Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1910-02-10
WAR DEPARTMENT REVIEWING
BOARD ORDERS EXAMINATION
OF STREAM TO BE MADE AND
ALLoTs $4,000 FOR TASK.
PERMANENT WORK
TO BE DONE LATER
ENGINEER RICHES REPORT ON
THE RIVER WAS PASSED UPON
AND WORK WILL BEGIN SHORT.
LY-MiLLER WAS ACTIVE.

The Des Moines river is to be Sun.
veyed with a view to It's being made
navigable, and the task Of securing
all information relative to the stream
VIII commence very soon. The Courier
at 6 o'clock last night received mes
sage from A. G. Miller of Des Moines
telling that the war department had
approved the survey and allotted $10,-
600 for the work The report of Major
Rlche, to whom Major Meigs reported
his findings when the river was inves-
tlgated last summer, has been ap-
proved by the reviewing board of the
war department, and this first allot-
ment is to be followed by two more
sums aggregating in all O,OO0 for tho
survey.
| Ottumwa, Des Moines and other
cities along the Wes Moines river have
been active in the advocacy of this
survey and the ultimate Improvement
of the stream. and all will rejoice in
theTsuccess thus far reaped.
Representative Hull Notified.
The activity of Congressman Hull
of Des Moines in behalf of the river
boosters is told as follows by the Des
Moines correspondent of the Register
and Leader:
1 Representative Hull was advised
last evening by the war department
that the board of reviewing engineers
| had approved the inspection report OF
Major Richie on the Des Moines river
and that 1t had been approved by Gen
Marshall, chief of engineers. He was
further notified that survey had been
ordered and that $4,000 had been nj
lotted from the available funds to be.
gin the work 1t Is expected that about
| $4,000 will be needed to complete tho
survey and the money will be allotted
as needed. No further legislation ia
needed to obtain the survey.
Representative Hull was informed
that the actual work of the survey of
the stream from Des Moines to the
mouth would be begun in three or four
weeks. Just how long it will take is
not known. Representative Hull said
that 1t would probably be completed
4 and a report of the survey made in
such time that If the rivers and har.
bors bill is put through the next ses.
sion Of congress, the Des Moines river
| will be included in 1t. A survey of the
stream under the direction of the army
lengineers will include soundings at all
points and study Of the fall of tho
river, the volume of water, the nature
q OF the formation under the bed of the
river, and, in short q collection of all
data needed to make close estimate
OF the cost of the Improvement"
Action PIeases Hull.
Representative Hull was greatly
pleased on learning that the war de.
lpartment had decided to make the sur
!, Ivey. He says that he had no longer
any doubt but that the Des Moines
river will be improved. He thinks thu
, river can be improved for $4,000 900,
but he says that even If 1t costs sc, ,0O0,-
900 1t will not be an excessive cost In
view of the volume of traffic that can
, be carried by water over the river. He
thinks 1t likely that the state will have
, to bear certain part of the expense,
, particularly that caused by the need OF
replacing old bridges, without draws,
: with new ones with draws.
1t WILL of course. be a number of
{ years before the Improvement of the
river can be completed. Just how
many it is not possible yet to say. If
, ment then it will allot money to carry
ahead the work. as 1t Is needed.
Not only is Des Moines greatly in
! terested in the improvement of the
5 river, but SO are Ottumwa and other
/ cities and towns along the river. Cap
| tain Hull said that he had as many
!, letters from Ottumwa as from Dea
: Moines with regard to 1t.
Speaking of what course should be
: taken by cities and towns along the
$ river, Representative Hull said /,
s would be advisable for them to see tc
1T that wharfage facilities could be OBJ
tanned. Des Moines has already ar
ranged this matter"
. MilIer's Work Helped.
: The efforts of A. C. Miller of the
7 Des Moines commercial bodies ha.
!, been in a large measure directed fol
i some time past on the navigation oi
the Des Moines river.
1t was in the fall of 1907 that. at the
suggestion Of A. c. Miller. the three
l. commercial organizations of Des
4 Moines took up the project of secur.
l. ing an appropriation from congress tc
:. = make the Des Moines river navigable