Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-12

and /, have been doing what l could
for the cause | would say that Mr..
Miller has spent some 81, 200 or 81 500
of his personal funds, to say nothing
1 OF time spent in travelling over the
country on business connected with
4 the project. f4esGs Ss.S 4NE
We adopted our plans and then went
to work Hundreds Of letters have
been written and many articles printed
in the papers through all OF these
years. The first letters were to Cap
tain Hull, then an influential member
of congress, asking him to secure
preliminary survey Of the river. The
war department wrote us that before
any government money could be spent
on the stream we must furnish the 1ol-
lowing information:
/. Show that the river had been
navigable. Under this head We
furnished the names of fifty-six steam
boats which were used on the river
fduring the sos and SOS. We also gave
the names OF the captains OF all these
boats.
+" 2. We we're required to give the pro.
auctions of the Des Moines river val
lev such as corn. oats, hay, wheat'
coal stone, brick and everything
which was produced in the cOuntles
bordering on the river.
! These statistics were all collected
and forwarded to the war department..
On this splendid showing the depart
ment ordered preliminary survey,
and it was made under the dlrectlon
Of Montgomery Meigs. Meigs made
fayora BILE report and on this report me
second survey was made at an expense
If $40 900. Col. c. S. Richie made the
latter survey. and it included all the
necessary plans and estimates Tor the
imnroyement of the river on the lock
and dam system. a."
! Soon after these plans were COM
Melted we had notice from Washington
that all the annual Appropriation
would be spent on the MISSISSIPPI.
Ohio and Missouri, the principal
rivers, and that it would require at
least ten years to complete the work
there The smaller rivers would nave
to wait About this time we discovered
! that engineers in the employ of power
comnanies in a quiet way were max
mo an examination of the Des Moines
river with a view of developing and
oneratine the water power or the
stream. We then commenced cor
respondence with these power com
NAMES, Mr.. Miller also made several
trims east to talk with the officials OF
hfhase mower companies We finally in
TuCed them to apply for franchises,
and their applications are now On Tile
in Washington.
They agreed to build the sixteen
dams at their own expense, providing
thew secure franchises for period or
seventv-five years. At the termination
of this period they are to turn all OF
! the property over to the government.
The government is also to fix limit
to the price which the companies snail
charge the people for the power.
This proposition has passed through
all of the departments in Washington
and the secretary of war has recon-
mended that it be accepted by con-
eress and the charters granted.
IN the beginning we advised these
mower companies to send their officers
to Detroit and there have a conference
with the United States engineers and
they did So. AS a result Of this con-
ference. a second set Of plans was
made, Colonel Riches first plan. when
it was supposed the government would
d. the work and pay for it, called for
twentv-six or twenty-seven movable
dams, or one about every ten miles be-
tween the city Of Des Moines and the
mouth of the river. The present plan