The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-02-29
PLAN RAILWAY
AND LIGHTING
Immense Movemen to Bene-
fit Prairie Believed to be
Behind WEIGH.

When A. Welch, something
like year ago purchased tn
Nez Perez Power and blight CO
holdings, with site at Lolo creel
of q. A. johnson, the enterpris
ing builder of the Nezperc,
Railroad, the Globe published |
lengthy article covering the deal
In which it was predicted tina
this purchase meant much to The
prairie country. Last week il
published an article announcing
that the same gentleman operat.
ing under the title of the Lewis
County Power company, had fill.
ed power site locations on the
Salmon river at Horseshoe Bend,
which site had been located
some years ago by the Lewis
ton and Southwestern Electric
Railway company. Now the Lew
iston Tribune comes out with
the following encouraging state
ment in regard to probable i'm
mense scope Of the plans which
are behind this new project. 1t
says:
The news to the effect that A.
Welch and associates have COM
pleted power site filings at
Horseshoe Bend on the Salmon
river and will install big
power plant there, with an initial
capacity of 10000 horsepower
comes as no surprise to those who
have been somewhat acquainted
with the movements of Mr.. Welch
in this field, and these people be-
lieve that before the coming sum-
mer passes, it will be disclosed
that Mr.. Welch has plans well
advanced not only for supplying
the entire prairie region with
electric lighting and power facili-
ties for general commercial pur-
poses, but has as well completed
plans for system of electric
railway construction that will
serve all parts of the prairie and
provide a line connecting the
same with the open river at Lew
iston.
Mr.. Welch is one of the north
vests big operators. He first
came into prominence by build
ing the Oregon Electric road froI
Portland to Salem, line now
being extended to serve all parts
of the Willamette. He has also
been identified with other large
Oregon enterprises. He has been
classed as independent of any
of the big electric power con-
Germs, but has always managed
to secure capital necessary to car
ry out his projects when they
reached beyond his own large
private fortune. Welch's first
in the Lewiston re-
gion in an investment way de-
veloped through the purchase of
the Nez Perez electric lighting
plant from q. A. johnson, who
built the Nez Perez railroad.
His hand was next shown when
he negotiated for the purchase of
The Lewiston Terminal company,
the latter owning the tracks now
Installed ON the business streets
IF the city. Some objections
were raised to the sale by stock
being that Welch
might run loaded wheat trains
down Main street during the
rush of the shipping season
and Welch finally withdrew his
offer Next came rumor that |
Welch was quietly getting hold
# power rights so that big |
,lant could be installed, but at |
hat time the people who were
watching him were left to guess
rs to exactly the nature of the
move he was to make. Now it is
disclosed that the work embrace
ID the securing of the Horseshoe
Bend property. There is also
low a suggestion that Mr.. Welch
$ much interested in if not iden
flied with the ownership Of
he Nez Perce road, and that he
md Mr. johnson are working to-
setler If that is so, then the
Sez Perez line would likely be-
'ome a link in the electric line
ysten. Some weeks ago the
Johnson road made surveys for
IN extension from Vollmer to For
st and it was then said this
would likely become the first
ink in the line that would be ex-
ended on down to Waha and
hence to Lewiston. Those claim
ne Information state this is the
'eal scope of the Welch project
md that The plans are now well
advanced. WEIGH personally has
lever vISifad IA &c 4 4,,,.+ l.,,4 lo. ! #,