The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-06-16


than 80 per cent of the maximum as |
figured out by the government ex- /
perts. The amount of power these i
plants are capable Of producing if fully /
developed is about IT per cent Of tho /
minimum and about Il per cent of tho |
maximum. AT the present time New !
England has total of thirty-one com |
merciaI plants in operation. And yet /
despite this fact ana the fact that 25 |
per cent of the power IN her manufac-
turing establishments is water power,
taking the mean Of taese figures it
would appear as If, roughly speaking, !
she had awaited herself of not more
than half of her water power.
Hydroelectric development must of
necessity have it's limitations. The
practical limit of transmission for the
current generated by this method was
recently placed by one of the leading
engineers Of the country at 200 miles.
The expense OF these transmission
lines must needs be great, requiring,
as they do, a superior type of con-
struction to carry the high voltage ca
bles and a protected right Of way
through the country. In the case of
one Massachusetts company, the New
England Power company, strip $50
feet in width has been cleared for its
transmission lines. 1t is obvious there
fore that that region is placed at the
greatest advantage whose water pow
er is the best distributed.
Great as may be the collective water
power of a state it is at a decided dis
advantage so far as its attraCtiveness
to manufacture goes if it is ConCen-
trated at one spot like Niagara 1t is
450 miles from Niagara to New York.
In New England there is probably no
populous center moe than $50 miles
from some large power site. In short
in no other part of this country is the
water power so we'll distributed for in
| dustrial use as here. 1t offers a rare
| field for the development of hydro
| electric power plants because all over
/ New England these great water power
| sites are found near a market. Of New
! England can it be said that today she
/ has a greater asset in her water power
! than Pennsylvania in her coalfelds.
While hydroelectriC development is
/ comparatively new, capital has not
| been slow in seeking this form of in
vestment in this region, as is shown
/ by the total of her plants in operation
and under construction. Only a few
of the manufacturing states have de-
! tent of Maine or Massachusetts.
In the New England Power company
Massachusetts has by far the largest
/ single development in the New Eng
| land states. 1t is the largest develop
ment. east of Niagara, covering three
states in its operations. Today witt
four plants in operation it is develop
ing 10000 horsepower. Eventually i
will have eight plants in operation will
a total output of power amounting K
200 600 horsepower.
The electrical energy to be furnished
by this company in 1914 will replaC,
annually 100000 tons of coal.
All told this development viii repre-
sent an investment amounting to owe
100000. Today this company i
moving cars in Worcester and vii
soon be supplying power to the trolle,
lines of FitChburg. 1t is running cot
; ton mills in Clinton and Fitchburg
! wire mills and car works in Worcester
/ is supplying current for the lighting o
F'itchburg, Gardner and MarIborougI
and is selling power to lots of loca
electric companies in smaller town
7 | throughout a wide area. Its operation
cover a zone reaching from Keene, \
} H. to Monson and Uxbridge, in south
lines will reach as far south as Plain
field Conn, and Providence. r. L
This plant was finished in January
1 1910 It's output in 1912 amounted t
y 100000 kiIowatt hours. The othe
y plants of the New England Powe
= company are located on the Deerhel
I river which, rising in the Gree
> mountains of Vermont empties int
/ the Connecticut at Greenfield, Mas
q The great problem connected with tn
S development was the creation of
80 storage reservoir of sufficient size I
tide over the low water season. Or
II storage basin has already been cor
- struCted and work has been begun c
e a second which will impound alto
II gether $4,000 900 gallons of water, thu
II insuring an adequate supply of watt
d for the power plants throughout eve
: the driest summer. There are no
three of these plants completed and
operation on the Deerfield river, eat
, containing three generators with Il
o. capacity of 5000 horsepower each.
10 One plant is located two miles abo7
I5 the town of SheIburne Falls, anoth
% is opposite the village, and the thi
19 two miles below it. Within a sho
- time q fourth plant will be CompIet
On lAe river JUST ABOVE the 11ooS
er tunnel, with a capacity of 20,0
Oy horsepower
ne Ultimately this company expects
he develop 100000 horsepower on t
: Deerfield river alone.
Nm To carry this great load IT'S miles
300 TRANSMISSION lines are now IN use
300 being erected. These lines are bu
300 on their own right of way and can
300 seen for miles around.
900 Second only to this DEVELOPMENT
GOO rarootaa ~, 49, Caba+ ia 80 l(ll
at interests of Boston. At Turner's Fa
nG the Connecticut drops abruptly sol