The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-11-01
The Moline Water Power.

The Moline Water Power lies between
the Illinois shore and the Island of Rock
Island, in the Mississippi River 1t is
situated at the foot Of succession of rap
ids or falls, extending over 20 miles of the
river channel, having an aggregate decline
Of IL feet in that distance. The effective
head is secured by extending wing wall
from the point Of the Island, 5000 feet
in length, which, with the Island and
main shore gives a water surface of sever
al hundred acres. With this length of
wall Il permanent head Of feet is OBJ.
tanned, and the body of available water is
so large that this guage can scarcely be
perceptibly decreased. 1t is clear, also,
that the power can be indefinitely increas-
ed by simply extending this wall and it
is estimated that an expenditure of $780,
900 on this work would double its capa.
city.
As early as I543 All effort was made
to devclope this power. A rude dam was
thrown across the channel and mill run
with tho foraa oh..;.,~l Il
tract settlers TO this point and among
the far sighted pioneers Of that day were
not a few who saw in the future the i'm.
portance which this great national re-
source must some day assume. 1t really
gave to Moline " local habitation and
a name y the word Moline being cor.
ruption of the French, Moulin, mill.
Subsequent improvements we're made
oil the Power and additional mannfactur.
ing establishments erected ou it but the
great expense Of the work was bar to its
full development at that time. In the
mean time it passed into the hands Of q
company, together with some 200 acre:
of land bordering on and adjacent to the
river. Charles Atkinson was made Pres
ident of the company, position which he
still holds. The present directors are
John Deere, d. g. Dimock, Charles Fl
Deere, John NJ, Gould s. W. Wheelock
j. 8. Keator.
The Island of Rock Island, mentioned
above, had never passed from the posses
sion of the government. 1t has surfac,
of 1000 acres, covered with the mos
varied and attractive forests trees, will
sunny slopes and plats Of green swarth in
termingled. 1t lies above high water,it
shores protected by lodges of solid rock
and is acknowledged to be one of tn
most picturesque spots in the great Mis-
) sissippi Valley During the war it wa
used as 4 rebel prison. At its close tn
many advantages of Rock Island and it
location in the very heart of the cont
nent, on the line Of the great nationa
thoroughfare from ocean to ocean, desig
mated it as the seat Of great Arsena
and Armory Tor the manufacture an
storage Of war material for the govern
; ment Gen. T. j Rodman, of the ord
dance department. was put in charge an
: to him was assigned the duty of locating
|, planning and erecting the workshops
His design, which was approved by tn
; government, contemplates ten massiv
buildings of uniform size and style, eac
two stories and basement in height, 81
feet from. and 800 feet deep, with ope
: courts COX 30 feet between the wing'
: all built of the best Joliet rock and roo
a ed with slate and copper. One of thes
i buildings is completed and the secon
: nearly ready for the roof When tn
: magnificent plan is fully executed tn
will be the largest and most complete e.
tablishment of the kind in the country,
: not in the world.
In order to avail itself of the Molir
. Water Power for running the immen.
!, amount of machinery to be used in i
G workshops, the government, in Angus
Q 1867, while President Grant was actin
y Secretary of War, entered iuto contra,
with the Water Power company, J
& which the company ceded to the govern
ment their portion Of the power. on col
y dition that the government make certai
u specified Improvements develop the Pow
y er at its own cost and give the oompan
in perpetuity one.fourth of the whole, ,frt
= from rent, repairs and expense Of ever
u kind whatever. The government al,
a contracted to rent additional power
a the company at fixed price, so that wi,
q the growth Of manufactures the Pow,
l. may eventually become source of re-
enue both to the government and Il
:, company.
q Congress made the necessary appr
10 priations to carry out this contract, al
ID the work was promptly begun. The o
dam was torn out out; the reserve
70 deepcned the adjoining banks
the Island raised and riprapped wi
'p rock. A wall OF the h,aviest Joliet ro
10 was built longitudinally with the cha
mel Of the river, 2,400 feet in length,
IS. feet In height, fee. wide at base, slopi