Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-12-27
THE POWER OF NIAGARA.
Progress of the Work of Harvesting the
Worlds Greatest Waterfall

Worlds Greatest Waterfall
Special Correspondence Of ths Reoistsr.
NIAGARA FALLS, December 24.-The
public has heard much of the progress
of the work at Niagara Falls on the
canal and tunnel which are in progress
of building by the Niagara Falls Power
Company. The canal above the falls
and the tunnel which takes of the
water after 1t has performed its service
will be finished next fall. About these
there were no particularly new engineer
ing problems to solve. But it was Sc
rious problem how to utilize the power
12O, 900 horse power-developed by these
works. II has been reckoned that one
horse power can keep two men busy,
that is, in a machine shop employing
1000 men power of 500 horses will be
needed.
Therefore 1t will be seen that to at
tempt TO use this great power immedi-
ately 81 Niagara would involve the
building of one of the very largest cit
les in the whole of the United States.
But great cities do not spring up at
command, and the projectors of this en-
terprise, while bearing in mind the value
and making provision for the use Of
great deal Of this power on the spot,
have found that even then there would
be much more to spare than had been
used.
Ii was found in endeavorlng to solve
the problem Of how best to utilize this
surplus that while American engineers
had shown great skill and ingenuity in
. ka ~ VII a
generated, they were far behind the
European engineers In their ability to
transmit such power to q long distance.
Buffalo is the largest town within easy
reach Of Niagara, being some eighteen
miles away, This was where the power
company wished first to get, but by any
Of the methods used In America the loss
of power was SO great that it would not
pay.
In this emergency DIR. Coleman Sell
ers, the distinguished engineer and
scientist OF Philadelphia, was asked to
visit Europe and see what he could
learn there that would enable the COM
pany to do what 1t wished. He found
that the Swiss were transmitting water
power very cheaply and efficiently, and
that in Paris and Birmingham COM
pressed air was being used with great
satisfaction.
But even after seeing all that he could
he did not feel equal TO making plans
with which he was entirely satisfied.
He, therefore, at the expense Of the
company, organized an international
commission, with Sir William Thomp-
son as chairman. On this commission,
besides Sir William, were DR.. Sellers,
representing America: Col. Turrenttini,
Mayor of Geneva, representing SwitZer-
land; NJ. Marichas, Of the French In
Stitute, and Professor Unwin, OF Lon
dOu.
The commission received plans from
all the greatest electrical engineers in
the world and awarded prizes aggre-
eating $4,000. These plans showed
that to take the power TO Buffalo was
entirely feasible, aud while the power
could be sold at great profit on the spot
at ten dollars per aDnum per horse
power, il could also be sold in Buffalo
at Il price very much under the cost OF
steam generated there in the usual way.
The company will therefore strike at
once for contract to light the city OF
Buffalo.
No plan to utilize the whole OF the
power generated has been adopted, but
apart from that used on the spot ar
rangements will be made, so soon as the
works are finished next October, TO
transmit within radius OF twenty
miles Of the central station at Niagara,
two blocks Of power of 1000 horse pow
err each, one block to be transmitted by
electricity and one by compressed air.
Then the remaining 100, 200 horse power
or so will be transmitted as there is
demand for it and in the manner which
proves to be the cheapest and best.
JOHN GIIMER SPEED.