The morning news., 1891-12-19
HARNEss1Na NIAGARA.
How Vast Power is TO Be Obtained
at a Small Coat

HoW vast PoWer IL TO Be Obtained
at a Small Cost
TIcoNDRRoGA. n. Y, Dec. l4-It was
considered necessary some years ago to use
the power close 20 its source, and no one
tnought OF utilizing water power in any
other way. A difficulty was vercoms In
the development OF power when the turbine
wheel was invented, but this remained in a
crude state for many years, as the makers
OF these wheels had to discover how
20 adapt them to many conditions; the
most difficult being, that where the head of
water was very high, and the power had to
be used on level with the head Of the
water delivered to the wheel. The next
difficulty was to make the wheels, and all
the machinery connected with them, light
in weight and at the same time strong
enough TO Withstand the great strain put on
them by the confined water. Every man OF
practical mind, for generations back, has
believed that the water constantly run
ming oversthe sfalls Of Niagara should be
putSo some useful purpose and the only
thing which has been in the way was the
necessary knowledge of how TO do Ii. Money
has never bsen lacking TO carry out any
practical scheme. Ideas Of every sort and
kind have been advanced; but none which
would deliver the power 20 the man
desiring to use it in practical
way. One Of the steps In the
development of this great power, and prob
ably the most important, was the practical
demonstration that the head Of water on a
wheel need not all be on the wheel, but that
part could draw or pull on the wheel, hence
We see the direct Development of the mod
ern turbine wheel on its horizontal shaft.
Any one can see that the greatest difficulty
in trying to utilize head OF water like
Niagara was to get rid OF the water after
1t had done its work, and at the same time
get room enough in which TO locate those
who would use the power. II those
using the power had to be where it
was delivered under the best known meth
ods OF a few years ago, namely: At the
lowest point in order TO get the head, the
factories at Niagara would all have had to
be over the bank in an inaccessible place,
or the power brought up to them lin a most
crude and unsatisfactory way on a narrow
strip of land on the river bank or cliff In
the year 1874 the first attempt to harness
Niagara was made. A canal was built and
water taken to q point on the bank OF the
river, below the falls, and there discharged
on turbine wheels; the water after doing its
work bslng discharged into the stream
below. This scheme. so far as Is went, was
success. but it confined those using the
water to the bank of the river, for they
could not discharge the water into anything
else and get the desired head; hence 1t was
absolutely necessary to find some practical
method OF disposing OF the water, after it
had done Its work, before Niagara could be
utilized to any great extent To the
late Thomas Evershed, In charge
OF the state canals, Is due the credit
of the idea Of the great hydraulic tunnel,
which is now being built. and which will
mark the practical demonstration of utiliz-
ing Niagara. This work can be described
in few words. At point just below the
suspension bridge nearest the falls, a tunnel
| equal TO a circle twenty-five feet in diane
ter, is being cut in the rocks, the opening
being close TO the level of the water In the
river below the falls. This tunnel will run
| and to point about one mile
above Goat island, where il
will be directly under. but from 120 to us
| feet below the river bank. Here ID will
turn and follow the bend Of the river. On
the land above the tunnel will be cut a
number OF canals, or basins running back
| from the river and so constructed that the
| water from the river will always flow In
and keep them full. Branches will be dug
out on the sides of these canals; the plan re-
sembling the method of molding aud cast
| ing pig iron in a furnace. The water will
| be led by these side branches, OF smaller
canals, directly 10 the mill sites and there
| delivered into iron tubes or pen stocks, in
which will be placed the turbine wheels.
|
into the tunnel first described.
Iu this way 1t Is pro-
posed to obtain 10000 horse power,
which will be rented to those who locate
near the canals, and also used to operate a
very extensive electric plant and TO deliver
power to electric motors at the greatest
practical distance from Niagara which
will probably be 100 miles, The tunnel
will OF course slope considerably. but at its
furthermost point from the outlet it will be
| 100 feet below the surface of the river. Its
| entire length will be 6 700 feet. II is esti-
mated that over 100000 cubic feet
| Of water flow over Niagara
falls every minute. The proposed develop
ment will use less than ons-afth Of l per
cent, or SO small part of the whole that
no one could ever discover that 1t had been
taken from the rivor. To illustrate the pro-
| portions OF the power which will be OBJ
tained by this Niagara tunnel, would say
that it's projectors state its capacity Is equal
to the combined powers of Lawrence, Low
ell. Holyoke, Turner's Falls. Manchester,
Bellows Falls, Lewiston, Cohoes. Oswsgo.
Paterson, Augusta, Ga, Minneapolis, Roch-
ester and Lockport.