The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-11
WAR OF THE DAMS.
It Begins to Grow Exciting and
Interesting.
Upper Dam People to Put 200
Teams to Work.
WITHIN THE WEEK
Work to Begin on Dam, ,RaceWay
and Power House.
Lower Dam People Ridicule
Upper DAMS Claims.
HAVE 40 MEN WORKING
Upper Dam Folks Want AttOr-
HAVE 40 MEN WORKING
Upper Dam Folks Want Attor-
neys Fee They Say.
Lower Dam Holding Their Con-
tract by Beginning Work.


What are the two dam companies GO
ing to do is the universal question in To-
peka today. The war of the two oppos-
ing forces grows interesting. While
Topeka people seem to be unable to
make up their minds which side they
should aid, they are nevertheless anx-
ious that Topeka have a dam or even
two dams.
Mr.. David Fitzgerald and his associ-
ates in the upper dam company are to-
day holding a consultation with the con-
tractors who are to build the dam west
of the city. They say Topeka will soon
see active operations which will show
beyond a doubt that the dam is 10 be
built.
To STATE JOURNAL reporter Mr..
Fitzgerald said: "Our arrangements
are now completed as far as the city is
concerned and we are ready to proceed
without anything further being done.
This evening Mr.. A. NJ. Allen who
represents the contractors will go to
Kansas City for the purpose of getting
supplies and material with which to
commence the work He will have to
buy scrapers and other tools with which
two hundred teams are to be employed
very soon.
The tools and material will be shipped
into Topeka the latter part of next week
and we will Immediately put not dozen
teams at work, but 200 teams. We will
not commence work on the raceway
alone, or the dam alone, or the power
house alone. but we will commence work
on all three, SO that we may have them
all completed at the same time.
Say They Mean Business.
''When we get started the people of
10 for
that we mean business and we will have
everything completed ready to furnish
power by the first of December"
Judge John w. Day, the legal repre-
sentative of the upper dam company,
says the action of the lower dam com
pany whatever it may be, will not in the
least interfere with the upper dam COM
pany going ahead with its work.
Judge Day has been interested in the
upper dam project since its first incep-
tion, and he now says he is assured that
the dam will be built.
Mr. T. w. Orbison, of Appleton, Wis
cousin, the chief engineer and architect
who will superintend the construction of
the dam, today showed a JOURNAL re-
porter his plans of the work.
A Million Dollar Paper Mill.
Mr.. Orbison has constructed several
large paper mills in Wisconsin and has
just finished one which cost one million
dollars. He says every paper mill he
builds is constructed right in the water
and each mill has its own dam.
His plans for the Topeka dam provide
for the use of $3.50 cords of stone; $780,
600 feet of lumber, and 245 tons of iron
aside from the machinery.
According to the present arrangement
the race way will come down the north
side of the river and the power house will
be located on the raceway, about three
miles from the dam.
Mr. OrbisOn saws the dam can be and
will be completed by December 1.
Mr.. Ulrich who owns the big stone
quarries at Manhattan is here today
figuring with Mr.. Fitzgerald on the CON
tract for furnishing the $500 cords of
stone which will be used in the construc-
tion of the dam.
Oakland People Also Confident.
The members of the Oakland dam
company, or to be more explicit, the
Chicago Topeka Light, Heat and Power
company say that they will build the
dam and that there are 40 men and 16
teams at work today and more will be
put on soon.
r n. King, president of the Still
we'll Bierce company, and their engineer,
A G. Rice, are expected tomorrow morn
ing, and the members of the company in
Topeka say thcy are coming to make ar
rangements to put more men to work
and to push the work as rapidly as pos
sible.
John Norton said today that the work
will be pushed and no action of
the upper company will make
any difference. 1--WE have all
our rights, and there is no reason whv
we should not go ahead and build the
dam, he says "The upper company
can not hurt US, whatever they may do,
and we are not at all alarmed. l sup
pose you noticed that their bond has
not been fixed up"
Another man interested in the COM
pany, who did not' want his name
used, said: THE upper dam company
does not intend to build the dam, and
all there is in it is that the attorneys. are
trying to get big fee 1t may be that
fitzgerald and the other men are here
in good faith and are trying to do some
thing, but that is because they do not
see through the scheme. The
dam will never be built by the
upper company. They have filed
bond with the council which
is not worth the paper it is written on.
They have not done single thing which