Evening star., 1897-01-13
DISTRICT IN CONGRESS
Bill to Purchase the Water Rights at the
Great Falls.
Power Said 10 BE Sufficient to supply
This City and Baltimore With
Electrfcfty-Other Matters.

The House District committee today gave
nearing on the Great Falls water power
DILL This bill provides as follows:
That the act entitled An act to increase
the water supply of the city of Washing
ton, and for other purposes approved July
10, 1ss2, be so amended to enable the
Attorney General and the Secretary of
War, in the exercise of the authority there
In and hereby conferred on them, to obtain
title for the United States. by right of
eminent domain or otherwise, to all the
water rights not now owned by the United
states at and in the vicinity of Great Falls
on the Potomac river the water SO taken
to be used for any and all public purposes
and also such land as may be necessary for
these purposes.
Within three months after the approyal
OF this act the Secretary of War and the
Attorney General shall make written
statement, specifying by metes and bounds
the lands and water rights, IL any, they
may deem necessary to take for the pur-
poses Of this act, excluding the lands al
ready purchased by the United States and
paid for, and shall file trplicate originals
of said statement in the offices of the reg
listed of deeds for the District of Column
bia, the county of Fairfax, Virginia and
the county of Montgomery, Maryland, re-
spectively.
The said filing of said statement shall
be taking for the United States by right
of eminent domain of the lands and waters
specifled In said statement, and of the
water rights appertaining thereto, and shall
vest the title to the same absolutely in the
United States.
Provided, That additional or amended
written statements specifying any other
lands and water rights deemed necessary
to be taken under this act, not included or
properly described in the statement above
provided for, may be filed as aforesaid, and
OF a q ftar Cail
three months, and within one year after
the approval of this act.
''If said statement shall include any lands
or water rights heretofore taken or at
tempted to be taken under authority of the
act to which this is an amendment, or
otherwise, and not heretofore paid for, the
taking of the same shall be treated as done
as aforesaid under this act
The bill then provides detailed regula-
tions for condemnation proceedings and the
adjustment of pending claims by the Court
of Claims.
Importance of the Legislation.
Chairman Babcock said the bill was
probably the most important piece of legis-
lation before the committee at this time
He read the report of the Commissioners
upon the bill, heretofore Published.
Mr. Ctas. w Needham of Needham &
Cotton, representing the Great Falls Power
Company, first addressed the committee.
He said this company is private corpora
ton, owning large tracts of land in the
vicinity of the falls. The company pro-
poses to utilize lis riparian rights TO gen.
crate electric power and transmit 1t.
There can be no question:. said Mr.
Needham, but that this company owns the
entire rights al Great Falls, except those
owned by the United States and the Ches-
apeake and Ohio canal. Up to short time
ago the company felt that the property
should not be taken by the government
The Senate committee, however, favorably
reported upon taking the property, ard
that action constituted a cloud upon the
property sufficient TO prevent the company
raising money upon its project Therefore
the company asks that if the United States
proposes to take the property the action
should not be delayed.
I'VE are not here to try to get any par
ticuiar bill through" said Mr.. Needham,
''but to ask that the United States should
decide to do ole thing or another, and Set
tie the uncertainty.
He said the bill provides an absolutely
fair proposition for the ascertainment of
damages occasioned by the taking of the
water rights by the United States. Mr..
Needham described to the committee the
suits now pelding in the Court of Claims
against the government for the present
taking of water at the falls. In the pend
ing bill should pass these suits would fail.
as far as they may apply to future dam
ages.
Utility of the Falls.
Coming to the question of the utility of
the falls Mr.. Needham said that electric
power can be furnished to Washington and
Baltimore. The utilization of the Niagara
Falls in electric power furnished in Buffa-
10, twenty-five miles away, has demonstrate
ed that electric power from a turbine wheel
can be furnished cheaper than steam power.
AT Buffalo less than per cent of the power
is lost in transmission over twenty-five
miles. The longest route between Wash
ington and Great Falls is sixteen miles.
If the Great Falls are used the govern
ment can light its buildings and grounds,
can furnish motive power for all its ma
chinery, including the presses at the gov-
ernment printing office, cheaper than can
be obtained by steam. The smoke nuisance
can also be abated in this city.
What is the value of the property"
asked Mr.. Babcock
Mr.. Needham said proposition had been
made to the Senate committee of $3.50
The owners held their rights at $JOO.O0.
In the present case, however, Mr. Need
ham would not be understood as making
any proposition.
Speaking of the value of the falls, Mr.
Needham said the minimum extent of the
power is 10,OOO-horse power. The actual
value Of the power is 50.OO0-horse power.
This would be obtained by the supple
mentary use Of steam power for 80 days,
when the water was low. By increasing
the steam five-siXteenths the power would
be increased to 1OO,OOO-horse power.
Mr.. Ba,bcock said that in the west it has
been found that where water power was
used and supplemented by steam power it
substitute steam for water power.
Mr.. Needham, in closing, asked the COM
mittee to take action of some kind in this
matter. Either pass the bill and take the
property or give some guarantee of policy
which would enable the company to go
ahead and complete its project.
The Market Boundarfes
Gen. Birney, as attorney for the Wash
irgton Center Market, appeared before the
House District committee today in connec-
ton with the pending Senate resolution re-
lating to the occupancy of B street by the
farmers and gardeners. The pending ques-
tion was in the form of amendment, which
would be agreeable to the Commissioners
and the market company, and have the ef-
feet of preventing the resolution from af-
fecting the boundary lines or property
rights of the company B street.
Gen. Birney said the company would be
satisfied with any one of four amendments,
namely: provision that the resolution
should not be construed changing the
southern boundary of the market; that
there should be no extension of the market
boundary; that the property rights of the
United States as the company should not
be affected that there should be no extern
sion of the market limits defined in the
charter Of the company.
Knights of Labor Heard.