The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-20
PROGRESS WITH THE DAM.
keokuk Water Power Project Work
ing Out In Spite of Swollen
Stream.

Memphis. (Mo.) Democrat: Much
has been said regarding the Missis-
sippi River Power Company and the
great work going on at Keokuk under
the direction of the great engineers
of this corporation. 1t is no wonder
tnat the project is attracting world
wide attention The magnitude of the
work is such as to command the at
tention of men everywhere, and es-
pecially where factories are in opera
ton or in prospect. The prospect of
cheap power with which to drive the
wheels of commerce and industry
makes men look forward to the time
when they might have the opportun-
ity of utilizing this power.
A representative Of The Demo
crat, in company with his wife and
Mr.. and Mrs. Holdren, Of North Dako-
ia, ran down to Keokuk few days
since, and had the pleasure Of view
ing the dam In the present state Of its
progress. It was a revelation to
know that in spite of the high wa
ter, the work had gone on as if moth
! ing had happened.
| The huge masses of concrete form
| ing great columns, and connected by
archways of the same material had
been constructed for more than four
teen hundred feet from the Illinois
side of the river, forming monstrouo
bridge over the Father of Waters
/ The top of this structure is about
thirty feet wide, and car loads of ma
terfals are hauled out on top, using
railway tracks that had been laid
there for the purpose. This furnishes
q roadway for the moving cranes that
have been described heretofore In
these columns These archways vii
all be completed before the space be
tween them is filled in. Meantime the
work on the Iowa side of the river
consists of the erection of massive
draft tubes. through which the watel
will pass after it has gone through
the great turbine wheels, building thu
runways, power house, locks, DIR.
:, docks, etc.
There will be thirty draft tubes
several OF which have already beel
constructed, and each of the thirt
turbines will have a capacity Of teI
, thousand horse power. 100000 horse
, power will be a great quantity, an
already nearly one-third of this pow
/ er is contracted for with the city c
: st. Louis. 1t is a mighty engineerin
a task which was designed by Hugh
+ Cooper. The local engineer on tn
a east side of the river is P. d. Coope
v a brother of the chief engineer; an
2 on the Iowa side H. T. Herrick. Thes
q men have several assistants who d
the field work and others who al
d craftsmen in the office.
# A great deal Of the excavating Il
l. the power house is done. 1t gos
IS deep beneath the bed Of the rive
and the rock down there is of sut
formation that it is impossible for Il
water to leak in, although out si'
Us the cofferdam the water now stan,
20 thirty feet above the bottom OF Il
lg excavation. 1t is said that test Or
le holes put down thirty feet deeper a
III go dry that water must be poured
q 10 them to keep the drills cool. 7
81 safety Of the structure as well as t
re ease of construction, are assured
re this characteristic of the foundation
nt The construction OF the draft tub
re as we'll as other departments in a
about the power house will requ