Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-10-01
Electricity 10 Move ali New ierk's Ma
ebjpery with Motor at Niagara.

The dream which electrical engineers
have entertained for years Is az last TO
/ b. fulfilled The steam engine may
,oon be relegated to oblivion. The sue
cess Of the electric transmission experi
menr AZ Frankfort, Germany, last week
has demonstrated the feasibility OF trans
,uItting power economically over great
distances BY electricity. The use of coal
and oil in New York city may soon be a
thing Of the past. Hereafter all the
power used In New \ ork can be trans
faitted from Niagara Falls. and the
heating and lighting Of this city can be
accomplished from the same magoifi-
q. nt body OF water. This is what eject
rical engineers are saying now
The problem which was solved In Ger
many was the transmission OF the water
power from the NeckAr Falls at Lautlen
TO Frankfort, distance OF about ll2
miles. The actual loss Of power was
scarcely oHe-fOurth
The success OF the Frankfort exper
inent 10 electric transmission Is great
atep forward In electrical science, said
Secretary William q Rankine OF the
Sia.ara Falls Power Company. rms
company has only undertaken TO trans
nit power from the falls to Buffalo,
distance oil sixteen miles. 1t is quite
possible in view of the Frankfort &C
conplshment that we will consider the
Transmission of power over much greater
distances"
Mr. Herschell, one Of the electrical
engineers OF the same company, said
The success of the Frankfort Lauffen
experiment IL undoubtedly great &C .
ompli,hmeut aud opens upa new world
Of possibilities. German papers which
received only this morning speak OF 1t AS
the most remarkable achievement in
electrical science since the discovery of
electricity"
Does it indicate the possibility OF
transmitting power economically from
Niagara Falls to this city, asked the
reporter
~ es. he replied If it can be trans
uitted from I.autfen to Frankfort. dis
lance Of Il miles, it can also be trans
United distance of 100 or 800 miles
There i, also the possibility of the
power being distributed to small con-
sumer,, and every tailor shop can have
its motor, every seamstress can run her
sewing machine by one. Much of the
work that is now being done at great
z
the operators. We shall have electricity
on tap, as IL were No one can tell what
will be the ultimate results
Ralph W. Pope, secretary of the Amer
lean Institute of Electrical Engineers,
was equally positive that "a new vista
Il opening up to electrical engineers.
lie said. " Economical transmissions be-
ing an accomplished fact, ii is now feas-
{ 4 ct I'M mr.
refuse coal at the coal mines of Pennsyl-
vania. There are millions of tons OF 1t
at Scranton and In all the mining regions
OF Pennsylvania. II can now be burned,
the heat transformed into electricity
and brought to this city where it can be
used MS power
T. G. Martin ard Joseph WetLler edi'
tors of The Electrical Engineer, are
enthusiastic on the subject. There is
no reason why a single steam engine
should be run in New ork city, said
he phstically. There is no necessity
for any steam radiators. All the power,
all the heat and all the light needed in
the city can be cheaply supplied from
the culm piles of scranton and the
water power OF Connecticut. Five or
six years ago Mr.. Wetzler and myself
made calculation to see what 1t would
cost to transmit a certain amount OF
power from Niagara Fall to this city
We found that it would cost from six to
ten million dollars for the copper wire
alone 1t can now be done for one tenth
Of that sum This Is due to the use of
tue alternating current and the improve
ments which admit Of much higher pc
rentiality At Rochester, at Portland,
oregon, at Niagara Falls and Clinton
aud many other places, moter power is
being supplied all over the city ny cleo
tricity from the falls With cheap trans
mission of power the possibilities are
houndess