Imperial Valley press., 1935-09-24


dlstrlct rancher, to Evan T. Hewes.
president of the Imperial Irrigation
District, is presented here for the
lniotrlatiOn of Press readers:
El Centre, California
September 20, 1885
Mr.. Evan T. HeWes, President,
Imperial Irrigation District,
FL Centric, California.
Dear Mr., Hewes:
In the battle between the ad-
Vccates Of public ownership of Ger
tain power projects and various
power companies-one is led to be-
ileVe by said companies that hydro
power is about to become a thing
of the past
steam turbine efficiencies are
Haunted in your face; a decrease Of
1900 power plants over the 1917
period is noted and claim is made
that SO per cent of all electricity
Gsed--is supplied by 215 Of the re-
naming $500 power stations.
Word is also being sent out that
tho cost of hydro power develop
nent is now greater than steam and
far less efficient. for instance one
article I read, stated that a modern
steam plant could be installed for
4rom $50 to $40 per XIV, whereas a
hydro installation costs from $125 to
$3.50 or more per K.W.-and that
hydro power necessitates transmits
sion lines costing from $1,000 to
$4,000 a mile and entails loss OF
Is Per cent of dissipated power en-
route to the consumer, etc.
For some reason or another the
ink runs out at this point and you
are left to think it over
Necessity ordains that we of I'M
perial Valley develop the power re-
sources that viii soon be ours, or
pay fer the Ail-American canal in
the form Of taxes, which is painful
to even think about.
Being a taxpayer and having nine
long years of hydro and steam pow
er plant experience in back of me,
! feel that the stories circulated be-
tore the public should be complete,
- AtlAl OAlCAIll5 lAlC AOAASWAiAka 4CA
your consideration.
1t is true that steam turbine cf-
ficiencies have increased enormous
" over the cid reciprocating type
steam engine, and monsTouS units
ere, and have been installed in big
cities. But merely determining the
amount of fuel required to produce
a certain number of kiloWatts does
not determine the final cost of the
kilCwatt as it leaves the plant and
starts on its way to the consumer.
There is an overhead OF operation,
maintenance, etc. yet to be added
and it is plenty when the company
appears before the railroad commits
sion to have their rates set.
However, the efficiency Of these
steam turbines has done one thing
it has caused the present large
merged power companies to aban-
don their small obsolete steam and
gas electric plants-tfor instance
the old Holton Power gas-eelctric
station, the Redondo steam plant
which isn't 50 far distant from our
valley-and thousands of others OF
various Sizes.
When the great mergers were
made great inter-connecting lines
were built and hundreds Of small
power companies lost their identity
and that is why there are fewer
power plants in cur country than in
1917.
However, and remember this-no
water rights were ever given up and
40 hydro plants, to my knowledge,
have ever been closed down, unless
to make room fer a larger or
more efficient plant out Of same,
nor will a power company let a
hydro possibility slip through its
fingers if it can help it.
Cites Eastern Line
Not so long ago the Philadelphia
Electric company, operating several
efficient steam plants, and by the
way, the second largest turbine in
the world, said turbine having a
capacity OF 10000 XIV. - and
having cheap coal nearby-built the
CCHOWlnSO power tstIll dCloSo ILlC
Susquehana river at a cost Of $49,-
000,000, the installed plant capacity
being 252,0OO XIV.
It is claimed that the dependable
power amounts to but 10000 XIV.
the remainder being secondary
power-this power is transmitted 65
miles-yet the officials of this COM
pany admit that they are satisfied. ]
Guess this company hasn't any
municipal worries on its hands.
The claim that 90 per cent Of all
electricity is supplied by 215 sta
tions may be correct, but those sta
tions are not generating SO per cent
OF all the Juice" used-because one
third of all electricity used in the
U. S. is produced by hydro power
plants-(93 per cent plus 80 1-3 per
cent-males more than 100 per cent
add it up for yourself0
However, the stations referred to
are perhaps what we call Cen
tral stations"-most all hydro plants