The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15
MILLIONS IN WATER POWER.
Ship Canal for New York Stafe Being
Strongly Advocated


Rochester Post Express.
1.-The Possibilities of Ship Canal was the
subject of an address delivered last night by
County Engineer ]. Y. McClintc..k before
the Rochester Engineering Society. Mr.. Nc
Clintock declared that it would - possible
to develop water power worth $4,000
from a ship canal. In closing his address he
said:
II propose that an effort be made at the
coming session OF Congress TO seizure bill
providing for an expert commission to fin
ish the survey necessary and Il make a
minute study of the possibilities OF water
power development and utilizatied, and to
formulate a plan. plans. for SIS accom-
plishment / am so strongly convinced OF
the soundness OF the proposition. that be-
lieve, IL such report is made am IL is not
deemed advisable for the State s,hd Nation
to carry it out. that with the Proper en-
enlargement on the port of New york State,
a private syndicate would be fcimed that
would carry 1t out"
Mr.. McClintock holds that a ship canal is
preferable in every way to a b,srge canal.
He said:
THE barge canal will please NOBODY; the
thing that is wanted is ship canal that
will not only be of benefit to New York and
Buffalo, but TO the whole Stafs and the
nation itself While storage da rs to reg
ulate the flow and increase the efficiency of
rivers are being built all over Che world,
and while active efforts are beirsy made to
utilize the unsur ,assed natural storage res
ervoirs formed ~ the great lakes. it be-
hooves us to get ,me Of that benz fit locally.
1.-The level of tie great lakes Varies each
year from two to three feet. and sin a series
Of years, much as five and orss-half feet
of water. We propose to take an,amount OF
water from Lake Erie, which curing the
whole year would be equal TO opa and two
third inches on the surface off the great
lakes, and this would furnish o. supply TO
a magnificent river extending sI5 miles to
the Hudson.
This river from Lake Erie 70 Newark
would be excavated in the solidi rock. and
from there to the Hudson IL wsbuld lie In
the bottom of natural valleys. so that it
would literally be as permanent as the
Hudson river. 1t would be thirty feet deep
and S27 feet wide and would hava current
of one and one-half miles per hous. 1t would
run continuously winter and sur3mer
"At the crossings OF streams emptying
into Lake Ontario, water wolSd be dis
charged during the twelve hosrs Of day
time. for the creation of ptwer upon
those streams During the night, these
outlets would be closed and thefwhole flow
Hi the b rver ., would S, hsf '1 ONEIDA
son. With a rise of the level ~ this lake
of five inches, enough water wiT be stored
to supply the full requirement. OF power
from there down TO Mohawk valley during
THE fall Of the river would ba only about
an inch and a half per mile. e1,ept at the
locks. At each lock there woulS be a dam
and spillway. AT each lock tpere would
also be power canal; that is IN arrange
ment allowing OF the use of; the fixed
amount of water upon waterwhsels.
1.-THE most expensive work SEiii be the
long cut through the divide BETWEEN Oneida
lake and the head of the Mohawk river. In
this cut there will be 9.s1 miles which Will
be about seventy-six feet deey ito the bot
tom of a thirty-foot canal; S.14 miles will
be sixty-six feet deep 10 the lotion of a
thirty-foot canal, and 12.SS mes will be
ffty-one feet deep.
THE amount of water pOwef developed
Will be 1,0S7.00o horse power for twelve
hours of the twenty-four and. also $4,000
horse power continuously for The twenty
four hours. This might be distributed as
follows: Lockport, 5000 horst power for
twenty-f0ur hours and $500 tor twelve
hours; Albion. 5000 horse powssr: Medina,
30. 900; Rochester, 1900; Brightsn, 1900 for
tweaty-four hours and 1900 9or twelve
hours; Fairport 5000: NewarE- 1000 Cor
twenty-four hours and 5000 sfor twelve
hours; Lyons, 1900 for twent.t four hours
and 1900 for twelve hours; Savannah, 1000
for twenty-four hours and 200o3 for twelve
hours; Oswego river. 5000: LittSe Falls. 90
600; st. townsville, 1900; CanSioharie. 3D.
600: Fonda 1900; French Mills 30. 600: Gull
daland. 1900; Normans XIII. 62ctoo; Cohoes.
Troy and Albany, 1900.
LAS 20 the value of this water power, IL
may be said that the value OF: the annual
products from the manufacpries using
about 66 900 horse power on the SLACK river.
averages 1854 per horse power. sand at that
rate this canal might turn o}t 500, oo00Oo
per annum.
THE very best practice IN largest steam
plants is the production of pof,er with an
expenditure of one pound of ctal per hour
per horse power. At this RAE II would
need 3, $4,000 tons of coal costilg. az 81 per
ton, sll, 10000. for coal alone, ~ create the
power developed by this river. thile the to-
tai cost of such an amount OF steam power
would be at least s2s.0oo. 600 persyear. II an
this power were converted in&D electricity
and sold at the lowest rate IL have heard
OF i'm Rochester. x would be g0rth about
$75OOo.Ooo year. And. AZ IL csere sold az
the lowest rate prevailing at Niagara Falls
IL would bring $4,000 a years Therefore,
IL Is safe TO say that the wat4r power de-
veloped by such a river would Be worth
AooQ-0oQooo."