Mohave County miner. [volume] (Mineral Park, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1882-1918, 1909-04-17
Big Electric Plant for Homestake.

Deadwood. :. D., April 5.-Work on
a million dollar electric plant which
the Homestake company is to build
will commence in about 30 days, it is
announced. and estimates allow one
year and a half for its completion.
The waters of Spearfish creek will
furnish the power for this plant, which
will be capable of carrying load of
1000 horse power and whose minimum
capacity will be 5000 horse power.
The plant will be located on the
banks of the Spearfish, about half a
mile below the present power house
owned by the company. and will be as
modern in all of its equipment and as
complete as it is possible to make a
plant. The intake will be some four
miles below Savoy (Spearfish falls),
and the cOdult provided will have a
width of : feet and depth of 6 feet.
II is the intention to turn all of the
waters of the. creek into this coduit,
and thus, for the entire distance from
the intake to the plant. distance of
between five and six miles, the creek
bed will be dry, except for the water
that comes into it from tributaries and
drainage from the draws that come
into the canyon. The company takes
the water from the creek on its own
ground, carries it to the plant, still on
its own holdings, and returns i. TO the
creek on Homestake ground. 1t is the
intention to have the conduit with a
concrete bottom for the entire distance
The water will be brought the en-
tire distance from the intake To the
plant, between five and six miles un-
derground, and series of eight tun-
nels will be required. These tunnels
will vary in length from 1000 to 1000
1000 feet, and the length of time re-
quired for completing the entire work
is gauged By the length of time which
it will take TO complete the tunnel
work. Although there are to be eight
tunnels and work will 20 on from both
ends of each tunnel, yet it will not re-
quire l6 machines. The plan to be
us d in operating these machines is
interesting. a machine placed be-
tween two tunnels will drill one day,
say, the south end of tunnel No. =: the
next day the waste will all be removed
from this place, and while this is be-
ing done the drill will be backed up
and commence drilling at the north
end of tunnel No. l. In this way
economy of time, abor and machines
will be effected, and the work can be
done by nine machines. A dozen how
ever, have been ordered and are now
on the ground.
b. bringing the water a distance of
nearly six miles. a fall of 700 feet will
be accomplished and the water will
be brought down in a pressure pipe to
the works. The line from the plant
TO Lead will be approximately II miles
long, and will be 50 constructed as to
prevent any unnecessary loss of power
in the transmission. The power when
brought into Lead will be used in the
mills. machine shop, foundry, pattern
shop. regrInding plant, the two sand
plants and the shines plant. Some
idea Of the amount of power will be
seen when it is noted that the Home
stake company has 1000 stamps drop
ping and will allow two and a half
horse power TO the stamp.
With the exception of the water
system which the company constructed
a few years ago at a cost of 1000 ,OOOS.
this will be the largest single piece of
work ever undertaken by the Home
stake.