The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-08-10
MAY GET SOME
SULTAN POWER
CLAY ASSERTS

In an interview with Commissioner
CLAW the Tribune of Friday morning
obtained the follocling instructive in
formation relating to the Sultan Riv-
err water power:
Everett need not lose all hope of
acquiring power rights to portion,
at least, of the Sultan river" de-
clared Commissioner Clay yesterday.
"The chance of getting anything in
the forest reserve has been fairly
well eliminated by the city of Sc
attic and the Sound paper mill plant.
There still remains the chance of ac-
quiring rights through settlements
for small tracts used in acquiring
the water rights.
"The rights to the river in the
reserve would have given US base
from which we could have drawn a
constant power of $4,000 horse-pow
err. To put the basin in shape for
acquiring this amount of power would
necessitate building huge concrete
dam, the cost of which might have
! reached million and a half. This
dam, however, would have supplied
city many times the size Of Ev
erett.
Fright here, let me explain that
there is one somewhat disagreeable
feature about the Sultan river, any
where along the stream. That is: A
storage of the water must be made
to last through the season when the
river is low, especially during the
months of August and September.
The basin is the natural place for
such storage and with the big dam,
would form an ideal reservoir, for
equalizing the flow of the river
throughout the year.
"Our other alternative, if the res
ervoir rights totally fail, is to use
some of the small tracts we have ac-
quired in settling for the water
rights. One especially, a 20-acre
tract on both sides of the river,
would serve we'll There is a bluff
and low hill on one side and the
bank is of rock and gravel. By
digging a long and expensive tunnel
through and around this hill we
could divert the water from the
river to a natural basin some dis
lance away, where it could be stored.
The river takes big horseshoe bend
at this point and the diverted stream
could pass through the tunnel par
allel to the bed of the rest of the
river. From the basin, where it is
stored, the water will fall back into
the river, thereby developing the re-
quired power.
"In this case, two dams must be
built, one at the point where the
water enters the tunnel and the 9TH
er at the storage basin, whence it
will again enter the river. They will
be of dirt, REINFORCED with logs and
concrete, of course, but not nearly
so expensive as the whole concrete
dam. A fall like this would yield
at least 10000 horsepower.
"Under the present power system
Everett is served with 5000 horse
power and it nets its owners $780,
900 year. So, you see, 10000
horse power will hold Everett for a
long time yet"
Speaking about the paper mill pro-
ject, Mr.. Clay said that the COM
pany held paper rights alone and
had done nothing to hold them.
"When we tried to negotiate with
this company and to talk business
with their representatives, we could
not meet them. He was always
somewhere else when we wanted him.
If the company had been a business
like aggregation its agent would
have talked business at least whether
we made a deal or not"
''The question as to whether the
| city shall or shall not attempt to