Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-04

of this section will not be thrown at the
mercy OF railroad companies which are
continually fighting each other, and there
is nothing likely to produce more traffic.
both passenger and freight. than the ex-
cellent commercial attractions proposed for
Washington and vicinity"
General Manager Hoover then gave the
reporter some interesting facts and figures
City Railway Company. calculated to show
that the concern Is not merely paper en-
terprise." but one which means business
The president of the company is Mr.. g. H.
Hansbrough, who Is also president Of the
old Shenandoah Valley National Bank Of
Winchester, end who last month retired as
president Of the Virginia State Bankers
Association. He is one of the most pro-
gressive fnanciers in Virginia and has been
successful in engineering financial enter
prises Of great scope. Mr. Shirley Carter.
also OF WINCHESTER vim Is secretary Of the
ager. Others extensively interested in its
affairs are Messrs w. H. Baker, the
wealthy chocolate manufacturer; e. v.
ter; Charles Mullikln OF Clarke county,
who owns alrge part of the st. Louis
water-works system; A. Moore. jr:. Of Ber-
T FOn VA u Col WIFI; Ri p Sheg Of Charles RE;
ferson county. w. Va; Maj Holmes Con-
rad of Winchester. Frank e. Carpenter,
the noted traveller and correspondent;
George Rumsey, jr,, Of Philadelphia, and
others. -
Work Performed by the Company.
The company was chartered under the
Virginia laws with an authorized capital
of $4,000. of which S125. 600 has been sold
and paid up in full. AS soon as an organ
ization was effected the company bought
the property OF the MiilviIle Milling Com
pany. along the Shenandoah river near
Millville, Jefferson county, W. Va, four
miles east of Charles Town, the county
seat. The first mill on that site was built
in 174o, together with q dam of timbers
across the river. while the construction of
a raceway was accomplished by throwing
pine and oak logs on the rocks, setting the
wood afire. and after the rocks were
cracked by heating they were Clipped off
layer after layer, until finally raceaway
was made.
That was years before such a thing as
dynamite or blasting powder was used for
such purposes. When the Winchester and
Washington City Railway Company COM
menced operations on the site they found
many evidences of the first settlers, who
had seen and developed In their primitive
way the water power Of the Shenandoah
river at that point. The old brick mill,
which was erected In 1896, with capacity
OF 125 barrels of -four a day, was torn
was left of 1t. and In sixty days time there
was constructed of stone and the finest
Portland cement dam 9sT1a feet long,
with spillway exclusive OF headgates and
dbuNtuCitS, ilifEHB ali SAISIlt length OIL
T51 feet.
The dam Is IL feet high at water level
although IL measured from the< river bot
tom It extends from Is to IS feet in height
At the foundation or river bottom 1t Is 10
feet thick. tapering to top thickness OF
IA feet. Between 5000 and 6.0oO barrels
of cement were used In It's construction
On the west side of the river is a race
way-the source of the power which makes
the electriclty-with great headgates
through which the water Is carried 600
feet down to the power station, the total
fall attained at this plant being 24h feet
The raceway ia so feet wide and the same
height OF the dam. and In order to make
both. doubly secure huge abutments of ma
sonry were built at both ends. while stone
wall IL to Is feet high, measuring from the
river bottom, serves the double purpose of
supporting the dam and separating the
river from the racewsy. This wall extends
down the stream 500 feet and the bal
ance of the distance TO the station is con-
structsd of concrete.
The Power House.
The power house contains a foundation of
concrete SO feet high. in which are sit
uated the turbines, six In number, and a
brick house on top for the dynamos. trans
formers, switchboards and other machinery
and electrical devices. The power house Is
40 feet wide and 100 feet long, and Is prac-
tically three-story hreproof building. very
little wood having been used In it's con-
struction.
Down the raceway the water flows into
four great water wheels. which hold in
check the torrent OF the river, take from II
the power of its swift current and trans
forms II Into light for Winchester, Charles
Town. Berryville and other surrounding
towns ard for trolley line purposes be-
tween the fertile Shenandoah valley and
the national capital
The current against the wheels will gem
crate 1850 horsepower and Its kilowatt ca
pacity will be 2.00o. These are minimum
figures. made from estimates of Construct
ing Engineer n. Wilson Davis of Harrison
burg. Va, and It Is stated that In no in
stance. even should the river fall. will the
power be less. the estimates having been
made when tho stream was slightly below
normal.
When the plant Is completed. which Will
be within few weeks. the company win
for time use but four wheels but there
are now being Installed two additional
wheels. or turbines. which will be brought
into use when the trolley line is in opera
ton.
The geographic location of the station IL
considered as good as could have been
found anywhere. and II seems SIS IL nature
nodded the land Just for such an enterprise
The country forms q natural basin. either
bank plunging precipitGtely into the river
and Offering no land 10 be overfown by
the rise In water caused by the DAM
Tho company was not imposed upon By
property owners when It became known