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Demoine Navigation & Rail Road Company
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The Demoine Navigation & Rail Road Company was an important company in the development of maritime commerce on the Des Moines River. The following memo was written to Orville Clark, President of the Company, describing the company’s initial development plans:
”In accordance with your instructions, I have prepared an estimate of the cost of completing the slack water navigation of the Des Moines river, from its mouth, on the Mississippi, to Fort Des Moines, (Racoon Fork) and herewith present the same:
The estimate contemplates improving the present channel from the Mississippi to St. Francisville, a distance of about twelve miles without locks. It is proposed to remove the snags and trees from the present bed of the river and deepen the channel in several shoal places, by dredging and confining the water by means of wing dams, in the lower stage to a narrower channel, from St. Francisville to Fort Des Moines the estimate is based upon-------- Dams. The locks are estimated as stone lock, and the dams as timber and stone with wooden abutments on the side of the river opposite the locks.
The present state of the work: Since the first of August we have a party at work, with the proper tools and fixtures, clearing snags and trees from the channel, of the river, below St. Francisville they have cleared a channel wide enough for the passage of steamboats from the Mississippi to near the big yellow banks, a distance of about six miles, and we are now going on vigorously with the work beyond this point.
We have also built a most substantial dredging machine, which is at work excavating channels through the bars on the lower part of the river. It is intended to keep the snaging and dredging going to on until the river is closed by ice. If the fall and winter are open, it is expected to clear the snags from the channel as far as St. Francesville, by the opening of navigation I the spring.
At Francisville the coffee dam is built, and the excavation of the pit nearly completed. The water sills of he lock are in, and the masonry started. A large amount of materials ae now delivered, and the work is being prosecuted with vigor.
At Belfast, the second lock, the walls are now built above high water, and can be completed early next season. The work has been energetically prosecuted during the low water of this year.
At Croton, the third lock is now in working order, though it is one of the short locks, and will eventually have to e lengthened, and some additional work done to the dam.
At Farmington the fourth lock, the walls are built to nearly their full height, and thee is stone enough prepared to furnish them. It was expected to furnish this lock this season, but owing to the sickness during the months of August, September and October, the contractors were not able to keep the requisite force at work to complete it. It can be finished early next season and the dam can be built during the low water of next summer.
At Bonaparte, the fifth and Bentonsport, the sixth locks and dams are in the navigable order, the locks are short and will eventually have to be lengthened and the dams requite some more work to compete them.
At Keosauqua, the seventh lock, the masonry is well started, and with proper energy on the part of the sub-contractors, the work can be completed and brought into use by the time of the June rise of the river to this place.
At Pittsburg, the eighth lock, the coffer dam is now in, but I have been unable to get any masonry laid this year.
At Litchfield, the ninth lock, the ninth lock, the masonry is started, and it is hoped that it will be complete early this year.
At Orville, the tenth lock, the masonry is started and it is hoped that it will be complete next year.
At Iowaville, or Jordan’s the eleventh lock, we had to change he location of the lock a short distance, to get a good foundation. The masonry is started and nearly all the materials for the lock are prepared and it is expected to be completed early next season.
At Alpine, the twelfth lock, the foundation for the lock is now about prepared and the masonry can be started early in the spring.
At white bread, the coffer dam is in and the foundation for the lock is nearly complete.
Below Alpine a very large amount of materials is now prepared and there will be no difficulty in procuring all the balance that will be required to complete the work on this part of the line, during the coming winter.
The water in the river has been low this season, but the workmen have been very sickly. Some of the time more than one half of our men between St. Francisville and Ottumwa have been sick at he same time, and for a short time nearly all of the men were sick at once. This sickness has very materially retarded the work.
Respectfully yours, Edw. H Tracy
Chief Engineer D. N. & R. R Co.
