Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-16

me ATfs-fs.tpp3 valley where the land is
worth 500 and upward per acre and
where It single crop. that of corn. brings
"a inward Of a thousand millions Of dol
lars every rear II is a country pappered
win cities and towns ana gridironed with
railroads it is ii land where there are
factories st every few miles. ard where
the pc aple have So much money that the
.slrbtHse5 Of the country banks would
make uIa Csoesus look sick. Ii is land
ii energy and industry, and right here II
the heart af it, out Of force which for
ages mas been running 10 waste, has
s4-ar.d into being one Of the greatest cleo
tHe POKER plants known e man.
YaH have heard the o}d riddle. N ny
san.t you dam tne Mississippi river?
The answer .s Why dam il YOU can t
Wei that riddle j. no good amy longer
The aIls4js@.pr has been damned here at
the foot 81 the Des Notnes rapids, and
/ walked to-day over the great structure
al concrete almost a nal. long. Which
holds back the water and gives a steady
dosy for the areatiou of power the year
through. The damm.ng Was made posi-
Hsg ~ tine nature ~ the valley at TINS
..anf Here the Diufs hat wall the
RISER are closer than at amy other point
s# fts entire length. and the conhsura-
tfau ~ the valley is such that the wa
tars eau be Hrid back without overflow
ing thousands I'll farms NJ the same
lime they sfve Ii faH which ia the dis
measures ttrut3 three feet 1t Is this
Ea,} ,hat L YES the pu" ~. TIL, waters O.
the Mississippi come down az tunes ~
rae rate of over ous-half million cubic
teet p"' second aid TIE Gam thlo"s
t.1tfn into mighty turbines. each "t when
Il III aeuerata u ggWts equal t. 4 line OF
tyyo- afrse teams twelve miles u length
'TnU turbines are connected Win dAiltHioS
which generate tiIe .iectllc -, aad tAe
-tutso II horses thus MADE go hNihS
aver great copper cables 10 do Their
work roE u5tu. THIS, IL nutshell :
what 1ammuA the Mississippi means.
ii rGs, a. t. tie dam auG the works. I
have seen SON athiug Of the great dams Of
t4v world / have trampea through the
great locks At Panama and watched the
constructions ri thu mighty dam at 1atuf.
The locks are OF concrete and earth.
nave seen the great dam al Assouan. 900
miles above The Mediterranean. which
holds back tie Nile and gives Egypt
regular water supply throughout the year.
That dam Is built ~ granite. laid n CO
fnetf 1t is only about a tIifd again as
long - this dam at heokuk, which IS
Inaue OF concrete, and its construction IS
1881 about the same Both DANG look like
great stone viaductS built across the
river Each Is wall through which great
sluices are cut allowing the river 10 flow
through or TO be held back at will. Each
slu:ee Of the keokuk dam has a spillway.
much ike the great spillway at Gatun.
and this is regulated by a gate which can
oe raised and lowered 10 allow the river
10 go on OF be held back us the engineers
Viii The dams are thus great stone
walls pierced by these gates
In the Assouan dam the water never
flows over the top, but through the gates
and through canal Al the side. When
the gates are closed enough water is held
back To- form a lake lilo miles long. and
the amount % water thus held weighs