The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-10-17
FOR POWER DEVELOPMENT
THE cARoLiNAs.

The man who can read the future
of North Carolina and the western
section of South Carolina can see an
era of electrical development that is
written in the Stories of Sinbad or
OF the lamp of Aladdin. Within the
past few weeks I have been running
over what is called the Piedmont
Section 1t is peculiar develop.
ment, embracing the country above
what is called the fall line. To the
west OF the fall line the Carollnas
rise rapidly to the mountains, until
they eliminate in a range over mile
high, and higher than any other
mountains east OF the Rockies. From
that mountain top streams flow down
to the ocean, and in'the descent near.
IL every river of North Carolina has
many falls and rapids that are capa.
BILE of developing enormous water
power At one of these places Pitts.
burg company, headed by the broker
age firm of Whitney & Stephenson,
Las begun the work that is to make
available about 100000 horsepower.
Already large force of men is busy
on an enormous dam, which, when
finished will raise at the lower end OF
the fall head Of 1870 feet of water.
Over on the Catawba river another
company is building works to develop
ultimately 100000 horsepower. New
York is the only State In the Union
that uses much waterpower as that
plant on the Catawba proposes to fur.
nish. These are only two of the
schemes that are ON foot to utilize
the vast Piedmont country OF North
Carolina. where there Is probably more
electrical energy awaiting develop
ment through the use of waterwheels
than at any other section of the Unit
ed Safes, II not in the world.
The mills that are already making
use of the power of the Carolina
streams are chiefly cotton mills, of
which this State has more than any
other State in the United States, al
though Massachusetts, with more
large mills, has a larger output of
cotton goods. This vast utilization
OF waterpower will transform the
Piedmont country into one OF the
foremost manufacturing sections Of
the whole world Already enough
has been done TO indicate what is to
follow. Convenient to the Catawba
and Yadkin waterpowers are half
dozen thrifty little cities that the
visitor might almost imagine were
moved down here from some spot In
New England or from Pennsylvania
or Ohio.
The Pittsburg company which is
developing the power on the Yadisfn
expects to consume about three years
in the gigantic task which II has laid
out, and at the end of that time will
| have enough power available to fur
nish employment to close on to
10000 hands. which is the equiva-
lent of sustaining probably five times
that many people, or quarter of
million. The talk now Is that the
development on the Catawba will
reach total Of $4,000 horsepower
before the work there II finished,
and If that be the case, 1t means an
other addition TO the industrial hori-
ION of that Piedmont country OF
nearly 100000, or, counting the
families OF the employees, probably
nearly million persons will come to
find livelihood at the factories that
will follow the Harvesting of this
stream.
There Is no end TO the speculation
that may be iadalged In concerning
the power developed on the two
rivers. and when the speculation is
done It applies to only two of the
streams that are now in the hands
of engineers and dam builders. On
the Cape Fear another big power
plant is in progress of construction
not far from Southern Pines and on
the Broad River and at the head OF
the Tennessee large projects are In
hand for immediate prosecution.
The like of itShas never before been
seen. Here, at one time. work is
begun or planned that will overlap
a greater power than was used by
any State in the Union SO recently
as 1880, and greater than is used by
any except four States now.
The progress that the use of power
is making in North Carolina com
menced in the nineties. From 1890
to 1900 the horsepower used in the
State climbed from 10000 horse
power to 100000, which was far.