The Press., 1897-12-23
tContributed.) WASTED RESOURCES.

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 puffing 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 pioducts mean Eeirher prosperity and progress or hesita- tiea and decay.". We hear much of the need of more industries for Stafford.
 Why2 Because it was long since demon |strated that for purely. agricultural pur- poses there was little adaptation, or possi- bility of development within reasonable ratio of cost and return; hence if the town was to; prolong its existence 1t 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 scrub-oak- and the woodchuck crowding the farmers into other fields. What is the greater part of this country so steady and surely going back into the wildness Of the forestP Are there no possibilities attaching to these lands :? 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 crop"of railroad ties or a few cords of factory fuel? How much better to take few hundred of such acres and flood them at such a time of rain fall
 as we have recently had and which, with few exceptions, comes about twice in a
 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 o1OhE ONOIy
 line of town growth To be specific, let us go over this old town, examine some of fits topography and see how we'll it is adaped to the very uses suggested. Take the Staffordville reservoir, five or six feet can readily be added to it's 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 Tuckerville reser- yesr is 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 200 acres or more could be covered to depth of from 20 to 90 feet. Just below the Plimpton place the Stafford Aqueduct Go, could flood @ still larger territory of near ly 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 Ghaffee's as 1t is called, could be. raised from to 5 feet and that body of water nao re than doubled. Below, on the WashbuTR meadows, a large territory could be covered with little trouble. Above West Stafford, on the Springfield road there sheahlbe thrown up an embankment that would hold back a body of water larger than any on the east branch of the @AYiHimantic river. Quite, body of water could be held or the Edson meadows, but the fall is SC slight from Bradway's wheel works to the Foxville mill pond that it is question whether the cost of eyerfowfng these lrslds at 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 it may bewell-to add right here that the day israpidly passing when,s body of water is stored simply to be drawr
 upon to feed mill ponds below. It is found that true economy lies in placing vince duu dL lAO 1OoCk NOAA 0hO AAoh 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. It costs to be or'to do, to breath, to move, to think; it takes money to bring money, and the outlay has to be 1T true proportion to return expected. Money grows on what it feeds on, and when ne
 ture has provided good feeding ground it does seem as though there ought to b'
 brain and energy enough somewhere about to so wisely direct the application of money that largest possible benefit ma. be derived from its use ,and the resources lavishly bestowed by nature be gathered up and properly utilized.