The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-04-02
THE WORK
COMMENCED.
ON THE MILLION DOLLAR pow
Err PLANT FOR THE HOME
STAKE.
WILL BE SECOND LARGE POWER
PLANT TO BE BUILT ON
SPEARFISH CREEK.

Lead, S. D., April preliminary
operations on the work Of INSTALL
ing the proposed big power plant
of the Homestake Mining Company
in Spearfish canyon have already be-
gun and there is at the present time
a large force of carpenters and other
workmen engaged in the work of
building boarding and bunk houses,
of which there will be series down
the canyon, in order to accommo-
date the men and obviate the neces-
sity Of their walking one or two
miles to their work
Already Trails sufficient to iron
five miles of track, with all of the
other necessary supplies for such
line of road, are on the ground,
and when tunneling is begun the
rails will be laid and the road built
as needed. The preliminary work
will occupy at least month and
it will probably not be before that
time that the actual work of con-
struction will be begun.
1t is estimated that there will be
required an expenditure of $1,000
600 to complete the installation Of
the plant. and that it will require
at least one year of the hardest kind
and of the best kind Of work to COM
plete it.
On the line of ditch there will be
from eight to ten tunnels, ranging
in length from 1000 to 1000 feet,
and in driving these tunnels ex-
perienced miners will be employed
and, wherever possible, work viii
be started from two places at least,
and possibly more, in each big drift.
Electric air drills will be employed
in the work, the drills receiving
their power from line Of wire car
ried to them.
AS many men as can possibly be
employed to advantage will be used
on the work, and this number will
not exceed from 225 to $50 men.
The Homestake company, instead
of taking water farther up the
creek, will begin it's conduits at q
point about five and one-half miles
below Savoy, in a wide part of the
canyon, as it is not the intention
Of the company to install an ex-
pensive plant in narrow part Of
the canyon, where, in the time of
flood and high water, and heavy
rainfalls and cloudbursts, the plant
would be in danger of destruction.
The location of the plant will be at
point where the canyon widens
out and where, when a sudden flood,
If one should happen, will have
room to spread out and where the
possibility of damage will be small.
The power house for the plant
will be located at the Y on the Bur-
lington, about half mile below the
electric light plant, an ideal place
for such an extensive institution.
and where the danger from floods
and sudden raises in the creek is
minimized.
The capacity of the plant will be
1000 horsepower at low flow of
water, and 5000 horsepower at high
flow. The generators will be in
either three or four units, and the
equipment Of the power plant will
be the best that money can secure,
experience suggest and thorough
knowledge of the business dictate.
Mr.. Blackstone, whose visit to the
west month ago was for the pur-
pose of looking into the workings
of the big power plants of Cali
fornia, Oregon, Washington and
British Columbia, gained many
valuable pointers and what he saw
on his trip will be of vast benefit in
the construction of the new plant.
1t is expected that the work Of
tunneling will begin Within thirty
days, but before that time there
will be other work that can be done
and which will be undertaken. The
camps which have been established
will be made as comfortable and as
convenient for the men occupying
them as it is possible to make them,
and everything will be done to
facilitate the work.
1t is big undertaking, but when
1t has been accomplished the COM
pany will have power sufficient to
| operate all of It's mills and will not
have to depend upon steam, which
will probably be maintained as an
auxiliary to the electric power plant.
The power from the plant will be
distributed to the company's work
ings in Lead and elsewhere on
heavy cables, strung on the best OF
cedar poles.-Register.