Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-10-10
Webster City's New Electric Light
and Power Plant Biggest
Improvement Of Recent
Years.
FIRE PROOF STRUCTURE
A Brief Description Of New Plant
viii Cost Nearly Fifty
Thousand Dollars.

Probably five hundred or more To-
cal citizens have inspected the fine
new city electric light and power
plant during the past few days.
OF the many new improvements
that have taken place In Webster
City in the last few years, the new
electric light and power plant is
without doubt the greatest. This
plant is being erected by the city at
a cost of nearly fifty thousand dol
lars. When finished 1t will be the
most up-to-date and thoroughly
equipped plant for a city of this
size in the state.
The entire building will measure
1874 by So feet and will be divided
into two large rooms. The entire
building will be fire proof in every
way, as there is no wood used in
the structure but the door and win
dow castings. The plant is entire
ly built of brick and owing to the
fact that the floors must be given
time to settle, they will be temper
arily of brick. Next spring cement
floors will be put into the entire
plant.
The south room will contain two
immense engines, the main office
and the electrical connections. The
larger of these engines will be used
nights and is an immense pattern
Of it's kind. This engine weighs in
the neighborhood of forty tons and
Is OF four hundred and fifty horse
power. The fy-wheel on this mon
ster iron horse alone weighs fifteen
tons and measures fifteen feet in
circumference. Tie smaller one is
to be used for the day circuit, and
while much smaller than the other
new engine, 1t is a monster in com-
parison with the engine that has
been used for this service at the old
plant. This huge engine weighs
about thirty tons and the fy-wheel
with it has a weight of ten tons
and Is of the same circumference as
the fy-wheel on the larger engine.
Another feature Of the mechanical
construction in the new plant. is the
absence Of belts on the fly-wheels
The reason for this change is that
the generators for the engines will
have direct connection with the
fiy-wheels, they being built on the
shaft Of the wheels. This improve
ment was accomplished by the man.
ufacturers of the shafts sending
their product to the manufacturers
of the generators where the gener-
ators were added to the shafts be-
fore being shipped to this city.
The switchboard will be erected
in the engine room and will con-
sist of five immense slabs of black
marble.
The main office for the use of the
superintendent of the plant will be
located in the southeast corner of
the building and the latest equip
ment In the line of Office furnish
ings will be installed. A complete
view OF the engine room will be
furnished from this room. This is
made possible by the large plate
glass windows in the partition be-
tween these two rooms.
A thoroughly equipped toilet
room, containing bath and shower
for the accommodation Of the city's
employees will be installed in the
new plant.
The north room will contain the
three large boilers and the coal
chutes. The coal chutes in this
plant will have capacity of four
hundred fifty tons, the coal to be
placed in them by the assistance OF
an elevator that is now being in
stalled and is to be operated by a
five horsepower motor. The pipe
and steam fittings for this immense
institution will be constructed to
stand two hundred and fifty pounds
of steam pressure.
The new plant will be ready for
operation in about five weeks, as
the remaining machinery to be In
stalled was shipped last week and
is expected to arrive in the city in
the next few days.
Webster City's new power and
light plant is an improvement that
every citizen in the town can well
be proud Of.
For sale, stove wood. Martin
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