The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1920-12-09
POWER OF A SMALL STREAM.
Science Concentrates Riyuiets En-
ergy Into Mighty Power.


The most striking illustration Of
the power Of a small stream IS SHOWN
in San Juan county, Colorado. Inc
Animus river, in its course between
Silverton and Durango distance Oh
twenty miles--has gradual ran OF
about / 500 feet Although called
river. il is but a mountain stream,
tumbling over little falls and through
rock-strewn guliies; at no point SHOW
ing more power than would be sum,
Gent to drive a very modest saw mill
or erist mill. But the genius Of sci
ence has so cunningly diverted 1t and
concentrated its energy, as to develop
at least no less than 10000 horse
power.
A dam IS built few miles below
Silverton and the stream turned INTO
wooden conduit or fiume, which Is
only six By eight feet in size. 1t VIII
be seen that it must be very small
stream whose waters can be run thru
such restricted channel Over val
leys and across chasmsi sometimes on
high trestles; sometimes through
deep cuttings. the fume carries the
captive river for ten miles, finally dis
charging it into Cascade reservoir, a
natural basin three miles long and
three-quarters of q mile wide. Here
it gains some little accession from the
waters of a small creek and at the
lower end of the reservoir il again
enters fume; this time steel tube
only four feet in diameter. The cur
rent is now rapidly increased; this
four foot tube must carry as much
water as the six by eight conduit,
consequently its work must be done
faster.
Two miles brings it to the edge Of
cliff near Durango, 1000 feet in
depth, and the pipe turns over the
edge, making perpendicular drop of
that distance, conducting that solid,
four foot column of water, 1000 feet
in height, into turbine wheels operat-
ing electric generators of 10000
horsepower capacity.
This is the biggest perpendicular
fall in the world; it is the most force
full four foot drive of water known.
A rifle bullet fired into il chances off
as from solid chilled steel; a jet from
il no bigger than pen holder will
drill hole through sheet steel in
few moments. At the reservoir a
dainty fyline may be played in the
water-at the flume no mortal man
could thrust bayonet one inch into
it.
A United States trooper essayed,
on a wager, to cut two-inch stream
with his sword-a shattered weapon
and broken wrist was the result
From the four-foot steel pipe, noz-
zles five-eighths of an inch in diane
ter conduct the water into the tur
blnes, which are of the type known as
impulse" wheels, and the speed of
which is from 5000 to 1000 revolu-
tons per minute. The speed Of Che
Jets of water emerging from these
nozzles is no less than $4,000 feet
on over four miles per minute.
Note how science still further con-
centrates and controls the giant il
has evoked That 10000 horsepower
force, making that mighty plunge
over the cliff. is met by magical ma
CHIMES and switched into conner
wire but little larger than lead pen
ell. Forty feet of that unyieiding
steel fiume is a load for a heavy
freight car; forty feet of the copper
WIRE IS a load for ten-year-old how
Al one moment the power is IN that
roaring, headlong, terrific plunge
tne next It is miles away, invisible
nolseless and mysterious. illuminat-
ing great arc lamps, running heavy
cars, and--to come from the great ~
the -whirling dainty fans or
cooking an egg.
And the little stream. freed from
rs captivity, widens out. ripping
l'lel riiy over the rocks, perhaps to be
some time rounded up" again and
made to give similar demonstrat;n ',n
of strength further ON. ''''o"
For, although the refrain of an old
song says that "the mill wheel wi iii
not turn with the water that has
PASSED the assertion is refuted bv
many OF the modern hydro-electr;c
lnstallations.-Technical World Nh
azine. "oiiu Mag