The Republican journal., 1910-08-18

hard they are to find even at this price.
During the harvest seasons hired mer
command almost any price. The scar
city OF labor was the strongest factor in
developing powerful gasoline engines for
farm use and in the more modern cleo
IRRIGATION Of farm work from WATERPROOF
er sources.
RECKONING HORSEPOWER.
The power of water is greater than
anyone without experience can imagine.
Waterpower represents the energy of
moisture drawn up into the clouds by the
heat of the sun and deposited on the dis
tant mountains in the form of rain. This
acquired force is spent in racing back tt
the sea. Waterwheels are but devices
to catch and utilize this wasted energy.
Water acts as moving power, either
by its weight-which is over sixty-two
pounds to the cubic foot-or by it's pres
sure or impact. The power of fall of
water is equal to the weight of its vol
ume times the vertical height of its fall.
To compute the power of falling water it
is necessary to multiply the volume of
| flowing water in cubic feet per second by
its weight-sixty-tw and one-half
pounds-and this product by the vertical
height Of the fall in feet, and divide by
five hundred and ffty-the number of
foot-pounds representing one horsepower
for one second.
1t is easy enough to weir small
stream. A rough plank dam is made be-
tween the banks. One end is fixed with
slide so the rectangular aperture can
be widened until the water flows just
foot deep over the edge of the topmost
plank. Knowing the width of the aper-
ture in linear feet and the velocity of
flow, one can figure out the number of
cubic feet of water flowing over the weir
a second. In larger streams the cubic
foot flow can only be computed by sound
ings for the average depth and by using
floats to determine the speed of the
water. These measurements should
always be made when the stream is of
average size.
A transit in the hands Of surveyor
will quickly give the number of feet of
fall available for any distance. The sur
veyor can also ascertain the plumber of
acres in the watershed, and by writing
the Weather Bureau at Washington the
average rainfall in that section for the
season can be determined, showing just
how much water goes to waste in the
spring freshets and just how large res
ervolr would be needed to store that
water for use during the dry months.
Then anyone with head for simple fig
ures can determine the amount of power
available and the probable cost of the
equipment.
WHAT POWER-TURBINES COST.
The building of dams in rivers and
streams is very simple matter now,
compared to what it was a few years
ago. All the new dams are made of con-
crete. Rough board forms are construc-
ted where the dam is needed and the con-
crete-made Of cement at forty three
cents sack mixed with sand and gravel
from the streams beds simply dump
ed into the moulds and allowed to harden.
These dams do not cost nearly so much
as stone masonry and can be erected by
a novice in a comparatively short time.
The small water-turbine is very eff
ticient device, utilizing as much as eighty
per cent of the theoretical power of the
water, and will run the year round with
out attention. These turbines are made
in all sizes, costing from $50 to $500 and
more. But waterpower is not flexible;
it cannot be transmitted over rough
country and to all the farm buildings
WIlC1C IL 10 lI1Ool iSCucu, 81 IL lIluSL U6
changed to electricity through the medi-
UNI Of turbine and generator.
For small plants the best type of dyna-
mo is the direct current machine of about
one hundred and ten volts, if the plant is
to be situated near the farm buildings
If the plant is some distance away an al
ternating current of two hundred and
twenty volts will be necessary, so as to
take up the loss of pressure, expressed
in volts, in Inconsistencies of the eX-
pensive copper wire being required to
transmit electricity at high pressure
than at low pressure. The small dynamo
is wonderful machine, being self-oiling,
and will run for weeks without the slight
est bit OF attention. In order to keep
the dynamo at constant speed water
wheel governor is necessary. The simpler
and cheaper types of governors are slow
er in action than the more expensive
ones, but are otherwise just as efficient.
The cost of the transmission line will, OF
course, vary from few dollars, If the
plant is near, to hundreds Of dollars if
it is miles away
But by far the easiest way for the
countryman who desires electric power
and cannot secure it from an established
central station in a nearby town or viii
lage, or has no water-power to harness,
is to install gasolene-engine-driven
electric generating set, of which the
engine and generator are especially de-
signed for this kind of work. The latest
types of these generator sets for country
estates take up very little floor space
and run almost automatically. The small
size of three-kilowatt or four horsepower
costs approximately 5000; the five kilo-
watt, $1,000; ten kilowatt, $500, and the
twenty-five kilowatt, $4,000. In this out
fit the generator is mounted directly on
the engine shaft without belts or gears
and placed solidly in one compact frame.
A four cylinder engine insures a steady
flow of electricity for lighting purposes
and the direct drive avoids all danger,
expense and inconvenience incidental to
the belt-driven combination.
The five-kilowatt machine requires only
five by two feet and half of floor space,
and when running full speed makes about
as much noise as a sewing machine, and
even this noise can be lessened by ex-
hausting into cinder-pit. A machine
of this size will operate two hundred
twenty candle power metal tllament IN
candescent lamps every night for fifteen
cents, will do the cooking on the electric
stove and run numerous motors about the
estate. Such an outfit would cost within
$4,000, complete with wiring, fans, mo-
tors, cooking devices, lamps and storage