Power to Serve, The (1957)

mr. Elmer L Lin said president of the illuminating company mr. Linzer how do you do the motion picture you're about to see is a story of Northeast Ohio the party electricity plays in the lives of all of us who live here I think you'll find it a fascinating story certainly it concerns a fascinating area no geographical region of comparable size anywhere in the world is more abundantly blessed with the ingredients for prosperity and progress then is this 1,700 square mile strip the land stretching along the south shore of Lake Erie from avon lake on the west to conneaut on the east here in Northeast Ohio are possibilities unlimited possibilities which we at the illuminating company have tried to emphasize in bringing to the attention of all America the fact that this is the best location in the nation this activity is but one expression of the partnership which has existed between the area and the company for more than three-quarters of a century this movie attempts to portray some of the other aspects of that partnership Northeast Ohio's electric needs require many items of equipment power plants turbo generators transmission lines transformer banks substations cable vaults service trucks and a host of others all of them are vital but much more important than any of these things are the people who build and operate and maintain them so this then is a story of people the people of Northeast Ohio and the people at the illuminating company more than 4,000 of them with the vote their skill and talent to providing an essential service for their neighbors the advantages which all of us here enjoy today in this area are the result of the combined efforts of a great many men and women will work together through the years to make Northeast Ohio the fine place it is in which to live work and raise a family but much more impressive than the accomplishments of the past is the outlook for the future most stirring and rewarding chapters in the story of this area unquestionably lie ahead of us so you'll find no note of finality in the power to serve it pictures only the foundation on which will certainly be erected a brighter more exciting more abundant future for all of us fortunate enough to live in this the best location in the nation thank [Music] you you sunrise and the miracle of a new day not only in the peaceful surroundings of the country but also in the 138 towns and communities of this busy area there's 1,700 square miles of Northeast Ohio along the south shore of Lake Erie as people awaken to a new day of activity the pulse of Northeast Ohio quickens its feet [Music] almost 2 million people live and work here and recognize this area as the best location in the nation who can count the number of alarm sounding off or the number of yours wipe away the cobwebs of sleep and who can count the number of lights being switched on in the homes of people people like Bob Anderson Bob came to Northeast Ohio right after World War two and he likes his job one of the quarter of a million new jobs created by industrial growth in this area since that time hey Julie up by a couple awake this morning okay dear oh but get a move on her you'll be late it's a great life hey Bob when you stop to think about it we take a lot for granted and why shouldn't we I guess it's American custom a part of our heritage but you know if somebody has to look after the things we take most for granted somebody's got to know for example how much electricity will need every hour of the 24 in our homes and to frighten the offices like the classrooms and power the machines of industry in the system dispatchers office at the illuminating company northeast ohio's electric needs must be forecast at least two hours ahead why because electricity is a product that cannot be stored it must be made the instant it is needed and used the instant it is made the system dispatcher uses this graph to keep track of power needs from day to day through the year the load expectancy graph reflects every change in the weather and every holiday it shows when people get up and when they go to bed and when they're enjoying a night ballgame by charting your day to day month to month and year to year living habits the dispatcher is able to keep electricity always at your fingertips for the dispatcher every day is different as different as people the electric business like no other truly reflects people lives and habits what goes on in these for illuminating company power plants lakeshore Avon ashtabula and Eastlake is a reflection of your life Bob and the lives of all of us who live in Northeast Ohio electricity works day and night around the clock doing all kinds of jobs nobody would choose to be without in Northeast Ohio the generation of electricity begins with cool a million tons of over six million dollars worth is stored at the company's class there's enough coal in this single carload to heat your home for eight years [Music] up it goes through the first crushing process and then of seven stories to the bins above the boilers at the top of the building 20 tons of coal a minute drive this conveyor to the crushers finally pulverize to the consistency of talcum powder the coal is mixed with air and blown into the furnace through 16 burners giving a whirling movement to the flames over 4,000 tons a day keep intense fires burning in each of the four huge furnaces at the East Lake plan almost instantly the heat turns the purified water in the boiler tubes into steam which is directed against the blades of a turban at tremendous pressure so in the turbine room steam becomes mechanical energy turning the shaft of this giant turban at 60 revolutions per second 3600 per minute turbine and generator are whirling on the same shaft thus mechanical energy is converted into electric energy by