Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-03-09
WESTERN ENTERPRISE.
SIPPl GRANARY. FAVOR
ABLY COMPARED.
The Equal of Birmingham, Niagara
and Velasco--Her Factories Run with
Water Power Transmitted by EIec-
tricity.

One land company at New Birming
ham, Ala, invested 100000. Out of
the sales it has paid more than s., 00O,-
600 in dividends. 1t has also spent two
million and a half in improvements
and its remaining assets from the ORR
ginal investment amount to $1,000, 900
more.
There were at the time the invest
ment was made hundreds of towns in
Ala bama more attractive than New
birmingham. 1t is pertinent to ask
what this place had, more than
other places, which permitted such
colossal profits? The answer is, rich
iron ore, coal and gypsum lying liter
ally side by side. Iron could be made
there cheaper than anywhere else in
the United States,
At the mouth of the BraZos River in
Texas, a town was laid out less than
two years ago. the land on which it
was located cost $500 an acre. In less
than one year the towns founders sold
Sl.25G.O0 worth of town lots and the
population of Nelasco grew to more
than two thousand busy people. There
are hundreds of towns in Texas many
years older which have not one thous-
and people. What made the place
grow rapidly? Why, at that point
they deepcned the harbor and made Il
pass through the sand bar at the mouth
of the river, which allowed deep draft
ships to enter. In short, they made Il
better port than there was at any other
place on the Gulf Coast west
of New Orleans. Recognizing the
advantages for commerce which
Nclasco had thus acquired, in
vestors from everywhere rushed there
to secure a part of its certain future
prosperity.
The fruit farms immediately adja
cent to Niagara Falls could have been
bought two years ago for 500 an acre,
now they are selling at from 81 900 to
S20, 900 per acre.
What has brought about the change?
At last the great ia lis of Niagara are
being harncssed. The impossible has
been found possible. Enterprise has
turned the dream of the poet into fact
Niagara Falls. heretofore only pleas
ure ground, will now become no doubt
the manufacturing center of the East
crn States.
They have developed 1000 horse
power, and offer it at cost onc-half
less than q can be made for with wood
or coal as any point in the United
States.
When the never great and now
rapidly disappearing forests of this
country are entirely used up, and the
no where ample coal fields are wholly
exhausted, the mighty falling weight
of niagara River water will be making
power Just as cheaply as it does to-day.
Each of these three places made
great fortunes for the first investors,
because each pos Scsscd great com
ncrcial advantage.
There is another place now just AS
suming the same conditions. The rich
agricultural State of Nebraska has no
coal mines and is entirely without
forests. On account of this manufac-
turing has been simply out of the queS- |!
ton. 1t has been accepted as abso-
lutely unavoidable that its products !
would always have to go out Of the
State to be manufactured. But sud |
denly great water-power has been de-
yelOped. The wonderful Platte River.
which Mark Twain described, with !
q stream one thousand miles long, |
one mile wide and one inch deep, has, /
at one point, been given great and a
new use.
At Gothenburg. $50 miles west of |
Omaha, in the heart of the granary of |
the Trans-Mississippi, a water-power
has been developed which engineers |
say can be increased to 100000 horse |
power. The experiment has been
made. The fact has been accom-
plished.
In that new town factories are being /
run with water power transmitted by |
electricity. Houses are heated and !
lighted by electricity made by water
power
The Gothenburg Commercial Club |
offers to give free information upon APP
pGcation, and the enterprising capital |
lists who own the canal and power |
plant offer free power and locations /
and liberal business treatment to other !
mills and factories.
1t seems certain that what iron ore
was to New birmingham, deep water |
was to Nelasco and water-power to !
Niagara Falls, the newly acquired |
will be TO Gothenburg.
CHAs. l.. WORKMAN.