The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-26

resolution through congress directing
the secretary OF war to appoint a
board Of engineers to examine into
the subject and report as to It's feas-
ibility and practicability, and whether
1t will be an aid or detriment to
navigation. If their report is favor.
able, then introduce a bill approved
by the war department. Get it
through the house and l will see that
it goes through the senate"
This plan was adopted. Colonel B.
F. Marsh and .4Mr. Thomas Hedge.
members of congress, secured the
passage of resolution directing the
secretary of war to appoint board
OF engineers to investigate and report
on the project. The secretary Of war
appointed Colonel Alexander McKin-
zie. Lieutenant-Colon Harry E..
Hodges, Captain Edward Burr, Cap
tain Charles McKinstry and Captain
William P. Judson. This board con-
vened at the government building at
the United States lock In Keokuk on
May 6, 1908. with Colonel Hodges as
chairman. The meeting had been ex-
tensively advertised and the interests
to be affected, from st. Louis to st.
Paul, were we'll represented Mr..
Birge was too ill to attend the meet.
ing. We presented our side OF the
case as best we could and all parties
were heard. The case was thorough
ly discussed from every standpoint.
The board, in their report some
months later, held that the project
was feasible and practicable. That
the work proposed would be an aid to
navigation. That the then present
facilities were adequate for present
needs, but II private capital were dis
posed to aid in the improvement Of
navigation, without expense to the
government for the privilege OF using
the power that nigh be generated, no
objections should be made by the
government. That the construction
contemplated would mean large re-
duction in the annual cost of main.
tanning the old canal and locks.
The report, as whole, was favor
able. The Upper Mississippi River
Improvement association and the
trans-Mississippi river congress had,
in the meantime, endorsed our pro-
ject. The engineers report and And
ings were not available until the an
nual report of the chief OF engineers
| for 1908 was made.
Mr.. Birge died in October, 1903. BY
his death we lost the father OF our
enterprise. John N. Irwin succeeded
him as president
| On April 81, 1904. Congressman B
f. Marsh introduced our bill, known
as H. r. No. 1924, Public No. 65,
3"Granting to the Keokuk and Hamil-
ton Water Power company rights to
construct and maintain for the i'm
provement of navigation and develop
ment of water power dam across the
Mississippi river
It was referred to the committee
on interstate and foreign commerce,
of which Congressman W. P. Hepburn
of Iowa was chairman. Adjournment
of congress being near at hand, no
action was taken or hearings held by
THE committee and it went over, by
common consent, to the session OF
1904 and 05.
In January, 1905, committee con
sisting of John N Irwin, A. E. John
stone and William Logan with Lyman
E. Cooley as expert engineer, went to
washington and presented our case
to the committee on interstate and
foreign commerce. Colonel Hepburn
the chairman, showed us every con
sideration and gave usall the hearings
and all the time we asked for