The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1900-03-17
TO HARNESS the
SUSQUEHANNA.
POWER TO BE UTILIZED TO
GENERATE ELECTRICITY.
Plans for Diverting the Current to Oper-
ate Hydraulic and Electrical Works
in Pennsylvania and Maryland-An
Important Undertaking.

A special despatch from Baltimore says:
The Susquehanna river ia to be harnessed,
Niagara fashion, to supply electrical power
to Baltimore and the towns in the inter
vening country between here and the
river. The company is controlled by
number Of Baltimore men, who have been
at work on the project Tor about i've years
Much time has been spent in electrical
and hydrau ic Investigations and in the
requirement OF rights along the river, and
the work has been conducted so quietly
that many were under the impression that
the scheme had not made much progress
An application made recently to the Mary
land Legislature by syndicate Of Phila
delphians to carry out somewhat similar
enterprise, which is said to contemplate a
development as Conowineo and the build
! ing OF transmission line to WILMINGTON
and Philadelphia disclosed what had been
accomplished by the Susquehanna Electric
Power Company.
1t has secu' ed concurrent legislation in
Pennsylvania, and at the session OF the
Maryland Legislature in 1896 had its char
ter powers ENLARGED. Slice that time all
the surveys and detail plans for the by
draulic and electrical works have been
completed and gone over by the experts of
the tinanciers who propose furnishing the
t,1 IT,
$1,000, 900 Much property in and along
the river at desirable points between Peach
Bottom, Pa, and the tidewatpr in Mary
land has been acquired. The plans for the
development differ in detail from the cleo
trio power works at Niagara, and also the
St. Lawrence river. near Montreal, and at
Massena, in Northern New York They
have been designed and worked out by
James II. Harlow x Co., hydraulic en-
gineers at Pittsbur., aud have been ap-
proved by a number Of mechanical aud
electrical engineers, including DR.. Cole
man Sellers, Of Philadelphia and Clemens
Herschel and John Bogart, of New York,
all Of whom figured in the development.
DR.. Louis Duncan, OF Baltimore, also made
an electrical report on the project.
The proposed development contemplates
low dam in the river in Pennsylvania, so
as to obtain the benefit of the wide expanse
OF the Susquehanna at Peach bottom for
storage Purposes From this dam there
leads off raceway some 500 feet wide on
the western side OF the river, and from this
race the extreme high water and floods OF
the river are TO be shut out by substantial
embank ment This emhankment ia car
ried down to point near the mouth OF
Broad creek, in Hartford county, about 3
miles south Of the Pennsylvania line,
where the water in the race will be some
forty feet above the bed of the river. Here
it is proposed to erect the rst power house,
with water wheels and electrical dynamos
sufficient to produce at the normal flow OF
the river 10000 electrical horse power
The water flowing from this head race
through the basement Of the power house
passes through turbine wheels, and is dis
charged into tail race. AS the water
surface of the tail race will be below the
bed of the river, it will be protected from
floods and backwater by the continuation
Of the entertainments to the second power
house, the tail race Of the first develop
ment becoming the head race OF the second
development. The second power house
will also produce 10000 electrical horse
power. From this second power house it
will be necessary to carry the water away
in race, protected by an embankment
from the river, until point is reached
where the water in the race is discharged
into the river above the high water mark.
The company expects to sell large
amount of its $4,000 electrical horse power
in Baltimore at prices much below the cost
of production by steam plants.