The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-03-20
NO LITTLE
OPPOSITION
To French King Rapids
Power Project.
TURNER'S FALLS SORE
Power Company In That Town Opposed
TO idea Of Dam Between Northheld
and 0ili-Legislative Hearings No,
Over Yet.

anu sh -1tbsessSfe "eAo" e'Ns
over Yet.
Counsel for the proposed French
King Rapids Power company, which
has petiiioned the Massachusetts, leg
islaturc for the right 60 construct a
dam across the Connecticut river be
tween Gill and Northfcld 90 generate
electric power. spent nearly two hours
last Friday before the committee on
public lighting, in meeting the objec'
tions Of the remonsirants
Counsel for the Turner's Falls Pow
or company. whose dam is four miles
below the proposed site of the dam
at French King, the Connecticut Val
ley Lumber company, and the owners
of meadows, which will be flooded by
the overflow in ease the proposed dam
is erected, also spent some time IN
summing up the evidence submitted
in opposition to the proposed legisla'
tion,
The main Temonstrant TO the bill
has been the Turner's Falls Power
company, which so complicated the
hearing as to drag IL out over n pc
riod of four days. II was the objec.
tions Of this company to which eoun,
sci for the petitioners gave the most
attention at the hearing that morn.
ing.
The evidence submitted during the
hearings by the Turner'S Falls com.
pany was calculated TO show two
things; first, that the plan proposed
by the French King company was i'm
practicable, owing TO the peculiar
style of dam-the socalled collapsible
type-which they proposed TO erect
there; and second, that the erection
of any dam at that point would re.
suit in an infringement of their water
rights.
Counsel for the French King com
pany contended that the practicable.
ity of the scheme was that company $
lookout, not the Turner'S Falls com
pany Is, nor that Of any other com
pany. and that all the expert engi.
neers introduced by the remonstrants
had testified that the dam at French
King could be operated without detri,
ment to the power rights now enjoyed
by the company below.
He said that his company was VIII.
ing to accept an amendment to the bill
which would provide that the flow
of water from the dam should be so
regulated as not to interfere with the
privileges now enjoyed by the Tur-
ners Falls company, and which in case
of violation of that provision should
give the Turner's Falls company the
right to an injunction, to be issued
upon application.
Counsel for the Turner's Falls com
pany objected to the amendment on
the ground that the company was en-.
titled not only to the privileges that
it now enjoys on its present holdings,
but to the possible development OF
the power at that point under present
conditions, which would be impossible,
were the French King dam to be erect
ed.
Counsel for the remonstrants also
reviewed the testimony of officers OF
the lumber company, in which 1t was
contested that the proposed dam would
be an impediment to the floating OF
logs down the river, and it was fur.
ther cited that large amount OF
valuable tobacco lands would be de-
stroyed by the overflow from the pro-
posed dam.
The Greenfield Recorder is evident
" not in sympathy with the scheme
for it closes long article in this
weeks issue with the following para
graphs: - ..,
the building of the dam have been
set forth as two fold,-the develop
ment of power and the furnishing of
taxable property. The first is vision
arv. all that is expected of the dam
being to supplement for small part
of the year the power at the Vernon
dam, and whatever good is to come
to Northfield will result from the Yer,
non dam and not from this adjunct
to it. AS to the taxable property,
it is very much a question If this
will nearly offset the injury to the
farm lands and the highways.
"The promoters of the dam were
bright enough to get the selectmen
and people of the towns committed
early, by presenting them with peti-
tions accompanied by gilded stories
of benefit. The other side of the case
was never presented and the official
and general signatures were easily
won. Now it is question if the
thing has gone so far that the awaken
ing of the towns to the nature OF the
lemon they have in hand is too late.
1t is likely that the public lighting
committee of the Massachusetts, legls-
lature will visit the site of the pro
posed dam at the French King rapids
tomorrow. An order to this effect was
introduced in the senate early in the
week. 1t is possible that the commit
tee will inspect the dam which is be-
ing built at Vernon since the men in
terested in the two projects are the