Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-08-26
Electric Power
For KOotenaV.
Our Scribe Visits the Plant
of the Bull River Power
Company.

The following article is copied fri on
the Fernie (B. O. Free Press, pub
lished in what the Canadians call the
Pittshurg of Canada, thirteen and one
half miles from Bull River. The
Free Press like all Canada English
papers, is conservative and therefore
states, plain facts about the Bull
River property The Free Press
article only proves what the LEADER
has been printing about Bull River
from year to year. The Bull River
proposition is now safe and com es
under the head of million dollar
water power, to say nothing about
the other properties:
ION Saturday last representative
Of the Free Press visited Bull River
Falls and while there had the pleas
ure of inspecting the progress that
has been made on the mammoth
hydrO-electric power plant which is
now being installed by number of
wealthy and enterprising American
capitalists. The genial and energetic
manager, Mr. g. E. Henderson, &C
cOmpanied the writer who was as
founded at the magnitude of the
work already accomplished. r he
whole scheme was outlined by Mr..
Henderson, who is an engineer and
an empire builder.
Tho y,1n ic aI OF
outlet of Bull River canyon, a gorge
which contains probably the most
magnificent series of water falls in
the KootenayS. Here the river rush.
es through narrow and tOrtuous
channel, which it, has eaten out of the
solid rock in the course of countless
ages. In places these rocks rise per-
pendicularly above the water for
more than hundred feet. The river
drops more than three hundred feet
in less than two miles.
At the head of the canyon dam
has been constructed, diverting the
stream into wooden tiume sixteen
feet wide and eight feet deep. The
| water travels at the rate of IL feet
per second, making the capacity of
the tlume 1886 cubic feet, or 4S tons of
water per second. This big race way
is mile and three-quaroo&s long and
its outlet is 276 feet above the river.
More than two million feet of sawn
timber were used in it's construction,
all of which was cut by the mill of
the com pany on the spot. From the
lower end OF the tume the water will
be pipcd down to the turbines in hugh
steel tubes The fume will furnish
sufficient water to generate 10000
horsepower. This is equivalent to
the present output of the Coal Creek
mines converted into energy by means
of boilers and steam engines.
The 1ume is practically completed
and work will shortly be commenced
on the power house and the installa-
tion Of the necessary machinery. 1t
is proposed for the present to install 3
turbines of 1900 horse power each,
but provision will be made for the
subsequent installation of four more
OF such units. The Turbines will be
direct connected with the dynamos
of equal capacity, of the most modern
type. It is expected that this first
section of the plant will be in opera
tion within year, when 1900 horse
power will be available for Industrial
purposes in this district. Mr.. Hen
derson informed our representative
that power transmission line would
be built over the Lizard Pass to
Fernie within a year and that power
would be offered to consumers in the
district at price that would make il
Improbable for them to do without.
The distance from the power house
site to Fernie is thirteen and a hall
miles in an airline. Sixteen miles OF
copper would bring the juice to this
city.
Regarding the disposal of 10000
horsepower Mr.. Henderson is opti.
nistic. He says that steam engines
will be a memory in this district and
that his company will be able tc
supply power profitably at price sc
low that manufacturing concerns can
not afford to keep away. A party OF
Wisconsin capitalists are now con
sidering the erection in the vicinity
of the plant Of pulp mill that will
require 10000 horsepower. Within q
stones throw Of the fiume a large
dyke of red hematite ore cuts through
the district. This ore has been pro
nounced by Pittsburg experts to be &
bonanza. The possibilities of develop
ment along this line are too great tt
be touched upon in any summary
manner. A large amount of the
juice will be used to light the differ
ent towns of the Pass and small
factories will consume a considerable
Quantity. Coal mines will find il
more profitable to buy power and sci
the coal and slack they now use fol
this purpose. Sawmills may profit