The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-09

I used in New England. is about 60 per cent of the minimum and a trifie less than 32 per cent of the maxim um as figured out by the government ex- perts. The amount of power these plants are capable of producing if fully developed is about TT per cent of the minimum and about 41 per cent of the maximum. At the present time New England has total of thirty one com merctal plants in operation. And yet, despite this fact and the fact that 25 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 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 struct1on 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 150 feet in width has been cleared for it's transmission lines. It is obvious there fore that that region is placed at the greatest advantage whose water pow CT is the best distributed.
 Great as may be the collective water power of a statt it is at a decided dis advantage so far as it's attractiveness to manufacture goes if it is concen- trated at one spot like Niagara. It is 450 miles from Niagara to New York. In New England there is probably no
 
 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. It 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 market. Of New England can it be said that today she has a greater asset in her water power than Pennsylvania in her coaIfelds-
 While hydroelectric development is comparatively new, capital has not been slow in seeking this form of in vestnnent in this region, as is shown by the total of her plants in operation and under construction. Only 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
 
 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 TO, ,0o0 horsepower. Eventually it will have eight plants in operation with a total output of power amounting to 100000 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 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 Fitchburg, 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 it's lines will reach far south as Plain field, Conn, and Providence, R. I.
 This plant was finished in January, 1910. Its output in 1912 amounted to 64 900, 900 kilowatt hours. The other plants of the New England Power company are located on the Deerfeld river, which, rising in the Green mountains of Vermont, empties into the Connecticut at Greenfield, Mass. The great problem connected with this development was the creation of storage reservoir of sufficient size to tide over the low water season. One storage basin has already been con structed and work has been begun on a second which will fnapound alto gether 55, 5,oOo, 900 gallons of water, thus insuring an adequate supply of water for the power plants throughout even the drfest summer. There are now three of these plants completed and in operation on the Deerdeld river, each containing three generators with the capacity of 5000 horsepower each.
 One pIaRt 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 a fourth plant will be completed on the river just above the Hoosac tunnel, with a capacity of 2e.0oo horsepower.
 Ultimately this company expects to develop 100000 horsepower on the Deerfeld river alone.
 To carry tkiS great load 175 miles of transmission lines are now in use or being erected. These lines are built on their own right of way and can ho seen for miles around.
 Second only to this development is that of the Turner's Falls company. promoted by the Cabot and Crocker interests of Boston. At Turner's Falls the Connecticut drops abruptly some