Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-05-27

route possible. The valleys of these two
streams come to within four miles of each
other at the place through which the Hoo
sac tunnel has been pierced. The rail-
road makes its way to this bore through
these valleys, and so has relatively easy
grades. After this water-power develop
ment is made the Deerfield River between
the tunnel and Zoar will have only so
much water as il collects in this last &c
miles of its journey In the dry Season
that will not be large. People riding along
its course in Pullmans and automobiles
will see the rocky bed over which the
stream formerly flowed. At high water
seasons 1t will still carry a moderate
amount. At low water seasons it now
reaches a nearly neglible quantity. The
fall Is so rapid that nothing can stay in
the stream long.
Some Incidental Details.
This Zoar power, it is assumed, will be
handled in connection with that produced
at Vernon and in time at other points of
New England, thus giving balance wheel
TO the enterprise. The larger the group
ing of power plants the less acute the eff
feet Of short rainfalls. But in addition
to that some coal must still be burned.
Two ways Of doing it are in operation in
the power plants. One is for the COM
pany to furnish the continuous power it.
irons in any event, getting it from water
If possible but from coal when necessary.
The other and somewhat more economical
plan is that pursued by the Susquehanna
company, which sells in Baltimore, Wash
ington and Harrisburg etc, electric Juice
when IL has It, letting the individual fac
tories call into use their own steam plants
when the electricity gives out Most Of
these concerns had steam plants anyhow
adapted to their needs, and to them the
Susquehanna company sells electricity
enough cheaper than the coal would cost
SO that they can buy the juice when 1t is
on sale, running their steam boilers at all
other times. as OF old
The acquisition Of water rights is one
of the difficulties Of an enterprise OF this
kind. one man may hold up a long line
1t has been suggested that the law Of
eminent domain should be applied to such
holdings. This Is a new question in the
modern world. In the old days, with a
mill at a waterfall in the river no large
Co-urdinating OF interests was necessary
But today with electrical transmission,
which finds a market for huge product,
and with the great economies obtained
from one long drop, the ability to con-
troll a considerable stretch OF water is Of
the utmost importance. 1t is the big head
that counts. The 500 feet is the alluring
element I'm the Zoar project, but this
means the harmonizing Of hundreds Of
interests. This endeavor has been pro-
ceeding quietly for months. Wherever
possible the water rights have been
bought outright; sometimes 1t has been
necessary 10 buy the farm. selling 1t back
to some new customer, deprived by the
terms OF the deed OF the water right
such landed estate is known as a mud
farm"
Have the purchases been completed so
that this project will surely proceed &?
Those best informed, here and in Boston,
answer in the affirmative. Large invest
ments have certainly been made. Engin-
GERS are a work here on the ground,
and judging from what has been done by
the same management in Vernon this is
in all probability a real thing, and one OF
pre-emnent Importance in New England 5
| industrial history.