The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-20
small Portions Start to Break OF
the Main Body on the Rapids
before Lower Temperature
Checks Il.
CONDITIONS DIFFERENT
The Water Power and Precautions
Present New Situation Which
Makes New Features in Ice
Movement.

The ice seemed to intend to break
mn on the rapids and run out last ev-
ening, but after breaking its head
against the big cofferdam and trying
the new chute through the opening in
the channel, it quit and was chilled
quiet again.
Enough happened to show exactly
the entirely new conditions under
which the ice in the Mississippi will
move this year The narrow space OF
about 800 feet left between the two
cofferdams of the water power works
runs with the swiftness OF mountain
river The velocity there is sufficient
to carry all the ice in the river
through. The same swiftness has
kept an open space running down to
the railroad bridge for weeks.
Between the ice breaker piers pro-
jecting from the cofferdam and the
wall of the cofferdam itself is perfect
~ still water in which the ice does
not get In other words, the ice from
above will shoot through the channel
opening with the speed of a fast ex-
press train, without touching the
works and there is less result from
ice there than ever before This in.
creased speed will also tend to pre-
vent the usual jam at the railroad
bridge,
Pillng High in Air.
piece of ice as large as a forty
acre farm broke loose just above the
works on the Iowa side about 6
o'clock last evening and came down
stream, 1t hit the north end of the
big cofferdam square and it's advance
edge piled up twenty feet high in
broken ice that made it about right
for an ice cream freezer. This ridge
OF ice now is an additional barrier al
the end of the cofferdam, and big
naval gun could not do any damage to
the cofferdam wall there.
River Backs up Fast
The usual ice gorge formed at War
saw and backed water up here rapid
". The stage went to Is feet by this
morning with rise of six inches an
hour continuing.
This stage, of course, flooded tn.
smaller cofferdam ahead of the big
concrete bridge, which was built to
flood at moderate stages. All the
machinery was taken out of it in adj
vance, and when the water goes
down it will be pumped dry In few
hours again
Work is going on as usual in the
big power house cofferdam today and
1t is not expected that any recording
stage of river will seriously interfere
with that Iowa division of the works.
Gorge Broke at $3.50.
AT $3.50 this morning the ice gorge
at Warsaw broke and within fifteen
minutes the river at Keokuk had fal.
len foot. 1t is now assured that
unless another gorge is formed below
town that no difficulty will be en-
countered here.
At Taber's Mill.
AT Taber's mill in the lumber dis
trict there was threatening aspect
Oh affairs from the swiftly rising river
early this morning and the waters
ana floating ice took away the LOG
way and floated it off. Aside from this
mere was no serious loss, the logs be
ing left where they are stored and
uhharmed from the flood as reported
az noon, but at that hour the river at
mat point was reported as still rising
Down Again and up Again.
About 9 o'clock this morning when
the ice moved here, the river began