The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-07
some Seventy People Made tho Over
sunday Trip for the Purpose Of
inspecting tho Water
Power.
THEY ENJOYED THE VIEW
prospect Of Building Dam at Daven-
port One Reason for the Visit
and They Returned Home
Boosters.

The following account Of the Visit
IT Davenporters to the Keokuk dam {.
&c taken from the Davenport Demo-
crat and is Of interest to readers OF
The Gate City:
About seventy members Of the nav-
ennort Commercial club returned to
the city this morning from trip to
the great Keokuk dam. Every one OF
them came back booster for the
davenport dam project. A good many
81 them said that they were going
10 sit right down as soon as they
reached their Offices and write to
congressman Pepper, who some weeks
ago introduced in the house Of repre-. |
sentatives a bill authorizing the Great
Northern Development. company OF
Imluth to build a dam across the river
near Davenport, urging him to secure
favorable action on his measure az
soon as possible.
Asa matter of fact Congressman
Pepper cannot do anything at this
time to hasten action on the bill, as
The house committee on interstate and
foreign commerce has not yet received
the report Of the war department on
the measure. Secretary Norwood to-
dav received a letter from the chief
engineers Of the army informing him
that the dam project was now being
investigated but Major Keller of the
army had not yet submitted his re-
port It is the belief of Congressman
Pepper of this district and of Con-
gresham Miller of Minnesota, who
has promised his aid in getting the
bill through, that Major Keller's re-
port and the ensuing action of the
war department will be favorable. In
this event he anticipates no trouble in
getting a favorable report on the
measure at this session and In secur-
ing its passage.
The seventy Davenporters who left
at o'clock Saturday night on the
Morning Star expected to be in Keo-
kuk at II o'clock Sunday morning, but
they didn't reach the dam site until
o'clock Sunday afternoon and con.
sequently only had two hours to go
over the great work. They improved
this time to the best advantage, how
ever. and under the guidance of Mr.
Califf. secretary to Hugh L. Cooper,
vice president and chief engineer OF
the Mississippi River Power Co., who
is in charge of the construction work
they inspected the work on the Iowa
side and went through one of the
thirty great turbine tunnels
So many of the seventy Davenport
ers didn't decide to go to Keokuk I'm
VI the very last minute they had nc
opportunity to make proper reserva
tons. Cots were rugged up in thu
salon. however, and by O'Clock Sun
Gay morning the last of them man
aged to get to bed. On Sunday morn
ing big crowd was picked mp al
Burlington and Fl Madison, loading
me Morning Star almost to capacity
Con- Murphy entertained the Who'll,
boatload with all the intimate histor.
Of the towns passed on the way t.
keokuk and with personal reminis
cences of the famous bandits and bri
eands who held sway in the old day
ever the famous river towns
With the Davenport. party Their
were also about sixty delegates from
me 7, P. A. convention on their wa.
back to Burlington.
e NJ. Sharon called on Secretar,
Norwood this morning and offered t
explain the technical details of dan
construction to any one interested Il
the proposition. He ventured the re
mark that after spending all of tw
hours in viewing the work at Kec
kuk ne was qualined to undertake tn
construction of the Davenport dan
out doubts If he will have the time.
Secretary Norwood has written
letter to Messrs. Cooper and Calf
thanking them for their kindness /
meeting the members of the Daver
port party and in taking them on til
lour OF inspection OF the great wori
Mr Califf had special train and tro
icy cars waiting for the Davenporter
ana If 1t had not been for the lac
Oh time they would have been able t
20 over the entire tract OF forty acre
Under construction within the grea
Golfer dam.