Victoria River Goldfields
The manager therefore began investigating the possibility of using a relatively new power source electricity. In May of 1905 F.J. Coote presented a report to the directors of the company and subsequently to the half yearly meeting of Shareholders, recommending the adoption of a hydro electric scheme to be situated on the Victoria River. The work was authorised to begin in August 1906 and within twelve months was well underway.
 Victoria Falls, Victoria River. A power station was erected on the Cobungra River about four miles from its junction with the Victoria River, just below the Victoria Falls. Water was delivered to the power station by means of a pipe and race which was built along the spur separating the Cobungra from the Victoria River The race was three and a half miles long., it was unlined and measured.8 metres deep, 1.4 metres wide at the bottom and two metres wide at the top. The race filled a settling dam at the top of the spur and was designed to deliver sufficient water to give 1200 h.p. at the generating station and an effective head of four hundred feet. |
From the settling dam the water was conveyed by a pipe, 1650 feet in length to the power house. The diameter of the pipe reduced from 34" to 28". The power station itself was equipped with a Voith Pelton wheel which used 504 litres of water per minute and was rated at 670 h.p. when running at 500 r.p.m The station was fitted with four 125 k.w. transformers and the mine with four 35 k.w. transformers, reducing the line voltage to the working level of 500. New motors were to be purchased for nearly all the equipment at the mine. Some of the machinery was to be remodelled and a contract was let to Staerker and Fischer of the Allegmeine Electric Co. of Berlin to deliver and erect other portions of the machinery for a total cost of £9,000. The company confidently predicted that the total cost would not exceed £15,000 and that the savings effected would pay for the plant in three years. Because the power station was situated 25 kilometres from the mine a power line had to be erected. Work on the line commenced in winter and was fraught with problems. Many of the men suffered from frost bite and work had to be delayed until the summer Mother nature then stepped in again when part of the line was destroyed by bushfire further delaying its completion. 434 poles were cut and 83 trees were used to carry the power the 25 kilometres to the mine By 1908 all was completed and the changeover to electric power took place however there were still problems, the old compressor was found to consume more power than originally anticipated. It was replaced in 1909 and electric motors then replaced all the old engines, creating a truly modern plant. With one problem solved another arose. 1910 was a particularly dry year and the plant had to be closed as there was not enough water in the Victoria River original plan there was provision made for water  Cassilis Company Power Station on the Cobungra River. |
Top