The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-02-21
Des MOines River Improvement
Convention at OttuInWa
To Follow Des Moines, Action.

To Follow Des Moines' Action.
The above clauses give one the
situation in a nutshell and 1t will be
readily seen that it Is up to the state
OF Iowa and the people along the
SHORES OF the river to get busy. The
city OF Des Moines has given its sister
cities demonstration OF progressive
ness in already providing land to be
used for landing of boats, for docks
and for warehouses, but i am salts
ned that the outcome Of the coming
meeting here will be similar action
taken by other cities as that already |
done by the Des MONIES men.
The class of boats shown in the |
illustration accompanying this article
can be used on the. Des Moines river
at the present time, and have little |
doubt but that some contract will be
entered into by some cities with
steamship companies for navigation of
the Des Moines before even the gov
eminent finishes the survey already
! ordered
AbSoO OOdIS w Ill CdlIy OUU luis Va
! freight, go through and under all the
bridges. and can make three trips
J from Ottumwa to Keokuk each week.
| At Keokuk traffic arrangement
| could be made with some Of the Mis-
sissippi river toats and this Ottumwa
would have the benefit of more han
1000 miles Of transportation F. eight
/ nat no 14I ~ Otv,f
on the Mississippi and Des Moines
rivers by the cheap water rate under
this agreement"
The Ottumwa and Kcokuk CONNER
cial associations have already re ,eiv
ed proposition from W. H. Wallace of
Henry, H., an old Mississippi river
captain, in which he Offers to sell the
Niagara" a steamer, and two barges,
Joe" and Sunshine for $4,000, one
half cash. and one-half stock in
company to be organized. The boats
Captain Wallace desires 20 sell are
built for rivers like the Des Moines
and are so constructed as to present
no difficulty in going under ell bridges
at all stages of the river
The proposition of Captain Wallace
to the shippers of Ottumwa and Keo.
kuk is as follows:
i The steamer Niagara is 103 feet
long, seventeen feet six inches wide,
eight feet deep; when loaded four feet
eight inches will carry 125 tons She
is equipped with two steeple COM
pound condensing engines directly con-
nected to separate propeller wheel
four feet four inches in diameter.
boiler upright 54x11 high. blowing lis
pounds of steam government inspec-
ton. The barges Joe and Sunshine
are the same size as the Niagara;
, each will carry 176 tons loaded four
, feet eight inches, making total car
go of AT tons, Each additional inch
you load will make four tons more
on barge and three on a steamboat
making 543 tons loaded Ave feet all
! around. | will sell these three boats
for $4,000, one-half cash and one-hali
stock in new company. These
! boats have all been on the drydock
this year They are the same type as
shown in the accompany illustration
OF this proposition. Captain Thomas
. says: "The most important Of ou:
> needs is cheap transportation. Nc
. city can hope to increase its popula
ton or volume of business without it
The cities which have made RAPID
progress during the last forty years
are located on the rivers, the lakes
and the sea coasts where they receive
the benefits of cheap water transpor
!. tation.
= ."Ottumwa can have the same thing
: by securing connection with the Mis-
= sissippi river, and this can be don,
by operating fleet of boats on thu
Des Moines river for distance o
!, eighty miles. The proposition of Car
: tain Wallace is very liberal He is OF
:, fering to put the boats into the com
:. pany at q reasonable figure, and tax
= equal chances with the shippers in tn
: enterprise
: Favors Organization.
Captain Wallace will take thirt
= shares of stock, and the remainin
= thirty are to be taken by shipper
- between here and Keokuk. Gu
i boosters in Ottumwa, by selling tn
- thirty shares of stock in the propose
IL company, can have for use next sprin
u for at least five months of the yea
= fleet Of one steamboat and tw
- barges operating between Ottumw
- and Keokuk. At Keokuk conDectio
80 can be made with Mississippi rive
boats, providing direct routing fro