The Washington herald., 1910-03-20
HURTS COAL OUTPUT
Complaint That 100000 Tons
Have Been Replaced.
THE CAPITALISTS FEAR LOSSES
Use of Rivers in Piedmont Region
to Drive Electrical Plants Causes
Mining Observation-Disclosures Ope-
ratOrs Anxious About Outlook.

Attention is being called to a new
economical question in the South which
may be stated in general terms that the
development OF water power hurts coal
consumption. The subject has been
brought forward by writer's employed to
exploit coal companies. and the warning
has gone forth TO investors in coal plants
that the utilization Of water 10 drive
machinery. especially in the States of
Virginia and North Carolina. threatens
10 interfere materially with the returns
of the coal companies.
In the neighborlng city of Baltimore, a
peculiar situation is presented in that
capitalists there have invested money
both in the coal plants and in some of
the big electric companies which are
using water power The question with
them is whether they shall submit to
having money taken out of the right
hand pocket to be put into that on the
left or vice versa. other capitalists are
not in a position to make good on the
profit lost TO coal in that made by cleo
tricity and something of q howl is being
raised in the coal districts because OF
the orders withdrawn by cotton mills
and other Industries which have recently
Introduced electricity or direct water
power for operating their machinery.
Use of water Power increases.
Development of water power in yir-
ginia, the Caroiinas, and adjacent States
already has reached imposing proper
tons, and the work is being pushed in
manner that may seriously affect the
coal trade. 1t is estimated that in the
last two years fully $4,000 tons Of coal
have been displaced in the Piedmont
section of the Carolinas. and experts say
this loss VIII be increased to 1900, 600
tons in FIVE years.
1t is eonteneed that water power is
cheaper and in many respects more sat
isfactOry than coal, and that many OF
the largest cotton mills there have sub
stituted it for steam. and others are
arranging to make the change.
So keen has become the competition
between coal and water power in the
Carolinas that some of the big mining
companies have been forced to sell the
product at price that is barely above
the cost of production.
Rights to use rivers and streams for
the purpose of developing power and
generating electrical current are being
gobbled up by promoters wherever there
Is a promise Of making the venture pay,
and many good judges predict that the
time is not very far off when the bulk
of the machinery In the South accessible
TO rivers will be operated by water power
The first cost of developing water
power is said TO be enormous; but the
plant, once in operation. can be con-
tinued at a surprisingly low expense.
In this work of development Baltimore
capitalists have contributed large sums
Of money.
One of the largest enterprises OF this
kind is the MeCaIrs Ferry project. on
the Susquehanna River. in Maryland. A
power plant with capacity of 10000
kilowatts Of electricity a day is nearing
completion.
The Southern Water Power Company,
which is supplying the Piedmont section
of the South. has expended about
sA-sVVSsSeV t&4 rs pioEAts TIE
tons are that 1t viii find IT necessary
to Increase capacity, so great is the
demand for its service. This company
has just 6oated an issue of 100000 in
bonds.
or more immediate concern to coal
mining interests in this section is the
report that the United States Steel
Company VIII buy up coal companies
near Pittsburg and husband the coal
for use in and about Pittsburg This
suggests great changes in bituninous
coal markets and distribution. Since the
establishment of the industry millions
of bushels of coal have been sent by
water from the Monongahela valley to
Ohio and Mississippi River points as far
as New Orleans
This great business has been built up
by the expenditure Of vast sums of
money to make navigation on smaller
rivers possible, ana thouands of boats
and boatmen are engaged in the fuel
trade on the great rivers. The with
drawal OF Pennsylvania coal from the
Western and Southern trade would be
a great boon to other coal fields.
by the close Of next scar about 2eO0.o8 acres
viii have been reclaimed BY irrigation N this coun-
Try at a cost Of so ele0o0. When the system is
49, H.e1h