet long at tho same
rate tho cost Of construction for the
entire ditch would DO about 81 900.
Add to this the costs Of locating, s5l,
aud you will have moro than enough
to have pikod the road the entire dis
taucc through the woods. Why was
this ditch called tho "Tomb ditch,'
while Watson was one Of the petit
TONERS, aud so largely interested in
its location? and can any man of
sense give a reason for Seneca county |
giving so mach to benefit road that |
is SO little travelled, Of so little use
that its Surroundings, to use the
classic language Of tho County Sur
veyor, twas only 6t to breed mus
ketoos aud worry the Inhabitants
with the music of the frogs in wet
soiEins - Az might have been sup
posed, litigation grew up out Of this
unwarrantod use of the ditch law.
But do tho County Commissioners
allow the parties who ffled this pcti-
ton for tho ditch to procure counsel
to dolcud the action aud relieve the
County from any further expense ?
Not by any means, wheH one of the
petitioners is one of the Commission.
ers. An attorney of Seneca County,
Ohio, proseeuteda bill against Seneca
County for services in this aud other
bitches in the sum of $500, but the
County Commissioners induced him
to take $500. But more anon.
UNION.
Duriag tho extra session of the
Senate, upwards of six hundred nom