Evening star., 1945-03-30
BY JAMES BIRCHFIELD,
Star staff Correspondent.

Star Staff Correspondent.
CUMBERLAND, Md, Mar. 3D.
Ofhcials of this Maryland Industrial
city on the Upper Potomac declared
today that while they believe the
Army engineers plan to construct
IA power and flood control dams
through the Potomac basin would
be detrimental to the future devel-
opment of the area, they will not
formally protest the plan.
Civic leaders said Cumberland
will not send representative to the
hearing before the Army Board of
Engineers Tuesday in Washington,
and will send no statement, either
for or against the proposal, for in
clusion in the record.
Stand Is Explained.
Cumberland's neutral stand was
explained by Harold w. Smith, sec
retary of the City Planning Com
mission and of the Cumberland
Chamber of Commerce. He said the
city primarily is interested in its
own protection against periodic
floods, and plans for this protection
already have been completed
Mr.. Smith said plans for the con-
struction of flood walls and for the
removal of distractions in the river
and in Willis Creek, which flows into
the Potomac in the city, were begun
10 years ago. He said these plans
have been completed by the Army
engineers and a working model
made at the Vicksburg laboratories
This project, he explained, is not
included in the tri-State project
and will be undertaken separately.
= Mr.. Smith said business leaders
in Cumberland believed the long
, time future industrial development
of the aera would be hindered rather
than helped by the project, asserting
that industrial power rates for hy-
dro-developed electricity would be
higher than rates for steam devel-
oped power.
Cites Coal Production.
. Mr.. Smith said Allegany County
now is producing about $4,000 tons
of coal month and it is believed
that this production will be stepped
up in the future.
He said the Bureau of Mines Is
making mineral tests in the county
to determine the quality of deep
seams of coal, and that methods of
economic mining of these seams are
being studied and perfected. When
the main coal seam began to dwin-
die. about 20 years ago, M. Smith
said, Cumberland raised more than
S1,000,000 to bring in other indus
tries. With these industries-Cel-
anese Corp. of America, Kelly
Springfield Tire Co., and the Bal
timore & Ohio and Western Mary
land Railroad shops-plus the addi-
tional coal operations, there is moth
ing to prevent further development
of tn area, he said. Cumberland
also will be on the main air routes
after the Government completes an
airfeld now under construction near
the city.
Mr.. Smith said Cumberland busi-
nessmen have made a study of the
power phase of the engineers plan
and 1t is the opinion that most of
the project is impracticable.
Calls Cost Prohibitive.
I'm the first place." he said, sits
costs are prohibitive and power
rates would be high, and in the sec
ond place electricity generated by
water power is uncertain. You would
have to build steam plants at every
dam to assure the continued flow of
power"
Asserting that Cumberland suf-
fered more than 100000 damages
in the 1886 flood, Mr.. Smith said
the city is in favor of the early COM
pletion of the Savage River dam and
has available its share of the cost
of this project.
This dam. located near Blooming
not in Garrett County, would control
the summer flow of the Potomac
at Cumberland, he said, and would
tend to reduce high water and assure
sufficient water at all times to carry
off waste.
Meanwhile, the Frederick County
Board of Commissioners declared a
resolution will be adopted tomorrow
opposing the construction of the
River Bend dam chiefly because tt
would render nontaxable $500, 900
worth of the best tillable land In
Frederick County"
Would Affect 5000 Acres.
The resolution, prepared by Solici-
tor William. M. Storm, declares the
dam would eliminate from cllltiva
ton about 5000 acres of grazing and
farm land now producing yearly
100000 pounds of milk, 2,25o tons
Of hay, 10000 bushels .eof wheat,
$4,000 barrels of corn with total
annual value of more than $500, 900.
In addition to causing unemploy-
ment and reducing the value of other
farm lands, the resolution points