The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1912-09-21
That little kilowatt.

Inat little kilowatt.
After the city council had in.
spected the new Nisqually power
plant yesterday and had the yari.
GUS details of the institution ex.
planned by the engineers on the
ground, the general verdict was
that the kilowatt, seemingly un.
important and entirely intangible,
is destined to play a mighty i'm.
portant part in the future of Ia
coma.
For the kilowatt is the name
given to that little unit of electric
energy bought by the people for
o cents to light up the house. II
You take larger quantity il
comes cheaper and is as low as
az cents for power purposes.
When the plant inspected
Thursday gets to crowding these
little kilowatts into Tacoma by
the millions the city may decide
to cut the price even lower than
this, although Tacoma now has
the lowest rates for electric
Juice of any city in the country.
But the council has seen Just
where this kilowatt comes from.
He starts up on Mt. Tacoma.
For ages untold he has been
nesting in the ice of Nisqually
glacier. He is not kilowatt.
there, however. just ice; dirty
Ice at that, hundreds of feet
thick and mixed with rocks and
mud. About nine miles above
Longmire Springs is this end of
Nisqually glacier. 1t is a favor
lite spot for sightseers. Out from
under the edge of the glacier
comes roaring a gushing stream
or muddy water. 1t tumbles
Town past Longmires. on past
Ashford, ripping on to Alder
and being reinforced by springs
all the way.
Temporary Dam.
A mile and a half this side of
Alder George Wright two years
ago began constructing a temper
airy dam. He got the dam up
and fiume line to put In a
temporary power plant and then
sold the contract to the Nisqually
Contracting company, or rather.
got them to take 1t as he could
not handle the job. This com
pany consists of George Milton
Savage. Cornell Brothers and J.
e. Bonnell.
Dave Williams, foreman for
Savage, was sent up there 21
months ago as superintendent.
He was there yesterday finishing
up the last section of the great
concrete dam.
This dam is the beginning of
the kiowatt. Here the city says
TO the Ice Of Nisqually glacier:
Hold still, 1 want to squeeze a
kilowatt out of you" And the
ice rebels and butts itself against
the big concrete dam and then
starts out sideways and around
through the great concrete set
Ting basin.
1t is still muddy water, but IL
PUSHES blithely through this
great concrete with walls Of solid
concrete nine feet thick at the
bottom on one side and the
whole mountain to back the wall
on the other. 1t thinks it is
escaping.
But it isn't.
For a hundred yards 1t whirls
through this settling basin. II
spies big black hole In the side
OF the mountain which seems to
| afford a chance of escape. II
PUSHES In, freed from the weight
of the silk 1t has been carrying
clear from Nisqually glacier and
purified 1t finds itself in the big
tunnel.
This tunnel is 10,047 feet
long, straight hole Of nine feet
wide and the same height
through solid rock, all lined with
polished concrete.
Council Saw II.
The council went through IL
with lanterns. Ever and anon
from the sides of the wall little
iron pipes protrude half an inch
and clear spring water gushes i'm.
There Is iron water, magncsia
and soda pouring into that tun-
mel. The councilman drank with
q feeling Of pride i'm the whole
undertaking.
This soda wifi join the Mis-
qually water and on II win pour
through the dark tunnel 1900
feet under ground to emerge at
Lagrfnde into big steel pipe
over the canyon and then It will
leap into freedom at the big
concrete reservoir Here five
acres have been pAf into great
pool. Il Il wchderful field