INLAND DRAINAGE 111 



pails had to be used to dump it out with, and the sides of the 

 ditches caved in as soon as any considerable depth was reached. 

 Laborers sank in the mud up to their hips. In order to make 

 any progress at all, it was found necessary to build a retaining 

 wall of poles on either side of the proposed ditch. Even then, 

 much of the mud would seep back into the ditch, so that it was 

 found practicable to excavate only a few inches at a time. The 



(Photos by E. B. Johnson, C. E.) 

 Fig. 72. — Occasionally, it is necessary to ditch a slough. Here, a channel 

 3 feet deep and 4 feet wide was dug through the lowest part of the 

 slough. 



ditch would then be left to dry out for two or three days, when a 

 few inches more would be dug. This kind of work may cost 

 from 25 cents to $1.00 per lineal foot. 



Not all parts of a swamp will be as bad as this, of course, but, 

 wherever the earth is soft and sloppy, it is a certainty that the 

 costs are going to be high. Frequently, it is also difficult to 

 maintain an adequate gang of laborers under such conditions. 



While costs of hand ditching in swamps will vary in accordance 

 with circumstances, it is believed that they will, on the average, 

 run several times as high as costs of hand-ditching on firm earth. 



