Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-02-03
Our water Pewer,

.
Our Water Fewer.
The City Hall was filed full Of our
citizens last evening to hear the re.
port Of Meesrs. Daggets and Durfse,
who had been appointed at previous
meeting to visit Sterling and Moline,
Illinois, to investigate the subject Of
water powers. The committee have
discharged their duty most faithfully,
having visited Sterling aud Moline,
Ills, Dayton, Ohio, and Cedar Rapids
and Tama City, Iowa. The reports
made BY these gentlemen fully corrob.
GRATED the statements made By Messrs.
Sears and Orion, 1t previous meet
ings, and indeed they give more 70
vorable reports Of the advantages &C.
cruing from these Improvement q oil
tho places named, except ss Cedar
Rapids, at which place Che waser pow
or ts not fully developed, and 10 .
question of dispute a. to owuership.
and therefore is not anything lils Il
might or ought to be. At Moline
there is no water power - be bought
at Sterling, but very little; aud the
average value Of the stock IL $3.50 for
500. The improvement a. Sterlins
was made in 1857. and from this i
may be readily seen that it IL not only
Of very great advantage to the growth
Of town, but ~ financial meature
is > paying one. - -@'
Sterling in 1867 had only 1900 in.
habitsnts, new It has 1000 aud does Z
manufacturing business OF $500 O0C
annually. Indeed 1t pays 90 we'll thai
many farmers Of tho best class N
selling their farms and employia1
their means in joint stock manulAct,
turing companies, q II pays then
much better than farming. Tho CON.
mittee report that che water powei
can be transmitted to any poiut in the
city, by means of wire cables with
perfect ease and at ) small expense
Altogether the report was highly cat.
lisfactory to al present. and fully Il.
Illustrated the necessity OF immediate
steps being takan 70 Improve lshe
magnificent water power Il this place
The committee report that our water
power, when completed ON tho plan
laid out,by M. Arg, viii eclipse any.
thing they have seen ID their travels
The water power q Tama City,
built at . cost Of 100000 produces-.ai
the iarthest only 1900 horse power
while si05,00o' expended hsre' win
give NJ 1900 horse power, while Sl13,.
600 will give from 1900 to $500
horse power. !.
We cannot afford to have this i'm.
mense power lie idle any longer. H
is mine of wealth lying idle at ouy
feet, and We must Ayail ourselves Of
it. The meeting passed motion Re.
questing the COMMITTEES appointed at Z
previous meeting to draft articles o,
incorporation. to prepare thess aTti.
Giles at once, to report At . meeting 4
be called by the chairman Of the meet.
ing. Id. Ladd acted ~ chairman
and N. NJ. Ives - Secretary.
The committee appointed to drafl
articles sre:-C r Blake, VIM DAggett
A 81 Hamilton, " e Chambers, G {
Warden, Robert N Harlan, W B Bon.
field, J n Kiser, L e Gray, J H Msr.
rill s A Swiggctt John Gray, II T
Major, Allen Johuston, Il d Palmer,
Dan'l Eaton, G e Boude, W B Arm.
strong, J n Hedrick, Nick Baker, n
L Orr. " II Resor, B B Durfss, W I
Harper, D W Stewart, and N NJ Ives
| The committee should have mest,
ing immediately, to draft articles ol
Incorporation, and report ct q general
meeting to be held - soon O. possible.
Let the committee act at once, and
keep the ball in motion.