The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-05-18
THE GREAT DAM AT kEOKUk.
To Be the Largest in the World Ex'
cept the One at ASsouan.

on American soil, with the single ex-
ception of the Panama Canal, says
the World Today This is the mile
long dam which will stem the waters
of the Mississippi at keokuk, Ia.
For more than so. years that por-
ton of the upper Mississippi river
valley Immediately contiguous to the
Des Moines rapids has dreamed OF
the day when the water would be
harnessed and factories would line
the banks. But the years passed
and the stones did not assemble
themselves to form any dam and
trade went inland.
When the word went forth that af-
ter so years of hoping and dreaming
a mile wide dam was to be built there
were many yet unconyerted from
doubt. But when congress took ia
vorable action and granted the nee
essary franchise the doubters began
to wax enthusiastic.
BY the time President Roosevelt
signed the franchise for the immense
dam and power plant on February
9. 1905, the eyes of the entire coun-
try were on Keokuk. When the nee
essary s20,000,000 capital was Sc
cured and the first shovel full of dirt
was turned the world woke up to the
fact that the upper Mississippi val
ley held the key to the industrial
future.
On January 8, 1910, definite an
nouncement was made to the world
that the dam would be built. By
February l several score of men
were at work. Early in December,
1910, 500 men started to work on
the Iowa shore. Throughout the en-
tire winter they toiled to throw
rampant across the river.
When the waters, guided by en-
gineering craft, pass through the ~
turbines they will generate 100000
horsepower, enough to light every
private and public lamp, run every
street car and turn every factory
wheel in practically every Mississippi
valley city from the Saint on the
north to the Saint on the south. Two
thousand men went to work with
the breaking up of the ice and the
opening of navigation.
The dam is to be, the largest in
the world, with the single exception
5of the Assouan irrigation dam across
the Nile in Egypt; the water power
plant will be the largest in the
world without exception, unless two
or more of the Niagara plants are
combined for the purpose of COM
parison.
When completed the dam will be
$500 feet in length, of REINFORCED
concrete, 81 feet high and of the
same width, the foundation buried
seven feet in the solid limestone bed
of the rivers gorge.
Z Extending practically due east and
west across the river, the dam will
run it's uninterrupted course for A.
409 feet, when it will veer to the
south and give way to the power
plant, on the Iowa shore, where the
turbulent waters will be converted
into commercial power.
Y The dam will result in the forma-
ton of an immense lake from three
to five miles wide and 40 miles long
above Keokuk, overflowing the low
lands and entirely changing the to-
biography of the country now imme-
diately adjacent to the river. 1t will
also completely drown out the nine
mile canal built 40 years ago at a
cost of $S,000,090. 1t is one of the
requirements of the Federal fran
chise that this government canal,
with it's three locks shall be sup
planted by a new one-lock canal and
"a new dry dock be given the nec-
essary running power free of charge
to the end of time.
The dam completed, the rapids
will give way to a placid pool or
lake, up and down and across which
the heaviest laden boats may travel
In safety. In the secopd place Keo-
kuk will become one of the largest
power distributing zcenters in the en-
tire world.
Already contracts have been sign
ed for the transmission of $4,000
horse power to St. Louis, IT'S miles
south, to run the street cars and light
the streets of that city. Already
negotiations are under way to trans
NIT the power north and south, east
and west from St. Paul to Memphis
and from Chicago to Omaha.
In the third place Keokuk will be-
e.