The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-12-30

where it has been choked before.
Mr. Martin says 1t will take about
six to eight months to do the work
after the funds have been provided.
He does not think, however. that it
would be prudent to undertake to
do more than clean out the creek,
the lakes and slough before the
spring floods.
Tom Finty of Dallas, who attend
ed the meeting of the court in the
interest of the Dallas News, wrote
the following for his paper:
The Lay of the Land.
This drainage district is ten and
onehalf miles long, following the
meanders of the creek. and about Z
miles by air line. 1t begins at Mill
Greek and extends to a point five
miles by creek from the Navarro
county line.
The valley through this district,
that is, the portion of it subject to
overflow. is about two miles wide.
Very nearly all of the lowlands, and
consequently most of the drainage
district, is upon the northeastern
side of the creek, the lands on the
=
the distance, terminating in a high
bank.
About mile and half back
from the creek on the northeastern
side the land is some three feet low
er than the bank of the creek.
Through this depression there is
series OF three iaKes-Fort. Middle
and Davis-and below them a
slough. practically paralelling the
creek, at distance of about mile
and half for five miles.
These lakes and the slough are
fed during transforms by a number
of creeks coming down from the hills
so that the lands in this depressed
strip are overflowed even when
Chambers creek remains within its
banks. Then. too, when Chambers
creek gets on rampage Its waters
take out over the country and go
into that depression. submerging
those lands. In consequence that par
ticular territory is still in the woods
and unused, although it is very fer
tile, and of course when Chambers
creek overflows the intervening land
is also submerged.
Three Things to Be Done
The work to be done comprises
three things:
/. The cleaning out of Chambers
creek and the digging of cut-offs at
the seven principal bends. to accel-
crate the flow of the water.
2. Toe construction of levees from
Chambers creek to prevent it from
overflowing.
g. The construction Of a canal on
the northeastern side Of the stream
and about one and half miles back
from it, connecting with and connec-
ting the lakes and the slough, and
the cleaning out OF the lakes and the
of the waters which come down from
the hills.
There are four large tracts OF
land in the district to be drained
and protected. B. F. Cass owns 457
acres, J. w Harrison 768, Harbin
& Cannon 945. w. J. Champ 327
and Earl Fort 500. The remainder
is in small tracts.
Laws Limitations.
Consideration of this drainage
project has brought to attention sew
eral defects and inadequacies of the
drainage law. For instance, the scope
of every project is limited by the
county boundaries. in the FIVE miles
along Chambers creek just below the
present project and within Ellis
county, there is much larger area
subject to overflow than that with
in this district. 1t is understood that
the people of that territory intend to
ask for the establishment of drain
age district; also that the people
further down the stream, in Navarro
county, plan to take similar steps
Each OF these two groups of people
must act Independently of each 9th
er, since the law provides for actor
lonlk tAkoathxt the commissioners
too6FfS III the respective counties aflt
only as to lands within the juris
diction of each court This of cours'
means that harmonious development
OF drainage and protective works Il