The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-16

fore 60 down tho long stairs VIC
( have the dam, tho power plant, the
! canal and the drydock spread out be
fore US The dam does not look Il mile
I long nor can one appreciate that the
I white palace OF concrete right under
us covers almost as much space as the
great building Of the Library OF Con-
gross at Washington. II IS only when
wc climb down the hundreds Of steps
and tramp our legs tired in going
through the miles Of construction that
We realize that these things are so.
Across the river we can see the great
steel towers that carry the cables TO
- Louis Tie one nearest the power
/ plant is on the Illinois shore, more than
$500 feet distant and those which run
from there on for distance of more
than lo9 miles are set 500 feet apart.
Each tower is eighty feet high. IL is
Z built on a concrete foundations and is
50 made that ii will withstand cyclones
and earthquakes. Or. Barr tells me
/ that the cables which carry the cleo
\ tricitY are about as big around as your
finger. and that each consists Of nine
/ teen twisted wires of copper. lie says
tina; from the top Of the towers steel
/ cable runs. md that this is so connect
/ cd with the ground that it protects the
/ copper cables from lightning. There
arc six copper cables hung to the tow
er., with the steel cable on top
We walk down the steps to the river
and stand for a moment watching the
worl1lncn IN the dry dock. From here
We cross over to the lock canal, through
which several great passenger steam
ers are moving. 1t only takes ton min
utcs FOR ship to pass through, ana
the canal thus saves two hours for the
steamers between keohuk and Mont
rose.
II required half day to SEND the
first ship through the great locks at
1atun. This lock was put into opera
ton within fortN-cight minutes after
II was completed. ana the first ship
vas worked through II ia less than
fifteen minutes. The kcoltuk lock is
wider than the locks NJ Iiatun II IL
not so long, as the Mississippi steam
crN are short. The actual dimensions
are: width, 10 feet; length on tile in
sioc. 500 feet; lift forty feet, with
concrete walls fiftY-two feet high and
from eight 10 thirty-thrce feet in
thickness The dry-dock is $50 fee,
WIDE by 463 fee, long
There is a wall from the canal lock
which runs 10 the power-house. We
; pass along this wall and GRADUALLY
reach a great building of concrete
which looks like q mighty factory, Oh
! perhaps like a marble palace far out
in the river. 1t is. however, only one
third Of tho width of the river from
the Missouri shore the dam extending
from one end OF it to the Illinois shore
4 which is more than nine -tcnths of =
mile away The power house is built
4 parallel with The river. Its Foundations
! arc all in bedrock about twenty-five
q feet below the surface OF the lime
& stone bottom Of the mississippi. ant
The height is that OF scvcnteen-storS
4 fiat The building has four floors. ant
4 il has It floor space Of something Xix,
q twenty acres. The ceilings arc cx
cccdingiy high or account Of tn,
d mighty machinery ana on tho bottom
q iloor. where the generators arc, ] sa -
a = travelling crane which can lift n.
q entire turbine. and carry il from ON
q end Of the poWcr-housc TO the other
a We first enter tho generating room
a This is filed with the mighty elcctri
"a generators Each Of these is az hi,
"a ts a haystack. and ii rests over an
"a is set in ~ great well OF concrete an
VI steel, eighteen feet IN diameter Thi
"a well contains The mighty turbine waite
"a wheel. which il moved by the force q
"a tho Mississippi The water Is ad
81 mittcd to each turbine by four differ
"a cnt openings, each Of which is pro
III tcctcd by screen aud guarded by
n gate. The water 70 strikes the whc'
IA thai IL has Il spiral motion, ana ms tn
IA turbine nicn around. IL In turn move
n Tho generator above, producing - con
b tinuOus current Of electricity equal
n 10000 horsepower. or To- the force {
N 10000 horses all pulling tOgcthn
u when IN. worka are completed Their
81 VIII be thirty Of thcHo great turbine
IA ana their generators. and ihoir agRrt
"a gate force will be more than 100000
VI horsepower Each OF ticS. grncrato'
"a crcaicp enough clcctricitY 10 light -
II automobile road around the world. an
"a altogether they gould keep bright
~ ,niIty way from Tia" earth 10 the moo
% ~ jr nard - cou"eiV" the riIc an
"a dclicncv uf this fnnrriv" nInchincr
IA suiglc Turbine Wcighs l3".O'
IA pouudr. ANA ,hn wheel aud the IN;
"a chinnry about D. sIl ~ which rests Q
IA Z, single h"urinR, weigh more ihan
IA half tuiiIlon pounds THINK Of bnlan'