Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-11-21
SENATOR DoLLIvER HAS PLAN
FOR PREVENTING HIGH WA
TER AND GETTING POWER.
HIS RESERVOIR SCHEME
lowans in Congress are United in Ef-
forts to Save ottumwa and Her Sis
ter Cities From Floods in the Fu-
ture-Major Lacey is Interested.
[BY H. J. MAEI1N.I

i [BY H. J. MAHIN.]
i Washington, d. c., Nov. 20-Grayely
impressed by the destructive floods in
the west this summer senators and
congressman from the Mississippi, Mis-
souri, and Ohio river valleys are pre-
pairing for an active campaign to Sc
cure some gigantic appropriations to
be expended in some practical plan to
control the rivers of the west. A lead
ing spirit in this movement is Senator
Dolliver and he will no doubt be ably,
seconded by Congressman Hedge. Bird
sail and Wade of the eastern border
as well as Congressman Smith and
, Thomas of the western border OF Iowa.
, Congressman Lacey, in whose district
the Des Moines river made many raw
: ages last summer, especially at Ot-
tumwa, is also greatly interested in
the matter.
A powerful combination OF all the
senators and representatives OF the en-
/ tire middle west who are interested in
this question has been suggested. 1t
is thought that an organization OF this
! sort working in concert could get re-
suits from congress that could be pro-
CureQ IN no OLner way. .
"Something must be done at once"
i said Senator Dolliver speaking OF the
1 question to the Courier correspondent
f the other day. @We cannot run the
risk of the further destruction OF mil
. lions Of dollars worth of property such
:. as took place last summer all over
' Iowa.
i Levee System outgroWn.
"I thoroughly believe that the levee
system is only a makeshift. Condl
d tions have changed so radically that
e we must take up some other plan tc
!, get results The leyee system only
d results In building up the bottoms oi
r the rivers and the waters are con
) stantly pushing over their banks
: Some day we will have along the en-
u tire Mississippi the conditions that ex
e ist at New Orleans--the river bed &C
. tually higher than the surrounding
land, filed in by the action of the wa
e ter. We can not continue to elevate
our levees indefinitely. The onl,
safe way to build leyees is to have
!, them at least a half mile from the nat
4 ural banks of the river and this O
i course provides for the expected over
flow of large tracts of valuable land
\, ditions. The removal of the forest!
= at the heads OF our waterways and thu
filling in Of orr swamps and slough'
has made out rivers treacherous AM
destructive bodies of water. An.
heavy rainfall is precipitated imme
diately into the stream itself and il
rushed down the valley with terrible
y and unexpected force In primitiv,
ID lands this extra water was absorbed
- by the timber land and the swamp
was only allowed to find its way to tn,
streams gradually.
Recommends Reservoirs.
"These natural gathering places fo
the surplus rainfall must be replace,
% by artificial reservoirs at intervals al
)t along the course of our rivers. The
is would not be costly in fact they coul
le be largely natural themselves.I shoul
Z, say that every noticeable depressio,
!, along the Mississippi river should b
IS condemned and transformed into
is reservoir where water could be caugh
he and held there during flood times
CT Then in the summer it could be re
=; leased and allowed to make it's way t
,e the river.
Of Would Furnish Power.
s. "The advantages OF such a systeT
Is are multitudinous. In the first plac
va it would prevent foods and throus
F. the system the river could be ker
IS, at practically equal depth all tn
ly year around except of course in tn
10 case OF an unusually dry year Gu
boats would not have to stop becaus
OF low water. Furthermore believ
nJ, pi rNf rnl
on ervoirs could be made into an in
IN mensely valuable source of power.
~ ~ think today a dam could be put acros
an the Mississippi at Keokuk and enoug
power secured to run all the factorie
within 200 mile radius. | am nj
D. sure but there would be enough lei
to run the street railways and many {
or the factories in Chicago too. La:
summer out in Oakland, Cal, noti
A. ed little wire running out of tow
ss- up into the mountain someplace.
or asked what it was They told me
he was the source of all the power the
ID needed for their city lighting, heatin
er and railway systems. The wire ra
or off to waterfall in the mountains Sc
Ct enty miles away.
~, Would Help Crops.
II see that Andrew Carnegie mao
the cheerful prophecy the other da
that in sixty years at the present ra
Of consumption We would probab
,ts use up all our coal supply. don
!. think any one needs to be frightene
r. - at this simply because I firm
T. believe that by that time we viii I
d. lighting and heating ollr houses an
ms cooking our food by electricity gene
as ated by unlimited water power The
pie there is the question of irrigation. e
~, ~. en- in Iowa where we consider OF
in selves entirely out of the dry belt