The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-01-23
First Article Of Series Appeared sun
day In the Chicago Tribune Ae-
companied by Illus
tratlons
BIG CAMPAIGN is ON
ma CORPORATION Law BIZ
viii Extend to Other Metropolitan
Papers and Some Of the Widely
Read Papers Of the
Country.

Publicity efforts of the Commercial
club have borne fruit, the first mani
festitations since the campign was re-
Gently inaugurated, being in the form
of an illustrated story under Keo-
kuk date line which appeared in Sun
days Chicago Tribune. Accompanying
the article, which is herein repro
duced, were two excellent photographs
showing work on the Illinois and Iowa
sides. The local organization has
prepared to push this campaign and
President Irwin stated today that ar
ticles exploiting the big project will
appear in many metropolitan papers.
! The Tribupe's article follows:
KEOKUK, Iowa, Jau. 21.-[Spec-
iall-July !, 1918, has been set as the
date for the completion, of the mile
wide, s20,000,000 dam across the Mis-
sissippi river, which Is in construction
here now, with $50 men at work on
the Illinois and Iowa shores. The en-
/ gineer in charge, Hugh l.. Cooper, met
a delegation from Burlington, Fort
Madison, and other nearby river cities
this week and informed them that
at the rate the work was going on
thirty months would see the last stone
laid and the power house ready for
the waters of the rivers to be diverted
through it to generate the 100000
horse power which is to be its capaci-
ty.
During the last week work has be-
gun on an extensive scale on the Iowa
shore. Excavations are being made in
the high bluff, directly beneath the
best residence district of the city, and
there the dam will be anchored to the
solid limestone cliffs which line the
river on this side for many miles.
i A bridge is being constructed across
the canal, which will be used to trans
port building materials and workmen.
VIII Form Big Lake.
!. The canal itself, which was built by
the United States government forty
years ago at a cost of SS,000,000, and
Z which has been maintained ever since
at an annual expense of $4,000, will
be completely drowned out by the i'm.
: pounded waters, which will broaden
out over the lowlands on both sides
OF the present river until lake is
formed, above Keokuk, which will be
forty miles long and from three to five
miles in width. Emissaries of the
Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power
company have been quietly buying
property outright and securing options
on other tracts during the last year
until, it is stated, SO per cent of the
lands to be overfiowed have either
I been secured or will be had within
e the next few weeks at total cost
t of $1,500,000
8 Under the franchise the builders
4 are given until Feb 9, 1915. to finish
9 the work, but Engineer Cooper is
K positive it will be done practically {
Q year and half before that time.
h Second Largest Dam in World.
L The dam itself is to be the larges
L in the world, with the single exception
e Of the big Assouan dam across thu
o river Nile, in Egypt. built at the eS
Y pense of the government. The powe
= developed from the impounding wa
e tiers will be second only to the com
o bined power developed by all the pow
/. er plants at Niagara Falls.
n Having secured the franchise from
l. congress, after a forty years fight
a and having secured the S2O,000,00
e capital necessary to carry on TIL
If work after a five years campaign
t. even after the franchise had been Sc
h cured, Keol1uk is now entering on tn
campaign to secure new industrial Ell
2 torn1.icas