IN AMERICA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1719, 9 January 1920, Page 5

IN AMERICA.

AN ENGINEER'S EXPERIENCES.

Mr Stanley O. W. David, who left his homo town of Palmerston North five years ago in order to study civil engineering in America, returned yesterday. He is a son of the late Mrs Conrad David, of Fitzherbert street, and was educated at tho P«almer3ton North Boys' High School. In America he obtained a, .wide insight into modern methods of engineering and gained many interesting impressions. Arriving tiio'-o is the early part of 1915 he immedi ately entered (he Polytechnic College of Engineering, Oakland, California, an institution that specialises in irrigation and land development engineering, hydro-electric work, highway construction and modern municipal engineering. On the'completion of two years' study Mr David went over the border into Canada and was for a term em-

ployed in a land development scheme involvitifif the sinking of deep level wells, untjl he donned khaki with the Canadian engineers. Returning from the front he was attached as resident engineer to a. huge irrigation work being conducted in California.

While in California Mr David had the opportunity of visiting the Hetch Hetehoty project, the gigantic liydro-electrio source of power that supplies the two cities of San Francisco and Oakland. Mr Davis explained that the power is carried from the source by 150 miles of overhead transmission cables supported on steel transmission towers. Sixty thousand volts of high tension electrical current are transmitted and these arc taken into sub-stations and transformed to a voltage suitable for lighting and power purposes. Water power has been developed to suoh an extent in California that street cars, lighting and machinery in factories' are all actuated bv water produced power. Immense electrical advertising signs are a feature of San Francisco by

night. One huge sign used by n. theatrical company in Market street lias 23 000 bulbs of various colours. This street'is known as the "path of gold" in comparison with the great " white way " of Now York. Incidentally it contains four tram lines, the cars on which are driven by hydroelectricitv.

The initial cost of installing these hydroelectric schemes was enormous but the maintenance was trifling l compared to tliat of a steam plant.