The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-24
LEADS ALL NORTH CAROLINA DAlES M NEWS AND CIRCULATION

power is naturally found in country
that is more or less broken, in the noun
tains and Hill country, where all the
streams are rapid or in the belt where
the streams drop from the upland region
to the coastal section. The original
lines of railway built through the State
followed in a large measure the path
of least resistance" steering clear of the
broken country so far as possible. The
result has been that nearly all the best
water-powers of the State have hitherto
been more or less remote from railways,
and consequently impossible as sites for
industries wherein good transportation
facilities are prime necessity. Nor
has the demand for power sites been
sufficiently insistent to lead the main
lines of road to throw out branches to
such sites or to induce the building of
independent roads by local capital and
subscriptions. Thus has it come about
that so many of our cotton mills, roller
mills, wooden mills and other manufac-
tories are steam-driven while thousands
of horsepower are going to waste year
in and year out along our streams.
Just now we are entering upon a
new era, however, in this respect, an
era WIFI TWO IldTkeI plldScS.
/. The building of new lines of rail
way tapping hitherto inaccessible water
powers and by supplying transportation
facilities rendering possible the estab-
lishment of industries at the power
sites.
2. The demonstration of the Feasibility
of transforming the power into electricity
and the transmission of it in that form
to points already on lines of railway
where it may be used to drive the ma
chinery of manufacturing plants.
The Importance of this dual develop
ment to our industrial economy can
hardly be over-eStimated. As appears
elsewhere in this issue many new lines
of railway have been recently projected
and are building or to be built in the
State, some Of them branches of the
great systems and some of them indie
pendent lines, and reaching some of the
very finest water-powers of the State
that were hitherto nearly useless for
lack of shipping facilities. Nor has the
discovery of the possibilities of power
transmission been less potent as fac
tor in inducing greater activity IN manu-
features, since many fine water pow
ers are situated near enough to railway
lines that factories on the roads may DC
supplied with power from the streams. LII
is not too much to say that within the
next decade, if the State is spared a II
nancial panic, the major part of its wa
ter power will be available in one OF
these ways.
w nen it is recalled with what profit
and success steam-driven plants, cotton
mills naztieularly are being operated IN
this State, it readily appears What a
marked impetus this availability of
cheaper water power must give
to our manufactures in the near
future. The great saving to fac
tories that can use water pow
er direct instead Of steam power is
sufficiently plain to all to need no dis
clission. The saving in the case of cleo
trically transmitted power is perhaps less
we'll understood.
From the report aboye referred to
take the following estimate for install
ing an electric power plant:
'.laking a larger unit, say, 1000 horse.
power; transmission 10 miles; voltage
1000; total efficiency so per cent, we
would haveh
Hydraulic work. wheel, etc. .S 55,00O0
Generators $780,. Zo,UUOU
POwer-house $500. Z,oUo0I
Line. - ."..... i,oUuOI
Miscellaneous .... 80. lO,0OOW
Total ....... .S100,oOO0f
CTER ATI%G EXPENSES