Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-29
Mistellanpus Rsaaina.
AT cATAWBA FALLS.
Wonderful Progress Of Electrical De-
velopnent In Piedmont.

Wonderful Progress of Electrical De.
veIoprent In Piedmont.
Ten days ago, says Rock Hill cor
respondent writing under date ol
March "a, to the News and Courier
the water was turned from the river
into the power way, or race, of the
Great Falls station Of the Southern
Power company, on the Catawba river
some miles below this city, at the point
! formerly known as Catawba Falls. In
less than a fortnight, or as soon as
the machinery can be dried out and
trained up, the company will be ready
to begin delivering power from this
station.
This Is only one Of the three power
| plants which will be built at Great
Falls, and each one Of these will be
capable Of generating about $4,000
horse power. The fall of the river al
this point is 175 feet in seven miles
making 1t one of the finest powers in
the whole country. The river falls In
series Of rapids covering the seven
miles and forming three fine sites for
| development.
The fact that this result-the i'm
mensity of which cannot be conceived
until actually seen-has been attained
| in so short space of time Is puzzling
to anyone not somewhat acquainted
with the facts and the topography OF
the situation.
1t took something like four years ia
build the Catawba Power company's
plant near here, one which only fur
nishes 10000 horse power, while this
Great Falls plant, furnishes $4,000
horse power, was begun in August
1905, and is now complete in eighteen
months.
This Is largely due to natures kind
ness Just at the point where the riy-
er divides to float around Mountain Is
land, on the right side Of which is
the large majority Of the stream, and
where the water falls sharply in q
shallow rapids, there occurs a narrow
with the river for one and one-half
miles to bold tributary Of the Ca
tawba, known as Rocky Creek. One
mile down the ravine Is where the
big dam and power house Is built.
1t can be readily seen that one Of the
big items in the saving Of time and
money was the ability to construct
these without having to keep water
away while the construction was going
on This ravine, which varies in width
from hundred yards to several times
that, was almost a canal naturally, and
1t was only necessary to blast out and
smooth this natural race" to make 1t
ready to convey the waters Of the riv-
er to- the wheels Of the power house,
which also has the advantage of being
built between two large hills, which
were conveniently situated upon eith-
er side Of the gorge.
To prepare this gift of nature to
carry the water was comparatively
easy matter and then to turn the river
into 1t, all that was necessary was to
throw out an ordinary dam into the
shallow rapids on, the south side OF
the island. In this dame were placed
number Of head gates to control the
water as desired. These gates when
closed throw the water into the ca
nal, while in time Of dangerous high
water they can be opened to allow the
water to pass through into the OLD
channel. This dam is Of course, con-
tructed in the strongest and most ap-
proved way and is itself an immense
work.
The main dam, one mile and a quar-
ter below, Is a wonder, and Is most
solidly built Of granite and concrete,
resting upon foundation Of solid rock.
1t Is capable of resisting any strain
which could be brought to bear upon
It. At the base 1t Is eighty feet thick,
tapering up to ten feet at the top.
From base to coping the dam Is lob
feet high and its length from hill to
hill is $50 feet. When 1t is stated that
in the distance Of one mile, from the
point where the canal opens on the
river to the dam at the power house,
there Is a fall of 72 feet, one can get
an idea of the immense power which
Is there and vii what terrible force
the narrowly confined waters rush upon
the generators. The power house con-
tains as It's equipment eight 3,000-kilo-
watt, three phase, 2,2O0-volt Westing-
house generators, which are directly
connected with six Escher- Wyss hori-
zontal turbines and two Hercules tur-
bines.
1t is an interesting fact that the
power way runs parallel with the old
tndianola canal, which lies between 1t
and the river. This old canal, as many
know, was built long years ago by the
government and was intended as
means Of navigating around the rap
ids on the south side Of Mountain Is
land.
The two other sites further down the
river will be developed later.
These stations will all be connected
with the Catawba station-already de-
veloped five miles above Rock Hill, and
with the other stations as they are
completed, forming the links of Won
derful chain of immense power, the
units Of which can in an emergency
either take up it's fellows burden or