The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-10-01
Link in Longest
Electric Power
Line Completed
Harrington Centerville Con.
nection Is One of Last
to Be Made in
System.
Special Dispatch to The Omaha Bee.

Special Dispatch to The Omaha Bee.
Minneapolis, Sept. 30.-With the
testing yesterday of 60,00U-volt cleo
trio transmissian power line between
Centerville, s. D., and Harrington,
Neb., one OF the final steps was taken
to form 700-mile arc of high tension
lines-the longest In the United States,
reaching from Eau Claire and Chippe-
wa Falls, Wis, westward and south
ward through the twin cities, Sioux
Falls. S. D., and Sioux City. Ia, to
Omaha.
The CenterviIle- Harrington connec-
ton was installed by the Minnesota
Electric Distributing company. which
with the properties of the Tristate
Utilities company, Is owned by W. b.
Foshay & Co. of Minneapolis, invest
ment brokers.
The 700-mile stretch OF high voltage
lines is the result OF cooperation be-
tween the Minnesota Electric Distri-
buting company. the Tristate com
pany, Northern States Power COM
pany, Sioux City Gas and Electric
company and several other pubic utili-
ties corporations.
The plan to connect the power lines
of differtnt companies has been
worked out to equalize the distribution
of electric power throughout this Sec
ton of the northwest.
w B. Foshay. president OF the
Foshay company, and Fl. H. Henley,
president of the Minnesota Electric
Distributing and Tristate Utilities
companies, declared the cooperative
plan has been tried out in the east
during the last year or two and Is
found to be satisfactory. The link
formed by completing the Centerville-
Harrington sector cost the Minnesota
Electric Distributing company $500, 900
and furnishes power to half dozen
towns.
Only two more connections must be
made before the 700-mile path from
Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire o
Omaha Is completed. One of these is
a 30-mile gap lying beween Mountain
Lake and Slayton, In southwestern
Power company hopes to have this
connection made early In the spring
The other is a 4O.mile stretch just
south of Sioux City on the line to
Omaha. now being built by the Nc
Graw company of Sioux City. This
will be completed before winter.
The extensive hook up is having the
effect. Mr.. Henley said. of providing
cheaper power for scores of small
towns throughout Minnesota. North
Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. Under
the program of extensions to be car
ried on by the Minnesota Electric Dis
tributing and the Trstate Utilities
companies. several loop circuits
through groups of towns are to be
completed
Heretofore power has been fur
nished by these companies to groups
Of towns, but the Ines have been iso-
lated and have never been Joined
through one circuit. The Minnesota
Elecric Distributing and the Tristate
Utilities companies now have 800
miles OF TRANSMISSION line and fur
nish current to SO towns, according
to Mr.. Foshay.
In building the line from Centerville
to Harrington, Mr.. Hensley said a
difficult engineering feat was accom-
plshed in spanning the Missouri river
south of Gayyille. s. ID. At that point
the river Is 1000 feet broad, Mr.. Hen
ley explained. One embankment rises
$50 feet from the water, and the other
Is very low. I'VE had to build a pom
toon bridge across the river to lay the
three high tension wires upon II.
Steel structures were built on each
bank of the river and the lines drawn
into the air from the pontoon bridge"
ha oafd