Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-28
The Great Falls Water Power.

From the Baltimore Sun.
Nearly fifty years ago the legislature OF Viz
ginia chartered the Great Falls Manufacturing
Company, with prospective capital OF one
million dollars, and subsequently, a charter WAS
also obtained from the legislature Of Maryland
The purpose was to avail of the Immense water
power or the Great Falls OF the Potomac for the
! establishment Of cotton factories. Additional
| legislation by Virginia. which was deemed
| advisable before the commencement OF one
rations, was not obtained for a number OF
years thereafter, and in November 1858 the
company was organized, and the site where
| it was proposed to erect the factories was
christened South Lowell. Conn's Island on the
Maryland side of the river. containing about -
acres, and some $50 acres OF land on the Virginia
| shore were purchased, and Sl09.OO0 of stock
subscribed for. Like most of the southern en-
! terprises of the day, this scheme Ianguished.
nothing further was done. and nothing more
was heard OF the company until the United
States government, I'm providing for the water
supply OF Washington, constructed dam at the
Great Falls, part Of the masonry Of which rested
! on Conn's Island. The company or what was
LETT OF it, came TO the front and claimed dam
ages. board of arbitration, at the head Of
which was the late eX,Justice Curtis Of the
Supreme Court, awarded Sl5.692 as damages,
and the Court u Claims confirmed the award.
| The United States government appealed, and
the appeal Is now pending in the Supreme
Court.
Some three or four years ago several shrewd
eastern men concluded that there might some
| thing be made ont OF the Great Falls company.
syndicate, at the head Of which were General
Ben. Butler, Col. John Casses and William E.
Chandler, went to work and secured the con-
troll of the majority of the stock. purchasing
about 5000 shares at an average of So the mar
! value being 500. They thus became the heirs
OF the $4,000 claim pending I'm the Supreme
Court. In addition, they make the claim that
their riparian rights will be still further Inn.
paired, If not absolutely destroyed by the exten.
sion OF the dam across Conns Island to the yir-
giDia shore which Ii is understood will be done
In the prosecution OF the work already author.
lied by Congress to increase the water supply Of
Washington and Georgetown. They are said,
however, tn be willing to waive this claim If the
dam and the other engineering work necessary
Is completed so that the waste water will inuro
to the company. General Butler and his ASSOC
GATES are looking ahead to the time. believed By
many to be in the near future when the electric
light will supersede gas. and Justly calculating
that wafer will be much Cheaper than steam in
the generation, storage and transport alton OF
electricity, they hope to turn piles Of honest
pennies with the vast accumulation Of water
which the waste would give them. III the gov
eminent declines to make this arrangement.
then they want a corresponding equivalent
But ii is asserted that interesting points of law
are involved as to the validity OF the riparian
rights claimed on behalf OF the company.
At the time Of the charters and of the pur-
chase of lands 10y the company the boundary
line between Maryland and Virginia had not
been drawn. The line now established fixes
the Maryland boundary at low-water mark on
the Virginia shore and this Il is claimed Affects
the water rights conferred by the Virginia char
tiers. The Chesapeake and Ohio canal claims,
both IN its original right and as the successor
and residuary legatee OF the Potomac canal,
which was constructed In the days Of Washing
ton, that all the riparian rights accrue to it, and
any damages awarded by the government must
be paid to it. Gen. Butler and his associates
reply that any rights descending from the Poto.
mac canal to the Chesapeake and Ohio canal have
been forfeited on the ground OF user, and
assert that In this view they are sustained by
the most eminent legal talent of the country
1t Is understood that the canal company will In
stst upon judicial determination Of the iues-
ton.