Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-06-29

OF SMALl-cITY
ELECTRIC PLANTS
AN IMPORTANT MOVEMENT NOW
GOING ON, ESPECIALLY M
THE MIDDLE WEST.

w. Weber and Is from Webers
Weekly o. October Z. 1t Explains
How the Electric Plants Of the Mid.
die Wect Cities Are Eelno Combined.
In Illinois-outside of Chicago-as
IN other states--each town had, or has,
an electric plant. Each Of these was
too small to justify The employment OF
such expert service. machinery and
supplies as would bring about the best
service or financial results. The re-
quirement for electrical service came
simultaneously everywhere, and each
place proceeded to provide for its own
requirements. Hence many small. un-
profitable plants. too often mlsmap-
aged, were installed.
The aim row is, and for oome time
has been. 10 unite these isolated plants
into operating units.
I. The connection of the individual
plants In group by transmits
sion lineo will, when the system Is
FULLY developed and properly patron
ICED, insure the cities in the group
against accidents taat might occur to
single isolated plant. At times Of ex'
traordinary demand for light and pow
er-as In the case OF county fair
sufficient can be supplied .aa1hout dan
Ger of Breakdown or ov,soad.
2. Instead of each plant requiring
ceparate administration, or being lett
70 the changing municipal govern
rnents, the consolidated plants have
but ono managerial service and that
Continuous a1d. setectca. operations,
and are under the State Public Utiii.
tics Comm ission.
3. By uniting i considerable num-
ber of small plants large unit is pro-
dccsd, which hao sufficient income and
work TO make It possible to employ
experts and to keep in stock all nee.
essary supplies and repairs.
4. Great economies are poscibie in
financing group of connected small
plants as compared with the overhead
charges on the same piants operating
independently of each other.
S. All of the plants being connected
by means OF transmission lines, these
lines can be, and are being, extensive
ly used to supply energy to farm
houses in the rural districts through
which the3lines pass.
Cities Should Have Surplus Power.
Consider this one fact: The single
plant. serving small city, must
have capacity equal to the great
est service requirement that may
be put upon it. In other words
its use at certain hours may be
let us say-equal to 1000 horsepow-
or, while its low point of service may
be as little as fifty horsepower. I'm
le:s the plant is equipped separately
at great expense--with generators
for each different degree of service,
the 1000 horsepower machine will
have to run all the time, even while
carrying its smallest service load. OF
course, the fuel consumed would be
reduced, but that would be about all.
Now, suppose that several plants be
united by transmission line. In that
event one plant can do the entire serv-
Ice during the hours of minimum re-
quirement. And, ordinarily, one plant
can carry the minimum load of ten or
twenty plants. The advantages from
all of this are obvious. Some of the
plants could lie out of service part OF
the time, which, besides reducing
wear and tear, would permit repairs
of idle machinery. Another thing, with
such system a twenty-four hour
force of operatives would not be re-
quired. On top of all of this is
the assurance that there would not be
break In the service because of the
single home plant" breaking down.
This ideal is aimed at but is pro
vented In some small cities and
1t should be kept in mind that ,he
small city isolated plant can never do
better than itris doing now. An elec-
trio plant should have surplus pro-
duct in excess OF the towns present
needs SO that outside power-us.ng
needs so that concerns will locate
in the. town. for they will locate
only where they can be .tsure of
power supply. The electric light
plant. Eaore than anything else, UP.
builds the town, and 1t should be-
economically speaking--in advance OF
the gn-aiways pulling the town up
toward It's own higher level. as IL
were. No city can prosper with bad
eiectric service. An overworked or i'm.
pr periy worxed. electric light plant
Is like an overworked team Of horses
M a earnr