224 EDWARD H. SANBORN 



in the process of building some of the largest steel steamships 

 that ply the great lakes. 



An advance beyond the utilization of the power of 

 Niagara falls is that developed during the census year, and 

 more recently perfected, by means of which electric current 

 is transmitted from the Sierras in eastern California as far 

 as San Francisco and other cities adjacent to the Pacific 

 seaboard. This constitutes the longest electric power trans- 

 mission in the world, the distance being nearly ten times 

 that on the American side of Niagara falls. A further strik- 

 ing difference is that, whereas the development at Niagara 

 is due to the falling of water in huge volume under a head of 

 only from 150 to 200 feet, in California large enterprises 

 depend upon the utihzation of relatively small bodies of 

 water, but with heads of from 500 to 1,500 and 1,800 feet. 

 In that state, where fuel is still scarce and dear, a great 

 many mining plants have been brought within the sphere 

 of feasibility by this electric power transmission, and a large 

 amount of miscellaneous work throughout the state is now 

 tributary to these long distance transmissions, which excel 

 in daring, in number, and in commercial success anything 

 attained elsewhere in the world. 



The transmission of the power of the North Yuba river, 

 in the Sierras, to San Francisco, above referred to, effected 

 by the Bay counties and Standard systems, stretches across 

 and ramifies through no fewer than 16 counties, containing 

 property to the amount of three fifths of the assessed valuation, 

 and about one half of the population of the state. The sys- 

 tems have two sources of supply, one at Colgate, over 200 

 miles from the Golden Gate, and the other at Electra, about 

 150 miles distant, these systems meeting on San Francisco 

 bay, at Mission San Jose and at Oakland. 



The power plant at Colgate is situated at the base of a 

 1,500 foot hill, down the side of which extend five steel pipes, 

 each 30 inches in diameter, delivering water to the turbines. 

 Water is brought to these pipes from the impounded river 

 and from a remote watershed by means of a timber flume 

 over 7 miles in length with a capacity of carrying 23,000 

 cubic feet of water per minute. The turbines drive 3 gener- 



