The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-08-30
SAUK CENTRE NOW
GENERATES own
ELECTRIC juice
SYSTEM CONNECTED UP WITH
NEW MUNICIPAL PLANT
SUNDAY AND MONDAY
STARTS OFF WITHOUT A HITCH
EQUIPMENT is OF LATEST APP
PROVED KIND-COMMIS-
SION SYSTEM COMING

For the first time in it's history
Sank Centre is now generating in a
municipal power plant, the electricity
used by it's citizens.
The light and power problem has
given the city council an endless
amount of trouble during the past few
years. After the Whitney interests
in St. Cloud purchased the lighting
plant from the Central Minnesota
Power & Milling Company year ago
last February the sentiment for a
municipality owned system developed
very rapidly. The final purchase OF
the plant and taking over of the prop
erty by the city last October is
matter of history.
Shortly after the purchase of the
property the council began to inves-
tigate the most practical method of
generating electricity for the needs of
a city of Sank Centres calibre.
The Diesel engine system was final
ly decided upon as the most practical
with the result that late last fall
contract was entered into with the AL
disclaimers Company of Milwaukee
for the equipment necessary for a
modern plant.
For several weeks the work of in
stallation has been going on under the
supervision of Erecting Engineer L.
L. Chapotel, and Thos. Furlong, erect
ing electrical engineer, both of Mil
waukee. The engines have been test
ed out during the past two weeks and
on Sunday Manager McGibbon and
Electrician George Conkey of the local
plant connected the Second Ward with
the new system, and the First Ward
was changed over on Monday. The
start was made without single hitch.
The new plant consists of two 40
horse horizontal Diesel crude oil en-
gines with IS XIV. dynamos with a
voltage of 1900 attached directly to
the shaft. This system gives the city
two units as either engine will handle
practically all of the electric load at
its peak.
There is also twin-pumping sys-
tenn, each pump having capacity of
400 gallons per minute with 140 foot
head and revolution Of 1850 per
: minute. The direct water pressure for
fire purposes will be 100 pounds.
The Diesel engine has made the
submarine a practical death dealing
instrument in warfare. The same
basic principle is worked out in tn
engines installed in the Sank Centre
municipal plant. 1t is probably gen
orally taken for granted that the ex-
plosion is furnished by ignition, but
such is not the case. There is no spark
plug or any other fire-making device.
The combustion is caused entirely by
compression. The oil is carried into
the duplex engines with a 7OO-pound
compression. 1t takes one-half pound
of oil per actual horse power to oper-
ate these engines one hour. There is
about Z ga pounds of oil in one quart,
so that it can readily be seen that the
cost of operation will be very low, as
the oil in it's present abnormal price
costs in the neighborhood of eight
cents per gallon laid down in Sank
Centre. These engines of course reach
their highest efficiency, when operat-
ed at their rated capacity of 14O horse
power each. However, when carrying
less than the maximum load the loss
ratio is nominal, but the Herald un-
derstands that the consumption of oil
increases quite materially if the en-
pines are carving an overload.
The Diesel engine is compact and
runs with comparatively small
amount of noise, very little vibration
and very little odor. The latter was
one of the main objections. urged
against these engines by agents for
engines of other types.
The Herald hopes that the new
pant will do all, that the council ex-
poets it will. If we were to criticize
it it would be that the building is too
small to permit of any additions to the
plant capacity. However, the new
plant doubtless has abundant power
to meet the demands of the city for
many years to come.
The new plant will be under the
management of John McGibbon, as
sisted by George Conkey as chief cleo
trician, Floyd Shipman of Pipestone,
Mimi, chief engineer and Fred Lam
phrey, night engineer.
Eventually, and probably before
very long the entire plant will be
turned over to commission who will
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