Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-03-20
0TruMWA, lOWA-A GROWING
MANUFACTURING TOWN.

| Among the wide-awakc. enterpris
ing cities of the State Of Iowa, Their,
are few that will strike the stranger
more favorably than Ottumwa, the
county seat and business center OF
Wapello county. It is admirably sit
uated on the Des Moines river, some
eighty-six miles below Des Moines
the capital Of the State. It is tho
largest city and most important bust.
ness point on the Burlington & Mis-.
souri, River Railroad, between the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, be.
ing about seventy-six miles from Bur.
lington, and two hundred and twenty
from Council Bluffs. II is already
distinguished for its railway trans.
portation facilities, being the point
Of intersection and conveyance OF
four important railroads. These are
the Burlington and Missouri River
road, operated by the Chicago, Bur-
lington Il Quincy Co., the Des Moines
Valley road (Which here intersects
the B. & M. r. r. R.), tho northern
terminus of the ST. Louis, Kansas
City & Northern road, and the SOUTH
ern terminus of the Central Railroad
of Iowa. Surrounded by the richest
agricultural region Of the State, with
its varied internal resources and ca
pacities, it bids fair to become the
principal commercial and manufac-
turing city Of the southeastern por-
ton of the State. Ottumwa was laid
out in 1843, and is now city of be-
tween 10000 and $4,000 inhabitants.
Her people are intelligent, enterpris-
ing and fully alive to the importance
of the manufacturing industries in
building up and enriching their city.
The Des Moines river furnishes a
magnificent water which has been
fully improved by the
oTTUMwA wATER-PowER COMPANY.
This company was organized in 1875,
with capital of $4,000, and has fl
nally succeeded In perfecting the
most complete and reliable water
power in the State. The dam, which
is built some distance above the city,
furnishing full twelve feet head, is of
the most approved modern style. 1t
is crib dam built upon the solid
rock, with stone abutments, the whole
costing $4,000. The guard lock, q
solid stone structure founded upon
the bed rock, cost $4,000. The canal
is one mile in length, and 160 feet in
width, and conducts the water almost
to the heart of the city, where the
company own thirty acres of ground
for the accommodation of the power.
This lies right alongside the various
railroads tracks, SO that manufacture
ers using the water-power can re-
ceive their raw material and ship
their manufactured goods by rail,
without hauling or carriage. The
water-power now developed here is
equivalent to 3,0OO-horse power,
which is reliable the year round, be-
ing fed by river 500 miles long, and
which before it was obstructed with
dams, was navigable for steamers as
far as Des Moines, nearly hundred
miles above Ottumwa. The directors
and principal stockholders of the
Water Power Co. are w. B. Bonni-
field, president of the First National
Bank G. f. Blake, president of the
Iowa National Bank; William Dag
gett, of the firm of Daggett & Harper !;
Daniel Eaton, furniture manufactur-
er; A. II. Hamilton, editor Of the OF
tumwa COURIER, all of Ottumwa, and
q Mr.. Wiley, of Massachusetts,, The
officers are w. B. Bonnifield, presi-
dent, G. +. Blake, treasurer, and L.
N. Mast, secretary.
1t would be hard to find q point
that offers greater inducements for
the manufacturer or mechanic seek
ing site for the location of almost
any line of man ufacture or mechani-
cal industry than Ottumwa. The
Water Power Co. are offering sites
and power at very low rates, and ev-
cry enterprising, wide-awake manu-
facturcr who settles here receives at
once the sympathy and best wishes of
the entire community. The very best
of hardwood timber of various kinds,
such as black walnut, oak, ash, hick-
Org, etc, grows in abundance along
the river in the vicinity of the city,
and abundance of good coal is mined
within short distance.
The Ottumwa Water Works Co., of
which Messrs. Wiley Il Hurd, of Mas
sachusetts, are the principal proprie-
tors, have erected a beautiful struc-
ture of brick, with stone trimmings,
on the water-power, and are now
putting in pumps with capacity of
100000 gallons per day to be run by
water power, and the city has con-
tracted for $50 hydl ants at cost of
$50 each.
The manufacturers already estab-
lished here are doing we'll, and in
spite of the dull times have kept their
works running full force all the year
past.-WeSfeyn Manufacturers