The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-23
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRICITY
 FROM WATER POWER.
Rapid Strides Being Made in This Section--various Industries Be-
 ing Run from Horse Power |, Thus Generated.

Baltimore, Jan. 2l.-(special) )-1nstanc- ing undertakings in Virginia, North Caro- lima, South Carolina, George and Ala bama for the utilization of water powers in the development of electricity aggrc- gating between. 6o.000 and T0,OO0 horse power, Mir. Francis F. Coleman Of Pitts burg. traces in this weeks issue of she Manufacturers Record the wonderful progress under way in the South in the use of electricity for power and light Hc says: ~
 ..The full tide of the south's industriai progress has come just at the time when electricity has proven it's adaptability for almost every use for which driving pow CT is required. While the South was al was passing through it's experimental stages, and the two may be said to havo arrived almost at the same moment. Tlie South has passed it's crucial stage and the like is true of electrical science as applied to industrial matters: The. South has never been backward in adopting irl- proved methods in her manufacturing in- dustrfes. It Is one of the important ad- vantages of every new industry and of every new industrial region that 1t IS and that there is no old machinery whose value looms up as an apparently insur- mountable obstacle to prevent the intro duc.ion of the nsw. s This is one s of a,, tho
 
 IS taking full advantage of it.
 Southern cotton mills are noted throughout the world for their full com plement of modern machinery. One of the first electrically driven mills in the country was built in the South and it's electrical equipment was hooted at by the textile manufacturers,i every district Tn. the world devoted to that industry. Now. ting mills so driven and they. are as Q rule the most successful factors in. the industry. 1t is a fact that more cotton manufacturers in the South are investis gating the question of electrically equip- ping their established mills than ever, and the majority of mills being built at the. present time will use electric drive.
 The efficiency of electricity has been so well proven that future years will sec more thoroughly modern electrically driv- en cotton mills in the Southern States than in all other textile districts conn blned. ss''
 "The South is full of important water powers which will challenge the atten- tion of the industrial world when devel- oped. There is a strong indication that many English aud Eastern mills are seek ing locations in the South. The numCr- ous water-power developments in all sec tions of the South assure these prospec- tive customers cheap power. When, it is considered that 'other factory in maru- facturing cost aare .proportionatelE low. Isthere is reason to believe tifat the exodus Ol IItuIS ITOiu LUt OluCt StClOHb VIII uH- doubtedIy be heavy. Competent authori- ties made estimates no 1onegr than two years ago that more than 5.000.OO0 hose power was. going to waste daily along the streams in the South. Men who are among the most. prominent of, factors in Southern, progress took notice of the great possible development along the streams and the activity brought about by this revelation has been almost .phenomenai.
 The South has adopted electricity for q wide diversity of industries. Beside using it for driving cotton and other textile mills. it is used for driving the machinery Tn cotton oil mills, tobacco and cigar fnc- tories, iron IhIlls, gold and other mines paper pulp sfnills, in oil pumping. and tine customary uses for public and private lighting, the operation of small motors for widely varied urposes and for street railway propulsion. In the Birmingham cOnsidera bic extent in mining and haul age. Richmond. Va, built the first mod ern electric street railway and there are a number of enterprises of the kind in- cluding inter-nrban railways, whose pow CT will be electric.
 "A strong factor in this business in the South of late has been the building of municipal lighting plants by the smaller cities and large towns The ma ajority of these towns are growing steadily and many of them with great rapidity.'
 Even in parts of the South not possess ing water power electricity may be d9- velOped with oil as fuel That this fue' will be Forthcoming is promised in the wonderful development in the Southwest ern oil fields during the past few years strixingly illustrated in the fact that in the Texas Louisiana section there were produced in 1903 about 15,0O0O0O barrels of oil which Is nearly 100000 more than the total production of the United States as late as 1871, and is about One-half of the total production in 1902 of the Appala- chian field which includes New York Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
 In three years from the beginning of the Beaumont development that section is producing just about the same quality of oil AS the State of Pennsylvania and re- cent strikes in the Texas field, with the enlarged facilities for refining and ship ping which have been provided. indicate that the present year will show still more rapid growth.