VOL. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH. 16, 1912.
■j ''roUHSkiiiit,.,      n.
I fin
NO. 11
Electric Light and Power for Farms
Power Plants on One Hundred Streams
PLANTS  COMITjETKD   AND   UNDER
•    CONSTRUCTION     IX   MANY
.SECTIONS OF INDIANA.
It seems strange  that in    this    day
are several instances in our own state
where the success of the enterprise
bears out the truth of this statement, anel are demonstrations of
the possibilities that it suggests. There
is hardly a territory throughout the
central western states that has not access to some sort of stream that could
be utilized as a power producer.
It is not only the large stream that
Concrete Dam at Keokuk.
At Keokuk, Iowa, is another example that would be more possible to
be duplicated in other parts of the
country.
To tke small town man or the farmer who has at command the flow of
any water, even if quite small, an explanation of what is being ai-e-eein-
plished at Keokuk is sure to prove
food for careful thought. While the
work there is, of course, of gigantic
size its effects can be duplicated  on  a
ported by concrete piers built
as a part of the dam proper.
The working of these gates
will regulate the water up stream, the
present plan being to back up the river
for a distance of 60 miles north of
Keokuk.
The Power House is to be 1400 feet
long, and 132 feet wide, founded on
solid concrete. An Ice fender is being
built up-stream for 2800 feet of concrete masonry, pierced below the water line to admit the full strength of
the current for power, but at the sur-
Concrete Dam  Building Across the Mississippi   River  at   Keokuk,   Iowa,   for  Electric   Power  and   Light.
**hen so much attention is given on
every hand to conservation of our natural resources—soil, forests, etc., there
is not more attention paid to the conservation of the unlimited supply of
energy that is exerted by our streams
and rivers. Even the most sanguine
optimist fails to realize the fullest
value of streams and rivers, that In
undeveloped state await
human      ingenuity      to    make
welcome servants. The
of      hundreds      of      streams
he      harnessed, as      some
their
only
the-m
water
could
"ave already been,  and  made  to  fur
nish
power and light for cities,  towns
an<i rural homes. Not only could
Power be furnished but it could be
^'I'Plied at such a low rate nuel in
s"°h amounts that the humblest homos
J°«ia afford to he lighted by electric
*Thts,    and  De fumighp,]     %v_th   many
e  such   modern   conveniences   that
e n<nv so rare in most country and
mr"iy town   homes.
st"*eams in Indiuna Now Used.
01,8 is not an impossible plan. There
should receive consideration. In the
days when mills were run by water
power not always the energy of large
streams was utilized. If small streams
were used in fhose days to advantage,
how much better use could they be
put to these days! In place of wood
for the dams they may now be constructed with concrete and made many
times more durable. In place of applying the power direct to the mill
near the dam, it can now be used to
operate dynamos and the power sent
in the form of electricity by wires for
miles and miles around where it can
be used in an. almost unlimited number  of  ways.
The best and largest example of this
kind where falling water is utilized
is at Niagara Falls. There electricity
is generated and used to furnish electric lights at Buffalo, the city of Niagara, and Toronto. Tn addition to
this it is utilized to run the electric
cars and by many manufacturers. But
the advantages at Niagara Falls are
exceptionally good for furnishing pow-
smaller scale in many parts of the
country.
Keokuk is not a large city compared to the vastness of the enterprise it
has undertaken. The Keokuk Dam,
which is nearly completed, stretches
for almost a mile across the great
Mississippi River from the power
house on the Iowa side to the Illinois
shore at Hamilton. When completed
it will raise 32 feet from the river bed,
and will be 42 feet wide at the base.
The entire construction calls for 7,000
tons of steel, and 650,000 barrels of
cement. Up stream its face will be
verticle and down stream it is to be
curved for additional strength, and to
throw the overflow away from the
foot of the dam, thus preventing undermining. The present plan Is to
back up the river for a distance of 60
miles from Keokuk. This gigantic
proposition will supply power to generate 200,000 electrical horse power.
The spillway, or section built to take
care of the overflow will be fitted with
119      great      steel      floodgates      sup-
face, and above, made solid to prevent
ic and logs from reaching the power-
generating  machinery.
The value of this dam to Keokuk
and Hamilton can scarcely be estimated. The additional cheap power
will bring new industries to both cities.
This will increase the population,
which will in turn Increase land valuo
in both districts, not only the towns
but the surrounding country as well.
Right there is where such improvements are of tremenduous value to the
farmer, and this value can be greatly
increased if he will undertake them on
his own property, or in conjuction
with his neighbors, no matter how
small the scale.
Power Plant at Bedford, Indiana.
There are many such examples in
various parts of the country and several in Indiana of a smaller scale. Perhaps the largest of these hydro-electric plants, as they are called in this
state- is the one that is now being constructed near Redford on White River.