White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-06-08
EYES OF WORLD NOW
ON PRIEST RAPIDS

The Priest Rapids power site
can no longer be claimed as q
local, state or even o national in
Its magnitude and pos
sibilities arc now attracting the
of the whole world as
evidenced by the following news
story that appeared in the April
1S, 1923, issue Of the London,
Daily Mail:
Compared with England, the
United States is almost a servant
less country; but it is estimated
that every American has at his
beck and call the equivalent of
forty horses In power supplied by
steam, petrol, and electricity.
"In producing this some 800,
900, 600 tons of coal are, consumed
yearly. The contribution Of oil
is probably greater. But in un-
developed water-power there are
according to the Computations Of
more than eighty mil
lions of horsepower going to
waste every year.
''The dream Of the scieptists is
to harness this water to the in
dustry of the country. They see
the first extensive realization of
this dream in the expectation that
work will soon be started on the
of the waters Of the
Columbia River at Priest Rapids
in the State of Washington. This
is one Of the five greatest water
powers of the world. The Presi-
dent of the Company which owns
the project is Henry j. Pierce,
II Broadway, New York City.
"The scheme aims at the mob
ilization of 100000 hip. in elec-
tricity. With this it is proposed
to convert one hundred thou
sand acres of harsh and arid
land into fiourishing farms; to
run dozens of Industrial plants;
and to establish q large and
brand new cityswhich shall be
coalless and smokeless and spot
lessly clean.
"The site of this city Of cleo
tricity is Priest Rapids. The
name can be deciphered with the
aid of magnifying glass on any
map of Western America. 1t is.
. bleak spot, situated just where
The mighty Columbia River takes
a downward plunge Of ninety feet
Ia a distance, of nine 1niles.
@-" At thy1 the greatest water
power site in the United States
west Of the Niagara, there is to
be constructed, first Of all, at an
estimated expenditure of f6,000-
900 the greatest dam in the world,
not excepting the Assuan dam
across the Nile. The dam will be
two miles long and ninety feet
high.
simultaneously. will be con.
structed the model electric city
Of the future, with houses for an
initial population Of 10000 work
ers and factories without chin
neya.
>tsttIt is estimated that the town
will cost f2,500,000, the electrical
power station fS,50O,000 and the
factories another f4,250,000.
"Two of the industrial works
to be thus established will be de-
voted to electro-chemical and
electro metallurgical proccssvs,
from Europe. They will
require 100000 hip.
cit is proposed also to manu-
facture steel, abrasives, ferro-
alloys, wood-pulp, paper, cement,
glass and pottery among other
things. For industry 100000 hip.
will be utilized; for irrigation
and farming enterprises in a now
arid soil Of incalculable fertility
100000 hip. of secondary energy.
"There will be a transmission
line 40 miles long to carry 1U',
900 hip. of secondary. energy to
Seattle and Tacoma, so that those
towns will be relieved Of the neccs-
sity of employing steam electric
plants in the low-water period OF
the Pacific slope.
"The enthusiastic prediction is
that Priest Rapids, inas few short
years, will realize the fondest
dream Of DR.. Charles T.. Stein
metz, the electrical wizard of
America, and present to the world
the spectacle of great industrial
centre, Immediately clean. send
ing it's products by steamer and
railway to all corners Of the
earth. :"
M WbooIor nm Thu~.Ios, cold