The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-15
Factories Sure to Come Here.

q LII mAuy TGSpSCLS Tue power WHICH
Is generated in Keokuk scorns the
of coal. Despite the
fact that Keokuk is not far from the
great coal fields of the United States,
the cost OF coal made power cannot
approach the cost OF power as soln
from the electric plant here. Nor can
the big coal fields last forever, If the
manufacturers were to depend upon
coal alone.
And SO, since Keokuk can furnish
power in almost unlimited quantities, !
which will be constant throughout
the centuries, factories are bound to
come here and use it.
Important Things to Note.
Even looking at it from the Keokuk
angle, power is not the total problem
of the manufacturer. Freight rates
deserve and command his constant
attention. The tariff sheets show
the great and real control which the
Mississippi river exerts upon railroad
freight rates. A hundred pounds is
carried hundred miles along the
river for the same price which is
charged for carrying it score OF
miles east or west from the river.
This control of freight rates by river
transportation has been real for
many years, but is about to reach It's
acme with the present great stimulus
that is being given to the use of the
river to carry freight.
Within one hundred and fifty miles
of Keokuk, where this power is now
being produced, there were in 1910 a
total of 4,205,999 people, Of these
i.64505s lived in Illinois, 1909, 1897
resided in Iowa and 1,556,226 were
fcitizens of Missouri. In Illinois
about 4S per cent of the population,
exclusive of Chicago, live within one
hundred and fifty miles of Keokuk.
In Iowa As per cent of the states pop.
ulation is within the same distance.
In Missouri Al per cent live within
one hundred and fifty mile radius
Factories Must Come to Power.
Thus it may be seen that Keokuk,
| the center of the power zone is sur
rounded on all sides by great mass
of people who will use this great
amount of power the year around for
! their factories. And it is important
to note again that the nearer the
power is used to Keokuk the cheaper
| it will be for the consumer.
| The evolution of the use of power
1 from water wheels to steam and then
to hydro-electric power has been bu,
part of the evolution OF the geo
graphical distribution of manufactur.
ling. The factories of the olden times
were placed on the banks of rivers
because the prime movers of water
wheels compelled the direct trans.
mission Of power from the wheels
| through shafting to the machine. AS
a result of this the manufacturing OF
colonial times, and in the early days
of the United States, was nearly ali
done in New England where the
streams furnished considerable water
power in the midst Of what consum
ing population there was in this coun
try at that time. Later came the
discovery of large beds of coal. and
the utilization Of this in steam en-
gines made Pennsylvania manufac
turing state.
For whatever other elements enter
ed into the problems of the manufac
turer looking for a location. the his
toical fact seems to be that factorie,
have generally gone to the source o
power The reason for this, 1t seem,
pretty evident, Is the cost of trans
porting fuel as compared with tn,
cost Of transporting factory products
At any rate, the use Of steam as
principal source Of factory power TO
a century made Pennsylvania leade
in industrialism and built up manu-
featuring in other states having con
siderable supplies of steam power.
And just so should the factorie
come to Keokuk to use this power. I
is supply much more accessible
than the coal Of the Pennsylvania
coal fields, and much cheaper to tn
manufacturer.
Locating Nearest Power Importan
Now 1t is true that factories ca
come to the power zone and receiy
power below the cost of steam power
even though they be located som