The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-06
VISIT NEXT WEEK OF GOVERNMENT PARTY OF GREAT MOMENT Probably Means Tennessee River Will Become Great
 est Energy Producer PROBLEM IS GREATER
 THAN AT NIAGARA Quantity of Electrical Energy Pro- duced Will Be Far Greater Than
 Now Produced At Mi
 agara River
Ky HOLLAND

New York May 5-On May 10 there IS to begin an inspection of those reaches or the Tennessee river, which are bounded py Sheffield, Chattanooga and knoxVhle which is to be really a national inVesu- gation For the federal government al Washington both in its executive ana its legislative departments, is to be rep resented at this visit as well as the Secre- tarv of War and some of the distinguished engineers of the army and representatives of the committee on rivers and harbors.
 There is sentimental and somewhat dra- matic purpose in this visit For It IS hoped that as a result of 1t there may be developed in east Tennessee and north Alabama water power energy convertible into electric energy which will yield greater power of commercial practicabli- ity than has already been developed on the banks of the Niagara river.
 Only a quarter of a century has passed since the attention of the late Dr. Cole man Sellers, the distinguished engineer of Philadelphia; of George Westinghouse, E D. Adams and other men of great scien- tifc attainments, was fixed upon the stu pendous current which is in the Niagara river with intent to learn whether some portion of its energy could so be captured and utilized as to make available electric energy sufficient to maintain large manu- featuring plants and also to operate tro- ley lines far away as Buffalo, as well as to furnish facilities for light and heat and power. The engineers were persuaded that invention had advanced so far that the Niagar current offered a commerela- ly practicable proposition. Upon their word, J. P. Morgan and others gladly financed the proposition. When the work was well advanced Lord Kelvin, England S greatest man of science, visited Niagara and after two three days inspection de- clared that there had been developed the worlds greatest power plant.
 Some years later other capital and other men of science deemed it feasible to de- velop electric energy by capturing some part of the power in the rapids at Mas sena Springs, New York state. Nature herself furnished facilities for developing that work which were not furnished at Niagara, for one of the little rivers whose source is in the Adirondack mountains, and which flows into the St. Lawrence at Massena Springs, was found to be of avail means of carrying off the water whose energy had been captured at the dam. At Niagara, it was inevitable that a. deep and long tunnel be constructed for that purpose. The little river at Massena does the same work at no cost for con struction. There, too, is developed very large electric energy and manufacturing plants are there established.
 As It Is In Tennesse
 When the plants at Niagara and little later at Massena Springs were completed and well demonstrated the commercial practicability of capturing water power for conversion into electric energy equiv q. 14 : science stated that similar work was prac- ticable in many parts of the south, and especially along the Tennessee river. But while it was commercially practicable, nevertheless there remained the imperative necessity for very great financing At Mi agara there was no question of navigation. Canada had built canal around Niagara Falls and another around the rapids of the St. Lawrence between New York state and Canada But in the case of the Tennessee river there was offered opportunities for so capturing the energy also to make available the improvement of the river for navigation purposes.
 If it can be determined by the represen- tatves of the government who are next week to visit the Tennessee river region that there can be such cooperation will make it possible so to utilize the energy that is in the Tennessee river current as to make available ultimately the equiva- lent of 100000 horse power also to make the Tennessee river navigable at that point, then there will have been achieved both public and private work which will greatly surpass the vast achieve ments which are represented by manufac- turing establishments on the banks of the Niagara river and of the St. Lawrence.
 The Tennessee region is far richer in natural resources than is the valley of the St. Lawrence or the territory con- tiguous to the Niagara river. and for long time there has been recognition of that fact. But the means by which these