The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1908-07-25
GREAT THINGS OF
SOUTHERN NEVADA CAMPS

If anyone has doubt or misgivings about the future of
this Southern Nevada country, his perplexity would I'M
doubtedy be removed ii he were to visit Bishop Greek, and
get the force of an object lesson to be had from the opera
tions being carried on by the Nevada California Power
company at their power plant. And if anyone doubts that
there is money in the country for large operations, he viii
be undeceived on that point, also; for at this power plant
there is in progress at this time, work involving the ex-
penditure Of at least a quarter of a million dollars, and for
betterments up to nearly, if not quite, a half million dol
lars, making a total expenditure in this magnificent indus
trial enterprise of perhaps a cool million, if not more.
A Busy Scene
No one who has not recently visited that locality, has
any conception of the magnitude of the work in progress
at Bishop ereee for the increase of the efficiency of the
power plant that furnishes this southern country with its
electric light, power, and heat; for hundreds of men are EN-
ployed constructing new power houses, reservoirs, huge
dams, boring tunnels, digging bitches, laying pipe, con
structing roads up the canyons and over the mountains, all
for the conservation and use of water from a storage eapac-
ity of 700,0O0,000 cubic feet, with an ultimate energy of
$4,000 electrical horse power. When it is considered that
the amount of power generated at present and which sup
plies the entire plan now in commission is only s,20O-horse
power, some conception can be gained of the magnitude OF
the new work under process or that is mapped out for com
pietion within the next Is months.
The Tandem Plant
The power plant of the Nevada California Power COM
pany at Bishop creek, will ultimately consist of six power
generating stations, built on the tandem system. AT the in
take of one unit, will be the power house of the unit further
up the canyon. There is a small power station down at the
mouth of the canyon, with 2,200h. p, fed with a 4s-inch
steel pipe, heading two miles up the canyon which supplies
the town of Bishop. At the intake of this unit is another
station. the largest and most complete of the system, which
generates 6,000-h. p. This plant has a flow line OF 4slnch
pipe. 2h miles long, furnishing a static head of $50 feet.
A new generator was being installed at this plant on the
visit of The News representative, making the fifty in all for
this plant. 1t took 80 horses to pull that generator up the
canyon to the power house.
New Unit for the Plant
Further up the canyon, the foundation is being put IN
for another unit in the system, with a capacity of 4,ooo-h.
D. The pipe line to feed this plant is being laid, all the pipe
in the system, practically, being 4S-inch steel. The pipe
line runs up the canyon to the new equalizing reservoir
now being built, which covers 10 acres. This reservoir
takes the flow of Middle Bishop creek, and will be aug
mented by waters from South Bishop creek, and the pipe
line to divert the waters of the latter branch to the reser-
voir, is now being laid, the distance being ~ miles, much
of the trench being dug through the rocky sides OF the
canyon.
At the head of South Bishop creek is a large lake which
will be damned to conserve the waters for the intake below
that supplies the equalizing reservoir. This lake Is a
magnificent BODY of water a mile long, a half mile wide, and
20 deep in places that it has not yet been fathomed. Al the
lower end of this lake are enormous buttresses, left from
tbe mountains of rock that were secured away by glacial
action. which also scooped out the lake. These buttresses
stand parallel and close together, rising gu feet above the
water level. and between them is the outlet from the lake.
A huge dam will close the gap between them, thus conhning
the waters, which will be raised In the lake oV rect ABOVE
;ts nresent level. The dam will be 700 feet long and will
reouire 70 449 cubic wards of rock in its construction. The
dam will back the waters up through a gap into a big
meadow or basin, and viii increase the surface of the lake
nv nearly one-half. This dam will impound 400,O00,OOo
cubic feet of water. Another interesting feature OF this
huge reservoir enterprise is the outlet, WHICH WI pe
through a tunnel. Work on this tunnel is now IN progress