The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-11-05


Am. Manu- facturer, 2Sth Oct: 1.-THE demand for
window glass is still reported comparatively
light. Prices unchanged. All the window glass
and bottle factories, except two have been iaie
since Friday last, ewing to strike OF the teas.
ers, mixers flers-in, and other partially skilled
workmen, who want an advance Of 10 per cent.
on the wages they have been receiving"
*x*
When firm Of most any kind outside OF o.
tawa can get into their sdyers. "Ottawa prices
guaranteed every time "they are quite too utterly
utterly happy! Which Is, OF course, highly hat
tering to Ottawa. ....
AGooD swINDLE.
The Freeport Republican has brought to light
an ingenious swindle upon the avaricous but
unsuspecting farmer; and this Is the way the
scheme is operated A fellow comes along with
patent wagon tongue. He stops over night
that he has made big thing and is on his way
home, and has only this county to sell. He tells
the farmer he can have 1t for $3.50 and, II ne
wants it to write him. In few days patent right
man number two comes along. He mas heard
that the farmer has the right of the county for
the patent wagon tongue, and as he made q big
thing Of 1t in Nebraska, he wants to buy the
right of the county, and offers the farmer $500
and pays $40 to bind the bargain. The farmer
writes TO number one and sends him his note for
but his note comes up for collection In neigh.
boring town. And the farmer aforesaid should
consider himself wonderfully lucky II he only
came out Of the transaction less than $40 be-
hind.
II the city council is going to compensate
some losers by the late fire who didn't happen TO
carry insurance. they'll open big ROAD Into the
treasury, for what is sauce for the goose should
be for the gander, and there is no reason why the
rest Of the burned.out shouldn't ask the same
thing done for them. There are still some $780,
900 unpaid Losses
Bat we have yet TO learn the city can legally
become an insurance company.
The best thing that could happen the city just
now, at the rate this council Is squandering
money, would be to have money supplies cut of.
As long as money can pc oorrowea Will oe
go
In letter to us some weeks ago, Mr. Robert
Wilson. now of the G. h NV. rntftoaM corps of
engineers at work In Iowa, said:
1.-THE Dam across Illinois river should be above
"the place selected by the Q. M. Coon the
"ridge OF rock extending across from the mead
"of the mound 10 the south shore, and would be
"place to the mouth of the Fox is 81 feet, The
"fall from the organ factory at Marseiiiesis 1919
"feet"
It is an easy matter to estimate the cost OF a
substantial dam 10 De DULL on inc sOllu TUCK rap
ids over which flows not much more than foot
of water during most Of the building year. Com.
petent judges have estimated that $25, 600 would
do the work. For the rest $4,000 more would
buy all the present franchises and the land
Why can't stock company be organized In
Ottawa to put In such damp
During the past month not less than two firms
seeking sites supplied with a water power more
extensive than the hydraulic company has to Of
fer would have located here had dam been
standing. One Of these would have employed
here some 500 men and girls, and the other some
$50 skilled machinists.
A water power on the Illinois river has one ad-
vantage over that on most streams In the east
water powers are becoming worthless except
where it is possible to guard against low water
by reservoirs or ml.pouds to be filled during
freshets and drawn from as the water Of the
streams gets low. In the Illinois no such reser
voirs are necessary. The river now Is as shallow
as it will probably ever become, and the quantity
OF water is forever guaranteed by the necessities
of the city of Chicago. Her river must be drain.
ed, and every year the quantity Of water she must
send through the canal must increase. The OBJ
jections, therefore, as urged by some manufac-
turers against water power as uncertain in low
water would be hardly applicable to power at
Ottawa.
A substantial dam and reliable water power
In Ottawa built at once would double our popu
lation in five years.