The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-03-10
ELECTRIC HOME
IN CALIFORNIA
MAN LIVING NEAR SACRAMENTO
CAPTURES AND HARNESSES
TROUT STREAM.
His House, Warns 1t and Is
His Servant.

SACRAMENTO, Cal, March 10
No more than so miles east of this
city, near the hamlet of Colfax, Mr. Ell
lis Franklin owns a small farm. A lit
tie trout stream, rioting among the
foothills and across the farm in a Sc
ries of falls and rapids, enrOute to it's
destination in the Bear river, has been
detained little while at this farm
where it cheerfully dons abe invisible
mantle of electricity and does most
misses, heats and lights the building
and does the cooking, washing and
ironing and numerous other small
chores
This diminutive trout stream in
times of high water is a small torrent,
but during the dry season it shrinks
to a few cubic inches a minute, so 1t
was necessary to utilize an old miners
ditch for a reservoir to store up sup
ply of water against the dry months. A
part of this old ditch, dug by the early
placer miners, was repaired to hold
100000 cubic feet of water. A six-inch
riveted steel pipe, 445 feet in length,
carries the water to the foot of the
fall where the power house is located.
The little two-foot water wheel in the
power house works under a 75-foot
head and is belted to 240volt, six
horsepower general electric generator.
The water enters the water wheel
through a 11-2-inch nozzle and de-
velops more than six horsepower. The
heavy pulley wheel takes the. place of
balance wheel and a small governor
prevents any accidents.
Current from the power-h house is
| carried to the house. quarter Of a
mile away, over small copper wire
strung on 20-foot poles. The residence
and a small log cabin, known as Mr..
Franklin's den, are lighted with a to-
| tai of about SO 16-candle-power lamps.
Another lighting circuit runs to the
| harms and out buildings
In the basement at the house a
| three horsepower motor operates a
centrifugal pump, and with line shaft
ing drives a washing machine, wringer,
{ churn cream separator, grind stone
and a circular saw.
| 1t is not necessary to journey to the
power house to start or stop the ma
chinery. Near the switchboard IN the
house is a small crank attached to a
shaft running through the wall to
the outside. BY a system of pulleys
this crank operates two long galvan-
| lied iron wires, running just beneath
the transmission wire, which open or
close the water-wheel gates as desired
| An electric buzzer on the switch
board tells when the gate-valve is
| tightly closed.
The residence is beautifully lighted
Lamps aggregating fully 900 candle
power make the rooms as cheerful and
pretty as any city home. Elegena fix
| lures. harmonizing with the interior.
make one almost forget that he is liv-
ing on a farm. Outside, the broad We
randas, with their. pendant electric
| bulbs and lanterns add to the charm
of this country home. The farm la
borers also share in the luxury of cleo
trio lighting. In their little cottage.
which is apart from the residence
electric lamps are provided for the
bedrooms and for the library where
the men pass their evenings
But lighting is only one use to which
the power is put. Down in the base
ment the three-horse-p power motor