St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-06-25


cent of the minimum and a trihe less
than 80 per cent of the maximum as
figured out by the government ex-
perts. The amount of power these
plants are capable OF producing If fully
developed is about II per cent of the
minimum and about Al per cent of the
maximum. At the present time New
England has total of thirty-one COM
mercial plants in operation. And yet
despite this fact and the fact that %
per cent Of the power in her manufac-
turing establishments is water power,
taking the mean of these figures it
would appear as if, roughly speaking.
she had availed herself of not more
than half of her water power.
Hydroelectric development must OF
necessity have its 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, a strip $50
feet in width has been cleared for it's
transmission lines. 1t is obvious there
fore that that region is placed at the
greatest advantage whose wat1r pow
er is the best distributed.
Great as may be the collective water
power Of state it is at decided dis
advantage so far as its attractiveness
to manufacture goes If it is concen-
trated at one spot like Niagara It is
$50 miles from Niagara to New York.
In New England there is probably no
populous center more than $50 miles
from some large power site. In short,
in no other part Of this country is the
water power so well 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 coalhelds.
While hydroelectric development il
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-
veloped power commercially to the ex-
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. It is the largest develop
ment east of Niagara, covering three
states in it's operations. Today with
four plants in operation it is develop
ing 10000 horsepower. Eventually it
will have eight plants in operation with
a total output Of power amounting to
zoe, 900 horsepower.
The electrical energy to be furnished
by this company in 1914 will replace
annually 225, 100000 tons of coal.
All told this development will repre-
sent an investment amounting to over
81, 100000. Today this company is
moving cars in Worcester and will
soon be supplying power to the trolley
lines Of Fitchburg. It is running cot
ton mills in Clinton and Fitchburg,
wire mills and car works in Worcester,
is supplying current for the lighting of
Gardner and Marlborough
and is selling power to lots of local
electric companies in smaller towns
throughout a wide area Its operations
cover a zone reaching from Keene, N.
H, to Monson and Uxbridge, in south
ern Massachusetts,. Eventually its
lines will reach as far south as Plain
field, Conn, and Providence, r. I.
This plant was finished in January,
1910. Its output in 1912 amounted to
GA, 900, 900 kilowatt hours. The other
plants of the New England Power
company are located on the Deerneld
river, which, rising in the Green
OF Vermont, empties into
the Connecticut at Greenfield, Mass.
The great problem connected with this
was the creation OF a
storage reservoir of sunicient size to
tide over the low water season. One
storage basin has already been con-
structsd and work has been begun on
a second which will impound alto
gether 100000 gallons Of water, thus
insuring an adequate supply Of water
for the power plants throughout even
the driest summer. There are now
three Of these plants completed and in
operation on the Deerheld river, each
three generators with the
Of 5000 horsepower each.
One plant is located two miles above
the town of Shelburne Falls, another
is opposite the village, and the third
two miles below it. Within a short
time fourth plant will be completed
on the river just above the Hoosac
tunnel, with a capacity Of 10000
Ultimately this company expects to
develop 100000 horsepower on the
Deerfield river alone.
To carry this great load It's miles Of
lines are now in use or
being erected. These lines are built
on their own right Of way and can be
seen for miles around.
Second only to this development is
that Of the Turner'S Falls company,
promoted by the Cabot and Croker
interests Of Boston. At Turner's Falls
the Connecticut drops abruptly some