The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-06
THE CULEBRA CUT ON A SMALL
SCALE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
SUNDAY

The farmers living in the valley va
tered by the Delaware river IN Jefter-
son county have organized q drainage
district on 3 big scale and are spend
ing over 100000 in an effort 10 straight
en- the peStIient little river and save
their fertile lands from overflow Il Is
u Dig undertake. and an expensive
one This little band OF jefferson coun-
~ farmers have set an example for
the state Of Kansas 10 look Up 70 when
It's citizens. city or rural. are ready 70
complain about acts OF Providence BY
Hood droUth OF pestilence-
I'd kelIan Of this city took & State
Journal man and John Strtckrott, the
Photographic. and John Switz7r- as
siSranI county attorney. over II TO
Jefferson county this week in an auto
and the party went over the works and
saw III close hand what body OF kan
saS farmers can do when they set out
10 save their lands from Hood
Briefly the Delaware river Is as
crooked as q coiIed serpent from Val
ley Falls 10 Medina where Il eEnpLies
into Uhe kaw- Fifteen thousand acres
Of the best farm land in the state lie
IN this valley The land - flooded
nearly every year Some years It has
been flooded five times The Dela ware
runs four miles wide down E1Es valley
in food TINES The loss 70 crops has
been appalling Last year The farmers
SOC together and formed 4 drainage
district 10 protect IS96O acres Of this
land An assessment Of IS an acre was
made against the land 3 contract was
1EaGe with steam shovel company IN
Kansas City ana a plan formed 10
scTl-zL-eu TIE bed 0E the river by *
c1FlUzDS big trenches across all tire
Ets- seShoe bends IN this river The
uorz mas been IN progress all year ana
- expected % De finished by November.
E-leI Ell cuts VIII C. made and these
VII shorten the course OF the river
from VALLEY FAILS 10 rle haw L miles
However FEere i No effort being made
10 change the channel OF the river: II
VIII still flow in its Old bed but when
there 10 carry or the surplus water
directly and IL great volume
Cuts That Ren1lnsa One OF CuEebra-
The work : beng done on a -
scale These cuts are not little diIc1e<-
but are excavations that look as big
as the CuleOra cut II the Panama The .
cut visited by the Topeka party this
week i about eight miles over the .
Sha Enee line into Jefferson The big
steam shovel was working fun blast /
three shifts day and night a trench .
81 feet wide and ~ feet deep and a .
mile long wes scanned across the fields 4
On et+her side was piled up dirt ike .
young mountains 10 feet high This .
means 3 channel % feet deep 70 carry &
2 way food water The dirt from the {
excavation is piled By the big shovel .
into dlkes on either side 9
OF course the day chosen for the
trip was a hot day All days are hot
at this time OF this year helIam had &
been ont there before and was enJhuS5- Z
astic about the proportions and scope /
of the work. His guests were skepCl-
cal They booted at his steam shovel .
talk and Culebra cuts and three shift 4
business They expected TO find some
farmers digging . ditch 10 Try to save
4 few acres Of land Following road 4
that turned and twisted like q tor
turef animal crawling 10 its hole 70 I
die. the car skirted the hills and 4
slipped away like a cup racer down
the valley Il Is 4 beautiful farming
country this valley Of the Delaware
And TIE road he II known while 1t
is crooked. yet II is z good road wei
kept ard graded Il winds past old 4
stone farm houses. cuts into high hills
and for miles at q time Il is covered
with the canopy OF the trees laced I
across It Ike an archway.
Chain OF Dirt Mountains.
Landed at the big ditch at o'clock
Paid all bets TO KeILam- There was
a chain OF dirt mountains across field
Just ahead. and behind these noun
tafrs stretched IN q straight line z