The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1912-10-16
Central Plant Going Up to
Supply All Mines in
Black Mountain
Fields.

that Sir William Ramsay, the
distinguished English scientist.
pointed out that by making
electric power at the mouth of
the coal pit, a great saving in
cost could be effected. 1t is in
line with Sir Williams's con
illusions, though not exactly
suggested by them, that there
now is in progress in South
western Virginia, the construc-
ton Of an enterprise which its
projectors believe will not only
demonstrate that power can be
made on the spot where the
fuel is mined, and transmitted
by wire at a tremendous saving
90 consumers, but that it will
be demonstrated that it is
much cheaper to make electric
ity by the use of steam, than to
generate it by water power.
The cost of transportation is
most important factor in the
cost Of coal to the consumer.
Where the owner Of the mine
gets a dollar for his product.
the railway is likely to get from
q dollar and a half up for CARR
age. SO that the fuel for steam
electric plant ordinarily makes
the production of electricity
more expensive by this means
than where water power i g
used to turn the dynamos.
The owners OF the Black
Mountain coal fields in Virgin
ia ARE building at st. Charles.
Lee County, Va, which is in
the center Of that mining dis
trIct big power station. Pri.
marily il is to be a central sta
ton to furnish electricity To the
various mines. There are seven
or eight of these coal mining
operations in the fields. each
with it's own power station
for electricity plays an impor
tant part in coal mining, and
next year there will probably
Oe that many more going. Each
electric station requires cngi
neers, electricians and firemen.
a central plant will effect a
great saving not only in wages.
bni in other ways. The cen
irol station was decided to be
necessary, and when that had
been determined upon, it was
decided to go further.
one of the owners of the com
pauy had at one time manifest
ed d great interest in water
power He had in mind a river
which seemed to have possibil-
itIes He employed engineers
20 look over the lay of the
ground and to prepare specih-
cations for dam, sluices, and
q complete power plant.
Then he invited contractors
90 make b id 3. The lowest
turned in was for $3.50, 900.
lhis looked expensive. He
wanted about 3 900 horsepower.
which seemed about the capaci
iy the water from the river
could furnish Before going
ahead he decided to make tests
OF the stream for a year. To see
"hat sort of supply of water he
could count upon. When a
Drought came late in the sum
mer the stream shrank to small
proportions, and it was shown
lhat he could not count upon
getting more than 1000 horse
power from his river during the
months of July and August
men he decided to look into
steam.
For a plant of identically the
a m horsepower, electrical
machinery and all, the only
Inference being that the second
was to use steam for driving
me electric generators instead
ol water, h e discovered II e
would have to spend over 800,
Wy difference of at least
i9'O,0OO in the initial cost of
sne plant Six per cent. of this.
ne reasoned, was $33, 900, yearly
interest on the the extra cost of
.he hydro-electric plant, which
must be reckoned, aside from
'he extra capital invested, as
s4uiValent to an added yearly
Cusl OF OperatInU tho fnOra oOet
ly plant.
M. --.,.