Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1921-09-08
oNsIN. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER s, 1921.
HARVESTING OF THE WATERS.
Continued from last week.

In closing my last letter on tn
Harvesting of the Waters referre
to the Kerckhotf power plant as beinI
only one of the fourteen which the Sal
Joaquin Light and Power Corporation
cwns and operates. Twelve of thes,
are operated by water power, while ont
called the Button Willow plant is driver
by steam generatediby natural gas, oh
tainahle in that section in an apparent
ly inexhaustable supply, This plant
cost 81, 500. 600 and has been built since
the close of the world war 1t is but a
few miles from the city of Bakersville,
as is another plant driven by steam
generated by crude oil as fuel. This
was constructed at the same cost as the
former, but it is located in the opposite
direction from Bakersville. TIE num-
erous other plants are locate on the
San Joaquin and MERGED rivers. The
fourteen plants are developing and
transmitting over the hundreds Ct miles
of lines an aggregate of ITO, horse
power, serving 1900 separate consu:n-
ers and irrgating S00,0 600 acres of alf.
alta, grapes, figs, peaches, apricots and
hundreds of acres of small fruit and
vegetables.
! | should mention right here the fact
that this vast complicated development
is only part of what is planned for.
This corporation has already surveyed
and built roads to site so miles east
of the city of Fresno for the greatest
of all of their great achievements the
erection of a great reservoir on Kings
river. This will furnish the power for
seven power houses, which are intended
to develop 500, 600 horse power, to be
constructed at cost of $500, 900. 900
and require ten years of time, expend-
ing $40, 600, 900 each year.
My readers may well ask right here,
! from whence comes these vast sums of
money? What mighty brain has con
ceived all of this? | will endeavor to
answer this last question first by stating
that just twenty years ago vision
fioated through the mind of one man,
and that vision did not get away. but
kept growing and pounding an impress
sion into his mind that would not let
go, but insisted on being put into action.
This MN was Mr.. A. G. Wishon, who,
through this vision foreseen the possi-
bility of Transforming. by the intelli-
gent application of water, the vast
stretches of arid lands in the San Joa-
quin valley into fertile fields and vim
yards and creating thousands of happy
and prosperous homes. This happy
ambition has been only partly realized
for this vast development is after all
only in its infancy.
The first question above propounded
is just as easily answered. From whence
comes 'the sinews of war, the mil
lions on millions of dollars required to
carry on this expensive work and to
bring to reality Mr.. Visions vision ?
First of all it may be said that his un-
bounded faith in the venture, his re-
markable personality, whereby he drew
to himself other far-sighted men of
large means and little by little a small
army of skilled electrical men, men who
already knew how to do things and
could put this mans ideas into concrete
form. And be it said to the credit of
employer and employees, that vast
number of the thousands of men and
women in their service, a large proper
ton Of them are graduates of univer-
sites, colleges and technical schools.
while not a few Of the best have come
up from the ranks of hard tolers by
sheer determination to win, and win
they have.
| must relate right here some Of the
methods and regulations adopted by this
corporation as they apply to their EN-
ployees, and their adoption accounts for
the general satisfaction that exists a.
mong the men. There is a system Of
promotion whereby, if one man is adj
vanced or retires, the next in ORDER be-
low takes his place, unless, as some
times occurs in the army, some man in
the lower ranks shows himself to be
capable of filling position Of several
rounds up the ladder at jump he may
get there. The men are well paid, re-
ceiving their checks as sure as the reg
ular pay day comes. Another feature
is that every man who so desires. after
the first few months, is given life and
, accident insurance policy, the minimum
being 81, 900 and graded upward accord
ing to length of service. Also free
medical service for himself and family.
Here too, | may refer to the fact
, that a great many Of the employees
have invested in the stock of the cor.
y poration, as the stock certificates are
issued in as small denominations as $50
: There are over 1000 stockholders in the
San Joaquin Valley, very many Of then
i. being the ranchers, who purchase then
o electric power of the company. Today
e he to- q