Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-03-18

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millions OF dollars to float TO waste
down its rivers and all it has 10 dc
TO get that wealth is to reach out
and take it. This is the statement
jpf State Railroad Commissioner N.
IS. Ketchum.
The fact is,' says Mr.. Ketchum,
"that the rivers of this state could
supply all the light, practically all
the power and most of the heat in
the state if they we're only turned to
that ed. This state is covered with
mill streams, as they used to say in
the old days. Take the Des Moines
river, From one end to the other
it ought to be used for power, light
and heat. Look at the Mississippi
on one border and the Missouri on
the other. The water floating past
the state represents just thar much
energy ready to be converted into
power, light and heat.
My attention was called to the
matter by travelling about the state
and seeing so many places where
steam is being used when water
power ought to be used. Look at
this new electric line up to Fort
D5dge. That line should be oper-
ated entirely by electricity from
water power. The line is close to
the Des Moines river most of the
way. There at Frazier they have
gone and erected fine power plant
for steam. They have it there close
to the source of coal supply. The
plant is directly over the coal mine
and the coal is hoisted from the
ground and shoveled into the fur
naces without being transported.
This is a very fine idea but that
power plant stands almost exactly
where they ought to have a dam.
across the Des Moines river and get
their power next to nothing.
.Over at Peterson, Iowa, there is
a little mill dam running a mill. It
is idle at night just when it ought to
be lighting the streets Of the town
and furnishing electric heat possibly
for the homes. There is hardly an
important town in the state but is
on river or close enough to river
that it could utilize the water power.
1t can frequently be two miles up or
down the stream. There is the town
of Ackley, fine little town. 1t
ought to get power and light from
a dam either at Iowa Falls or Steam
boat Rock.
'There never was a proposition
presented to me that seemed to have
greater possibilities than this. If |
was man Of wealth / would like
nothing better than to invest in a
syndicate to build dams all over
Iowa. Iowa is full Of good rivers.
No need to name them. They are
everywhere. Electric energy can
be transmitted almost any distance
now and easily can be transmitted
across the entire state. But that is
not needed, for here is the Missi-
ssippi on one side and the Missouri
on the other, and the Des Moines
river in the middle, with any
amount Of other streams in between
these.
"Des Moines is an excellent ex-
ample of how money is going tc
waste down the river. The only
use to which the Des Moines river is
being put is by the Edison Ligh,
company. 1t uses it for electric
A light. Then there are some ice
companies that cut ice from its sur.
face one month in the year. There
is enough energy in the Des Moines
if rightly used to run every factory
in town. A half mile below the
Edison dam another dam could be
: constructed that would do the same
thing over again, and still anothe,
could be constructed above til,
Edison dam. The Edison dam
furthermore, is not constructed tt
, get the greatest amount OF powe
. possible from the stream at on
point.
! "Marshalltown, Waterloo, f,
Dodge, Iowa Falls, Eldora, Steam
E boat Rock, Webster City, Ottumwa
Oskaloosa, Sigourney, Knoxvill
, and many other towns are either o,
. streams or are close enough to ther
. to utilize their power. Iowa, q
q course, has coal in abundance an
y y that is something to rejoice ovel
but why not utilize the water powe
= and sell the coal to states that hav
q no watet power. The more L thin
!, of the thing the more reasonabl
= it seems that Iowa is losing mi
y lions every year from not utilizin
% s its water power" )"
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