The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-07-24
History of the Use of Electricity in
the Occur dAlenes

the water power and the necessary
real estate at Post Falls.
Plans were started looking towards
the development Of this power and the
construction Of transmission line, but
1t early became apparent to those in
terested that their business was min
ing, not supplying electric power. and
in January. 1902. the Post Falls pro-
|perty was transferred to the Washing
ton Water Power Co. under an agree
ment that 1t would supply power to
the mines.
No time was lost in carrying out this
agreement and the construction of the
transmission line commenced immedi-
ately. AS it was physical impossi-
bility to develop the Post Falls power
within the time agreed upon, two 1880
XIV generators were installed with the
necessary step-up transformers at Spo-
kane, and on August Is, 1908, the line
was put in commission as far as
kellogg thus supplying power to the
sweeny mill, and the Bunker Hill &
Sullivan mine and mill. Work was
then pushed on the remaining portion
Of the line. and early in November the
Burke substation at the terminus of
the line was cut in.
Meantime work had been started on
the development at Post Falls, and on
July II, 1906, that station was put In
commission and run in multiple with
Spokane
Occur d'Alenes Among First for Long
Distance Transmission.
It Is interesting to note that the
transmission line to the Occur d'A!enes
was one Of the earliest long distance
lines in this or any other country 20
furnish regular service for "a hours
a day
The apparatus of the generating and
receiving ends, and the line, were de-
signed for $4,000 volts, but the arrange
ments were made so that the plant
could be operated at $4,000 volts The
latter voltage was carried at the start
and, in fact, till February 3, 1905, when
the change was made to $4,000 volts,
at which voltage it has since. remain
ed.
In designing the line problems were
all new, and there was an entire lack
of standard construction of any kind.
The bushes grew; our friends in the
Occur d'Alenes country seemed to like
our power, and they liked 1t to such
an extent that it became necessary
in 1907 to build an additional line as
far as Cataldo.
Route Of Lines.
The first line was built from Spo-
kane, as already stated, around the
south end of lake Couer d'Alene and
across the Indian reservation, but the
second line was built from Post Falls
and the shorter route through the
Fourth Of July Canyon was followed
In 1909 the second line was extend
ed from Cataldo to the Sisters mine
where the present switching station
is built. To enable greater facility in
transferring the load. to the other, the
switching station at Cataldo, in which
oil switches were installed, was built
and air switches were installed at
different points to enable the indivi-
dual loads to be transferred.
In building the second line, which
was nearly four times the capacity Of
the first, an effort was made to elimi-
nate from 1t those features which had
been found to be undesirable in the
first line.
Lines Patrolled.
To guard as far as possible from in
terruption to the service, these lines
are patrolled once week. and more
frequently II necessary Patrol stat
ions with a patrolman at each station
are maintained on each line, at the
following points: Post Falls. Oppor-
tunity, short distance east Of Spo-
kane; Rockford junction, about miles
northeast of Rockford; Medimont:
Wolf Lodge; Cataldo; Kellogg, Mullan
Junction; and Mullan At each Of the
patrol stations and air switch Is in
stalled, for the purpose Of testing the
line to locate any trouble that may
come on.
Overcoming Obstacles.
Considerable difficulty was expert
enced at frst, owing to the lack of in
ertia in the generating plant. 1t was
found that a mining load was one In
which the changes Of load were large
and sudden, and it is hardly necessary
in a gathering Of mining men to point
out how very necessary constant
speed is to efficient concentration
The memory of the old hoist at the
Hecla mine will not be forgotten soon
by those who we're almost sweating
blood, I might say, to try and keer
the speed steady
AS you know the speed Of an alter
mating current motor varies almost al
rectly with the speed Of the generator
and, when the Hecla hoist would star
at the same time that compressor
picked up the load somewhere else,
howl would go up from the mill fore
man, which was fully justified, and TIL
restrictions placed by the Washington
: water Power Co. on the type Of motto
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