Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-14
FIFTY YEARS.AG0 In THE STAR

The demand that the water power
of the Potomac be put to practical
use. which has been ex-
Potomac. pressed repeatedly OF late
D.. is by no means new. There
was such a demand nifty
years ago, and even beyond that Halt
a century ago electrical prohibition
and transmission were not developed
as at present. and so the Potomac was
conceived as a power source by d.
rect means through the turning Of
millwheels The Star of September
IL. 1869. has long editorial on the
subject. 1t notes first the possibility
OF utilizing the overflow waters from
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal There
was at that time a sufficient fall OF
water from the canal to keep seven
large Touring mills. one mill for
grinding corn. paper mill and tw"
coal docks in operation" The Star
urged that 100000 should be spent i'm
building tight timber dam, across
the river to enlarge the feeding pool
and increase the head of water flow
ing through the canal, estimating that
this cost would be infinitely. more
than repaid in increased industry. ut
says:
by raising such a dam and enlarg
ing the canal half. the, Potomac might
, be turned into it, affordine water
enough to run Ave miles OF mills sid.
by side from Rock creek to the falls.
The present water rents probably
yield the canal company $4,000 per
! annum. or the legal interest on $780,
600 1t is all along the line only "A
/ few hundred feet from the canal to
the river. so that the raw material
| goes directly from the canal into one
end of the mills and the manufac-
| tured product out OF the other end
4 ty,sD
AT the Great Falls of the Potomac.
! twelve miles above, as great volume
! of water with more head could be
procured than at Georgetown, but it
/ would require a railroad on the Nir-
GINA side to reach it. The Maryland
! Side is not deemed available and the
waterway would necessarily be Oh
the Virginia side of the. river. Yet at
Great Falls there is larger volume
of water than at Manchester. while
(, the railroad transportation would not
be one-ffth the extent. But by in
creasing the capacity of, the present
canal. or making sluiceway by lts
side the water of the Potomac could
be very thoroughly utilized. In TINS
way the Georgetown level could pc
used altogether for milling purposes
in which case the five miles OF mfils.
if capital and enterprise were forth
coming might become. a reality.
These are no new ideas about the
extent Of the water power OF the 20
,tomac. but are familiar to- all scientinc
men who have been on the GROUND;
We see a great many fantastic ana
Iimpracticable ideas suggested as TO
the means by which the District may
put itself on the path of independent
prosperity But here. is something
feasible, something that there can pc
mo mistake about, something in ~hfch
tevery dollar invested must make are :
turn 1t is something in which rear OF
the stability of the capital has notn-
ing to. do, for manufacturing enter
prises care nothing for such extra :
neous circumstances. Give them water
mower and rail or water communlca-
ltion and they will build up cities IN
the desert Will not our capitalists
and business men who thave something
lat stake take these hints into serious
consideration"
1.-The work on the new hotel on YER
mont avenue. between H and stfeels,
says The Star OF
Arlington House sep'em , =, - - i't y.
Nearly Ready. known as the Ar