Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-08

growth of American ingenuity as the result of the freakish of the river Rhone. An American tourist visited the Perte du Rhone. He, perhaps, Yankee-like, l shrugged his shoulders at first, as he thought | of and compared the scene before him with 1 his own glorious Niagara, but when his quick | wit ripened into practical idea, he began to | solve mighty problem. Thoughtfully he walked back to Bellegarde, and going straight to the notary said to him
 ''Sir, your locality pleases me. Is any of the land for sale I am possessed with the idea of building sort of laundry establish ment on these beautiful shores: Find me one or more choice spots, and I will purchase. Do you understand 2
 Perfectly" replied the notary.
 And the American departed, promising to returned in weeks time.
 Sure enough, week later the Yankee entered the notary's office again, and asked whether his application had brought favor- able replies.
 'sYes," said the notary, smilingly, and laying his hand on large pile of letters, ''you have only to make your selection of | sites, for here is all the land of the vicinity | placed at your disposal, almost at your own | price, for the people about here are only too | glad to sell, and, as you see, have eagerly 1 grasped this. the first and only opportunity l they have had to do SO I tell you frankly I these facts, that you may feel tempted to make larger purchase than I imagined you l l the matter to me" The American listened | quietly, looked over the papers, learned the l various prices, and ended by contracting to l buy all the land offered for sale. The nota- | ry, as well as the inhabitants, were almost 1 stupefied with astonishment. Some went so l far as to say the stranger was mad, but when l they found that his word and his bond were | equally good, they were too glad Of the re-
 suits to question the motive. Thus an Amer l ican became the proprietor of almost the
 whole plain of Bellegarde. Soon he began to l show these unenlighted people why he ap- peared 'tso mad" to them. He demonstrated ! that between that point where the Rhone l disappears and where it returns again there l is considerable difference of level, and that just there was an enormous loss of water l power-a power which it was possible to gather and utilize, and in order to accomplish l this he proposed to open new channel for l the Rhone, and conduct it to the place where he wished to transform it's fall into motive
 power. The motive was practicable and l was put into execution without delay. A
 company has been formed. 8 snbterranean
 channel of more than 800 yards in length has ! been dug and part of those waters which
 had been engulfed without profit to any
 body now follow peaceably their new road, to pour themselves into enormous turbines, and communicate to them power valued at
 that of 10, 900 horse power. Ten thousand l horses however, at the bottom of hole l would, even with all their strength be use
 less power without the ingenuity of man | And the question now was, how to transport
 said power to the summit of the steep banh of the Rhone and distribute it over all the
 extent of the plain of Bellegarde. This wal ) accomplished by means of iron wire cables 1 which transmitted movement and force tt ) great pulleys around which they were rolled Power can thus be sent several miles a: l easily as water or gas is sent through pipt or conduit, and the ''Yankee from America carried out his plans through this means
 Now the lands are to be re sold, the 10, ,Oot horse power will be rented. the American 3 1 will realize fortune, and Bellegarde will be come the asylum of the exiled workmen O Alsace. and the place where they will inves s their little capital. So much for one Ameri I can abroad