The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-01-17

/ Several correspondents have asked us to give
more complete details Of DR.. Liemen's plan for
utilizing the vast power of Niagara, and al
though we regard the project as chlmerlcal
we give the following part Of his address de-
! livercd some time ago. 1t certainly contains
soMe very valuable hydraulic information,
whatever may be thought of the scheme itself
I"Ibe amount of water passing over the Falls
sf Niagara has been estimated at lOOOOOOOO
tons per hour and its perpendicular descent
NAV be taken at 100 feet, without counting the
rapids, which represent further fall OF 100
| feet, making total fall of 300 feet between
/ lake and lake. But the force represented by
the principal tall alone amounts to lG,sOO,OOO
/ horse power, an amount which, il it had to be
produced by steam, would neCessitate an cX-
penditure of not less than 2G60OOOOO tons OF
coal per annum, taking the consumption OF
/ coal at four pounds per horsepower per hour.
| In other words, all the coal raised throughout
the world would barely suffice to produce the
amount of power that continually runs to waste
at this one great tall. 1t would not be difficult,
! indeed, to realize a large proportion OF this
power so wasted, by means Of turbines and
waterwheels erected on the shores of the deep
river below the falls, supplying them from ca
mails cut along the edges But it would be
/ impossible to utilize the power on the spot,
the district being devoid of mineral wealth,
| or other natural inducements for the establish
| mcnt OF factories. In order practically to rem
der available the force Of falling water at this
and the thousands of other places under anal
Joyous conditions, we must devise practIcable
means of carrying the water TO a distance. Sir
/ William Armstrong has taught Us how TO carry
and utilize water power at distance, II con
veyed through high pressure mains, ana al
! Schafhausen, in Switzerland, As well as al
] ~, 4, n.,t n
vevcd by means of quck-working steel ropes
passing over large pullcys. BY these means
mower NAV be carried To "A distance OF one or
/ Two mile, without difficulty. Time will proba-
| bly reveal to Us etlectual means OF carrying
! mower 10 great distances; but | cannot refrain
| from abiding to one which Is IN my opinion,
/ worthy OF consideration, namely, the electrical
conductor. Suppose water 70 be employed to
Give motion 10 "a manufactured machine,
! a very powerful electric current l. the result
| This NAV be carried to "A great distance through
a metallic conductor and there be made TO I'M
mart motion 10 electromagnetic engines to ig-
ni,c Nm, carbon points To electric lamps, or TO
cfT,ct the separation Of metals from their com
b,pa,tons 4 copper rod of three inches in
diameter would Ue capable Of transmitting
! / 900 horse power a distance OF, say, thirty
miles, an amount to supply onequaFter oil Il
million candle power. which would suffice to
Illuminate a moderately sized town. The use
of electric power has sometimes been suggest,
cd a. A substitute for steam power but II should
be horne in mind that 50 long a me electric
mower depends upon a galvanlc battery, II
mt he much more costly than steam power,
Iin,smuch ms the combustible consumed in the
La,,cry is zinc. a substance necessarily much
more expensive than coal; but this question
.s.umes totally different aspect if, Ia the pro
ductIon of the electric current natural force
/. usc1 which could not otherwise be rendered
available -imsriorH Miller