Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-08-30
Milwaukee TO
USE ELECTRICITY
Nine Millions to Be Spent
on Idaho Mountain
Division

August Wolf, in an article in the Pa
cific Builder and Engineer on the
liberalization of the Milwaukee Rail-
road" says:
Nine million dollars will be expend-
ed by the Chicago, Milwaukee and st.
Paul Railway company in developing
10000 horsepower by Harvesting 35
miles of the st. Joe river between
North Fork and st. Joe in northern
Idaho, east of Spokane, and this cleo
trical energy will be utilized in carry
ing freight across the Bitter Root d.
vide and operating a score of saw
lis and plants The work is to be
completed in three years. This will be
the first practical test of the substitu-
ton of electricity for steam power in
this country, and if it is successful it
will be employed on the entire line
! between Missoula, Mont, and the Pu-
1 get Sound country, distance of near
! ly 600 miles,
&C. B. Price, a hydraulic engineer of
wide experience connected with the
cOmpany's electrical department. has
undertaken the project, which is so
feasible that A. ]. Earring president
of the company, accompanied by a
staff of engineers, recently went over
the ground on an inspection tour,
passing several days at the construc-
ton work, viewing also the sites of the
dams to be placed in the swift noun
tain river, the highest navigable
stream on the continent. The plans
presented by Mr.. Price show that
practically every available cubic foot
Of wafer can be haTnessed.
Electricity to Operate Tunnels.
! Besides economy and the solution
of the fuel problem, which has been
a 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 through tunnels.
Between North Fork and ST. Joe
the Milwaukee will run on a four
tenthC of one per cent compensated
grade, the grade on the curves being
reduced enough to compensate for the
| iiiSi 'o5SN II 4SNiOlls III VI
one per cent will be the actual grade
between these two points. This is
equivalent to 1913 feet to the mile, or
$50 feet for the entire distance. Rough
ly estimated the minimum flow Of the
river between these two points is $500
cubic feet the second. This Is suffi-
cient. if converted into steam power,
to drive 500 big mogul engines with
100 miles Of train, or nearly 10000
loaded Soxcars-more than the Mil
waukee system now owns.
Most Expensive Road Built.
From North Fork to Chatcolet the
! maximum grade does not exceed four
! tenths of one per cent to the 100 feet,
or &c feet to a mile, while the maxi
mum curves are 10 degrees 1t would
! be possible to reduce the curves by
means OF tresties, fills and tunnels but
the expense would be great. From the
North Fork to the summit of the Bit
| ter Foot mountain, where the line at
tains an elevation of $500 feet, the
| maximum grade IS II per cent, or "A
feet to the mile The road will cost
$4,000 a mile, making it the most
expensive transcontinental railroad on
the continent.
In many cases a dam of so or even
100 feet high would beckwater several
miles M the river only to snread a
few feet over either bank. However,
as the average height of the railroad
is not more than 40 feet above low
water, the height of the dams is limit
ed. While the average fall of the river
for the 35 miles is 1873 feet per mile.
1t is much greater than this in many
places, in others less. 1t is said
dam Sc feet high at Little Falls will
back water IL miles up the river. |
From North Fork to the summit of the
Bitter Root mountains the line runs
on 1t per cent grade. the equivalent
of IA average fall. This means nearly
rs feet to the mile. I-.a
Will Sell Power.
"In addition to operating its heavi- |
est division by electric power, the |
Milwaukee expects to make use of the |
same power in developing the re-
sources of the country through which |
1t will pass. To a greater extent than
any other railroad the milwaukee is
using its own capital to develop It's
tonnage territory. The Mon0rch /
Lumber company, admittedly a sub
sidiary concern, has acquired nearly
100000 acres OF timber land In north
ern Idaho. $4,000 acres of which are
adjacent tributary to the new line.
Hundreds OF thousands OF acres of
timber land is along the banks of the
st. Joe and St Marias river. where