Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1920 — POWER PLANTS ON TIPPECANOE [ARTICLE]

POWER PLANTS ON TIPPECANOE

Hoosier* Ar* lnt*r**t*d In 33,000,000 Project; Work to Start In Spring. Indianapolis, Dec. 21. —New York and Chicago financier*, »ald to be among the lurgeat developer* of hydro-electric power in the world, and several citlsen* of Indiana, are planning to begin work in the spring on a number of dam* and povfer unit* along the Tippecanoe river to develop current for several of the larger towns in northern Indian* H. E. Kinney, of the H. E. Kinney Grain company, one of the men interested in the project, said that the New York and Chicago financier* do not wish thglr name* to be announced at present. The plan*, he said, are for the early incorporation of the Tippecanoe Power company with a capital stock of 33.000,000. No stock will be offered for sale, he said. The larger part of the stock, he said, is to be held by the New York and Chicago men. Contract* already have been made for the entire output of current. Among others interested in the project are John A. Shafer of Indianapolis, an engineer, who has surveyed the project and prepared preliminary plans; Samuel Thompson, mayor of Monti cello, and Curtis J. Meeker, of Mon tlcello. A survey of the waterways as-

feezed has been made by the waterways commission, and If the commission decides it has Jurisdiction over the streams, the corporation will begin work under the supervision of the national commission. If the commission decides it does not have Jurisdiction, the corporation will ask permission from the state legislature to build the power plants. It Is planned to do the work of assessing damages and benefits in the winter and to start work on the first unit of the project below Monticello In the spring. This first unit Is expected to develop (he equivalent of 17,000,000 kilowatt hours, or power equivalent to 20,000-horse power. It is planned ultimately to build six other units on the Tippecanoe river. The total power development of these six will equal that of the first unit.

The corporation plans to build, offer dams near the mouth of the river, near Springboro, at Oakdale, Tioga, Norway, Buffalo, Pulaski and near Winamac. It also plans to direct much of the surplps water of the Kankakee river through the Yellow river to the Tippecanoe river. Mr. Shafer said that the dam at Monticello, without water from the Yellow and Kankakep rivers, will maintain a flow of 1,000 cubic feet a second in dry weather. He said the hydro-electric plants will save from 500,000 to 1,000,000 tons of coal a year and will at the minimum capacity supply all vhe electric of the towns within a radius of f6rty miles of the power units, which would include such towns as Kokomo, Lafayette, Frankfort, Logansport, Delphi, Monticello and Winamac.