Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-29


purposes. on practically all OF these
rivers there is opportunity to create re-
servoirs by which the waters Of the
floods would be held back and by which
cd. BY the building of such reservoirs
the damage now caused by the floods
would be greatly reduced or wholly re-
moved. The engineer shows that the
level of the upper Hudson for example
could be maintained at point some
two feet higher than 1t now Is through
the summer season thus aiding naviga-
ton and saving large sums of money
which will otherwise necessarily be ex-
pended in dredging in order to provide
for the increasing traffic on the river as
far UP as Troy
The most remarkable fact brought out
is that if sufficient reservoirs were Gre
ated to completely regulate the flow of
the rivers, making it practically uniform
of upwards of one rpillion horse power
could be developed, whereas now the flow
of the rivers run so low that compare =
lively little use is made of them for pur-
poses of generating power. These power
stations would naturally be outside tho
wilderness and would be so located that
power from them could be distributed to
any point in the state. If the rivers of
the State were conserved and used for
power as they would nc, many millions
Of dollars now paid by the citizens of
this state for coal power purposes would
he saved every year. In the place of
this vast annual expenditure for a
feasible commodity there would be in
vestments in permanent works adding to
the real valuo of property in the State.
Proper returns on these investments
would be provided for by the money now
spent annually for coal being saved.
New York like Vermont is one of the
few States that did not early in its his
tory, encourage by legislation the con
serving of it's rivers. Practically the only
]
taken in New York is that which HIS
| been done by the numbering interests
People engaged in numbering have beer
in the habit Of building dams at the very
head waters of the streams, usually
utilizing some small lake and the con
tents of the storage reservoirs so created
|
while tho waters in the streams are ma
/ turaly ut their highest point. giving al
added flow to the small streams by
means OF which logs could be flooded
out of the upper reaches into the large
portion of the streams. This Is perhaps
why people having superficial knowl
quain;ance with the Adirondack redoi
appear to conclude that the creation o
storage reservoirs for the regulation o
the flow of rivers means the dammini
the outlets and the raising of the sur
face of the small lakes which are foun,
at the head of many OF the rivers in tina
region.
1t is to be recognized at the very outse
that Vermont could not hope to emulat
New York In the matte of building i'm
mense storage reservoirs for the pur
probably hundreds of places in TIL
State whore the production of LAX
Mansfield by the construction of a dar
at comparatively small cost could be re
pcated, and there are not a few place
. where the prophet of developing a lax
of considerable size. after the manner Q
Worthwhile, could be duplicated.
Artificial bodies of water Of this charac
ter would serve the purpose pointed on
by the engineer with reference to tn
r Adirondack region. The creation of lake
in place of existing low lands and swamp
, would greatly improve surrounding cor
+ ditlons. They would in ali cases be file
, by the melting snow and rains whic
occur during the latter part of Mare
and during the month of April up int
, the month of May. The stream flow b,
ing as a rule up 10 the average durin
the early part of the summer, the resel
- vor lakes would be allowed to RENAL
: full. The latter part of the summer the
;. would be filled again during the ia
. rains. The lowest flow of the streams i.
@ suing from these high attitudes usual
occurs during January and Februar
= when all the small brooks are frozen.
1t is during this period that prop,
management of the reservoirs woul
o call for their being practically emptie
a 80 as to be ready to receive the foe
= waters of the following spring. Durir
the season, therefore, when the Woo
are most frequentcd. the lakes would |
fun, and add the most TO the beauty
= the region. During the time when thC
= We're empty or practically So VIZ, In II
M latter part of the winter during the mont
n of February or the first part of Mare
y The low and marshy places being file
= the entire shores would be dry and Their
fore desirable sites for camping pu
,, poses and the commercial benefits co
q ferred thereby upon the whole people
q the state are almost too large to e
- innate.