The record-union., 1895-07-15

Company, better known as the Gallatin
" Livermore plant, the chief owners
being II. p. and c. +. Livermore and
Albert Gallatin.
This power-house is q little over twenty
two miles from Front street, Sacramento.
In the pOwer-hOuSe there is now placed
and being put into position machinery
representing a product OF 5000 horse
power, making the Folsom plant the
-argest Iong-distance transmission plant
III the world. From the dam to tho
power house there leads the canal th at
leeds the turbines and operates the 1000
horse power generators, or dynamos,
Transforming the power into electricity
and transmitting il at potential of l., 900
volts. the highest potential ever en-
plOyed for power transmission, and the
distance is much the longest ever at
tempted.
The loss in power, from careful meas
urements made by Mr.. Black we'll and
Mr.. Shock, who is to be, as now, Super
Intendent of the plant, is but 10 per cent.
! which the engineers say is truly marvel
Gus performance. IL certainly completely
knocks out the statement of Professor
| Haupt and his associates, who have de-
| MED the economic possibility Of trans
mission more than five miles, as against
/ the economy of steam power, because the
! loss for twenty miles he claims must be
from ~ 10 TO per cent
Concerning the Importance of the in
stallatlon OF the plant to Sacramento and
the Pacific Coast, Mr. Black well declares
that it cannot well be overestimated, and
he is not surprised that the work. cour-
age and persistence Of the officers of the
power company should excite the ad-
miration OF all who have seen the opera
ton of the plant. He thinks that the ad
vent of cheap power from the enormous
To-
nia much of which be saw on previous
! visit, must give an immense impetus to
/ the development OF manufacturing,
| create new industries and revive old
cnes, notably 10 the new, that have
! been held back heretofore by reason of
| the high cost of fuel.
Now that it is proved that California
! has cheap power in plenty, why should
not" asks Mr.. Black well, this State
supply her own needs very largely if
/ not wholly lii manufactured products, as
she has the raw material in such GUAM
/ tity?" His company" says the engineer,
| lis elated over the success Of the enter
! prise which has worked exactly as
/ planned throughout. Already numerous
| other plants are under construction by
/ the company. the results of which are
assured by the operation of the Sacra-
| mento plant"
The great dam at Folsom, the result of
more than twenty years of labor and
abiding faith in the possibility of the
/ scheme, and Jointly the result of the et-
! fort of the State and the power company,
| is the largest in the United States. In
addition to furnishing power it viii sup
/ ply water for irrigation also, and ii is so
/ built that another canal can be run from
/ it on the north bank of the American
! River down 10 Folsom to supply another
/ power house when the demand shall call
/ for one
The present canal is nearly two miles
! long, mostly blasted from the solid rock,
and III some parts having some of the
/ finest masonry walls ever laid in Amer
/ lea. notably those on the States ground.
! The motor wheels, built by 5. Morgan
Smith OF ork. Pa, are tue largest now
in operation in America. excepting only
those at Niagara Falls.
Concerning the details OF the trans
/ mission OF the electric power, it is pos
sible to simplify statement in large part.
so that the method employed may be un-
derst0od by the general reader We
| therefore give some space to this attempt
to make it clear. In speaking of potential
/ in electrical power, it may be under
| stood that what is meant is pressure In
the carriage of water in pipe the loss of
/ force is due to friction, and so in the main
! it is with electricity. The percentage of
! loss In carrying power by water IN pipe
| is the same in a large pipe carrying a
! large volume of water, as in Small pipe
! carrying small quantity. To increase
! the pressure in a water pipe we only need
! TO carry q smaller amount of water, for as
/ power is the product OF pressure, with
/ greater pressure we have less volume
/ OF water.
/ In electricity the same law obtains, so
| that tha higher the pressure is nut which