Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-19
THE FINISHED PlANi-
AL Success Of the Electric Plant uhoe'
tha Grand RAPIDS Plan.

id in these columns aoC
piacen hit plant and its equ
sidarahIe e. eas been no detal
fhe electric u n, and as the
ment. but the. 81 ntiou ale
account of its G. owl. posItion,
additions to that lns.ti, 1,
about completed aud in u
seems opportune % call the
of our readers TO the splendi,.
acter of the plant, as ii semi-pl.
Institution. that be Just pride of n
NAV be touched by that which i'm a
certain sense belongs to the whole
people.
This city has always enjoyed very
| low rates for its electric service
much lower in fact than many other
cities in the state of its size. This
was due in part to the fact that it was
at first run by water power that dur
| ing the day was used in other indus
| tries and afterwards to a stiff COM
| petition between two rival plants,
| But today the rates all in all are as low
as they have ever been in the town.
and as low or lower than that of any
| other city in the state of its size.
| This refers to user of lights or power
who are not stock holders or to the
ordinary patrons; it is still cheaper to
stockholders. Besides this the service
is exceptionally good, and there are
very few complaints and few causes
| for complaint.
The plant is the best one in this
section Of the state. barring no town
on account of it's size. 1t is operated
| by a 500 horse power Nordberg Com
pound Corlis engine with condenser,
which turns two electric generators of
a like capacity. This engine is the
most expensive and best machine of
the kind in this section of the state,
costing with the condenser $1,000. 1t
| has l6 foot fly wheel whose average
speed is 81 revolutions a minute.
| The plant has about so miles of copper
wire and is strictly up-to-date in all
| its equipments and furnishings.
| There is in service at the present
| writing 2.544 incandeScent lamps, "a
arc lamps and nine mOterS from / to
30 horse power.
| The cost of the service is $50 for arc
lamps per year; 35 cents per month for
| 16 candle power incandescent lamps,
in residences: 80 cents per month for
office lamps. and 45 cents per month
| for lamps in stores run until $50
O'Clock p. m., with smaller rate for
residences for the larger number used.
The present value of the plant is
very close to s45, 900, lit may run over
or under these figures a trife). OF
| this sum $4,000 represents paid up
and undivided profits: $4,000 repre-
sentS the amount Of stock held by
stockholders, and the balance, $4,000,
represents the Indebtedness of the
| cOmpaDy. This valuation does not in
Glide good viii or Tie value 81 81
established business, prospective or
| otherwise, but simply the building,
| machinery, line account and stock on
hand with which TO operate the plant
There are eight men employed by
| the institution regularly and at busy
times others are required, ith Il
regular operating expense account of
about $500 per month and With an
| income less dividends of about $500
per month.
The men employed are as follows:
Manager-P. L. Utley.
kngippeers-Henry Harding and
Albert Otto. -"
Firemen-P. j. tnsklp and Alfred
Kernine.
! Linemen-Otto Erdkman and John
Noyes.
Teamster-Carl LarSeii.
The FeatHre Of furnishing power to
other institltlors has only recently
the late additions to the plant referred
to in this article. The more work of
this bind the company has to do the
less the expense will be to the In.
dividual patron for service. SO it is to
be hoped that a great patronage will
spring up in this particular.
This splendidly equipped and most
successfully operated Institution is
justly the pride of this city and is a
practical illustration Of what great
things can be accomplished by united
effort in a very short time when the
right plan is adopted. 1t has been in
operation only about two years and is
about the best institution for its size
in the state, and that tells the whole
Istory T1ff the success Of the Grand
Rapids plan,