The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-06-15
stcnm Power vs.. wnter Power

A gentleman in the interior of this
State who takes deep interest in man
ufacturing enterprises has been inqnir-
ing into the comparative cost OF steam
and water power. His inquiries were
made with a view to tho establishment
of cotton mills in West Virginia. From
his correspondence with prominent man
ufacturcrs in Massachusetts, we have
been shown two letters, one from Salem
the other from Lawrence in that State.
We here append them:
SALEM, MASS, April 6, 1862
DEAR SIR: Our cotton mills here,
with 735OO spindles-Of which 10000
are ring frame" and 81, 500 are "mules"
supplying No. - yarn TO 400 looms,
all run by steam power, produced last
month, working eleven hours per day,
l,49l 513 pounds ofcloth, being 1855, Isl
yards. With coal at S6.S2 per ton, the
cost of steam power to each pound of
cloth was SO.0l29 cents; including whole
cost of steam department, coal, en-
ginecr, repairs, etc.
LAWRENCE, Mass, June ., 1869.
DEAR SIR :-You ask me if l can give
you any figures or facts as to the COM
paratlve cost of steam and water power.
know of hut few questions that can be
so well answered, Itdepends entirely
upon circumstances
That man would be called insane who,
located in the woods of the State of
Maine, on a river with natural water
fall, should run mill by steam. l
think | can safely say, that if man was
situated by a river with natural fall,
and coal mine at the same point, it
would be much cheaper for him TO build
his dam and ruH a water wheel than 1t
would be to open the mine, put up an
engine and run by steam.
This subject have not thought of for
some years.
The price of mill-power at Lowell
used to be about SIS, 900. 4 mill-poW er
was estimated at about 60 horse power.
That is TO say, the water alone Gor 60
horsepower cost equal 10 abOHt $1,000
per annum. Iu England, where coal
could be had very cheap, parties would
| "SS pay SpO'uOO lOI bue stIG
amount OF water-pOwer
, lhe price of water-whcels aud water
ways, dams, etc, of course are governed
by location, amount of power used, size
of river, etc.
lhe cost of water wheels, water ways,
etc, on the Merrimack river (before the
war; We used to consider about SlOO per
u'rSe power. This has nothing to do
Win water rent or for a small wheel.
linus TOO horse power wheel would
cost $4,000, or $4,000 per annum: water
IeuI; ~ mlil.power, $4,000, making a
TOTAL OF Sl5,OOO per aunum.
Inc cost OF running au engine, taking
everything into consideration, by com
petent parties, used to be considered a
SoU per horsepower per annum. I as
sumo the price of coal to be about S6.5O
per ton, and TO run 65O horse power
engine, would cost s32. 500 per apnum
making difference of SIT 500 vs. steam,
IL man Is situated at the month nf n
coal mine and wants power, aud has ma
water-power, there are no comparison :
to be made, and his course is piain Hs
must run by steam.
As to whether a cotton mill can he
run as cheaply and successfully situated
at the mouth of q coal mine in VirUinia
or Pennsylvania as il can if situated on
the Merrimack river in Massachusetts n !
a question by itself The motiTe power
of running the mill is of but little i'm.
purtance, and a manufacturer would
hardly consider it.
! Ynprs frnlv