The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-10
KNIGHT PLANNING
ELECTRIC PLANTS
Uncle" Jesse Proposes to Go
Into the Business on
Large Scale.
WILL COMPETE WITH
TELLURIDE COMPANY
Proposes to Furnish Energy for
His Mines and Also for COM
mercial Purposes.

"Unclc" Jesse Knight OF Provo is
planning an electrical system for Utah
which will in time rival the great Tcllu-
ride company, which now furnishes the
light and power for greater part of
the state. Mr.. Knights plan is TO es-
,ablsh power plants in the several
available canyons throughout tho state,
and to furnish power and light to many
of the towns now supplied by the
Telluride company, a. well as towns
that arc without electrical energy. For
many years the Telluride company has
been the only source of electrical power
in most Of the towns in the state; In
fact, this company has had little or no
competition anywhere, except in Salt
Lake. Now. however, when the newly
proposed system is established. ii will
mean that there will be more competi
ton in electrical energy. and this com
petition will be beneficial TO the con
sumcr by reducing the rate on lights
and power
District Embraced.
The district through which the plans
viii operate is from Logan on the north
10 Nephi on the south, belt 200 miles
long and 100 miles wide through the
most t5ickly populated portion Of the
state.
At first II was thought that "Upclc -
Jesse was merely specializing when he
spoke of establishing such system,
hut now the public finds that he really
means to carry out his plaus, since one
OF the proposed plants already is in
course of construction and two others
are being designed. The plant now III
course of construction is on Snake creek
IN Wasatch county, and the power fur
nished by it will be used to supply Mr..
Knight IS mines-the Major Evans,
Mineral Flat and Uint3h Treasure Hill,
located in American Fork canyon.
The Snake creek plant Is expected to
he completed some time during the pres
cnt summer and to be furnishing power
carly in the fall. The plant is to be
of sufficient size 10 furnish not only
The power necessary for the above.mep-
toned mines, but also for the Provo
river valley, in which the plant is To-
Gated Heber City people have long
been without electric power, and now
that the power is beiug manufactured
in their own valley, they will receive
it with great enthusiasm.
Other Plants Designed.
Two other plants are being designed,
one TO be built In Santaquin canyon
and one on the Weber river. The Santa
quin plant will furnish the power for
the mines owned by Mr.. Kuight in the
Tintic district-the Colorado, the Beck
Tuunel. the Iron Blossom, the Black
Jack, and for the Tiptic smelter. and
also for the Indian Queen mine in the
San Francisco mining district. Mr..
Knight feels that he is perfectly safe
in this undertaking, because he is fur
nshing his own market for the power
IN any case, it will be more economical
for him to build plant for his own
property than il viii be for him to
pay the rates on light and power that
arc charged by the Telluride company.
Besides furnishing light for his Tintic
property, Mr.. Knight plans TO have this
plant large enough to supply the sew
cral small towns In the southern end
Of Utah county.
The plant on the Weber river is TO
bc used solely for commercial purposes,
as Mr.. knight has no property in this
section of the country. The Weber
plant, however, is by no means TO be a
small one. for there is abundant power
there, and there are a great number of
1lourishing towns in the northern part
OF the state and in the southern part
Of Idaho which are at present without
an electric supply, but which Mr.,
Knight thinks will Immediately furnish
a market for the power as soon as the
plant eau be put into operation,
"Uncle'' Jesses Motive.
Mr.. knight S motive in planning this
extensive electrical campaign was at
first not to compete with the Telluride
company at all, but simply to furnish
power for his own property; but when
hc saw that IL would be necessary 10
construct not less than three plants 20
furnish this supply, and when he learned
what a wide. undeveloped field in the
use of electricity existed. he determined
10 make each of the plants large enough
In supply not only. his own needs, but
also the needs of the towns III the i'm
mediate vicinity.
Perhaps no man in the state could
undertake so large an enterprise with
The same amount of safety that
"Uncle' Jesse can, for he is n man
whom the public knows and trusts. To-
day, through his able management and
his straight, businesslike methods, he
has gained control of not less than
twenty mining companies. and at the
same lime has established for himself
confidence among the people of the
The final establishment Of this now
electric system will. OF course, mean
more competition for the Telluride COM
psnv and viii eventually mean the fur
nshing of light at a lower price to the
consumer Millions Of dollars viii be
spent before the system is completed.
but Mr.. Knight, undoubtedly, Will find
little trouble in securing all the money
he needs for the project.