Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-07
Rock Island Arsenals Superior AdvaIl-
tage By Reason Of Water Power Shown
By the Facts in Colonel Burr's Possession

buildings and equipments and bridges
long since destroyed, of ties rotted and
rails and locomotives worn out and
consigned to the scrap heap in years
past, or of track constructed and sub
sequently abandoned, but includes only
the property and equipment of the go
ing concern. Similarly, the capitaliza-
ton to be used in computing any cor
rect cost of power at the arsenal pow
er plant would charge off expenditures
of a similar class. Yet the figures
which have been used in an attempt
to figure this cost include the cost of
dam washed away 80 years ago, Of
a power house with machinery de
stroyed by fire 10 years ago, of dikes
erected for the protection of govern
ment land and as an aid to navigation
and in no wise connected with the wa
ter power project, as well as moneys
ineffectively spent in earlier days in
the development of the power project
itself.
For many years, in fact until a
few years ago the ordnance depart
ment in the attempt to develop the
water power, sought to turn the wa
tiers of the Mississippi river into the
branch of the river south of the island
On the other hand, that department of
the government charged with the i'm
provement of the navigation of the
river endeavored to improve the chan
mel to the north of the island, or, in
other words, to increase the flow OF
the river in that channel Thus, two
do RI of he
working at cross purposes and con-
gress was impartially voting money to
each for the furtherance of these op-
posing projects. Any money so spent
for water power 80 or 40 years ago
and which proved ineffective for its
permanent improvement should be
charged off and not included in present
costs of power.
About 1900 in the further develop
ment of the water power, the short
dam extending up the middle of the
river from the arsenal island was ex-
tended for distance of about two and
one-half miles up stream TO a point
above the rapids 1t was then sug-
gested that the navigation OF the river
could be much improved and the al
ties which the rapids presented could
be effectively overcome by using the
water power pool as a navigation chan.
mel and passing boats up or down the
river through lock. This scheme was
adopted and, in recent years, the two
of the government con-
cerned with the navigation and the
water power projects have worked in
unison to increase the volume and
amount of water in the pool. At the !
present time the north channel of the |
river has been considerably Swallowed
at the rapids and the waters of the |
river diverted to the water power pool |
to increase the depth of the water |
there for navigation purposes. This
increased depth of water gives increas-
ed head at the arsenal water power.
Since the power pool is now the navi- |
cation channel and the north branch |
IF the river merely a spillway for ex- /
Tess Or unused water and since the |
government owns all the water power !
rights in the pool. il follows that the !
government is entitled to use for water
'ower purposes all the flow of the |
liver at this point not required for |
navigation purposes.
The extreme low water flow of the !
Mississippi river at this point is con-
tentatively stated at 10000 cubic feet |
per second. This low water flow with !