St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-06-25
WATER POWER IN
NEW ENGLAND
Many Advantages Over Other Sections
In Fall and Flow of Her Rivers.
Industrial Boom Should Follow Their Use For
HydrOelectric PurpOses-EGures Show
She Already Leads

The problem of Harvesting our rivers
and utilizing their power TO move the
wheels of commerce and industry is
today a subject of ever increasing
study, and it is one fraught with tre-
mendous Importance to the future Of
New England.
The increase in the price of coal the
fact, as shown by biologists reports,
that our coal supply is not inexhauGt-
ible particularly the supply of anthra-
cite have turned our thoughts to the
river, have babe US try to avail our
selves Of it's friendly flow and utilize
the enormous energy which it repre-
sents
The increased attention given to this
subject resulted a few years ago in the
geological survey making careful ex-
animation of the country's water pow
er, and a year ago the bureau Of cor
porations revised and extended the
work 50 as to show the extent to which
water power has up till now been util-
ICED. The report of the commissioner
OF corporations, for one thing, pointed
out that the great bulk Of the water
power of the country was on its edges
In other words, that New England.
New York and Pennsylvania and a few
south Atlantic states, together with
the Pacific, contained pretty much all
that there was Of it.
The following are the principal riv-
ers whose potential water power is so
important to New England and which
should make it pre- eminently the
place for manufacturing opportunities:
ct. croix River, Maine.
Total fall 42s feet in sO1z miles; drainage
I wiz raf Of
fall 50 feet per mile at sprague Falls.
Psnobseot River, Maine.
Total fall 1909 feet in 200 miles; drain
age area, 1884 square miles; maximum
rate OF fall, 1877 feet per mile at Chesun-
cook lake.
Konnsbec River, Maine.
Total fall LOIS feet in 13S miles; drain
age area, 500 square miles; maximum
rate of fall, lat feet per mile near Moose
head lake (source).
Androscosgin River, Maine.
Total fall 2215 feet in 1919 miles; drain
age area, S,696 square miles; maximum
rate of fall, 49, feet per mile near Magal-
1oway lake (source).
eaeo River, Maine.
Total fall 1850 feet in 1O4 miles; maxi
mum rate Of fall, 94.6 feet per mile at or
near source; drainage area, 1.750 square
miles.
Merrinac River, New Hampshire and
Massachusetts,.
Total fan 269 feet in no miles; maximum
rate OF fall, $40 feet per mile at Manches-
ter, N. H; drainage area, 1854 square
miles.
Centooook River branch of the Mer-
rimae).
Total fall s65 feet in IS miles; maximum
rafa Of faH rni1a a RQnninR-
ton, N. H. drainage area included in
Merrimac)
Connecticut River.
Total fall 2Oss feet in s5 miles; maxi
mum rate of fall, 34.3 feet per mile. at
Connecticut lake; drainage area, u,269
square miles.
Housatonic River.
Total fall 9sS feet in 1zs miles; maximum
rate of fall, 1914 feet per mile at Falls
Village, Conn; drainage area, 1888 square
miles.
Labor is generally more plentiful,
particularly skilled labor, where the
conditions of living are the best, where
there is the best environment for the
home, the best educational advantages.
It is for reasons such as these that
New England has such a large popula-
ton of skilled mechanics. 1t is for these
ESdSOuS that ySdAS d6O IL OCNc44C 0A
industrial region almost without equal
in this country; hence it must be that
with the development of the enormous
power lodged in her streams and it's
conversion into electrical energy pos
gibIe- of transmission over an extended
area there should be no question but
that this region is to be the scene of
great industrial expansion through the
superior advantages it will thus offer
to manufacturers.
Hydroelectric power-the power of
the flowing stream converted into cleo
trical energy through the use % tur-
bines-may not be cheaper than steam
in some places for its cost to the con-
sumner varies with conditions. 1t sell
dom runs higher than steam and in
many instances much lower-as. for in
stance. at Rumford Falls, in Maine,
where the power of the river thus con-
Verted is supplied to nearby manufac-
turing blishments at a cost Of