Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-01
oTTUMWA sEMI-WEEkIY COURIER. FxIDAY. DECEMBER 1910
PEOPLES PULPIT
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LEST WE FORGET.


The further dam across the Des
| Moines river is now. practically CON-
pleted. Already the contractors ou--
mt Is moving to the near dam and<if
/ the winter holds open WE'LL that dam,
too, will be completed within sixty
days.
Citizens OF Ottumwa should in larg-
er numbers visit this new dana
marvelously fine piece of masonry.
Then, too, all Of us should stop to re-
alize what its completion means to our
city. 1t marks the completion Of the
first step in the greatest single
achievement possibly in all the history
Of Ottumwa. For fits results in future
years are incalculable Again, this
completed dam should serve to silence
the fault finder and reassure all who
charged with this great and difficult
municipal undertaking. And, finally.
we should realize now as never before
the great Importance Of keeping this
one greatest asset in the hands OF
competent and unselfish public SER
wants, for all time.
With anything like favorable wealth
er conditions the completion Of the
near dam will be short and compare
lively small matter: so we may begin
now to think Of the near end OF this
large undertaking. Logically, It's be-
ginning dates from our taking over the
water works from the hands Of private
owners. ! It's ending. no living man
may see, because these dams are hui
manly speaking indestructible. Hence.
it means the production of power and
a public water service in perpetuity.
It's importance from year to year may
be realized family when we think of
an Ottumwa Of $4,000 in the near fu-
ture to be served with pure water and
by calculating in dollars and cents the
commercial value of the power pro-
duced
At average low water. these dams
will produce an average minimum OF
$50 horse power, This will run the
pumps at saving to the city of about
5000 per month in fuel alone. The
further saving of stokers and other
help. in machinery and so on. is to be
added
Then this power will furnish all city
street lamps at a saving on our pres
ent basis Of about $4,000 per annum
gross. Besides all this, large power
surplus may be used to turn spindles
or to produce commercial lighting at
large yield in city revenue. In time
this will mean cheap and ever cheaper
water to the people.
Nor at this juncture Should we with
hold just recognition of those to whom
especially we owe the beginning and |
the present achievements OF this en-
terprise. Many deserve credit in one
way or another. Put to >ex-Mayor
Hartman. more than to any other one
man. is due the credit OF committing
Ottumwa to this form Of municipal &C
tivity, while to Senator Waterman
more than to any other one man Is
due the credit of putting the thing
over to its present stage.
Now for a word Of warning: Here
is business undertaking which meas
ured bv it's yield In money saving and
production represents capital poten
TALLY running up to half million dol
lars. It is the one great asset Of our
CITY. It's development along the lines
originally conceived and planned is a
business matter of prime importance.
This must not be allowed to fall into
the hands Of the demagogue or graft
err 1t must not become a stake IN a
game of selfish politics. What sort OF
men shall be our city council is i'm
portant, allow. but mediocre men.
IL clean, may take care from time to
time, of the routine city affairs. On
this one point, however. all good citi-
zens should make common cause.
namely: That whoever seeks to
..break'. into the council chamber shall
first pledge himself to keep hands OIL
of the Ottumwa water works. That is
to say: Let it be the one chief plank
in all platforms that politics shall be
kept out Of our water works depart. |
ment.
John W. Lewis.