The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-10
DESCRIPTION OF
THE DAM REVISED
Several Changes Have Boon Made,
Important One Being increase
Of Initial Installation.


electric development of the Keokuk
and Hamilton Water Power company
in revised form has been received
from the printer at the Third street
offices. While the changes are few
it is believed the public is interested
in reading this revised copy, and it
is printed as follows:
This company will develop the pow
er of the Des Moines rapids of the
Mississippi river at Keokuk, Iowa,
and Hamilton, Ill.
The developing works will consist
of dam built across the river at the
foot Of the rapids. and power house
Immediately below the dam and par
allel with the stream, on the Keokuk
side.
The dam, including abutments, will
be 400 feet long, or seven-eights of
a mile. The spillway section will be
427S feet in length. The height will
be SO feet above the river bed and it's
| base AZ feet wide The upstream face
will, be vertical. The downstream face
! ton parabola over which the water
will spill, the lower portion an arc
of circle which will throw the water
horizontally away from the toe of the
dam.
On top of the spillway will be
| placed 11S steel flood gates. 80 feet
wide and II feet high, supported by
concrete piers. These piers will be
1 6 feet thick, and will be built In
| tegral with the dam. The piers also
support an arched bridge, from which
the gates will be operated by electric
HOSTS. BY manipulating these gates
the water above the dam will be main
tanned at nearly constant level at
all seasons.
/ The dam will be built entirely OF
massive concrete, without reinforce.
ment of any kind. 1t will be locked
firmly into the rock bed of the river
and will be practically monolith.
The power house will be 14O0 feet
long and 123 feet wide. The sub
structure will be built of massive con
crete. in which will be nodded the
water passages and water whee
chambers. On top of this will be built
the superstructure. house OF con
crete, brick and steel. The super
structure will contain the electric
generators, transformers and switch
boards. The height of the power
{ house from foundation to roof will be
1913 feet
There will be thirty power general
, ing units. Each unit will consist OF
vertical steel shaft, on the lower par
of which will be two turbines Or water
| wheels. on the upper part will be the
revolving parts of the generators. The
!, weight of all these moving parts vii
mo carried on suitable thrust bear
ling located in chamber just below
the generator. Each unit will have
hts own speed governor and auxillar.
apparatus.
To keep floating ice and logs from
entering the power house an lc'
lander will be built upstream from
the, upper end Of the power house am
curyinp in to a junction with thu
!, shore. This will be $500 feet long
built of concrete masonry. 10 th'
eve it will appear as a solid wal
fencing of the power house from tn
river. There will, however, be larg
: arched openings below the water level
: through which the water will hnd II
! way to the power house
The construction OF the dam WI
: entirely drown out and destroy Tn
Des Moines rapids canal with Its thre
/ locks. In place Of these VIII De puli
. a single large lock on the site OF IN
n present lower lock. This lock w
t be both wider and longer than IN
. present lock. As the number OF loci
n ages will be reduced from three
one, and in place of the canal will b
d substituted lake of deep water oVe
ii a mile wide. and 40 miles long, II WI
u be seen that the work will result IN
i great Improvement to navigation.
q In connection with the lock VIII
, built q large drydock Tor me Coz