The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-04-14
THE DEERFIELD POWER PROJECT
Plan to Erect Immense Dam in Nottingham May be
Changed as Result of Soundings.

rock which is encountered is more easily
obtained. The diamonds compose the bit
or cutting surface while the drill itself Is
hollow. When the drill steel has been
forced to its depth it is taken from the
hole and the core from the drill steel IS ex'
tracted, which shows precisely the nature
of the earth or rock which the drill has
passed through.
The result of these soundings and the
subsequent verdict of mo bottom given
out by the engineers probably precludes
forever the possibility of this huge pro-
iect, which was estimated to entail an ex-
penditure of upwards of S5,OO0,OOO, being
carried out in Its original form.
The point at which these soundings were
made is the only feasible place in the upper
Deerfeld valley between Hoosac Tunnel and
Wilmington where sufficient storage ca.
pacity could be had by the erection of sin.
gle dam to warrant the carryingou put of such
a proposition. A dam 175 feet high at the
above point would have held a body of wa.
ter eight miles long and varying from one
fourth to one mile in width, and it also
would have necesstated the rebuilding or
throwing up of the Hoosac Tunnel and Will
mington railroad north OF Readsboro and
many miles of public highway, as well as
the purchase By the power company OF the
plants of the James Ramage Paper CO., at
Monroe Bridge, the National Metal Edge
Box CO., of Rcadsboro, and the Deerfield
Lumber Co., at Mountain Mills. The
wood working plant of Wheeler and Kent.
field at Nottingham station was purchased
by the promoters of the project some time
ago and large gangs of men and teams have
been employed the past winter in cutting
the timber located in the proposed storage
o,o, o,J ba,l,p,, a. ~ thic mill IN hn work cd
up.
Had this project been carried through, it
is considered probable that the Hoosac
Tunnel and Wilmington railroad would have
been discontinued above Readsboro, and
that from Hoosac Tunnel to Readsboro
it would have been made standard gauge
operated by electricity. Jacksonville and
Wilmington undoubtedly would have re.
ceived railroad communication by the eX-
tension of the Shelburne Falls and Colrain
street railway, as engineers employed by
the power company have recently been sur
veying that route, and parties interested in
the latter railway are also interested in the
power project.
As 1t is, it is the opinion of the natives
that it will be many moons before the Cols
rain railway is extended to Wilmington,
as the cost OF construction would be heavy
and the patronage would be light in COM
petition with the Hoosac Tunnel and Will
mington railroad, as the natural shipping
point of the upper Deerfield valley is North
Adams, which would be more easily reached
by the latter route.
It is stated that conference of the back
ers of this proposition will soon be held in
Boston to discuss the situation. A con.
siderable sum of money, variously esti-
mated at upwards of 5000, 600, has already
been spent by these parties in acquiring
land along the river from Zoar to Whining
ton, VT, in an exhaustive survey of the riv-
er and the route of the proposed pipe line,
in the more recent soundings of the river
bottom and in various other detail work,
and it is not considered likely that they
will give up the proposition without fur
Their investigation.
There are many ideal points on the river
for building smaller dams than the one at
first projected, and it is very probable that
1t is estimated that from 5000 to 10000
horse power could be developed by series
of smaller dams, and by so doing it would
not be necessary to buy out the large firms
above mentioned, who already have water
power developments in connection with
their factories, nor would it be necessary
to interfere to any extent with the present
right of way of the H. T. & w. R. r. 1t
is stated that some of the. mill owners
placed fabulous price on their holdings,
as also did the owners of the H. T. & w.
r. R., when approached by the agents Of
the power company, and it is considered
that the expense thus to be saved is great
argument in favor of development on the
smaller plan.
There is excellent opportunity at the
Chase ponds in Somerset, VT, of creating
immense storage reservoirs at small ex-
pense from which to draw during periods
of low water, and this is considered es-
pecially favorable to development on the
smaller basis. In the "a miles from
Wilmington. VI, to noosac Tunnel ths
Deerfeld has fall Of 700 feet, which is
practically IS times greater than the fall
of the Connecticut in the "a miles from
Brattleboro to Bellows Falls.
A charter was secured by the Power com.
pany from the Vermont legislature two
years ago which, it is said, gives them the
most sweeping power of any charter ever
granted for similar purpose, including the
rights of eminent domain and the custom
airy corporation privilege to sue and be
sued, dam and be damned; and the natives
Of the upper Deerfeld valley express the
hope that something definite may result
therefrom, as this is the third charter which
has been granted in the past 10 years for
carrying out power developments on the