The Winslow mail., 1899-03-18
MON.TANA'S BIG DAM.
Completion of Great Missouri
River Power Plant.
TWO Hundred Men Have Been at
Work for Two Solid Years on
/ the Great Under
l. taking,

Helena's fondest dream has been re-
alized-the great Missouri river dam
has been completed, an electric plant
eXcelled only by that at Niagara Falls
has 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
pacity 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-
tent fluid known as electricity, derived
primarily from an electric plant To-
Gated at Cannon Ferry, distant 16 miles
from Helena. which in turn is supplied
by the swiftly flowing Missouri riverin
its 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-
quainted 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 a hitch
of any kind occurred; in fact, it has
been found that the plan of level wires
"a 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 op-
Grated under the new method, 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-
ftning the ore quite expensive, and in
some instances prohibitive, owing to
the scarcity of water 10 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 rs
cents. With the above for an example,
it may be seen that the claims of the
promoters promising to almost reyolu-
tionize mining in Montana has some
founda tion at least, and when it is re-
allied that the mineral output of this
state is over $50, coo, ,O0O annually, the
exultation 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
years, at cost Qf half a million dol
lars. In it were consumed 100000
feet of timber, $4,000 cubic yards of
earth and $4,000 cubic yards of granite
luarried at the dam site.
Four large penstocks. about so feet
long and rs inches in diameter, each
containing water wheels revolving at
the rate of 147 times per minute, fur
nish the primary power, which is equiv
alent to about 12, 500 horse power, but
this may be increased in the ratio of
four to ten, or 31,250 horse power.
should the occasion so demand.
1t is the sanguine hope Of the COM
pany to eventually extend their lines
tc Butte, "the greatest mining camp on
earth" distant about 40 miles overland,
a plan believed by electricians to be en-
tirely feasible aud highly profitable.
provided the traversing of the main
range of the Rockies does not result in
too great a loss Of power.-St. Paul Dis
patch.