ALL ELECTRIC CITY.

Grey River Argus, 22 June 1923, Page 6

ALL ELECTRIC CITY.

Compared with England, the United States is almost a sorvantlcss country; but it is estimated that ovary American has at his beck and call the equivalent of forty horses in power supplied by steam, petrol, and electricity (writes the New York correspondent of the London (l Daily Mail?') In producing this, some 800,000,000 tons of coal are consumed yearly, 'rhe contribution of oil is probably greater. But in the undeveloped water power there are, according to the computations of engineers, more than eighty millions of horse power going 1o waste every The dream of the scientists is to harness this water to the- industry of the country. They see the first extensive realisation of this dream in the announcement made a few days ago, from the headquarters of the great electrical interests at Schenectady, ihaf work is about to be. started on the exploitation of the waters of the Columbia River in the State of Washington. 'fhe scheme aims at the mobilisation of 800,000 horse power in electricity. With this it is proposed to ("invert one hundred thousand acres of harsh and arid land into flourishii < larms; to run dozens of immense in dustrial plants, and to establish a large brand-new city, which shall be coalless and smokeless, and spotlessly clean. The site of this city of electricity is Priest Rapids. The name can be deciphered with the aid of a magnifying glass on any map of Western America. It is a bleak spot situated just where the mighty Columbia River takes a downward plunge of ninety feet in a distance of nine miles. At this, the greatest water power site -. T'nited States, west of Niagara there is to be constructed, first of all. at an estimated expenditure of £G,000,000, tho 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 iconstrueted eno model electric city of the iulure, with houses for an iinG" l ’"-nulation o'-’ 40.000 workers, and factories without chimneys. It is estimated that, the town will cost £2.500,000, the electrical power station £8,500,000. and the factories another £4.250,000. Two of the industrial works tn be thus established Avill be devoted to electro-chemical and electrometallurgical processes, the rights of which have been acquired from Europe. They will require 150,000 h.p. It is proposed also to .manulacture steel, abrasives, ferro-alloys, wood-pulp, paper, cement, glass and pottery, among other things. For industry 400,000 h.p. will be utilised; for irrigation and farming enterprises in a now arid soil of incalculable fertility, 300,000 h.p. of secondary energy.