Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1909-07-09
POWER PROBLEM
Is one that
means MUCH

desert, is one that requires consid-
cradle deep study, and one that has
caused several mines to suspend OPP
erations. Steam is almost out of
the question, water alone costing
ga Of cent per horsepower hour.
At rates the water company make to
small mines, fuel is a big item, not
supply, and fuel famines possible as
we had few years ago.
Pumping water is expensive even
under the most favorable conditions,
but here in Nevada with fuel high,
oil at $2.26 a barrel on the cars,
coal from $14 to $40 ton, and the
cost of firemen and labor, make
steam almost prohibitive-particu
larly when a few miles or so from
the RAILROAD tracks.
Gasoline at 23 cents a gallon
gives one horsepower for eight
hours per gallon, less about 20 per
cent loss for elevation of 5000 feet.
Crude oil gas producer, though
rather expensive in first cost, and
not warranted with less than 100
horsepower constant or average use,
will in big plant reduce the cost
fully so per cent over gasoline, and
with a larger plant (outside of at
tendance cost bring the fuel cost
per horsepower down to about Sc
per month.
Electric power has some advant-
ages over other kinds and some dis
advantages. It's advantage is main
ly in that it requires no attention in
operation; throw the switch and it
is ready to use. Its disadvantages
are several: The power is frequently
off, just when it is needed, and if
the mine has twenty men at work
at an average of l cent minute
(60 cents an hour, or $3.50 day.
it is loosing 20 cents a minute, or
$12 an hour in labor; for men must
be paid while kept under ground
waiting for power If the mine is
making water, the pumping stops
and the mine begins to fill with wa
ter, which when a few hours lost
time drives the men from their
work it must be pumped out before
they can get back to work. Motors
must not be allowed to become
damp nor wet as they will easily
short-circuit and burn out. Shut
downs come without warning, and
generally catching mine at great
disadvantage. Then there is danger
of cables, cages and tracks becom-
ing charged and shocks that may or
may not prove fatal. Power to go
off with a heavily loaded cage part
way up might cause it to drop back,
or stop the air and ventilation by
fans etc. The expense of installing
and building lines is great, which
must have the interest item COM
puted into operating expense and
cost per foot
The big item is the cost. Few
people really figure the cost per
horsepower, that the electric COM
pany charges, or what it really costs
for the power actually used.
The new rate that the power COM
pany has offered for miners to run
hoists with is cents killowat
hour, but they have fixed charge
of 50 per horsepower per month for
being ready to serve" based on the
rating of the motor.
For example: A mine with 100
horsepower motor on the hoist, must
pay So per horsepower per month,
or 5000 for the 100 horsepower
motor, just as bonus or penalty
for being ready to serve" II II
then uses $500 worth of Juice the
mine must pay $500 added to the
5000 or 5000 per month. Now in
all the big electric hoists in Cali
fornia and on the Comstock, hoist
seldom uses 10 per cent of its pow
er. For example: If it takes 100
horsepower to start load, and II
runs on 50-horsepower for two min
utes and stands idle for 10 minutes
the average power is about ter
horsepower, over the whole ten OF
twelve minutes, yet the mine has tc
pay So a month for 100 horsepower
for the sake of getting an average
of less than ten horsepower. 1t is
as bad as keeping steam up all day
when you only make a few trips
with the power This ready tc
serve" penalty on hoists really
amounts to $40 or $40 per actual
horsepower per month, and then add
the cost of the Juice" to that and
multiply it by the months in year
and II amounts to over $500 year
s.ond