Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09
FALLING WATERS USED
Generation Of Electricity in
California.
SENT MANY MILES
THRICE AS MUCH ENERGY AS AT
NIAGARA FALLS.
Force Employed More Generally by the
People Of the State Than in the
Cities Of the East.
SENT MANY MILES
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS
Special Correspondents of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

Special Correspondents Of The Star and the Chicago
| Record Herald.
| LOS ANGELES, Cal, August 81 1905
| California has made greater progress than
| any other state In the Union In the trans
mission OF power by wire from her rivers
| and mountain cascades to her cities and
| manufacturing centers. The large distance
| transmission of electricity Is more general
| here than elsewhere. The waterfalls and
rapids Of mountains streams have been har-
messed and made to run street railways
| mills and factories and to light streets and
! houses. There are about thousand miles of
| lines In different parts of the state. carrying
about 100000 horse power and representing
| money value Of more than $4,000, 900.
This electrical energy is about twice as
great as the combined capacity OF the COM
| pleted plants at Niagara Falls. About So
600 additional horse power win be available
| here before the end of the year and plans
| in progress or contemplation will increase it
still further to half a million horse power
| carried by 1000 miles of wire.
In the eastern states a relatively larger
| quantity of water is used. but 1t falls
| shorter distance. Niagara, which Is the
| highest in the east, falls only 10 feet, and
| the great majority of eastern plants utilize
| water that falls less than twenty feet In
California and other parts of the west the
streams utilized are not large, but usually
| the fall Is very great, in one case exceeding
| 1000 feet.
Power Generated by Waterfalls.
| Mr.. Tracy Simpson, young engineer who
| has made study Of this subject, tells me
! that "at the high head of 1900 feet
| stream Of water is under pressure Of
| about $50 pounds per square inch; its We
| locty is about four miles per minute, and
under these circumstances stream one
inch in diameter will generate TOO morse
| power with the simplest type of water
wheel This consists merely OF disc, on
| which placed metal buckets, ana oy
directing the jet against them the Wheei IS
| forced to revolve and Is directly connected
| with electric generators, which supply the
current as 1t Is transmitted over wires 10
the cities and towns for the use or the
| street railways, mills and factories Ano
! for IlIuminat ting purposes. These systems
| have been developed to such high state OF
perfection that not more than ten per cent
| Of the energy is lost. cu.r,,
.~The longest transmission in California
helonrs to the California Gas and Electric
| S,orpora ton, and Is from DeSabla to san
| Francisco, 240 miles BY TINS pan, 900
| waterfall $50 feet high develops lz'VU
horse power and the line pressure Is oo'oV
| volts The system Of which this - a part
| has twelve plants and nearly 600 miles OF
transmission lines in the region northwest
of San Francisco, and furnishes power 81 ao-
lighting locomotion and Industries or sac
ramento Stockton, San Francisco ana other
places in that vicinity. The first power
plant of this system was built at folson som
in 1sA5 and was considered a wonder. Inc
comnany has 1O,0O0-horse power plant near
Yuha City 142 miles from San francesca
and a 13OO0-horse power plant at Electra
northwest of Stockton hfty-four mics from
San Francisco.
I'm southern California the transmission
systems are also extensive they are con
trolIed by the Edison Electric Company
which lights many of the towns In that re-
eion, and the Pacific Light and Power Com
pany. which supplies power for nearly an
of the street lines between Los Anseles ana
San Bernardino, as well as power lot MANI am
featuring industries In many places. Inc
irrigation in the valleys east of>Los Angeles
is largely done by electric pumps In connec-
ton with wells, with power obtained from
the streams in the neghboring mountains.
The two companies named have about
90 GOO horse power and ten plants, the long
est transmission being from the Kern river.
100 miles north of Los Angeles There are
several large systems at Fresno, BAKERS
field and every other town of Importance
throughout the state. Electricity is largely
used in the mines, and there Is scarcely
village without lighting plant. You ina
them in farm houses also, Tor the rates
charged are comparatively low.
Extensive Use Of Electricity.
The people of Los Angeles boast that cleo
trictty was first used successfully as a mo-
tive power for street cars and for manufac-
way to confirm that statement, but 1t is
certainly true that they have been in the
front rank of progress IN this as In other
DEVELOPMENTS. However, electrical enter
prise is not confined to Los Angeles. AS
Mr. Simpson says, you can scarcely mo d
| farm house that Is not lighted by electricity
and few even of the poorest farmers, would
consent to live without telephone. Down
in the San Joaquin valley ordinary baroed
wire fences are used for the TRANSMISSION or
lt,b a telephOne service.
They are connected with the regular
wires upon the poles along the highways
and with the houses and stables of fruit
Growers and farmers. Many of the ranches
in that valley are very large. In MERGED
county alone are ten with more than 62.O00
acres each. Many are divided into sections
and let TO tenants. who either pay rent IN
cash or divide their crops with the own
ers Each of these sections is connected
by telephone with headquarters and barbed
wire fences generally utilized Tor that
purpose The owner superintendent can
thus communicate with his tenants en-
ployes and give instructions every morn
ing and night.
ure-ioving people and crowd the resorts
and places of amusement, their time seems
to be exceedingly valuable. and they are so
occupied with both pleasure and work that
they have introduced telephones into bar
Der Shops and even into hotel dining rooms.
At the Hotel del Coronado, one of the larg-
est and most popular resorts, Where IL Is
always June. and where several hundred
people are seeking rest and pleasure the
twelve months round, there is a small white
cable about as big your little finger
coiled up upon a stand near the entrance
long enough to reach any part of the room,
which is one of the largest 1 have ever
seem thousand people may be seated at
dinner without the slightest crowding. The
head waiter, who usually stands at the
trance, answers the ring and in low tone
conducts preliminary one-sided dialogue:
Yes, sir, he is here eating dinner with
some friends"
mo- only just begun His fish was
served only moment ago"
yes. sir; I'll put him on the wire If you
insist upon 1t, but he does not like to be
disturbed at dnner,~ and taking the little
receiver in his hand be goes across o the