Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-05
Looker-On In Iona


of the year when the fields are bare,
aEd the corn stalks are being broken
down, one riding over the state can
see from the car windows the miles
and miles of the new big drains tha.
have been put in during the past year.
1t is nothing uncommon to see drain
age ditch fifteen to twenty feet wide
at the top and in it water three to five
feet. deep, making virtually new creek
to be put on future maps of the coun-
ty. In many places small tiled bitches
are seen, even now, after the winter
freeZe-up, furnishing small, steady
streams of water, which makes In
many cases a small river containing
fresh, running, pure water the year
around. The writer is told that in
some OF these new big drainage bitches
,bullheads and suckers have already
taken possession. and good catches
We're made this year. An occasional
pike. and pickerel has been caught in
the lower waters. AS the water in all
Of these bitches is fresh, pure and cold.
running directly from springs, these
new streams will furnish ideal places
for the spawning of many varieties OF
fish, and add considerable to the food
supply OF the state.
And these numerous large and small
drainage bitches, explain why the tile
manufacturers of Iowa cannot keep UP
with the demand. One tile man says
their, output each year is sold long
before the next season opens in many
cases being contracted ahead. There
w, of AZ
covered ditch, even If 1t is expensive
at the outset. Drain tile, l. e., cement
tile, three feet In diameter is now reg
ularly made and sold, and bitches filed
witlh such tile and covered, makes 1t
an expensive job. One case is men
toned where there is a three mile
thirty-inch tiled covered ditch now in
process of finishing.
The usual ice scare has been one in
Iowa for the past two weeks, but at
this writing cold snap has arrived on
scheduled time and in the lake here
the ice harvest is ready and waiting.
Knowing nothing of conditions here.
but 1t is safe to assert not ony here
but elsewhere in Iowa, the ice men are
not ready The Use is now at least
twelve inches in thickness and compar-
atively free from melted snow or dirt.
But the. average ice packer will not
start till next week and in the mean
time soft weather may return. Some
how or other the good Lord makes al
lowances for the dilatory Ice packer,
and like the corn crop. we always have
a corn and ice crop in Iowa
q =
The Brown case recently tried at
Rockwell City, is still a common sub
ject of conversation. And the peculiar
part of this case is the divided opinion
on the merits Of the verdict of the
Jury. AS rule the public is with the
Jury for instance the Toler case at
Toledo, but in every town in Calhoun
county there are still two parties both
very positive as to the Righteousness
or putragecusness of the verdict. The
evidence and facts have been presented
to the big jury Of Calhound county
citizens, and in this case surely the
jury disagrees.
Some wears ago new railroads were
built up this way and as a natural
sequence new towns sprang up and for
a while waxed fat, and fourished. One
town in particular the name Is pur-
posely omitted, had at one time, three
big lumber yards two big elevators, a
large general store and many smaller
ones, a 24-room hotel and three
churches. Last week the writer went
thru the town. 1t consists now of one
elevator, lumber and coal office COM
bined. one small store and a restaurant.
The big livery barn was torn down ana
sold for lumber. Town lots that sold
for 500 have been sold for taxes and
are now part of cultivated farms. To-
day this town is onrthe map and that
is all. Even the conductor in the pass
enger train does not get out when the
train stops. The brakeman lets her
60" Reason for all this in one OF the
busiest counties of the state. Simply
too many other and older nearby
towns. Just because somebody started
a new town, it did not change the num-
Der of people living in the county
There was no increased demand for
chewing tobacco.
~ .