Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-03-24
USING WHITE COAL
Water Power important Factor in
Conserving Resources
New England Power Co. and Connect
cut River Power Co. Generate Enor-
nous Amount of Electricity.

The starting of the great hydro.clec
tric industry of New England at Yer
non and the location of the power sta
tions of the Connecticut River Power
company at points so near here that Il
company at points so near us that Il
lO0-milc automobile trip from Brattle-
boro will enable one TO visit the six
generating stations with an installed
capacity of about $1,000 horse power,
and will give chance to see the Som
crset reservoir, makes to Vermont peO-
pie all the more interesting a quotation
on the subject of water powers taken
from booklet entitled Americas Coal
Resources, issued by the First Ma
tional bank of Boston.
The article states that we have
drawn not quite one per cent of our
coal capital and that our remaining
coal supply is probably over three tril-
lion tons. It says, however, that we
can not afford to bc wasteful even with
this showing because coal once used is
gone forever and that unless we exer-
else careful conservation, it will be i'm
possible to pass along to citizens of the
great America of the future their share
OF this wonderful bounty.
The article continues: AN important
factor in the conservation of our coal
resources and one that will have in
crcasing influence in the future, is the
substitution of water for power devel-
Oped by coal. BY means of recent adj
Vances made in the transmission Of eec
trio energy, electricity developed by
water power may be utilized at n dis
tancc of several hundred miles from its
source and so serve a territory en-
bracing thousands of square miles.
"The partial electrifcation of steam
railroads is already an accomplished
fact and some of the large railroad
systems of the West have possessed
themselves Of great available water
power rights to generate the electrical
energy needed for transportation.
switzerland has been making long
strides during the past ten years in the
substitution of water power for coal
power In fact, so largely has water
taken the place of coal, there, as a
source of energy for industrial uses,
that it has been termed "the White
Coal Of Switzerland. :"
1.-The very abundance of water over
the greater part of the country has
dulled our appreciation of its value.
Several years ago, party of Iuni
Indians who live in a region in which
water is so scarce that it is collected
with great effort, drop by drop, visited
the Eastern states and were shown the
sights in the large cities Upon being
asked, when about to return, what
thing interested them the most, they
replied that the most wonderful work
of the white man is that by which wa
ter is so conducted that thousands of
faucets may be turned and stream
come forth.
"The great utility of our enormous
water supply and water power is just
beginning to be realized by us. OF the
thirty million horse power now being
developed from coal in the United
States, our government experts believe
more than one half could be produced
by water at a lower cost and with a
saving of millions of tons of coal an
nually.
1T is estimated that the use of half
our available water power only, would
furnish sufficient horse power to meet
the requirements of the entire nation
even when its numbers shall have in
creased to 25O,000,0OO SOULS
The New England Power company
and the Connecticut River Power com
pany generated sufficient electricity in
the year just past to displace 100000
tons of coal.