The Cape weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1914, 1914-06-26
Gigantic Scraper to be Used
on Diversion Channel to
Begin Work Today
DITCH 80 MILES LONG
WILL COST 800, 900
Engineer O'Brien Says This
Slough is Biggest Part of Drain
age Project

The first Of the four gigantic drag
line scrapcrs, which will be used in
digging the Diversion Channel"
from Green Bricr, Bolingcr County,
20 the Mississippi river, distance of
thirty miles, was tested Monday.
The electric current, supplied by
the Missouri Public Utilities Company
Of Cape Girardcau, was turned on
under the supervision of William
A. O'Brlcn, chief engineer of the
Little River Drainage District, and
tie big machines went into action
in perfect order.
Work on the actual excavation,
Mr. O'Bricn said, probably will begin
Tuesday. This thirty-mile channel
will average approximately li0 feet
in width and its depth will range
from fifteen to twenty feet
When the big ditch is completed,
the hcadwatcrs of the Castor and
White Water rivers will flow into the
Mississippi river, cmptying into this
stream about four miles south of
the Cape.
Fully thirty months will be con-
sumcd in digging the Diversion
Channel" which will cost at least
3l,5O0,OO This is probably the
most important work connected with
abe Little River Drainage District $
reclamation project,
BY divcrtlng the head waters OF
The Castor and White Water rivers,
the swamp land lying southwest of
che Cape will be materially relieved.
These two streams at present receive
che water from many small creeks
and sloughs and carry this probably |
fifty miles mouth, where the two rivers
lose their identity, and the water
spreads over u great area.
- The channel from Green Bricr TO
The Mississippi river will reduce the
overflow il the nundated section to
q marked degree, BY divcrting the
course of the Castor and White Water
rivers, the small bitches that now
traverse this waste land will be able
TO carry away all of the excess water
that rushcs down from the hills.
when We finish the Diversion
Channel" said Mr.. O'Bricn, we will
have completed the most important
part Of this huge undertaking. As
soon as we can get relief from the
bulk of the water from the Castor
and White Water rivers, we will be
able to make better progress in the
district now suffering from OvcrnOws.
"1his reclamation project is I'M
1oubtcdly the most important work
Of its kind ever ATTEMPTED in the
United States, if not in the whole
world. am afraid all of the people
Of Missouri do not appreciate its inn
portanCc To begin with, it will cost I
81 100000. That feature alone makes
the project very important,
"Thc district to be redeemed is
miles long and eight miles
wide. In this area are iSS, 900 acres
Of the riches land in the world. As
it is today, it is worth no more than
The timber that is on it. But it has
n valuation of $50 an acre, and that
figure | consider cheap. II it were not
for the fact that the land is to be
drained | don't believe IT would sell
for more than SO per acre, if that.
"But when tins reclamation project
has been finished, this land will
eclipse the richest bottom Lands of
fertile Illinois, The silt has washed
down into this section for ages, and
as result the soil in this swamp
rcrion has hccomc almost bottomlrss