El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-15

NTAcHlNlLD4s ID. c. June 15--Iht
w water powers OF the United
States are 90 be modified as a war
asset They are to be harnessed and
used for the saving Of coal They are
TO be employed to take the nitrogen
from the air in order that it may be
used for explosives and fertilizers. and
also 20 run the factories which are
making the thousand and one things
needed in this time Of war.
This subject is now before congress,
and laws for damming the rivers and
leasing the power sites viii probably
have been enacted by the time this
letter is published The great streams
on our public lands are 10 be thrown
open 70 private capital and an enor-
nous increase Of national energy VIII
be the result
Is Great National Asset.
Few people realize how large a
place our water powers are likely 10
have In the life Of the nation They
are among the greatest OF our IN
developed resources and upon them
our position as q world power may de-
pend. According 10 estimates made
by George Otis smith, director Of the
geological survey. we have. outside
Alaska, more than $1,000. 600 horse
power EaH.IN a.aLLH ULes ana AuEAe
SANS expert hvdrOEraher. II o.
Leighton. has figured that $50 900
Evdroelectric power could be brought
into use The latter amount is more
than five times as much as the avail
able water powers OF all Europe. and
more than 80 times the possibilities OF
Germany and Austria-Huugarv
According TO Dr. Smith, we have
more than 5000, 900 hydroelectric
horsepower already developed, which
is considerably more than nine times
the developed horsepower OF Ger
many and Austria-Hungary More
over. Canada has enormous water
1ower, and she is our big partner in
The use of Niagara falls and in the
force that comes from the dropping
NJ the waters OF Lake Superior into
Lake Huron through the Sault ste
Marie canals She IS known TO have
something like 10000 horsepower
which can easily be developed, and
she rs already producing more hydro
electric energy than our allies I'm Eu-
rome
The water powers Of the world have
not been accurately measured; but we
know that the North American CONT
nent has several times as much as all
Europe, and that the potential energy
from Harvesting the waters OF the
United States and Canada viii make
them the chief Industrial centers of
the world for all time TO come There
are vast water powers fin the streams
Mexican mountains. and TIE same is
true Of some OF the countries IN Cen
trail America
Brazil Has Utilized Water Power
South America has a few scattering
water powers along the west coast
That region for more than 1000 miles
i7 a desert. but the melting SHOWS OF
the Andes now run the street cars Of
Peru aud there are large electric
plants in Chile The eastern side Of
the continent is susceptible Of enor-
nous hvdroclectric development The
rails Of tho IEuaZu, the Niagara Of
South America. on the eastern borders
more than Niagara. and they pour
over the arc Of a circle which AT high
water is about two miles I'm width It
is estimated that they can easily de-
Telop something Ike 100000 hydro
cleric HORSEPOWER There are great
water falls in eastern Brazil, which ]
vun the street cars and the electric |
lights Of $40 Pagfa and Rio de jan
Giro. and there arE vast water powers
along the Madeira and other tribu-
taries OF the Amazon
Africa has some mighty water falls. [
The Niagara of the Zambesi river is q
mile wide and 400 feet deep. and Il
has been estimated that Il could pro-
duce 50 100000 horsepower. OF six or
seven times the amount OF Niagara
This may he so at flood times. but IL
is not so during the greater part OF
the year Nevertheless. the power is
enormous. and they are now planning
10 send it from there 20 the Eoldfields
Of JohannesburE- There are water
powers on the Congo enough TO run
an Industrial empire. and where the
Nile flows out Of Victoria Nyanza are
the Ripon falls. which viii some day
be making the cotton cloth for the
savaEes Of that part OF the world
Asia also has great water powers, [
hut the chief development so far has
been IN Japan and India. the former
country using its waters for its silk
mills and factories and TO light some
of its largest cities Europe has alto
gether about 1890 900 OF available
horsepower the chief Developments