The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-08-21
The Water Power of virginia.

the finest wool than this garden-spot of our
planet.
As if anticipating the boundless capacities
of the Old Dominion kind nature has endow-
ed her with means of working up all her pro-
ducts, mineral, vegetable and animal.
As general thing, steam is almost useless
in Virginia for manufacturing purposes for
the face of the country is ntersected with
water courses, such rs abound in no other
land under the sun If we lock at the map,
there is a perfect net work of streams show
ing that it ia the best watered portion of the
earth. aa
The geological structure of Virginia is such
that every one of these streams can afford
power to drive machinery Even on the sea-
board, all that has to be done is to dam up
one of these little creeks, at trifing ex-
pense, and we can obtain never-failing sup
ply of power, with a fall of from twelve to
twenty feet. All this magnificent provision
Of the Almighty has been thus far allowed to
be wasted, as the only application made of it
has been to supply few mills for grinding
corn, or small factory here aud there for
spinning coarse yarns
But we have only mentioned very small
part of our manufacturing resources Great
indeed would they be considered in any other
country than Virginia: but these little creeks
In the tdewater region are hardly to be men
toned in comparison with the streams in the
upper portion Of the State.
When we get beyond the falls of the Great
Rivers, we see the wondrous provisions of
nature calculated to make Virginia the great
est manufacturing country on earth.
We will first begin with the little streams.
In this upper region of the State, as far as
the Blue Ridge, these are found everywhere,
and all that has to be done is to raise small
dams across them, and to throw their water
into trenches led around the base of the hills
on their banks, and turn it right on the water
wheel There is hardly one of these little
rivers upon which waterheads of twenty to
thirty feet may not be obtained several times
over before the stream reaches the James or
LUG hOauOk6 tic utiilDei VI Wdlcl COtioCo
TO winch the ABOVE description apphes is be-
yound the power of counting. There is hard
iy neighborhood in any of the upper coun-
ties that does not contain one OF more of these
streams that seem to have been PUT into the
exact place where they may manufacture the
minerals, the cereals and the wool Of the neigh
borhood.
But what shall We say Of the incalculable
water power, of the great rivers? Where upon
earth is there such immense capacity for fur
nishing power as at the Falls of the Potomac,
Rappahannock, James and Appomattox? We
are wonderstruok when we behold the Great
Falls at Richmond Hardly an appreciable
quantity of the water has Yet been employed
in driving machinery in Richmond and Man
chester, aud enough runs to waste over tht Sc
Falls to manufacture for half a continent.
But these magnificent Falls do not furnish
tenth part of the facilities for power Of
which James River is capable All along up
to the great Balcony Falls, where the River
pierces the Blue Ridge, there are sites for huge
Ahdbl'ieloepiiCS' ~ CNCl1 lIOSh VI INC
River and Kanawha Canal there is water
enough to drive dozen large mills without
Inconvenience to the traffic on the canal, and
the same amount can, in every instance, be
obtained on the other side by lea,iing the
water from the dams to water wheels of great
er diameter than the height Of the dams
themselves.
We say nothing OF the nutitudes Of under
shot wheels which can lie PLACED almost every
lnile al the small intermediate falls of the
River, whers a head Ut three to five feet can
be commanded almost anywhere at little or
No expense.
The same description that we have given
Of the james applies to any of the other great
rivers we have mentioned
Now, remember that all this only refers to
the country between the Blue Ridge and
Tidewater When we go beyond the Blue
Ridge, the protusion OF water power Is even
greater i'll given space; for the course OF the
numherless streams is more preoipltous, and
the waterhead5 more rapidly follow each
other i'll a given length Of stream. In this
part of our State, as a general thing, because
of this fact, it is not necessary to dam up the
streams at all, but merely to lead their waters
few hundred yards along the banks to the
wheel
We have given short and very imperfect
sketch Cf the matGhless water facilities Of our
noble State. To those not acquainted with
Virginia, what we have said may seem exag
gerated but on the contrary, or feeble pen
cannot do half justice to the Overlooking sup
ply of water that bias been given to Virginia
with SO lavish hand
PosteritY will make use OF the power which