OCR Text |
Show 5 uz7 xaaca 6 THE 9 The romantic story of elec- o tricity is deserving of volumes. This limited narrative must be confined to a mere touching on the potentialities of this world operative force. The most economical automotive power o CITIZEN JJnnsti IFfrsss ttlfo A r. V k, ' J ; ". 'if-- , I! ed laboriously oveV' transport mountain roads to almost inaccess- ible sites. Even then the task of power development is only half done and before that power is available to mankind, great lines must be built over mountain and plain. There must also be built and maintained a an age of convenience. No longer physical energy, but electrical energy moves the world. We have little more to do than press a button and like the ancient fable of Aladdins Lamp, our wish is materialized. Electricity is the nucleus from which all industry has developed, and without this power commerce would stagnate. The history of industrial and domestic advancement can easilv be read in the annals of electrical progress. Not more than forty seven years ago in New York City, the first generating station went into operation and the electric power and light industry was born. This infant plant had but six generators, each with a capacity of 125 horsepower and dispensed a current along the limited circuit length of 13 miles. Today in the United States alone the total generating capacity in electric plants amounts to more than 20,000,000 horespower. There is scarcely any phase of modern life in which this invisible, yet potential force does not affect, if not control, the thought and action of the world. Power in Utah in 1895 Development of electrical energy from water power in this intermountain territory was first attempted in 1895. Among the early plants in Salt Lake Valley was one on the Big Cottonwood, and one on the Ogden River. The industry quickly took hold and soon a number of small plants and systems were built, each serving a very limited territory. An adequate and dependable supply from this indegenuous method was not produced until the tali Power and Light Company was organized in 1912. It was then that these small concerns were consolidated into a super-pow- er f ?r ; ! i i . i I I : life-givi- ) Interior Lifton Plant , Showing the 5 Pumping Units ce ng subsidiary network of distributing circuits of about 3000 miles of line. The Utah Power and Light company through years of construction and keen engineering, now is operating efficiently just such a networl' of more than 2,000 miles of transmission, thus making possible an unfaltering service to 250 communities throughout the intermountain region. Fifteen years ago the company was serving about 40,000 customers while today, and steadily increasing, more than 100,-00- 0 consumers are employing this power an increase of 150. Wide Field Served The problem of keeping this power supply flowing through its many channels without effecting delay or annoyance to the home or industry, requires constant vigilance. A veritable army of the companys workmen are patroling the lines in all sorts of weather, snow and rain, with never ceasing watchfulness. A trouble call brings the employe to his post of duty whether it be mid day or mid night. Here in the intermountain section electricity is constantly meeting the demands of interurban and street railways, the coal and metal mines and industry in general, for efficient and economical power. Electric service today, is available at rates which have made it advantageous to the consumer to supplant other means of supplying his power requirements with electricity. The Utah Power and Light power is delivered to the adjacent coal mines, where, in spite of the fact that these mines have unlimited supply of cheap fuel at hand, which could be used in the operation of steam plants, electric service supplied by this company has proved to be more economical and dependable. By. making this dependable service available at a minimum cost this company is stimulating the industrial growth and substantially contributing to the upbuilding of this region. The uses of lighting have become more and more numerous, until now it may be classed as one of the fine arts. A very important factor in the welfare of any community is its street lighting system. Not only is an efficient street lighting system a preventive of crime, but statistics show that insufficient street illumination is the cause of many accidents. As a result of hearty between the citizens and the power company in the interest of civic wcl- high-volta- ge system. The Utah Power and Light company with their relative expansion during the past 17 years has figured as one of the chief factors toward the rapid growth of this terri-- . tory, mainly in the progress which was and is being made in development of water power resources. Water conservation is of vital in the countrys welfare, especially here in the West, where irrigation is the very life of the farming industry. The companys development of Bear Lake as a storage reservoir and its installation of an enormous Lifton pumping plant has been of invaluable service to the farming communities. When all the land in this section that could be irrigated by gravity was developed still there remained large areas of rich soil which lacked only the water. Then electric power for irrigation came into use and the Utah Power and Light company, by im-poran- 3 be The people of today are living in V 4 Grace Pipe Lines supplying water to arid regions, have been the means of doubling and trebling these land values. Development a Problem development is not a simple proposition. Probably no other form of development of a natural resource requires more extensive and complicated alteration of the face of nature than a water power Hydro-electri- c plant. In the construction of these plants, entire rivers have to be diverted from their natural channels and carried for miles in immense flumes or pipe lines. Large dams must be constructed on bedrock foundations, which often necessitates excavating far below the natural river bed. For this purpose machinery weighing hundreds of tons must j. ion (Continued on page 12) L" |