The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-24
ACTUAL FIGURES SHOWN
Millions Saved Every Year by Sub
shutting keokuk Water Power
for Coal Works Equally in
keokuk or St. Louis.

J
/ and the street railway company, he
shows that these two companies saved
over a million dollars In 1917, by
using Keokuk water power instead OF
fs.an engine power, 49,
| The cost of stea1n power is the ac-
tual figure obtained in the big steam
plant of the Union Electric company.
| A few years ago this plant was max
/ ing power from coal at less cost per
| horsepower than any other steam
plant in America-and in 1917. the
Keokuk water power cost S1,110.3O6
less than that superior steam plant
| could have made it. This included a
saving of $4,000 tons Of coal at SEAS
per ton.
Plenty Left for keolsuk.
! None of the figures are estimates,
but every one of them is the actual
fact taken evidently from the account
ling department of the st. Louis COM
spanies involved.
| The value of the Keokuk contract to
1.-THE st. Louis companies is estimated
lat s5.Oo0,OO0. 1t runs ninety years
/ more, having been made for ninety
nine years during the promotion stage
/ of the Keokuk project.
1 The ST. Louis writer is in error in
| the one detail that he confuses the
quantity of power now generated and
sold by the Mississippi River Power
company and what it can generals
when the second half of the power
house is completed. About two-thirds
of the power now generated Is sent to
ST. Louis. but there is a large guam
itity more available as soon as a mar
4 l.ot for IL 10 deyalnDad hera in Ka0-
/ kuk or elsewhere.
Its Bearing on keokuk.
/ The st. Louis figures are Of the
greatest interest to Keokuk, because
/ approximately the same saving can
be made by factories now run by
tsteam which move to Keokuk.
] If St Louis, in the midst OF the
cheapest coal in America, In the most
| efficient steam plant, can save over
million year by using keokuk wa
| ter power, other manufacturers any
where can save enough to greatly in
crease dividends by moving to keo-
| kuk right up against the turbines and
electric generators which make the
power st. Louis is using over hum
| dred miles away.
| The communication in the Republic
lis as follows:
keokuk in ST. Louis.
| The following keokuk power data.
whose accuracy I vouch for, may be
| OF public interest at a time when all
| are trying to save coal:
! st. Louis, through Union Electric,
gets approximately two-thirds Of all
water power which the available wa
tier supply enables the keokuk plant |
to generate for regular. dependable.
daily service throughout the year.
Union Electric in 1917 bought 1884, !
'275, 1858 kilowatt hours of keokuk pow
er, for use in the St. Louis district.
1t would have required 100000 tons
of coal tc generate that much addi-
tional steam electric power in Union
Electric's steam plant.
The average daily coal saving eff
fected by st. Louis use of Keokuk wa
ter power during 1917 was 117S tons.
Union Electric paid an average price
of S2.4S per ton for coal in 1917.
At that price, and allowing for low
er unit costs with increased output, +
the generation of 264, 275,S63 more
kilowatt hours in Union Electric's
steam plant would have cost $1,9S2,
O6S
The amount actually paid by Union
Electric for 264, 275,S63 kilowatt hours
of Keokuk water power was s1,219,-
633.
The difference saved to st. Louis
electric service users by Union Elec-
tries Keokuk contract, was s762,435,
or an average of $4,000 for every day
of 1917. Union Electric's customers
got it in rates based on total costs
which gave them the benefit of that
saving.
United Railways during 1917 bought
Ground numbers) ao7 700. 900 kilowatt
hours of Keokuk water power from
Union Electric at SIT mills per kilo-
watt hour. United Railways also
bought some higher-cost steam-elec-
trio power from Union Electric Unit
ed Railways average rate for all pur-
chased power was $50 miles per kilo-
watt hour.
Actual average kilowatt hour cost
of steam-electric power in Union Elec-
tries plant during 1917 was approxi-
mately 3 mills per kilowatt hour. Had
Union Electric steam generated 264,-
275, 1863 more kilowatt hours than 1t
did, instead Of buying that amount OF
Keoknk power, the average tilowatt
hour cost at the plant would have
been rs mills Per kilowatt hour for
the entire output
United Railways, therefore, got all
It's purchased power at an average OF
81 of mill per kilowatt hour less
than lowest possible cost of general
ing it in st. Louis largest and best
steanlelectrtc plant
Comparing United Railways aver