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

capitalists, giving them a two years
option on our stock and franchise, in
consideration that they would make
the necessary Investigations and sur
veys, pay us the money we had ex.
pended and give US a bond of $4,000
that they would build the dam if they
exercised the option.
Nothing was done during the ensu.
ing fall and winter except that Mr..
Cooper prepared plans and specifica
tons for the tentative approval of the
secretary Of war.
Our colleague, John N. Irwin, passed
away December %. 1905. His death
was a great loss to us. We sorely
missed his initiative, his diplomacy,
and his genius. This left but three of
the committee-J tombstone, Logan and
Dadant. A. e. tombstone succeeded Mr..
Irwin as president, William Logan and
G. P. Dadant being vice presidents.
Mr.. Cooper came to Keokuk in the
spring of 1906 and brought with him a
corps of engineers to make the neces-
sary surveys and contour lines show.
ing flood areas. This work was not
completed until December, 1906. Win
ter was at hand and all further worn
was abandoned until the next spring.
Spring and summer came and with
them the rumblings of the approach
ing panic Of 1907 and Os. Nothing was
done; nothing could be done; and our
hearts grew sick with hopes blasted
and long deferred.
In June, 1907, the Tortonto Syndi-
cate notified us that they would not
exercise their option and abandoned
the enterprise. !,
On July s, 1907, we entered into a
new contract with Hugh L. Cooper.
personally, giving him the same
option as had been given the Toronto
Syndicate. This contract was to ex.
pire December 81, 1908, and was ex.
tended July 20, 1908 to expire Febru-
airy 1, 1910. Mr.. Cooper did a prodigi-
GUS amount of work during the years
1907 and 0s to induce capitalists to
join him in the undertaking Mr.. w
v. N. Powelson, president Of the Union
Electric Light " Power Company Of
st. Louis, resigned his position In 1905
and became partner OF Mr.. Coop
er's, the firm being Cooper and Powell
son.
In October, 1908, mr.. Uvupur and
the Keokuk & Hamilton Water Power
Company made contract with The
Mississippi River Power Distributing
Company. The Union Electric Light
& Power Company, the United Rail
ways Company and the LaClede Gas
Company, OF St Louis for the sale and
purchase Of 10000 electrical horse
power delivered in st. Louis.
AS soon as the terms of this con-
tract we're settled, Mr.. Cooper notified
the committee that he would at once
exercise his option. All the local Off
GERS and directors Of the company re-
signed. The committee turned over tc
Mr.. Cooper the stock, franchise and
property of the company. The com
pany was recognized by the election
Of new board Of directors, consisting
of Hugh L. Cooper, w. v. N. Powell
son, w. ]. Curtis and j. P. Allen. Of
New York; John Hunter and J. H. ORA
belle Of st. Louis; and William Logan
of Keokuk. w. v. N. Powelson was
elected president, Hugh l.. Cooper and
William Logan, vice presidents and ]
p Allen, secretary. The company
head office was moved from Keokuk
to New York.
The attention OF capitalists was
being constantly drawn towards the
enterprise by Mr.. Cooper and mum
Der of tentative contracts were fran
ed UP during the remainder OF 1905
and the first half of 1909 Nothing
came Of any of them and the pros
poets for building the dam, as the
weary days went by, became more
and more remote. Under the terms
Of our franchise, actual construction
was to begin on or before February
8, 1910, or the grant lapsed.
In the latter part of 1909, Mr.
Cooper took the matter up with Stone
& Webster of Boston. Representatives
of that firm came to Keokuk, looked
the situation over, and reported favor
ably. On January 8, 1910, while II
Keokuk, Mr.. Cooper received a tele
gram from Stone & Webster that they
would put up the money to start the
work and would organize company
to carry it through to completion.
On January 10, 1910, Just thirty
days before the franchise expired
work was commenced and has con
tinued uninterruptedly until the las
shovel of concrete was put in place
on the dam May 81, 1913.
The first steamboats, to pass through
the new lock were the Sidney anc
the G. w. Hill, both at once, June IL
1913
There has been used in construction
work and removed to date:
! 232,706 cubic yards of sand.
554,7S5 cubic yards OF crushed stone
$4,000 cubic yards of concrete.
| 2S32,09G sacks of cement.
| 21,99T tons of steel.
$50 tons of dynamite