The Taney County republican., 1911-01-26
Water Power.

State Labor Commissioner Hitler is
calling attention to the bountiful water
supply in Missouri. Springfield at last
understands the importance of this
matter and seems to be in a fair way
eventually obtain cheap power.
That Missouri has more miles of
navigable rivers than any other state in
the Union is well known to any one
acquainted with the geographical con-
ditions of the country. On the east is
lhe Mississippi river, which affords
transportation ten months in the year.
| The Missouri river forms the northern
half of the western border, and then
turning east sharply, divides the state
into halves, finally uriting with the
Missippi north of St. Louis, according
to Mr.. Hitler.
Both rivers mentioned are fed by
fair-sized streams, among which are
the Usage, Gasconade, Lamie, Platte,
Charlton, Mussel, Grand, Mera nae,
Salt, Moreau, Nodaway. Big Tarkio,
Wyaconda, Blackwater, Spring, Eleven
Point, Blue, Big, Big Ta5o, Fabius,
Cuivre, Medicine, Moniteau, Saline
Crooked, River, des Peres. These
l+oootba~ 18th +ba C,,-.a-+ o,d Whit
and hundred other smaller swift flow
ing streams and innumerable waterfall
in the Ozark regions, would supply
water power sufficient to turn every
wheel in the state if proper use wa
made of the same. The Meramec
river would alone supply ample force
to move all the machinery of St. Louis
even considering that the manufactur
ing there alone for 1910 had value
of about $4,000, 900, and that ther,
are $500 factories and workshops
St. Louis county lies in sort of
pocket, with the Missouri river on tn,
north. the Meramec on the south anC
Mississippi on the east. The differ
ence between the first two names
streams at the western border of tn
, county is not so great, but the Nilsson
, ri is many feet higher there than the
Meramec, in a straight line across. A
canal cut to connect the two rivers
and properly provided with locks
would furnish water power, because c
: the existing slope, sufficientto gener
ate enough electricity to rropel all the
electric cars in the state.
The White river tributaries in Barry
Stone, Taney and other Ozark countie
are full of waterfalls, WHICH would fur
nish enough power to tut fn into clotl
5 all of the cotton of Missouri ant
Arkansas. In many localities goo'
use is already being made of the natu
raj power resources Missouri is 81
abundantly supplied with. In 100
there were 397 water wheels in tht
/ state, chiefly running small flour mills
and furnishing to as many establish
ments a force amounting to 1910
horse power. The Usage river has Il
$ water wheels, supplying energ
amounting to 1866 horse power. Th
Platt river has 216 water wheels, wit
29,240 horse power, but some {
these are outside of Missouri.
Cheap power makes great cities an
Springfield is so situated that chea
power is certain to be obtained som
, day.
What Springfield needs is NOR
manufacturing plants, diversified inter
ests. While the Frisco's announce
ment the other night that Springfield
will become more and more importan
as an operating point for the system
cheering and important, Springfield
must not rely on the road alone to SCI
the city through. A town is never OF
an entirely substantial basis which
too much dependent on one interest
The most substantial towns are thos