The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-17
How the Dam at
Keokuk May Help
Even Cedar Rapids

DR.. G. Walter Barr in Cedar Rapids
Republican,: The editoria, in the
Republican the Other day on the Keo.
kuk dam All It's ic;atjon to conser.
Walton of resources, the people and
the corporations ,s go remarkably
sane. that am moved to write SONS
information on the big dam and its
relation to Cedar Kapses, which MAY,
| If she chooses, be ane of the ,,sns-
ffciaries of this great improvement.
The basis of it ali is the greatest
dam in the world, except that in the
Nile at Assuan, which is different and
merely barage for irrigation pur.
poses.
This dam will yield the largest
quantity of electrical power in Ameri-
ca except Niagara Falls. The output
will be 100000 electrical horsepower.
Work on construction has begun with
over hundred millions behind 1t, and
1t will be completed before July /,
1912. An Illinois corporation will
build the plant and operate it. The
cost will be about $14 $780, 900 or more.
An interloeking group of corporations
have been formed between the power
plant and the consumer of current.
Affects Cedar Rapids.
Three st. Louis public utilities have
contracted for ninety-nine years to
take a total of $4,000 horsepower
generated here at Keokuk. The dis
lance to ST. Louis is over 167 miles
The price paid is not given out, but
it is about $50 per horsepower year.
Cedar Rapids is about 10 miles
from Keokuk In an air line, and the
railroad distance is about 40 miles
only seven-eights the distance from
the dam to ST. Louis.
Transmission of electric current to
st. Louis is easy in this twentieth
century-it is still easier to trans.
NIT energy from the Keokuk dam to
Cedar Rapids.
The cost of steam power in Cedar
Rapids probably is about $50 per
horse power year; / have no actual
figures on that, but this estimate is
not far from the fact, and most apt
to be too low
How 1t Helps All.
Logically, Cedar Rapids could buy
electric power for less than the 500
per horsepower year that st. Louis
pays. But the ST Louis utilities which
have contracted for power are in the
place of large dealers who sell it
again to consumers; they contract in
advance for a large quantity which
makes wholesale rates proper; chief
ly, their purchase of power makes it
possible to build the dam, as a COM
mercial proposition. Hence, Cedar
Rapids will have to pay more than
st. Louis public utilities do for power
from the dam.
Probably current will be sold in
Cedar Rapids at $50 or s35 per horse
power year. The higher figure saves
SIS per unit to Cedar Rapids factor
les. A factory using 500 horsepower
would save $500 year over pres
ent expenses-and over another fac
tory in the same trade outside the
sphere of influence of the dam at
Keokuk.
The rest Of the proposition can be
worked out by any reader, and it
ought to be interesting to your COM
mercial club under whatever name it
is working for Cedar Rapids. Equal
Or greater advantages come TO every
city in this section of the country.
Manufacturing centers raise the val
ues of everything the farmer owns
from land to cabhages.
The Other Side OF the Shield
1t staggers one to compute the act.
ual value OF this big dam to the peo-
pie in three states, here in this geo.
graphical and productive center OF the
United States-Keokuk is near the
geographical center Of the country and
the census centers of corn, pork and
some other productions are within ten
miles of this city.
But there is no doubt that the capt.
talists building the dam will make
much money from it-capitalists cap
able of financing such a project are
sure of big profits before they begin
work.
The sanest editorial in the Republi-
can asks whether it is best to make
the operating corporation pay boz
nus, or royalty, for the privilege Of
damming the river; it also asks
whether it Is not better to utilize the
natural resources of the Des Moines
rapids in the Mississippi river here in
the available way.
Mush-brained muck-rakers have
1 been bowling that the United States
should not grant such franchises as
the one here without exacting large
payments from the operating and
building corporation.
The Truth Of the Matter.
/ apply an epithet to the muck-rah.