The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-08-19

rails Power Company, which ID a
OF the Washington Rail-
way and Electric Company and the
Potomac Electric Power Company,
and which owns the land in Mary
land and Virginia on both sides Of
the Great Falls. expressing an adj
verse view Of the project, said: I'VE
believe we are furnishing current
to the government today cheaper
than they could generate it,"
Former Court Opinion.
1t is. however, certainly unwise
TO accept such a discouraging opin-
ion; which is so wholly contrary to
the opinion Of the impartial en-
gineers of the War Department.
Bearing upon the view now ex-
pressed in behalf OF the Great Falls
Power Company. 1t may not be
amiss to refer to litigation that WAS
passed on by the Court of Appeals
of Virginia in 1905, in which the
then head of the Washington street
railway and power interests testi-
fled to the enormous value for
power purposes OF tho property
owned by the company at the Great
Falls: of the ease with which the
development Of the power could be
effected, and OF the plans that had
already been made by the company
for ITS Development.
Increase OF Price.
The company was then resisting
condemnation of any OF its land nj
the Great Falls for railway pur-
poses, upon the ground that 1t
would be serious interference
with its development plans. The
court, in passing on the case, In
which the writer happened TO be
one Of the counsel, said: The evil
dence tends to show that the land
sought to be condemned is essential
TO the appellant (The Great Falls
Power Company for the develop
ment of its water power; and that.
IL taken, the power company would
be compelled to change Its plans
entirely" II may be noted. incl
dentally, that in 1905 the Washing
ton price of contract coal used for
generating power by steam was not
more than 81 per ton. whereas it is
now more than double that figure.
According &c the Tyler report, the
total production Of power, should
the project be completely carried
out. would be 675,o00.o0o kilowstt
hours per annum. and the question
is whether It would find q market
The total consumption in the Dis
trict in 1920 was 30s,oo0,o0 kilo-
watts, OF which the government used
over 20 per cent. The excess OF
SS7. oe0, 900 kilowatts would have TO
be sold outside Of the District. AS
Is we'll known, hydro-electric cur
rent is transmitted for long dis
tances. For example, in the South,
IL is understood. cotton mills draw
current from plants zoo or more
miles distant And processes are
being so improved that the cost
of transmission is being decreased
Finy.Mle Radius.
On January I. 1920. the popula-
ton of the District was 1851. On
the same dale. within a fifty- nile
radius OF Great Falls. there was 4
population IF 1,22s,600, exclusive
of the District. Within that cir
Gle are seven Maryland towns hav-
ing a population OF over $500, in
GLIDING Baltimore. with a popula-
ton Of over 100000. and smaller
cities such as Annapolis and Fred
erick: three Virginia cities. Alex
andria- Fredericksburg and Win
chester, with a population of over
:. 800: and one West Virginia town,
Charles Towr, with a like popula
ton.
1oo-Mne Radius.
Within a radius Of 100 miles of
Great Falls, there Is population,
exclusive Of the District. OF 2,767,-
600, the circle embracing portions
of the States of Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania. Virginia and West
Virginia, and large additional
OF cities. such as Cumber-
land and Hagerstown, in Maryland.
and Richmond and Harrisonburg in
Virginia. In view of these census
statistics and OF the many and null
tiplying uses to which electric
power is now put-the operation Of
railways; manufacturing, lighting
and heating; in farm and home ac-
and so forth-the Water
power Commission seems justified
in saying: Our study of the stu
alton satisfies US that all of the
power so developed will find
ready market in the District and
territory, to which IL
can be transmitted without dispro-
line loss or transmission
system cost"
Cost Of Project
Sooner or later the report will
receive the deliberate
attention of Congress. The esti-
mated cost Of the project is about
$40 100000. which would be spread
over the period Of construction. or
course. everyone recognizes the
urgent demand for economy in gov
eminent expenditures.
But there should not be undue
delay in the effort to determine
IL so. when-the
project should be executed, con-
among other things, the
the present and prospective cost OF
transportation and electric
power in the District. The step re.
Gently suggested by Senator Norris,
of an initial appropriation, was not
although IL had the approval
of the Senate, and nothing win be
done at the extra session, but at
the regular session the committees
of Congress having Jurisdiction Of
the matter will undoubtedly be
asked to take up the report and
decide what should be done. Per-
haps. therefore, in the near future
the long-deferred hope may be
realized of employing in a practi-
cal and beneficial manner the vast
power Of the upper Potomac that Is
now going to waste.
All of what has been said refers
to the commercial aspects OF the
N, a tfar NTH No raferenca IN 81 i.