The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-13
LONG DISTANCE
POWER FOR WICHITA
Gas to Furnish Energy for Lo-
cal Use.
PROPOSITION LOOKS GOOD
viii Not Cost Much and Is
Practical.

Apropos of the comment and talk that
| has been rife for some time in regard to
utilizing the extensive gas supply from
| the oil and gas fields for local motive
powers, Mr. H. G. Lands has complied a
| list of statistics and data showing the
! cost Of transmitted motive power plants
at other places By various means. and in
! cidentally suggests a method by which
the almost inexhaustible supply of gas in
the southeastern portion Of the state can
be made to furnish power for Wichita at
less cost than any similar plant in ex-
istence today.
In most plans for utilizing the gas from
the fields for motive power the funda-
mental principle has been to pipe the in
tervening country and convey the gas IN
its natural state to the city where it has
to be introduced directly to each indivi-
dual boiler to produce the power.
While this plan appears at first sight
to be entirely feasible still there are a
few points that are not in its favor The
first is the excessive cost of laying the
pipes or mains the distance of fifty or
more miles. Then when laid the pipes
are subject to the action of gas and mois
ture and will eventually rust and corrode
finally wearing in places completely out
and causing trouble continually. In addi-
ton to this the flow Of gas has not suffi-
cient power in itself to travel the distance
without ielf in the form of sub-stations
along the route TO force the gas on
through the pipes.
Taken altogether, while the results
might be such as to insure the expense
of piping gas from the fields to Wichita
and then distributing it to the different
plants that would use il, still any plan
that will reduce the cost of creating the
power will be of benefit to the future in
terests of the city.
Mr.. Lands has conceived the idea not
of piping the gas to Wichita in its natural
state. but of using it at its source and
transmitting the energy it would create
to a distant point by the aid of electricity.
using for that purpose lines of wire strung
on poles. the principle being the same as
is now in use by telephone and telegraph
companies. or to be more lucid, the same
principle the trolley wire.
BY installing a modern electric trans
mission plant driven by gas engines di-
rectly on the field, that would be capable
of producing a current of electricity at
0000 or 5000 volts and conveying that
electrical energy over ordinary 90 copper
wire which would be about the size of a
lead pencil. and capable of carrying 10000
horse power. to the point where the
power would be used, the heavy expense
would be eliminated and all other objec-
tio..able features overcome while the
energy thus created and forced by cleo
trical current the required distance with
ont loss would arrive at It's destination
ready for transforming TO the motors
wherever required.
BY this means sufficient power could be
transported to Wichita to operate not only
the street railway, electric light plant,
gas plant. the large packing house plants
and all other maGufa curing establish
ments in the city. but there would be
enough energy left 10 just double the en-
tire dose and furnish the same amcunt
to other concerns that might locate in
the future.
While this statement may seem rather
broad. still the exact figures would show it
not 70 ne eNdbSei i'eu III any pa uSui"i-
a conservative estimate would state that
5000 horse power would supply the diff
ercnt establishments named and the esti
mate as given by Mr.. Lands IS based
on an actual transmittal Of 10000 horse
power.
According to figures compiled by that
gentleman and given to an Eagle rep
resentative yesterday the approximate
cost of installing and operating such a
plant would be as follows:
Plant at the fields ...............- so %
line per mile ........ 10000
Local transforming plant ......-. 10000
Cost per horse power per year
in Wichita. "A hours each day. 1900
This is about one-dfth what it costs to
Continued on Thirl Hage