New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-09
A CHINERICAL SCHEME.
ELECTRICITY FROM NIAGARA FALLS

WHAT MR.. EDISON THINKS OF LEONARD HENKLE's
PROJECT TO UTILIZE THE GREAT WATER POWER.
The scheme for utilizing the water power II Mag
ara ia in generating electricity, 10 be conducted
to various cities and towns. has been revived ny
Leonard Henklc of Roche ,ter. lie claims TO have
an agreement for the sale 10 him and those asso-
ciated with him of Prospect Park at the Falls. for
81 100000, and 70 possess some mysterious Inyen-
tons for generating electricity by tins cnounOus
hydraulic force. estimated az 2.oOO,OOO horse
power and he states that the cleo tricIty Will he
veyed through 10000 miles Of prop rly insulated
cables 20 sixty-iye prominent cities aud towns be-
tween Boston aud Chicago
Thomas A. Edison smIed sarcastcally when this
gorcrO , project was mentioned 10 HIN ne otherday
by "a TRIBUNE reporter u h7 tlenkle calleI On
me last week." he I'll d. Il think he knows no'h-
ing whatever Of what he is talking about. To show
how Wild he is | may say that lac read lac what
purported to be the figures OF the cost OF lighting
several cites, mentioning ihe ANIMAL cost OF light
ing Aew-l Ork 100000 Why ! said,
Ne IS aSG Cty is $7E ooo OH we'll he e
Piled, these figures only rough. you know
lie said be could send this power eight times
around the world, and asked lam If 1t wouldn't
he enough to send il twice around. Several people
have interested themselves before in similar pro-
jet and have been consulted Ia regard To IT, Te-
gard il az scientifically possible TO transmit tho
power from the Falls 10 New-fork, but As COM
merclally lmpracucaDle.D
How far 90 yon think the power could be suc-
AT present | think it would be a commercial
success % take he power from the Falls 10 Buffalo.
Now IL scientifically pOssi bic II ten HORSEPOWER
engine bc placed at The ais 70 transmit ioIce VI
. 80 horse power 10 New-Oicans. But lOohl
at the practical working, the thIng 10 an absuIdiy.
To carry the electricity long distance there uiIss
he large cables and such an pense that II wouldn't
pay; IL would be very much cheaper TO dol end
upon the local power OF steam engines suppose
lOr a gwen sum electricity could be carried ifty
miles. You want to carry It 100 miles, but don't
wish to double the expense OF the plant. Then tho
intensity aud pressure must De 50 increased
mat II would Do Impossible IL work
fha q
and tue electricity could not be Kept on
the wires. IOIllus rate: Gas Is now dlsirlbu ed
IN three loot mans at low pressure. To bring gas
10 the lower part Of the city trOn Harlem, iour.
foot main would De uaed. Bat II we could prevent
the leakage O1 tDc gas and get sufficiently hgn
pressure gas cOnld be forced down II an inch pipe.
But il can't be done. When was IN Virginia Clty
| inspected the water works where water Is forced
nnder a pressure OF 700 feet through a small IRON
plpe ana tine pressure was 50 great that the water
came out through the iron, and handkerchief
held near il would be wet Rankin says that all
the mills in England could be run with a ge
thread OF silk il IL could he made to reyolye with
the velocity OF light, and you could hgnt Boston
and Newly ORR Wan single wire thread II II could
Withstand the pressure OF the electricity There is
10 sureT thing III physics than Onm's law, aud the
law III regard to the transmission Oi electricity Is ne
most certain of all This plan is just though
had a 10 horsepower engine with 80 pounds
pressurr,and say Ill make this 20 horsepower
engine with 100 pounds pressure, and then deter
mine 10 make II 40 horsepower engine, and 50 on.
| can say I'll make IL powerful enough to furnish
power tor a WnOie city. l could take wafer from
above Albany and force IL through an men pipe 10
New-loTk if the pipe would stand It. and II l had
a pressure oil cay thirty mIlcS high. Eiecucty can
be carried theoretically at an enormous pressure,
but practically 10 can't be kept he wires, nor can
the machines be handled. Just consider, too tho
question OF cost. This says he Will have 10000
miles Of cable. The Atlantic cable cost $1,000
"A mile ana the wire IL tins cable IS smaller tnan
that IN ordinary use. IL ~ run, TOO, II very low
pressure. " Z 20. 900 times he pressure u Ell Ia
TINS cable. But on tins cACecaungiy Insulnc cent
basis there is an item OF Tl0.OOOOO0 lOr cables
alone Bui ! fancy llr. Hehkie takes only a sentl-
mental interest Ia th.s plan. tie VIVID taiker,
and 1t is IS easy tor him talk OF millions cents
The tnng l. really too mpiac lcaDie anu absurd 10
lie taken Seriously.
fresIdeul HrDa.d, OF tho United States Electric
Lghu Company, said; " As buSiuss, man,
regard tnIs ptOJ,ct chImerlcll ana utterly I'M
practicable. am not u SCIENTIST Out should con
slider lt scientifically an absuldIJy Ninety per
cent OF these new eectTlc hgl, schemes arc rs
ridiculous as the idea Of perpetual motion, and
this is little more than The others. Despite
TINS mans pretcnce OF enIslug capital IN
NeW-Iork, have never heard Of
capitalist 50 OveT0urdcned with wealth
as 10 think seriously OF gong into tni5 thing IL
contains just enough truth 10 be fatally deceptive.
hat to say, II might be possible to distribute en-
er,y generated at he tails oyer large extent Of
country 10 a limited d gree but such pan his
is an aUsurdIty III a business point of view. From
practical ana commercial point lt - not worth
sldcIing,"