THE STATE REVIEW. 



15 



MICHIGAN POWER STREAMS. 



If you want to see the greatest transformation 

 ever wrought in western Michigan by anv set of 

 men in the same length of time, yon should visit 



if Croton and witness the erection of the second of 



|j v the big dams by which the Grand Rapids-Muske- 

 guii IW-er Company propose to control the power 



of the Big and Little Muskegon rivers, and which 

 will generate enough electrical energy to turn 

 the wheels of nearly every manufacturing indus- 

 try, and light the cities and towns in that part 

 of the state, says the Howard City Record. 



The first of the dams erected by this company 

 is carrying power into Grand Rapids and Mus- 

 kegon, and is furnishing the current by which the 

 Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon and 

 the Grand Rapids, Lake Michigan & Chicago in- 

 terurbans are operating. 



1 he contract calls for the completion of the 

 dam at Croton by February next, but it is not 

 believed that the second power plant will be in 

 operation in so short a time. An army of men 

 '.is at work, however, and work is being pushed 



' as rapidly as possible, as the company has a mar- 

 ket waiting for the additional power to be gen- 

 erated at the new dam. 



At Croton the most optimistic of men would 

 see much to inspire them. It is here that the 



iteiajestic Big and Little Muskegon join forces. 

 For JO years these streams were used solely to 

 float logs to the mills at Muskegon, but the 

 wealth of timber that they floated in the half- 

 century will be a mere bagatelle to the riches that 

 will be derived from the harnessing of the en- 

 ergy of the two streams. Thousands have de- 

 plored the loss of the lumber industry along the 

 .'yon rivers, and many have remarked upon 

 its possibilities as a generator of power, but it 

 remained fur the Erwin brothers, of Muskegon, 

 to make the attempt to develop this wonderful 

 power. It is questioned sometimes whether they 

 at tir^t realized the stupendous possibilities of the 

 project they were undertaking. It was about 



' three year- ago that they began acquiring flow- 

 rights on both streams. They realized early 

 that in order to make a success of the scheme 

 and make the proposition attractive to capitalists 

 it would be necessary to have practically a mo- 

 nopoly of the water rights. It was not long be- 

 fore ambitious capitalists also -iw the possibilities 

 of the I'.rwins' scheme for developing the power 

 of the rivers and for a time there was a merry 

 though quiet scrap between two factions of mon- 

 eyed men to gain control. Finallv the Erwins, 

 aided by Grand Rapids representative": of the 

 >n company, were victorious over those in- 

 tcivsts represented by the veteran William T. 

 Hess and other Grand Rapids capitalists, and the 

 latter retired from the scene. 



Xext came the real work, that of interesting 

 eastern capitalists in the project. This was ac- 

 complished and the Grand Rapids-Muskegon 

 Power Company was organized with a capital of 

 $1,000,000, of which $700,001) was preferred stock. 

 A bond is-iie of .'>:,, nno.iioo was authorized. July 



~15, l!)0.->. the capital was doubled, and the $2.000,- 

 000 is equally divided between common and pre- 

 ferred. Xone of this stock is on the market. 

 1 'am No. 1 was completed and the power plant 



wvas put into operation early this year. The de- 

 mand for power was so great that its capacity of 

 C.OOo h. p. was quickly exhausted, and it was 

 decided to begin work immediatelv on dam No. 

 2, n site ju~t below the confluence of the Big and 

 Little Muskegon rivers being chosen for its erec- 

 tion. As the river winds about it develops a cur- 

 rent very swift at the place where the dam is 

 "icing constructed. A new channel has been cut 

 .nd is ready for the roaring river to be let into 



"in as the wheels arc ready. 

 The dam proper will be 400 feet in length, with 

 retaining wall extending to the east bank of 

 he stream, which will add another 300 feet to 

 he huge structure, making it the third largest 

 'am in Michigan. The Croton dam will develop 

 2,000 horse power. The company owns five 

 liles of its own railway, connecting with the 

 -"ere Marquctte at Croton Junction on the line 

 >elwccn Xewaygo and White Cloud. One loco- 



motive and about fifty freight cars arc in use on 

 the short line. 



Electricity runs everything at the dam. Pile 

 drivers, cement mixers, pumps for furnishing 

 water for all the company's buildings, band saws, 

 rip saws, grindstones, etc., are all driven by the 

 Muskegon's electrical energy. One feature that 

 impresses every visitor to the dam and gives one 

 a foresight of the convertibility of electricity to 

 everyday uses on the farm and everywhere else 

 as soon as the rapidly approaching new era 

 dawns, is the presence of perhaps two dozen small 

 motors mounted on skids and scattered around 

 the whole "diggings," some in use and some not. 

 \Vhcn a new location is sought all there is to it 

 is to hitch a team to the "boat," haul the machine 

 to where it is needed, attach the wires and set 

 the current at work. This greatly reduces the 

 cost of operations in building the dam. 



The dam will be 50 feet high from the bed of 

 the river, and when completed it is figured will 

 have a 40-foot head of water. There will be eight 

 gigantic turbine wheels, six immense gates, eight 

 piers and a ''beartrap." 



A third darn will probably be erected at Davis, 

 further down the river, it being expected that 

 about '6,000 horse power will be secured there. 



The possibility for small towns being supplied 

 with power from this series of dams is thought to 

 be good after two or three years when all the 

 dams are built and the pimit of power needed in 

 adjoining big cities is supplied. 



CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING. 

