The Green Forest tribune., 1908-03-06
MR. STANDISHS POWER PLAN


 Ths Tribune is in receipt of 8 letter from Hon. " H. Standish, who is now in Washington City trying to influence a bill through Congress to permit power con- struction on White river above Cotter, concerning which scheme this paper has had some- thing to say during the past few months.
 Col. Standish's plan is to har- ness the White and James Rivers waters and derive power for various purposes, one of which to equip electric railway lines without wiring or trolley poles, by means of one of Edison's latest inventions, storage bat tery. In Col. Standish's letter he incloses us an editorial from a recent issue of the Washington Post, which describes and com ments upon the new inventio n as follows:
 Edison that he has perfected storag e battery that will furnish power enough to large automobile to run 100 miles will be of more interest in some parts of the country than his statement that his workingman's concrete palace is a success. There are drawbacks to the construction of concrete palace in one piece, even if it is very cheap. The high price of city lots, for instance. is not overcome by the cheap building invention by Edison. But if he has perfect d storage battery that will run vehicle 100 miles at very small ex- pense, he has conferred an inestimable blessing upon mankind.
 In all portions of the United States but particularly in the West and South, are stretches of good country, sparsley inhabited, where the connection is made with the outside world only by horse drawn vehicles. The roads are poor and hilly. and the scant population does not justify the construction of rail- roads. If cheap and faster method of locomotion can be applied to those regions, it will work wonders for ciyili- zation. The mails would be facilitated, and passengers could be carried in in- closed automobiles, warmed and light ed if necessary, thereby making those remote sections almost as accessible as if they were penetrated by railroads. Settlements would spring up, and progress would compel the construction of railroads. The stage coach, which still fingers, would reduce the cost of getting farm products to market. The farm wagon as a transport of crops would not be profitable.
 In many parts of the countryAthe con- struction of longdistance power systems is an important feature of the new era of electricity. Water stored in the hills is made to produce elec- triaity, which is conveyed hundreds of miles to turn wheels in valley cities. AS these electric power lines are constructed it is very probable that automobile lines will accompany them, provided the new storage battery is realized. The power line would fur nish power to the motor bait cries anywhere along the line, thus supplanting the old-fashion- ed stage station with storage battery stations and enabling the automobiles to penetrate forty or fifty miles on either side of the power line, opening up vast stretches of country to easy communication. Thus MT. Edison's battery may be the means of evolving link between hor seflesh and railroad that will greatly hasten the develop ment of new regions, and add enormously to the wealth of the country.
 A bill is now pending before Congress, having been intIo- duced by Congress Floyd of this district at the last session, to declare White river not naviga- ble above Cotter, which if passed will aid wonderfully in the de- velopment of this part of the Ozark cou ntry.