Evening star., 1923-02-05
Would Harness Potomac.
Writer Sees Great Saving in Prof
ect for Householders of D. C..
To, the Editor Of The STIR;

To, the Editor Of The STIR:
90 In my last letter to The Star, No
vember. ~. /. tried to show the value
I OF the Potomac water power to the
| city. have been pleased to learn
! that many well informed persons con-
firm the statements made. The city
not using the water power for hun
dred years or more has been forced to
burna naceafsihstead alta great expense.
Last year the District used 100000
| tons OF coal. which cost about $4,000
ed. and light and electric power bills
were 80 per cent,more for every FAM
lily than they would have been IL
water power had been used. Toronto
and Windsor, Canada. paid cents
per fkflowatt hour while we pay 10
cents, and we have one of the best
water powers in the world for gener
ating electricity. n .a..
A dam at Chain bridge and another
above Great Fails would probably
the Senate has proposed to harness
ths branches of the Potomac, in Mary
land, Virginia, .Pennsylvaniai and
| West Virginia, and has had able en-
and make very full and complete
! report. These branches have a drain
age of 11.000 square miles OF noun
] tainous country and deep valleys. The
scheme proposed. IL carried out.
would furnish power to run all the
| railroads, ii would run all the fac
tories, would cultivate all the farms,
light and heat every home and sup
ply them with power for small cleo
trio motor machines. Now, all this
power goes to waste.
Reports Answer Every Question.
When I visited the Potomac and
its branches west of Washington
last year and saw it's vast and almost
unlimited water power, I became
anxious that the people of this city
should appreciate its value and not
cease calling for our Senate to
harness that power and convert some
or all Of it into electricity. Some one
besides the writer has been praying.
Our engineers have done a marvellous
work and their reports answer al
most every question that 1t is desir-
able to ask. The cost of every por-
tion of the work is given in minute
detail and the value of the work it
win do when finished.
| Maj NJ. c. Tyler, Corps of Engi-
neers, in his very able report on
development Of Great Falls for pow
er and supply of water for the Dis
triet of Columbia" gives in detail
descriptions of six different projects.
or these he prefers two, which are
known as Potomac projects D and E.
These include the work already done
in the District, a dam at the District
line. the Dalecarlia reservoir. the
new conduit to Great Falls now being
! the level of 1S0 feet above the tide
water. The lock in the new dam at
Great Falls will relieve the canal
company of maintaining five locks
and twenty-six miles of canal. The
project will be complete and, 1t is
expected, will supply the demand of
the government and District for cleo
tricity. When there is greater de-
to the west and south along the Po-
tomac and its branches can be made
at a comparatively small expense.
| VIII Pay for Cost.
The dydro-electric power of the
jPotomac and it's branches when
/ harnessed will soon pay for its cost
and furnish our city and country
in abundance at a very great dis
icount on our present prices. Any
amount of power not needed by the
government or District could be sold
manent inceme. Instead of going
to waste this income could be used
for the benefit of the people. furnish
ing the poor with many necessaries
and luxuries which they could not
supply from their earnings
In the hands Of capable manager
many millions of dollars could be
used to add to the comforts of the
people anu from 3bU,0UU 10 5uU,0OV
tons of coal saved per year. Will
this God-given power be allowed to
lgo to waste another 100 years2 VIII
mot the people demand its construc-
tion when they know that the profits
LOT the project when completed will
ipay the expenses each year without
any additional tax of the people?
/ cannot close this article without
asking why we are required to pay 10
icents per kilowatt hour for electricity
when our neighbors on the north pay
{ only 2 cents. Winnipeg furnishes 5000
families with light. heat and power for
IL cent, and makes profit to pay for
the original cost and upkeep of the
plant. 1t is not to serve the people or
to save them taxes that the water
power is allowed to go to waste, instead
of turning 1t into cheap electricity to
serve the people and save them drudg-
cry. None of natures forces is better
appreciated today or more highly valued
than is electricity, and nothing con-
tributes more to the welfare of our
people. Let the people speak and de-
mand their rights and be served. If
they speak loud enough they will be
heard.
VIM H. H. PHILLIPS, PHI. D.
->~sos.-s~