The age-herald., 1902-04-27
The Coosa River as Source Of Power,

ment for such purposes at nominal cost
 Accordingly to the lift or head at these
 respective points, from 6000 to 12.000 horse
 power would be practicable. There would
 be no available power from the river
 above Greensport ard therefore only GrCensport and Wetunpka can be used
 in the development of power. The pos
 sihilitles of this section of the Coosa as
 a souece of power wjll be largely real
 izcd when the government shall build | these locks and open the stream to nav l igation. There is HOW a hitch in this
 work, but the work is of such import Gree that it is sure to be resumed in the | future and pushed to a satisfactory com i pletion Meantime it may be not un- i profitable to consider some of the condi-
 tions and surroundings of the three locks
 on the Ten Island shoals. now awaiting
 the hand of enterprise to develop the | latent erergies.
 The three locks on the Ten Island Shoals are remarkable, whether eonsid-
 cred in view of their geographical posi- | ton, their available water power. or | their mineral surroundings This prop | erty is situated near the center of the
 great Iron making center of Alabama
 and Georgia To the north only a few
 miles are Gadsden and Attalla; to the
 southeast are Anniston and Oxford. and | Talladega on the south scarcely 30 miles | away, while Birmingham with her great iron and steel industries and numerous
 manufactories is only 45 miles to the | southwest
 Besides a navigable stream, the prop | erty has the advantage of a railroad,
 connecting it with all the railroad lines
 in the mineral district. On the railroad
 only six miles distant is coal at Ragland, | producing an excellent coke. Limestone
 making an excellent Aux, with immense | lodges of sandstone, both valuable for | building abound on the premises Indeed | the stone used in the construction of the | locks was quaried on the property from | the banks of the river. Near Lock 3, there | Is an extensive deposit of brown ore linn
 omite of excellent quality, with sufficient
 ore in sight to run furnace for many
 years.
 On the Ten Island Shoals between 1 Greonsport and Loci; ,, thcio is an :. a'e-
 gate fall of six feet. Lock has lit of
 feet, Lock ?, feet; and Lock 3, F feet. l Maj. NJ T. Singleton, the competent en- l gineer who superintended the construc-
 ton of these locks. estimated the dis
 charge of the Coosa river at low water, ] at SS,0O0 cubic feet per second, giving | 1000 theoretical horse power for each foot | head Based on this estimate there should | be an aggregate of A,000 horse power | | ted States government engineer at Lock
 f. however, estimated the discharge of | the river at about 4000 second feet. which l is perhaps a low extreme. There are no 1 streams of importance, flowing into the | river between these points of observation, 1 and there can scarcely be any appreciabe | difference in the flow at the two stations. | But based on the lower estimate, even | we still have a great energy of 12,0OO horse 1 power without the daily expense of steam | engines and engineers. A mean estimate would perhaps be more just.
 This property comprising something l over 1000 acres of land has some unused | advantages, for developing splendid l power at m moderate cost. In consideration | of the right of way for lock sites and l canal deeded to the government by the | late J. H. L. Wood the government grant | ed him the perpetual right to utilize the | head of water at the locks for manufac- | turing purposes. At Lock 2, he was allow | ed to use all the water that will pass | through a conduit 15 feet wide, and feet | deep. This conduit the government built | and agreed to maintain from the head of | the lock to 50 feet below its foot-a dis | tance of 322 feet. At Lock B. he was grant | ed the privilege of cutting a canal 30 | feet wide around the lock, and to use the | water. The cost of this canal will be nom | inal
 Besides these liberal franchises from | the government certain riparian rights | have been acquired on both sides of the
 river by parties now controlling the prop erty, which practically give them the | entire flow of the stream. But it is need | less to dwell longer on the manifold ad | vantages of the Ten Island Shoals as a | site for the development of a superb | power plant. Whether for the establish
 ment of great iron and steel industries. | the establishment of vast textile man. | ufactories or a great electric power plant. | The site stands without rival in Ala l bama. And it has the additional advan- | tage of being more readily available at | the present moment than any other point | on the Coosa.
 When the opening of the Coosa is com- | pleted, a score or more power plants be- l tween Lock and W etumpka, will become available. The development of many