Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-07-18

|
as to the purpose and facilities of the
government to accomplish what is nee
essary without that Individual aid.
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OUR UNDEVELOPED WATER POWER
| Vermont In common with other
states has numerous streams which
boast of undcveloped water power.
Our people have shown their apprecia-
| tion of the value of water power for
the generation Of electricity to be trans
mitted for use at some point distant
| from the place of development but
there are stlll numerous opportunities
| for Investment in this direction.
The Importance of the undeveloped
water power of this country is brought
home by the startling Intelligence
given out by Marius X. Campbell. of
the United States Geological Survey.
that in less than five score years the
coal fields of this country viii be prac-
tically exhausted. When there is no
more food for the hungry steam boilers
the world will have to look to cleo
tricity and water for power and heat
and light. AS n consequence public
interest is aroused as never before in
the great natural resources Of this
country and a large amount of very
yet science has found no substitute for
coal energy except electricity and it re-
quires power to generate electricity.
Unless some way is found to obtain
electricity in quantity without the
| burning of an enormous amount of
coal the future of the United states
depends upon the protection 3Ad de
velopment of the water supply.
manufacturing in this country in
OF this amount. 1864 800 horse power
was developed by steam power and
only 1.647,Gs9 horse power by water.
Electric power amounted to 1,13S,2
! horse power and as to 2So.514 horse
power. 1t Is very easy to see the i'm
portance of steam power in the in
dustrlal world of to-day and to realize
what it would mean If the supply of
fuel came to "A sudden end.
Thomas \. Edison has predicted that
in the future electricity will he devcl-
oped direct from coal at saving of
nearly 90 per cent. over the present
complicated and expensive method of
converting it from coal via steam.
Hundreds of inventors in the labora =
tories Of the General Electric company
arc rcsoarching and investigating
ways and means to lessen the cost of
generating and using the electric cur
rent
The world unquestionably looks to
electricity to take the place of coal,
not only for power In the mills and
factories but for lighting and heating
the homo. In the meantime the de-
mand for power is increasing d%ly
and the consumption of coal grows by
| leaps and bounds. New industries are
being launched and old ones enlarged
to supply this power it is already
necessary to harness the rivers and
streams. Truly wonderful advance
| ment in the development of water
power has been made in the past two
years and millions of dollars have been
invested in water rights In California
Colorado, Utah, South Carolina, Mimi
esota, New York and Michigan.
Engineers who have given the sub
jcct much study and Investigation de-
clare that millions Of horse power are
going 70 waste in the undevelopcd
watersheds of this country annually
enough to turn every industrial wheel
in North America.
The census of 1905 gave the develop
cd water horse power of the United
States as follows:
Alabama. 9,S43; Alaska, SC; Arizona
267; Arkansas, SIG; California. 6,9G5;
Colorado, LEI; Connecticut, G6,6G,;
Delaware. 5,1sS; District of Columbia
10; Florida, 1O7; Georgia, 2S.242; Ida
no, 1850; Illinois, 1885; Indiana
s,541; Indian Territory. 80; Iowa
GAS; Kansas, G,2oo; Kentucky
4,53S; Louisiana, 26O; Maine. 2O2,-
$780, Maryland, 1860; Massachu-
sets. 1s3,135; Michigan. So,34o
Minnesota, 1896; Mississippi 65; Mis-
souri,. 3.5S1; Montana, 10254; Nebra ska
713O; Nevada, 742; New Hampshire
loO,1SS; New Jersey, ls,O72; New Mex
leo, 1886: New York. 445,1s7; North Car
DINA. 2S.353; North Dakota, 3lS; Ohio
1851; Oklahoma, So oregon. 20526
Pennsylvania. 50.220; Rhode Island, 20,
1871; South Carolina, 3l.O94; South Da
kota, 1000; Tennessee. 9,7G2; Texas
2,276; Utah, 3,221; Vermont, 1904; Vir-
ginia. 1885; Washington, ASP: Yves
Virginia, 6,274; Wisconsin. 1885
Wyoming. 372.
In nearly every state the figures
Z given above could be doubled and trip
led if attention was paid to the pres
ervation OF the water sources and t,
, the erection of storage reservoirs I,
control the flow Surveys show tina
I'm the Adirondacks fully $50, 900 hors