Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-08-04
GREAT WATER POWER PROJECT
Harvesting of the Mississippi to be
One of the Water Power Won
ders of the World.

The second greatest waterpower
project in the United States-to run
street cars, factories. furnish light
for homes, buildings and streets
that is the sum total of the Keokuk
| project, where the $6,OO0,OOO dam
| is to be built at the foot of the fa-
| nous Des Moines rapids, beginning
the coming autumn.
Taking into consideration the
worlds great engineering feats, the
Nile dam, Niagara, the Now York
city reservoirs, the plans looking to
the completion of the dam at Ke-
okuk, Ia, compare favorably, and
SO immense is the project that hun
| dreds of men will work several years
| before it is completed; thousands of
tons of masonry and materials will
be hauled from seven states in the
union and much will be learned of
the things to be met with i'm "har-
Messing the Mississippi" hitherto a
feat practically uninterrupted by man.
kind.
To imagine the street cars of St.
Louise being operated with power
developed almost two hundred miles
away, to telephone from one part of
the city to another by the aid of
power generated by the falls of the
Mississippi at one of the points con-
sidered in upper river" territory, is,
perhaps a step forward in progress
the average person had not looked
for, at least until the present centu-
ry has scrambled out Of knee pants.
To imagine giant turbines throbbing
through the long day and night at
Keokuk to enable St. Louis people
to cook breakfast on electric stoves
are phases of twentieth century pos
sibilities which seldom enter the
housewives head. though the Keo-
kuk plans are more than mere pos
sibilities. Assurance is given that
wcfk will begin on the huge dam be-
fore the year IL up.
1t is dam that will be over 5000
feet in length; 1t will be 80 feet
above low water mark; eight months
of the year this monster plant.
made possible by the erection of the
dam, will send over 100000 horse
power throbbing down immense ca
bles to the city of st. Louis for cars,
telephones, cooking and lighting the
homes and running the wheels and
looms of many factories. The gorge
through which the rapids run is ia
miles long and of solid limestone
formation. The average fall within
distance of five miles 10 about
twenty feet. under natural condi-
tions. and the dam will increase this
force greatly when erected. It is a
dam that will give $4,000 horse
power at a minimum. 1t will supply
a territory in which over 100000
people live, one of the richest agri-
cultural and Industrial areas in the
United States.
The Des Moines rapids in the Miss
issippi river have long been a great
impediment to river traffic. The
United States government many
years ago built locks at Keokuk for
the purpose Of lifting water craft
over the rapids in order that they
might continue their voyages up
stream. It is said that the dam at
KeOkuk will not only make use of
the wasted power of these rapids,
but It will aid navigation for many
miles above. by reason of slack wa
ter 1t will create.
The people living above the site of
the dam have done great deal to
forward the plans. While the ulti-
mate aim is to transmit the greater
part of the power secured to run the
public utilities of St. Louis and other
river cities. it is said that factories
of Hamilton and Keokuk. Iowa, the
nearest cities. will be able to take
advantage of the low power rates
made possible. 1t will be great
thing for the entire Mississippi val
ley. engineers declare.
In order for the laymen to get
just idea of the magnitude of the
project, q comparison with other
similar understandings is merely
necessary. We find that in the lead
come the great Niagara power tur-
bines. furnishing Rochester. Buffalo
and the vast Industrial community
thereabopts with light and power.
The Niagara turbines generate
minimum of 100000 horse power and
run considerably more at times.
Next in water plants we find the one
at Messena. N. ". on the St. Law
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