The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-01-20
New County Com
missioners Convene
Continued from last issue

Our readers will remember tina
last year and the year before we toll
them something about the trouble
arising from cutting the new channe
in the Watson slough ditch abou
two miles west of Snake river bridg
to save building new bridges wher
the ditch crosses the road twic
within quarter OF mile.
]. H. Augustine owns the land o.
the south side of the road where
was desirable to cut the new channe
thru. Just at the time the roat
construction department decided
they wanted to make the short Gu
with the canal and save building thu
two bridges, Augustine had entered
into contract to sell the land tt
one Mr.. Carlson, making paymen
of $500 and contracting to pay the
rest in sixty days. Carlson was il
possession of the place and plowine
in the field and Road Superintendent
W.. C. Stone got in touch with him
made a bargain with Carlson to pay
him $3.50 out of the county treasury
as payment in full for the desired
right OF way. Carlson was not re-
quired to identify himself and prove
title to the property, but upon fur
nishing a quit claim deed which he,
or yourself or anybody else could
do, he received the warrant for $3.50.
We have already told the readers
of The Repu blican all about this part
of the transaction, but here is some
thing that we did not know until the
last few days and it will interest
you.
Ditch Company Surprised
Carlson did not care anything
about where the gravel was dumped
as they hauled 1t out of the canal
for he was in trouble about how he
was going to finish his payment.
Augustine did not have anything to
do with it because he had sold the
place; the ditch company did not
know anything about it and Mr..
Stone did not say anything to them
about it. He did not ask their per-
mission to change the channel Of
their canal for quarter of mile,
taking it out of the good old chan
mel that was well lined with silt and
putting it into fresh gravel bed that
would leak like a sieve. Stockhold-
ers in the canal may have ridden by
and observed that there was road
work going on and that canal was
being cut there for somebody, but it
was not until the water was turned
thru the canal that they had any no.
tice that they were being handed
new canal for that section.
Another Complaint Arose
We have already told our read
ers that the owners of the land on
the north side of the road had &C.
quired culinary right to use the
waters out Of the Watson slough by
dipping it up or letting their stock
60 to the stream to drink and the
court has made an order that the
Watson slough ditch company must
keep 1he water In the canal for them
to use thruout the year. When they
started to fill in the old channel to
shut the water of Of these people |
they raised a complaint and Stone |
put in q pipe to run the water thru |
TO that section of the canal which |
was being cut of. That makes a
duck pond over there about quarter
Of mile long and in order to keep
The water fresh and palatable for
use, he had to put in an outlet at
he lower end so that 1t might gradu-
lily pass thru. This made is neces-
'ary to lay two pipes under the fill
where the old bridges were. That
'atisfied the people wanting the
water for domestic purposes, but 1t
lid not satisfy the canal company.
they consider that they are losing
water by the wasteage
n the new gravel bar which the
anal cuts thru though in time that
will be lined with silt so that the loss
will be less with each succeeding
ear.
AT the end of the sixty days Mr..
'arlson had to vacate the place be-
ause he could not make the rest ]
I his payments. Mr.. Augustine .
made a sale to w. C. Cannon and
ssured Mr.. Cannon that this new
obstruction work that was in pro- 8
ress there was q trespasser on the {
Ind and had acquired no rights /
hatever. Mr.. Cannon went out and s
ave them the stop signal. He was t
sferred to Mr.. Stone and Stone t
'oked over the situation and found
lat he had this $3.50 paid to t
ranger, who had passed on. Mr.. t
annon said he did not want the q
'avel piled out on the land, but it b
as Iretty we'll along then and it q
as little difficult to reach an o
,reement. Stone referred Mr.. Cam
IN to the commissioners, the COM y
issioners agreed to 60 out and see n
In the meantime the work went :,
|. Mr.. Cannon and Mr.. Bills I'm VI
ly reached an agreement to the ef- ~
ct that Mr.. Cannon said he did not "
ant that mass of gravel piled up on n,
g front Of his land next to the ~
adway (the canal was cut along -,
e side Of the fence paralleling the ~
ad and the gravel was piled, not ~
the side next to the road, but on ~
e opposite side and on the edge of -
T. Cannon's meadow and field He
Id 1t was an unsightly lot of stuff ne
d he did not want it there at all IN
censured the management for not Pl
wing taken it out on the other side ri
q stringing it along in the roadway UT