The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-03
IS M. CASTOR Writes Interesting Re
view Of the Manufacturing
Efforts OF keo-
kuk.
SEES BRIGHT FUTURE
Have improved Their
Stores and Generally Brighten
ed Up Looks of
Thinsa

The growth Of the manufacturing
interests IN keokuk since the COM
pletion of the big hydroelectric pow
er plant here is covered in an inter-
esting summary written for the Bur
lington Saturday Evening Post by
DR.. S. NJ. CASTOR, long time citizen
and professional man of keokuk, "
he Post gives him as title Here is
MS article:
The impression has gone abroad
that the building of the Keokuk dam
has been OF but little benefit to the
city.
AS soon as II was sure that the
dam was to be built. those having
real estate boosted the prices sky
high Notwithstanding pewter pots
and other inducements were offered
TO induce people to buy lots al a
price that you could buy lots for in
the cities already established. few
outsiders were caught Many OF
our own citizens were
The promoters OF the dam pre-
dicted that keokuk would within
five or ten years have a population
Of from fifty TO seventy-fiye thou
sand. within q radius OF twenty-five
miles. One newspaper man predicted
that there would be al least five hun
dred thousand people added TO our
population within ten years from the
completion OF the am. All this was
an irridescent dream
Since the completion Of the dam
at Keokuk. / recall the following
additions 10 the manufacturing i'm
terests OF the town:
l. The Pechstein Iron works incor-
porated for $50, GOO, enlarged their
business, erected a new foundry and
installed improved machinery.
2. The American Cement Machine
company has bought adjacent prop
erty twice, enlarging its plant and
facilities and is now crowded and
looking for more room.
g.. The Irwin Phillips company, the
largest wholesale dry goods company
west of the Mississippi river, erected
new building with twice the floor
space of their old building.
4. The J. C. Hubinger Bros. Co
have built two or three large addi-
tions to their plant.
5. The Purity Oats company have
bought adjacent property and en-
larged their plant twice.
6. The Iowa Can company has been
Incorporated and manufactures fiber
board containers and is doing
splendid business.
The following are dependent al
most wholly upon the dam for cleo
trio power and are new industries:
Z. The United Lead company,
subsidiary of the National Lead
company. manufactures electrolytic
.akx ;c n frz M nf
ore by electricity, causing it to hard
en- and perform uses somewhat SINH
lar to but more seryiceabue than
plating a very substantial Increase
in the size of their factory.
8. The Keokuk Electro Metals
company has been incorporated and
has become a substantial industry;
featuring ferro silicon.
9. The Gas Tank Recharging com
pany is a branch plant of a com
pany by the same name located at
Milwaukee. 1t has large electric
furnaces, and since it has com
menced operations has constantly
been charging its business by add
tons
III, Inc tIulO OUiupISSSeu oNSci
company has been organized and IN
corporated for s325,o00 and has in
stalled an electric furnace in which
il will cast steel by means OF pat
ented centrifugal process. The metal .
will be melted in an electric furnace !
and then cast in rotating cylinder,
as claimed, superior
quality of. steel.
IL. in addition to the above, while
using some electricity, but not
great deal, the Standard Four TIRE
has been Incorporated for
upwards of one million dollars and
baa built from one to two additions
to its plant each year during the
last two or tire years, and is now
making nearly five hundred tires a
day. in addition to large quantities
OF tubes.
our merchants have improved their