Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-29
DAVENPORT ANpsApJAcEMT CIT.
les ASK coNeREssMEN TO
VISIT THEM.
WILL PAY EXPENSES
or: EIGHTY. THREE
"visit Of Education" to Government
Arsenal on island in Mississippi 10
Observation-Disclosures Bsins Prepared
and Will Be Sent Out At onee-Date
8: Y.;s;. Get. - and u.s. IS.


Rock Island arsenal, eighty three mem
bers of congress from five states have
been invited to spend Oct. IA and Is in
the Tri-Cities as the guests of honor
of this Ave- borough community. At
the meeting Of the committee of fifteen
at the Davenport Commercial Club
$4,000 was pledged by the representa-
tives of Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock
Island, Moline and East Moline to care
for the expense of entertaining these
members of the national legislature.
The money was raised on the basis
of the population of the five cities par
ticipating. Davenport's share is $3.50.
which will be paid by the Greater DAY.
export committee. Rock Island will
furnish $3.50, which will be raised by
popular subscription. Moline will fur
nish $3.50 from the funds Of either the
Greater Moline committee or the Mo-
line Commercial Club. The East Mo-
line Commercial Club will furnish $50
and Bettendorfs share OF $40 will be
furnished by the Bettendorf Company
The visiting members of congress
will spend one entire day on the ar
senal inspecting its splendid advant-
ages from q manufacturing standpoint
and on the second evening of their
stay will be entertained by a mon
ster banquet, which will be open to
all residents of the. five cities.
What They Will Find.
When the visiting members of con-
gress come to the Tri-Cities in re-
sponge to the invitation-and MOST of
them have never seen the arsenal and
know very little about it-their atten
tion will be called to the fact that this
big plant in which the government al
ready has an investment of $12,342,791
and which has an actual value of many
more millions than this total, is lo-
Gated LOO miles from the Pacific
coast, 900 miles from the Atlantic
coast. $50 miles from the Gulf Of Mex
and 400 miles by air line from the
nearest point on the Canadian border
They will be shown the ten great shop
buildings with a total Of 30.4 acres of
floor space, of which acres, not now
used, are ready for the installation of
machinery and the manufacture of
war munitions. They will be informed
concerning the water power plant
which now produces 1000 horse power
at cos. Of s1s mills per k. W. hour
and which, with an expenditure OF
$4,000 for new equipment, could be
made to produce 1000 horse power at
a cost Of less than 2 mills per k. W.
hour And even this development
would use only 10 Of the AZ openings
in the power dam. With all of the
openings equipped with turbines 5000
horse power could be developed at an
unit
Nearly 1000 Acres.
Very few of these members Of con-
gress know that the Rock Island Ar
senal reservation comprices S96.62
acres for which the government paid
only $50, 900 and which now has
value as farm land of $2S6.986, as fac
tory sites, with available water power.
Of S2,241,55o and as residence prop
erty. conceding that it should be sub
divided into lots of more than $12,500,
900. s
There is much more interesting val
uable information concerning the Rock
island arsenal which will be pounded In
to the ears of the visiting states
men and every bit Of which tends to
confirm the statement that the arsenal
has every advantage that a govern
ment plant for the manufacture OF mu-
nitions Of war should possess and that
not one of the other four government
arsenals has one-tenth Of these adj
vantages.
Thursday and Friday. Oct IA and
Is. were selected as the dates for the
big gathering in the Tri-Cities because
Of the fact that most congressman
will be found at their homes at that
time. while difference Of two weeks
would probably see manysof them on
their way to Washington in advance OF
the opening Of the session, or at least
packing up and preparing in other
ways for a winter sojourn in the ma
ifHl j. i