Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-30
Vast Engineering Feat Being
Undertaken By st. Paul Rail
way in Idaho
,eooo,ooo TO BE EXPENDED
Power to Be Utilized in Carrying
Freight Over Mountain and Thru
Tunnels - Development of 10000
Horse Power Planned-SawmiIIs to
Be Operated.

Sp,Skane. Wash, July S0.-Nine mill
ion dollars will be expended by the
Chicago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul Rail
way Company in developing lso.ooo
horse power by Harvesting thirty-t1Ve
miles OF the ST. Joe river between
North Fork and st. Joe in northern
Idaho, and this electrical energy VIII
be utilized In carrying freight across
the Bitter Root divide and operating
a score of sawmills and plants. The
work is to be completed In three years.
This will be the first practical test
OF the substitution Of electricity Tor
steam power in this country. and II 1t
is successful it will be employed ON the
entire line between Missoula, Mont,
AMI the Puget Sound country, dis
lance Of nearly 500 miles.
CT. B. Price, a hydraulic engineer of
wide experience connected with the
companys electrical department, has
undertaken the project, which is so
feasible that A. J. Earring, president
OF the company accompanied by q staff
OF engineers, recently went over the
ground on an inspection tour passing
several days at the construction work,
viewing also the sites Of the dams
TO be placed In the swift mountain
river the highest navigable stream on
the continent The plans presented by
Mr.. Price show that practically every
available cubic foot OF water can be
harnessed.
Besides economy and the solution
of the fuel problem, which has been
serious one to all the railroads In the
northwest the last two years, the
Milwaukee is following the lead OF
other railroads In using electric power
for operating thru tunnels. The
stretch Of line between the Bitter Roots
and Rock Lake, Wash, is one of re-
curing tunnel The survey shows
fourteen tunnels in $50 miles Of line,
and the aggregate of these tunnels will
be 10000 feet, ranging in length from
1000 feet in Lost Pass to the numerous
bores of not more than fifty feet thru
projecting cliffs.
Three dams are to be constructed
at once, but 1t Is given out that others
will be in operation within three
years. One of these will be at Little
Falls, three miles above st. Joe. where
plans have been made for a dam SO
feet high, developing over 5000 horse
power. Another will be built at Cot
tonwood Island. ten miles up the, river
Ideal dam sites are to be found at
frequent intervals along the river, and
there will be little cost arising from
the requirement Of fowage rights. In
a few cases such as ELK prairie there
is a broad stretch of meadow which
will be entirely overlooked and the
company recently bought the Nc
Michales ranch for $4,000, or $12b an
acre. In most cases the river runs
either thru canyon of high rock
walls or the mountain bases slope
down to the edge of the river, giving
the water little room to spread.
In addition to operating its heaviest
division by electric power the Milwau-
kee expects to make use of the same
power in developing the resources of
the country thru which 1t will pass.
The Monarch Lumber Company adj
nitteday a subsidiary concern, has ac-
CURED nearly 100000 acres Of timber
land in northern Idaho. $4,000 acres of
which are adjacent tributary to the
new line.
Two sawmills are now in course Of
construction at st. Joe with a COM
bined capacity Of close to 1o0,000,000
feet daily. A planning mill is also in
operation. A large pulp mill is to be
erected near the site, but whether 1t
as a Milwaukee project or a private en-
terprise is uncertain. The plant is said
to be backed by Mr.. Price, who has
charge Of the electrical power devel-
oprnent for the Milwaukee, and who is
a papermin expert. Thousands Of
Balm OF Gilead trees line the banks of
the st. Joe, while spruce grows higher
up the mountains. There is plenty of
material available to keep a large pa