The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-11-10
Description Of Work That is Being
Done on Driveway From HamiI-
ton to Nauvoo at Present
Time.
1000 FEET FINISHED
The culverts are All concrete-Next
Spring Screenings and Rrok-
en- Stone viii be Put
On.

HAMILTON, ILL.,, Nov. 1O.-Few peo-
pie in Hamilton and vicinity have yet
realized what beautiful lakeview
boulevard or driveway they are about
to have, and fewer still will be able
to realize the beauty of this road until
they have seen the work which the
Mississippi River Power company's |
men have already done along the
north shore of Cheney Creek, begin
ming at the north end of the bridge On
the Wild Cat road and ending very
close to the house recently occupied
by Mr.. Thomas Higgins.
Since the recent flow of high water,
which has caused all construction
work on the Illinois side of the dam
to be suspended, the power company,
unwillingly to see it's big force of la
borers idle, has begun the work on
this new river road which will SOON
er OF later be built all the way from
Hamilton to Nauvoo. In undertaking
this piece of work, the power COM
4 pany's motive is akin to philanthropy.
OF course the dam, when finished, will
flood sections of the present lower
river road now connecting Hamilton
and Nauvoo, and the Water Power
company has never admitted, and as
we understand it, do not admit any
legal liability to replace this road, or
any part of it, the right to overflow
said road being conveyed to them by
the land owners. 1t matters little to
\ this community whether the Water
\ Power company have commenced this
road in response to their own feeling
or moral obligation, or whether they
are building it for the purpose of beau
tifying the surrounding country, there
\ by increasing the worth of their
\ Water Power plant, which, by the way,
0 is already so far into the millions
H that none of us can comprehend It's
cost, the fact remains, nevertheless,
0 that when this section of the road is
h completed it will be one of the finest
H specimens of art road building to be
n found anywhere in western Illinois.
H The increased value Of the property
II abutting on this road will be great, but
II to the writer, the building of this sec
H ton of road has far greater signifi-
II canoe, in that it is conclusive evidence
H that the Water Power company has
H not come here for the sole purpose OF
|l creating 100000 horse power to be sold
H | in ST. Louis, Chicago, or anywhere
else they can get the highest price
for it. but that they have come here
for the added purpose of helping the
local people to improve this commun
ity. While it may be in one sense
selfish, in that they will thereby i'm
, prove their own property, it is, new
ertheless a manifestation of the most
!, intelligent selfishness, and the people
of this community have in this road
another reason for approaching Mr.
Hugh L.. Cooper and the financial in
terests that he has brought here, es
pecially the firm of Stone & Webster
, of Boston, Mass.
There has been built to date about
900 feet of 80 foot roadway. The
maximum grade of the road is Az pei
! cent The culverts are all of concrete
, 1t is planned next spring to put on
screenings and broken stone, but this
will not be done until after the new
grading has had chance to settle.
The Power company is anxious tc
, see an entirely new river road built
/ along the lines already started by
. them, and their purpose in starting
the project was to demonstrate the
, practicability of the thing and the
beauty of the new drive. They are
, willing to cooperate with the lano
owners and tax payers and thus pun
1 the road through to Nauvoo. Such
, plan as this should be taken advantage
, of by the county authorities, ana
y plan of cooperation agreed upon
, DOUBTLESS the road could be built OF
, such cooperative plan at sinai
comparative cost since the Power
company has an abundance of mater
ial of the best kind for road buildlng'
: has the laborers, overseers, survey
+ orS and practically all Oh INC neoeS
i sary equipment that road building
i gang should possess.
3 1t will probably be next spring De
: fore the new road will be opened, no
only because it will be given chance
to settle, but also because the Power
company can only work on IL lntermlt
tently when their men can be sparet
from other duties, but enough of thu
present construction can be seen t
convince the observer that rare OPP
, portunity in the matter OF beautiful
, drive now confronts the citizens, thu
, acceptance of which would facilitate
, travel and give to the people OF this
, district lake drive OF which they
} would forever be proud.
The land for the road already con
/ structed was donated by the highway
commissioners. To insure the con