Connecticut western news., 1899-02-16
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY Is. 1899
FORTUNES IN ELECTRICITY.

FORTUNES IN ELECTRICITY.
 The Rip Van Wrinkles of the Housaton-
 ic Valley are Waking Up to the Fact
 that the Water Power of this Valley
 Is Bonanza for Electrical Purposes.
 A New and Big Electrical Project.
 On January.26 the NEWS published an editorial entitled "Millions Within Reach" That editorial advocated using the water power of the Housatonic river to generate electricity sufficient to supply Northwestern Connecticut with heat. light and motive power. On Feb. 9th the NEWS puhlised an editorial entitled Development of Electricity. The last named editorial quoted figures from the U. s. Government Advertiser to show that it requires 34.560 pounds of coal to operate one horse power for one year by steam. The last named editorial also gave facts and figures con- corning electrical plants in California which are operated by water power. It also mentioned several new electrical proleots:in the East. and pr promised that the NEWS of Feb 18th would contain extracts from articles concerning the water power of the Housatonic river written by Engineer B. H. Hull of Bridgeport and published in the New Milford Gazette during the winter and spring of 1891. It also stated that after reading Engineer Hull's articles 1t would be discovered that the water pow CT in California does not equal the water power in the Housatonic valley and that millions of dollars are within reach of whoever is shrewd enough to utilize for electric purposes the water power of the Housatonic valley.
 Those editorials have walked up the Rip VanWinkles of the Housatonic Val ley-and some who are not Rip VanWin- kles are quite excited over the situation. The PittsAeld Sunday Morning Call of the 18th inst reprinted the NEWS edi- torial of the 9th inst at the special re- quest of some reader of the Call who is entirely unknown to the editor of the NEWS, and furthermore said editorial was highly complimented and favor ably commented upon. Now in fulfill ment of it's promise the NEWS today publishes elsewhere in it's columns) extracts from Engineer Hull's articles and right here we wish to state that the NEWS is indebted to Editor Bolles of the New Milford Gazette for his kind ness and courtesy in copying from his files said extracts for reprint in the NEWS. After reading Engineer Hull's articles the most skepticsl must be con- vinced that the water power of the Housetonic river is bonanza for elec- trical purposes.
 Electrical plants are being establish ed in all parts of the United.States. Most of them how sver must use steam power with which to generate electricity. Only last week George J. Gould announced that ssthe Manhattan Elevated Railway Company has decided to install electric ity as the motive power for the entire system, and to issue SIS. .0O0, 900 of ad- ditional stock to meet this expenditure. '" Presiden. Gould furthermore said ''the saving in operating expenses alone will be more than 100000 year. and that the increase in speed will be from l6 to IS per cent, and the increase in capacity of our trains during rush hours will be 20 per cent" Of course steam power must be used to generate cleo tricity for the entire Manhattan Elevat- cd Railway system. If that company can expend SIS. .OOO, 900 in equipping its system with electricity, and must use coal to generate electricity, and then can save $1, 600. 900 annually, that fact is an astounding revelation of the value of the water power of the Honsatonic river for electrical purposes.
 This is the Age of progress the age of electricity. Let us review the past by way of comparison. Many can re- member the time when about the only way the water power in this section V as utilized was to operate old fashioned upright saws in saw mills. Later the upright saw was superseded by the buzz saw. Later came portable steam engines to operate buzz saws, and the engines and saws were taken into the forests and temporarily located where ever desired. This was a new depar- ture from the old way of doing business. It was progress-it was taking the mill to the logs instead of taking the logs to mill.a The spirit of progress is ex. actly what the Housatonic Valley needs. Its magnificent water power at Fall Village and points south of there has virtually been unimproved-has not been utilized. Why? Beca1se during the age of steam it was more profitable to locate mills and factories at tidewatel and operate them by steam power than it was to locate them il the Housatonic valley and operate them by water power. All the raw material had to be transported from tide water to the water power of Litchfeld or Berkshire coun. ties, and the finished product had to be freighted to tidewater on it's way to market. That was like taking the logs to mill, The saving of freight alone was . good profit to manufacturer To- cated at tidewater. But the age oi electricity gives the Housatonic valley the chance to take the mill to the logs