The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1895-12-27
CHEAP ELECTRICAL POWER.


CHEAP ELECTRICAL POWER.
What the Perfection of storage Batteries
Means to Miners.
The news Of the consolidation Of the
various patents on electrical storage
batteries has stirred up the mining men
us one of the most important deals rel
alive 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 engin-
GERS and machinists. Where up to the
present time the most wealthy mining
companies were 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 a 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 firm would
place ii 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
ton will be free from danger of legal
technicalities 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 a revolution utter 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 af.
ord to place into position the expensive
machinery necessary for the generation
~ the current With the storage bat
tcrles central station may be located
a, 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 n
week wagon load of accumulators
may be brought to the central plant
and exchanged for another wagon load
of charged cells. These can be taken to
the mine and connected mp with the
holsters, lamps and motors so that
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 must
b. large enough to give power which IL
only called upon occasionally. In this
way a mine with several motors must
have n large and expensive dynamo ca
pnble Of running every motor Mt Its full
load at the same time while In actual
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 a dozen mines and at the
maximum of expense. II will be kept
running continuously and Mt Its maxi.
mum load. charging the cells of a stor-
age battery. and rs soon rs one set shall
have Its maximum charge another may
he inserted and work 90 ahead. Night
and day. II necessary. this may he kept
up and not minute wasted. and as the
cells Mt one mine become exhausted
they may he Mt once exchanged for
others. The beauty of the whole
scheme Is that the cells hold the cur
rent until II is used whether they Ike
used to-day or n month hence, the loss
In efficiency being very slight,
In connection with the central sta,
tIon idea, though not on the storaN
system, is the plant of Colonel IVES
ley Brainerd. now being erected 10
the Ward mining district. Here
model location for n water power
plant Is In operation with "Cas
cade" water wheel OF the largest con.
struction. A three-phase generator
Of 100 kilowatts is connected with
the wheel and the wires run around
to n number OF small mines some Of
them prospects. The main Idea IL to
develop n number Of claims, and
whenever n shaft Is being sunk
motor and hoist are loaded on
wagon and set down over the hole
and used there as long as needed and
then picked up and moved TO the next
location. The whole thing IL as sim
pie ms the agricultural engine among
n colony of farmers except that the
power IL transmitted Mt Will 10 an.
point without the trouble and ex.
pcnse Of running steam engine
Colonel Bralner,i's plan IL quite novel