Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-12-26
CHEAP ELECTRICAL POWER.

CHEAP ELECTRICAL POWER.
What the Perfection of Storage Batteries
Means to Miners
The news of the consolidation Of tho
various patents on electrical storage
batteries has stirred up the mining men
as one Of the most important deals rel
ative to mining machinery which has
been cOnsummated for some time. says
the Rocky Mountain News. 1t means
that the use of electricity can be ex-
tended to the smaller properties where
its application will mean the saving of
great amounts Of money now spent FOR
coal which has to be hauled long dis
tances and also the expenses Of engln-
GERS and machinists. Where up to the
present time the most wealthy mining
companies We're the only ones to place
electrical plants on their properties
now, even the prospector can buy or
rent storage batteries and motor
hoist or prospecting drill and load the
whole outfit on u couple Of wagons and
take them wherever horses can pull the
vehicles. When the batteries have
been exhausted they can be returned
and re-charged, while another set is do
ing the work. In connection with the
unbounded water power of the state
the use of storage batteries Is In better
prospect than almost anywhere else ex-
cept Niagara Falls.
"The consolidation of the owners of
the patents on storage batteries means
n great deal to Colorado" said Mr.. Joel
w. Stearns, Jr., yesterday. "Up to the
present time whenever n firm would
place plant of batteries into use an In,
junction was the next thing, and
trouble resulted. The result was that
little progress was made In perfecting
the batteries, and they were practically
without application. Now their opera
tion will be free from danger Of legal
technlcalities and their use will be
greatly extended. In the Colorado min
ing camps and places where water
power Is cheap and coal high, they Will
work revolution after u very short
time"
The possibilities of the application Of
the storage battery system to the min
ing camps is almost beyond limit. Only
the wealthy class of companies can nf.
ford to place into position the expensive
machinery necessary for the generation
of the current. With the storage bat.
teries central station may be located
at some convenient point where the
water power is sufficient and then
without the use of wires, the surround
ing country can be supplied with light
and power with much facility. Once O
week wagon load Of accumulntors
may be brought to the central plant
and exchanged for another wagon load
of charged cells. These can be taken tc
the mine and connected up with the
holsters, lamps and motors SO tha
power is on tap at any time. In the
meantime the old batteries are being
charged in less than day and set aside
and others charged for other mines.
Electrical generators to give the great
est efficiency must be run continuously
to almost their full load. They mus
be large enough to give power which IL
only called upon occasionally. In this
way mine with several motors mus
have large and expensive dynamo ca
pable of running every motor at Its full
load at the same time while in nctua.
practice there may seldom be more
than one or two motors, yet the big
generators must be running all the time
With the central power idea consider
ably smaller generator may do the
work for n dozen mines and at the
maximum Of expense. 1t will be KEEP
running continuously and Mt its maxi
mum load, charging the cells Of stor
age battery, and as soon rs one set shal
have its maximum charge another may
be inserted and work go ahead. Nigh
and day, II necessary, this may be KEEP
up and not minute wasted. and as thu
cells at one mine become exhausted
they may be at once exchanged fol
others. The beauty Of the whole
scheme Is that the cells hold the cur
rent until 1t is used whether they bt
used to-day or a month hence, the los!
in efficiency being very slight.
In connection with the central stn
ton idea, though not on the storag
system, is the plant of Colonel Yves
ley Brainerd, now being erected II
the Ward mining district Here ,
model location for water powe
plant is in operation with "Cas
struction. A three-phase generate
of 100 kilowatts is connected witt
the wheel and the wires run nroun,
to n number of small mines, some o
them prospects. The main idea is T.
develop n number of claims, nm,
whenever n shaft is being sunk
motor and hoist are loaded on
wagon and set down over the hol
and used there as long as needed IN,
then picked up and moved to the mex
location. The whole thing is as sim
pie as the agricultural engine anon
n colony of farmers except that til,
power Is trlnSmitteu Ut VIII 10 IN,
point without the trouble and ex
pense of running steam engine
Colonel Brainerd's plan is quite move
and has received the approval of
number of the most expert electrl
clans to whom it has been explained
He can't take the mine to his waite
power, so he takes his water power
converted into electrical energy, to til
mine and makes 1t serve him MS wei
or better. Incidentally 1t might b.
mentioned that the holsters for til
scheme have been built In Denver, al
though the motors attached to then
came from Pittsburg.