The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-05-30
HUGE SAYING
IS0FFERED0N
OIL ENGINES
Would Cut Electricity Cost in
Water Works and White
Way $4,000 a Year
RIDD ERS APPEA A r
Declare That Installation of
City's Own Power Plant
Would Mean Saving

NudTdHteeS tnat Cne city W0ul0 q
be saved several thousand dollars a
year in the cost of pumping water
in new water works by the install
'lation of Diesel oil burning engines,
were made to the members of the
city commission and citizens COM
mittee sitting last night to hear
repre- esentatives Of various bidders.
A representative of Fairbanks,
Morse & Co., declared the city on
the expected pumpage of water
would save $6,929.00 in the cost Of
rrmping and in an extended White
Way system would save over $4,000
more, bringing the total saving to
$1O,l29.O0 per year.
He explained the cost of a 300
horse power engine was $22 1900 90. 1t
would have an electric output Of
100 kilowats per hour. Figuring in
terest on the investment, deprecia.
tion, cost of running and fuel: the
latter at $7.35 per day. he declar-
ed that kilowat hour of electricity
could be manufactured for "a cents
and the total cost with overhead
would be $1.27 cents per kilowat
hour.
He compared this with 3-cent
rate now paid the Hughes Electric
Company for electric current to get
the saving.
He declared he would ask one hour
a day of one mans time to run the
engine.
IF we can't do as We claim. we
will tear out the engine and take it
back. and bear all expenses" he
said.
Big Saving, Claim
He declared that use of an oil
burning engine was saving local
milling company $1,000 month in
electric power bills. and that the
engine was being installed in scores
of mills and hundreds of eastern
manufacturing plants.
Any fuel from 1900 B. T. u. up
can be used, he said-crude oil, kcr-
osene, distillate, other fuels. The
average cost to the local mill fol
fuel is 7 l-2 cents per gallon he said
His figures were based on a higher
fuel cost. If the city can buy fuel at
71-2 cents per gallon, the cost Of
manufacturing a kilowat hour OF
electricity would be cut to "a cents
Another speaker for the Worthing-
ton engine estimated a fixed charge
at 1S percent of the operating cost
which he said was high. The en-
CINE would furnish power to pump
1000, 900 gallons of water in II
hours. The cost of 200 horse
power engine would be $4,000, he
said, and cost of fuel tank, exten
sion of building, etc, would make
the total cost of the power plant
$4,000.
Figuring the various items he said
that at this rate kilowat hour of
electricity could be produced for 2.72
cents, and that with increased pump
age which was expected in new
water works it could be reduced to
2 cents.
Many bids on Diesel or semi DIGS
ell engines we're submitted, as fol-
lows:
Worthington engines, 200 h. p.
Diesel, $4,000; 800 h. p. $26,6OO al
ternate 225 h. p. $21,69o. Mcintosh
and Seymour, 200 h. r. $27.6OO; 2eo
h. p. Van Severn $18,450; 1926 h. p.
Anderson $25, 500; 800 h. p. Mcintosh
and Seymour. $4,000. Chicago
Pneumatic Tool engine, 200 h. =.
$4,000: Fairbanks, Morse, 200 h. p.
$16,13O: 800 h. p. $22,360; 100 h. p.
alternate $9,145. r. B. Whitaker &
Co.. bid on Allis- Chalmers engine,
200 h. p. $2s,7140O; 800 h. p. s34.-
601.0O
No action has been taken yet on
these bids.