The daily Gate City., 1912-02-08
ENGINEER COOPER
IN BURLINGTON.
Says the Wonderful Power Of the
Mississippi River Had to Wait
Until the Way Was Pre-
pared by Science.
TWO YEARS HARD WORK
is Before the Construction Company
and the Greatest Water Power
Plant in World viii be
Ready.

Engineer Hugh l.. Cooper of the Mis-
sissippi River Power company, at Keo-
kuk, and Mr.. George B. Stewart of
Fort Madison, were visitors in Bur
lington last evening. Mr.. Cooper was
asked by a Hawk-Eye reporter con-
cerning the progress of the work on
the dam, and replied briefly that the
principal feature to disclose was that
there are two years of hard, steady
and then the greatest water power
plant in the world will be ready for
business. People sometimes ex-l
press wonderment that the vast force
OF the river at that point was not TAX
en- advantage of fifty years ago. said
Mr.. Cooper. ''They forget that such
big undertakings must await the de-
velopment of science and industry.
Fifty years, or twenty-five years ago
this great project would have been
impossible. 1t has been necessary that
science and the development of steel
and concrete construction. and the
art of control and transmission of
electrical energy, should reach a GER
| tain stage before the daming of the
Mississippi river could be thought of
Just now is the accepted time. The
Father of Waters has been flowing
for centuries past Keokuk awaiting the
developing power Of the brain of man.
Now we have the art of cement
construction, the strength of steel, and
| the wonderful control of electrical
1 fluid necessary to the successful
promotion of such an enterprise. Two
million dollars were sunk in the per-
fecting of a little electrical governor
now costing but a small sum in COM
parison, which absolutely controls
every drop of water that will flow
through the dam sluiceways and the
4 turbines. So delicate and sure is this
piece of mechanism that when the en-
gineer of factory in ST. Louis two
hundred miles away, using two hun
dred horse power, throws the switch
lin the evening shutting off the power
this governor will instantly close OF
the gates of the dam. shutting off just
the quantity of water necessary to
generate that power When street
car stops in St Louis, this mechan.
ism will instantly respond with varia-
tion of the force of water equal to the
d power that car was using. In this way
every atom of power that is sent out
from the dam will be recorded, and
the force of water adapted to the
varying demands made upon the en-
Iergy developed by the torrents rush,
ing through the turbines
Speaking of the effect on Burlington
sewage of the backed up water, Mr.
Cooper stated that the current, al
Though much slower after the dam is
in operation, will be sufficient to carry
away all sewage, and that the water
will not be contaminated here OF
elsewhere.
Mr.. Cooper has number Of import
ant lecturing engagements throughout
the country soon. Last evening he
was on his way to Boston, where, or
Friday evening, that city will get 8
view Of the great work being done il
the river at Keokuk. Engineer Coop
er will give his lantern slide and de
scriptive lecture on the progress o
the work to an audience there which
will include all the American stock
holders in that vicinity. After th'
address Of Mr.. Cooper, the moving pic
ture of a days work on the big dan
and power house will be shown.