[no source, no date]
AGENTS START WORK OF
BUYING LAND FOR POWDER PLANT
R. Newton McDowell of
Kansas City In Charge of Operations; Produces U.S. Authorization
HOWELL IN AREA
Chamber of Commerce
Should Take Up Road Problem with State Highway Dept. Immediately
A dozen
agents of the R. Newton McDowell Company of Kansas City, authorized agents for
the United States Government to purchase 18,000 acres of land in the
Hamburg-Howell neighborhood for construction of a $14,000,000 high explosive
plant, began their duties Monday morning.
The men
came here from the Kansas City office and were accompanied by Mr. McDowell who
will be in charge of activities. The company has opened an office in the
Building and Loan building.
Because a
question developed over the authenticity of the McDowell concern to purchase
the land, each agent is carrying a copy of the authorization from Col Valliant
of the United States Army.
The
authorization, dated October 23, reads:
To Whom it
may Concern:
A contract has this date been entered
into with the Mr. R. Newton McDowell, Kansas City, Mo., to obtain options for
the United States of America on approximately 18,000 acres of land in the
vicinity of Weldon Springs, St. Charles County, Missouri.
Mr.
McDowell and his agents are duly authorized to procure said options on behalf
of the War Department and the United States and it is hoped that full
cooperation will be given Mr. McDowell and his agents in procuring said options
on the property in question which is a vital link in the national defense
program
R. D.
Valliant, Colonel, Q. M. C.
U. S. Army.
A more
recent map of the area shows Howell well inside the area and like Hamburg, it
will have to be absorbed. The map shows the boundary will follow the western
Dardenne Township line instead of the Muschany Hollow Road and County Highway
“D” as was previously announced.
The new
consolidated Howell grade school is expected to be used for an office building
and other well built structures in the area are expected to be retained for
official headquarters.
Plans are
already being considered for construction of a new Howell High School building
as the present structure is in the plant boundary.
With a
capacity of from 8,000 to 12,000 men for the plant, the unemployment problem in
this county is expected to be solved. It was pointed out that the WPA in this
county can be abolished as all those men can now obtain employment.
Hundreds of
workers are expected to establish home between St. Charles and Weldon Springs
so they will be close to their work.
This
newspaper is suggesting that the Chamber of Commerce contact the State Highway
Department immediately and work out a road program between here and the plant
to take care of the heavy traffic. Highway 94 will not be capable of taking
care of the traffic that will pass over the road daily. Two plans are being
proposed for 94 to go around the area. One is to continue out through
Cottleville to Dardenne and then down to Matson while the other would follow
the present route to Weldon Spring then south on Highway 61 to the river and up
along the M. K. & T. railroad right of way to Defiance where it would
rejoin the old highway.
The latter
route would not put much additional mileage on the [trip] between here and
communities [in] the western part of the county [?] the other way would add at
least [?] miles to the trip.
