Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-07
LINE
BEATS RECORD
HIGH TENSION OVER DESERT
IS COMPLETED
CONSTRUCTION MAKES THIRTY
MILES A DAY
Placers in Manhattan Gulch viii Be
Supplied with Unlimited Power
from Bishop Creek,
California

MANHATTAN, New, June 6.-ln
running an electric power line between
this camp and Miller's, a distance of
forty miles, the Nevada California
Power company has broken the world $
record in line construction. The line,
consisting of three high-tension power
wires and two telephone wires, was run
across the desert and completed IN SIX
DAYS time. The construction crew,
consisting of eight linemen and four
groundmen, working eight hours day'
accomplished the feat of stretching
thirty miles of wire daily. AT times the
work was rushed ahead at the rate or
a mile of line an hour, or making the
total length of wire five miles to the
hour The work of construction was
in charge of T.. C. Dobbins, superin-
tendent of construction and transmits
sion lines for the power company. Inc
lines will be used in operating the
mines and mills of Manhattan.
The generating plant of the Nevada
California Power company is located at
Bishop Creek, Cal, where the company
has an immense water supply deVei-
oped and undeveloped. At present
there are $4,000 horsepower harnessed,
and this is being distributed at Gold
field, Tonopah, Rhyolite, Silver Peak,
Millers, Manhattan and Round Noun
tain.
To 10000 Horse Power
According to estimates placed on the
undevelored water supply at Bishop
Creek the company will be able to in
crease its capacity from $4,000 to o0'oOV
horsepower thus insuring a SUFFICIENT
power for the increase in business
naturally expected in the next few
years.
The line now into Manhattan and
Round Mountain was extended from
Millers, a distance of forty miles. The
company's substation at Manhattan is
a modern concrete building 36x54 feet,
where the current is received at $4,000
volts, and a bank of three $50 kilo-
watt transformers reduces the current
to II 900 volts, and at this voltage 1t IS
transmitted to the mines, where other
transformers reduce it to 440 volts.
The company also has installed light
ing system for Manhattan.
The advantage to Manhattan in hav-
ing this line of the power company
completed and ready for work is hardly
capable of being estimated. While for
Southern Nevada the Manhattan dis
trict is heavily Observation-Disclosures
being familiarly known as 1.-The, pine
tree camp"-yet wood costs on an av-
erage of SO cord, and the mills by
contracting for large quantities could
gain only slight reduction from this
amount. Again, the nearest railroad
point being Tonopah, forty-five miles
distant, distillates and gasoline in car
load lots could not be satisfactorily
handled from that point.
The result was that power, either
steam or gasoline, was very expensive
for extensive mining or milling opera
tions Now, however, with the advent
of electricity the cost of power will be
reduced not less than 40 per cent, for
the company has put into effect a rate
that in the beginning will give the
above reduction in cost The effect of
this permanent and cheap power can
not but have a most stimulating effect
on mining activities throughout the en-
tire district. The four mills now erect
ed in Manhattan will be able to give a
lower milling rate and this will re-
suit in more leasers taking out ore
and a greater tonnage of the lower
grade ores being extracted and milled
by the different mining companies. An
other important advantage will be the
lower cost of installing electrical ma
chinery than the cost of either gaso-
line or steam. This will be great saw
ing to the placer operators, as the.
power company has designed and built
especially for the placer miners COM
pact electrical hoist and pump which
can be cheaply and quickly installed. ,