The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-08-25
WATER POWER REPORT.
Continued from First Page.

the instance of the Board of Trade
employed the firm of Snow q Hum
phreys. hydraulic engineers of rec
ogniZed experience and authority, TO
make a survey and report on the en-
| tire power privilege. The result OF
| thir work, in the form of maps and
recommendations for further develop
ment, was made public last summer
| The engineers considered the power
privilege here at Skowhegan as a
whole, and not from the standpoint
of the individual powers. In very
brief they reported that the drainage
area of the kennebec watershed at
Skowhegan comprised 1850 square
miles, and that the normal or average
! flow of water was 4250 cubic feet per
second. By the improvement of the
storage reservoirs on lakes and ponds
this could be increased to 5000 cubic
J feet per second, and 1t Is practicable
to develop Al foot head.
Their recommendations took the
form of three distinct plans for fur
Their development as follows
Firstly thoroughly overhauling
the present dams, and developing the
individual privileges to the utmost by
an expenditure of $4,000. the aggre
gate power would be increased by
2750 horse power
Secondly building new concrete
dams, abandoning the present wheel
sites, and developing the power at
one central station near the railroad
bridge at an expenditure OF $485.520 a
total development of $4,000 horse
power would be made.
1 irI
dams, abandoning the present wheel
sites, and constructing a concrete
canal along the south bank of the
river. to take the entire flow of the
water to a central power station To-
Gated at the Great Eddy, giving a
working head of 40 feet at an eXpen-
diture of $SS2,240, a total development
of 10000 horse power would result,
even after deducting one-third for
! losses incidental to electrical gener-
alton and transmission.
This latter plan involves new dams
seven feet higher than at present, and
carrying three feet of flash boards
during low water. The contour map
of the region above the dams shows
that the fiowage damage would be of
no relative consequence. The ledge
] foundation of the river is of course
particularly favorable for both dam
and canal construction.
The presence of abundant sand
near the river bank, together with the
eXcavated rock. will furnish ample
building matepial right on the ground.
Snow & Humphreys report that the
construction expense per horse pow
er in consequence of these circum-
stances, will be considerably less than
on any undertaking with which they
are familiar.
OF the three plans mentioned above,
it is evident that the last, involving
the complete utilization of the power
privilege. is the only one to be seri-
ously considered both from the
standpoint of the individual power
owner, and of the town of Skowhe-
gan. No argument should be neces-
sary to prove that it is an economic
and commercial crime, to allow four
tifths of the power income of this site
to go to waste, and that a complete
development of it should be made if
it is possible to do So AS the
actual development must depend
upon the owners of the several water
power privileges, who are of course
the real owners of the whole water
power at Skowhegan. it is evident
that they must be convinced of the
financial and mechanical feasibility of
the proposition.
A complete consolidation of every
power and water right affecting the
entire Skowhegan site is absolutely
Suph a nnnCnliH nfinn will
result not only in the desired develop
ment but also in settling once and
forever the long disputed questions
of water rights between the various
companies.
Whether or not the various owners
will decide to consolidate their re-
spectiye holdings, must depend upon
whether or not they consider the fl
nancial prospects of the new cor
poration good investment Neither
the Board of Trade or the town OF
Skowhegan can ask or expect owners
to sacrifice their property for the
we'll being and growth OF the town.
With but one exception the present
owners hold their property to furnish
power for their own use This pow
er consumption at the most favorable
season of the year aggregates less
than 5000 horse power Under pres
ent conditions it is an acknowledged
fact that during a part of the year
the owners cannot draw their allOt-
ment of water and run their indus
tries at full capacity. Under the pro-
posed development these industries
would be furnished guaranteed
amount of power at a nominal rate to
be determined by themselves as
stockholders of the corporation, and
they would be sure that they could
have all the power they might need
whenever they want it. and for a per-
petual period.
The estimated cost of the develop
ment is 1882 ,240 exclusive of flowage
damage. This it is believed cannot
exceed $4,000 including the Bomba-
zeen privilege tfor which the pres
tent claimant paid $500QD An issue
of $1.000,000 in first mortgage five
per cent bonds should be ample to
nay all the cost Of the development.
he interest charge would therefore
amount to $4,000 per annum. After
talking with several bonding houses
about the proposition, YOUR commit
tee feels certain that the bonds can
be sold on a five per cent basis. The
growth of the business of q water
power company like that proposed