Evening star., 1926-08-14
CONOW|NCODAM
WILL Be LARGEST
Will Be Surpassed Only by
Niagara Falls as Water
Power Development.

OWCI OOtNIOkSIISuSs
Until a few short years ago Como
wingo, Md. was a village in a pros
porous farming area, a town or some
200 souls that has been in existence
since the years preceding the Revolu
ton. But the press of modern eco
nomics has decreed that Conowing'
must go. and two years from today
will see 1t buried under 60 feet OF wa
ter.
The inhabitants of ConowinCo have
relocated in the surrounding towns
and countryside, and the Washington
PHILADELPHIA branch of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad will be relocated /;
miles distant to make way ior one
Of the greatest industrial water. power
projects in the East, larger in scope
even than the Muscle Shoals plant
now rated as the foremost hydroelec
tric installation on the Atlantic sea
board
ConOwingo is almost in the center
of the land that will be utilized fol
the projected dam, and the town thai
thrived for more than 200 years short
ly will undergo the fate of Atlantis
the continent bspeath the sea.
2,3OO Men on Job.
With the coming of the dam, how
ever, Conowingo Is the center OF ac
tivitv greater than it has ever known
More than 1900 men are employed
bv the company, and approximately
half of them live in houses and DORM
tories near the site of the project.
The new village that has grown up
beside Conowingo will have as sad q
fate as its neighbor, for upon the com
pletion Of the work the men Will re
turn to their homes, and another de
serted village will lie beneath the wa
ters of the Conowingo reservoir.
ConOwinCO is the junction of the
PENNSYLVANIA State highway ana the
Susquehanna River, and the new roat
will be built along the top OF the Dam
The countryside from the ConoWlnst
TO a point IA miles north will be com
pletely inundated by the dammng o.
the Susuuehanna. About 500 acres
Is included in this erea, a section abou'
13l2 miles. that will sustain approx
mately 12,5O0 900 900 cubic feet OF wa
ter.
Will BE Biggest i'm Country.
This will be the largest water power
development in the country excepting
only Niagara Falls. The projected
dam will he 800 feet longer than th'
Wilson Dam at Muscle Shoals.
The Conowingo development VII
supply to the system of the Philadel
phia Electric Co, distance OF aoou
"a miles. over two lines of tranSmls
sion towers, each carrying a three
phase circuit at 100000 volts. an un
precedented transmission in the East
although this high voltage has beer
used quite successfully for many year.
in California. In time 1t is planned tt
add a third tower, which Will brine
the plant up to its ultimate capacity
Biologists, on examining the site OF
the ConowingO reservoir. tound II t'
be of solid rock, especially 1aVorapit
to dam construction. 1t IS Salo ina
many thousands of dollars will thus
he saved. for the site of Muscle Shoals
DEVELOPMENT, in the initial stages o'
the construction, was found to be un
satisfactory. and the Government was
mt 10 great expense before this faul
was corrected.
Will Save Millions.
Approximately 1850. 900, 900 kilowat
hours of energy will be produced bN
this development in the average year
and more than 900 tons of Goa
saved thereby, an economy of millions
of dollars.
Across the top of the dam will be
a highway bridge, 105 feet above
foundation, over which the main high
way from Baltimore to Philadelphia
will run. The bridge now used fol
the highway will be submerged In the
waters of the reservoir.
On top of the spillway, the crest OF
which will be S6 feet above sea leVel
will be so movable steel gates, 22 =
feet high and 40 feet wide. These Wi
maintain the water level behind the
bridge at 10Sl2 feet above the sea
level, with all gates open. The water
will be DISCHARGED at the rate O.
$50. 600 feet n second.
The Susquehanna watershed o.
$4,000 square miles in area includes
n large part of central Pennsylvania
n considerable part in southern New
York and bit of northeastern Mary
land This is the first time this rivel
has been damned.
Will Cost $50 100000.
The idea Of furnishing Philadelphia
with electricity by a mammoth reser
voir at ConowinGo occurred to thu
officials of the Philadelphia Electric
90. some wears ago. The location
was ideal for their purposes, and aftel
a careful examination they began t.
quietly buy up the land in ConoWing'
and the surrounding country.
4 a short time ago they felt in DO
sition to proceed. and a general con
tract was awarded to Stone Web
ster of Boston. internationally knowr
engineers, particularly noted for thei
part In hydroelectric developments
throughout the world Work wa
started almost Immediately, and to
day il is III full swing, with workers
laboring to hurry the dam to compile
don by July i. 1928.
A few weeks ago an order wa!
given to the Westinghouse Electric
Co. for two generators at cost o
more than $1.000,000 These are o
the largest type in the world, weigh
ing 1850, 600 pounds each. The mair
generators. Of this type will be par
of IL identical units. which. wheT
completed. viii be capable Of operating
an output Of approximately $50 ,Oo'
electrical horse power. The entire
cost is estimated at $50 900, 600.
The real estate speculation that fol
lowed the Muscle Shoals development
is in evidence to some degree in th'
vicinity of Conowingo Enterprislnt
realtors have placed their first tenta
tive advertisements about the country
side. and il is possible that the ac
tivity may assume larger proportions