Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-12

WORK OF ENGI-
NEER RoWsE ON DEs MONIES
N RIVER is EXPECTED TO START
NEXT WEEK.

Two surveying parties under direc-
tion Of q. w. Rowse will leave Keokuk
next week on their trip up the Des
Moines river surveying the stream.
There will be six United States en-
gineers and about twenty-five helpers
besides Mr.. Rowse in the two parties.
Each Of the surveying parties will
have quarter" boat or in other
words a floating boarding house, and
will live on the stream during their
work. The boats will be towed by
gasoline tugs. The first or advance
party will make general survey OF
the river and valley. They will travel
six miles day. The second party Will
locate the dams, locks, pools, short
canals for Strengthening the river, drill
the bed Of the river to get foundations
for work, take velocity of water, and
full and complete details Of the work
to be done. The second party will
travel about one and one-half miles a
day. The engineers and their clerks
must work each night in making a
record Of each days work. Engineer
Rowse says that he will be upon the
river five months and will make his re-
port to the chief engineer and war de-
partment about January 1, 1911.
Work Starts In 1911.
The war department next winter will
set aside certain sum to be used up
on the Des Moines river and the work
will be started at the mouth of the
river in the spring of 1911. There is
no additional legislation needed. The
Des Moines river is in the improve
ment district and will get portion OF
the 35,000,O00 appropriated by con-
gress. The Des Moines river Is on the
map with the Ohio, Mississippi, Mis-
souri,, Illinois and other rivers to be
improved and the work will com
mence as soon as tke plans and speci'
fications are completed.
This City to BE Terminus.
Ottumwa will be the terminus OF
Captain l.. G.. Innings steamboat line
on the Des Moines river, which will
extend from this city to the mouth OF
the stream at Keokuk. The new line
will be in operation in a few weeks.
Keosauqua is the half way point be-
tween Ottumwa and Keokuk and Cap
tain Innings plan is to make his hos
telry at Keosauqua, the Hotel Man
ming, resting place or summer resort
for those who may have that tired feel
ing during the summer months. The
distance between the two cities by the
river Is eighty miles.
That the steamboat lines between
the two cities promises to be popular
Is shown by the fact that already a
group of south side school teachers
have made requests for round trip
tickets on the packet, going down the
river to spend their vacation. The
boat is new and will carry twenty-five
passengers, is Of the light draft type
and is speedy.
River Bed Cleaned.
The recent run of heavy ice on the
river has had beneficial effect. Word
received from parties below Ottumwa
state that the ice has cleared the river
of all distractions. The heavy gorge
against the old Bonaparte dam has car
ried away the rock piles and old TIM
bers. If the statements are correct it
is now clear sailing for the boats from
Ottumwa to the mouth Of the river.
Are Building Boats.
Captain Jesse Hammond's new boat
will be ploughing the Des Moines river
next week. The boat is built after 4
govern ment model and will carry
twelve or fifteen passengers. One OF
the features Of the new boat is that
1t can can be operated in twelve inches
of water. Messrs. Hammond and
Cation, the boat builders, have con-
tracts for the construction Of several
more of the same model. The boats
are beauties. Work has been COM
menced on the second one at the
South Ottumwa boat yard.