Montgomery County sentinel., 1883-04-27
The Great Falls Water Power.

\ special dispatch 10 the Baltimore ,SuH,
from Washington, dated April 9sd, gives
the following;
Nearly fifty years ago the Legislature of
Virginia chartered the Great Falls Manu-.
featuring Company, with prospective cap
ital Of one million dollars, and subsequently
Il charter was also obtained from the Legis.
lature Of Maryland. The purpose was TO
avail OF the immense water power of the
Great Falls OF the Potomac for the estab-
lishment of cotton factories. Additional
legislation by Virginia, which was deemed
advisable before the commencement of OPP
erations, was not obtained for number of
years thereafter and in November, 1853, the
company was organized, and the site where
il was proposed TO erect the factories was
christened South Lowell. Conn's Island,
on the Maryland side of the river, contain
ing about SO acres, and some $50 acres OF
land on the Virginia shore were purchased,
and 500 900 Of stock subscribed for. Like
most of the Southern enterprises of the day
this scheme languished, nothing further was
done, and nothing more was heard of the
company until the United States govern
ment, in providing for the water supply of
Washington, constructed a dam at the Great
Fails, part OF the masonry of which rested
on Conn's Island. The cOmpany,ior what
was left Of il, came to the front and claimed
damages. A board OF arbitration, at the
head Of which was the late ex-.Justce Cur
lis, Of the supreme Court, awarded $l5,6 ,692
as damages, and the Court of Claims con.
lirmed the award. The United States gov
ernment appealed, and the appeal is now
pending in the Supreme Court
Some three or four years ago several
slrcwd Eastern men concluded that there
might something be made out of the Great
Falls Company. A syndicate, at the head
Of which were Glen. Ben Butler, Col. John
Cassels and VIM. T.. Chandler, went TO work
and secured the control Of the majority of
the stock, purchasing about 5000 shares at
an average of 81, the par value being 800
They thus became the heirs of the $4,000
claim pending in the Supreme Court In
addition, they make the claim that their ri.
parian rights will he still further impaired
ir not absolutely destroyed, by the extension
Of the dam across Conn's Island to the Vir-
ginii shore, which il is understood will be
done in The prosecution Of the work already
authorized by Congress 10 increase the wa
ter supply OF Washington and Georgetown
They are said, however, 10 be willing 10
waive this claim If the dam and the other
engineering work necessary is completed 80
that the waste water will inurc 10 the com.
pany Gen Butler and his assoGiateg are
looking ahead 20 the time, believed by many
to be in the near future, when the electric
light wil'supersede gas, and Justly calcn
laing that water will bc much cheaper than
steam in The generation, storage and trans.
poriaiion oi electricity, they hope TO turn
piles of honest pennies with the vast accu-
mutation Of water which the waste would
give them. If the government declines 10
make this arrangement, then they want #
corresponding equivalent. But il Is asserted
that interesting points Of law are involved
as 10 ihc validity Of the riparian rights
claimed on behalf Of the company.
Al the iimc nf the charters and " the pur-
chase Of lands by 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, it is
claimed, affects the water rights conferred
by the Virginia charters. 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 Washington, that
all the riparian rights accrue 10 IT, and any
damages awarded by the government must
be paid TO IT, Gen. Butler and his asso-
ciates reply that any rights descending from
the Potomac Canglto ihe Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal have been forfeited on the
grounh of nOnuser, and assert that In this
view they are sustained by the most emf
nent legal talent OF the country. II is nm
derstood that the canal company will insist
upon Judicial determinations Of the qnes-
l tinp