The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-02

RUN TRAIN BYWATERP0WER

Rocco at once to E-lectrify Its
Whole System Through the Noun
tains of the West and Develop Snfti-
= .ient Water Power to Run Them.
from the economic and mechanical
world so revolutionary. aud stirring an
announcement, as that emanating
from winnipeg. to the effect that the
Canadian Pacific railway will proceed
at once to ,electrify Its whole system
through the mountains, Of the West,
experts having reported that there
are enough waterfalls Immediately ad-
jacent to the Pacific main
line To- develop energy sufficient to
run all the, railways OF the world.
Not the adoption OF electricity, but
the means of driving the power, is
the most impressive portion OF the
announcement. The RAILWAY Will
make use of the waterfalls adjacent
to its tracks. thus preventing the
further waste Of invaluable and mex
haustiblc energy and saving coal bills.
1t is a rogramu1 directly in line with
the progress Of the age, although when
water power is adopted man recurs to
the power Of primeval days. 1t is to
move forward by turning
TO employ the most ancient energy OF
falling water to produce the most
modern OF energies electricity.
In the last two years o1ner North
American railways have electrified
their systems in part The New York
Centr.l uses electricity for all Of its
terminal trains. The New Haven road
. has electrified a great portion OF It's
line. The Southern Pacific has adopt
ed the. magic current in its operations
between San Francisco and Berkeley,
Oakland and n~eighbOring points.
Abroad Prussia. Bavaria and Austria,
have witnessed the conversion or steam
. roads into electric ones. But IN the
. American cases cited and IN pracncally
all foreign instances the railroads de-
pend upon coal for the generation of
. the electric power. The Canadian Pa
cific will notu sc that fuel at all, as
we see. but will harness n cataractS
along its way. By q simple eXpedlent
il will reduce inestimabiy the cost OF
operation and at the same time dlnln-
ish the drain upon he continents coal
resources. The decision reflects COM
mon sease and economic wisdom.
The subject of water power has re-
ceived great attention in late years,
and the action of the Canadian Pa
c;fic management will serve anew TO
riyet attention upon ii. The lmmedl-
ate reason of the agitation OF latter
heyears is the need of cheaper power,
on the one hand. and the Importance,
q. on the other, of conserving the dWlnd-
line supplies of coal and other fuels by
. making use Of this eternal natural re-
sources. The wasting power IN enc
United States Is Of i~ncalculable
st~upendousness and, following the
Canadian Pacific. 1t is probable that
stcpsl>yiiI4 be taken in this country to
divert a great proportion Of our water
power to practical purposes. Al
ready. aside from the we'll known IN
stance of the utilization Of aga
Fails. q lumber Of large "ater-po"er
plants are in operation In this couh-
try tho developments have been pr1n-
cipaMy In h West and South. IN
Europe, where coal is the
most pronounced Roadway has been
. made. France is estimated to nave
:. available hydraulic power OF w
100000 and 10, 0o0. 900 horse power.
Germany and Switzerland are foremost
in the development OF waterways TOR
the generation Of electricity for gen
eral. industrial and the OPP
Grafton of steam roads which, 1t IS IN
tended to .electrify. Not My are
nota bic undertakings under way. but
other extensive plans hdve matured to
be shortly put into effect. Ihe
schemes contemplate Harvesting the
Mohne, the Nidda. the Elder, the
F, Dienral and the Rhine rivers. Up IN
Norway immense projects are IN pro-
cess of realization. A &C, 600 horse
power hydro-electric plant is to be
operated by. the waters of the hinge
dalsvand, tunnelse16.5O0 feet in length
being required for It.
All these projects point the way. to
a reduction in. coal ~ns1tnpao e
c~onseauen lowering f<of h cost OF
power and a p~rolongasion of n life
81. the coal ~veiEs--reSultS whose prime
Importance to mankindsisn apparent
at a. glance. They do something
more. for they are prophetic Of the@so-