The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-08

Gov. Van SAINT, Deputy Auditor Iver-
son and Assistant Secretary of State
Lomen, constituting the state drain
age commission, held a session yester-
day at the capitol.
The principal object of the meeting
was to award contract for the Gun
lake ditch, in Aitkin county. Only one
DID was handed in, from S. G. Carter,
OF Altkin, who offered to do the work
for 20 cents per cubic yard. AS the
maximum price paid by the commits
sion has been III cents per cubic yard,
Engineer George A. Ralph recommend
ed that the bid be rejected This was
done, and the engineer directed to re-
ceive bids and let the contract at a
price not to exceed II cents per cubic
yard.
Estimates of $500 each were allowed
the contractors on the Becker Mar
shall and Norman county bitches.
Engineer Ralph submitted the follow
Ing report as to the progress of work
on the various bitches now being con-
structed:
Lost River Ditch Ready.
"The Lost river state ditch, which
was awarded to Halvor N Egelund.
has been entirely completed, and the
contractor is DESTROYS that the COM
mission make it's final inspection. Con-
siderfng the character Of the work, the
contractor is entitled to much credit
Tor completing the contract in the time
he has. The ditch extends for it's en-
tire length over floating bog. The
work had to be executed with hay
knives and pitchforks, the sod being
cut up in large squares, foated to the
margin of the ditch and pitched out
with pitchfork. The ditch is doing
excellent work, the large volume of
water which has passed through it
since it's completion has washed it
planned, and the ditch will soon have
a capacity sufficient for any food
flow
Since the completion of the ditch
large areas of bog on either side are
drying up, and land that has hereto
fore been an impossible bog is being
occupied and improved. The work on
the Badger and Skunk creek ditch, in
ROSeau county, is progressing nicely.
The contractor is using a dredge and
keeps the machine in operation both
night and day. The ditch will be COM
pleted this season. The New Solum
ditch in Marshall county, has not pro-
crossed to such an extent as I had
hoped. The contractor is now doing
better than in the past, and it is prob
able that it will be completed this sea-
clude all the work let by the commits
sion last season. The Grand Marias
ditch, in Polk, under contract with
Sanders, is almost completed, and I'M
der favorable conditions will be COM
pleted within thirty days.
Details as to bitches.
''The Goodhope state ditch, in Nor
man county, under contract with Bar
nard & Gorder, will be completed by
the date fixed in the contract.
THE Silver Leaf state ditch. in
Becker county, is almost completed,
and the contractor, Mr.. Kohler, de-
serves much credit for the manner in
which he has pushed the work.
1.-THE EmardvilIe ditch, in Red Lake
county, is now about half finished and
the contractor is pushing the work
with large force of men and teams
''The Yeager lake ditch, in Wadena
county, for which the commission in
structed me to award a contract, has
been let to John Kohler, of Frazee, for
liz cents per cubic yard"
The work done under the direction
of the commission this season involves
an expediture of about $4,000, and
about twenty miles have been added
to the drainage system Engineer
Ralph reports that in Polk, Roseau,
Marshall and Red Lake counties con-
siderable work has been done in drain
age bitches under the county law This
is done and the expense charged up to
property owners, for the reason that
the fund which the commission has to
expend annually is about $780, in
stead of ten times that amount.
The drainage commission will make
a tour of inspection the latter part of
next week.