The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-02-20
State Body Will Decide at Flu
ture Date on ACCESSIBILITY of
Granting Authority to Har-
ness Cheat River

Consideration of the application of
the West Virginia Power and Trans
mission company, subsidiary of the
West Penn system, for authority for
the hydro-electric development of the
Cheat River watershed was postponed
indefinitely by the West Virginia pub
lie service commission at the meeting
of the commission held last Thursday
in Charleston.
The power company sought fifty
year franchise of the water rights of
the entire Cheat river and the appli-
cation was considered by the COM
mission at hearing held last week in
Charleston. Much evidence, both for
and against the proposed development
was submitted to the commission for
consideration and Thursday the hear
ing was adjourned until some future
date.
The development proposed is the
most extensive hydro program ever
undertaken in the state and will in
volve the expenditure of approximate
1y one hundred million dollars to COM
plete. Fourteen projects are includ-
ed in the proposed development with
six in Preston county, neighboring
Garrett county.
Transformation, of +bo Jo,,,e would ~,
tend over period of years and would
affect practically the entire Cheat
valley. If all the dams for which
license is now asked are built it would
mean the inundation of one Preston
county village and another in Tucker
county while the state rifle range at
Camp Dawson, the adjoining grounds
of the Preston country club and humid
reds of acres of farm land would be
under water. The tracks of the M.
and X. railroad at Caddell would be
relocated and it would be necessary to
raise the Cheat river bridge at Cad
dell while many miles of state high
way would be rebuilt. Consolidation of
two of the proposed projects as agre-
ed to by the power company would
eliminate the possibility of isolating
the town of Rowlesburg in Preston
county.
An alternate proposal consolidating
the Rowlesburg and st. George pro-
jects was filed with the commission
by the power company following a
protest made by A. A. Pickering, pres
ident of t. Preston county court, in
behalf of tn citizens of Rowlesburg.
Objection was made to the proposal
to construct a dam near the town of
Rowlesburg which it was commended
would virtually isolate that town. I'm
der the alternate proposal the Row.
lesburg and st. George projects would
be consolidated and dam built above
the town of Erwin in this county.
At Thursdays hearing the protest
of the Western Maryland railway
against granting authority for con-
struction of three of the projects was
withdrawn. Counsel for the railway,
after a series of conferences with
counsel and officials of the power COM
pany, informed the commission an
agreement had been reached with the
company regarding the three Black
water projects in Tucker county but
that the railways protest remained
against other of the projects to which
it had entered objection.
The direct evidence of the company
seeking the franchise was concluded
with several witnesses describing
changes in the topography of the
Cheat river basin that would result
from construction of the series of pro-
jects. Those changes included the
flooding of two small towns, St.
George in Tucker county and Clifton
Mills in Preston county, and flooding
of other "bottom" areas, some of
them farm lands and others described
as swamp lands.
Many Approve Plan
Presenting group of resolutions
urging approval of the project, L. H.
Mott, president of the Davis board
of trade, informed the commission
that citizens of the district were