The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-02


that give small powers tn SILK -
bers that IT is a waste OF tim. n
out any OF them. Little urv-- s.s
of them big enough to fur. t Rs
out of all proportion to th,.~ ~es
size, but big because Of 15- =
some other peculiarly. r =
where. 1t is SURPRISING +t ,.
some of the small streams - Sef
pended on to supply where t-a. =
the marked fall like some 81 t.. 9'e
instance on the IinvIU. ~. '
stream m that falls 1900 feet lr
can afford to be chesty oNsr .-
to supply electrical pove- r
what the Lnville river shows
| miles from its JUNCTION With -..
| tawba, and at one place its -
averages zoo feet 10 the milo r.- TIL.
| eral miles.
| In The West, Too
| Nor is this all, for when t... s.....
| shed of the CataWba is passes -
| westward North Carolina las -
| streams putting through thg m. -
| gaps, and out the valleys thar -
into East Tennessee. The Hla...ssas
the Little Tennessee. the Frerof ursss
and the HolstOn, all have thetr -.
in North Carolina and they all rayea
lot of water powers in this State >arn.
are moderately big, but the ht-l, ere,
are enough SO that the aggreg#ta Nv
er they would develop is big. 0r ,ha
Tennessee river in this STATE rht .v.
erage fall for a distance of Sd raIles
is over Is feet. The Cheowah has =
fall Of sixty feet to the mite fOr W.
eral miles. The Tuckaseegee fails .aa
feet in two miles. Cull3S& il creek ale
800 feet in a quarter of a mile Tie
Elk river is not excited over q tan ~
a hundred feet to the mile The
\
a. lot Of fall, and some of them cone
close to being big powers. A lot If lit.
tie powers are on every tributary
The French Broad and the Eroad
, are different rivers. the Broad running
out into South Carolina from Enther.
ford, Polk and Cleveland counties.
where it has some moderately big pos
!, sibilities and lot of little one, The
French Broad goes into East IerneS-
. see becoming with the HolstW the
, , Tennessee in the course Of Some dis
: tance down the stream. Up 1n tho
New River, which goes out through
Virginia into the Ohio, q number 4
little water powers are at hand aN att
' ing the man who wants t0 generate
. current for enterprises Of 1n0re or less
, magnitude or for small Industries and
! towns and communities. The no1n-
i tain counties give lot Of power This
"A 1cli up llicIt 10 oo " Oll'hli'' ~ A&ttA =
smaller volume of water serves the
purpose of more water with less fail
SO it comes that from the mInGte ne
streams begin to gather volume theg
begin also to exhibit a capabllity ma
men will not much Longer pass by
Providing comparatively big power foi
little streams while they are UP Wher'
big fall gives energy, these stream
as they work down the mountains IN
: crease their flow by the addition o.
IL tributaries, until AS they reach nj
a area Of lesser fall they make lp fo
e it by more volume. So, following
n their courses on the longer journey t
II the sea than any other eastern riVer
e take, they continue to AFFORD Httl
n powers mile after mile Of the Va iA
le til enough of them have finally jolne'
y to make a big stream, and that stream
Is comes to q fall big enough 10 make
= big power, and there the little ani
n, eclipsed by the bigger one.
t. Playing Larger Part
ig The part these little vater power
D is playing in the State is eVideh4sd 2
le the mills that are growing up aroun
&c them everywhere. Here at EaeIor
at the cotton mill probably directlE an
to indirectly adds at least five E4aare
ii people to the town AS the paN'
from the dam built to run the ih-H
a sufficient to turn more wheel ~ Is f'
as posed to build another mill ab"Nl
of big as the one now in operatleA
:. | hipgar So one step invites anoth'
1v one. And If the new mill sl'ett'
O. plans have been discussed Tor an" ~
of power plant on RockfiSh faTfhei
D. stream. That would prompt ah'1r
n mill or something else. Thefe Y
an logical place to stop until the etiu
O. the power is reached, and ina =
1t. far away that we cannot iiiaI"
e. where it can possibly be
it's Some estimates Of the po" er = :
he North Carolina rivers have been no
zig but they are all estimates. aa- ~
1i- have been based chiefly or {he
ers powers. The little powers hke W.
rs. here on Rockfish have been pi19~'-'
ms as perhaps forty, OF fifty OF -
'se dred horse power, and then COM i. !
Dig Upchurch and fastens UP pro- .a.l5
Dig thousand in one swoOp, and tina .4a
it no account Of a lot Of other h~.oi-
~ he l., hn