Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-21
SHOULD ASSIST.
1yIlesby 4 Co. investigating condl'
tIons At ottumwa for the Con.
struetlon o. I Power Dam
Tells Of Benefit.

their money and three OF the dams
will be constructed in q short time
two at Keosauqua and one at Oska
loosa. Mr.. Thomas asserts that the PEG
pie of this vicinity should take hold Of
the project and endeavor to interest
some company in establishing 9 dan
near Ottumwa. He further states tina,
Byllesby & Co., the owners Of the 10
cal street car system, are investigating
the project in this city and should re
ceive the encouragement and assist
ance Of Ottumwa. He also describes
the dams that engineering specif1ca
/ lions call for, showing their advantage
and what their construction along the
river would bring the Des Moines val
ley. The letter follows:
! Notwithstanding the opinion Of
many in the start that there was moth
4 ing in it, the extensive advertising civ
en- the Des Moines river through the
agitation of the improvement project
is bringing results. AS predicted by
the agitators, the capitalists Of the
country are coming to Des Moines riv'
er to invest their money In water
power plants. Each dam built by these
companies will give a great water
power and create ten miles of navig'
able water for the use of the boats,
and all of this without cost to the peo-
pie or the government The power
companies pay the bill and can afford
to do so, for the rental of the water
power will bring the stockholders
large dividends as long as the river
flows into the Mississippi.
1.-TWO of these dams are now in
course of construction near Ft. Dodge
and the Chicago & Dubuque Co. will
build two at Keosauqua. The Des
Moines River Power Co. has purchased
the street car system Of Oskaloosa and
will build dam below that town to
operate their cars and furnish light
and power for that section Of coun-
ties. When the three dams at Oska-
loosa and Keosauqua are completed,
the government will have thirty miles
Of navigable stream and this is the
main issue with the powers at Wash
ington-to make the Des Moines river
a branch or part of the great water
way system of the country. AS have
often said, no government money can
be used for the sole purpose of de-
veloping water power, or the building
of power plants for the people or in
corporated companies There is no law
authorizing such expenditure. But the
creation of the six foot steamboat
channel In the Des Moines river will
give US the great water power. One OF
these steel and concrete, up-to-date
dams, with modern turbine wheels,
would turn all the wheels in this city,
furnish light and still there would be
power LETT to lease to the farmers and
residents of inland towns. Besides,
the cost Of the power would be re-
duced one-half. To keep up with the
procession, or, in other words, to COM
pete with other towns now taking
steps to secure this cheap water
power, Ottumwa should induce one Of
these companies to build dam here.
l am Of the opinion that the engineers
have located one of these dams at
some point above the mouth OF VII
lage creek The average fall of the
stream from Des Moines to the mouth
is Is inches per mile.
"'The fall from the, Ottumwa dam to
the mouth Of Village creek Is far above
this average and dam near the lat.
ter point would develop great water
power. In fact Ottumwa has one OF
power plant and should have it.
According to the plans of the engin-
GERS a dam at that point would be
about 500 feet in length and about
twelve feet high On top of the con-
crete dam would be q steel splash
board six feet high, making the
height with the splash board up,
eighteen feet. The concrete base and
the steel splash board constitute what
the engineers call movable DAM
This is the latest, such as is being put
on the Ohio river at present to create
Ia nine foot channel The splash
boards work on hinge and are put
there for use when the river is rising
rapidly and to prevent the overflow OF
the land above the DAM Before the
crest or head of big rise reaches the
dam, these splash boards are thrown
down and the food waters pass over
the twelve foot dam. Twelve feet is
about the height of our two dams
above the city. The building of dam
near Village creek would necessitate
the construction OF leyees along all
the low lands from that point to Of
tumwa and these levees would be rip
raped, thus protecting all the low
land now subject to overflow; insuring.
a crop every year and greatly enhanc-
ing the value Of the farms. Ottumwa
should get busy with some OF these
power companies who are now coming
to the Des Moines river.
"In conclusion may say that Bylles.
by & Co., which owns our splendid
sfraet oar system. are now investigat.
ing this proposition Of building dam
at Ottumwa. They now use 1000 horse
power of steam power in operating
their car lines and water power
plant would largely reduce their ex-
|pense account. Our Commercial as.
sociation and the people generally
should encourage this movement in
every way. possible for the cheap power
and the cheap water transportation