Daily camera., 1899-03-01
MONTANA'S BIG DAM.
Completion of a Great Missouri
River Power Plant.
Two Hundred Men Have Been At
Work for Two Solid Years On
the Great UNDER
taking.

alized-the great Missouri river dam
has been completed, an electric plant
cxcelled only by that at Niagara Falls
Las been installed and is in daily opera
ton; every Industry in this immediate
vicinity is supplied with power there
from, and but four-tenths of its ca
racity is utilized. Immense smelters,
eoncentrators, mining machinery, mine
hoists. street cars, electric light sys-
TENS, telegraph and telephone batter
les. newspaper plant and in fact almost
every power plant in Helena. East
Helena and Corbin are either now or
will be propelled by that silent yet po-
teEt fluid known as electricity, derived
primarily from an electric plant To-
cated at Cannon Ferry distant Is miles
from Helena. whic'l in turn is supplied
by The swiftly flowing Missouri river in
It's passage through the main chain OF
the Rocky mountains.
A few days ago without the least os-
tentation on the part of the company
owning the plant, the current was
turned into the network of wires ex-
tending in several directions from the
dam site, and save only those ac-
Quanted with the plans few realized
That the source of power had been
changed from coal and steam to that
of nature So perfect were the plans
fer the substitution that not hitch
of any kind occurred; in fact, it has
been found that the plan of level wires
Ca comparatively new theory in the
transmission of electricity has re-
suited in fully five per cent. less loss
than was anticipated, and for that rea-
son higher voltage was achieved at
the distant end. resulting in better
lights than under the old system.
The wires have been strung to the
''porphyry dixie" (about 80 miles), and as
soon as the necessary electrical appa-
ratus arrives many stamps will be OPP
Grated under the new method, a state
ment probably needing an explanation
to fully comprehend its significance.
The dixie is an immense mountain Of low
grade free milling gold ore. Its loca-
ton and elevation make the cost of re-
tining the ore quite expensive, and IN
some instances prohibitive. owing to
the scarcity of water to operate the
stamps for pulverizing the ore and the
expense Of hauling coal up seven or
eight mile mountain road.
1t is estimated that where the pres
eut cost of treating the ore is two dol
lars per ton this can be reduced to IS
cents With the above for an example,
it may be seen that the claims of the
promoters promising to almost revolu-
tionize mining in Montana has some
foundation at least. and when it is re-
allied that the mineral output of this
state is over S5O0OO0OO annually. the
eNultation noted at the beginning OF
this sketch is at least pardonable.
TO construct this dam the labor OF
200 men was required for two solid
wears, at a cost Of half million dol
lars. In it were consumed 100000
feet of timber. $4,000 cubic yards of
earth and $4,000 cubic yards OF granite
quarried at the dam site.
Four large penstocks, about so feet
lorg and As inches in diameter, each
containing water wheels revolving at
the rate Of l41 times per minute. fur
nish the primary power. which is equiv
;ilent to about - 500 horse power. but
this may be increased in the ratio of
tour to ten, or 1880 horse power,
should the occasion so demand
1t is the sanguine hope of the COM
pany to eventually extend their lines
tC Butte. "thc greatest mining camp ON
earth" distant about 40 miles overland,
plan believed by electricians to be en-
tirely feasible and highly profitable.
provided the traversing OF the main
range Of the Rockies does not result in
too great loss Of power.-St. Paul Dis
patch.