Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-11
The BIG DITCH
Good Progress Made on the
Famous Drainage Ditch In
Western Iowa
HOW THE WORK is DONE
Huge Steel Buckets Are Used to Scoop
up the Earth - Temporary Ditch
Being Constructed First - Spring
Freshets Expected to Aid the Con-
tractors.
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

Specialize Times Republican,.
Onawa, Iowa, Dec. 1.-THE work on
the great drainage project now in
course of construction has been pro-
crossing rapidly the past two months.
All the contractors who have been
awarded contracts to do work in
either Monona or Harrison counties
have been hampered by the peculiar
composition of the soil in those local
titles and have been compelled to con-
struct special machinery to cope with
the opposition. The gumbo in the val
ley in the southeast OF Onawa blocked
work there for some time. Work is
being hurried. however, and two shifts
of men are used each day-a day force
and night force. Electric lights make
it possible for the men to see to oper-
ate the machinery after darkness falls
The great project will not be entirely
finished for year.
Big Steel Buckets Used.
Steel buckets holding half a cubic
yard of dirt, operated by electrical
machinery, and rugged SO as to dump
forty buckets a minute, will be used in
excavating part of the big water way
known as the Monona Harrison coun-
ty drainage canal. Already tenn
porary ditch has been cut between
Jennings lake and Lateral No 1, in
Harrison county, for the relief Of the
farmers In case Of an overflow in that
part of the district next spring. The
temporary ditch averages ten feet in
width and five feet In depth. The base
Is four feet in width. The ditch runs
from one foot to nine feet and is nearly
completed. with the exception Of 500
feet where the ground was to wet and
caused work to stop Tor time.
The construction of the temporary
ditch being deemed necessary by the
contractors before beginning at the
head Of their work, where they are
now busily engaged in excavating an
immense pit. fifty feet wide and ninety
feet long, with Ave feet base.
The pit is intended for the launch
Ing OF the scow which is necessary for
a floating machine shop, and the In
Sailing Of the powerful crane, shovels
engine and other appliances for use of
the dredge boat in digging the canal.
The dredge boat will be equipped and
by electricity. II
The builders Of the machinery for
the boat claim for 1t that when in cons
plete working order it will be capable
IF excavating 10000 cubic yards Of dirt
every twenty-four hours, the buckets
10 hold. half cubic yard and dumped
1T the rate of forty minute
Work Of Big Dredge Boat.
C. d. Adams, of Little Sioux, super
ntendent in charge, says the contract
Tor the work really begins on the south
side Of Oliver lake. continuing south
% the washout in the Missouri river.
The purpose is to cut the north lake
INTO the south lake in the operations
If the boat on the east side Of the up
per lake. The cut ernptying the water
will be about 1000 feet long. A day
and might shift of five men each will
oe employed all Of the time.
A gas engine of $50 horsepower, ca
oable of producing its own gas from
anthracite coal. will also be used and
he gas serve for exploding the engine.
The flywheels of the powerfully built
piece of mechanism intended for driv-
ng power will each weigh 5000 pounds,
equal to four tons of solid metal.
The digging buckets are operated
direct from the engine shaft, and the
eighty feet conveyors on each side are
moved by Independent electric motors.
tIindered by Gumbo.
The total number of yards OF dirt to
,e moved is estimated at 3,262,672
Yards. There will be nine cut-offs in
he Sioux river Of various lengths. The
,ut- offs contain, according to esti-
mates, some 100000 cubic yards Of dirt.
One construction company began
digging the head Of the canal at the
intersection of the Woodbury. Monona
iitch on the 4th Of July and have since
been seriously delayed in their pro-
press owing to new and more desirable
machinery being required to do the
work in Monona county than used be-
tore. Something more than 100000 GU