2008-7-24 04:29:00
by Ted Dewey
Many years ago when this part of Arizona was first settled by the white man, someone built this old house and barn. They dug a well and put up a windmill to pump water; then tried to make a living raising cattle.
A small creek ran by the house. Other squatters upstream also made use of this water. Eventually the creek dried up and there was not enough water for the cattle. Finally, the place was abandoned.
Henry, then a young man, had paid up the back taxes and acquired a quitclaim deed. He never attempted to raise any crop or cattle. It was just a place to hang his hat, and keep out of the rain and the cold. A place to call home.
When he was twenty-one, he married a pretty young girl from Prescott. They had spent two happy years on this old place.
Mary was only eighteen when she died. Her grave was on top of the little rise just beyond the house; there among the pretty wild flowers which bloomed every season of the year.
Henry had never taken another wife. However, there had been a few other women in his life. There was Hanna in Germany; Marlene in France; Dolly in England. Also, some pretty gals in Central and South America.
Also, right here in the city of Prescott, were many beautiful women of all ages. For the last couple of years he had been keeping company with a sweet little thing here in town -- a barmaid that worked in a club on "Whiskey Row." Her name was Julie.
For the last several years jobs were quite scarce around here. Henry had a rough time trying to live on his Social Security check. Trying to complete his invention and entertain his girl friend cost money.
Now, things had changed. He had fifty grand in the bank, and the prospect of another fifty today. Everything was lovely. The two men finished their drink. Henry tossed the empty cans into a bucket and turned to the man beside him. "Ready?" he asked.
Thomas nodded. "Let's go."
Henry walked over to the freezer and pulled out a couple of steaks. "We will probably be hungry when we return. I'll lay these here on the table so they will thaw out. It's a stiff climb to the top of that ridge."
"How far is it? How long will it take?"
"It is only about one hundred yards, but it is almost straight up. We should be back in about an hour."
"Good. Let's get going. I am anxious to take a look."
They stepped outside, and Henry locked the door. He then pointed to a zigzag path going up the side of the hill beyond the house. "It's a stiff climb to get up there. This is a short cut. There is another road that will take us there, but it goes a long ways around. We could drive up in the Ford."
Thomas shook his head. "Let's get going!"
Henry led the way and the two men took off. They walked the plank across the dry creek, then began the steep climb up through the stunted pine and juniper trees. The path was not only steep, but also narrow. Back and forth they went, between the trees and the big granite boulders. Every minute or so they would stop and catch their breath. Then they came to a big flat rock that looked inviting. Both men set down.
Henry pointed to the house which was far below them. "See that flag that is mounted on the roof?"
"I see something white -- hanging on a pole."
Henry nodded. "That's it. If the wind was blowing down there, it would be whipping about instead of just hanging there."
"Is that what the flag is for? So you can tell from up here how much wind is down there?"
"Right. And when we get on top, you will see a big difference."
The two men got to their feet and once more began to climb. A couple more stops to catch their breath and they were on top. Henry pointed to a white cloth which was hanging from a branch of a dead tree.
"Take a look at that, Mister Thomas. See how it whips around in the breeze. Sure looks different from the one on top of my house, doesn't it?"
"It sure does!"
"Positive proof that there is a lot more wind up here. And it blows most of the time."
On top of the ridge there were very few trees, but lots of shrubs and bushes decorated the landscape. Then, just ahead of the two men was what they had come to inspect. There spinning in the gentle breeze were the three machines that furnished all the power for the house and shop of Henry Bower.
"There they are," Henry said. "Just like the pictures and the drawings, that I sent you."
A high wire fence surrounded the project. There was a lock on the gate. Henry produced a key, then both men stepped inside the fence. Just ahead of them was machine Number One.
"This is the first one I built," said Henry. "Also, it is the baby of the family. The four bladed prop has an overall span of six feet." He walked over to, and under the spinning blades -- looked up for a moment, then over at Thomas who stood staring at the machine.
"Come up close," Henry told him. "It can't hurt you. The bottom of the blade swings eight feet off the ground and there is a guard below it."
Thomas stepped up beside the tower.
Henry pointed down at the base of the machine. "All of them are set in a concrete block which I poured right into the ground. I dug a trench going from east to west, then another crossing it. Next I poured the cement. At the same time, I placed a short piece of eight-inch steel pipe right in the center. The coupling on top was just above the concrete slab."
Henry paused for a moment and patted the steel ribbed pipe which stood beside him. "My next step was to build this tower. It is eight-inch steel pipe which I ribbed on three sides. This gives it plenty of strength and also holds it rigid. Also, every foot I welded on a piece of pipe to form a ladder. It has an overall length of twelve feet."
Thomas took hold of the tower. "Sure feels solid. Also, it's very simple to build and erect. Nothing like the old windmill towers. They were quite complicated. How did you ever come up with a simple idea like this?"
"I am a simple man, Mister Thomas. Also, I have simple ways.
I don't understand computers and a lot of this new-fangled junk. But I do know how to get more power from the wind than mankind will ever need. But from uranium -- no."
Thomas agreed. "And thank God for that as I firmly believe that too much education destroys ones thinking power. Probably if you had gone on through college, you would of bypassed a simple idea like this. And as far as computers are concerned, they only answer questions. They never ask."