 Advertising in the classified col- 

 umns of the "State Review'' 

 will be inserted at the rate of 7 

 cents per agate line. 



Help Wanted. 



THE STATE REVIEW wants reliable subscrip- 

 tion agents in all parts of Michigan. Liberal 

 commission. Address State Review, 1406 Ma- 

 jestic Bldg.. Detroit. 



BOOKKEEPER and general office work; sales- 

 man for gent's furnishing. 79 Home Bank, De- 

 troit. 



COLLECTOR Experienced collector, with best 

 of references, wanted at once ; good money for 

 right man. Business Men's Credit Exchange, 

 '.}>:, Hammond Bldg., Detroit. 



YOUNG MAN, good habits and scholar, position 

 to keep cost and material in sheet metal works. 

 W. J. Burton Co., 164 Earned St. west, Detroit. 



Business Opportunities. 



The Boyne River Power Company is doing 

 some preliminary work on its dam on the Boyne 

 river, which will be located about three miles 

 above Boyne City. The site of the dam is an 

 ideal one from a power standpoint, as here the 

 banks of the river are high and the current swift. 

 The length of the dam will be about 800 feet, 

 stretching from the highest point on one bank to 

 the other. Steel piles, 25 feet long and a foot in 

 width, mortised into each other, will be driven 

 down the whole length of the dam below the 

 level of the bed of the river. This is being done 

 to prevent water escaping through beneath the 

 dam. Over this a concrete wall, seven feet thick 

 at the base and tapering up 25 feet to a thickness 

 of two feet, will be built the entire 800 feet in 

 length. From the north side of the dam a pipe 

 i feet in diameter and 74 feet long will con- 

 vey the water to the power house. There the 

 water after being used will fall into a reservoir 

 to be excavated of sufficient depth to act as a 

 cushion and prevent a strong current being 

 formed and wearing away the base of the dam. 

 Below the dam the river will be dredged to a 

 depth of eight feet for a distance of a quarter of a 

 mile so as to make a fall of about 34 feet all' fold, 

 the river below the dam acting as a syphon. 



Between the flume and the present course of 

 the river a shute to carry off the overflow of wa- 

 ter will be constructed of cement the full length. 

 In this the concrete will be lined with bars of 

 iron so as to prevent the cement from giving 

 away and cracking and causing a leak in the 

 structure. 



The company expects to -develop continuously 

 400-horsepower from this dam. 



The Pmyne River Power Company w'as incor- 

 porated last September with a capital stock of 

 $100.000. The officers are: President, E. A. 

 Stowe ; vice-president, A. S. Musselman ; secre- 

 tary, C. C. Folmer; treasurer and manager, F. C. 

 Miller. 



The company now own 0-10 acres along the 

 Boyne river. The contract calls for the comple- 

 tion cif the dam by August 1, l'.)07. With the 

 exception of putting down the steel piles, no ac- 

 tive work will lie done until spring. 



The power plant when completed, will mean 

 much for the future of Boyne City, and will 

 prove a strong factor in the future growth of that 

 city. 



BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Men of business 

 interested in a new field for making money will 

 find in our proposition what they are seeking. 

 We have a new plan in the Mail Order line that 

 will please those seeking a good investment 



with large profits. A fortune for the right 

 person. The F. H. Alden Co., 168 E. Fourth 

 St., Cincinnati. O. 



FOR SALE or will exchange for good real es- 

 tate, furniture and undertaking business in good 

 town in Gratiot county, doing good business; 

 will inventory about $3,000. Montney & Jones, 

 49 Hodges Bldg., Detroit. 



IF YOU WANT a business that will pay several 

 thousand dollars annually, start a mail order 

 business; we furnish everything necessary; only 

 few dollars required. Catalog and particulars 

 free. Milburn-Hicks, 708 Pontiac Bldg., Chi- 

 cago, 111. 



RESIDENT MANAGER wanted in each city or 

 town to represent large manufacturer of com- 

 plete line high-grade automobiles; must invest 

 small amount of money, which is amply secured: 

 good salary, expenses and commission to de- 

 sirable party with Al references. Send applica- 

 tion and references to our general manager, H. 

 L. Palmer, 46 Dev ishire st., Boston. 



Real Estate. 



$1.00 



per year 



91.00 



per year 



State Jftetmur 



GENTLEMAN'S country home of near 30 acres 

 in Bloomfield hills, on Orchard Lake gravel 

 road, near Pontiac; 10 minutes' walk to electric 

 cars to Detroit ; solid brick, 12 rooms, with 

 every modern, up-to-date city convenience; can 

 be occupied winter and summer ; on high ele- 

 vation ; splendid drainage ; close to bank of 

 beautiful lake; orchard, fruits, flowers, etc., in 

 season; other buildings; a delightful, restful 

 and retired home to one 'able to buy such a 

 home. Price $16,000. HOOD, 27 and 28 Cleland 

 bldg., Detroit. 



FARM FOR SALE On account of old age, 

 365 acres,. part or all of it, about 100 acres 

 in cultivation, well located; three miles from 

 county seat, 1^2 miles from smaller town, 

 with canning factory, railroad crossing one 

 corner of farm; a young orchard; crops 

 good, climate fine; price reasonable; tele- 

 phone in house. P. T. JACOBSEN, Erin, 

 Tcnn., R. F. D. No. 4. 



Agents Wanted. 



A GOOD subscription agent wanted in every town 

 in Michigan for the State Review. Liberal 

 commission.. State Review, 1406 Majestic 

 bldg., Detroit. 



