The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-08-25
STUPENOOUS UNDERTAKING
MOVING A GREAT RIVER IN Ne
BRASKA 100 MILES.
Stream to Be Carried Over Other
Rivers and Valleys and Made to
Yield 100000 Horse Power.

Yield 100000 Horse Power.
OMAHA, Neb.-To bring the
greatest river in Nebraska 100 miles
overland, crossing other rivers and
streams en- route, at a cost of ST.
100000 is the plan for which con-
struction contracts have already been
! signed. The object of the great
work is the development of force to
the extent of 100000 horse power
for the use of the great packing
houses and -four mills of Omaha.
All plans have been made, the
scheme financed and contracts let.
Sub-contracts will be let this month,
and actual construction work will be-
gin in September.
/ The stream which is to be carried
overland is the Loup, the river hav-
ing the largest flow of water in Ne
braska, and, according to the United
States Geological Survey, the stream
having the most uniform flow of wa
ter in all the world, drouths or floods
seeming never to influence it, The
Platte river, commonly known as the
largest in Nebraska, has not the
strong flow of water possessed by
the Loup. Practically the entire
Loup river will be diverted from it's
present bed and conducted across
the country on an entirely different
level than the one given the river by
nature. In its new course the Loup
will cross the Elkhorn river, the
fourth largest stream in the state,
on a great concrete bridge high up in
the air. The same course will be
pursued in crossing smaller streams
and depressions too large to fill.
Extracting the Power.
The big plan which has just been
financed and made public contem-
plates diverting the Loup from it's
present course, at Genoa, Neb. Here
the stream flows eastward, but the
new river will be conducted north
ward, II miles, to a vast natural
reservoir, seven miles long, at the
lower end of which a dam 12O feet
high will be constructed. From the
top of this dam penstocks will lead
the water to water wheels 100 feet
below, where $4,000 horse power
will be generated and sent to Omaha
over copper wires.
After leaving the dam the water
will continue in the new channel
provided for it for 20 miles, when
another natural reservoir is encount-
cred, and fall of 80 feet obtained.
At this point, near Schuyler, Neb.,
10000 horse power is to be gener-
ated and sent onward to the big
packing houses at Omaha.
Again the river will be made cap
tive and conducted along it's new
channel to the Maple Greek valley,
where another plant is to produce
10000 horse power.
Crossing the Elkhorn River.
Near Fremont still another plant
will generate 10000 horse power,
and then the last stage of the arti-
fetal river is to be begun. Between
Fremont and Omaha, about 40, miles,
the greatest engineering feat of the
development is planned. This is the
crossing of the river high up above
the ElkhOrn river, which traverses a
deep valley. The Loup will be con-
Quoted over this stream on a giant
concrete bridge, the largest in the
country. From this point to Omaha
the new river will pass through hills
bordering on the Missouri river, and
finally will plunge over the very crest
of the highest of these into the Mis-
souri,, in cataract rs feet high, gen.
Grating $4,000 horse power. The
total energy generated at the five
falls will be 100000 horse power.
There is no coal mined in Nebras-
ka, and every pound of energy must
at present be generated from coal,
on which enormous freight rates are
paid the cost of generating being
$80.28 horse power a year, as COM
pared with 1851 for which the
same power can be purchased after
the LoUp is harnessed.