Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-03-10
kEOkUk, lOWA'S MUNICIPAL RIP
VAN WINkLE, AWAKENING
FROM LONG SLEEP.
BUILDING OF POWER DAM
jNJEcTS LIFE INTO TOWN
Largest Power Project in World We'll
Under Way and Campaign is Started
to Coax New Observation-Disclosures
Association Formed Migration to
Be Made Easier.

Special TO Times Republican.
keokuk, March 10.-By the first of
April ! 900 men will be at work on the
immense nlile-long. s2o.o000oo dam
across the Mississippi river at this
point Tnruou1 the entire winter with
never a cessation because Of weather,
500 men have BEEN steadily al work.
This number is 70 be doubled within
the next fortnight There viii be no
buster place in Iowa. or in fact in the
entire middle west than keokuk thru
our the entire summer. Mr.. Hugh L.
Cooper. the engineer in charge OF the
work. declares that at the present
splendid rate Of progress the big dam
will be built. the power house will be
completed and keokuk vii! be using
and distributing 10000 Of the 100000
csuacity horse power by June l. 1918.
Industrial Awakening.
TIE frui.i1n of the water power
hopes - this city has brought about a
great industrial awakening mere. Dur
ing me past week committees Of bust
ness men spent three half days solicit
ing funds for new civic organization
70 be called the keokuk Industrial AS
ISOLATION the work Of which shall be
10 secure and bring new factories
here. because Of the cheap and prac-
1ically unlimited electric power and the
splendid river and railroad transport
tation facilities The three half DAYS
solicitation resulted in raising $4,000
ana contributions are still! coming in.
This i better results than have been
obtained in such campaigns in Des
Moires or any other city in The STATE.
Altho work on The actual consruc-
rion Of the dam has been IL progress
only few months. already the Adult
r7,=,7ts p-oiac. into the river and the
beginnings q me big power house con
me Iowa sho-e) are visible \ tenn
porary bridge has been bulk across the
IS noe 600 canal here and material has
baen transported across This bridge
and thousands OF tons Of rock and dirt
ar. being dumped 10 form the dams
abu:nerts. Work is also in progress
on the Golfer dams which will be built
il series - facilitate the laying Of the
actual dam
Largest American Enterprise.
The work hare is 50 extensive that II
forms thu largest public enterprise on
American soil with the single excep-
ton Of the work on the Panama canal.
The dam itself is - be mile long.
thirty fee, nigh Embedded seven
feet in the solid limestone bed Of the
r:ver) and -fir,yave feet wide II
viii impound the waters until they form
a lake almost forty miles long and
f-o.,? three - i've miles wide. extending
northward from keokuk until il reaches
Burlington This lake will drown out
the government canal, which was built
here forty years ago al a cost Of S.
oeo 600 he government dry docks. the
tracks Of the Burlington railroad line
between Burlington and ST. Louis and
thousands Of acres of land along the
Illinois and Iowa shores. The keokuk
and Ia milton Water Power Company
has bought up he riparian rights. how
ever and arranged % replace the old
three lock canal with a ons-lock canal
which will make navigation much cas-
Ter.
The coming summer Will find keokuk
a throbbing center Of Industrial ac-
tivity.