The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-08-13
kEOkUk DAM FAILS
TO BRING BUSINESS
into THAT SECTION
Electricity, Produced by Water Power,
Can Be Transmitted Hundreds
of Miles-That Is the
Reason.

Has hydro-electric power been ,,ci,e-
ilcial to keo]lull or any other town
Boosting of a dam? And again: Are
cities at a distance entitled to the cheap
rate OF transportation and ina usage
of power that is being offered them?
Congress recently has been debating
on the question of water power and
particularly that furnished by the hy-
dro-electric plant at KeokulS in this
state.
Since the article below was written.
a smelling plant has made application
for a site in Keokuk, but this to GER
ain knowledge is the only manufac-
Tory that has sought d location in the
city that was touted to become one Of
the fastest growing in the middle west
because OF its water power facilities.
Ask the average layman III st. Louis
where the city's power plant is and
he'll more than likely tell you its up the
river at keolSuk. something like 1870
miles away. Without much pressure,
the st. Louisan who keeps abreast Of
he times, might impart further infor-
nation about the size of the Keokuk
water power dam. magnitude Of the
plant, amount expended in building it
and d fund of other general informa-
ion.
Put the same question as to the loca-
ton Of the city's electrical plant to a
keokul1an and note the surface amount
of disintcrest in the laconic reply that's
1T down under the hill in the river
Has Lost Interest.
iltfee years aSn-NeS. ever tWo--this
same, sound Keolluk business man or
whoever lie might be. would have tossed
an eager glance and a vcritalJle ward Of
facts at IN inquirer about the dam
and tie vast OF horse power
that that was to be created after the
wheels were started in June of 1913.
But the deme6ner of the Neoklik
MAJ has cha r. oaI ANU. .thipo. &, ne
rnucli different, and slowly but surely
the joker in the deck is being dis
covered; the stone in the path Of pro-
sr2Ss where the seat OF this great
power has been built for 20 years.
Theoretically speaking and basine'
the assertion on past experiences of
towns that have been the seats" or
the fo~untainhtads Of great Quantities
of electrical power, dam towns" have
become 'deader' after the Harvesting
of river or stream has been completed
than they ever We're before construc-
ton of power plants. There may oe
some exceptions to this rule, but they
are as scarce IS the proNerbial frogs
hair.
And What is the reason for this de-
terioration as IT We're on. to use Il term
less harsh. the practical standing still
of most dam towns?
An expert in electrical power Will
say without much procrastinatinn
that transmission hurts after the dam
Is built. not short transmission Of
power, but the carriage over wires
stretched Tor miles in any compass
direction of the power created lessons
the chances of the power city in be-
coming great as a commercial center.
Kept Them Away.
Fate WAS unkind enough In the case
of keokull to decree that St. Louis
capital should contract for $1,000 horse
power in electricity. Several large and
old manufacturing concerns that con-
tempiated moving to Keokuk. re-
manned in the Missouri metropolis be-
sanse they used up slices of the power
transmitted from the lnono.ithic dam
at keokuk. Transmission cut out the
expense of moving from St. Louis to
K.eol1uk.
1t costs but little more to operate a