Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-02-19
ENGINEER RoWsE SAYS THERE
IS PLENTY OF WATER IN THE
pEs MONIES FOR OPENING OF
STREAM TO NAVIGATION.
GIVES OUT COURSE
HE WILL FOLLOW
JOHN F. FISH RECALLS OLD EN-
ACTED LEGISLATION AFFECT.
ING WORK UPON THE RIVER
URGES ACTION.

From twenty to thirty dams and
locks will be needed on the Des
Moines river to make this plan feas-
ible as means of navigation on the
stream according to the view Of Engi-
neer Albert o. Rowse, who met with
the Des Moines Commercial assocla-
tions yesterday to talk over the work
he has been assigned to do in survey
ing the stream with view to improv-
ing it. If his force Of twenty-five men
and his supplies and equipment can
be collected by March 15, Mr.. Rowse
will begin the survey on that date
and constant work on this great task
will then be pursued until it is COM
pleted. The completion of the work is
confidently expected by January 1,
1911. Mr.. Rowse has $4,000 at his
command at present with the proba-
bility that $4,000 more will be added.
The task will be begun at Keokuk,
and the engineer and his corps of
workers will work upward to Des
Moines.
According to the estimate made by
Mr.. Rowse, from twenty to thirty dams
and locks will be needed. There are
300 miles of the river to be surveyed
! with drop Of 800 feet. He will begin
work by locating about thirty gauge
boards in order to estimate the rise
and fall of the river at all seasons OF
the year. Borings will be made to dis
cover the character Of the earth in
the neighborhood of the dams and
locks, topography maps will be made
of nearly the entire valley, and flow
age boards will be placed to estimate
the necessary size Of the dams and
locks.
In the distance Of 200 miles 81
bridges are to be considered. 1t will
not be necessady to remove any OF
these, but plans will be made to make
draws or to raise them from their
present height. Several storage reser
voirs are planned.
Old Enactment Recalled.
An old enactment Of the United
States congress, referring to the navi
cation Of the Des Moines river, is re
John F. Fish Of this city:
"In the early COS Senator James w
Grimes Of Burlington engineered 6
bill through congress declaring the
Des Moines river not navigable, des
LIOylHS tuS IuSA GAlSlluS udVlSdIloll
when at the time near hundred
steamboats, We're plying the river car
rying freight and passengers. This ac
is still the law and the Des Moine.
is not navigable according to law.
"Our Commercial association should
call upon congressman Kendall ant
Hull to have the law repealed. as an,
attempt to survey or render the rive
navigable might result in the rail
roads hanging the proceedings UP il
the courts by Injunction or some 9th
er way. To be safe, the river shoult
have the same legal status it hat
when the United States government
improved its navigation before A re
peal now can be consistently asked o
congress, as the United States govern
ment is taking measures to improv
the navigation again. Besides congress
ional action at this stage Of the gam
will give tone and standing to the Ell
terprise and give unity of purpose an
encouragement to the people of low
to boost the opening up of the De
Moines river to navigation."