The times., 1898-12-12
scots Contemplating "a Water Power
Scheme.

-
scheme.
Consul Fleming. at Edinburgh. has sent
to the State Department an interesting
statement concerning water power In
Scotland. 1t follows:
THE next session of Parliament will
comprise at least one bill Oh an unusual
character, which. il 1t become law, can
not fali to have an important bearing not
only upon certain industries which are
now Iansuish.ng and being gradually
driven out of the country by foreign COM
petition. but also upon 4 district of Scot
land 50 situated as 10 be little more than
Il great waste. sIne scheme is promoted
by the Highland Water Power Syndicate,
"A corporation which Is understood to have
very strong financial backing and to be
supported by men who have an intimate
knowledge of this class of work.
''The object of the syndicate is Ia rs!l-
ize the waters of Loch Ericht. the east
end of which is close TO Daiwhinnie Sta
tion, on the Highland Railway, the west
end being fifteen and a half miles away.
and to convey them. along with the wa
tiers of other lochs. to the head OF Loch
I.even. on the west coast, some twenty
miles distant, where fall of upwards of
l.i05 feet viii be obtained, which can be
utilized for generating over 1900 electri-
cal horse power Loch Ericht covers
about seven and a half square miles of
area and contains very large quantity
of water. The line of the canal will pass
through gently uudulating country,
which presents very few engineering 90
stacles 1t will pass through the cele-
brated Black Water country. discharsins
its water. after passing through tunnel
about l mile long. into Loeb Eide Nor,
where two lakes are to be formed into one
by means of a dam at the lower end of
the valley. making another reservoir three
and a half miles long and a quarter of
mile wide From the outlet of this reser
voir another tunnel will be formed to con-
vey the water to the end of the pipe line,
which will carry ii over a head of LOO
feet in two falls, or, In other words. there
will be two sets OF power houses so feet
apart vertically. The total length of this
pipe line will be about 1,21o yards. The
lower of the two power houses will be
situated within half a mile of the tidal
waters of Loeb Leven. navigable at high
tide by vessels drawing fourteen feet. AT
the head of the loch. some seven and a
half miles from Bailaoauiish, there is good
anchorage for vessels. Another source of
supply for water viii be the valley of the
Black Water. along which, at a higher
| level, the upper canal from Loeb Ericht
II.
will be constructed at the lower end OF
/ the upper fall, and this will throw the
water back, forming reservoir seven and
I a half miles long and from quarter to
| half a mile wide. The aqueduct will be
! formed mostly in tunnel for about three
| and a half miles to the head of the pipe
| line at a point where a fall of about $50
| feet can be obtained close to the Loch
| Ercht pipe line. This head of water will
also be broken into two falls. which will
| join the Loeb Ericht water in the store
! houses common to both. 1t will give an
additional 1i.COo horse power, so that the
total power expected to be obtained from
Loch Ericht, the Black Water and Loeb
| Eide Mor-which Is part of the Loch
| Ericht system-wili be between 1000 and
IS, 600 horse power.
| "One of the chief features of the pro-
| posed scheme Is that the power can be
brought to the sea at q comparatively
cheap rate, so that whatever indust les
may be attracted to the spot will have
| a cheap means of transit for the raw
material and the finished products such
as could not be obtained if they were de-
pendent upon railway carriage. The in
dustries likely to be attracted by cheap
| electrical power are those of the chemi-
| cal and allied trades. These. at all
events, are the Industries on the Cont
nent and in America which have been
most eager to avail themselves of the ad-
vantages which cheap electrical power
affords. At the present time some sec
tions of the chemical trade in this coun-
try are being ruined by foreign compe-
tition, and some British manufacturers
have in contemplation the change OF
their works to countries where cheap
electrical power coupled with easy trans
port facilities can be obtained The pos
session Of 1000 or 5000 electrical horse
power at Loeb Leven will avert the ex-
t;nction of an industry which-cannot holl
its own against the electro'ytic process:
now being so largely adopted in Germany
and America. as a result of cheap and
abundant water power
''The engineers for the work. which il
is estimated will cost over a milton ster
ling, are George Anderson, Edinburgh
Reginald Middleton, London. and Messrs
Kincaid, Waller & Manyille, London