The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-06-13


towns. Another goes east to Har-
lowton, following the general course
of the railroad, serving Is towns.
Extending east and north from the
Madison river plant near Norris to
Billings and supervised from Butte
are 50,000volt lines totaling $50 miles
in length serving II towns.
From the Canyon Ferry and Hauser
lake plants to Butte and Deer Lodge
is the 65,O00-volt system with about
200 miles of line supervised from
Butte, serving nine towns and many
mining camps, Helena and East Hell
ena are served from Canyon Ferry at
1000 volts.
! All these lines together serve 10000
customers in SO towns.
The System.
! Our present transmission system Is
an interconnection of three earlier de-
velopments which extended until they
reached each other and were finally
connected together for mutual benefit.
There are similar situations elsewhere.
| In South Carolina five Independent
companies operating in three states
have found it advantageous to keep
their systems interconnected all the
time. Serving Los Angeles territory
are four large power companies which
have just agreed mutually to inter
connect their systems to increase the
total capacity and save fuel oil during
the coming summer for the navy.
Around San Francisco are four other
large systems which have just agreed
likewise at the instance of the Califor-
ria railroad commission which has
supervision. This will make by far
the largest network of transmission
lines in the world. There are many
advantages of interconnection, chief
among which are the increa sed reliab-
fifty of service obtained and the fact
that the combined plants can carry a
greater load than the sum of all run
ming independently. The contemplate
ed interconnection in California will
save this year 100000 barrels of fuel
oil by the more efficient use of water
power plants which the interconnec-
ton will make possible.
To Meet Others.
The extension and interconnection
of transmission systems is thus a log
ical development and as the Montana
Power company's transmission system
present geographical limits, it will
meet others such as the Utah Power
and Light company Of Salt Lake, and
the Washington Water Power COM
pany of Spokane. In fact the Federal
Mining company, which buys its power
from the Montana Power company in
Montana and the Washington Water
Power company now both deliver at
Burke, Idaho, so that when it becomes
desirable all that will be necessary is
a transformer for interconnection at
that point
The Washington Water Power COM
pany will also deliver power to the
east end of the new section of the Mil
waukee railway being electrified from
Othello, Washington, to Seattle and
on the west end the Puget Sound
Traction Light and Power company,
which serves Seattle and Tacoma, will
supply the railway with power. Thus
| it is conceivable that within few
years the power systems of Seattle,
Tacoma, Spokane and Great Falls can
/ Interchange power, running in synchro-
nism, as we call it. second by second,
from Billings, Mont, to Vancouver,
Wash. The coast lines will eventual
~ reach south to Portland, then to
San Francisco and Los Angeles, and
| it is conceivable that the ring will
Arizona to Salt Lake.
Visionary? Yes. but fifteen years
ago / laid a ruler on the map from
Great Falls to Butte. measured the
distance and shook my head 1t was
impossible then to transmit power that
far Seven years later it was reality.
So / look for an eventual connection
of the power systems serving not only
the western states but reaching east
ward and connecting all the important
industrial centers Of the country, even
to the Atlantic coast, thus making pos
sble an interchange of power between
transmission companies as railroads
interchange freight for the benefit of
their customers all over the United
States.