Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-07-30

the Chippewa River photographs of
the processes of the work have been
taken during its progress. These, as
well as they can be reproduced in
newspaper illustration, give some idea
Of the great amount and variety OF
work that has to be done. For in
stance, in the making of the Menom-
tnie River Dam at Cedar Falls, the
footings for the dam and power house
had to be cut out Of the rock which
underlies most of this portion of Wis
consin. One of the Illustrations shows
the processes by which that work was
accomplished. Then tremendous forms
had to be made for the massing of
the concrete; Golfer dams constructed
for the diversion of the water from
the portion of the river being oper-
ated on, and very intricate placements
of all these facilities effected, before
they became a part Of the completed
hydro-electric plant
One of the illustrations for this ar
ticle shows an old dam on the Red
Cedar River, which has later been re-
placed by a modern hydro-electric
power. A second illustration, as here
inbefOre noted, shows the difficulties
attending the getting of a firm fOun-
datiOns for the new structure. Still
another picture shows a great amount
of framing and false work required
for the making of new structure, the
picture taken being a representation
of what the dam looked like when it
was about half done. A later stage Of
progress is shown by still another il.
lustration.
It will be readily seen that the max
ing of q modern hydro-electric cite or
power plant is no boys job, either in
financial way or in the organization
of the resources and facilities requir.
ed to produce it. These have to be on
such a generous scale and the powers
themselves must be designed for such
large production that it puts quite be-
yOnd the ordinary individual effort,
ventures into such enterprises.
However, the magnitude of the in
vestment does not indicate that the
markets to be found must be in the
greater centers, an industry. II the
power and the industry are close
together, so much the better, but if
the power has to be conveyed for a
great distance to the point Of usage,
the loss III transmission becomes Of
considerable Importance For instance,
it has been estimated by engineers
that power transmitted one hundred
miles, under various conditions, loses
from % to IS per cent of its efficiency
1t will, therefore, be quite clear that
1t is to the interest Of the power de-
velOpers to sell the product of their
hydro-electric enterprises as near the
point of production as possible, be-
cause then they can sell much more
nearly 100 per cent of their production
Of power than under any other circum'
stances.
It will be readily seen, therefore,
that the very best conditions for the
users Of the power that may be devel-
oped in the Chippewa Valley will lie
right in the valley itself, and that not
only the interests Of the cities and
towns, but of the investors as well, will
be best served by the development OF
industries both great and small within
easy range of the scenes of production
of electric energy.
Later on, in these series, some at
tention will be paid to the methods
by which the great permanent powers
in existence on the river have been
erected, their cost, the uses to which
they are put, and the amount OF power
realized from their use.