The Press., 1897-12-23
(Contributed.)
WASTED RESOURCES.

your humble correspondent watched the
sweep and surge of the swollen waters
rushing down the east and west branch of
the Willimantic river after the heavy
rain of the 14th inst, he could not keep
back the thought" what a waste of power;
what an evidence of the lethargy of the
people; wasted resources rushing madly
by; how easy TO hold them back how
soon the mill dams will be bare, the little
mill ponds depleted, steam harnessed up,
the putting of the engine begin and con-
sumption of fuel for power add to the cost
of the products exported from Stafford
the profit Orloss on whose products mean
either prosperity and progress or hesita-
tioA and decay" We hear much of the
need Of more industries for Stafford.
Why? Because it was long since demon
strated that for purely agricultural pur-
poses there was little adaptation, or poesi-
bility of Development within reasonable
ratio of cost and return; hence If the
town was to prolong its existence it must
be along the line of manufacturing in
some form. That the Limitation of power
possible to be developed and utilized has
not been reached is repeatedly in evidence
before the people. The back country, it
is acknowledged by all, is rapidly going
back to a. desolate condition and the
the farmers into other fields. What is
the greater part of this country so steady
and surely going back into the :wildness
OF the forest2 Are there no possibilities
attaching to these lands Z Must they re-
main non-productive for the term of a
generation more of human life In order to
give the boys Of 1880 an opportunity to
harvest another crop1of railroad ties or a
few cords of factory fuel? How much
better to take few hundred Of such acres
and food them at such a time of rain fall
as we have recently had and which, with
few exceptions, comes about twice in
year. Imagine what power it would add
to the force already stored up. How
quickly mills might be enlarged or others
built, more people given employment, more
homes demanded, more money put in
circulation, more development along every
line of town growth To be specific, let
us GO over this old town, examine some
fits topography and see how well it is
adaped to the very uses suggested. Take
the Staffordville reservoir, five or six feet
can readily be added to its height, and
by skilful engineering so built as to in
no ways imperil anything below. Another
reservoir of nearly equal capacity could
be raised in the woods and field above
the present body. The TuokerviIle reser-
vosr ia only about half what it might be.
Over on Roaring brook above the Mathew.
pond large tract of cheap land could be
flooded with little outlay. Below the
Mathew mill is the natural bed of an
enormous possible reservoir; some 300
acres or more could be covered to depth
of from 90 to so feet. Just below the
Plimpton place the Stafford Aqueduct Co,
could flood still larger territory of near
~ waste land. Down by the brook mill
a short dam could be thrown up flooding
back over the meadows of the Orcutt
place, and reservoir of several hundred
acres 30 to 40 feet in depth be secured.
The State line pond, or Chaffee's as it is
called, could be. raised from 8 to 5 feet,
and that body of water mo re than doubled.
Below, on the WashbuFR meadows,
large territory could be covered with little
trouble Above West Stafford, on the
Springfield road ,ithere sheutdbe thrown
up an embankment that would hold back
a body of water larger than any on the
east branch of the AYillimantie river.
Quite, body of water could be held on
the Edison meadows, but the fall is so
slight from Bradway's wheel works to the
Foxville. mill pond that it is question
whether the cost OF eyerfowing these
J1elds at a shallow depth would justify the
outlay. A large body OF water could be
stored below Crystal Lake. and prove
valuable as power for electrical and other
purposes, and 1t may be.weli-to ado, right
here thatthe day israpidly passing when,a
body of water is. stored simply to be drawn
Upon TO feed mill ponds below. It is found
that true economy lies in placing wheel
and dynamo at the reservoir and make
that water pay duty as 1t rushes to the
pond below, and the slender wire trans
mits that power to the mill below, or:
above, and so no power is wasted. Some
will say yes but all this costs; our town
roads call for bridges, and! Yes,it does
cost. 1t costs to be or to do, to breath,
to move, to think it takes money to
bring money, and the outlay has to be In
true proportion to return expected. Money
grows on what it feeds on, and when na-
ture has provided a good feeding ground
it does seem as though there ought to be
brain and energy enough somewhere
about to SO wisely direct the application
OF. money that largest possible benefit may
be derived from its use, land the resources
lavishly bestowed by nature be gathered
up and properly utilized.