The Ocala evening star., 1915-03-30

Mr.. r. G. Camp invited him in com
pany with Col. r. F. Rogers, post
master of Ocala, and Col. G. A. Nash,
a member of the city council, to visit
the dam one day last week. The party
left ocala early in the morning, in
Mr.. Camps big Hudson car, which
took them to Dunnellon after an
hours easy run.
At Dunnellon, they were joined by
Mr.. e. j. Jones, the skilled engineer
who has charge of the Florida Power
Company,s different operations. Leay-
1 ing Dunnellon, they took the road
that follows the Withlacoochee along
its north bank. It is an important
road, but not good one, and it is
strange that Levy county does not
realize the need Of better highway
to such an important point. The Star
has heard many people say they would
like to make this trip and are only
. Edeterred by ten miles of road, which
is a great trial on both an auto and
Its driver.
1 The last mile of the road, however
: is good; being put in shape by the
t Florida Power Company at its owr
expense. While the road is all the
way near the river, the stream is moi
: Iseen until almost at the plant.
: The big concrete powerhouse sit'
g down by the dam and in the valley
i. SO it looks little until one is right a
h it. Some distance away, thru tn
f splash and ripple of the water, tn
visitor becomes conscious of music,
" steady, whirring tune that is yer,
4 pleasant to listen to.
: Reaching the door of the powe
n house, one is impressed with the siz
of the building, which only at tha
e moment becomes apparent, and til
# fact that it is not crowded with ma
d chinery. In fact there is but littl
,f machinery in sight. True, there ar
r. three immense humps arising out c
If the floor, but as you view them frol
1t the end they are perfectly still. Their
a is none of the throbbing vibration {
ID steam plant, but the unceasinl
whirring tone comes at you in grea
10 smooth volume.
t. A few steps down and forward, an
n. you pass the rim of the first hump
to and the mystery is revealed. Tt
hump is an immense fixed wheel, ha
Id Of it in a pit below the level of Il
IS. floor, but is whirling so fast yc
te can't see the spokes. This wheel
zn set on a mighty steel axle, and Il
es axle goes thru the wall of the bull,
a, ing, turning as easily as the axle
an auto, but fitting so exactly thi
d, not drop of water comes thru fro
a the curbed Withlacooehee, which fre
of on the other side of the wall. al
as pours only so much of it's tide as it
1g allowed to in the pit where crouch
1g the turbine which spins the wheel
re the power house, and generates Il
re current which could race with Il
thunderbolts that not many years a,
e it was supposed only omnipoten
". could handle.
nd There are three of these big ge
les orators, and if they were all in oper
ric tion they would make current enoui
ost to supply every town between Jae
of sonville and Tampa, outside of tho
on two cities. As long as the river ru
raj and the dam holds they will run
to steadily as the wheels of fate.
ng Only two of the big generators we
running that morning, it being t
* practice to let them take time abol
- so that constant inspection of t
ak machinery can be made. Even WI
les all the business that might reasonal
he be expected, it would be necessary
len run all three only when carrying