Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-09
The FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Remarkable Development of the Water
Power Of the Pacific Slope,
HITcHsD TO ELECTRIC GENERATORS
Practical Benents Secured by Long
Distance Transmission - Eicc-
tricity on the Farm
other Developments.

The harnessing Of the idle water powers
OF the Pacific slope is the subject Of an in
structlve review by a correspondent OF the
New York Evening Post The development
OF this power at It's source and its conversion
Into electricity furnishes strong evidence Of
the Industrial activity Of the country. Cali
fornia alone boasts OF three worlds records
in long distance transmission and cities TO
the north as well as intermountain towns
are following the example with profit to the
promoters and the several communities
New York and Boston capital Is largely in
terested In these schemes. Several millions
OF dollars have been invested in electric de-
velopment companies on the Pacific coast
during the last year and ere 1899 is passed
as much more will be invested in similar
new companies operating between Tacoma,
Utah, and San Diego Cal. At present writ
Ing several thousand men are employed in
dozen projects for Harvesting streams
which dash down the western slope Of the
Slerras and the coast range, and for trane.
mitting the power therefrom by copper wires
10 cities and towns for factory uses pro-.
polling street cars, lighting buildings and
thoroughfares and for moving a score of diff
ferent mechanical devices.
The great cry in California, Oregon and
Washlngton-indeed of all the far western
-t'NSS 'ioS Dctl IDT ldClOTleS ana industries
That VIII bring the Pacific coast consumer
close to the producer. great drawback
10 general and established prosperity among
the people on the coast is the enormous sum
lney pay In the aggregate for freights from
the producer to themselves. The average
nome In these Pacific coast states is fur
hished with everything-except, possibly, a
rev woolen blankets and some woodenware
from the eastern states Practically al,
1he wearing apparel, all the furniture glass
ware, crockery, metalware, fabrics and n
NUMBER OF other branches in manufacture are
transported 5000 miles from the east. There
are out here many stocks of general mer.
chandise that will inventory 500 900 and $50 .
OOo where less than $500 represent Pacific
coast products
III mas been estimated that the waterfall,
IN California alone have over 24O 600 horse
power and that about 1000 OF this powe,
has Already been converted into electrical
energy and sent to Los Angeles Sacramento.
Fresno, Pomona, Redlands, Folsom and San
Diego for lighting and motive purposes Five
more electric companies will have their long
dlstance transmission systems in working
order by next September About so 600
moro horsepower will be developed by them
lot use IN California and Oregon, while still
other electric companies are beginning work
~ BOhNi pants JudI WIFI cost from
SOo'OOO to 100000 each, rnd will harness
more mountain streams to do a. mans wor,,
In distant cities and villages.
Long Distnncc fermentation.
The original long distance electric power
company in the United States was the San
Antonio in Pomona, Les angeles county.
Maine capital backed the enterprise. It was
IN running order by the summer of 1892
and electrical experts from a dozen cities in
the east and few from Europe came to
Pomona purposely to observe the working Of
the attempt to transmit ] 900 horse power
distance of eighty miles. The enterprise
was great success and for year the
Pomona-San Betlnardlno electric circuit was
famous among all electricians
The Folsom Sacramento circuit marked
another and a big step IN the science Of
transmitting electrical power long distance.
Years had been spent in tho work at Folsom
An immense masonry dam had been thrown
across the American river, $50 feet long
"a feet wide at the crest 81 feet wide at
the bottom and so feet high at the highest
point. 1t contains nearly $4,000 cubic yards
OF granite and creates a reservoir three
miles long. At either end of the dam mas
sive head gates were constructed to con-
troll the passage OF the water into canals
which give flow of S5 900 cubic feet a min
ute. The water supply is sufficient for the
irrigation of 100000 acres OF land, including
large areas on both sides OF the American
river.
Then the San Gabriel Electric Power
company set about bridling the stream
which rushed out of San Gabriel canon
creating enormous power that has never
been utilized. Over $500O 900 was expended
in tho enterprise and electrical engineers
from all over the world watched the pro-
gre2s OF the work. In nalf-dozen ways
tho utilization Of the power in the Sar
Gabriel cancn stream and then the turning
OF tho water back into the Original
course for irrigation purposes by the orange
and lemon growers in the valley below, was
without precedent. BY eight miles of tun-
nas and cement bitches a fall of 400 feet
was created In the canon stream.
The San Gabriel company has been send
ing 5000 horse power to Les Angeles, a dis
tance of twenty seven miles. There the
power is used for lighting, running street
cars, raising elevators and light machinery
New Projects.
During the last sixty days the most re-
markable piece of electrical engineering in