Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-19
SELECT SITE.
Oskaloosa Firm in Which OttumWans
Are Interested Busy.


A site has been selected for the pow
er house of the Oskaloosa Light and
Traction company in which Ottumwa
capitalists are heavily interested. The
company purposes to install an cleo
trio lighting plant and equip street
railway in the Mahaska county capital.
Ultimately an inter-urban railway may
be built between this city and Oska-
loosa, the plan of which has been out
lined in the Courier heretofore.
Relative to the Oskaloosa end of the
work the Herald of that city says:
The site of the power house and the
car barns of the Oskaloosa Light and
Traction company was definitely de.
termined upon Wednesday afternoon.
President H. e. O'Neil and ]. F.
Springfield of the company came to the
city from Ottumwa and the matter OF
purchase and transfers of property
were closed.
The plant will be situated on the
east side of South A street immediate
ly north of the Burlington crossing
The company has secured the lots ly'
ing in the block west of the M. d. Bur.
kett property and the Burlington rail
way company have possession of an
other lot secured from Charles Phelps
and this lot will also be used in the
building of the plant and in getting a
switch to the buildings. The BTling
ton company has other property on the
west side of A street, and the traction
company purchased other property on
the west side of the street 50, that
their holdings of ground might be with
out possible dispute of any character
whatever
The building for the accommodation
of the light, and power plant and the
car barns will be 120x150 feet Stuff
cient draft for the boilers will be Sc
cured through a smoke-stack that viii
be 125 feet high and seven feet in di
ameter on the inside.
| Work upon the building will be com
| menced Immediately, or as soon as thu
lots can be cleared of the building!
now standing on them. Mr. Spring
| field, together with City Engineer Johl
| Shannon, of this city and Engineer j
T. Brady of Ottumwa, went to the lot
Wednesday and secured the levels pre-
paratory to stalking out the buildings
the building will be of brick and con
struction will be commenced as sool
as material can be placed on tn,
ground.
All material for the construction o
| the houses and the building of TIN
light plant and the railway has bee
contracted for and the latest deliver,
| is placed at November /, and this !
| for the car motors. Some of the ma
terial has been shipped and is enroute
About fifteen cars of poles are now en-
route and some ties have also beel
shipped. The bills and shipping re
ceipts have been received and the ma
terial will be in the city within fey
days at the latest. Some of the ma
terial was expected here today. Abou
rs cars of material have been purchas
ed and it will be making things livel
with constant arrival now in shor
time. The poles will arrive first an
are billed from Escanaba, Michigan.
The contract for the rails for tn
street railway was mentioned in thes
columns a few days ago. The entir
contract calls for $50 tons of the hig
or Shanghai" rail and $50 tons of tn
standard rail.
Two monster eggines of 400 hors
. power SdCll nave pCSu cLi
engine is Westinghouse and will b
delivered in the city October l. TIL
lsecond is an Allis-Corliss engine of tn
Allis- Chalmers make. The second Ell
CINE is to be here fifteen days later.
The dynamos are monster 200 hui
dred kilo Watt capacity generator
and are due here not later than Octt
Der Is. They are of the compensatin
type and are the latest improved an
strictly up to date machines.
The generator for the railway tha
will be installed for the winter will b
brought here from Ottumwa,
The car equipment is contracted fl
not later than November Is. Osk
loosa within a very few days will wi
ness the beginning of the first wor
that marks the beginning of the reali
alton of Greater Oskaloosa. The il
stalling of this machinery and tn
. building of the car line and the electr
, light plant means that much labor
; to be employed in the city within tt
! next few weeks. Lively times are ju:
, ahead of us.
President O'Neill will remain in IL
j city during the week making prelir
mary arrangements and he and M
Springfield will be constantly betwee
, this city and Ottumwa caring for tt
work as it progresses.