St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-21
The Great Cataract Is Nearly
~ Harnessed for It's Com
ing Work.
By July, 1893, the Company
Hopes to Have Its Plant
Going.
The Organization to Be Pre-
pared to Furnish 10000
Horse Power.
A Gigantic Enterprise Which
Is Now Nearing It's Com
pletion.

NIAGARA FALLS, n. Y, Nov. 90
The month of July. 1893, is expected to
mark new era in the manufacturing
world, for the Cataract Construction
company hopes to have its mammoth
turbine wheels and monster dynamos at
work for those who may desire to use
their power at that time. More than
S2,000,000 and many lives have been
sacrificed to this gigantic undertaking,
this harnessing Of the mighty Niagara
to serve the manufacturing world,
and the enterprise is now, after
neatly two years work, drawing
near completion. Nowhere in the civ
ilized world has any hydraulic work of
sucn magnitude been attempted. No
where are there wheel pits 160 feet deep
and wheels capable OF developing 5000
horse power. An important move has
taken place this week in the awarding
of the contract for the water wheels.
The building Of two of these immense
turbines has been placed with the j. L.
Morris company, of Philadelphia.
The contract calls for two Superlm-
posed turbine wheels of. 5,000-horSe
power each. TO cost i'll the neigh
Dorhood of 100000. They are to be set
Nov. 1. They will be built after the de-
signs of Messrs. Faesch and Picard, of
Geneva, Switzerland. Each wheel is
composed of two superimposed tur-
bines, supported OH hydraulic pivot.
The water is fed between the wheels i'll
conduit pipes and the discharge is eX-
terror. This 5,000-horse power is an i'm
mense unit for turbine, for the largest
heretofore known i'll this country is
1000 horse power.
Stand without an Equal.
Nothing has ever before been built to
equal these contemplated monsters.
The moment the wheels are set and
ready for the water the dynamoS will
be ready to be connected and electrical
power will be produced the transmits
sion of which is to form one OF the
chief features of this great undertaking.
Cities at distance are to be supplied
by these immense turbines and dyna-
mos. A glimpse at the wheel pits re-
veals the magnitude OF the work.
struction are Is feet wide. l40 feet
long and 100 feet deep. The COM
pany is constructing wheel pits for
three wheels, and another will be added
to these just ordered. The contracts
for the dynamoS will be let within sixty
days and they will combine features of
the best ever constructed with new de-
vices. A view of this great engineering
work reveals the fact that the main tun-
mel has been driven and entirely
bricked in. The large inlet canal
from the river has been con-
structed. This is 1,500 feet long,
200 feet wide at the mouth and
tapers up to 1875 feet wide at
ha tpif nf n n
fifteen feet. There are ten inlets or
gates for the wheel pits of the Cataract
Construction company, over which their
power house will be constructed. There
are two gates for the Niagara Falls Pa
per company, which has the largest
plant in the world here. There are two
| more inletS between the paper COM
pany'S works and the power house.
These fourteen inlets are on the west
side of the canal. On the east side are
six inlets, and two more Will be built.
Provides I46,OOO Horse Power.
Thus the canal at the start provides
| for the gigantic sum total of 10000
horse power. The work of the portal
| of the tunnel is not yet completed, but
| is progressing slowly and surely. A
! story was started last week that an ad-
| ditioual tunnel of extension was to be
! built over 50O rect. InlS is not so. IL is
| simply an old contract let a year and a
half ago in connection with the
| construction of the inlet canal.
When this piece of work is driven
the original 1000 feet of the tun-
mel will be completed. The con
tractor has now between 800 and
| 400 men at work, and the eXcavating
| and construction are going on steadily.
| On the other side of the river, on the
Canadian shore,a duplicate of this great
| work will be constructed. No work has
| been commenced on this as yet, but it IS
expected that operations will begin in
| the spring. Some 100,O00-horse power
can be developed there at One-Quarter
the expense required on this side. With
this enormous amount Of power ready
foruse, the denizenS of this locality are
expectant that in the future it will not
only be the manufacturing center of
this country, but the manufacturing
YnatronnIic of tha world