Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-05
COL. KING COMES.
The New River Engineer Ar
riveS.
ASSUMED DUTIES THIS MORNING.

LIS Enthusiastic Over Permanent Improve
| ments to Navigation and Is a Man Thor
| ouEhIy Fsmi,iar. with the Limo Of Work
Assigned to His Charge.
Col. William X. King, who sue
| ceeds Col. Alex Mackenzie in charge
of upper. Mississippi river i'm
provements, arrived with his family
at the Harper last evening from Will
let's Point, n. Y. He brings with
him car load of effects, personal
and official. and henceforth Rock
Island becomes his home.
\ Col. King was found i'm his office
on the fourth floor of the Mitchell 4
Lynde building by an ARGUS repre-
sentative this morning. He had
been busy most of the time after re-
lieving Lieut.. Charles Keller, who
had been in temporary charge since
the departure of Col. Mackenzie for
Washington, in receiving the various
attaches of the corps and was famil-
iarizing himself with the details of
the office when the reporter called.
The new engineer in charge. who, as
stated in the extended biography
heretofore published in The ARGUS.
is one Of the most experienced and
prominent men in the engineer de-
partment of the army. impresses
one in his manner very much as his
popular predecessor did-readily APP
proachable. genial and entertaining.
Il think l shall like Rock Island"
he remarked pleasantly. mot only
from what | know of it, but from what
Col. Mackenzie writes me OF it. He
refers to it rs an earthly paradise,
than which he would seek no other
place to spend the remainder of his
days. were he permitted in the Off
cial discharge of his duties to do so.
The late Col. j. n. Macomb, too, an
old friend of mine, always bespoke his
fondness for the place. l was here
at one time years ago, and have
passed through here numerous times,
and have always heard the city
pleasantly spoken of. Ny attention
was perhaps most directly drawn to
Rock Island at the time the govern
ment bridge was built. and the con-
struction OF which it was at one time
planned ! SHOULD direct, but other
officers were eventually assigned the
duty"
Col. King is n firm believer in per-
manent improvements. He is,
therefore, enthusiastic over the gov
eminent river work. There are
two departments under the head of
government expenditures that l
Thoroughly believe in" he said.
fs'One is our river and harbor i'm
provements. and the other govern
ment buildings. Both are substan-
tial, snd l may say permanent. They
are investments. All other expendi-
lures, such as maintenance, and the
ordinary running expenses Of the gov
eminent may be curtailed ccording
to the condition of revenue, but per-
manent improvements should 90
on. They should not stop. The
same principle that the farmer APP
| plies to his farm should obtain.
The buildings he erects and i'm
provements he puts on from time
to time, according to his means, are
there, and his property is the better
for them. 1t is more valuable, more
molern. more useful. He may cut
down his other expenses, but he
should keep up his repairs and pro-
gressiveness. So it is with the gov
eminent. Its property should be
kept advancing anu improved stead
lily in such manner as will beat aG-
vance its value to itself and it's gen.
eral usefulness to the people for
whose beneti. it is preserved and
maintained, and to whom it belongs"
Col. king manifested a deep inter-
est in Rock Island, and all that per-
taius to it.