Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21
VALLEY TRUCK
REQUIRES Much
: ice IN SHIPPING
High Voltage Lines of
Big Company Supplies
Power and Light to
Many Towns

Anticipating the needs Of the Valley
before the need arose and always keep
ing their plants ahead of the demands,
The ralley Electric and Ice Co., is play
ing an important part in the develop
ment of the Lower Rio Grande.
Every refrigerator car Of fruit or
vegetable TO leave the Valley is iced at
n of the several plants of this com-
PAM and towns from Mission to San
Benito are lighted from it's high volt
are power lines.
So rapid has been the increase in
the demand for electric current for
power and lighting in the Valley since
September, 1923 that the second addi-
ton to the generations capacity of the
company's plants, which serve the en-
tire Valley with the exception of Har-
lingen and Brownsville, has become
necessary.
The company came to the Valley in
1913 with the plan to consolidate and
l~nterconnect all their properties. thus
improving the service and providing an
adequate supply Of power for any de-
mand which might be made, according
70 Z. b. Neiswanger, general manager.
Inc initial plant, the La Palma station
at San benito, was loaded to capacity
seven months after it was started and
De1ore the year was out work was he.
gun on the installation of additional
capacity in the form of a steam tpr-
bine, making this a 5000 horsepower
plant. The original equipment was
driven by Diesel engines.
The high tension power line from
MISSION to San Benito has met the
general demand for service, including
opwer for large industrial and irrigation
plants, until a second power plant has
become necessary, and announcement
was made last month by the companv
that a power generating plant would
De located at Mission, giving a supply
at Dotn ends of the line and sufficient
capacity to meet future needs for some
time.
The Mission plant is to be a substan-
tiai fire-proof structure built initiaIlv
Tor 1000 horsepower, the generators to
be driven by Diesel engines and proyi-
sion has been made to enlarge the
plant as necessary. When this plant is
completed the company will have an
p!oximately $780, 900 invested in power
stations according to Mr.. Neiswanger.
Contracts for the building at Mission
nave been let and the plant is expect
ed to be in Operation in February.
1925.
With the completion of this plant the
Rio Grande Valley system will have
the largest Diesel engine driven power
system supplying strictly utility service
in the country, Mr.. Neiswanger said.
The company will then be in a position
to handle the demands Of large power
consumers without delay of installing
additional equipment.
PAns for further development of the
supply before the end of 1925 are being
considered by officials of the company.
While the Mission plant is under con-
struction the distributing lines belong
ing to the company are being extended
TO Matamoros on the south and to Raw
mondville, practically completing trans
mission arteries to all developed por-
tions of the Valley included in Cameron.
Hidalgo and Willacy counties.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of ice
enough to freeze the entire Valley if
all of it was available at one time-are
used yearly to protect Valley truck on
its way to market throughout the Unit
ed States, and some ice is being used in
cars of fruit if the shipment is to trav-
Ell a long way before being unloaded.
The supplying of this ice and placing it
in the cars is a big industry of itself re-
curing an investment of MANY thous-
ands dollars and one without which the
Valley could never. lave attained it's
present success.
Every refrigerator car that leaves any
town of the Valley from Mission to San
Benito, whether it be a freight or ex-
press shipment, is iced by the Valley
Electric and Ice Company at one of it's
large plants. These plants are located
at San Benito, Harrington, Mercedes,
Donna, Weslaco, Pharr, McAllen and