Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-18
ARRIVES AT BoNAPARTE AT ONE
O'CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON AND
REPORTS THAT THERE is DEEP
WATER ALL THE WAY.
BATH IN WATER
FOR MR.. MEYLINl
ONE OF THE ENGINEERS cor "A
DUcklNG WHILE MEASURING
kEosAuouA DAM; PARTY WILL
REACH KEokuK THIS EVENING

Bonaparte, May 17-(spectaD--
Major Meigs and his party In the
launch Hornet, arrived at Bona
parte at 1 o'clock this afternoon,
hungry enough to do Justice to the
meal prepared for them. They
made the trip over the Bonapartc
dam with ease and then measured
and found there was six feet OF
water flowing over the daw.
Major Meigs In conversation
with Courier correspondent de-
clared that after leaving tho Mar
ket street bridge In OttumWa he
found, without any knowledge Of
the channels Of the river what
ever, that there was plenty of wa
ter, and the trip was made at
full speed all the way. "ls the Des
Moines navigabIe7" he said In re-
ply to question. "WeiI, we'ro
navigating it, aren't we7"
The only accident that marred the
trip occurred at keosauqua when
r. r. Meylins, one OF the party OF
engineers, fell Into the river while
taking the measurements of the
locks, and almost pulled Major
Meigs in with him. MeyIlng was
rescued and seemed none the
worse for his experience. Major
Meigs expects to arrive at keo-
kuk, the journeys end, early this
evening. He will then prepare
his report to the government as
to the conditions he found on the
river, and this report will be the
basis of the governments Investi.
cations as to the feasibility OF
making the Des Moines river nav
gable from Des Molnes to keo.
kuk.
The visit of Major Montgomer
Meigs and his surveying party In o.
tumwa was made pleasant and prof
able to both the visitors and the iloca
committee and citizens who intereste
themselves in the party while the
were guests Of the city. More than
day and half was spent In Ottumw
by the rivermen who took sounding
and levels at various points in an
about the city along the river. Th
expressions of Major Meigs and othe
members Of the party regarding the
stop in Ottumwa were Of the mos
pleasant character and all SCENE
pleased with the treatment accorde
them while here, leaving the city a.
parently satisfied with their finding
They were accompanied on their d
parture as far as Eldon byta Courie
representative.
The party made their departuI
from the city about II a. M, Sunda
and began their cruise from Ottumw
to the mouth of the river in the hig
est of spirits speaking only goc
things of the stream. as they journe
ed along the placid. bosom of I'll
Des Moines. The stage of the watt
when leaving was about seven feet {
the guage of the Market street brids
and sufficient depth of water was hs
at all times during the cruise from O
tumwa to Eldon where the party sto
ped for lunch. The trip thus far W,
made in two hours and forty minute
This time, considering stops made e
route that consumed fifty minute
made the actual running time of OF
hour and fifty minutes for the di
tance travelled.
Explore Enroute.
The first stop of the party was MAJ
at the bend of the river below Baker
grove, where a photograph was TAX,
Of the stream looking up the riv
from that point, taking in the packil
house bend and that to the west. TIL
two bends of the stream near tn
point were pictured for the major wi
pictures most Of the bends for his ov
benefit in making up his report on d
topography Of the river.
At Village Creek, stop was aga
made by the party and tying the era
an exploration of Monkey mounta
was made by them. Safely mooril
the Hornet they climbed the bl,
and here again the photograph
member of the party, Harry Young
Des Moines, got busy with his came
| and some excellent pictures we
| made of the river and the entire b.
tom land in that vicinity, taking in
immense view of the country. T
party made the pictures In the fro
of the Mcmillan home where fl
1 view was obtained that pleased Mai