The record-union., 1894-12-27
ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHT.
Definite Contracts Have Now Been
Entered Into.
Within a Very Short Time Sacra-
mento VIII Have Cheap
Power and Light.

within very short time Sacramento will
have the long-hoped-for electric power
and light developed by the use of the
waters of the American River by the
Sacramento Electric Power and Light
Company.
The power plant of this company is
located at the town of Folsom. Power is
derived from the American River, across
which an immense masonry dam has
been constructed just above the Folsom
State Prison, about one and one-third
miles above the town. This dam is 600
feet long, "a feet wide at the crest, 81 feet
wide on the bottom, 50 feet high at the
highest point and contains 1880 cubic
yards of granite masonry. 1t forms a
storage basin or reservoir three and one
half miles long, of capacity to hold 49,
coo, 600 cubic yards OF water.
On either end of the dam massive head
gates have been constructed To control
the passage of the water into the canals.
The canal on the west side Of the river is
not yet constructed. The east-side canal
is completed from the dam to the site OF
The power house at Folsom. About 900
feet below the dam the canal passes by
and through the State power-house, gates
being so arranged that all the water may
only so much as is needed. This water is
not lost, but continues down the canal,
having fallen 7.3 feet in passing the State
power r-house, where can be developed
LOO horse power.
The canal is forty feet wide at the bot
tom, fifty feet wide at the top and eight
feet deep and has capacity of S4,UUO
cubic feet Of water per minute. 1t fol-
lows the bank OF the river and has been
constructed partly with masonry walls,
partly by deep cuts in solid rock and
partly by earth excavation and filling.
Just before reaching the power house
site, an immense log basin has been con-
structed TO hold the logs of the American
River Land and Lumber Company for
supplying a large saw mill which will
soon be erected at this point. This mill
will receive sugar pine timber from the
woods of Ell Dorado County. for which,
heretofore there has been no outlet. II
viii be operated throughout by electricity
and will be a model of the most modern
developments in saw mill construction.
The power house OF the Sacramento
Electric Power and Mining Company is
located on the west side OF the town OF
Folsom, just opposite the center of the
business portion of the town and almost
within stones throw OF the Postotfice.
An immense cut in solid rock has been
made some sixty feet deep, 100 feet wide
and $50 feet long. In this cut the massive
masonry foundations for the machinery
and superstructure OF the building have
already been laid, and the granite walls,
piers and arches are rapidly rising to
form q completed building in which vast
streams OF water are 10 be controlled and
their energy transformed into electric
power.
From the canal, which at the power
house has been widened out into a fore
bay l50 by 100 feet, and ten feet deep, steel
latV ~ laod
water TO the water wheels, The water
wheels are of the horizontal shaft, double
turbine type, and are now under con-
struction IN the works of the 5. Morgan
Smith Company. at \ ork, Penn, con-
tract having been entered into with them
by the General Electric Company OF New
\ ork, to whom the contract for furnish
ing the entire mechanical and electrical
plant was let by the Sacramento Electric
Power and Light Company IN Septem ber
last. iheSe wheels viii be four in num-
Der, thirty inches in diameter, and under
a head OF tittytive feet will develop 800
horse power each. The water will be
discharged through tunnels under the
power-house into open cuts TO the river,
or may be again taken up and led into ir-
rigatiOn canals for supplying lrrlgatIng
water to the vast section of the country
south and east of Folsom.
The power-station will be divided into
wall, thus separating the water wheel
plant, with its pipes, gates, ETC., from the
dynamO-room, with Its electric gene
rators, switchDoards, transformers, etc.
In the dynamo room will be located
four three-phaSe alternating current gem
orators OF the General Electric Company
type each capable of developing LOCO
horsepower, the shafts of which will be
coupled direct to the shafts of the four
water heels. These generators have been
under construction at the works of the
General Electric Company at Schenec-
tady, y. Y, for the past three months,
and the first one Will be shipped in the
early part Of January, while others will
follow III rapid succession. These dy-
namos are the largest in the world, eX-
cept those being built for the Niagara
Falls Power Plant, and weigh about 40
tons each.
The electric current developed by these
enormous dynamos will be passed
through "step-up'' or raising transform
ers, which will raise the voltage to IL, 900
volts. 1t then passes to the wires of the
transmission line.
The pole line OF any electric power
plant is a most important feature OF il.
In the Sacramento Electric Power and
Light Company'S system there is to be a
double pole line all the way from Folsom
to Sacramento, thereby guarding against
any possible delay or shut down tor re-
pairs or renewals.
There will be required about $500 poles
for these lines, ana contract for them was
let on November Goth to a local Sacra-
mento firm, the Friend & Terry Lum Der
Company. The poles are now being cut,
and the first lot OF 1000 will arrive in
Sacramento on January 10th. They will
be of red cedar, forty feet long, sixteen
inches in diameter at the butt, and when
erected will constitute pole line which
will last for lifetime.
Each pole line will be fitted with two
cross-arms and will support six wires
constituting two circuits, each circuit
corresponding to one dynamo at the
power-house, and capable of transmitting
1000 horsepower to Sacramento. When
II Is realized that each wire is only one
fourth OF an inch in diameter. and that
three OF them will transmit LOCO horse
power twenty-three miles, some idea of
the power and texibility OF electric
energy can be obtained.
The transmission line will fo1Iow tba
county road from Folsom to NJ and
Thlrty-hrst streets, thence north on
Thirty-hrst street 10 the alIev between
ID and l. streets, thence east in the alley
10 Sixth street, thence by the alley be-
tween Front ana Second streets to street
-twenty-Tour and one-half miles.
The power is all brought into a sph-
station, passed through ''step-down, or
reducing transformers, which reduce the
voltage from 10000 volts to about 100
volts, when it is ready for distribution
for incandescent and arc lighting, operat-
ing the entire street railway system, run
ming motors, heating, cooking, and all the
multitariouS uses 10 which electricity is
now being put.
In the sub-station, which will be an
imposing fireproof brick structure of two
stories will also bo Located ali tho raun