Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-06-11
THREE YEARS WORK
BRINGS VICTORY
Agitation for Drainage bitches
Commenced Three Years 400

n0VC WCGil OuI el1OutllGN 0s1U
Property Valued al a Million
and a Hl!f D3:!ars Pledged on
Bonds.
One of the principal charac-
tcristics of the average Amer
lean citizen is, after he decides
he wants a certain thing, to
keep everlastingly at it until
he has accomplished the de-
sired result or finds good and
sufficient reasons why he should
not be granted that which he
seeks. Ever since the rich
and fertile lands of Harrison
County commenced to be taken
up by settlers there has been
more or less talk Of a system
of drainage sufficient to relieve
the annual floods in the west
ern portion of the county.
The road of progress is never
paved but instead is always
strewn with numerous and diff
icult obstacles.
The organized agitation which
yesterday resulted in the order
ing of the two big drainage
bitches was commenced about
three years ago when petitions
for relief from the floods was
presented to the respective
boards of supervisors of Harri-
son and Pottawattamie coun-
ties. Because of a failure to
comply with some of the laws
requirements regulating such
proceedings both petitions were
refused and the promoters in
structed it would be necessary
to consider Harrison and Pot
tawattamie counties as one
drainage district and petitions
asking for joint bitches would
be necessary. Accordingly in
January of this year the re-
spective boards of Supervisors
of Harrison and Pottawattamie
counties were presented petit
tions in which the signers
petitioned for the appointment
of a joint commission to invest
igate the existing conditions in
Harrison and Pottawattamie
counties in regards to drainage
needs, and ascertain the prac-
tibility and approximate costs
and need of such improvement.
Accompanying this petition
was a bond, the signers of
which agreed to pay all the
preliminary costs, such as sur
veys, etc., in case the ditch
petition was not granted. This
petition was granted by the two
Boards and Hon. j. K. McGav-
rem of this city and R. B. Will
son of Carson, Iowa, were APP
pointed drainage commission
ers for the two counties.
After selecting Thomas los
tevein of Council Bluffs as
supervising engineer they pro-
ceeded with their arduous task.
Both gentlemen of the commits
sion were thoroughly competent
and did their work we'll. After
investigations extending over a
period of several weeks the
commission reported in favor
of the bitches, locating the
route of the same and giving
other valuable data regarding
the proposed improvement.
The next step taken was the
appointment of a Board of APP
praisers to establish the damage
done to the farms traversed by
the bitches. The filing of the
report of the Appraisers called
for bonds in the sum of $4,000
in Pottawattamie county and
$4,000 in Harrison county to
indemnify the land owners fol
the value of the land taken for
the right of way. Before the
Boards could take final action
in the matter another bond of
$4,000 from Harrison county
to insure the payment by this
county of the additional cost of
the Pottawattamie end of the
ditch in order to carry off the
waters coming into that county
from the Harrison county
bitches. Other bonds indem.
nifying against other conditions
that might arise were required
the total valuation of the pro
perty owned by signers of the
different bonds being 81, 100000
A fter dine consideration nj