Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-16
Georria,s Lowell.

From the Columbus Enquirer Sun.
The gentlemen from other cities and
other sections who came to Columbus In
the interest of the Georgia Midland road,
have received what they expressed to be
lavish hospitality. One thing moro than
another which attracted the attention of
the visitors. was our wonderful water
power. -" t72'a -Anil.
The current of the river from here to the
gulf sIsArteiV exceeds four miles an hour
while Above Ii is from ten TO thirty miles
an hour Within two and halt miles OF
Columbus the fall in the Chattanooehee
river lis 125 feet. The volume of
wateraat the lowest Stage equals
800 h0rse.pOWeTmito the loot fall,
or atotalot $1,000 horsepower for the
two and half miles During nine
months OF the year the average VolumsI
of water Is double that at the lowest
stage. and would give 10000 horsepower.
To one unaeauainted with the facts, these
figures will appear marvellous, but TO those
who will visit the river and view the
grand sight of it's rushing waters, and
hear their incessant roar, at almost any
localief from the city OF Columbus tOcdhe
Columbia factory, will fully believe
they are below what they should
be. But this is not all. TO the 1875
feet fall to the Columbus factory we
must add an additional fall between there
and West Point of 237 feet, or a total OF
362 feet, or 100000 horsepower for the
lowest water, and nearly double that for
average stage. Only n small portion of
this wonderful water power Is now used.
In this city the Eagle and PheniX, Musco-
gee. and Columbus mills are driven by it,
and aggregate about 10000 spindles and
1000 looms. To drive this machinery re-
quires about 3, 900 Orse-power, or s0meth-
ing like one-tenth that available. The total
capacity of the local water power at
Columbus is sufficient to drive over $780,
900 splndles and their accompanying
machinery. 1t is too early in the century
to multiply these figures by three in
order to take in the entire fall for 80
miles. This power, with other material
advantages, renders Columbus an invit-
ing field for the investment of capital in
cotton and other manufacturing. Our
manufacturing Institutions were particu-
larly instructive and entertaining
to the visitors. They went through
some OF our largest textile mills
and watched the process of transform
ing cotton into cloth. While yet
in her "sWaddling clothes'@now half a
century ag6nLUelumbus INDUCED in
dreams of becoming, among other things,
a great manufacturing city, Intact, from
early infancy her ambition has been
boundless and her aspirations high, and,
1t may be added, as noble as they were
high. Her sagacity, energy, and perse-
verance in pursuit Of this, as in the pur-
suit of all other ends, has been equal TO
her ambition. There are but few OF the
visitors that were not surprised to learn
how fast we have grown since
1860. At that time all our manu-
featuring industries were destroyed by
the Vandafs torch and to-day we have
So, 264,159 capital invested in various in
dustEies: We pay out annually SSt9 s ssoS
There are 446 hands who are given steady
employment. Out Of raw material
valued at $2.445.709 we annually make
the value OF S4, Isl $3.50, showing created
value of $1,630,359. All this struck the
visitors with peculiar force and was a
strong argument that Columbus is good
place to cite tor