CHEAPER POWER FOR SAN FRANCISCO. 



241 



ramento in bringing over the wires thou- 

 sands of horsepower of electrical force de- 

 rived from a waterfall in the American 

 river twenty-two miles away, has been an 

 object lesson worth millions of dollars to 

 San Francisco if that city shall have the 

 enterprise and foresight to fully utilize 

 the lesson thus to be learned. While it may 

 or may not be a commercial proposition to 

 bring the Sacramento electrical power to 

 San Francisco, by reason of the distance, 

 yet it is practically certain that an immense 

 power may be derived from a great water- 

 fall nearer to the city. In Lake County, 

 about ninety miles north of San Francisco, 

 lies a large body of fresh clear water, 

 twenty-six miles in length by eight miles 

 in breadth and 140 feet in extreme depth. 

 It is 1,350 feet above the level of the sea. 

 The lake is fed by perennial springs and 

 mountain streams, and has an outlet 

 known as Cache Creek which in the first 

 few miles from the lake falls more than 

 400 feet, and finally flows into the Sacra- 

 mento river in Yolo County. Competent 

 engineers allege that electrical power may 

 be transmitted ninety miles with a total 

 loss of ' only twenty-five per cent of the 

 dynamic force of the waterfall. 



Thus we have at our very doors, so to 

 speak, a power capable of transforming 

 San Francisco into a great manufacturing 

 center not surpassed by any other city of its 

 size in America. And all this, too, without 

 in any way detracting from its beauties as a 

 most desirable place of residence, for of 

 course the soot and smoke of countless 

 chimneys would be conspicuously absent. 

 In short, we have everything that reason- 

 able man could ask to make San Francisco 

 and the towns and cities surrounding, 

 hives of industry and thrift. Besides all 

 these natural advantages we have more 

 than a hundred million dollars in the 

 savings banks of San Francisco alone, to 

 say nothing of the millions of unemployed 

 capital lying on deposit in other banks. 



What then, remains to San Francisco and 

 the bay cities to enable them at once to 

 enter into their rich and natural inherit- 

 ance? Simply enterprise, and sufficient 

 civic pride to make full use of the prodi- 

 gal gifts which nature has ungrudgingly 

 bestowed. All preliminary work has been 

 done and the Clear Lake Electric Power 

 Company has been organized to do the 

 things above outlined. But the company 

 should be backed by ample home capital, 

 and a spirit, of enterprise must be shown, 

 else it will be necessary to enlist outside 

 aid in this grand work of development for 

 the benefit of California. But it must be 

 done. The hour has come when to defeat 

 or long postpone so great a work would be 

 unspeakable folly, not to be thought of for a 

 moment by those having the good of the 

 bay region at heart. The response of our 

 local capitalists to the call for aid in de- 

 veloping and utilizing the Clear Lake 

 Electrical plant will go far to determine 

 the measure of their enterprise and civic 

 pride and it is hoped that when fairly pre- 

 sented to them, the money will not long be 

 lacking for the installation of a gigantic 

 power which will make the name of Califor- 

 nia a synonym for progress throughout the 

 world. In this connection the following 

 extract from the report of Col. O. E. Moore 

 to the Manufacturers' and Producers' 

 Association of this city relating to this sub- 

 ject will be found of great interest: 



" The magnitude of this project and its value 

 to San Francisco can hardly be estimated. 

 Power in almost unlimited quantity can be 

 transmitted to the city at one-third the cost of 

 steam power at the present price of coal and 

 the saving to manufacturers in one year will 

 about equal the cost of the plant. 



This is in my judgment the first time a practical 

 and economical plan has been presented to solve 

 the problem of cheaper power and I cordially 

 and earnestly recommend it to the Manufac- 

 turers' and Producers' Association for their co- 

 operation and support. It is one of the most 

 inviting fields for a very profitable investment 

 of capital that I have ever seen." 



