The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-21

/ ilt elutcs hcuiUSiCili podIu HicI y KS
| terday at noon in the Governors office
! All the members of the board weyc pres.
emit
State Geologist Holmes presented his
report, which was read and adopted by
| the board. This report was, in part, us
| follows:
The work of the North Carolina Geo
| logical Survey during the year ending
November 80. 1898, has been carried
forward in accordance with plans submit
ted and discussed ut the meeting of this
board Il year ago. Subsequent to that
time an opportunity was presented for
our undertaking two new lines of work:
(1) the establishment of magnetic meri-
dian posts and the beginning Of a mag
netic survey of the State; and CD the in
vestigation as to the rate of growth I'M
der different conditions of the short leaf
pine. the principal timber trees of east
ern North Carolina. The extent and ma
ture of the investigation in connection
with both of these subjects are described
below. 1t is encouraging to note that
N many portions of the State there has
been during the past few months a
greater interest and activity manifested
in connection with mining, water power
and timber Developments than at any
time for several years. condition which
it may be fairly claimed is in part a
result of the work done by the Survey,
and which it is believed the results of
this work will continue to encourage
along lines which give most promise Of
success.
In the engineering division of the Sur
vey during the past year work has been
carried on as follows:
Stations have been established and
measurements have been made of the
flow on the Roanoke river at the cross
ing of the Norfolk and Carolina Rail
road. near Meals: on the Tar river at
Tarboro: on the Neuse river near Sci
ma: and on the Cape Fear River at Fay
ettevile: on the Yadkin river near Sal
isbury and near Norwood; on the Ca
tawba river at Catawba station, and
near Rock Hill, South Carolina; on the
French Broad river at Asheville: on the
Tuckaseegee river at Bryson city: on
the Little Tennessee river at Judson
and on the Hiwassee river at Murphy.
During May, 1898, stations were also
established on the Deep and Haw riv-
ers near Moncure.
At all these stations daily observations
of the stage of the river are made and
recorded, and at intervals during the
year the stations are visited by our
engineer and an instrumental gaging of
the volume of the water is made.
The expense of maintaining these sta
lions is such that only n limited number
of them could be established. In To-
eating these stations we have endeavor-
ed to select places as near as possible
to the regions where water power devel-
opment might be reasonably expected.
and which would be easily accessible both
for daily measurements and for the oc-
casional examinations for the measuring
of the flow by the engineer. Owing to
the Importance of the Yadkin and the
Catawba rivers, two stations have been
esta blished on each of these streams,
one just above and the other just below
the region Of greatest water power pos
s.bilities. These measurements have
primarily as their object the accurate
determination of the flow Of the stream
at all stages of wafer in order that
information may be furnished inventors
who are seeking water power. Accurate
knowledge of this sort is of the great
est Importance in connection with the
development of water power, and owing
many streams the development of pow
erS has been retarded.
The most noteworthy water power de-
velopment in the State during the past
year has been that on the Yadkin river,
near Winston by the Fries Power Manu-
featuring Company. From this point
the power is transmitted as electricity
thirteen miles TO Winston and Salem,
where it is distributed and used in the
running of a number of manufacturing
enterprises This is the first time in
North Carolina that power has been
transmitted electrically. 1t is believed
however, that in the near future there
will be large developments along this
line. 1t is estimated that the loss of
power in this transmission will be less
than 10 per cent. The development of
water power in North Carolina has here
tofore been greatly retarded by the
fact that they were located usually at
considerable distances from railroad
transportation. but there is now no fea-
son why these should not be developed
and the power transmitted electrically to
the manufacturing centers where it can
be distributed to the smallest as well as
the largest establishments, and / see no
reason why towns as well as corpora
tions should not make use of power de-
veloped and transmitted in this way for
the running of electric lights and electric
car lines, and it is possible that in the
near future we may witness power trans
mitted electrically from the Roanoke at
Weldon to Raleigh for operating the
manufacturing enterprises and from the
Yadkin to Lexington, Salisbury and
Concord: and from the Catawba to
Charlotte, Statesville and Hickory.
These Investigations during the past
few years have consisted largely in an
examination and description of the timber
supplies and general forest conditions Of
the State. and have been carried on
largely by Mr. w. w. Ashe, of the
Survey The object of the work has
been two-fold: "a to show to investors
elsewhere what exists in North Caro-
lima in the way of valuable timber re-
sources; (2) to educate our own people