The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1869-01-15

TINS uRR1R RARTDD' I1PnOvk.
81 u1NT.
An excursion party went ont from Daven.
port lev days -, TO view the progress Of
ths Rapidss Improvement there. We maze
these extracts from the Democrsfs accooo':
osr1sa pAn,
4 vork veil Worth SEEING the isrgesa, - vsa -
thu most dffRcult wssk Of the kind svsf construct
Cd, costing ever sfed, 900 The shore iosms ono
side and Haseivs dam, :, 400 fest IL length, -
tsndine OUT Into ~ river, enclosing over hfty
acres. forms The thrse sides next to the water.
The crowd. pumbeYiDg near Ave hundred poured
out of the osYs. snd wsro soon seated over the
woyks, all eager t. satisfy their curiosity Tho
riysr men hsstsned to see the points and boulders
that had tried their Christian spirit and the keeis
oftheir bosts; curiosity hunters commenced to
Gather shells. pebbles aud pieces Of rock. wiki
Others searchSd the crsvices for some Of the fs-
putsd oaysrAd.
Time viii not permit full and complete de-
scription OF this great work. From the ofhcsr IN
command, Nj. Allen, who received the visitors
with the greatest OF courtesy. We were enabled to
learn The following intsfsssisE particulars;
rn snAsssry
whom conpfstsd, viii follow, in the main, the
pilots old chsnneL The reasons for this, an, that
II sssn b. NOR easily improved, b equally =
6poAs ard 9pot Ahoeta quarter = much - one CT
9r961tttfaeh - shsin. This chssnsf foslewe
~ enssal 6Sneosk or ~ shore, with numerous
Irregularities, .onseof them Of considsrsble siss.
and In one plscs the rocks seem 70 Join almost
across the channel There prominent places,
projections aad Irregularities kore the marks Of
having bsen well scrspsd BY boats, and are doubt
less, we'll remembered BY many . pilot and boat
owner. In several Of these plssss " found pieces
OF wood, pSohahIy fson IL bottom Of soms boat,
still wsdged into the projections.
tbs ncio N n r
cost Of $1,000 per day, and expect to remove -
0t0 cubic yards q rock, in order TO complete the
work. For this they receive 3l3 per yard. This
II to;ssvsr the whole expense to the govsfnment.
In deepening and widening this ahannal, they afe
Sb0e61 = eons plecse. y cut through the Void
rock, over > hundred feet, TO IN average depth Of
two feet; while the other Irregularities to be =
uDvG vary tno Of three feet, up to tsu, StleSo
and twenty feet in width, and from two TO i've in
depth. The rock Is Of lime stone formation, and
tAschansa through II appears to have bsss worn
by the action Of the waters, - above and below
the water 10 deep. Besides the pilots schAnnel,
th1ss ~ snits number Of other shAaSSl, or
feeders" to 1t. Whore these come In, and whore
others leave 10, there are irregular projections,
bsAring tts marks Of contact with bsaas, showing
one Of the cau'es that made 1t % dimcult for
boats TO keep within bounds whom coming down.
These tsedsrs and outlets, ~ we'll ~ The &ssp
holes in the main channel, are being 6lled with
the broken rock n II is taken from the ledess.
s4as Ga 3uss the watcr to Gov mors svsnly, And
with better supply, - in times Of low water,
ths supply will be the, same AZ heretofore, and it
win - obliged = keep in the boating chaansl.
When completed, the channel will DO serpentine
with only two curves, and:those very easy for the
psssiAg Of boats. The edges will - saooths., %
that In coming down the current will take the
boats through without danger. Its width will b,
on an average 4Se fest. aad In soms pisces over
500 fest and in no place less than 200 feet. The
chain, ~ many know, extends across the river,
aaa i shout 5000 feet in width.
The work IL being crowded through with III
possible dispatch, 80 that il msy be completed
before the breaking up Of the ice. Major Allen
with An aloisnt corps OF snginesrs Il in eonstan,
supervision Of the work. that the cut,ing and
filing may DO done properly. The principal part
Of the work Vas In constructing tho dam. and
freeing the area from water. They commenced
pumping on the l4th Of December, and had the
VISITOR eli OUT IN the 18th folio Wing. Asa matter
Of ceures, oeAs1Asfabls wassr row 1saks INTO th.
enclosure ant ~ Keep II dry fefAhs work mon, two
steam pumps are kept Il work throwing it out At
the lower end Of the dam. Thess two pumps
hAvs combined capacity Of l,00o cubic fest pei
minute. It IL sstimated that they throw out owe,
100000 600 gallons OF water daily. With this es-
timsts over 100, 900, 900 gallons must have been
pumped out TO enable them to see bottom so ~ te
commence work.
No correct estimate Of the magnitude Of thii
work can be made in the time SLOWED us. On,
must see il TO fully comprehend it in detail
Neither can its Importance to the commercial in
terests Of the West be fully realized. 1t IT, 70 b,
sufS, only one link in the improvements heinl
made In the river, but nevertheless, IN importAn
one.
Major Allen Is doing his work we'll. and vhel
this fact-considering the means Congress ha
placed at his diapoaAl.