Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-07

| garded as a most profitable investment.
1t is a permanent indies tructible prop
erty increasing annually in value and
which will continue to increase in
value after all existing steam plants
are consigned to the scrap heap. The
annual Increment in value of the gov
eminent water power holdings here
has been and is and will continue TO
be so great as to make comparatively
insignificant the small sums spent
from time to time to perfect and pro-
tect this property. Any discussion of
cost of power at this plant which
omits consideration OF this factor is
valueless.
The government owns and has de-
veloped here an immense water power
project which is capable of furnishing
all the power needed for the RIA.
and in addition an immense surplus
of power which should be disposed of
to the profit of the government. The
present arsenal water power dam has
Al openings. If modern water wheels
were placed in these openings 5000
horse power could be generated and
the cost of operation, maintenance and
repairs would be but little greater
than it is at the present time when
only Is per cent of that power or l..
400 horsepower is being generated. If,
out OF this 5000 horsepower, 1000
should be reserved for the use of the
arsenal and the remaining 1000 sold
to commercial power distributing COM
panies, which could be done at SIS
per horsepower per year, the resulting
income to the government would be
1000. Deducting from this $4,000
as a liberal allowance to cover the
cost of all expenses of operation, re-
pairs and obsorescence, the govern
ment would have left $4,000 annual
profit and at the same time would
greatly benett the community. This
can be done, at the present dam by
merely putting in the necessary gen
Grating machinery. 1t would utilize
power which the government now has
and permits to go to waste.
THE water wheels and generating
machinery at present installed in fhe
power plant are antiquated and ineffi-
cient. Originally designed to give 2s
200 horsepower, the plant is actually
generating but approximately 1,400
horsepower; that is, Just enough for
the present requirements of the arse
nal. The surplus power, when there
is any, is small in amount and is 5tn-
termittent. The result is that, al
though the arsenal now has a contract
to sell it's surplus power, the contrac-
tor takes but a negligible quantity be-
cause power so furnished in small
quantities and at irregular times is OF
no value to him in his business. II.
however, the government would put IN
plant which was capable of Develop
ing an assured surplus, ready sale
for it would be found at price only
slightly below the cost of steam gen
Grated power.
ut is evident from the foregoing that
the arsenal power instead of being ex-
pensive is cheap, actually costing IN
money paid out s0.0O36 per kilowatt
hour, which is smaff fraction of what
steam generated power COSTS that. ~
account be taken of the increased mar
ket value of the water power property.
the power used at this arsenal cosN
nothing but that on the contrary tho
is several mi:,on dollars
richer through its ownership; ana.
finally, that if the government will put
in modern machinery and handle its
water power property as business
and for the benefit of the
1t will get its arsenal pow
err for nothing, will enjoy the annual
increment in value of the property, and
will have turned into the treasury an.
nually cash profits of from $4,000 10
1920 900" Il