Thomas looked up at the whirling blades above him. "Sure makes a lot of grunting sounds, doesn't it?"
"Sure does. But as long as it keeps grunting, I know everything is working."
A high pressure air hose about an inch in diameter was connected to the machine above. It came spiraling down, held away from the tower by a series of springs. This let it adjust its length as the blades changed their course.
The lower end of the hose was connected to a large steel pipe about three feet in diameter. Henry pointed with his finger. "That big pipe is storage for the compressed air. It runs from here to the second and third machine. It is about one hundred feet long. From the far end of it to the power-house is a four-inch pipe. That distance is about forty feet."
"I understand. And the compressors on the other machines are also connected to the big pipe. Correct?"
"Right you are. Now, would you like to take a look at Number Two?"
"I must check everything. It is my job, you know."
Henry led the way. Fifty feet up the ridge was Number Two. He stopped and looked up at the whirling blades. "This is Number Two -- the second one I built. The blade span is eight feet. The ten-inch steel tower is two feet higher than the other one. The blades two inches wider. The principle is the same as the other, only it has about twice the capacity. The compressor is twice as big. Shall we go on?"
Thomas nodded.
Another fifty feet and they were standing by Number Three.
"Just like the other two," said Henry, "only larger. It has a ten foot blade span, and a twelve-inch pipe for a tower." He looked up and grinned. "Just listen to those deep gurgling sounds.
It puts out more air than the other two combined. The next one I was going to build would be a twelve footer -- then a sixteen."
"We will probably end up building some a lot larger than that. Now, let's take a look at the power house."
A small frame building stood at the end of the four-inch pipe. Henry unlocked the door and both men stepped inside.
Suddenly from the back of the building came a screaming blast of wind, followed by a loud whistle.
Oran Thomas about jumped out of his boots. "Now just what in hell is that?"
Henry laughed. "Calm yourself, my friend. She is just blowing off some excess air. It will quit in a minute or two."
Thomas looked relieved. "It scared hell out of me. For a moment I thought the darn thing was about to blow up!"
Henry motioned for Thomas to follow him. Just outside was a big flat rock. Both men set down.
"That was the safety valve popping off," Henry explained. "When the pressure reaches one hundred and fifty pounds, she blows. And just for the hell of it, I guess, I put an old steam engine whistle on there."
Thomas laughed. "That's reason enough, Henry. How often does she blow?"
"That depends on how much wind we are getting up here. Also, the amount of power being used down below. Today, she will blow about every half hour."
"Does the wind always blow up here?"
"No. I have seen it go for days and not even a gentle breeze."
"Did you run out of power?"
"No. There was still plenty of compressed air in the pipe to run the generators."
"Suppose you had run out of air. Would you have built another machine?"
"No. I have more than enough machines. I would of added more three foot pipe for storage, and catch some of that which is blowing that whistle."
"You sure got all the answers, Henry. No doubt there is a lot going to waste right now!"
Then as suddenly as it had started blowing, the whistling stopped. The relief valve had closed.
Once more, the two men walked over to the small building. They stepped inside and Henry flipped a switch on the wall. A bright overhead light came on.
The only sound was that of a small generator spinning around powered by a small air motor. Henry pointed with his finger. "Here we have two power plants. Just like the drawings I sent you. That little feller that is running supplies all the power for the house plus the light in here."
He walked over and laid his hand on the back of the generator that was running. "This is powered," he said, "by this small air motor." He turned and pointed to another. "And there is another which is quite a lot larger. When the small one gets over-loaded, it gets the signal and turns on. When I started all the machines in the shop, this one kicked in and took over. Understand?"
"I think so..."
"There is nothing new about generators, motors, or overload switches in here. These parts can be bought most anywhere."
A thousand watt electric heater was setting on a small table. Henry moved over to it and put his thumb on the switch. "Now, watch what happens when I turn this thing on." He flipped the switch and instantly the larger unit came to life.
For several moments both men stood there watching the wires turn red. Then Henry reached down and turned the heater off. At the same moment, the generator came to a stop.
"That is what I wanted to see," said Thomas. "I don't completely understand how it works, but I know it does. And that is all that matters. Now there is one thing more. How does the power get to your house and shop? I don't see any wires strung around anywhere."
"That is very simple," Henry replied. "I dug a trench and used underground cable. A heavy copper, three wire. These are both 220 volt generators, and there is very little voltage drop. When it gets down to the house I have either 110 volts, or 220. Understand?"
"I guess so..."
"l think I have showed you most everything up here. Can you think of anything else?"
Thomas smiled. "Yes, there is just one thing more. Just where were you when you painted the picture of this place?"
"Just a hop, skip, and a jump from here. I was sitting on a big rock. From there, I had an excellent view of the canyon on the other side."
"That, I want to see."
Henry grinned. "From there, we will head for the house. Those, steaks I took out of the freezer should be thawed by now, don't you think so?"
"Right. Then we will go over the drawings of the wind machines and compressors."
Henry was feeling great as he snapped the padlock in the hasp of the wire gate. It had begun to look like before this day was over, he would have his hands on another fifty thousand dollars!
-- End Of Chapter Five --
Copyright © 2008 by JJ Dewey, All Rights Reserved