The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-07
LONG DISTANCE TRANSMISSION,
Remarkable Features Of a 5000
Horse Power Plant.

Tests of plant for transmitting power
by electricity between Ogden and Salt
Lake City are now being made. The dis
lance is II fraction more than thirty seven
miles, as the line runs Several days ago
test was made Of transmitting 900
horse power over three small wires The
pressure was $4,000 volts. Then the
wires were connected with another set of
wires at Salt Lake City, so as to form n
continuous circuit OF seventy four miles
from Ogden to Salt Lake City and re-
turn. This transmission was conducted
with remarkably slight losses of power
The capacity of the plant is 5000 horse
power, which IL transmitted on three
phase system, three bare copper wires
carrying the current instead of four, as
In Other polyphase systems. 1t is exceed
ed in size in America only by the Niagara
Falls powers plant. There is his differ
ence between the two pants: AT Niagara
there is an immense volume of water,
with limited fall At Ogden there il n
limited supply of water, with All IN nense
fall and pressure. This high pressure
of the water forced through "a small Jet
spins PeltOn wheels. Otherwise the sys-
TENS are identical.
The work here involved the construc-
ton of pipe line seven miles loug. which
has fall of 46O feet. The water is at
present turned into the pipe by tempo
rary dam, which will be replaced later by
masonry dam. on which work is now
being prosecuted, built up from bed rucl;
of the cannon on either side. This will
make reservoir covering lG00 acres Gnd
storing enough water to generate 20, 600
horse power all through the wear. For
the first six miles the pipe line is made
of wood after special designs by the en-
ri M fAf
round, six feet in diameter, and made of
strips Of Oregon fir. The pipe is one con
iiuroDs barrel of interiocked slaves.
bound by hoops of steer only a few inches
apart. One million four hundred and
seventy-twO Thousand pounds OF steel
were used on the work. 1he engineering
difficulties encountt red in laying the pipe
were great. Its course is along a rugged
canon wall, over gorges and through
masses of rock. More than / 900 feet of
tunnelling had to be done. and six steel
bridges span tho ravines and chasms.
mile from the powerhouse, where the
wood pipe en- DIS, is the biggest valve in
the world. 1t is capable of understanding
at the valve gate pressure of 102 TONS
1t is operated by hydraulic pressure.
Each of the three largest pieces took
ten teams to laul It up tie mountain
side to its position From the valve to
the power house, where the fall is rapid
and and the pressure enormous, the pipe
is of STEEL This pipe was all made on
the 81 onnd by the contractors The sheets
of steel were received in sections of from
1000 TO 54D0 pounds weight, and from
three-six teenths 10 eleven sixteenths of
an inch in thickness, and about 1S by
feet. The sections were swung by electric
or steam cranes from one machine to
another until rolled and riveted and fin
ished in complete pipe sections. Each
section was bolted in asphaltum and
made rust proof as well as water-tight.
The sections were then carefully tested,
and run up into position by n specially
made steam conveyor and hoist In the
trench the sections were riveted together
by a Pegram riveter and by a machine
especially designed for that purpose. The
power house is located just within the
city limits on the east side Of Ogden. 1t
has room for ten Pelton wheels and cleo
trio generators, each generating 1000
horse power.