Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-09-03
TIE ASCERTiINED FACTS
AS TO WEST RIVER DAM.
AN ENTERPRISE
or LARGE IMPORrANCE
TO INDUSTRIAL BHATTLEBORO

a $4,000 Investment Sure to Take Care
of Itself from Elect.ic Lighting Alone -
with Margin OF $4,000 TO Sa5, 900 n
Year for Profit-And Other and s,ilI
bigger Things 10 Which Its Success
May BE Expected to Lead.
The Gaslight company had meeting
vesteaday tn consider the West River
Dam project. Tue guaranteed stock
| $500 with which to build the dam
equip it electrically and run the wires
to the village has been offered to the
| stockholders. There can hardly he a
question that the stock will be taken,
for to the Gaslight Co it is question
between burning coal and harness ing
and using the power which God'nrovides
| free, and TO the users Of the poxeTitnd the
industrial devclopement of Brattleboro
| it is matter of good deal of import
arce.
Last wear the Gaslight Co.'S bill
for cosl used at its electric light
station was $1,000 and there is no
prospect of its heirg any less, hnt on
the contrary the tendency of the
price of GO is constantly upward
he al bill alore would pay the
interest, and depreciation OF the
Investment. including in the latter
item all risk, ahich is very slight
with IA dam properly built. RS this
can he on solid rock foundation and
with rock at both SIDES. But besides
what the company Uses there Will he
according t1 the report Of the engineer :
s1ttiicent TO Inscre the investmen I
there is AL 5000 annual income in
sight "a pretty fair per cent on a
$40, 600 or $50, 900 Investmsrt Still
better for the town. when this project
is arrived through and made Il
demonstrated success. thera will then
be courage for the damming Of tho
Connecticut and the development OF
some 20, coo II =, which is sure
when Goue To make Brattleboro a
great industrial center but which
there hiss never yet been local courage
enough to undertake because it is
so big an enterprise, though it HIS
been under discussion for 30 years
with repeated surveys The West
River enterprise will be 10 no way an
impediment to the greater one hut a
| help and stimulus. In tact it is a
| sin against nature for town located
as We ara % basin Of hills pouring
| COW u SuCll vast HIDOuDlS OF power IN
these two streams TO let either or both
% To waste.
| The engineers reports leave no dou' t
Of the practicabillty, in fact the
splendid opport nifty, Of the West
River project. The figures we're taken
at times of the lowest water known
withir the nencry of man, in Jolly,
| '9S, by AIR Merrill of Springfield,
Mass. and in the wintsr of 30 by
Davis of Northampton both ENGINEERS
of the highest reputation. Both agree
closely in their tirdines, thst it is safe
II estimate the extreme low water
! discharge at 800 cutie feet per second,
which with 33 feat head wouli yield
| 100 II F. Deductirg the usual %
per cent would leave $50 n p. Deduct.
ing again the loss from Transmission
| by wire, sou 10 per cent, would leave
500 II p. The requirement for elec-
tric lighting is 300 II p so there
would certainly seem u be abundant
| margin of safety when the company
guarantee only the investment in the
| 800 II p it uses, and looks for its profit
10 5200 II = left 10 sell.
For investors there is besides this
shosirg on sCieutltic basis the guar
anty of the stock al Is per cent 10y the
Gaslight Co.