Sierra County advocate., 1899-06-23
MONTANA'S BIG DAM.
Two Hundrea Men Ifave Deen AT
work for Two sofia Years ON
the Grent Under
taking,

iIelena's fontcst dream has been re
allied the great Missouri river dan
| Las been completed. an electric plani
exeelled ouly by that at Niagara Falls
has been installed and Is IN daily opera,
lion: every industry IN this iminediat,
vicinity Is supplied with power there.
! from, and but four-fenihs of its cn.
pacity III utilized Immense sineiters
eonccnirators mining machinery mine
hoists. street cars, electric light sys-
tens. telegraph aud telephone batter
les, newspaper plant and in fact almost
e,ery power plant In Hciena, East
Helena and Corhin are either now or
will be propelled by that silent yet po-
tent fuid known az electricity. derived
primarily from an electric plant To-
cai.d al Cannon Ferry. disiaYf rs miles
from Helena, which IL inrn Is supplied
hy the swiftly flowing Missouri river III
rs pnseagc through the main chain Of
tbe Rocky mourlnins
4 few days ago, without the least os-
tentotion on the part Of the company
owning the plant, The current was
tHl ttu iiilO tIlt ntf'NOfb VI N3ltH f4h~
tending in several directions from the
dnin site, and save only those me-
quainted with the plans few realized
that the source ~ power had been
cbauged from coal md steam 10 hat
Of nature. SO perfect were the plans
fcr me sub#ttuiiou that not hitch
u any Llg.1 occurred; in fact il has
been foned t4at the plan of level wires
"a comparatively ncw theory in the
transmission oi elcctricliy) has re-
suited in fully rse per cent. less loss
than was anticipated and for Tint rca-
son a higher voltage was achieved at
the diytant end rranitiHg Ia better
lights than under the old system.
HE wires have been strung TO the
"porphyrydiker Ghout a0uiles) and as
soon as the necessary electrical appa-
n,itis arrives many stamps VIII be op.
Grated under the Le~ yetlod d state.
ment probably needing IN explanation
70 fully comprehend its significance.
The dixie isan immense mountain of low
grade free milling gold ore. lis Ioca.
ton aud elevation make he cost of re-
faing The ore quite expensive and in
some instances lrobihitive. owing to
the scarcity OF water 70 operate the
stamps for pulverzing The ore and the
expense u hauling coal up seven or
tight-nilr mountain road.
II Is estimated ihnt where the pres
ent cost OF treating the ore Is two dol
lars per ton this can be reduced TO rs
cents With the above for an example.
II tnny be seen that the claims OF he
promoters promising 10 almost reyolu-
iionize mining in Monihna has some
foundation at lenst, and when II Is re-
allied tha, the mineral output OF this
state is over $50 10000 annually. the
extltation noted az the he1aning Of
this sketch Is al least pardonable.
10 construct this dana the labor OF |
COO men was required for tWo solid !
years, AZ cost oi half million dol
lars. III II were consumed aae0 600 |
feet Of timber. i5e00 cubic yards Of
snrih and ap,Coo cubic yards Of granite |
luarried a. the dam ste.
-Four large panftccAs, about so feet
'hf dhb =" iI'nNf III '3aEtttF. tAch /
water wheels revolting st +
Ihe rate Of ii7 times per minute, las-
'iSh tue primary power, Which is equiv
ilent 20 about l1.5o0 horse power, but
his may be increased IN the ratio OF
our to ten or ii250 horse power,
hould the occasion 20 demand
y y the sanguine lole Of he com
ians TO eventually extend sheir lines
( iu'te, "ihe greatest mining Saapou
arth. distant about 40 miles overland
plan believed by electricians 70 b. en-,
irely feasible aud highly profitable
royided the trsverslpg Of the main
shge OF the Rockies does not result II.
oe great loss of power.--St Paul Dis.
aich.