The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-09-26
EIeelIiciily lor lie llatisnal Canal


4 IS N ,I s4ss ,slls " X Y ~ n
Plans are under way to build for
Lac city Of Washington what VIII
!: probably be the most eiaborate water
and power plant that has ever fpr-
finished these utilities to d city. y.
TO accomplish this It Will be necas.
sary TO build a great dam across the
1 'Pot0mac river at the point where II
enters the District Of Columbia, forms
ing q picture sque lake among the pal
tsades OF the upper river. 81
Y Great Falls.
A dozen miles above washington
the: Potomac cascades over q series Of
rock ledge and produces Great Falls
q point Of wonder and scenic beauty
hat deligh lifted George Washington and
LsEnfant, his engineer, who laid out
the capital In the wilderness. Even
earlier. Captain John Smith explored
The Potomac to this point and wrote in
his diary that the fish we're accumu-
Hated below the falls inSsuch numbers
that II was impossible for him to
Igpush his canoe through them.
For many years the possibility OF
Harvesting these falls and thus gen
Grating sufficient power to operate the
public utilities Of Washington has
been advocated. Here, It was argued.
was Sufficient white coal to provide
for all the needs OF the capital city.
Appropriation Made
Finally Congress was sufficiently
Impressed to make an appropriation
TO cover the expense of drawing plana
for the sort Of plant that the govern
ment engineers should deem advis-
able. These plans have. now been
completed and Congress Will be asked
to provide the money to carry the
great work to completion.
The engineers do not recommend
The Harvesting OF the natural falls Of
the river. They, would go ten miles
further down stream, and there erect
a great dam which would raise the
level Of the water 115 feet. This would
form lake that would wind among
the bluffs and back the water up az
most to the falls. The, waters OF the
Potomac would tumble over the cliffs
into tho upper reaches Of the lake. and
/ would enhance the beauty ofsWash-
jington's show place rather than dis
Ifguer It.
Dam to Resemble spillway.
The dam, as it is planned. would sre-
semble the great Gatun spillway at
Panama. Likewise would It resemble
lin other particulars the dam that
creates the Roosevelt reservoir in
Arizona. This latter structure, In
lthe far West. has had a good deal to
lido with the decision OF the govern
Iment to erect the great plant at Wash
Iington. 3. ,s; {
I In Arizona the development OF
electric power was but incidental TO
I the primary purpose OF irrig ton for
which the project was undertaken.
But, even in such a community. where
the popul atton is small and scattered,
the power created has yielded q re-
turn to the government SUFFICIENT to
lpay interest on the whole investment.
The Roosevelt reservoir would have
beensa good proposition st had done
nothing more than furnish the current
Of water that passes through the pow>
er house THAT stands beneath 1t. If,
this Ia true in an isolated community,
II should be doubly so in the front.
door Of big city.
To Cost @15, 200, 900.
The Washington plant, according to
estimates, will cost Sis, O00, 900. OF
81. 100000 will be charged up to
furnishing q better water supply to.
the capital city and SO 900. 600 to the
power plant. This Is but q, little
|morefmoney than was spent on the
big reservoir in Arizona,
The engineers Of the war depart
ment have made extensive estimates
Of tn cost Of the power that would
be generated from such a plant. Fig
uring in all elements, such as inter
est on the Investment and deprecia-
ton of the plant, they estimate that
q kilowatt hour; the measure in
which electricity q sold, would cost
| the government, as the consumer, 81
mills. The present price which the
government pays for electricity Is a
little more than two cents q kilowat,
hour The electricity 90 brought
amount to $685.. coo a year.
Would Save Money.
The district government Is the sec
ond great consumer, and, as a sort
Of stepchild Of the federal govern
|ment, commands u degree Of genera,
interest. In that the general govern
ment pays one-half Of the expenses
lof operating the district government.
1.-THE whole public profits by its coon
omy. The district government would
save money in Just the same proper
ton as the departments, for 1t buys
from the same source and pays the
same prices.
Il. So the original purpose In mind IS
the CONSTRUCTING Of q plant that will
furnish mire water for Washing ton,
and power for use in the government
departments and in the district OF
Columbia. For these ends there would
be Immediately needed 1000 horse
power. Estimating the future growth
| ofSthe city. there will be needed twen-
lty years hence. s., 900 horse power.
The proposed plant would develop
much more than even this latter fig-
| ure. It could be depended upon quite
regularly to produce 5000 horse pow
Ter, and, with q little experimenting