Ste. Genevieve Herald Ste. Geneveive, Mo. Saturday, July 14, 1883 According to the call mentioned in our last, a meeting of owners and renters of land in the Big Field of Ste. Genevieve, and other interested men was held last Saturday afternoon at the Court House, to consider the practicability of erecting dams for the protection of the land in said field. The meeting was organized by the election of Mr. W.B. SKEWES as chairman and Jos. A. ERNST as secretary. Mr. SKEWES remaked that it was unnecessary to explain the object of the meeting, as everyone present well knew what he had come for, and called upon those present to express their views. A plan was put forward by Mr. KRUSE of erecting a dam running around the whole field, at a distance of 300 yards from the river, the dam to be 20 feet wide at the base and of sufficient height to protect the field against an overflow like that of this summer. Mr. August GISI thought this impracticable and inadequate to protect the whole field, as those who owned land on the outside of the dam would derive no benefit from it. Besides, he urged, that such a dam might do more damage to a man's land than the benefit he could derive from it would amount to, as it would take more land than the strip of 20 feet, corresponding ditches on either side of the dam being required to furnish the ground. Mr. KRUSE thought he could protect his land from inundation for $5, if his nearest neighbors were willing to protect their's in a similar manner, but would not stand back if more was required to protect the whole field. Several others spoke in a similar strain, and toward the close of the meeting the opinion seemed to prevail that an assessment ought to be made upon all the land in the field to provide means for the erection of the dam and for the indemnification of those owners through whose land the dam will pass. Mr. Wm. KERN moved that a committee of five land owners be appointed whose duty it should be to visit the field in person as soon as practicable and to ascertain as nearly as possible the benefits and damages to be expected from the erection of a dam, to make an approximate estimate of expenses and report to a subsequent meeting which should be held on Saturday, July 28, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon at the Court House in Ste. Genevieve City. The motion was unanimously approved, and the chairman appointed Messrs. Aug. GISI, Felix ROZIER, Wm. KERN and Hy. L. ROZIER, to which names that of Mr. Wm. B. SKEWES was added by acclamation, so that the whole length of the field might be represented in the committee. The meeting then adjourned until July 28th, at 2 o'clock p.m. Bottom farmers have received a terrible lesson which the wise ones among them will improve. It is to be hoped that the owners of the Big Field land will, at the meeting to be held at the Court House on the 28th, agree upon a general plan of constructing a dam for the protection of the bottom from overflow, as in case an agreement is not arrived at, each one will be obliged to take care of himself as well as he can. There are certainly some farmers who can save their lowlands by a very small outlay of money and with very little labor, but that is not serving the community, and, for the sake of our farmers more than of anybody else, it seems imperative to save the whole Big Field if possible. And it can be saved if every man stands to his colors. There must be an understanding and that can be arrived at only by a thorough discussion of the matter. Think over it and communicate your views to your neighbor in order to form as correct ideas of the subject as possible, and then lay your plan before the next meeting. The committee, especially, should be careful to visit the field at the earliest practicable moment, examine carefully the low places and note the depth and width of sloughs so as to be able to make an approximate estimate of the probable cost. "Where there's a will, there's a way."