The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-05-01
WATER POWER SCHEME.
Duluth Herald:

! Duluth Herald:
| P. T. Hanscom, assistant engineer of
the power and mining department of
| the General Electric company of
Schenectady, N. Y. was in Duluth a
considerable part of last week in con-
nection with the Great Northern Power
company's project for the development
of the st. Louis river water power.
The General Electric and Westing-
| house companies furnish practically
all the equipment for the large power
plants throughout the world, the Gener-
al Electric company having on its pay
roll at the present time over 1900
men. Mr.. Hanscom has personally in
spected and reported upon large
number of power plants for the Gen.
eral Electric company throughout this
country AMI also in Mexico.
While here Mr.. Hanscom visited the
iron mines upon the ranges in COM
pany with the consulting and resident
engineers of the Power company, the
private cars of the president House of
the Duluth & Iron Range road being
placed at the disposal of the party,
composed of Mr.. Hanscom, M. H. Ger
ry, chief engineer of the Missouri
River Power company, Helena, Mont,
F. A. Cokefair. chief engineer, E. c.
Bacot, electrical engineer and C. A.
Duncan, president of the Power COM
pany here. They were accompanied
by Geo. D. Swift, of the steel corpora
ton interests.
| The party went by way of the Du-
| luth, Missabe and Northern returning
by the Duluth and Iron Range, afford
ing a good opportunity for observing
the large drainage areas and crossing
the various streams from which the
companys water supply is derived. at
an elevation approximately 1OQV teet
above Lake Superior.
Mr.. Hanscom while very careful and
| conservative in his statements was
i greatly impressed with the ma gnitude
of the power available here and the
results that it's development promise.
| Comparing the project with Niagara,
he said that in point of water that can
be utilized he would place this as sec
ond only to the Niagara power. 1t
should be explained, too, that in speak
ing of the power available he meant
both from the ST. Louis and Duluth
Heights proportions.
The trip to the range was of interest
in several ways. 1t revealed to the en-
gineers the vastness of the watershed
whose waters drain toward Lake Supe-
rior and find their outlet in the
streams that will develop the power
of the Great Northern Power company.
| They were also interested in observ-
ing the methods employed at the mines
for hosting, pumping, operating steam
shovels, etc. They all agreed that the
work could be much more economic
ally and efficiently done with cleo
| tricity as the power than steam.
There is nothing on the ranges thai
even offers a new problem except the
operation of the steam shovels'', said
/ Mr.. Hanscom "All of the other works
has been tried and proven and the
same machinery that would be used is
in use elsewhere. 1t has been estab-
| lished that steam as power is not to be
compared with electricity in efficiency
an dthe cost should be very much less
here. AS to the steam shovels, that
| proposition could be worked out cas-
| lily L am confident, and electricity
would be found much more advan-
| tageuos to use than steam"
The feasibility of transmitting the
power such a distance as from Duluth
| to the ranges is so we'll established,
! that it is not even a problem with the
engineers any longer.
1--WE are now furnishing machinery
and equipment almost identical with
what would be used here" said Mr..
Hanscom, "for use in Mexico at point
where the power is to be transmitted
| 103 miles"
| The development of electrical ma
chinery for long distance transmission
has now reached so perfect stage that
the loss in transmission in such a dis
| lance is less than 5 per cent.