The San Francisco call., 1908-09-17
Gigantic Scheme Includes Har-
monious Operation OF All Elec=
trio Companies OF Coast
Railway Magnate's Task Made
. Easy by His Control of Big
Eastern Concern
Southern Pacific Engineers Con-
fer About ElectrizatiOn OF
Suburban Roads

Local interest was excited by The
Calls special dispatch from Sacra-
mento, published yesterday, to the ef-
feet that the Great Western power
company, which recently applied for
franchise for its Big Bend electric
transmission line in the city of Sac
ramento, had entered into an agfee-
ment with the Sacramento electric,
gas and railway company, instead of
distributing its current to the public
for lighting and power purposes.
It has been ascertained that while
E. H. Hartman was in this city pa
pers were drawn up for his signature
looking toward the closing of the big
gest electric power combination deal
on record.
The proposed working agreement is
said to mean the harmonious operation
of the Pacific gas and electric COM
pany, with all of it's vast ramifications.
including some 1,5D0 miles of power
lines supplied from a score of electric
power plants, with the Great Western
power company. The latter is just
completing two of the largest hydro
electric generating units in the west at
the Big bend of the Feather river.
EXPECT WORD FROM NEW YORK
Word is expected from New York
city that this stupendous combination
has been consummated on the coming
together of Hartman and the repre-
sentatives of the financial and cleo
trieaI Misunderstanding Int
ested in these two monster electric
power corporations. The fact that ~Har-
riman's interest is very potent in the
General electric company of Schenee-
tady, N. Y, which is behind the Nor
gan, Coffin and Hawley interests in
the Great Western power company,
makes the consummation of this deal
comparatively easy. 1t has been largely
a question of deciding upon details.
The Great Western power company's
first water power plant will be ready
for operation by the end of this year.
with capacity of nearly 100000 horse
power.
CAN INCREASE CAPACITY
BY building additional dams and stor-
age reservoirs other generating plants
can be installed increasing the gener-
ating capacity to 10000 horsepower
when required. Work is already under
way on a 10000 horsepower steam re-
serve plant in Oakland, which will be
guarantee that there will be no in
terruption of electric service. in case
of accidents on the water power sys-
tenn. A so mile branch line with steel
towers has also been erected from the
Oakland seserve station to the Henry
CoweH Portland cement plant. near
Concord, which is to be electrically op-
Grated by power from the Great West
ern power system next January. The
line of massive steel toYers-spaced
seven to the Understanding from the
Big Bend plant to Oakland has been
completed to the hills behind Berkeley
and the stringing of the high tension
wires thereon can be accomplished in
a short time.
ENGINEERS HAVE CONFERENCE
The Southern Pacific companys engi-
neers had an important conference this
week on the subject of the electriza-
ton of the local steam lines in Oakland
and Alameda county Much of the
necessary material is on hand and the
electric generating machinery was or
dered year ago. 1t is understood.
however: that everything is tempota-
rily held up awaiting the signing of
the agreement between the two groat
be considered more economical to take
the $4,000 horsepower required for the
operation of the Southern Pacific local
electric lines from the Great Western
power company's system than to main
tain a separate steam power plant in
Oakland.
The proposed deal while not amount
ing to an actual merger would elimin-
ate much Improbable competition and
put an end to the strategic warfare be-
tween the big power interests that has
been going on for some years for the
future control of the electric power
situation in California and Nevada.
When the new agreement is signed
the Great Western instead of further
invading the big territory covered by
the Pacific gas and electric company's
lines through the bay
counties and elsewhere. can simply sell
its electric power in large blocks to the
Pacific system and avoid the expenses
of duplicating its lines and cutting
rates on business.