Democratic messenger., 1892-10-29
CLEANING THE POCOMOKE.
Action Should be Taken in tins
Public Enterprise-Dela-
ware Ready to Help
Pay the Expense.

Al the last session of the Legislature
the following law was passed, authoriz,
ing the County Commissioners of Wor,
cester and Wicomico Counties 10 have
the Pocomoke River surveyed. and 10
levy sum of money 10 defray the ex.
penses thereof
Whereas, the upper part Of the chan
mel Of the Pocomoke River has become
obstructed with logs, trees and other OBJ.
structions where by the natural flow oi
water is impedcd and causes the overflow
of water on the low lands adjacent Ia
said river and doing much damage, and
il being advisable 10 remove such OBJ.
struc,ions, therefore. BE ii enacted by
the General Assembly of Maryland, that
the County Commissioners of Worces.
ter and Wicomico Counties, are hereby
authorized and empowered TO employ a
competent surveyor TO survey and report
on the condition of the channel OF the
upper part of the Pocomoke River above
the town of Snow Hill at the Delaware
line, as 10 the feasibility and expense OF
cleaning out the channel thereof, and for
the expense of such survey, the County
Commissioners of each county are hereby
authorized and empowered to levy the
sum of One Hundred Dollars, or so much
thereof AS may I've necessary To defray the
expenses of such survey.
The matter is one that greatly effects
the people living along the Pocomoke
River, both in Wicomico and Worcester
Counties. For several years the river
has been blockadcd with cypress logs
and driftwood that becoming sobby has
sunk 10 the bed of the channel and nj.
most completely checked It, The above
nc, authorizing the Commissioners TO
have the river surveyed and get an es:i-
mate as TO the cost of dredging it, was
past but by the request of the citizens of
both counties living along the line of the
river. but as yet the Commissioners OF
neither County have taken any action in
the matter. We would respectfully sug-
gest TO our Commissioners To confer with
the Worcester Board and appoint COM
petent surveyor 10 take the measure
ments. Ii is estimated that the work OF
dredging the stream can lie done for
$1,000, and Delaware has expressed her
Willingness 10 assist in the improvement.
The effect of dredging out the channel
on the thousands of acres of surrounding
lands cannot be oyerestimated. II is
well known now that in wet Spring the
farmers in Dennis and Pittsburg Dis
tricts are unable to get their crops in un-
til very late on account of the overflow
of the river and sometimes after they are
in, the weather continuing wet, they are
unable to give them any further attention
Then the land Immediately ON the bor-
der of the stream is not all that is effected
All the lands that border on the streams
emptying into the Pocomoke are also
effected, so one can readily see that if the
be pushed through thous-
ands of acres OF land that is now practi-
cally worthless in wet season would be
reclaimed and made productive. The
natural tall of the land is enough TO make
the drainage good If the surplus water
could be carried of after it reached the
river, but as the situation is now the
channel is So choked the water will not
run off but is backed up on the farming
lands for miles and causes more loss
each year To the farmers than il would
cost to dredge the channel The people
of this section of our coun nty are entitled
To This Improvement. and we hope the
Commissioners AT their next meeting will
take some action upon it Wicomico
Ne,rs
The above meets with our hearty ap-
proval and we hope our Commissioners
will take some action in the matter in
with the Commissioners of
Wicomico.- EDS. MESSENGER