The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1907-11-22

- ~ oho JUG ioihnu. DelOfe Jnls WAS
done, however, concrete dam had been
built from the north side Of the island
to the north bank of the river, pits ex-
cavated for turbines, and a coucrete
power-house, 100 feet long and so feet
wide, was completed north OF and next
to the island All of this work was
most substantially constructed and is
there to stay. The machinery was put
in the power house. and line built to
the Trade Dollar mill at Dewey 27 miles
south, where transformer house was
built, and the power line subsequently,
extended to other mines and mills at
Silver City and other points. 1t has
virtually been the salvation Of the min
ing industry in this portion OF Owyhee
county, fuel to supply steam power hav
ing become too dear to make working
the mines profitable. Last year power
line was built north of the river to sup
ply light and power at Nampa aud CaId-
well and later extended to the Boise
Caldwell Interurban Railway, which it
has since been furnishing with power
1t was found, however, more than ear
ago, that the plant would not be able to
supply all the demands made. upon it,
and the company decided to build an
additional power-house. This structure
has now been completed aud the power
ready to be delivered. It was this new
plant which Nugget had the pleasure of
visiting last week. 1t is built just north
of and adjoining the other power house.
1t is much more complete and larger
than the former one, which it adjoins,
and involved considerable more ex-
pense in its construction than the
former one. First, road had to be
built from Murphy to the dam to de-
liver the material and heavy machinery.
In the last two miles Of this road, de-
scent of 700 feet had to be made down
into the canyon, much of it cut through
basalt rock. (1he material for the dam
and the former power house was brought
in from the north from Mora The
new power-house was built several feet
further down the river than the former
one, its eastern foundation res ing upon
the five foot concrete wall of the dam.
Then heavy and wide excavation had
to be made under and below the dam
for the wheel pits and to give an ont
flow for the water through the draft
tubes. On this ground a reinforced
heavy concrete building 130 feet long,
"a feet wide and 80 feet high was erect
ed, and the powerful machinery Install
ed therein. All OF this building, with
the exception of plank floor over the
turbine wheel pits, is constructed of
reinforced concrete. with heavy 1 beams
laid in the floor, upon which the ma
chinery rests. The two 10-foot electric
generator wheels, with their accompa-
nying exclters, governors and other ap-
pliances are run by great horizontal
shaft, connected with the four 6o-inch
turbines beneath by beveled gears. The
electric power generated is led to trans
formers on the third or upper floor,
whence it is sent over the power lines
to where required.
One of the difficult pieces of work ac-
complished in the construction of the
building, was to cut spaces through the
fve-foot concrete wall of the dam, to
let the water onto the turbines. The
wall had to be bulkheaded on the upper
side, and the concrete slowly dug out
with drills 1t is not possible for Law
man, not versed in electrical science to
describe all the intricate and elaborate
machinery and appliances connected
with this power house. Suffice it to say,
that the older power house contains
p inch Mccormick vertical turbines,
each capable of exerting $50 H. P;
these are belted to three 300 X. W.