The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-11
THE PROBLEM OF POWER.
A Brief Survey Of the Possibilities
and Limitations Of awhile Coal"


this country. As against this there is
about 100000 water horsepower al
ready installed and set at work. In
other words, only about one-eleventh
Of our possible water power IL usefully
occupied. About half OF the undeveloped
power Ia In the streams of the non
Industrial States of California, Oregon.
Washington and Idaho. fully three
quarters being in the thirteen Western
States.
The Administration water power bill
seeks. under Government control and
supervision. to utilize considerable
portion OF this 55,Ooo.ooo horsepower.
This bill has been before Congress
for a long time, and OF late has been
characterized as a peace measure" be-
cause no progress could be made that
would In any way affect war opera
lions.
There Is already Installed and work.
ing steam developed power capacity
in this country OF approximately 49,
600 900 horsepower Tho plants where
this is generated are, when viewed from
the broad standpoint OF national de-
velopment, uneconomicaiiy situated, be-
ing located according to the require
ments OF the individual owners and
usually far from the coal mines.
The Sims emergency power bill. which
has passed the House and is In the
Senate. would scrap many OF these
plants and build immense generatins
units at the coal mines, the current
therein generated to be electrically
transmitted 20 the users in the indus
trial centres Under the Sims bill the
coal would be transmitted. so to speak.
by wire instead OF by rail. and an eco
nomic saving would thus be brought
about.
The proper and full development OF
our water powers and the centraliza-
ton OF steam generating plants at the
mines are economic projects offering adj
vantages too patent to be questioned.
II IL merely a matter OF how 1t should
be done and by whom.
In the emergency power bill Is seen
the revival Of an idea that has been
under discussion from time to time for
years: indeed, the feasibility Of its pro-
visions has already seen practical dem
onstration in many notable instances.
The economy that would result from
the operation Of large steam generating
units at the mines has hong been recog-
mixed by engineers. Indeed. they have
gone Mr.. Sims one better In that the
suggestion has been made that the
PLANTS be built In the coal mines them-
selves instead OF on the surface. This
would save not only the cost OF trans
porting the coal from the mine to the
remote plant, but the cost Of raising
It to the surface as well. Here. indeed.
would be found cheap power 1t may
be said. however, that the practicability
OF such an operation has never yet been
tested. There may exist sound reasons
why II cannot be done.
At ordinary times coal can be mined
and raised to the surface at a cost OF
about a dollar a ton. With coal at such
a price delivered in front Of the boilers.
even the most advantageously situated
hydroelectric plant conceivable would
have difficulty in making good in COM
petition: a difficulty that would be still
further accentuatcd II it were found
feasible to operate the underground
plants.
Most OF our large Industrial centres
are within reach of high tension trans
mission lines from the coal producing
areas, and the installation Of the gener-
ating units contemplated under the Sims
bill would coon make for a revolution
In power costs and the question OF coal
shortage would be automatically solved.
From a theoretical viewpoint power
produced by falling water is ideal. Ma
ture has been prodigal in furnishing US
with on immense quantity OF white
coal for the purpose. The layman
never ceases to wonder why SO many
apparently valuable water powers are
allowed to run TO waste. The engineer.
however. knows that there are grave OBJ
stacles 10 be overcome. not only in the
design and construction of such plants,
but also in their operation, Many con-
tingcnc!cs are sure to arise that viii
seriously affect their usefulness and their
value as Investments.
With the introduction Of high tension
long distance electrical Transmission
twenty or twenty-five years ago. many
such plants, often conceived by those
having an exaggerated idea OF the value
of falling water. we're built that have
been severe disappointment, They
have failed to deliver the power pre-
dicted and for which they were equipped
in wheel and generator capacity. and
they have been disappointing as invest
ments.
Nature sends certain amount OF
water down n given river every year
Roughly speaking. In our temperate ell
mate about half of the annual rain
fall finds its way into the streams. This
amount, when consi dered over series of
years, can be predicted with a fair de-
gree of accuracy. The United States
Geological Survey has been engaged for
many years In gauglng tho flow of our
principal rivers. and ample data exist
for safe power computations II handled
by the wise engineer. Tho manner md
distribution Of the flow is quite differ
ent matter and is erratic in the extreme.
Taken on an average OF ten or even Ave
years. a river may deliver an appar-
entity steady. dependable flow available
for power purposes. Analysed for
months or weeks however. the most per-
picking extremes are encountered: and
II is the extremes that must be provided
for. Too much water is as bad as too
little. The former produces back water
! in the wheel pit. thus cutting down the
amount Of deliverable power, and abb
normal or anprecedented-the unprece-
dented IL constantly occurring In water
fow--drought in the summer season will
produce the same result but by n dlf-
ferent means.
To be sure, both OF these disturbing
factors can be overcome. or nearly over