The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-15
A GREAT WATER POWER.
The st. Lawrence Power Company of
! Massena.

From the London illustrated News.
1.-The United States has in the past
shown a wonderful capacity for producing
big things and when they harnessed
Niagara it was thought that they had
whipped creation in the production of
the greatest water power on earth. Now
however, Gods country as the true
American loves to call it, has surpassed
itself, and a canal is to be constructed
from the st. Lawrence river capable of
delivering between 100000 and 800 600
horse power. These figures are
so stupendous that it is difficult to grasp
them at first, for such an amount of pow
er is tantamOunt to the discovery of a
new coal field, with this immense advan-
tage that, while the largest coal field
must in time be worked out, the mighty
waters of the St. Lawrence, fed by the
great lake system of the United States
will roll on unaffected by the huge power
developed. The site of this proposed
great engineering work is Massena a
small town situated on the Grass river
in the state of New York, about sixty
miles above Montreal and about eighteen
miles below Ogdensburgh. A canal is to
be cut from the st. Lawrence river to the
Grass river. which is a tributary of the
former and runs into ii about six miles
below the town of Massena. The two riv-
ers run practically parallel to each other
for a considerable distance, divided by an
almost level plateau of alluvial soil; but
owing to the extraordinary topography of
the land here, the Grass river is about
fifty-four feet below the level of the st.
Lawrence. BY cutting a canal between
the two rivers and thus divertng the wa
ter from the st. Lawrence, a minimum
fall can be obtained Of about forty-four
feet The water taken from the st. Law
renee will be restored through the Grass
river which will thus form a natural
tail race.
Considerable care has been taken in
choosing the route Of the canal Several
trial surveys have been made to determine
that route which would involve the re-
moval of the smallest quantity of earth to
form canal Of the requisite dimensions
beneath the water level. The intake leaves
the st. Lawrence at the mouth Of a small
natural creek which at present flows into
the river, affording a natural depression
in the bank OF the river which will very
much minimise the cost of the construc-
ton Of the canal inlet. Moreover natu-
raj headland here projects out into the ST.
Lawrence, securing perfect protection to
the inlet of the canal from the drifting
Ice which IL carried along i'm vast quanti-
ties at the breaking up OF the cold season.
Where the canal reaches the banks of
the Grass river il will turn parallel to
that stream, and the water supply for
the turbines will be by direct pipes from
the canal. which will be connected by
short conduits to the Grass river. The
canal will be OF such dimensions as TO be
capable OF delivering 15O.cOO-horse power
on the turbines on the Grass river. and
the requisite electrical machinery will be
set up for delivering, 75.0O0-horse power OF
this electrically. As the demand for power
warrants H. the works can be extended to
produce, Il il said, up to 5OO.0OO-horse
power.
with the birth OF what may be termed
the new chemistry which may be brief
ly explained as the manufacture electric
ally Of the chemical products used In COM
mcrce, the existence OF this huge water
power IS a matter Of enormous interest
to the trading community. The great dir