The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-21
WATER POWER
At KE0sAUQUA
Project for Two Dams Across the
Bend Of the River is Progressing
and Money is Said to
Be Secured.
1000 HORSE POWER
Total Cost Is Figured at $5ooooo and
Company Will Not Ask for
Anything but Options
on Land.

Ih1S corner OF Iowa will become
the greatest water power center in
the country outside of Niagara Falls
If all plans are carried out. With the
great Keokuk dam as the leader wa
ter powers are proposed on the Des
Moines river at Keosauqua and on the
Skunk river. The Keosauqua project
is almost assured and work on it
will probably start by next year. The
Keosauqua Democrat has the follow
ing to say of the prospects there
The people of Keosauqua and Van
Buren, county may we'll felicitate
themselves on their good fortune arts
ing from the apparent certainty of
the improvement of the Des Moines
river at Keosauqua and also at point
between Kilbourne and Douds-Leon
do.
Mr.. L. B. Bradley of Chicago, civil
engineer who has been here. con-
siderable part of the time for the past
eight months, on a project for can.
al across the bend in the river here
for water power purposes, returned to
this place last week. At a largely at
tended meeting of business men We'd
nesday evening Mr.. Bradley made 1t
plain that he and those associated
with him had not been idle by any
means during the past two or three
months that he had been absent from
here. During this time the most i'm.
portant work of the whole enterprise
has been accomplished, viz, the con-
summation of arrangements for f.
nancing the project and the obtaining
of copies Of the recent government
survey of the river, the location Of
dams, etc.
The financial interests who were
| financing the canal project sent their
own engineer here last spring and he
and Mr.. Bradley and one or two 9th
ers from Chicago went over the route
of the proposed canal and inspected 1t
carefully. Afterwards this consulting
engineer came back alone and went
over the whole project again. AS re.
suit of his calculations he suggested
certain changes in the plans that had
been submitted by Mr.. Bradley, and
the financial people proposed that if
the changes suggested by their engi-
neer were made, they would finance
the project. Mr.. Bradley and his as
sociates have accepted their PROPOSE
ton and the financing of the entire
undertaking is provided for which is
of course the one immensely impor-
tant feature in the whole matter.
The change made in the plans pro-
vides for the construction of two
cams in the river instead of the dig
ging Of the canal. One of the dams is
to be constructed on the site of the
old dam here at keosauqua and the
other is to be about four miles north.
west of Kilbourne near the farms OF
/ E. B. kirkendall and Geo. w. Morrow
which are on the opposite sides OF
the river. These dams are to be is
1 feet high from the bed of the river
and are to be provided with locks and
electrical power houses at total cost
of $250,000 Or more each. 1t Is esti
mated the two dams will produce a.,
600 horse power.
1t goes without saying that this en-
terprise will be of the greatest bene
fit to Keosauqua and Douds-Leando
and the whole Des Moines valley
through this county. In the first place
it will add half million dollars to
the assessible valuation of the coun
ty, and half of that will be within
the corporate limits of Keosauqua
The expediture of that much money
here will make lively times and will
be benefit to everybody. The cheap
and convenient power furnished will
afford the strongest kind of an induce
ment for industries of all kinds to
locate here and also at Douds-Leando
and instead of these places remaining
/