Amador ledger., 1902-01-24
An Immense Undertaking.

| WIN eHe prospective early compile
tion of the Standard Electric Com
pany's vast system of water storage
and plants sor the generation of cleo
trio energy, it is not out of place To
give an outline of the mighty enter
prise, which, without much hustle or
blowing of trumpets, has been started
and pushed to a finish right at our
doors. Few people in Amador county
realize that this Undertaking in many
ways overtops every enterprise of a
similar character in the world. When
it gets into successful operation it will
advertise Amador county the world
over as possessing the mightiest works
yet devised by man for the creation of
energy by the use of water, and it's
transmission to distances only a few
years back deemed utterly impracti-
cable. When the work was com
menced there were not wanting-as is
always the case when human activity
is directed at any vast outlay of capt.
tai into practically untried channels
those who predicted that it would not
pay. Opinion now begins to veer
round, and the outlook favors the con-
clusion that when not only the present
plant, but additional plans are carried
out, it will prove success from a
financial as well as an engineering stand
point. Electric power is conceded to
be the coming power for the operation
of machinery. The mines of this coun-
ty were loath to take to it at the out
set. Objections We're raised that it
would not be as steady nor as readily
All these misgivings have been swept
away by actual experience. Wherever
1t has been tried in the mines of this
section it has been pronounced as reli-
able and manageable as any form of
power heretofore tried. 1t is rapidly
dlsplacing steam and water, and in a
few years it will unquestionably drive
all competitors from the field. The
water shed of the Blue Lakes system
embraces a stretch of over so miles in
length of the channel of the Mokelumne
river. The total area covered by the
drainage system, including the lakes at
the head waters, is estimated at be-
tween 300 and 400 square miles. For
5O miles from the main storage lakes
the Mokelumne river is made a part of
the canal system. At this point, how
the mouth of Mill creek, tributary
OF the Mokelumne. Here a tunnel
l2OO feet long has been driven through
solid rock to divert the water. This
tunnel Is not quite completed, but will
be IN the course of a week or two.
From this point the canal runs a dis
tance OF over 20 miles to the plant at
Electra. There are two parallel canals.
nd
structed by the old Amador Canal
Company, and the upper and new, now
being completed by the Standard Elec-.
trlc Company. Long stretches of the
newly constructed waterway consists
OF fumes, every box of which contains
ABOUT thousand feet of lumber, many
millions of feet of lumber being con-
sumed in their construction. To sup
ply this lumbe sawmill owned by
the company was kept running the
whole OF last season, and an army of
carpenters was employed in making
tne trestle work to receive the boxes,
About 20 miles from the point of di-
version carries the canal to Tabeaud
reservoir. This is an artificial lake,
constructed at enormous expense. 1t
covers an area of nearly half a mile
square. Its water shed is very small,
Its use being to store the water flowing
through the canal. 1t is calculated to
hold over 400, 600, 900 gallons, or 2,OOO,-
OOO tons of water. There are many
artificial lakes of greater storage
capacity than this. Conemaugh lake,
the breaking of the dam of which
caused the destruction of Johnstown in
pennsylvania several years ago, (con-
tanned in flood time sixteen million tons
oil water. So that the turning loose of
Tabeaud lake would represent flood
less than one-eighth the proportion of
that memorable disaster. The remark
able feature about the Tabeaud reser-
voir is the dam. This is 700 feet long,
12O feet high, and 600 feet thick at the
base, tapering to about so feet at the
top. In height and thickness it is.
without rival in the world. 1t is con-
structed entirely of earth, but the ut
most care has been exercised in it's
building. 1t is claimed by the best en-
gineering authorities that earth dams,
properly y constructed, will hold water
and withstand pressure better than
those of any other material. All rocks
OF any size were excluded from the dam.
and the earth was rolled and tamped
There is no probability of
any contingency arising that would
cause disaster by the giving way of this
structure. The Conemaugh dam was
built of stone and wood, was 900 feet
long, 100 feet high, and only $50 feet
thick at its base-a fimsy structure
compared with Amador county's dam.
A short distance from this reservoir.
another tunnel of 5000 feet in length
occurs, and this carries the water into
the pressure pipe that furnishes the
power to the plant at Electra. This
pipe is of quarter inch steel, two and
half feet in diameter, nearly three
quarters of mile in length, with 1900
feet pressure.
At the power house three giant
dynamos are in place, with total ca
pacity of $4,000 horse power. This
can be doubled if necessary, as it no
doubt will be in the near future.
The total cost of this enterprise runs
up into the millions-some saw i've
millions. Reckoning 10000 horse
power available at SIS per month per
horse power, we have a gross income
OF S5O, 600 per month, or $500, 600 per
year. Out of this operating expenses
necessarily heavy of course-must be
paid. But making liberal allowance
for these, there ought to be a fair mar
gin lett Tor interest in the investment.
Amador county is proud of this great
power generating enterprise. 1t is
step in the development of the county
only second 10 the mining industry it.
self. The people of the county gen