The Newark journal., 1904-12-09
WATER POWER IN THE EAST
Great Centers Established for Its Dis
tribution Through New
England States.

raped to furnish electric llSHt
and power for all sorts of pur-
poses many miles around it was a
revelation to the world of the pos
sibilities of the practical applica-
ton of the new force, and so
strongly did it appeal to the prac-
teal not to say the greedy side OF
society, that there has been great
difficulty in preventing the de
struction of the cataract as one OF
natures wonders, and making 1t
simply a source of power for the
benefit of monopoly. But while
there has been danger that proper
bounds might be broken, and
while that danger will doubtless
exist as long as legislatures are
mercenary, says the Boston
Transcript, the history of electric
nj operations at Niagara has fur
nished a great and suggestive OBJ
ject lesson for the rest of the coun
try If a great water power can
serve such a wide eXpanse of pop
ulous territory as the figures show
could be done in this case, then
smaller streams with sufficient
descent can render a similar sery
ice to more limited territories, and
there is now stronger tendency
than has ever been manifested be
fore to develop that idea even in
the most obscure quarters.
Another great power center has
now been established in PennsyI-
wanna, where the falls of the Sus
quehanna river, near York, have
been put in shape to meet the
needs of wide stretch of country
at a cost of $2,000,000. The cleo
trieity generated at this point will
be distributed to a large number
of towns and cities, of which Phil
adelphia will very likely be one.
Another large plant at Spier
falls, on the upper Hudson, has
been established and is serving
large and widely scattered popu
iation in all those respects that
the larger development of our
modern civilization demands.
But even the great plants are not
so significant of the vast eXpan-
sion of the water power of the
country as the multiplicity of
smaller plants actual and project
ed in places that have apparently
become decadent, utneed only the
touch of this new force to awaken
them to new lfe. There are hun
dreds of streams in New England,
and we have in mind several such
in Massachusetts and Connect
cut. that 80 years ago furnished
power for all sorts of small but
prosperous manufactories-wOoi-
en- mills, paper mills, cutlery
works, and so forth. In the last
two or three decades these enter
prises have gone by the board,
swallowed up in the absorption of
their business by large centers.
But the streams remain, awaiting
new uses which seem to be sug-
gested by the service we are con
sidering.
The central purpose of almost
all invention is the increase or
multiplication of power, and the
development of electrical force
and its practical application per
forms that office for the streams
of New England. Once their
power at a given point was only
sufficient to run a single mill, and
that frequently not very large:
but now working through electric
engines they can light the
streets Of towns, propel their cars
and supply power for almost any
number and variety of industries
that may be desired. AS water
power is cheaper than steam pow
er, many a venture that would
otherwise be unpromising can
now be made profitable and new
leases of life be brought to sec.
lions long threatened with
atrophy and abandonment.