The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-08-25
DEERFIELD RIVER
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Arrangements Made to Finance
Big Project.
WORK IS TO BEGIN IMMEDIATELY
viii Include Several Dams on Lower
Part of River and Mammoth Storage
Reservoir in Stratton and Somerset
Power Available in This Section.

! Further details of the project for the
much discussed hydro-electrlc development
OF the Deertield river. promoted by inter
ssts connected with the Connecticut River
Power company, were given out M Bos.
ton Monday when the completion OF an
underwriting agreement for the issuance
Of S30O0,O00 five per cent i0ycar. gold
bonds and S7J0,00O six per cent cumulative
preferred stock became known. The New
England Waterpower company has made an
Underwriting agreement with a banking
syndicate headed by Baker, Ayling & Co,
OF Boston. in pursuance OF which the bonds
and stock win be issued The work has
been planned by Arnold b. Chace. jr,, OF
Providence and Henry |. Hartman OF Bos-
ton.
| While engineering estimates show that
this financing should provide generating
plant and transmission lines for some %
600 horse. power it is likely to be only
step in the eventual Development OF Deer
| field river waterpower rights now control
led by the same interests. such develop
ments. however doubtless will be spread
over future years and it is figured that II
will entail expenditures OF between S12.-
100000 and S14.000.0O0
The Connecticut River Power company
has already sold practically its entire out
put and an immediate market Is assured for
the Deerfield river power to be made
available by the pending financing II Is
planned to connect the Deertield river lines
with those of the Connecticut River Power
company. making il possible for the com
bned system to serve a wider territory.
Initial construction will result in dam
ming the Deertield river in four places near
Shelburne Falls. as well as the creation of
A reservoir at Somerset where water will
be impounded to a height Of 100 feet and
over an area of approximately SIX square
miles.
The ultimate development of power will
be to a large extent in Vermont, the finan-
cial interests already owning the power
sites and tlowage rights necessary. Work
will be commenced shortly both in Yer
mont and Massachusetts,. The legislature
of 1908 granted a charter for the Vermont
development under the name of the VIII
mington Power x Paper company with the
right to change the name of the corpora
ton as the stockholders might desire The
name will be changed to the New England
Power Company of Vermont. There will
be also the New England Power Company
Of Massachusetts which will be owned by
the same interests. Development will be
carried on together. The storage develop
ment in Vermont will. Of course, be for the
benefit of both the Vermont developments
and power and the Massachusetts, develop
ments
II is expected that very considerable
use of the electric power will be found and
developed in the Deertield valley, both in
Vermont and Massachusetts,. What is not
used in the Deerfeld valley will be trans
ferred by line to the power station at
Vernon and thence distributed. So Brat
tleboro will have its advantage of this
Deerfeld power the same as at the Vernon
plant. Further than that, it is expected
that if the demand is sufficient line will
be run to Bennington. 1t is the purpose OF
the financial interests to develop the use
of this power to as large an extent as pos
sible in Vermont, both on account of the
near. proximity Of the power plants ana
the favorable conditions with cheap power
for the development of manufacturing in
southern Vermont.
The initial development on the Deer
field will be as much all together as that at
Vernon and ultimately there will be two
or three times as much power developed I,
on the Deerfield as at Vernon. Southern
Vermont is likely to receive a tremendous
impetus from this great power develop !
ment.
T. H. n. Cornell general manager for
the power construction company was IN
Wilmington Monday making arrangements
at Peck's mills in Somerset They will i'm.
start work on a dam that will
flow some 1.300 acres in Somerset and
Stratton. 1t is understood that this pond
will be used as an auxiliary to other dams !
to be constructed along the Deertield and
will be drawn on only in case of shortage
in the supply of water,
In addition to building the dam it i.
learned that force of men will be started
cutting the timber from the howage, which
nearly all the meadow land
along the east branch for several miles
above the mills and which has been the
site of two smaller ponds used in the past
for the operation of the mills. Outside, the
beds of these ponds very little cleared land
will be flowed, and none that has been un-
der cultivation for years. One arm of the
pond will extend westerly to the Worth.
ington lot and another northeasterly and
will flood the so-called ''Kimball meadows.