The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-06-18
GREAT RESERVOIR
NEAR OSKAL0OSA
IOWA CENTRAL WILL HAVE ITS
OWN WATERWoRkS.
POINTS TO OTHER BIG THINGS.
BY Securing An Adequate Supply OF
Water the Company viii un-
doubtedly Make other I'M
provements in his City.

Notices of condemnation of land
were placed in the hands of Sheriff Ed
Valentine Monday evening for service
upon owners of acreage. The Iowa
Central Railway Company is plaintiff
! i'm the cases and asks that juries be
appointed to appraise the land de-
sired by the company, as the owners
and the company have been unable to
agree on the price of the land and as
the possession of the land is required
in building an immense reservoir that
is necessary to the property of the
company.
General Counsel George w. Seev-
ers of the Iowa Central and the M. &
st. l.. has been in the city several
days in connection with the business
and is himself giving attention to the
details of the requirement of a tract
of land north of the city adjoining the
Central right-of-way whereon the i'm.
provements mentioned above are to
be made. va
The agents of the Central have been
in the city several weeks purchasing
property, and now that they are un-
able to agree with the owners of GER
tain tracts, they ask for condemnation
proceedings.
The Iowa Central has recently COM
pleted plans for the building of large
reservoir just north of Cthe city. The
acquiring of considerable tract of
land is necessary to accommodate the
great body of water that will be Gre
ated The surface area of the new
reservoir will be between thirteen and
fifteen acres. 1t will be good sized
lake almost a half mile in length by
a third of its length in width.
The plans of the company disclose
an engineering feat of considerable
magnitude. The great embankment OF
the Central just north of the Iowa
Yearling Meeting House, known To-
cally as"Quaker Sag, will be strength
ened and made over with rock and
cement work into a great dam against
which the natural drainage of the
land lying to the west will accumulate
forming a great lake that will extend
to the west q distance of almost half
a mile.
The Steddom pond which lies on the
tract desired by the company will be-
come a part of the great lake. This
pond has been considered good sized
piece of water, but in comparison with
the big reservoir it isn't "a drop in
the bucket"
Work on the improvement will be
commenced as soon as the necessary
transfers of the pieces of land in
question can be secured according TO
law. The improvement of the place
will require the employment of many
men and the expenditure of consider
able money in OskaloOsa during the
year. Both sides of the great rail-
way grade must be improved, and a
"spillway"built that will accommodate
the overflow when the accumulation of
water is more than can be used by
| the company.
! A pumping station of considerable
capacity will be one of the improve
ments to be mare in connection with
the others. This is necessary to con-
vey the water to desired locations and
to give it a sufficient force where
used. The reservoir will be the larg-
est body of water of the kind in Iowa.
The Central has long been in need
of greater water supply in this city,
and the present plans have been in
existence for some time. The posi-
bilities of the great reservoir were
first pointed out and the plans were
conceived by the late Colonel l.. S.
Stedman, who was in close touch with
the management of the road at the
time. The desirability OF the thing
was apparent, but the time for the
making of such an Improvement was
not opportune- The plans have rest
ed as made by Mr.. Stedman several
years ago until the present time.when
conditions are such that the company
seeks to make a vast improvement in
its Oskaloosa holdings.
The announcement that the Iowa
Central will make Improvement of this
character in this city will occasion
some surprise The agents of the
company have been about the worl
in a quiet way for some weeks. The
transfers Of the property acquired
have not been announced. The sur
yeys and plans have been made in ;
guarded manner ana the first news o
the work came with the service OF th'
papers asking for the condemnation
OF the parcels of ground which thu
company has been unable to secure.
Mr.. Sewers. seen by a Herald re
porter. had little or nothing to sa,
concerning the Improvement. He ad
mitted that he was in the city Il
connection with the business. II
said Oskaloosa was a pretty goo
place in which to have property bu
aside from those statements he ha
nothing to say.