The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-14

| tcevelepinS- to a marvellous extent the
commercial and manufacturing indus
tries OF oklahoma City.
Numerous secret conferences and con-
fabs were followed by open meetings
and finally in June, 1889, the Oklahoma
| City Ditch and Water Power company
was organized for the purpose of utiiiz-
ing the North Canadian river. by con-
| structing a canal about three miles -
| length. and securing faH that would
furnish two thousand horsepower for
! propelling the machinery of such man.
ufactories as would locate in the city.
| The officers of the company Included
| c. ". Price, president; John Wallace,
ice-president ard general manager; c. P.
Walker. secretary and Robert KincaGe.
| treasurer.
The directors of the company were:
Robert Kincade, J. Wallace. c. ". Price.
W. II. Ebey. B. y. Woodson and F. \.
Neimer.
The company was incorporated under
the laws of Colorado and commenced act
i've work in November. 1859.
The big ditch. or canal was completed
/ early in the fall of 1890 It was three
miles in length. five feet in depth. fifteen
feet wide at the bottom and thirty-five
feet at the top L was calculated by the
enthusiastic promoters that the canal
Would supply an average Of two thousand
horse power in bigh water and one
thousand horse power at the lowest stage
Of the water as a fall of thirty-fve feet
was figured at,
The remaining fragments of the big
dam can yet be seen in the river west
of the city a short distance north CT
Main street. and the course of the canal
can be traced southwest past the Frisco
track on West Reno avenue.
An enthusiastic chronicler Of the early
Gays wrote Of the enterprise:
There is already located on the canal
the Jones roller Touring mill of four
hundred barrels capacity, the eleetrict
light plant (Which in addition to lighting
the city is TO furnish power for the street
electric railway. two saw mills. etc. There
Will also be built Immediately a cotton
gin and a cotton press. for which power
has been contracted. The advantage of
Oklahoma City for this great enterprise
cannot well be overestimated, as it must
of the manufacturing industries that can
be located advantageously in Oklahoma.
The gentlemen at the head Of this great
enterprise are among the most active
and far-seeing business men in the terri
tory. To them, Oklahoma City, TO
large extent. owes its high commercial
position. and in their hands the Oklahoma
City ditch and power undertaking viii de-
velop into grand success"
But it didn't: 1t proved to be the big
gest failure in the way of a promotive
enterprise Oklahoma City ever saw and
it is only of late years that anyone has
been safe to mention it TO any of the
men who were in any way connected in
the big undertaking
When the great canal was completed
the water was turned in with great eelat
and flourish of trumpets and shot down
the incline with great feeling Of exulta-
ton among the citizens and the town
builders Tejoiced at the accomplishment
of great engineering triumph.
Their exultation was short lived, how
ever. for in u few hours the water in the
grand canal had almost entirely disap-
peared. II had been literally swallowed
Up by the sandy soil of the North Cana
dian valley, and no feasible means could
ever be devised to make the big sieve
hold water.
The big bubble had burst. Thousands
of dollars and much valuable time and
energy had been expended for naught.
The canal through which was 10 have |
coursed the mighty powers to propel the |
machinery of great factories is now |
almost filled up and overgrown with |
weeds and elder bushes. while the sough- |
ing of the winds seem still to sigh rel
luiem TO mighty hope long dead.