The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-28
Work on Dam Goes on
Regardless of Law Courts
Review OF Litigation of Water Power Company
During Building Of $25, 0O0,0 0
Dam.

MONG the many Interesting fea.
q lures corrected with the devel
IL opment of the h%alf-century
dream OF the people OF Keokuk for a
mighty water power across the Des
MONIES rapids in the Mississippi river
q the fact that throughout the entire
construction Of the dam, power house
and other structures appurtenant
hereto, the work was not delayed a
single day-not eve a single hour
nv any legal complications which
arose.
This fact becomes all the more re-
markable when one stops to consider
that thousands Of acres Of land had
Il be acquired along the Iowa shore
and extending to q point nearly forty
miles above the dam-many thou
sand other acres had to be acquired
along the Illinois shore, extending as
far as the Burlington bridge at Bur-
,inpton. Iowa; yes. and than
This. a transmission line 100 feet in
width had to be acquired all the way
10 st. Louis, nearly $50 miles distant
"a he fowls Of the air would measure
their way.
Question Of Eminent Domain.
He who visits the city of st. Louis
with a view to observing industrial
progress will md there a magnificent
bridge spanning the mighty Father of
waters, the ascending approach from
the Missouri side complete and in
perfect condition, and the bridge con-
structed with its last span resting on
the shores Of Illinois. 70 this last
point, however, there is no approach
there is no means Of leaving the
bridge to get on Illinois soil without
Jumping from the PERCEPTIONS
height OF the east end Of the bridge
no means Of reaching the bridge deck
from Illinois without the s of an
aeroplane.
Here was a mighty enterprise
stalled by legal complications. The
question Of eminent domain had to be
fought out and finally decided, and
BY the time the legal complications
we're settled, the funds with which to
build the bridge had vanished.
Not 4 Day Was Lost.
IN Des Moines-"the City Of Ger
tainties"-the Rock Island railway
system planned extensions and i'm
provements involving the sexpendi-
ture OF many millions Of dollars. but
ere the work had progressed far, legal
complications arose; the work came
to a s~tandstill and progress in on
struction ceased. Many instances
like this could be enumerated near
and far.
But in the building Of the mighty
dam, the magnificent power house.
the large lock and splendid govern
ment dock by the Mississippi River
Power company in the Des Moines
Rapids and extending across the
Mississippi river from Keokuk, Iowa.
to Hamilton. 1llinois.snot a day has
been lost on account of legal compli-
cations. That does not mean that
the Mississippi River Power COM
pany has not been involved in htiga-
ton. It has. Not that it has had
much litigation, but only a reason
able amount Of litigation.
Litigation a Natural Thing.
Some litigation is sometimes good
for an enterprise. 1t is somewhat
like the old doctors used to say-that
every boil was worth IS to a person
in purifying his system. So, the
Mississippi River Power company ha
had some litigation, but apparently
its cause has always appealed to the
tribunals Of justice in a persuasive
way. It is scarcely to be expected
that a corporation could acquire all
the land that has been necessary Tor
use in connection with this enterprise
without mourning some litigation.
In some places entire villages have
been purchased, and their sites are
now beneath the mighty waters OF the
Mississippi; in other places the busl-
ness part Of q city has been acquired.
Corporations, big and little. have had
to move, relocate or sell out. Churches
lodges and municipalities have had to
dispose Of their lands and acquire
others elsewhere. Burying GROUNDS
had to be changed in some instances.
The Power company has had to deal
with interests great and small and OF
every conceivable character.
Paid Well for Land.
On the whole, the people IN eacn OF
the communities where it las acquir-
ed property and property rights rec
ognize that the company's disposition
has been to pay a reasonable value
Tor all property necessary for its use.
You will even find people who VIII
say that the Power company mas IN
many instances paid more thar the
land or property rights being acquir-