St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-01-03
Their Offer of Village Lighting Still



believe) that we are not in a cOndi-
ton to furnish electric lighting to the
village of St Johnsbury, and that
our offer, made the 9th ofDecember,
was not intended for acceptance but
only for effect on that meeting. In
view of the above we desire to sub
nit the following statement:
The Ides have owned n valuable
water power at PaSSumpSic for the
last 70 years or more. The present
firm have owned it for % years
There is at that place a natural rock
dam, requiring a very small wooden
dam to turn the water into the tlume
and having a fall of % feet. The
danger from ice and freshct is almost
nothing. Considering the amount
of water, the great amount of fall,
and the small expense of the dam, it
is one of the best in the state. We
own about one-ha1f of this power
The year before our mill was burned
in 1888 we had put i'll q new flume,
of 4 and 6 inch plank, and attached
to it were four iron water wheels.
Also we had a place prepared and
new race-way built for another and
larger wheel which we have never
utilized but in which q water wheel
could be set" in two days time
The hune rests on the solid rock, as
does the mill When the mill was
burned it left our new flume and
wheels uninjurcd comparatively. In
1884 we erected on this site new
and strong building of three high
stories besides the wheel pit and half
story at top of building. It's 3OX55
feet and measures about 70 feet from
the water to the ridge-pole. 1t was
intended for q custom and feed mill
and q roller process Touring mill.
We have not put III the Touring ma
chinery, and consequently do not oc-
cupv one-half of the room in the mill
in our business. Neither do we use
One-half of the power that we own,
and we sell or rent the balance Of the
water not needed by us, to the pulp
mill at rental of $3.50 per year.
We have no doubt but that this cx-
cess of water, rented to MIR. CuSh-
man is amply sufficient to furnish all
of the electric light or power wanted
in the village Mr.. Cushman offered
to release us from the contract with
him for this purpose. Also III our
old mill we had and used four water
wheels, but in our new mill we are
now using only three wheels. The
fourth one sets in the wheel-pit, with
five minutes This wheel would fur
nish sufficient power for 35 arc
lamps, such as are proposed to be
used i'll this village.
We are aware that water power is
valuable, but only so if it can be set
to work. We are getting some in
come from it but not nearly as much
as we ought and we desire to get
more out of it. We say that, aside
from the fact Of the frozen ground
interfering With the setting of poles,
we are III condition to furnish electric
light here sooner than the one now
proposing to do it.
Our offer was made in good faith,
without consultation with other
parties here, and is still open. We
hope it will be accepted and we are
prepared to give bonds i'll the sum of
$40, 900 with good signers, that we
will carry out our part of the con-
tract. The subject of bringing our
power from Passumpsic to st. Johns
bury is not new with us. Several
years ago we made some investiga-
tions at Sutherland Falls (Proctor)
where the power to operate the drills
in the marble quarries originates at
the Falls and is conveyed to the
quarries i'll iron pipes as compressed
air, but this seemed too expensive.
About electricity, the information
we received seemed to show that ii
was too expensive to carry it SO far,
and that the loss of power was
great. This fall the Brush company
"a much older one than the Thu
sent us some circulars, and Saturday,
Dec. %, their agent, Mr.. Bradley,
stopped over here for one train, and
came to see us. He informed us that
they were now carrying electricity,
for lights and power, q distance of
Is miles with perfect success. He
stated that the loss of power from
the water wheel to the dynamo was
about 10 per cent. The loss from the
dynamo till delivered at st. Johns
bury would be about 10 per cent
more, so that of the actual power of
the water wheel more than 80 per
cent of it could be delivered in St
Johnsbury. He also gave us an es-
innate of the cost of plant Exclusive
of the power to run it, which in
Guided all of the latest improve
ments, including the hanging of the
lamps at about the centre of the
streets. These figures were so low
that if we could procure the accep
tance of our offer, as made to the
village, and secure q reasonable
amount of commercial lighting, it
would make use for our compara-
lively unused power, which would
be more profitable to us than any
other business that we have engaged
in.
In consideration of the fact that
it would have saved the village at
least $2400, in the three wears, we
are unable to see the force or reason
of the statement made by n voter
after the meeting of Dec. 9th that
they would raise hell with the Ides
al the annual meeting" Inasmuch
as the village owes us nothing, and
we owe the village nothing, and as
we are not village office-holders and
do not want to be, we don't quite
see how 1T can be done.
E. T. & H. K. IDE.
Dec. %, 'SS.
OLIVER DTTSON,S STRANGE BLESS