Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-10-12
WORK ON THE RAPIDS.
Continued from Third PAGE.

struct q dam 5000 feet long
across the river of granite ma
sonry, above the head Of the
island of Rock Island; 2,COO
feet of the proposed dam to be used
as weir and the lock and logway;
LOCO feet to be used as . site for the
power house and the development of
power, the logway to be built of tim
Der. Ut is expected the logway will
only be used for q few years. as the
supply Of timber on the Mississippi
river and its tributaries is about ex-
hausted, and the rafting business is
declining) Two dykes will be re-
quired to provide for high water and
fowage; one on the Illinois shore
and one on the Iowa shore. Esti-
mated cost of the proposed improve
ment is 81, 1894, 167. The develop
ment of . water power on the Rock
Island rapids would be of local bene-
fit. and it may be wise for the gov
eminent to assist. by appropriations.
in the development of the proposed
enterprise. We find that the govern.
ment did appropriate money for the
preservation of the falls of St. An
thony, between the years Of 1870 and
1890. Between the years 1870 and
1880 s5O5, 600. between 1880 and 1890
$50. 900, a total of $565,O00 in 20
years. What has been the result?
The water power at Minneapolis has
been preserved. and q city having Q
population or 46.887 in the year 1890
(about 20,0 people less than the
tri-cities have at presently has been
increased to q city of 164,738 people
in 1890, with 2,763 manufacturing
establishments. 15,254,175 paid out
in wages. $54. 592.21O paid for ma
terial and a manufactured product
Of the value of $82,922.97.
What u Expected.
"The people of the tri-cities. Dav-
export, Rock Island and Moline, do
not ask or expect the government to
assist them BY making appropria-
tions to develop this great enter
prise, but they do expect the govern
ment to give them the right to make
the improvement at their own cost,
as long as it does not interfere with.
but does improve navigation. All
that they will ask for is, that if the
plant is developed, and it improves
The navigation of the rapids, that
the government will operate and
maintain the lock and logway. We
believe II this great enterprise is
pus he'd forward to completion the
pop ulation of the tri-cities in the
year 1910 will have increased 100
per cent. May not this part of the
crest valley of the Mississippi rival
New England in the value of its man
ufactures? Mr.. Mulhall, the British
stat stefan. states that mo country
can vie with New England in the val
ne of the output, which represents
1919 per iuhabitant. while in
Great Britain, it is but $115; Belgium
$88 and France $74. In 1850 the an
nual value of the manufacture per
inhabitant in Great Britain was Sill,
and but 81 more in 1890. while dur
ing the same period in New England
it rose from &104 to $3l9. This
shows that British manufactures
during 40 years have but little more
than kept pace with the population,
while those Of New England are
three times Is great per inhabitant.
Is not one of the reasons for this
enormous industrial development,
the development Of the water pow
ers of New England?
1.-The improvement Of the rapids
by the construction of a dam will
give the city of Moline q harbor, i'm.
prove the water power now owned
by the government for the use OF
Rock Island arsenal. give the tri-
cities one of the largest waterpowers
of the world, and furnish better
facilities for navigating the river,
and do away with the complaint now
made. that the present Improvement
of the rapids ia a failura ~