The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-31
TO CREATE DISTRICT
Valuable Land VIII be Saved by the
Drainage District Which the
Water Power People Win
Create.

S'on, lAdt seemed TO be meeting
very determined opposition was that
which included the Skunk river bot.
tom and what is known as the Green
Bay in Lee county. The preliminary
steps had been taken, commissioners
mad been appointed and an engineer
selected, but the commissioners made
no Roadway and the engineer never
got into the field. The opposition on
the part of the land holder was SO
bitter that it seemed almost useless to
attempt to do anything. But there
was never an idea OF simply sub
merging some of the best land in all
the Mississippi valley. And therefore,
the Mississippi Power company bought
all the land that was to be benefited
by drainage and will protect it against
overflow. The company will be able
to build levees and dig bitches and
erect and install and operate big pumps
much cheaper than any district could
do it. and it is expected that the new
district will be made model of its
kind. The old commissioners have
appealed to the respective boards of
supervisors and ask to be discharged
and that the bond which they have
flied, may be withdrawn. Their petit
ton is as follows:
To the county auditor and the Hon
orable Board of Supervisors of Des
Moines county, Iowa:
Now comes the undersigned, Thomas
Henderson, Joe Fry, Mississippi River
Power company, /. w. Traverse and S.
Atlee and respectfully state that here
tofore on October 26, 1911, they filed
petition with the county auditor of
Lee county and the county auditor of
Des Moines county praying for the
establishment of joint drainage dis
| trict which would include land situat-
| ed in the counties of Lee aud Des
4 Moines, and the said petition has been
/ referred by said county auditor to the
board of supervisors Of each of said
icounties. acting separately, and that
/ the board of supervisors CT each coun-
ity has appointed commissioner and
these two commissioners have select
/ ed an engineer but that no further
work has been done in connection
/ with the establishment OF said pro-
posed improvement.
| The undersigned say that two of the
five petitioners for said proposed joint
drainage district, to-wit, Samuel Atlee
1 and |. w. Traverse, have heretofore
filed written request with the coun-
/ ty auditor of Lee county, asking that
! their names be withdrawn from said
petition
The undersigned also say that since
the filing of said petition for the es-
Enlistment of said proposed joint
drainage district that the undersigned
! Mississippi River Power company has
acquired by purchase the lands which
would chiefly be affected by said pre-
posed improvement belonging to
Thomas Henderson and Joe Fry, two
other petitioners for said proposed i'm
Eprovement
The undersigned now asks that said
proceedings be dismissed and said
proposed improvements as prayed for
I in the aforesaid petition be abandon
ed and that the commissioners and
engineers heretofore appointed be dis
charged from their further duties as
such commissioners and engineers in
connection Herewith, and the under
signed now withdraws the petition fol
joint drainage district, as prayed fol
in the petition which was filed with
the county auditor of Des Moines
county, Iowa, as hereinabove stated
and asks to withdraw the bond filed
accompanying said petition
This dismissal has been this day
filed with the county auditor of Lee
county, Iowa.
w. e. BLAKE,
GEO. B. STEWART,
1, ]. O. BOYD.
Attorneys for Thomas Henderson
Joe Fry, Mississippi River Power
company, l. w. Traverse, and S. At
lee, petitioners for proposed join
drainage district