Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-09-25
PURCHASED WATER POWER.

The Wausau Electric Co., on Saturday
last, purchased of d. l.. Plumer the mill,
water power and about thirty eight
acres of land, now leased by Arnt
Arntsen, and known as the old b. y.
Plumer property. The mill property is
situated directly east of that owned
and occupied by the above named COM
pany and will greatly add to the extern
sion of tie water power facilities OF the
concern. When the above company
built its plant on the Clarke island, the
management thought that ample provl-
sion had been made for power for years
to come, but the fast growing uses for
electricity and the city's industrial
growth were overlooked Within the
past two months another water wheel
has been installed, which gives the COM
pany several hundred additional horse
power, but with its original holdings
the limit of power had almost been
reached. Orders for electric power
for commercial uses have increased so
and now that the Wausau Street Rail
road Co. must be supplied with motive
power, the company's capacity was
crowded and it became imperative that
additional water power must be secured,
so the above purchase was made. Some
years ago, when the Wisconsin Valley
Improvement association was in exist
ence, that society engaged hydraulic
engineer to make an estimate of the
water power capacity at different points
along the Wisconsin river, from Ne
koosa north to Eagle River. His re-
port was of a yolumiEous nature, and
specifically touched upon each water
power site. He gave an estimate OF
the entire water power in Wausau and
then divided the whole into units, and
rated the Plumer's power as four ninths
of the whole, giving the Clarke site,
now owned by the Wausau Electric Co,
two-ninths. So, according to his rat
ing, the company will now control six
ninths or two thirds of Wausau's water
power
According to agreement made be-
tween grantor and grantee, Mr.. Amt
sen will have lease of the mill Tor one
more year The. time is not ripe to
state what will be done with the prop
erty after the lease has expired, but it
certainly will be developed at some
future time. The operation of the
street railway, its possible extension
and the coming into the city of manu-
featuring concerns requiring electric
power, will necessitate such develop
ment. In that event it is likely that
substantial stone dam will be built
across the slough to replace the old
wooden structure now in use.
The Plumer property is one of the
oldest mill sites in the city and almost
from the time the first lumber manu-
featuring was inaugurated in Wausau
its water power has been utilized. The
island has been the scene of many
events chronicled in the early history of
this city. The old Lyman mill was sit
uated at the lower end of the island
and at various times different men have
owned and conducted the mill involved
in the above transaction. B. G. Plumer
came into possession of the property in
1868 and after his death it passed into
the hands of his brother, d. l.. Plumer.
In 1881 spring freshet carried away a
large portion of the lumber on this
island and few years later nearly all
the lumber piled in the yards waslde-
stroyed by fire.