Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-12-03
TO RECLAIM ON
A LARGE SCALE
KLOCKMANN BUYS S14,50O DITCH
ING MACHINE WITH WHICH TO
DRAIN BOTTOM LANDS
IS A VALUABLE EXPERIMENT
III Successful VIII Mean Great In
crease OF Crops in the Valley

A. Klockmann, president and general
manager of the Idaho-Continental
Mining company, of Hickman, plans
to reclaim, partially at least, 5000
acres of bottom land owned by him
in the Kootenai valley, by ditching
and dyking and for this purpose has
purchased at an expense of $14,500
a Monaghan Drag-line Walking Exca-
vator.
The new machine was purchased by
Mr.. Hickman in Chicago recently
and is to be shipped at once. Mr.
Klockmann returned yesterday from
trip to Chicago, New York and other
large eastern cities, having spent near
ly a month in the east on business
matters The Monaghan machine was
purchased after he had consulted the
most competent engineers and they
had recommended it.
All experts in ditching and eXca-
waiting seemed agreed that the MOni-
CHAN is the nearest to perfection. 1t
will excavate 500 yards of dirt in s
hours. Two men are required to
operate it. 1t is equipped with a
lighting apparatus and so may be run
day or night and it will work in any
kind of soil. The Monaghan has 40
foot beam working from either side
thus giving it a sweep of so feet. 1t
is equipped with a Page cubic yard
scraper bucket; the base diameter is
IL feet inches; it has 80 horse
power three cylinder vertical internal
combustion engine.
Mr.. Hickman has studied the con-
ditions in the Kootenai valley for
many years and understands just what
must be contended with in any at
tempt to reclaim the lands which are
overfiowed each spring. He has con-
Quoted all kinds of experiments and
now is satisfied that with the aid of the
new ditching and excavating machine
ne will be able to cut hay from all of
his land each year and will harvest
5000 tons of hay where now he gets
only 500 tons.
The Hickman holdings of KOot-
enai valley land consist of the best
acreage in the valley. Mr.. Klockmann
will ditch this land in such a manner
as to drain it thoroughly and he will
do dyking in the low places. This
work can be done quickly and at low
cost with the Monaghan machine
The success of this experiment
means a great deal to the owners OF
land in the Kootenai valley. Engi-
neers have always claimed that a
large portion of the valley could be
reclaimed, partially at least, by ditch
ing and dylking. However, large
outlay of money is required to carry
on ditching and dyking operations
and until the present time no one per
son has been financially able to star
such work If Mr. Hickman is
successful precedent will have beer
established and all future reclaiminl
work may be counted upon to bring
results. There will be no more guess
work about reclamation projects anC
Mr.. Hickman will Immediately turf
his machine over and undertake othel
drainage work on contract
There is no question but that Mr.
Hickman is taking a risk, to Ger
tain extent, in preparing at so grea
a cost to attempt reclaiming of over
flowed land. He is cheerfully assum
ing all the risk, asking no one t
share any loss but willing and anxious
that all shall profit with him. With
out question Mr. Hickman has ant
is doing more for the welfare and de
velopment of the KoOtenai valley thai
has ever been done before and all tn
people Of the county who are interest
ed in it's progress hope for him ant
his efforts the greatest OF success.