Evening star., 1924-06-18
AMAZING INCREASE
IN WATER POWER
Hydro Electric Systems Are Gain
ing in Popularity With In
dustrial Concerns.
HELD BETTER THAN COAL
Philadelphia Move Latest in
Worldwide Expansion.
by j. G. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. June 1S.-A renewal
Of the ancient battle between fire and
water as producers of ELECTRIC power
has resulted in favor of the latter
although the fight was contested IN
the very stronghold OF coal. Drexel
& Co, bankers, Of Philadelphia have
acquired a controlling interest in the
Susuuehanna Light and Power Com
pany. and il is believed in financial
and electrical circles that this lndl-
Gates the development of a great
super-power system, which VIII fur-
nish current of the Philadelphia dis
trict, Bristol, Norristown, Chester
Camden, Atlantic City and even Bal
timore.
The nucleus Of this system Will De
the Philadelphia Electric Company
eIectrjfied lines Of the Pennsylvania
railroad The Philadelphia company
is now completing the hrst unit Vi a
500 900 kilowatt plant "nlcn WI,
burn coal. 1t is in this conheoe,uii1
mat the acquisition by the Drexei
czompanv of the Susquehanna cohtrol
is significant
Plan Studied for Year>
For Gonna wears the possibility OF
establishing steam electric piants ~
supply power to the Phiiauelpiii,,a
Electric Company at tne isarad
mines, has been seriously coI,ol "a
a subsidiary of the Lehlgh Coal anu
Navigation Company constructed Sucn
a power house at its properties ~ ~
while the current so general 'o
been conveyed to nearby .o~a
has not been carried to the ino
,oh philahalnhld
AS the Philadelphia Electric Com
pany now apparently has turned TO
water power, IL would seem 70 IN
dicate that the concern NAG 4ee niant
ed that the hydro-electric pIanI
proved more satisfactory than coai
even at the pit mouth. This concIu
sion has been vigorously contee'ea
bv advocates of coal as a producer or
electricity. The current produced IN
IS. e28, ,0Oo. 900 kilowatt hours but OF
this amount only 35.l per cent was
generated by water power
steam Plants Increase.
.'The more rapid increase in the
production Of power by steam
plants" says the New YORK stat
Committed on public utility inforna-
ZION as compared with hydro
electric central stations is naturai
deyelopment in an industry Which
has doubled every seven years.
steam plant can be built at any
strategic point, whereas n~ynr"- ~
distance from the market for It's
power. .
membered that the large mooern
steam plants can and 90 produce
rates for hydroelectricity transmit
ted from a plant IS or 100 miles
away. Furthermore, steam plant
can be built more quickly and less
expensively than the water power
plant and speed frequently counts
in taking care of new power de-
mands."
Great Power Possibilities.
The head of the United States geo
logical survey declares that If all the
power sites east of the MISSISSIPPI
were developed they would De uh :
equal TO the task of supplying the
current required. II also is empha
sized by power men that the drought
last summer forced the burden of
producing industrial current largely
on the steam generated power plan1s
of New York and adjoining states
IL is estimated that every horse
power developed by hydro-eIectr1c
plants means a saving of four tons
of coal year. Germany. il is known,
is preparing to establish immense
power plants operated bS steam n
the opening of the Rhur mines and
to transmit that power by high ten
sion transmission lines 10 other indus
trial centers.
Electrical Boom in South.
Italy, on the other hand. producing
no coal within her borders. has de-
veloped more than $50 hydro electric
plants in the period since the war
with total capacity of 100000
horsepower, or about the same
amount generated at Niagara Falls
| The effectiveness of the Italian system
! of power stations is indicated by the
| fact that the per capita use of cleo
| trical energy in that country amounts
/ to eighty-five kilowatt hours year,
| or about fifteen kilowatt hours more
| than in any other country in con-
| tinental Europe.
| The development of hydro electric
| stations. in the south has been a
mark ed feature of the last industrial
| year. The Hatton Shoals property,
! for example, on the Savannah River,
| has just been purchased by a sub
! sidiary of the Georgia Railway and
| Power Company and will be utilized
to supply power to textile mills in
the Piedmont section of Carolina and
| northeast Georgia.