Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-07-06
BOUTL1TTLE BEND

AUUuC uOuCu dRO SpeClal
commenced going the rounds that
the Milwaukee Railway had sur
veyors out running lines at Big
Bend for the ultimate purpose of
utilizing the waterpower to create
electricity for the identification of
their roads from South Dakota
westward, as we'll as the branch
lines. Next some Of the papers
copying it or rewriting, got it
Little Bend" instead of Big Bend.
Now we notice that the Mo
bridge News Tribune has it that
the aforementioned surveyors are
at Mobridge; it is not made clear
whether different surveyors are at
work at Mobridge or not-The
News Tribune says''it is rumored."
Regarding the Power at Little
Bend, between Forest City and
Pierre, Mr.. Doan Robinson, of
Pierre, furnishes the Aberdeen
Daily News with the following
interesting particulars, under date
of June 81:
Il have read with satisfaction your
editorial. THE Missouri River Bends,'
and thank you for the continued interest
you have shown in the development of
Missouri River power. However, I am of
the opinion that the people of this state
should not permit these power rights to
pass into the hands of any private inter
est but should retain them for the public
as they may do under the powers granted
by the pending power amendment to
the constitution. There are one or two
points in your editorial upon which l wish
briefly to comment: You state that 1t
will cost 100000 O to develop Little Bend.
This sum I believe to be tremendously ex.
cessive and would deter the people from
considering development.
1.-The most expensive item in Little Bend
development will be the necessary barrage
in the main stream to divert the flow thru
the canal. Westinghouse, Church Kerr &
Co.. estimated this barrage built of solid
concrete into bed rock from rim to rim at
ten million dollars; by the new method Of
hollow reinforced concrete construction
upon steel foundation this cost will be d.
vided at least by three. The 81 foot head
dam In the Wisconsin river at Prairie du
Sac cost under 1914 conditions $514 per
linear foot. The dam. at Little Bend
would be 1900 feet long and would upon
the same basis cost s2,a64,ooo. In this con-
nection a few facts about Little Bend NAV
be of interest.
The actual fall across The neck accord
ing to the army engineers. is 1875 feet.
(other engineers have made it 10 feet.)
For the complete development must. be
added to this the height of the barrage.
which may in fact be just as high as the
engineer has the nerve to 60. Forty three
one half feet is by every one deemed
entirely practicable. so that the total fall
will be 60 feet and the minimum fow Of
the stream, 10000 second feet, will pro-
duce $4,000 actual operative horsepower
every minute in the year. OF course this
power will be tremendously increased with
the higher water, but the minimum would
be available at all times. This Is more
than three times the entire power now
employed in industries in all of South
Dakota.
Your suggestion that the government
mas passed up Little Bend to locate the
nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals, is not, at
least yet, Justified, though that may be
done Il q hydro electric plant is built by
the government at all, which now seems
doubtful.
The government. demands for the loca.
tson Of the nitrate plant four fundamen-
tai things:
!. Location outside the danger sone AZ
ed By the war college. (Both Muscle
Shoals and Little Bend have the location.l
3. Stream dow. at the proposed site OF
within easy transmission distance Of il,
that will produce 1901 20 horsepower every
day IN the year, (Little Bend alone can
meet this requirement. Muscle Shoals ID
far short Of it.)
>. An A~bundancesof Limestone conyen-
lently g hand. Goth Muscle shoals aud
Little Bend have limestonein abundance,
I. An abundance Of col1ng coal conven.
isntly athand. tlfuscle Shoals can meet
this reQuireuent and probably Little
Dend cannot meet ~ bnt coal can 81
readily transported; the stream dow
mnot 10 used whore n. ia.l