BONDS SOLD FOR DITCHES
RECORD WRITTEN BY : TINA EASLEY
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ar/county/greene/
RESEARCHED FROM THE DAILY SOLIPHONE
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MONDAY , APRIL 24, 1909 - Front Page
( HIGHLIGHTS)
COLEMAN & SONS AND SUTHERN DRAINAGE COMPANY GET ISSUES OF BONDS
PURSUANT TO AN ORDER OF THE COUNTY COURT OF GREENE COUNTY BONDS AGGREGATING $70,000 WERE SOLD THIS MORNING AT THE COURT HOUSE BY TREASURER HONEY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRAINAGE DITCHES. THE FIRST ISSUE WAS $55,000 FOR EIGHT MILE DITCH NO. 2 , AND THE SECOND WAS $15, 000 FOR JOHNSON'S CREEK NO. 1 .
THE BONDS WERE SOLD AT PAR TO CONTRACTORS W.S. COLEMAN & SONS , GETTING THE $55,000 ISSUE AND THE SOUTHERN DRAINAGE COMPANY BEING THE PURCHASERS OF THE $ 15, 000 ISSUE.
COLMAN & SONS ARE NOW ENGAGED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN IMMENSE DREDGE BOAT NEAR THE IRON MOUNTAIN TRESSEL JUST NORTH OF TOWN . IT S ONE OF THE LARGEST DREDGE BOATS EVER SEEN IN THE COUNTY AND ITS DIPPER WILL HAVE A CAPACITY OF TWO AND A HALF YARDS OF DIRT.
COLEMAN & SONS IS GETTING EVERYTHING IN READINESS FOR WORK ON THE DITCH AND EXPECT TO BEGIN OPERATIONS FROM THIS END WITHIN THE NEXT 40 OR 50 DAYS . THIS DITCH WILL BE NINE AND A HALF MILES LONG AND WILL EMPTY INTO THE ST. FRANCIS RIVER NEAR THE CRAIGHEAD COUNTY LINE. IT WILL WIDEN , OPEN AND DEEPEN THE EIGHT MILE CREEK AND THROROUGHLY DRAIN AND RECLAIM ABOUT 15,000 ACRES OF LAND . IT WILL ALSO PREVENT FUTURE FLOODINGS IN EAST PARAGOULD.
THE JOHNSON CREEK DITCH , WILL BE DUG BY THE SOUTHERN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY , A LOCAL CONCERN , WILL RUN FROM PARAGOULD TO MUD SLOUGH AND WILL BE ABOUT SIX MILES IN LENGTH. IT WILL WIDEN AND DEEPEN JOHNSON'S CREEK AND WILL RECLAIM ABOUT 8,000 ACRES OF LAND . THE COMPANY IS NOW BRINGING MACHINERY FROM CLAY COUNTY WHERE IT HAS ENGAGED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DITCH AND WILL START WORK ON THE JOHNSON'S CRREK DITCH WITHIN THE NEXT TEN DAYS .
WITH THE COMPLETION OF THESE DITCHES , TOGETHER WITH THE GREENE AND CLAY COUNTY DITCH , THE ENTIRE EASTERN PORTION OF GREENE COUNTY WILL BE PRACTICALLY DRAINED .
CONSTRUCTION WORK ON THE BIG DITCH FROM STONEWALL DOWN CACHE RIVER WILL START WITHIN THE NEXT TEN DAYS . THE BONDS FOR THIS DITCH , $60,000 WERE SOLD TO W.V. WILLIS AND SONS OF MALDEN , MO. LAST JANUARY. THE DITCH WILL BE ABOUT 13 MILES LONG AND WILL RECLAIM ABOUT 25,000 ACRES OF LAND. THE OF WAY HAS ALREADY BEEN CUT AND FARMERS RESIDING ALONG THE LINE SAY THAT JUST THE CUTTING OF THE RIGHT OF WAY HAS LOWERED THE WATER THREE FEET.
THREE MILES OF THE SWAN POND DITCH TO BE TWELVE MILES IN LENGTH , HAVE ALREADY BEEN DUG . THE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS SO FAR. FARMERS ALONG THE SECTION ALREADY CONSTRUCTED HAVE PLANTED MOST OF THEIR CROPS. BEFORE THE DITCH WAS BEGUN THEY NEVER HAD THEIR SEED IN THE GROUND BEFORE THE FIRST OF JUNE AND OFTEN MUCH LATER.
THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER BIG DITCH PROPOSITIONS STILL IN THE AIR THEY WILL PROBALLY MATERIALIZE WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.