The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-19
ELECTRIC POWER FOR HELENA.

|
women and events, at home and abroad.
ELECTRIC POWER FOR HELENA.
The incorporation Of company OF
Helena capitalists to bring electric
power to this city from the Missouri
river is an undertaking that, il success
full, will prove of incalculable benefit to
our city. The project has been pro-
nounced perfectly feasible by competent
engineers and the character of the gen
tlemen who propose to undertake the
work is guaranty of it's financial sue
cess In another column we give full
details of the scheme.
st.. Paul is agitating the same ques-
ton of getting cheap electric power, and
Henry Willard is at the head OF com
pany that proposes to turn the wasted
energies of the Mississippi river to
economic uses. At meeting OF The st.
Paul Industrial Union on Tuesday
night Mr. Willard, who was present,
made some interesting statements, and
was asked many questions. Two OF
In the development Of electric power, has
it been demonstrated that it can be pro
duced cheaper for manufacturing purposes
than steam? If so, what is the compare
tive cost of production?
Can electricity as motive power be gen
Grated 80 cheaply as to enable us to estab-
lish and maintain manufacturing as against
the rapid industrial growth OF the middle
states, assisted by natural gas and climatic
conditions more favorable to working all
the year round?
Mr.. Wizards reply answers just the
questions that many people in Helena
would naturally ask regarding the
scheme for getting power from the Mis-
souri, river. He said:
do not hesitate to say that if in given
case nature furnishes the power that creates
electricity-in other words. If there Is SUI
fcient water power to be usec without too
much OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES power can be
produced more cheaply here and furnished
cheaper to the users than power is obtained
in the middle states. But do not want to
state that as an absolute proposition, but to
qualify it in this way, that electric power
can serve q double purpose. It can serve to
produce light, and it can serve at the same
time to produce power for industrial uses.
To illustrate my meaning: The electric
company, whose chief officer am, has IN
the large cities what We term central sta
tions distributing centers for electric light
one Ia here, three in New York, Others IN
Philadelphia, Boston, Brooklyn and Chi
cago. The electric power that is produced
there does double service. 1t lights NJ
certain districts of these cities ut nigh
and it runs good deal of machinery
in the same districts during the da!
time. Electric power in the shape of ligh
and power, does represent really doubl
article for sale. You sell it at night TO
lighting purposes and you sell it in the da
for power purposes. The same investmen
produces two results, and they are most as
founding results. Eleven years ago whe
the great inventor Edison made the frs
incandescent light, large number of bust
ness men, of whom was one, met in hi
laboratory at Menlo Park to see it tested
We were all very much interested in wha
promised to be wonderful invention OF III
calculable use, and benefit to mankind.
shrewd business man of the party said t
Mr.. Edison: SAT what price will electri
light compete with gas?" Edison answered
"At sc a thousand"
This was eleven years ago. To-day til
incandescent electric light produced undo
the Edison system, can compete with gas 9
fifty cents thousand. If it can do that
night, it should do something as again
power created by steam in the daytim
That is just what it does do.
Mr.. Willard said the Central station
New York which cost at that early d;
sS5O,OOO could now be duplicated f,
100000, but, on an investment of SS5(
600 it paid l6 per cent profit. AS to Il
business that company could do
supplying electric power, he said:
"With considerable demand for ligl
with sure market for power throui
the street-car lines, and with demal
for power for industrial purposes viii
Iexpect some of you gentlemen of t
union here to produce, l am sure t
problem can be solved of providing We
cheap power, as cheap power as can
had anywhere in the country, whetf
produced by steam or natural gas,
by the use of petroleum as fuel, or
using shavings, as have seen done
Minneapolis. l will say am oonfids
that il these conditions are fulfilled
will be possible to hold out the indu
ment of very cheap power to those W
may wish to undertake industrial ent
prisss in your two cities. The practi
advantage to those who may wish to
gage in manufacturing is obvious. II