The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-21
Crossing With Barr
~ PHILIP GRANT DAVIDSON
The Musings Of Reverend Phllosophe'

tered the secret Of its elements its !
lar. force and substance He has es- ]
timated the power and valne OF
grain Of dust and calculated Inicrosco-
pic dimensions with accuracy OF one
who is consriving machine intended /
to slice q microbe into miiliorsh
parts. These findings he has maEni- |
fled with precision until the very hills
seem dwarfed beside fsrs masterpiece.
So thai IN dealing with vast masses
and lines that curve with the slow or
bit Of q star. so careful and accurate
Is his work. thai each grain OF con
crete hardens in its appointed place
to an agelonE buiwark against the
specific thrust OF particular and IN
finitesimal water force Besides. he
has made the thing beautiful.
/ understand that Mr. Cooper is re-
sponsihle for this masterpieces de-
sign and construction. 1t seems I'M
fair that one man should have the di-
vineiy-given power TO invent and de-
sign ag well as to build such struc-
!; ture The greatness should, by all
rules of the square deal" have been
distributed among about fifteen engi-
neering Titans / have read IN many
novels and other forms OF literature
I romances OF men who have gone into
the backwoods of civilization, where
Il earth's noblest forces and treasures
are the unyalued and unused posses
sion of barbaric tribes, and has devel-
/ oped these powers of nature for the
welfare of humanity. | gather from
DR.. Barr that Mr.. Cooper is one OF
these persons. and believe that. too,
because he came along and found
these rapids where used to go fish.
!, ing In sernfsavage sort of way, and
!. he has set about producing force
from these tumbling waters that viii
/ be sufficient to run not only all the
r machinery in the state Of Iowa, but
! an Illinois political campaign undei
. present energetic conditions be
: Iieve that would be improved. NOR
: ally and spiritually, by meeting Engi
+ neer Hugh L. Cooper. because 1t ].
/ antiseptic and wholesome to hay'
S ones self-esteem chastened.
I had started out with the idea o
I. telling you how We crossed the dan
: with the literary physician, Dr. Barr
!, and it is quite natural that | got int
, this mood of being amazed at peopl
, who do things. After all that is tn
chief thing about the dam-the b,
:. manfty of it, the poetry of 1t, and tn
great love that goes out to it fTor
! its designers. its promoters, its built
: ers and its day laborers- / watche
$ a gronp of muckers working deep
the pit where one of the concre'
i arches of the bridge is to tsand. 4
certain moment they had to stan
back from their work while an owe
head derrick swung some heavy artic
into place. These men straightene
Z their backs and instinctively gazs
& along the facade of the great barrie
as though they saw something
:, what God beheld upon the seven
: day
= AsI remarked, / started to t
about Crossing with Barr but tn
is a mere detail We went in on Il
: Iowa side and came out on the Il
3 nois side. Between these two poin
Z the trip was succession OF inspil
~ tions with DR.. Barr painting the wo
= pictures.
Now am going back to the wal
of south, and there viii probably be
re lapse of many years before again s
lot the great dam may never again s
In the excellent physician OF literary
lot tainments, or meet Mr. Cooper or a
I'D of the genii of the dam; but sh
iat feel quite comfortable and these p
nj PIE for there is an air Of final
he about the whole thing. These m
ne VIII go their wave and do other W
lat derfuI and beautiful works, while Il
an dam will stand In flood and Ice pa
eet wbirIing its turbines with the cea
am 1essness and harmony OF the music
18th the spheres. Each drop OF rain
&C. flake Of snow that falls in the nor
ern watershed will hurry down to
he appointed task, while the stu
Ias- arches face numbered centuries.