The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-09-10
Project on Foot to Drain Biz
zard Pond Into Clark's
River.
Thousands OF Acres Will DO
Thus Redeemed.
ONCE 1T WAS FULL OF TIsmEI,

Draining of Blizzard pond will re-
lieye one of the pest breeding condi-
lions of McCracken county and make
5000 acres of allurial land possible
for residence and farm purposes.
This swamp lies between the Mem
lphis division of the Illinois Central
railroad line and the Nashville. Chat
tanooga and st. Louis railway, about
six miles south of Paducah and near
where the n. c. & st. l.. railway
crosses Clark's river.
Up to about fifteen years ago this
swamp covered between seven and
eight thousand acres of land. The
depth of water varied at different
seasons of the year, and during the
wet season after the fall and winter
rains the water in some places was
six or seven feet deep. The whole
swamp was dense jungle of cypress
trees, tupelo gum, water oak. vines,
cypress knees, swamp grasses, and
other water Vegetation.
About fourteen or fifteen years
ago timber operators began cutting
out cypress and oak from the pond
and the land around the pond, and
about three years ago one of the land
owners in the vicinity of the pond
had ditch cut for the purpose of
draining a portion OF his land af-
fected by the swamp. A partial re-
Imoyal of the timber and the cutting
of this small ditch which drained
portion of the pond into Island Creek
have diminished the size of the pond
until now during the wet season It
covers and injuriously Affects oniy
about four to six thousand acres OF
land. The ditch to drain the pond
entirely will extend from Blizzard
pond in an easterly direction TO
IClark's river and will be two and two
ltenths (2.2) miles long. II will be
about twelve feet In width at the
top, narrower at the bottom. and
varying In depth from a few inches
to about twelve feet. The construc-
ton of the ditch viii require the re-
moval of twenty thousand (2O,0OO)
cubic yards of dirt at an estimate cost
in the neighborhood of $4,000 in
GLIDING the clearing Of the land
Through which the ditch Is dug.
Another feature OF the ditch is.that
lit will materially alter the flow of
water in island creek and In that
way will be a benefit not only to land
in the proximity of Blizzard pond but
Twill be material advantage to lands
lstill nearer to Paducah. Island creek
has its source in the hills near the
IGraves county line and south of what
Is known as "the Dutch settlement"
Inear ST. Johns church. II then flows
eastwardly for about six miles to
blizzard pond, connects with Blizzard
pond and thence flows north
wardly about six miles from blizzard
pond into the Tennessee river at Pa
Iducah. This ditch by connecting
blizzard Pond with Clark's river will
intersect Island creek about its mid
die and divert all the head waters
Originating above Blizzard pond into
Clark's river, instead OF sending
them through the lower part OF
Island creek into Tennessee river at
Paducah. The lower six miles of the
channel OF Island creek is sufficiently
large at all times to take care of
head waters originating below this
ditch, and the ditch will undoubtedly
prevent the overflow of farm land in
the future from head waters between
Blizzard pond and Paducah.