Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-13
POWER FOR CALIFORNIA.
Great Electrical Projects Now Under
Way.

lforna I'm these days in the way Of Ion:
distance electrical transmission. Millions
Of dollars are going into the development
Of electricity in the mountain canoI
streams and the transmission Of the eiec
trcal energy to the cities and towns II
the state California far eXcelled tn
worlds best record for the Transmission
OF electricity OF a high voltage for a
long distance Chat made over the Lauf
fen-Frankfort circuit in Switzerland anc
Germany by the famous San Antonil
and San Bernardino circuit I'm Pomona
Valley and this season there are four
places in the State where the best records
so far viii be surpassed.
ION the Pacific coast" said ex-State
Comptroller Phillips, "the long-distance
transmission OF electricity Is the greatest
thing for the .cOmmonweal since the
Pacific railroads were built thirty years
ago. Here, whore fuel is very dear and
consequently motive power IS costly, and
where labor has been so scarce, the Cali
fornians have been obliged To consume
manufactured products. Go into any OF
the stOres-no matter of what descrip-
tion-from Mexico TO British Columbia
and you will find that % per cent. of al
the goods the Pacific coast people buy
comes from the other side OF the Rocky
Mountains. Hundreds Of merchants tell
me that the only articles made in Cali
materials i'm abundance. because the coat
OF the power 10 drive the machinery was
an obstacle which they could not over
come. The population Of the Pacific
coast has grown upward Of 2,3OoO
since 1860, and, with the exception of beet.
sugar factories, sawmills. and railroad
shops, there is no manufacturing done
on the coast At last achievements ia
Harvesting the canon streams ana the
Transmission OF electrical power from IN
accessible spots in the mountains to cen
tres Of our coast population settles the
power problem. In a year or two Cali
fornia will have the cheapest, cleanes,
and most convenient motive power in the
Union
The success of the electrical plant at
Folsom. whore 2.0OJ-horse-pOwer is taken
from the American river and sent over
copper wires twenty-four miles To Sacra-
mentO. with very little loss i'm energy in
transmission, opened the eyes of capital
lists and civil engineers I'm California to
the possibilities Of electrical development
on streams on the slopes Of the Sierras
II has been reckOned that If all the power
In the streams on the western slope Of
the Sierras from oregon TO San Diego
were brought into use by means of cleo
trical inventions. about 2S0,OOO-horse-
power could BE- obtained. II the canon
streams IN California were thoroughly
harnessed by modern electrical achieve
ment. sufficient power could be produced
10 move every street-car. elevator print
ing press, threshing machine, and mining
drill in the State. besides Illuminating
every building I'm California.
With the beginning OF the new year the
boldest and most costly piece Of electrical
engineering in the country west Of Ma
CARA Falls will be practically finished. Its
purpose has been 10 bride the santa Ana
river among the san Bernardino Noun
tains-the most turbulent foaming. and
fornia are Oyeralls ana woollen blankets
The greatest financial problem with Us
has been TO manufacture on this coast.
and thereby save the tens OF millions o.
dollars paid annually for railroad freight
on articles brought 1900 and 1900 miles
from the eastern factories. Many mon
have lost fortunes in trying 10 establish
shoe. hat, wOOllen. and furniture factO-
rles out here, where We have the raw
stream i'm Southern California.
BY the bridling Of this stream nearly r.
l0O-horse-power may be taken from the
water and sent eighty miles TO Los An
5eleS city, where It will prOpel street
cars, light and heat houses and run ma
,hnery. The enterprise has cost hun
lreds of thousands OF dollars. but the
company will be able 10 sell power cheap
r than any steam company in the East
I'm States and most water-power com
)anies. For three years the enterprise
has been in progress. Miles OF tunnels
nave been blasted through a mountain.
wo big dams have been built, steel con
luits hundreds Of feet long have been
aid around mountain sides. and tons OF
electrical machinery have been hauled
rom Redlands up into the San Bernardino
Mountains.
Electrical engineers from New York and
Chicago say that the most notable fact
n the Harvesting Of the Santa Ana river
10 do mans work Is the transmission of
electricity of a high voltage over eighty
niles of wire with 50 little loss OF energy
rhe company finds IL can now send cleo
ricity OF 5000 volts, having a working
of 400 horse power. to dis
ance OF eighty-three miles, with a loss
If but 10 per cent. in voltage In 1880
when a current OF only 5000 volts was
ent through the IAuffen-Frankfort cir
uit in Switzerland for experimental pur-
l0ses, and there was a loss Of only II per
ent... the feat became noted among cleo |
ricians and engineers. After doing its |
work in the production OF electrical ener- |
~. the mountain stream is gathered into |
N enormous conduit and led down the |
TO irrigate the orchards and |
roves in san Bernardino Valley.
The power station in Santa Ana canon |
a small stone building. In il is some OF |
he finest electrical machinery yet made.
he water is taken from the river
through a canal fume, and tunnel along
he side OF canon. whence IL is led into
pipe 200 feet long, giving what is
quivalent to Il vertical fall in the water
( 80 feet. The wheels are OF the impact
ype, directly connected 20 the genera
ors. OF which there are four, each OF $50
ilowatt, or l0c- horsepower capacity.
he maximum line potential is 5000 volts
D which potential the initial voltage will
- raised by go kilowatt step-up trans
primers. The generators are OF an i'm
roved three-phase type. revolving field.
Eternal armature. and each has capa-