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Ebenezer Mix acquired all lands and
water rights in this vicinity sometime prior to 1834. A grist mill
was built about that time, on the south bank of Wiscoy Creek, northeast of
the present power house. The mill drew water from the pond created
by a dam across the creek north of the power house. About the same
time a saw mill was built on the same side of the creek a few hundred feet
above the grist mill. A second dam above the grist mill dam at what
is known as the Lower Falls provided water for the saw mill. In the
late 1840's a flume was constructed along the north side of the creek to
carry water from the grist mill pond to a lathe mill on the creek bank
west of Batavia Road. This flume was extended across the road to
supply water to a
machine shop.
In 1902 Moses Taggart, then owner of
lands along the creek above the sawmill lot, sold two parcels to Signa
Chemical Company. The deed permitted a dam 12 feet high at the upper
end of the upstream parcel, with a proviso that all electric power
generated should be kept in the Village of Wiscoy for 12 1/2 years.
A second proviso that $10,000 be spent for development during the first
year was apparently not carried out since in 1903 Taggart's heirs sold the
same property to another party. After several changes of ownership,
the title to these lots and some additional property rested in the
Fillmore Electric Company which had been organized by Mr. Young in 1920.
The corporate name was changed later in 1921 to Genesee Valley Power
Company, Inc.
The present development was built for
the company by Gannett, Selye and Fleming, Inc. in 1921-22. Later,
other upstream flood lands were purchased, also the grist mill property
below the power house. The grist mill and saw mill dams have been
destroyed and the Genesee Valley Power Co. Inc., merged with Rochester Gas
and Electric Corporation in 1929.
The Wiscoy development made in 1922
comprises the following elements:
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A pond formed by a concrete dam 30
feet high across the Wiscoy Creek.
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A
wood stave penstock extending
downstream along the creek bank about 1500 feet to the power plant.
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A surge tank located on a side hill
and connected by a branch pipe to the penstock at a point about 600 feet
upstream from the power house.
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The
power house with two water wheels
direct connected to generators.
The power plant is a substantial one
story reinforced concrete and brick building about 22' wide, 54' long, and
22' high.
The waterwheels operate under a head
of about 100 ft. at a speed of 600 rpm. One is a Pelton horizontal
Francis type waterwheel of about 750 horsepower and the other an S. Morgan
Smith machine of about 1050 horsepower.
The smaller wheel is direct connected
to a 600 KVA. G.E. generator, while the larger one drives a Westinghouse
750 KVA. generator.
During the past ten years the average
output has been about 4,110,000 kilowatt-hours instead of the 5,188,000
KWH predicted in a preliminary report of the consulting engineers who
later did the contruction. Around 1927-28 studies were made as to
the advisability of raising the Wiscoy dam to provide additional
generation. It was found that it would be feasible to raise the
crest of the dam about twelve feet and thereby increase the generation by
about 477,000 KWH. or roughly 10%. The average cost of the energy
increment however, figured out on the basis of the expected cost of the
improvement was slightly more than one cent per KWH. Since energy
could either be purchased or generated at Rochester and transmitted to the
area at a cost no greater than one cent per KWH., the project was not
attractive.
Neither that project nor any other
with reference to increased capacity at Wiscoy has been reviewed lately,
but, there is no reason to suppose that the controlling factors have
changed so as to make any further development worthwhile.
In 1928 it became necessary to make
quite extensive repairs to the dam because of surface spalling of the
concrete. Repairs have also been made in recent years on the surge
tank. The plant and appurtenant works are now in good shape and
should continue to operate economically for many years. The
operators have taken great pride in keeping the plant always in a spic and
span condition. |