The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-16
Local Government Official Visits the Dam Site
and His Initial Report to the War De-
partment Will Be Favorable
COOPER'S. MEN ARE in EARNEST
Have Convinced the Officials at Washin gtOn that
the Work Of Building the Dam Across the
Mississippi Will be Completed.

The Gate City's telegraph
advices from Washington are
to the effect that the war de-
partment says everything is all
right for the building Of the
dam and there is no reason
known to them why work
should not progress. There are
no objections from the depart
ment. The company is comply
ing with the requirements Of
the war department in every
particular.
Major Montgomery Meigs, United
States Government Engineer in charge
OF the Mississippi river in this dis
trict, declared today after making MS
first Off sial visit to the illinois side,
that he believed the start maze by the
Keokul1 and Hamilton Water Power
company in its work OF harneSslne
the Mississippi by giant dam is q
bona fide one, and was not merely
for the sake Of retaining the franchise
which would have expired On Febru
ary 8 of the present year.
Major Meigs would make this state
1neYlt only after he had Spen' s'svara
hours of the morning viewing wha'
had been done and shooting forth 8
number of questions as to the work
In lien of what he has seen and the
information he has obtained on fhe
scene today he will Immediately con
plv with the demand of the War De
nartment for a report, which Is the
first one Major Meigs will have the
pleasure of making on this great pro
ject. In this connection it might be
said that Major Meigs is the War De
partment's representative in the big
project. and he must see that tho com
pany building the dam complies VIII
all requirements exacted in construc
tion work Of this kind under govern
ment franchise
The report of Major Meigs goes te
Major Richie, of the Upper Mississippi
and thence through other channels o.
the government. until it reaches the
department Of War, which has juris
diction over enterprises such as build
ing the present DAM
Major Meigs was able to give nun
ber of very good reasons which lea'
him to believe that the start made las
Monday was made in good faith an'
with no intent Of being simply blin'
to have the effect of retaining tn
franchise until possibly capital coul'
be secured. He stated that the yer
anpearance of activities on the III
nois shore-huildinp of a large ware
house. fact that nearly fifty men wer
on tho scene and at work, hunks an
small houses had been bui,ts, aycays
tions had been made-were sutficier
alone to compel him to believe .tha
the start was on in earnest end taa
the work would not cease until tn
dam had been completed. Added to th
was the fact that a $1,000 cas-
transfer of land had been made; ais
that big water power men were secu
ing homes in Keokuk prepared to r
main for three years or more If nece
sary. All of this. he said. was CO.
elusive evidence that the work hs
really started
Takes Pictures.
When Major Meigs embarked X
the other side of the river he d
not leave that trusty old camera
his standing in the government oft1c
but lugged 1t along, for the War ID
partment wants pictures of this actu
work which has been begun. The!
will be mailed as soon as develope
First Report pleased.
1t is indeed gratifying to learn th
the first report that Major Meigs
to make to the War Department W
be one that Is to speak we'll for II
company building this big eEterpris
and that it will in no way be hi
derance to further work. There
little doubt that If report should
sent from Keokuk By the governme
official thus entrusted with the go
ernment's end of it, which would
innate that tho start looked anythiI
but a bona fide one, then the wol
would likely halt Immediately at u
lnstigation OF big men at Washingto
IL Is settled definitely, as far as
known at present time the' nothil
like this can happen and When Il
additional men arrive Monday moo
they will only serve to confirm the
statements.
What Engineering Feat Is.