Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1901-07-12
WIZ G0siAHsffNCE OCTOBER I

"Wc expect to commence w0rl
about October on the power plant a.,
Post Falls to furnish electricity fOr
the Occur d'Alene mines," said II. X.
Nelll, Friday, toa Spokesman Review
reporter. Mr.. Neill who is the princi-
pal mining expert for Finch & Camp
DELL, got complete title to the water
power at Post F'alls some months age,
and has been working since then to
erect the plant.
1.-The falls furnish IL 600 horse power
1t lowest water, !" he continued. '"rhe
)lans are to harness 5000 horse power
for mining purposes. The electricity
will be transmitted about a, miles &.
the mines in Canyon creek. by the
three phase system there viii hc the
tritling loss OF II per cent in trans
mission.
''The planLcomplete will eat good
sized hole in million dollars. Tie
cost for electric machinery at the
power plant alone will be about a
A-Iuarter OF million. The cost for the
pole line over the mountains ard
through the forests will, OF course, lie
very heavy
"There is head Of - feet to the
water power at Post Falls. The nat
ural fall alone Is over 10 feet, and ii @
PRESENT dam is about 10 feet higher.
Dur first work this fall will he to sui
stitute concrete dams for the prcse L
wooden dams. The cost Of the chan, =
Will not be very heavy.
''The thing that looks as II 1t would
give the most delay Is the problem +
etting electric machinery. Such II
equipment rs the plant will need takes
machinery made 10 order. The elec-
Lrical makers are overwhelmed vii h
| orders now. The General Elect ric
1mpany, with Il pant employing u
5)O men at schenectady, N, ", took
four months to fill a little $1,000
order for stock machinery needed al
t @ Kendall mines in Montana. Tie
Wsstina nahouse Electric company wol Id
n Il deliNer the same outfit in less than
seven months. They seem TO be s ld
completely ont Of electric supplies.
Two plans are under consideration
| for supplying The Occur d'Alene miIts
with power. One Is To deliver el, c.
| tricity direct To each consumer, W
wou provide an independent mot
and compressing plant. The other Is
to erect one immense compressor n
the Standard, up Canyon creek. All
tl, principal mines would be reach d
by ranch pipe lines.
"rLerA would be no loss In transmit.
ting compressed air in this mann, r.
except through leakage, which shol l,l
be prevented. The different mines
wouli be slved the expense Of blili-
IN compressor plants and OF keeping
engineers. The plan would greatly
reduce the ciianee of a shutdown
through accident. One large central
plant. with reserve motors and com-
pressors, would be much less likely To
be closed down through an accident
than woull half dozen smaller
plants.
"ihe people living around Posi-
Falls need moi fear that the dam viii
injure them in the least. II will b.
no higher than the present dam.
which has been in use for 10 years.
The improvements will not make tht
slightest difference in backing water
over the neiglIooring land"
Mr.. Ncill proposes to form a CON-
pany for building his new plant. l.
is understood that some Of, the largesi
mine owners including Finch x Camp
bell, are backing him in the enter
prise.
News that Mr. Neill means to build
|