The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-07-15
Creation Of Green Bay Drainage Die
trict Involves Several Hun
dred Thousand
Dollars.
RESOLUTION
Green Bay Township Ditch to be >
Part Of Drainage System Big
Cost to Power
Company.

The Gate City last evening printed
special dispatch from Fort Madison
telling of the establishment of the
Green Bay levee and drainage district
by order Of the county board of su-
pervisors. The district will be Great
ed for the purpose Of leveeing, drain
ing and protecting against overflow
from the Mississippi river, some thir-
teen thousand acres of Lee county's
most fertile farm land in Green Bay
township and involving an engineer
Ing feat representing several hum
dred thousand dollars.
The Resolution.
The legal authorization Of the dis
trict was by the passage OF the fol-
lowing resolution:
| In the matter Of the Green Bay
levee and drainage district No. 2.
Resolution establishing district.
Whereas, the board Of supervis-
session assembled this fourteenth
day of July, 1916, have examined the
report of the damage appraisers and
considered the amount of damages
| which will be sustained by the claim
ants on account of said Green Bay
levee and drainage district No. 2,
and the board having heretofore
found that the petition is sufficient in
form and substance; that said inn
provement will be public benefit
and utility and conducive to public
health, convenience and welfare; that
| said improvement Is necessity;
that all acts required by law as pre-
liminary proceedings have been per-
formed; and do now find that the
cost OF construction and the amount
OF the damages awarded by the ap-
! praisers is not excessive nor a great
er burden than should be borne by the
lands benefited; therefore
BE it resolved, that said Green
Bay levee and drainage district No.
2 is hereby located and established
in accordance with the recommends
ltion of the engineer in his amended
report and plan filed June 20. 1916.
and as amended July II, 1916, which
ARE on file in the ONCE Of the County
auditor at Fort Madison, Iowa. There
fore,
BE 1t further resolved. that Ed
mund T. Perkins of Chicago. Illinois.
lis hereby appointed engineer as COM
missioner to make permanent sur
fvey Of said levee and drainage dis
trict as so located, showing the levels
land elevations, OF each forty acre
tract of land, and to file a report Of
the same with the county auditor. to-
gether with the plat and profile there
Of"
Some Changes.
+ The last Technical cho n 90 In Tho
plans was made by the approval of
an amendment to the engineers re-
port, filed yesterday, providing that
the Green Bay township ditch should
be made part of the drainage sys-
Item. This was asked by the Green
Bay farmers who constructed the
ditch at considerable expense several
years ago, in conjunction with a pro-
tective leyee system. 1t is shown
that the ditch can be used to econ
mical advantage in the proposed sys-
tenn of drainage, saving to the district
considerable expense.
To Hasten Matters.
The red tape preliminaries will be
l,expedited materially by the fact that
Engineer Perkins report has been
practically completed to its minutest
detail. In preparing plans and spec
Iifications by which the expediency OF
1.-The establishment Of the district
could be judged, Mr.. Perkins has a
report that contemplates almost ev-
cry line and turn Of work and his
satisfaction of the instructions in the
resolution passed today, to return
plans and levels, will entail little
more than turning over to the super
visors the prior plans and specified
/ lions. The advertising for bids for
the construction of the 1evees, drains
and pumping station will be the next
step in the proceedings. The board
] still has to pass upon claims OF too
4 low estimate Of damage awards, and
the petitioners have the right OF ap-
peal on objection to the awards Of
the appraisers, and 10 the establish
lment of the district.
Was Much Delayed.
/ The action of the board OF super
svisors yesterday came as an end of
a long and tedious conference be-
Tween the factions at interest. Much
of the land in the district is held by
1.-THE Mississippi River Power company
and associate owners and as finally
agreed the power company stands the
bulk Of the expense. Many months
ago the matter was set Tor nearing.
The hearing was delayed and delay
followed delay. Illness of the engi-
neer in charge, absence from the
city of some of the persons most d.
rectly interested, and other things
helped to put off the final considera-
ton and there was general relief ex-
pressed at the outcome.
/
People Want Peace.
Huron Huronite: President Wilson