Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-30

to the government levee construc'
tons. A dixie was built at govern
ment expense, costing about $3OO.O00,
which served to keep the waters OF
the Mississippi river from the low
lands along the Iowa shore. But TINS
levee also served to prevent an out
let for the drainage water from the
hills and inland streams. the les
Moines and Louisa county drainage
district was formed and steps were
taken to drain about $4,000 acres Pr
bottom land at cost that 1t IS estf
mated will reach 100000. These are
worthy projects, but they are Dur
densome to the taxpayers OF the Sec
tons benefited.
They have the appearance, too, OF
being projects to cure the effects o1
food damage, rather than being
aimed at curing the cause OF the
trouble. A drainage project mere ana
there cannot amount to more tnan
makeshift unless there is some gen
eral plan of drainage adopted and put
in force through the state along SCI
entific lines.
Legislature Should Act.
Experience with the Des MONIES
river has shown that the only perma-
nent cure will come from straighten-
ing it from it's mouth to its source
and giving an unObstructed now 10
the current With the wide bends
eliminated and the distractions re-
moved. the water would be made to
pass off so swiftly that there would
be no overflow.
The Courier feels that the legisla.
ture should take up this reclamation
question at it's next session and make
start on some plan to restore the
valuable bottom land in Iowa to cultl-
walton. The fact that official reports
from the counties enumerated In this
article show an opportunity to in
crease the total value of Iowa crops
by millions justitles an expenditure for
this purpose. AS for the Des Moines
river the state can work with the gov
eminent in making the Improvement
substantial and permanent. The gov
eminent has made a preliminary in
vestigation of the Des Moines river
with view to determining its nav
liability, and report has been made
b. the government engineers recon-
mending governmental survey of the
stream. This survey should be made
with view to Strengthening the
stream, which not only would work
in with the plans of navigating the
stream, but would serve to develop
greater water power for the genera
ton of electricity to be utilized by
manufacturing plants along the stream
and permit as we'll the cultivation OF
thousands of acres of the richest
land in the state which now is prac-
tically valueless.
The manner in which the streams
channel can be changed where 1t
passes through Ottumwa affords an
illustration of the practicability Of
Strengthening the Des Moines river.
Just below the boat house and above
the east dam the river begins a long
bend that serves no purpose but to
render of small value large tract of
land and retard the progress of the
stream to such an extent as to cause
overhows both above and below this
giant bend The river here can be
Strengthened by cutting a channel
from the point where the mill race
branches from the river, through Cen
trail addition to the Market street
bridge. This would reduce the length
of the river and develop greatly in.
creased water power possibility. Cen
trail addition and the adjacent bottom
lands would not be flooded every time
there is heavy rain in northern Iowa
if the channel were cut through and
the big bend near the Morrell plant
Strengthened.
What is true of the Des Moines river
is true Of the other rivers Of the state
and their feeders. All the streams can
be kept within their banks and hun
dreds of thousands of acres of over
flow land can be utilized in increasing
the total yield of Iowa farms.
All the natural resources to be con
served are not confined to the plains
and forests of the west nor the min
eral fields of Alaska. Iowa has great
natural resources that are being
wasted and conservation project