The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-12
carries is 100000 pounds, all support
ed by one bearing.
Getting More Current,

Getting More Current.
When big factory starts, consid-
cradle more current must instantly
be generated, and this is done by ad-
| hitting more water to water wheel.
Around each wheel Is a circle of YER
teal vanes, like Stats in a window
shutter, or Venetian blinds, which are
made of heavy steel, and the opening
and closing of which determines the
quantity Of water to be admitted TO
the wheel as mill or factory starts
or stops operation. The manipulation
t of these great blinds or shutters is
regulated by a governor" standing
by each generator, which is a ma
chine about as large as the usual
! coin-in-t he-slot scale we find at the
hotels and depots- So sensitive and
accurate are these governors" that
every time a street car stops to pick
up or let off a passenger in st. Louis
a little water is shut off from a water
wheel at the power plant at keokuk,
the shut-off being made instantly and
in the exact quantity
AS part of the conditions imposed
on the Mississippi River Power com
pany. it built and on completion
transferred to the United States, alb
solutely without cost, lock larger
than any at Panama and a drydock |.
only one per cent smaller than the |
one at the Brooklyn navy yard. The
Keokuk lock is about forty per cent .
larger than any lock at Panama, eX-
cept the one at San Pedro Miguel, on
the isthmus, and the Keokuk lock Is
one-fourth larger than this one.
The Famous Lock.
The lock gates at Keokuk are one
and one-half times larger than Pana-
mas largest, and of stronger and
more massive construction, made nee
essary because of the greater amount
of force they must withstand when
the lock is full. The lock mechanism l
which was designed for, and first '
used at Keokuk, was later on adopt -,
ed for use on the Panama canal.
These comparisons do not include ,
the length of the locks, which vary,
and are only side walls running as :
far as it seems desirable, so while =
the Panama locks are mostly thou )
sand feet long, the Keokuk lock is !
but little over six hundred feet, but
is the safest lock Uncle Sam owns. ,
Above the dam is Lake Keokuk, a
hundred square miles in area. The
land submerged to form this lake
cost over four million dollars, and all
bought amicably except in a half
dozen instances out OF the more than
twelve hundred transactions involved.
The lake is from thirty to forty feet
deep and is well stocked with bass
and other fish liking deep water. Be
low the dam you can often find cat
fish as thick as minnows in bucket
The means for fish passing the dam
are working perfectly and there is no
obstruction to fish migration, except
the bony skipjack, and he is barred.
The Keokuk water power was
started in 1910 and completed in 4
1918. During the last ten years il
has been visited by about 100000 per {
sons, including engineers and govern
ment officials, from every country in
the world except China. Not a state
in the union has failed to send its en-
gineers to view the wonderful pro
ect ]
A guide takes visitors through the
power house on every working hour
If every day Conventions and other
Of people are given spe-
:ial guidance over the immense plant,
md that it is immense you will real
re when l tell you that if you walked
,ver the top of the concrete walk and
1oors without stepping in the same
,lace twice you would travel fifteen Z
eet less than two and half miles.
The Iowa grand council and its guests
we're given special escort over the