The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-03-05
WRITER DISCUSSES
ELECTRIC SITUATION
Hood River. Ore. March 9. 1914.

EultHf hlaclCFs webster oNhnudIu
Dictionary defines gas-a verb to
impose upon BY bOasttul speech, = TO
talk nonsense.
The emanation printed IN the news
letter over the signature Of the gentle
manly manager Of the Gas & Electric
Company proves that Webster is right
and that the said company IS properly
named.
By the gas Of the Gas & Electric
Company we are shown the folly Of
undertaking the development OF a
light and power plant under cOmmun-
ity ownership. Figures are displayed
to convince that It cannot pay. A
definite expense account Is set forth IN
large figures. Up against that we are
shown an assumed earning Of less than
half as much, ana there we are left to
contemplate the picture IN the Gas
spotlight. We must admit that some
Of the figures are fair enough. The
cost Of development on Hood rIver OF a
500 horse power plant at 500 per horse
uOweT Is iair. The cost Of operation
$1,000 per year, Is fair-but the figures
submitted as the earning from such a
plant are pure gas-Just as Webster
defines it-"nOnsense.
Permit the writer to present a pic
ture ana some figures. The picture:
A community Of 1000 homes occupied
by a people who are accustomed to de
mand an the up TO date comforts Of
living, a people able and willing to pay
for luxures. Flowing through the
center Of this community is river,
carrying from 500 to 1900 second feet
Of water which falls in each mile from
80 10 1909 feet, representing in each
mile a potential 5000 horse power. A
river with a uniform flow confined by
rock banks tn a narrow channel, with
no troublesome floods. An engineer
will pronounce these conditions the
best possible Tor hydro-electTic devel-
Opment and will tell you 500 horse
power plant can be built on Hood river
Tor $75, GOO; that a 1000, horse power
plant need not cost over 500. 600; that
a 5000 horse power plant need not cost
over SIPS, 900.
Let us assume market for electric
energy at present in this community
like this:
1000 homes willing to pay 81. 80 per
month for light, $lS, 900 per year.
3 200 commercial shouses and public
buildings at $lO, S2l, 600 per year.
A power market to produce, S6, 600
per year.
200 homes that would gladly pay for
heating and cooking. $50 per year,
Sl2, 900 per year.
100 commercial houses that would
gladly pay $40 per month, 1000 per
year.
In the gas" emanatiOn we are in
formed that the economic end of cleo
trical heating remains to be sovled. "
Your friend, the electrical enigneer,
will tell you that it is impractical to
use electric energy for domestic heat. |
Ask him why. He will answer you |
that you cannot afford to pay the
price. 1t costs too much. Here is the
milk in the cocoanut. "
Can electric energy be produced and
in Hood River at price
and in quantity sufficient that the. home |
owner can afford to use it for heat?
The electric heating c0ntrlvances at |
persent on the market Fare crude and
yet you may find displayed
in the electric supply house heaters
that consume 500 watts per hour. One |
of these heats very satisfactorily
room l2xl5 feet. Six of them would |
heat six rooms, a very fair sized cot |
tage, and would use 5000 watts, three
X. w. per hour. Twenty such heaters
would use 10000 watts, 10 X. W. per
hour, and would heat 20 rooms.
To heat 200 homes a X. W, each
requires GOO X. W.
To heat 100 homes m 10 XIV, each |
requires 1000 X. W.
For the 600 X. W. a $50 per year |
for the cottage and $l20 per year for
the 20 room house, the plant receives /
SIS per X. W, per year. $50 per year
will not buy fuel for six room cot |
tage, nor will $l20 per year buy the |
fuel for 20 room house. Therefore, !
these prices will be economical for the |
consumer.
Our 5000 horse power I'll. P.) plant
delivers 1850 X. w. and can easily
carry 25 per cent overload. We then
have 5000, X. W. 1000 K. W. will take
care of all the present light and cook
ing load. That leaves 1000 X. W., for
which we believe there is a present
market in Hood River at SIS per X. W.
per year. The operating expense of
furnishing the additional l,O00 X. W.
on top of the 1000, X. W. is practically
nothing. The 500 W. heaters referred
to above were merely to illustrate the
measure of the quantity of electric
enerygy required Any Yankee can
contrIve much more economical and
Nt,t., l.,
and the cost of the necessary install
lation would be less than an ordinary
wood or coal furnace.
Now, let us make up prospectus
for the investor in 5000 X. W. elec.
tric plant on Hood river. We will use
IN our expense account the figures
given by the Gas" Company, and to
be safe we will double them.
Hydro Electric plant of capacity
3, 600 X. w.: