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The Holyoke Canal System is a system of power canals in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Its major canals are called the First Level Canal, Second Level Canal, and Third Level Canal. == History == The earliest predecessor to Holyoke's canals dates to 1827, when the Hadley Falls Company was established to manufacture cotton cloth. Its water-powered looms were fed from a wing dam along the Connecticut River's Great Rapids. Today's canals began in 1848, after river measurements indicated an available water power of , the equivalent of , or enough to power 450 mills. That year the company was reconstituted, with a capital stock of $4,000,000, to create a new manufacturing center based on local river power. Over the next 10 years it would build the area's dam and canal system, lay out industrial, commercial, and residential areas on its of land, and construct and operate two cotton mills and a factory making textile machinery. In 1848 the first timber crib dam, about in length, was constructed across the Connecticut River to divert water into the canals. It failed within hours,〔(Holyoke history page )〕 and was replaced by a second timber dam, which in turn was replaced in 1900 by a granite-faced dam about downstream from its predecessor. The early canals were dug by men with picks and shovels, together with horse-drawn teams. Canal construction continued on and off until 1892. In 1859, after the company had failed and had passed into receivership, Alfred Smith purchased at auction its hydraulic system, consisting of the dam, its gate houses, and of power canals with a boat lock; some of land in Holyoke containing mills and other buildings; and the public water supply reservoir and gas plant, each with a distribution system. He formed the Holyoke Water Power Company and sold stock to investors. Over the next 30 years the company flourished, as a number of large mills were built in the area. Energy was transmitted from the waterwheels to mills via a distribution system of gears, shafts, pulleys, and belts. The canals first produced municipal electricity on October 14, 1884, from an electric generator connected to a water wheel–driven shafting in an industrial building. In 1888 this was replaced by a combination hydro and steam electric power plant on the First Level Canal. Today the canal system is owned by the City of Holyoke and operated by its municipal Gas and Electric Department which bought out the assets of Holyoke Water Power in December of 2001. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Holyoke Canal System」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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