Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-07
Harvesting of Rock Island
Rapids by Local
Capital.
TO COST TWO MILLION
Real Mission Of Congress
man LOrimer to In
vestigate Plan.

! The real purpose of the visit here
yesterday of Congressman William
| Lorimer. Of Chicago. was to confer
with the promoters Of a gigantic
scheme 10 harness the Rock Island
rapids and thereby acquire a monop-
| oily of the water power in this part of
the Mississippi valley.
Ostensibly the Chicago congressman
came here to look into the project for
| the deepening Of the harbCr at Moline.
| for which improvement an appropria-
tiun has been asked of the govern
meut. This was only a blind. however.
to divert attention from his actual
mission.
Mr.. LOrimer is a member of the con-
gres SIGNAL river and harbor commit
tee and visited the locality at the re-
quest of the local repre> entative. Con-
gresham Il. f. Marsh. who has been
made familiar with the water power
enterprise by its promoters. some Of
whom are the Peoples Power com
pany. of this city. and the Davenport
Water company. Gentlemen with whom
Mr.. Lorimrr was in conference yes
terday were {. II. Deere. Of Moline; s
:. Davis. Of this city: +. II. GriggS and
l.. r. Walsh. If Davenport. the latter
a business associate of the Chicagoan.
and others.
Five Hundr, Il Feet of River.
Permission i to he asked of the
government to dixie 800 feet of the
river on the Davenport side, skirting
the shore for considerable distance
-. . i
| construction Of dixie and dam at
that point would produce power ines
| Unable in its limitations. and would
mean Il great saving to factories al
| ready at Davenport and attract 9th
ers to that side Of the river. for the
fuel question * one that has for years
proven serious drawback to the in
duStrial development Cf the Iowa
town. OF course. the power would
not bc confined to that city. for there
would be sufficient To operate factor
les in cities for many miles distant up
and down ON both shores of the river.
The Harvesting Of the Rock Island
rapids has been dreamed Of for a half
century. Capitalists from the east
and various sections OF the country
have realized the vast possibilities
there. but all seemed to figure il too
big an undertaking to handle. 1t has
been termed Il second Niagara a. far
as the opportunities for power are
concerned.
1t has remained for local capital to
take courage to put the enterprise
through. II would call for an eNpcndi-
turc of 81 100000 and perhaps a great
10 r g. H.,
eminent will he asked to bear rr mains
to he determined.
Many Problems Involved.
While none would wish to stand in
the way of the contamination of an
undertaking 50 far-reachin~ in its
benefits to the locality. still il involves
not Il few problems that should re-
cciyc careful thought on the part of
congress before 800 feet of the chan
mel Of the river i given away.
The fact should not be lost sight of
that the shortening of the width Of
the river where the current i sol
strong might produce serious conse-
quences during high water or in the
breaking up of the ice in the spring.
and the Illinois side would be the di-
rect sufferer. the dixie walls. which
would he built high and secure. pro-
tecting the Iowa shore and throwing
the flood and ice over toward Rock
Island.
Congressman LoTimer. it i said. |
would not commit himself ON the
project. but promised To give ii his con
II j. understood the scheme |
will be pushed with all the energy ut
the command of the men and corpor
ations Interested