The Largest Direct-Current Power Plant 



Each generator is in four parts and each of the four 

 parts required an entire freight car in transportation 



The generators 

 are driven by four- 

 teen 6000-horse- 

 power and one 4000- 

 horsepower recipro- 

 cating engines of 

 the gas-steam type 

 and one 1500-horse- 

 power straight 

 steam engine 



At left: A closer 

 view of the genera- 

 tor. Each generator 

 develops enough 

 electrical energy to 

 light 7500 arc lamps 

 or run three hun- 

 dred street cars. 

 It is equivalent to 

 5000 horsepower 



THE installation of the largest direct- 

 current generators ever built in this 

 or any other country is now rapidly 

 nearing completion at the Detroit works of 

 the Ford Motor Company. This power 

 plant has a maximum rating of 65,000 kilo- 

 watts or approximately 87,000 horsepower 

 and is the largest strictly direct-current 

 system in existence. 



This immense amount of power is used to 

 run the motors which operate the more than 

 eight thousand machines distributed over 

 the forty-seven and one-half acres of floor 

 space in the Ford factory. In addition, 

 these generators supply current for the 

 motors of the ventilating system and the 

 lighting circuits of the plant. 



The switchboard which controls this 

 electrical system is 424 feet long and con- 

 sists of 222 dark Tennessee marble panels. 

 It was built at a cost of $400,000 or nearly 

 $1,000 per running foot. The amount of 

 copper used in its construction for bus-bars, 

 switches, etc., was approximately 165 tons 

 and at current prices would be worth nearly 

 $100,000 in the raw state. 



In order to give unity to the whole system 

 and insure continuous service at all times, 

 an elaborate signaling system has been 

 installed. This consists of a 200-pair tele- 

 phone switchboard which connects with 

 engine-operating stands, boiler rooms and 

 every distribution center throughout the 

 factory. In the office, in connection with , 



