That before the township trustee of any such township shall take any steps toward locating or establishing any ditch, drain, or watercourse, there shall be filed with the township clerk a petition of one or more persons owning land adjacent to the line of any such proposed ditch, drain, or watercourse, setting forth the necessity of the same, with a substantial description of its proposed starting point, route, and terminus, and shall at the same time file a bond, with good and sufficient sureties to the acceptance of said township clerk, conditioned to pay all expenses incurred in case the trustee shall refuse to grant the prayer of the petitioner. And thereupon the township clerk shall give notice to the township trustee of the filing and pendency of said petition, and said trustee shall immediately determine his proceedings thereunder. And thereupon the petitioner, or one of the petitioners, shall cause notice in writing to be given to the owner, or one of the owners, of each tract of land sought to be affected by said proceedings of the filing and pendency of said petition, said notice to state substantially the prayer of said petition, the time and place when and where the same will be for hearing by the township trustee; but nothing in this section shall be taken to prevent the petitioner from giving printed notices if he or they desire.

If any person owning lands sought to be affected by said proceedings be a nonresident of the county, a notice such as is contemplated by this section shall be given him by publication for two consecutive weeks in some newspaper published or of general circulation in said county. The death of any party or parties in interest shall not work an abatement of proceedings under this act; but the trustee, being notified, shall order such notice as is contemplated in this section to be given to the person or persons succeeding to the right of such deceased party or parties: Provided further, That where any ditch may be located and established through a portion of any two townships within the same county, or where benefit or damage shall attach to lands situate in the same, the trustees of such townships shall constitute a joint board for such proceedings, and in such case the petition shall be filed with and the record be kept by the clerk of the township through which the greater portion of such ditch may run; and in all other respects such joint board shall have the same powers and authority that the township trustee has under this act.