vijendra all it goes to the Transformers where the voltage is stepped up from eighteen thousand volts to a hundred and thirty-two thousand volts for economical transmission instantaneously it's on its way to the take-off structure [Music] it's then routed to a step-down transmission sub-station where the voltage is reduced to 11,000 or 33 thousand volts electricity is delivered to some industrial plants at this voltage the rest of the power supply goes to the neighborhood distribution substations where it's reduced to forty six hundred volts pole transformers the kind you may have noticed near your home automatically reduce the electric pressure to the 120 or 240 volts it takes to operate home appliances like your toaster and your coffee maker too yes Judy the electricity for your breakfast came a long way in literally no time at all it was generated just 13 thousandth of a second ago but there's more to providing electric service for 500,000 customers large and small than just power plants and transmission lawns oh god are you getting the rain it looks like a bad one surprised well a lot of people are going to be caught by this one but not the man in the system dispatchers office it's their business to know about quick changes in the weather in fact they've been tracking this storm for hours they've been tracking it in the trouble section two these are the illuminating companies troubleshooters prepared to meet any emergency and when a storm strikes men machines and equipment are already on the move the day shift linemen are already on the job an hour earlier than usual at the East Lake flats electrical control room another generator has been put on the line it was ordered long before the storm was due to strike it had to be it takes at least two hours to get one of these giant machines revved up [Music] as customer calls are received specially trained girls on the service for it record them for immediate attention in the trouble section service department mrs. Cunningham speaking now have you address may I have your telephone number please we'll send the radio service Carmen experience troubleshooters bracket affected areas and dispatch cruise by radio to take care of them 37 EE 37 Joe take call 116 DJ Adams 720 East 246 tree interfering with lines that's DJ Adams 720 East 246 be interfering with lying right till EE [Music] the mechanized workforce goes into action with crack linemen like these on the job your electric service is in good hands I of course there are plenty of other jobs to be done and problems to be solved but non is so large that it can't be Twitter and non is so small as to escape attention this is the chain of operations starting with goal and ending with the miracle of electricity embracing the activities of the giant power plants tied in with the network of sensitive instruments measuring and recording the ebb and flow of power all of these are linked by a cordon of more than 4,000 illuminating employees civil mechanical and electrical engineers laboratory technicians skilled operators home economists and highly trained office personnel working in some 600 different job specialties these are the human resources of the company skilled men and women attending classes on their own time seeking to increase their ability to serve with compensation in terms of opportunity recognition and security from the younger generation just beginning to the one employee in every four who has been with the company more than 25 years all are united in a spirit of service in which the company takes great pride just as the company feels a kinship with the communities it serves the progress and prosperity of both go hand in hand so it is natural for the illuminating company to take an active part in working for civic improvements parks schools better roads and better street lighting in an effort to create new jobs for the people of Northeast Ohio company representatives have told the story of the area to industrialists all over the country inviting them to build new plants in the best location in the nation American industry has responded by investing over two and a half billion dollars in industrial expansion in this area since World War two creating a quarter of a million new jobs and what about the future the future in which the illuminating company and all Northeast Ohio communities will share company engineers are always looking to tomorrow planning to keep ahead of the electric needs of this prosperous and growing hearing shopping centers new homes and new industry continued to spring up year after year and planning engineers at the illuminating company have always stayed well ahead of community development with bigger more efficient generating equipment the company has expressed its faith in the future of the area it serves by means of a 500 million dollar post-war expansion program which calls for new turbo generators new transmission lines and the new illuminating building on Cleveland's public square for the people of Northeast Ohio the future holds a hundred thousand new homes refrigerator doors that open and close by push-button kitchen cabinets electrically raised and lowered by a wave of the hand and new factories creating new jobs and a still higher standard of living we'll see more churches more hospitals and the kids they'll have plenty of classrooms in which to study and learn already company engineers are working on the development of atomic reactors and when the time comes the illuminating company will be ready to put the atom to work generating electricity for its customers the outlook for the future is as big as the cities as warm as the towns and as bright as the people it's a great life hey Bob and you too Judy and tomorrow will be even better for you and for all the people in this best location in the nation you you