The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-01-12
. TWO
d Five q
h. Lodging
ire in tn
'our N
/ Q RAY
WHERE IT IS GENERATED
Its Purposes and Uses Fully Set
Forth and Graphically
Described.
1t Is Now a Great Factor in Do
nestle DecOnomy in This
City.

- I" 4 toIlIhnH. thu III W
the leading article in the The Electric Indus.
RES, for January 1885,
For a place of it's size Great Fall
probably ranks first as a producer anc
user of electricity and also as to variety
Of uses to which it Is applied. Plenty
OF surplus power and machines makes il
possible to experiment in many ways
I without mourning the usual large ex
pense.
The Boston & Montana smeltor has b,
y far the largest electrolytic plant in the
world, for depositing copper. The
electricity for this work is produced al
their large power station below Black
Eagle dam by three dynamos especially
designed by the General Electric com
pany. The total capacity Of these three
dynamos is now being used and one
thousand horse power is being expended
day and night in this work. The cur
rent is carried to the electrolytic plant.
n half mile away on Al bare copper
wires, each one half inch IN diameter,
he weight Of which amounts to 81, 0OO
pounds.
Besides the electrolytic dynamos this
company has an arc light machine and
nightly burn sixty 1900 G. p. lamps.
They also use seven hundred IL
candeecent lamps and have a power
generator to furnish current for several
motors to operate their immense travel
ing cranes, the hoist and other ma
chinery.
On the south bank of the river at the
foot Of the Black Eagle falls stands the
power station of the Boston d. Great
Falls Electric Light e. Power
This is without doubt one of the finest
and most complete power stations in the
country. 1t is built Of stone and brick,
the floor and roof being mill con-
struction, making it practically fire
proof. The building is 40x16O feet, two
stories high. The ground floor contains
Victor horizontal turbines raised twelve
feet above the tail race below, so that
unlike most water power stations the
wheel floor is light and dry and is kept
as clean as any one could desire. There
are three double turbines on this floor,
the wheel shafts extending through the
cases to form the main driving shafts on
which are clutch pulleys belted direct to
the dynamos on the floor above, thus
doins avay with all intermediate shaft
ing and gears so frequently used. a fire
pump Oh this same floor is connected to
one OF tbs wheels in sucn a manner that
the throwing of the lever starts the
pump which can throw two good fire
streams. An oil room lined with zinc
and heated with electric heaters is
located behind one pair of wheels
The water 10 brought from the dam
Eve hundred feet in a steel penstock or
pipe nine feet in diameter which also !
extends ths entire length Of the power
fioor OF the station with three branches
SIX feet IL diameter connected to the
wheels. The first pair of wheels, four
hundred horse power, are belted to the
arc dynamcs. The second pair, three
hundred horse power, to two incandes-
cent dynamos and the third pair, four
hundred horse power, to the power
generators.
At present the light is SUP
plying one hundred and fifty three arc
lamps, three thousand eight hundred
incandescent lights and furnishing
power to the street railway company,
also to a number of motors, used for
operating machinery in various places.
The company has also been furnishing
electric power to operate the Royal mill
and elevator pending the completion of
their permanent rope transmission plant.
This is the first time that electricity has
been used in 80 large mill and it is
gratifying to know that the experiment
has been entirely successful. The mill
was run to it's full capaciy, three humid
red and fifty barrels a day and the -four .
produced testites to the steadiness of
motion and excellence Of service.
Electric motors are being used
fhrOnOhnIpt thu oifu For x.orsa,c 49, :
poses. Passenger elevators, meat chop {
pers, printing presses, coffee grinders, I
machine shops, etc, During the sum- I
.er various uses we're made where 6
steam is generally employed. A hoist
or raising building material was I
by a ten horse power motor. \
The Golfer dam for the Townsite COM q
,any's new power station was pumped :
Try and kept 90 by two fifteen Ihorse =
,ower motors. .
The rock to be used as foundation for
pavement on Central avenue was all i,
d by electric power and a motor =
all summer for mixing mortar : !,
te. .
" of heating and cooking y
Tails is fully equipped !,
'as has a complete out !,
-'s and laundry rolls =
". A large num- u
-e being used by
tie a number OF 4
w pans, bake Il
vices. A cl
heating 81
can be IL
has m
srs II