The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-02-07
BETTER ELECTRIC
SERVICE PROMISED


Better service in lights and power
is promised the patrons of the Wash
1ngton Water Power Company by Mr..
Beckman, the local manager, and the
Spokane officials of the big corpora
ton. Mr.. Beckman states that re-
pairs have been made and are being
made now. The current is shut off
midnight and kept off until S a. M.
thus giving linemen five hours in
which to do repair work and about
mile night is the average of work
being done through the trouble dis
trict." The following statement was
issued from the Spokane office of the
company today
Only Trouble on Palouse Line
An investigation is being made by
the Washington Water Power COM
pany into the interruptions of service
that have recently taken place on it's
high power transmission line to the
Palouse country. The cause of the
trouble is somewhat a mystery and
had not fully been established at the
close of conference of the COM
pany's electrical engineers yesterday
The Palouse line is he only one of
number of transmission lines thus af-
fected. In a statement prepared by
General Manager W. E. Conan of the
company he says:
Conan Explains Delays
I'VE have recently been exeperienc-
ing unusual difficulty in operating
our Palouse country high tension
transmission line. The trouble itself |
is an abnormal condition not common
to transmission lines. When an in
terruption occurs it is normally one
of short repair, but due to impossible
roads and snowdrifts in this partic-
ular trouble section, the duration of
shutdown has been of considerable
concern to the company.
"The repair linemen with their
teams and trucks have encountered ;
delays from mud and snow,
and most of the shutdown duration ,
has been due to delay in getting to ;
the seat Of the trouble.
Similar to Summer Disturbances
Frequent interruptions have occur
red lately from causes unknown and
beyond the control of our company.
! comparatively short stretch of the
line, and the company's
engineers, after investigation, find
hat the trouble has probably been
lue to a breakdown of some insula-
,ors brought on by the frequency of
lightning disturbances to which this t
particular section of the Palouse
country is subject in the summer
ime. The insulators apparently
how no indication of leakage when
he weather is dry and the winds nor f
nal. But when the insulators are q
ubjected to high winds and driving +
insulator probably al N
ows moisture to seep through, caus- f
ng leakage and consequent break f
ng down of service due to the pole a
op burning. The condition of the .
nsulator can not be determined on
he pole, but must be taken down for cs
pecial testing. II
Company Spares No Expense =.
"Our company is a pioneer in the p
obstruction and operation of high q,
ension transmission lines, and most +,
the employees who originally built 2
1e Palouse line are still in the en- VI
ar experience several years ago, and oy
fter investigation bonded the pole r.
ms over the entire line, eliminating 4,
lis trouble at that time. The pres =,
nt trouble is a new development, and hr
e are sparing no expense nor time 90
an effort to overcome it. IN
within the last week large num-
sr of insulators have been taken or
own from this section Of the line and fo
re being inspected and subjected to n,
SITS, in order to determine more M
lily the cause Some of these in =
llators show evidence of having ~,
zen shot at as target and we are 90
king steps to apprehend any one ~
olating the law in this manner to g.
.osecute them to the full extent of ~
e law" an
do