208 MONTANA 191 A 



The following' comprehensive information regarding the present status 

 of power development in Montana is taken from a paper by ]\Iax Hebgen, 

 general manager of the Montana Power Company, and one of the ablest 

 engineers in the west. This paper was read before the 1913 convention of 

 the Americaix Institute of ]\Iining Engineers : 



"One of the first power development in the State was made on the 

 Big Hole river about 22 miles south of Butte. This plant was built in 1899 

 and has a capacity of 3.000 kilowatts. The development was made by build- 

 ing- a rock-filled crib dam across the narrow canyon through 

 Starting which the river flows and developing a head of 65 feet. This 



the Installa- plant has been in operation fourteen years and is apparently 

 tion of in as g^ood condition today as the day it was built. 



Power '-jt supplies power to the city of Butte over a wooden pole 



Plants. line operating at 15,000 volts Power is used for lighting and 



for the operation of the street railway. Power is also supplied 

 to the pumping plant of the Butte Water Company, located on the Big Hole 

 river, about one mile below the power plant. A large part of the Butte 

 city water supply, is furnished by this plant through a wood stave pipe line. 



"The Canyon Ferry plant, located on the ^Missouri river, 17 miles from 

 Helena, was built in 1898. A rock-filled timber crib dam, 39 feet high, was 

 built across the river and apparatus installed for 7,500 kilowatts. Power 

 was first transmitted to Helena at 11,000 volts, and a little later to Butte 

 at 66.000 volts. Power from this plant is used principally to supply the 

 requirements of the mining industry. 



"Madison Plant No. i was built in 1901. It is located in the Madison 

 river canyon, 61 miles east of Butte. This development originally consisted 

 of a low crib dant and wooden flume about i-OCVD feet long, supplying power 

 to two 1,000 kilowatt units. The power was transmitted to Butte at 

 40,000 volts. 



"In 1890 a dani was built across the Missouri river, just above the 

 Black Eagle falls, near the city of Great Falls, and power developed at 

 this point to the extent of 8,300 horse-power, 7,500 of this being used direct- 

 ly by the Boston and Montana smelter and the balance trans- 

 Big Power mitted electrically and used for lighting and street railway 

 Dams Along purposes in the city of Great Falls. 



the Missouri "These four plants supplying power to the cities of Butte, 



River. Helena and Great Falls, and built at the time when the trans- 



mission of power by elctricity was in its infancy, formed the 

 nucleus of what has become one of the g^reat power sysiems of the 

 country. 



"In 1906, and in the succeeding years, great strides were made in 

 power development. The ^ladison river dam was rebuilt and enlarged, and 

 the Madison Xo. 2 plant installed with a capacity of 9.000 kilowatts. This 

 plant is notable in that it employs a lo-foot and a 12-foot wood stave pipe 

 7,000 feet long. These pipes, at the time the}^ were built, were the largest 

 pipes of this type ever constructed. The Madison No. i plant was rebuilt 



-Farming in Montana is pleasant and profitable. 



