Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-07-24
Local Affairs in Hundreds Of Iowa Towns Of
Interest to the General Reader.

milk cows there IL a. sudden falling on
In milk and a general run down condi-5
ton OF the animal. Specific opthalmia
in large herds often means the loss Of
thousands OF dollars to the owners. The
disease is highly contagious. 1t ap-
peared in the county last summer. but
did not do marked damage.
The treatment for animals afflicted
with this blindness should be seclusion
in cool, dark place, we'll ventilated,
and with plenty OF fresh water close at
hand. A wash for the eyes IL sometimes
given, and bran mash given alternately
s, &. glober salts is recommended.
WORK ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI.
Huntington Hawkeye.l
Burlington people who have made the
trip on the w. j. Young, Eloise or Dla
rnond 10 boats have often wondered at
the work Of the government crews
along the river. The construction Of
wing dams. which is now the principal
department Of river Improvement, is
an interesting operation. and few peo-
pie understand howthe work is done.
Where river Improvements are con-
templated survey Is first made and
along the shore at Intervals Of about
300 feet, which are indicated by Roman
numerals. a skiff then goes from one
station to the next taking soundings.
With are recorded on map which
when completed is forwarded to Mai.
G. Med. Townsend, OF Rock Island.
having charge of all Improvements
from ST. Paul to the Missouri river.
After his approval and the locating of
THE points of the dam, two range poles
are established on the shore so that the
men working on the dam can extend
1.-The dam in q straight line by sighting
4 from the shore. AT distance of 1lb
fleet above the range of the dam a row
\ of anchors is placed, from which lines
are run out to hold the construction
barges in position.
i The actual construction commonly
begins with shore protection, which at
this point consists Ola strip5of willows
overlaid with rip-rap rock about a foot
Ideep and extending 100 feet above the
shore end to flat slope of the shore.
i Ali wing dams are constructed of
Iwillow brush and rock, the willows be-
ling found both the best and cheapest
material which can be used The viii
lows are cut from the river bank by
Icontract and are bound by wire or cord
Into bundles called facines, 90 feet long
land to IL inches in diameter. The
rock used for the work weighs from 30
Ito 100 pounds, convenient size for
handling A building barge about Sc
.lfeet long and 20 feet wide, is then
moorcd to the anchors in the river on
q line just above the II nge of the pro-
llposed dam. A barge of willow facines
4 is moored to the upper side of the build
ling barge, and rock barge called the
!, grasshopper. arranged with q slide OF
20 feet wide, ia then placed between the
WORK barge and the rock barge. The
s|facines are carried to the grasshoppel
land laid across poles extending parable
Ito the range Of the dam, then other viii
How poles are laid on top and all bound
together by wire. The sra sshoppel
|swhen covered with facines bound With
s|poles 10 then Gid along, letting the vii
s|lows into the water until a mat 50 fee
s|long and 2Ofeet wide Sis constructed, the
s|tops Of the willow brush pointing VI
a stream. The mat is then sunk by rock
3Ibeing thrown on it. If the mat is In
3|tended for deep water 1t is made sev'
Ieral feet thick by laying the facines SSt
or three feet deep. The first mat SUM
!: lis called an apron and lays fiat on thu
bottom. The other mats which are laic
on top are called raising mats, and eacf
lone is sunk farther enough dowr
stream to make a declivity Of 50 pei
lcent on the lower side. This tends Z
!. tilt the succeeding mats forward so al
TO prevent an activity Of 20 per cent L
1.-The current 4{4s5s3