Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-11-29
IN BAY PROJECT
Muscatine North and South
Backers Interested on This
Side of the River.
MAY MEAN AN INTERURBAN
Plan Under Way to Extend Line and
Make 1t Electric Through
out.

Recent announcement OF an active
campaign for extensions ON both ends
of the Muscatine North & South rail
way gives added reason for the BELIEF
already entertained in some quarters
that an Iowa interurban line is being
planned to enter the lower end of Rock
Island county, possibly crossing the
Mississippi river from Davenport a few
miles below this city.
The Muscatine North & South will
start a surveying force out next week
to run line from Muscatine to Daven-
port on the other side of the river. 1t
is announced that several routes will
be surveyed. At the same time plans
are afoot for an extension of the road
from Elrick Junction south of Burling
ton. The road is now steam, but it is
asserted that when one or both of the
extensions are completed it will be
changed to electric, giving a continu-
Gus trolley line from Davenport to Bur
lington
Draining Bay Land.
1t is understood that the men who
recently purchased the Muscatnc
North & South, which had been in the
hands of a receiver for a number of
years, are deeply interested in the
project for the dyking and drainage of
the Boston bay land. They are said to
have secured options on thousands of
acres and have been the main factors
in getting the present drainage scheme
under way Possibly this was done as
an Independent venture, but it wOul
indicate that there might be something
else in view. An interurban across the
Muscatine high bridge into the improv-
ed tract and connecting with AledO
may be the ultimate object, or it may
be that line up the river on this side
is in view.
The North & South road is a feeder
for the Iowa Central, and the same
capital that is giving the Iowa Central
new life and is back of the Chicago.
Joliet & Kansas City. which promises
to give the Iowa Central a terminus in
Chicago may be working on the Musca-
tine road.
Drainage Project Through Court.
Plans for the drainage of the Boston !
bay tract are progressing as rapidly as
possible. The matter has been before |
the county court of Mercer county and |
no objections have been filed. The !
have been instructed to !
make an apportionment of the cost to !
each land owner and file a report Tho |
total estimated cost is $241, 900, which |
will be raised by a special assessment |
on the lands benefited, and the benefit !
accruing from the protection afforded /
by the levee. and also the benefit from |
he drainage, will be taken into consid- |
Grafton, and the total cost apportiOnei |
accordingly. Some of the lands will be !
benefited more by the levee than 9th
srs, and some will be benefited NOR !
by the drainage than others. When |
he special assessment has been con
frmed, bonds will be issued and sold !
Tor the purpose of raising the neces
sary funds. These bonds will be for
he term of 20 years, with deferred |
payments for the first two or three
Years, so that no payments will fall |
iue until about the year 1910, which
will enable every land owner to raise
wo or three bumper crops and put
hem all on easy street" A similar
evee recently constructed on the Iowa 1
side of the river has enabled the farm
RS to raise some marvellous crops.
Start i'm Spring.
Modern machinery will greatly facil-
tate the construction of the levee and II
annals The commissioners will prob
Ibly make report of the special assess
nent early in January, and work will
'egin as soon as the ground thaws out
n the spring. Two years viii be re-
Iuired to complete the work.
The levee to be constructed for the
Iercer county district will begin at a
'oint on the river bank a mile south Of
he county line. and continue down the
liver to within about a mile of New
Boston, and then turning north to Eng
ish Bend. will proceed east from there
o the bluff A large dam will be con-
tructed at English Bend and an inn
nense pumping plant put in there.
There will also be flood gates there, to