We are currently offering the following pieces from the Demoine Navigation & Rail Road Company:
The Demoine Navigation & Rail Road Company was an important company in the development of maritime commerce on the Des Moines River. The following memo was written to Orville Clark, President of the Company, describing the company’s initial development plans:
”In accordance with your instructions, I have prepared an estimate of the cost of completing the slack water navigation of the Des Moines river, from its mouth, on the Mississippi, to Fort Des Moines, (Racoon Fork) and herewith present the same:
The estimate contemplates improving the present channel from the Mississippi to St. Francisville, a distance of about twelve miles without locks. It is proposed to remove the snags and trees from the present bed of the river and deepen the channel in several shoal places, by dredging and confining the water by means of wing dams, in the lower stage to a narrower channel, from St. Francisville to Fort Des Moines the estimate is based upon-------- Dams. The locks are estimated as stone lock, and the dams as timber and stone with wooden abutments on the side of the river opposite the locks.
The present state of the work: Since the first of August we have a party at work, with the proper tools and fixtures, clearing snags and trees from the channel, of the river, below St. Francisville they have cleared a channel wide enough for the passage of steamboats from the Mississippi to near the big yellow banks, a distance of about six miles, and we are now going on vigorously with the work beyond this point.
We have also built a most substantial dredging machine, which is at work excavating channels through the bars on the lower part of the river. It is intended to keep the snaging and dredging going to on until the river is closed by ice. If the fall and winter are open, it is expected to clear the snags from the channel as far as St. Francesville, by the opening of navigation I the spring.
At Francisville the coffee dam is built, and the excavation of the pit nearly completed. The water sills of he lock are in, and the masonry started. A large amount of materials ae now delivered, and the work is being prosecuted with vigor.
At Belfast, the second lock, the walls are now built above high water, and can be completed early next season. The work has been energetically prosecuted during the low water of this year.
At Croton, the third lock is now in working order, though it is one of the short locks, and will eventually have to e lengthened, and some additional work done to the dam.
At Farmington the fourth lock, the walls are built to nearly their full height, and thee is stone enough prepared to furnish them. It was expected to furnish this lock this season, but owing to the sickness during the months of August, September and October, the contractors were not able to keep the requisite force at work to complete it. It can be finished early next season and the dam can be built during the low water of next summer.
At Bonaparte, the fifth and Bentonsport, the sixth locks and dams are in the navigable order, the locks are short and will eventually have to be lengthened and the dams requite some more work to compete them.
At Keosauqua, the seventh lock, the masonry is well started, and with proper energy on the part of the sub-contractors, the work can be completed and brought into use by the time of the June rise of the river to this place.
At Pittsburg, the eighth lock, the coffer dam is now in, but I have been unable to get any masonry laid this year.
At Litchfield, the ninth lock, the ninth lock, the masonry is started, and it is hoped that it will be complete early this year.
At Orville, the tenth lock, the masonry is started and it is hoped that it will be complete next year.
At Iowaville, or Jordan’s the eleventh lock, we had to change he location of the lock a short distance, to get a good foundation. The masonry is started and nearly all the materials for the lock are prepared and it is expected to be completed early next season.
At Alpine, the twelfth lock, the foundation for the lock is now about prepared and the masonry can be started early in the spring.
At white bread, the coffer dam is in and the foundation for the lock is nearly complete.
Below Alpine a very large amount of materials is now prepared and there will be no difficulty in procuring all the balance that will be required to complete the work on this part of the line, during the coming winter.
The water in the river has been low this season, but the workmen have been very sickly. Some of the time more than one half of our men between St. Francisville and Ottumwa have been sick at he same time, and for a short time nearly all of the men were sick at once. This sickness has very materially retarded the work.
Respectfully yours, Edw. H Tracy
Chief Engineer D. N. & R. R Co.
We are currently offering the following pieces from the Demoine Navigation & Rail Road Company:
All certificates are sold only as collectible pieces, as they are either canceled or obsolete. Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. Unless otherwise indicated, images are representative of the piece(s) you will receive.
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