The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1921-02-11
The Delaware River
to be Harnessed
100000 HORSEPOWER OF ELEC-
TRIO POWER FOR NEW JER-
SEY, PENNSYLVANIA AND
NEW YORK

NEW YORK
Last week this paper carried story
of the proposed power dam at Belvi-
dere. The following is an authorized
statement issued by the Westinghouse
Company:
If plans, now in active preparation
by Mr.. Paul T. Brady, of the Westing-
house Electric and Mfg. Co., are sue
cessfully carried out the Delaware
River will be harnessed in the near
future, and its power, which amounts
to almost a million horsepower, will
be at the service of the inhabitants
of New Jersey, northeastern Pennsyl-
vania, southern New York, Philadel-
phia and New York City. Mr.. Brady's
plan is ambitious but entirely prac-
teal. 1t represents the results of
many years work on the part of prom
inent engineers and financiers, as well
as his own personal Investigations,
and is therefore based upon the COM
plete knowledge of the facts. Prob
ably it would have been realized sew
erai years ago had not the war inter
vened. It's cost, which will be in the
neighborhood of 100000, 600, is justi-
fed by the fact that at least five mill
lion horsepower could be readily sold
in the great industrial district that
can be served.
Everyone familiar with the upper
waters of the Delaware knows that
the current in many places is very
swift. By building a series of dams
at certain places, such. as Belvidere,
Bushkill, Shohola and Buffers Rift,
the rapids can be transformed into
water falls with an average head of
so feet each. Then by passing the
water through water wheels, situated
in power houses on the dams, the
power of the river can be transformed
into a CORES onding amount of cleo
trical power, which can be transmitted
hundreds of miles in any direction.
When all of the projected dams and
power houses are built their combin-
ed capacity at high water will be
about 100000 kilowatts, or 100000
horsepower.
At low water, however, the capacity
of the hydro electric plants will be
considerably less, so that an import
ant part of the project will be the
erection of acknowledgements
steam plant, somewhere in New Jer-
sey, which will be used during sea-
sons of decreased water flow to insure
continuous power supply.
The current thus produced will be
sold wholesale in large blocks, and
for the most part to existing power
companies, who will retail it to indus
tries, railroads, domestic consumers
and other users of power.
A number of important benefits will
result from this undertaking. As is
we'll known, many sections of this
territory are short of power, owing
to the greatly increased use of elec-
tricity by industries, and it is a fact
that the power companies have re-
quests for electric service totaling
over 100000 horsepower, which they
cannot fill for lack of power. Conse-
quently the addition of nearly mil
lion horsepower to the power resources
of this district will add materially to
the prosperity of every inhabitant
of it.
But the usefulness of this power
will not be confined to industry.
Wherever there is an abundant sup
ply of electricity the housekeeper
uses it to sweep, sew, wash clothes
and iron them, wash dishes, cook,
warm her home in winter, cool it in
summer, and in fact to do practically
all of the physical work in the home.
Consider, for a moment, how the
housekeeper in the Far West, where
there is ample hydro-electric power,
cooks her meals. If she wants din
ner at 6 P. NJ. she can put her roasts
and vegetables into the oven of her
electric stove at A. NJ, 9 or any
other time She then sets a time
switch and a thermometer switch, and
is then absolutely free, as far as
cooking is concerned, for the rest of
the day. For at the proper time the
cooking automatically commences,
and it is done at the Predetermined
temperature which cannot be exceed
ed. At P. NJ. the housekeeper (who
may have been away all day. comes
in and finds her meal cooked and
ready to serve.
The farmer, especially, finds cleo
tricity (when he can get it, most
valuable helper. 1t not only lights
/ his home, barn and grounds, and does
his homework, but it grinds his corn
pumps his water, cuts his wood, milks
/ his cows, separates his cream, ehurns
his butter, and does a hundred other
chores without the aid of human
muscles.
(Contir ,ed on last page)