The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-23
] ,OCAL NEWS.
lvEDNEsDYA MARCH 16, 1898.
ELECTRIC GROWTH.
Some of the Mills at Columbia, Ander-
SON and Pelzer Operated by
the Mystic Power.

Same of the Mills ut Columbia, Ander-
SON and Pelzer Operated by
the Mystic Power.
The Southern Field, published by the
southern Railroad and edited by NJ. V.
Richards, is journal wide-awake to the
interests of the South. In its last issue IL
has the following interesting article de-
scriptiye of the development of the water
power in the State:
In the South, along the lines OF the
Southern Railway, are very many hne
water powers, and several have been i'm
nroved and are in use in city lighting, on
street cars lines and in factories. South
scsrolina's Piedmont section is possessed
Of 8 large number of available WAFER
powers, many of which can De lmpioveo
atyery small cost. or the powers IN lae
state which have been developed three
are M now furnishing electricity to cities
and az 3 Mill mills They are the power from the
Rroad. at Columbia, that on the Seneca,
at Portman Falls, near Anderson, and on
the Salpda, at Pelzer.
The Columbia power is the largest OF
the three, the developed horse power De-
ing $4,000, giving 1t greater power IMAM
there is at Holyoke, Lowell or Lawrence,
Macs. Manchester, N. H., or lewiston,
Me. The Broad river and the Saiuda
inst above Columbia unite to form the
sCongaree. The rapids Of the Broad be-
gin two miles above the city, and terml-
nate one mile below. falling in this DIS
tance forty-one feet. From these rapids
have been built the water power canal:
The dimensions of the canal are llO feet
vide bottom and $50 feet at normal sur
face OF water. with depth OF ten ieet.
The fall, as above, is Al feet, ana tne Ca
spacity for power is l4,O0O d. +. Inc
canal was purchased several years ago
from the State, which built it. by Boston
capitalists, who formed the Colum ola
Water Power Company. The city uses
500 horse power and the Electric lIlgns
and Power Company the same amount. UNI
The Columbia Mills Company was
formed soon after the organization OF the
power company. The Columbia Mill is
located on the canal, and electric power
is transmitted to it by the cable from the
generating station on the other side OF
The canal. Two thousand horse power is
generated at this station. The mill uses
onlv electric power for it's working and
all other machinery. The description
and picture of this mill was given in
late issue of the Southern Field. Inc
CRANKY Mill, which now operates 2o,OO0
spindles and 500 looms, followed the
Columbia in the use of electric power,
which is transmitted by wire half mlle
from the central station.
3 The water power of the Seneca river,
ten miles from Anderson, S. O., has been
developed by the Anderson Water, Light
and Power Company. The Seneca river
is one of two streams which form the
Savannah, and SIX miles above its con-
f1uence with the Tugaloo are Portman
shoals, which happen to be in the rough
est and most inaccessible Fart OF Inc
county. at Portmsn shoals the Seneca
for two miles cuts its way over solid
granite bed. between high and preclpl-
tons bluffs, falling distance OF 40 ieet.
The company owns both sides OF the
river for the entire distance. Near the
foot of the shoals they have erected solld
dam of granite aud cement % feet high
and nearly 700 feet long, and so designed
that it can be carried to height to uti-
LIS the whole fall of the river whenever
the demand for more power requires 1t.
The power house is built just below the
eastern end Of the dam, and contains
foundations, fumes and wheel pits for
five units of 1000 horse power each. The
machinery at present installed IN the
power house consists of turbine wheels,
electrical generators and switchboards Tor
handling the electrical current and are
assem- bled in two units of practically
i 900 horse power each. From this
power house the electricity is conducted
ten miles, by wire, to Anderson. The
chief customer for the power at present Is
the Anderson Cotton Mills Company,
which has contracted for 1000 horse
power, sufficient to drive its 36, 1000 spin
dies and l, 100 looms, and more. The use
of electricity in the mills was begun No
vember 15 last. In the older mill at An
dsrson, containing $4,000 spindles, for
merly run by steam, the 700 horse power
Corliss engine and batteries Of boilers
nave been replaced by three electric mo-
tors whose combined weight scarcely ex-
ceeds that Of the fly wheel of the engine
alone. The new mill was erected to use
electricity. In it one large synchronous
motor of three hundred horse power
drives the looms and cards, one indec-
ton motor of 100 horse power the picker
room, aud II small motors. of six horse
power each, the spinning. The capacity
of the mills will ultimately be $4,000 spin
dies.
Power is also furnished for the Ander-
son Water Works, city electric light
plant, cotton gin, mattress factory and
other Industries.
one of the pioneer cotton mill compa-
MES to make use of electricity in the
mills is the big Pelzer Manufacturing
Compan al. .Pelzer, S. c.. in the Saluda
Valley. This company was organized in
1880, and now has mills with 103, 900 spin
dies. Pelzsr is in Anderson County,
Western South Carolina, on the Green
Vile and Columbia line of the Southern
Railway. It is located on the Saluda
River, and the entire power Of the river
there is utilized by the company in its
mills. The corporation controls the Sa'
luda river for several miles on each side,
and in this distance are many undevel-
oped water powers in addition to these
already utilized. The company in 1894
planned new $1,000 spindle mill, and 1t
was decided to run it, as we'll as mill NO.
5, by electricity. The river three miles
below the village was improved by the
erection of a dam 50 feet high and about
$50 feet long, with spillway OF 800 feet.
The available power thus developed was
300. a power mousse was erecteu dL lno
dam site, with wheel pits and feeders,
and five pair horizontal Victor wheels,
sach with 1000 horse power; each pair OF
turbines is connected with the generators.
From the power house the wires carry
The electricity two and tive-eighth miles
% mill No. 4, and TO the sychronous mo-
.or in mill No. ). The motor equipment
IN mill No. aggregates 2.OSO horse
power, divided into "a motors, including
Two OF so horse power, four of75, fifteen
of 40 and five small ones from five to