The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-03
ON THE NORTH SIDE
Top Notch Price for a Shawnee
County Farm.
Henry Hedderman Realizes $3.50
an Acre for His Place.
NEAR REFORM SCHOOL.
G. w. Cochran of Menoken Is
the Purchaser.
Thomas Page Tells of Exper-
fence With Water Witching.

The top notch price for unimproved
land in Shawnee county for purely ag-
ricultural purposes was reached a few
days ago when Harry n. Hedderman
of 10 South Polk street. a contrac-
tor, sold his seventy-two acre farm
two and one-half miles west of the
Reform school for $3.50 an acre. OF a
total of $10.SOO for the land to G. w.
Cochran of Menoken.
This price shows a great increase
in the value of the property within
the last two decades It is said to
have been bought from an Indian by
A. ]. Booth of 1918 North Polk
street for $2.50O. Ten years ago Mr..
Booth sold 1t to Mr.. Hedderman for
total of $4,080, the latter paying $50
an acre for sixty acres and $50 an
acre for the balance
the land has never been improved
with. the exception of a fence having
been built around it. The advance in
price was due solely to the. increase
In the value of real estate. The farm
is considered one of the best in this
section of the state. 1t has never been
hooded and is located in what is
known as the upper bench" of the
kaw river bottom
Since Mr.. Hedderman has owned it
he has rented it, the tenants living on
adjoining farms as there is no house
on the place. Corn and garden truck
have been the principal crops.
The present tenant Is Charles Dem
mis-. He lives in a house on the Mich
OILS farm which adjoins the property
on the east.
The Heddermans have lived in To-
peka for twenty-eight years They
came here from Louisville, KY.
In speaking of the legend connect
ed with Ground Hog day Tuesday,
Thomas Page, president of the Page
Milling company, told that while he
did not believe in that superstition,
he had seen case where water was
discovered on his place by the famous
'witching with peach twig' method
by Jasper N. Lynch, well digger,
1140 Lawrence street.
You know today is the time when
the superstition goes that if the
grounding see his shadow he will run
in his hole and that bad weather will
follow for some time" said Mr.. Page.
"Well, of course I do not believe in
such things, but at the same time, in
speaking of this, am reminded of an
incident of which I was an eye wit
ness
You have heard of 'witching' for
water with a peach twig. A man
takes peach tree limb by two forks
of the branch and when the twig
bends down and points to the ground,
it is said that water may be found by
81 have always laughed at this
saying. However, about twelve years
ago 1 bought a farm about two miles
west of the Reform school. There
water but failed. Finally 1 sent for
]. N. Lynch, an old we'll digger He
came to the place and proceeded to
hunt for water in the manner de-
scribed. I watched him and began to
smile. He said:
" L see YOU are smiling at me- but
you just watch
''I did so. At certain place on
the hillside, the peach twig began to
point down. Mr.. Lynch then said:
''I am so certain that water can be
found by digging where the twiG
points that / will agree not to charge
anything If I dig here and do not find
water. but I will charge So a foot If 1
dig any other place whether I find
water or not
1--WE agreed that the well should
be dug where he indicated.
This was done and at the depth of
about hfty-two feet We struck several
feet of water. The well has been used
continuously since that time and even
If the water is pumped all day long
the water Is not lowered more than
two or three inches.
1--WE have tried to find water on
several other places on the farm, but
have failed.
mo, I do not exactly believe in the
potency OF the pedch LW1g as a water
finder. but I am just telling what I
saw
'"The peach twig didn't work for
every one. Before the well was dug,
marked the spot where the peach
twig pointed and had several men try
the experiment. For some it would
work. for others it wouldn't
The finishing or leveling work is be-
ing done on the dixie extending west
from the Rock Island bridge two miles
to the Updegraff farm on the north
bank of the Kansas river. It is ex-
pected that this portion of the dixie
will be entirely completed by the first
of March. Forty teams and sixty men
are employed on this stretch of the
embankment
City Engineer John Rogers and
Street Commissioner J. F. r. Snyder
yesterday afternoon, accompanied by v.
R. Parkhurst, looked over the work on
the dikes and located the sewer con-
nection between Jackson street and
Kansas avenue where the back water
trap is to be located. They inspected
the work of the tearing up of the paw
ing which is being done on Central aV-
enue to prepare an approach to the
Central avenue bridge which is to re-
place the old structure. While out OF
the several companies which have made
bids to do the work none have been
chosen and the exact kind of a bridge
has not been decided upon it is pro-
bable that the bridge will be longer
than the old one was and have plenty