The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-05

| the Puyallup, until about the hour Of
| night when the greatest draft is made
upon the power-creating force by the
myriad incandescents in the distant cities
No one. indeed. could have imagined an
arrangement more nicely adapted TO their
needs
| Still, another assurance of continued
steadiness. through the whole year. OF the
current in the PuyaIlup and the other
glacial streams is given by the fact that
| the entire mountain has been set aside oy
the national government as q park. and
that beyond its borders extends great
| forest reserve. Taken together, these two
park and Teserve-coyer an area OF $50
miles. or nearly three times the size o.
the state OF Rhode Island. Tie forest re-
serve, dense with magnificent cedar hem
lock. ard hr, surrounds the mountain
and runs close 10 the glacial walls, its
| spongy dur supplying abundant ice
| fields, on account of the cold at higher
attitudes. gives out diminished Gow
Such is the background OF this dramatic
engineering proposition. The cold. con-
slant fow OF water, born far up the
heights, offers 10 the ina ginative engineer
his unique opportunity. The problem is
merely to catch il as it comes down the
sleeps. 20 direct it against wheel. 4t-
tach q wire. press button. and thus give
70 whole broad valley light. heat. pow
CT, and traction Neither The beauty -
the great mountain nor the after uses CT
lis waters viii n any way be injured The
huge nume carrying the flow OF the
whole river, VIII be but a thin line drawn
along the side OF a hill. The immense
power generator viii sit Ike toy al the
base OF the cliff. For the rest. a fe%
wires VIII stretch through the forest
down to the cities by the sea. Nature
VIII stiIl be unspoiled while men viii ride
more freely. win read more safely. Will
produce more for their labor.
The generators for the production II
electric power are greater than any II the
world except those at Niagara. The plan
Is 20 take water from the Puyallup river
AT point where, al nearly 200 feet
above sea level the stream makes a great
loop. TO carry II by means OF the fume
. distance Of ten and one-half miles down
the river and there to precipitate it
through steel tubes against wheels IL the
canyon below.
~ this lower end of the fiume the water
connecting reservoir OF dimensions sufsi-
Gent TO hold supply against any acct
dent IN the engineering departments
above. out Of this artificial lake. water
wiz b hurled down hill through four
tubes !. 100 feet long. that make directly
70 an angle Of forty-five degrees, toward
the power station in the canyon. Each
tube has diameter of four feet, and
carries a colum nof water with head Of
SO feet-the actual elevation being some
what greater than this, but an allowance
being necessarily made for the friction IN
the pipe At the outlet OF the pipes the
water concentrated 10 a small stream. |
will issue. IL is calculated. ar the rate Of !
nearly three miles minute. What such |
speed means can be appreciated only ~ |
4 man who has seen ii. AS il comes out |
il VIII present the appearance OF a solid |
bar Of glass or ice. Strike it with 4 |
and the bar viii ring out as II |
it had struck a steel anvil This column |
OF water. hurled forward at cannon-shot /
speed. strikes the cups of an impulse |
water wheel. and il does not require a |
vivid examination to think out what hap |
pens the wheel being on an axle and /
of these big steel wheels, the periphery CT i
which rotates at velocity Of 700 feet a 1
minute. generating 20,eo0 horsepower
power capable Of raising &c 30 tons a foot |
per minute.
The hydraulic arrangements by which |
the water does this miracle deserve fur
Their detailed explanation. At the point Il
the intake at the PuyalIup dam is TO lift
the surface OF the water twelve feet,
thereby securing z permanent supply. The
intake canal is built with solid walls OF
with substantial lead gates and |
screen. This water IS led along the high
ground. Thence. ii is carried through 4 |
hume eight feet wide and seven feet deep
OF substantial timber. ami !
strung along the side of the canyon Ike Z
snake. now burrowing its way through |
pronontoTies Of solid rock of stretching
on stills across deep ravines. Along such
a slu.ce-way a young river is carried
through regions so rough that at first thew
seemed inaccessible 10 the engineers
themselves Ut 1t arrives safely at last
at the river again, after loop of twelve
miles
The site of the power-house upon whicn
/
is at the foot of precipitous hill near
Lake Kapowsin. Situated within three
miles of the rails Of both the Tacoma
Eastern and the Northern Pacific roads
though Orting. the nearest railway sta
ton. is ten miles 6istant-it will become
a accessible TO direct transportation as sOol
IS The Pierce County Improvement Corr
ranv. under whose name. as one of the
Store-Webster companies. the enterprise
S being conducted. has built a branch
for the tracks OF one Of these railroads
for the purpose OF bringing in The ma
.erial and the immense machinery need -
a wagon road is first 70 be constructd
throughout the entire distance over pr
.icable grades. The equipment Necessary
Ter installing the huge plant includes err
zines donkey engines. every sort OF ma
,hinery and tools. lumber without end
The sawmins about Lake EspowsiR have
-eceived bs- orders. taxing thew utmcS-
,aracity. The materials FOR the canal
ard furre VII te holStsd from The foot
% The top Of the Hill by means %
vire rope t-2rnvc- anchored 70 the cliG
The Gume as completed. Viii carry daly
. burden OF water OF 2elSosl tons which
viz III PASS through the four steel tube
.lreaGy described. tapering from Their d.
.uerer OF four -feet 10 mere hve-iacn
utlet- The Plan ADOPTED Of using Al -
iepen6eat tube for each impulse wheel IS
II innovation in electrical enEineerin-
rh.ch has been devised IN order 70 afford
better control o. the power The eiec
nc current generated from The whceis
viu - stepped up IN the electricisa's
.hrasa from c.rsa -olts 10 sao7l volts 81