The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-04-13
VAST WATER POWER.
NORTH CAROLINA AS A GREAT
MANUFACTURING STATE.
That's What 1t Ought to be With it s
Abundant Natural Resources of
Water Power, Raw fiat eriaI, Climate,
Capitalize Disposition, the Effort,
the Skill Only Lacking to Put These
Into More General Operation.
Greensboro RecOrd.)

Greensboro Record.)
The following appeared in the
Record few days ago:
The Legislature of Alabama has
exempted all new manufacturing en-
terprises established in that State
from taxes for a period of ten years.
One of the results is the establish
ment of a 200, ,OO0-spindle cotton mill,
which will employ 5000 hands at
HUNTSVILLE"
Apropos of this, our attention has
been called to speech delivered by
Col. John N. Staples in the House Of
Representatives at Raleigh, in March,
1879, on bill introduced by him to
amend the Constitution Of the State
comforting on the Legislature the
power to exempt from taxation for a
period, not exceeding ten years,
capital invested in manufacturing
improvements. Col. Staples renewed
his efforts while in the Senate in 1881
to secure such legislation, but was
unsuccessful IN both Houses.
We have read the speech referred
to and desire particularly to call the
attention Of those unfamiliar with the
facts to the vast and valuable water
power Of our State.
Since ol.Staples speech was made,
much OF this valuable water power
referred to has been utilized, but there
is enough left, if harnessed, to make
North Carolina the greatest cotton
milling territory in the world. From
the experience of our Alabama
friends, in this matter of legislation,
it would seem that if our Legislature
had adopted the same course years
ago we would have reaped golden
harvest by this time, and our manu-
featuring interests would have been
greatly stimulated and augmented.
We quote from the speech as fol-
lows:
''Something must be done to build
up; we must have State policy" A
policy that will bring us into COM
petition with the great commercial
centres Of the world; policy that
will give us influence and power
among men; policy that will make
the vast resources of which we are so
abundantly possessed, the pride and
glory of mankind. What are some Of
these vast resources Of which Ispeak? I
have been dealing in generaltities, now
l propose to call your attention briefly
to few extracts from the Geological
Survey of North Carolina, recently
made by our distinguished and
efficient Geologist, Prof. Kerr, show
ing the extent and mechanical force
of our rivers and streams. The
rivers which flow through the noun
tains and their tributaries are de-
scribed with particularly by Prof.
Kerr, but notably among them may
be mentioned the Hawassee, the Ten
nessee, the Pigeon, the French Broad,
the Swannanoa, the Ivy, the Watauga.
New river, the Linville, and the
Green, with drainage from the
counties of Cherokee, Clay, Graham,
Spain, Jackson, Haywood, Ashe, AL
leghany and Pennsylvania.
Rivers East of the Blue Ridge are
grouped into four systems, COM
prising the waters which drain the
Southern and Northern portions of
the Piedmont region, the Northern
border of the State running from
Surry county to Northampton, from
near the Blue Ridge to the coast and
also the waters which rise along the
Southern slope of the '.easterly
ridge" Among the large rivers
which belong to the systems East OF
the Blue Ridge may be mentioned,
the Catawba, Broad, Green, Yadkin,
South Yadkin, Rocky River, Little
Yad. Uwharnie, Little River, Dan,
Mayo, Roanoke, Smiths, Tar, Neuse,
Haw, Deep, Trent, Flat, Lumber,
Rock, New, Waccamaw and Cape
Fear rivers. All these have num-
bers of tributaries, specially men
toned and located by Prof. Kerr. He
goes on to say: 1T will be found by
summing up the aggregate Of the
river length of all the river systems
of the State, that the total aggregate
is about $500 miles Gust the length
of the Mississippi from its source to
the gulf,) and their total fall about
SO. 600 feet, or an average of 10 fee
to the mile" Again he says: |.It
will be apparent from the foregoing
rapid sketch, that the water power
| of the State is enormous and dis
| tributed over its whole territory ex
cept the immediate seaboard; ant
only the larger class of steams ha:
been included in the foregoing cal
culation. while hundreds of creeks
many of them large enough to bt
classed as rivers in other countrle:
Oarger than the Tiber or the Arno,
and of sufficient power for an in
definite number Of mills and factO
| ries. have not even been named. lr
the Piedmont and mountain region:
especially, exist multitude o
streams, affiuents of the great rivers
which in their descents of hundreds
of feet from the upper slopes ane
table lands, develop an aggregate
amount of force, probably not much
less than that of the main stream
But it is not impossible to react
some definite conception of th'
amount of this mechanical power.
saws Prof. Kerr ..by measurement
OI tue ia" river. iuailc aL It's con
tiuence with Deep river, gives {
force which may be expressed simpl,
as 200 horse power per foot of fall.
/. II the half O
this be taken as the average of th'
whole length Of the stream. the ad
ditional datum required is 100-hors
power per foot Of the fall for tn
river 33, 900 miles long and falling L
feet to the mile. This gives tota
mechanical effect of $500. 900 hors'
power.
In speaking Of the amount Of waite
carried off annually by drainage wit
a descent of GAO feet. the Professo
cr;roS &ho fo.oo 81 2 go 900 hor-