Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-30

SO, rich in the affection and undlmln-
trymen. F....
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
main line between Harlowtown, Mont
and Avery, Idaho. marks the most I'M
portant step ever taken In the develop
ment of northwestern railroads.
In discussing the subject today
Ryan, who is president of the Anal
gamated Copper Co.. as we'll as the
Great Falls Power Co., grew very en-
thusiastic.
Until you get into the subject, 1t
is hard to realize what identification
will mean to the western railroad the
president of the Great Falls Power Co.
said. Railroad men themselves are
only just beginning to understand
Yesterday one of the best known oper'
ating officials in the northwest said he
was stunned by the announcement that
our grant from the government was
based on the understanding that the
electrification Of $50 miles Of St. Pauls
track would be completed within three
years. He said railroad men knew
that the electrif1cation of the north
western railroads by use of water
power was coming, but they all had
supposed that it would not come inside
Of ten years. and that, therefore, they
would have plenty of time to plan.
why, the water power that is now
being wasted in the northwest can be
transformed into a finished product
and delivered to the railroads 80 1t
can be turned on and off with switch
like pipe water or an electric light.
Last year the st. Paul railroad, not in.
Guiding it's Pacific coast extension,
spent $6,202,000 for fuel for locomo'
tives. That was just the bare cost OF
COAL On a mountain line. railroad
uses one.third of its entire equipment
for hauling fuel. With electricity that
equipment could be earning money
and the cost Of operating 1t to haul
fuel could be saved.
CAS- for the economies made possible
by electricity, the average cost of
steam power in the west Is $3.50 per
horsepower. BY simply Harvesting the
water power that is now going to
waste electric power can be generated
and delivered to the railroads ready
for use by turning on switch for $40
a horsepower.
After a $50 mile. run steam loco
motive has to go to roundhouse for
inspection; today the New York Cen
trail is using it's electric locomotives
for 1900 miles between inspections.
For the units of service derived from
a ton of coal a steam locomotive is
the most wasteful machine ever in
vented. Every railroad man knows
that. An electric locomotive does not
stand in station or sidetrack and
blow Off When it is not being used
the power is turned off,
I'm many places in the northwest it
is physically impossible to build
double tracks: the mountain passes
will not permit it. Under electricity
the capacity of a single track road can
be doubled. The trains move quicker;
the equipment and labor now used to
haul fuel can be used to handle revenue
freight and operating expenses can
be reduced in many other ways. The
st. Paul's work will cost $S0OO,OO0,
and carefully made estimates show
that that amount can be saved in five
years by reducing operating expenses"
Mr.. Ryan believes that 10000 miles
of mountain railway in the western
states will be electrified by means Of
water power within the next few
years He points out that the govern
ment by this step has done great deal
to avert the waste which has gone
both by failure to harness
water powers and in the consumption
of coal which will be needed in the
future generations. He adds that the
danger of forest fires from coal-burn-
ing locomotives in the great forests of
the west will be avoided
This instance is cited to show
that the water power question is not
one that should be dismissed without
legislative consideration. Ottumwa
has seen the benefits of the use of
water power at the waterworks plant.
A large part of the power for pump
ing the water through the mains OF
Ottumwas city water system is fur
nished by water power, the only dams
now in use in the Des Moines river be-
ing located at this point. But greater
benefits will be gained by a larger use
Of the power now being wasted. There
is sufficient power now going to waste
every day in the Des Moines river to
run every manufacturing plant and
light every city on the Des Moines
river between Des Moines and Keokuk.
The legislature should get behind
some movement for the prevention of
this waste and the utilization of the
power available.
President Taft is quoted as saying:
'Humor is like q buffer between two
coaches. It relieves the jolts
IF life, 1t is a shock absorber; it makes
the journey through the years easier,
and brightens the pathway all along