The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-08-23

Shall we have canals is a question Of the
| u Utmost importance to the people Of keok ak
and the courty in connection with the i'm
provements of the rapids. Our material pros
perity and The permanent growth of our city
and section depends largely upon the proposed
Improvement giving us the manufacturing
facilities that are in the proposed canal. The
Congressional appropriation can be blasted
higher than Gilderoy's kit. and nothihg'eome
oft, by continual blasting in the river bed
We give here private letter written by Gen
CuRTIs to Judge Mason, and with no thought
of publication. The experience aud ability
OF General Curtis as an engineer. and The
careful consideration he has given to the subs
ject Of the rapids improvement. entities his
opinions to great weight We bespdak for
this letter careful reading.
KEoKrK, Aug. IIlh, 1865
H9s. CBAs MAsos:
Dear Sir: Your letters TO Justice Miller
concerning the improvement oil the rapids
have just been laid before me.
Clearly the Engineers Department can
modify the plan, as the words of the law re-
lating to the plan could have had no other in
tent. Even without such words, it ia the du>
" OF an officer to avoid impractical or i'm
possible things. The bed of our river is, as
The survey shows, an inclined plane, little
more inclined at the rapids. To blow ont
the portion where it is so more tncli,,ed is
mechanically impossible. To extend the
steep portion to any practical use, is impos-
sibie.
10 make channel, say two hundred feet
wide, four feet deep, on the face of the plane
Of the river led is the proposed channel plan
Any thing less than four feet deep and two
hnadred feet wide would not do for RATS and
boats
10 take advantage of the assures which the
wafer has was he'd; the crooked central line has
been marked out, aud is generally quarter of
mile from shore, covered by rapid current
of water. The maps will show the very even
character Of the inclined plane of the rock
bed Of the river, and two feet of water is
more than an average at low water
To get four feet deep you would then have
only two feet Of rock to excayste: but to
get all points thus low you will have to blast
deeper and at least three feet average.
Taking advantage of figures, &c, yon may
call the average width Of cut only 1852 feet
making the actual excavation in the cross
section of the proposed river channel 8xle2
equal 4S5 superficial feet.
1hese excavations of by lG2 feet would.
as suppose, gave = channel IN the rock ciesr
enough for boats, say four feet deep measur.
ing below low water mark, aud 200 feet wide,
just as wonli have the slack water canal.
which proposed along side the river.
ne difference. however, would be this, the
slack water channel conld be run safely night
and day, while owing to the rapid current,
crooked channel, and rough sides, the chan
mel canal can only be Iun in calm weather.
and BY daylight.
cosf OF 1HE PROPOSED CHANNEL ctr.
1t is strange that its advocates never have
shown their ngures fairly on this point. II
will give them asi make them from he sur
veys, maps, aud proposed 200 feet channel. II
have said the excavation on the cross section
will be at least sxl62. The maps and sur.
Veys will also show it must be at least ten
miles long. It's easy to continue the figures
which bring out go, 400 yards Of rock exca-
vanonl Say, il you please, this only approx
mates. We'll, ii is very easy to make ! new
survey and reduce conjecture to demonstra,
ton. Indeed, it may be tested by he man.
OF tAess Who advocate this channel alan.
But jsdss from some not yerv minute
levels which I made 10 years ago, ia n
Judge from intimate knouledg. Of n. sv.n
and ussal septh Of vaAes repor,.d nd iIov
water hess y light of NJ own dou. AIT am
quite u likely to Be under !. over n. ,rn.
measure. Patit down then in ru,pd Ism-
oerh tovhich ~ fsases closely sppro.ah-|
q "sss'" ysrdt - rock excuvustiio,. hin.
ION OF yards, in the central portion Of treat
RAPID rver, in water, where wind and dcc.-l
nonsl Hoods in summer, and ic. Il 49,,
mus nsQse,Ay interrupt yosf vork. A.