New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-23
NIAGARA HARNESSED DOWN
ITS POWER TO BE USED TO DRIVE MILLS.
-, 500 600 FOR CANALS AND TUNNELS TO Pho'
DUCE 100000 HoRSE-PowER-A GREAT
ENGINEERING WORK

ENGINEERING WORK.
No engineer ever looked at the spectacle OF power
displayed by Niagara Falls without Il feeling thai "
was A crime to allow the enormous energy there
stored I'D to run to waste from eternity TO eternity.
The artist is content to steep his soul in the beauty
OF t,e scene but the average utitarian American Is
likely to do some figuring horsepower and available
units Of work The prophecies OF years are now about
materiaize I'm great plant which VIII utilze
100 900 OF the 100000 OF horsepower going to
waste over the Falls; and 81, 100000 has been ex'
pended in the last years and within few weeks
the first water wheels will be In place and the
sluices will be opened.
From tie early years Of the ownership OF the fais
by the Porter family the advantages OF the great
water power freely discussed, but nothing way
done until about 1850 when Horace A. Dey caused
the construction OF canal which takes water from
point above the rapids and conducts 1t to set OF
mills built on the banks below the falls. and now
known as Scioekopfs Mills. The Niagala RIVER
makes bend at right angle and the mns are at
the apex of that angle This canal forms the by
pothenuse Of a righangled trinngle, OF which the
longest side is the river above and the shortest side
the river below the Falls The mills are near the
Falls and are not picturesque feature OF the scenery
The turbines which drive the mills sunk In pits
only about 50 or so feet deep. and consequently
their tail discharge hundred feet or more ABOVE
the surface Of the rapids below the Fals ana nalf OF
the available power of the water brought down by
the canal is thus wasted Less than ooVo horsepower
Is utilized.
The new works have reversed this plan OF long
supply canal and a short tail They have been
constructed on n modification Of plan first proposed
by Thomas Ducrshed, division engineer OF the New
York state Canals. The plan Is to have the mills on
the banks above the Falls and at distance from the
scenic l)caty and then to have long tunnel TO carry
the waste water down to the rapids. The mouth Oh
the canal Is more tnn mile above the Falls As
&, aJ,,u fppfl long
IL feet deep and varies from a breadth OF 300 feet
Mt the mouth to 100 feet at its inner end. Along
the Of this canal and Of its branches TO be buit
are sunk pits depth Of $50 feet, and at the BOZ
tom of these pits placed the turbine waler-wheeis.
Each OF these wheels has 40 feet effective head OF
water over II. The water Is carrd down TO tDem III
great pipes seven or eight feet in diameter called
pcnstOcks After the water has done its work Oh
the wheels it Is discharged into the big tunnel which
runs awny under ground to the river below the FAILS
This tunnel has been the most dlfhcut ana costly
part OF the work far. IL was cut through sonu
limestone rock but the rock WIS found TO crumoe
so badly after exposure that the Whole 1000 feet OF
IN. tunnel had TO be brcked up 1t Is In the
form Of a horseshoe. % feet high and Is feet
broad inside Dimensions. starting at = hepth vi
100 feet it has a downward slope or pitch OF feet
I'm n thousand at FIRST increasing TO 7 feet In
thousand. Its mouth where 1t discharges into the
rapids is pa feet below the brink OF the cDhs winch
form the ravine. Its cross section Is 900 square
,e.t and at the speed OF twenty feet second, with
which the water will rush ont OF II. there VIII be
a discharge Of about $4,000 gallons every minute
And vet this enormous amount OF water VIII hot
cause any appreciabe drain whatever on the naghi-
ncent volum. Of Niagara. 1t will lower the ieVei vi
tho great flood only about one and a hall mches'
TIL. extent and constancy OF this water power can
Falls while not known exactly, Is over SIX i'e''
The extent and constancy Of this water-po"er o""
b. understood when II is realized that the ""ei
service Of the great lakes, Sith the lana sioP''s
into them and contributing to the Fails OF Nias'rH'
has a total drainage basin of over 24o0co square
uil.s eaual 10 more than twice IN" area Oh "ie''
pr,oin and Ireland about 10000 square miles more
than tho total area of France and more thah ni'e'
times the total OF switzerland. Inc iiorsesno'
Falls are l3s feet high and 2,0Oo ieet "iu'' Inc
thor channel, In the state oil New-forh' io'"' Wv
American Falls. which i69 feet high at the
eastern side. and 1000 feet WIDE Do'n i'i' Yum
nrising 5000 linear feet Of water
rh e,tr.me limit, Of variation in the depth OF
,b river at different above the falis are uree
and one-half feet but these limits are rar"S resn.u
Tn. ordinary variation IS abont one ioo.' o'"
the falls the extreme variation rea'"cS Hi wv
Generally a variation OF one 1901 ABOVE ue ia'' 10
,,o,,.d hv q change of level OF 1--WE feet below the
falls These slight changes are OF snort u"rauon'
and are due mainly to long continued ana Violent
mind or sudden great accumuauons OF Ice. Inc
average discharge OF water AT the outlet OF Lake
Erie into the Niagara River is estimated oy some
authorities at 90 900 cubic feet second Noreo'c'
a. far as this the next Two generations are
concerned It doesn't matter whether theFe - any
r,,rf,u for there are 5000 cubic miles of water
hacked ND in the little mill pond oil Tile N"sai"
Fails Power Company, which is suhcient 10 run 'n'
Falls I'm their present style for 100 years without
the help Of another drop from the clouds
The Nararn Falls Power Company and the
Niagara Development Company own about LOW
acres OF land which they will lease pr sell to concerns
using their power. The Niagara Junction halfway
company has put 100000 into Il line OF railway
which will connect every factory with the three or
four trunk lines In the neIghhorhood. number OF
houses have been put up from designs furnished by
stanford White. and the employees OF the company
Will have the privilege of living III d"ehlhss
designed by the n-known architect at rental OF
sl5 "A month"; privilege for which ordinary people
hovc 70 nav several thousand dollars year
The problem OF utilizing this great volume ana
head OF water presented so many novelties mat
board called the International Niagara CommiSSioh'
w,, oraaniicd consisting Of Sir William Thomson,
now Lord Kelvin. president; Coleman sellers fr"-
lessor Of Mechanics of the Franklin institute aS
representing the company and the tnted states
Colonel Theo Turrettim, Mayor OF Geneva o"l'Aer
land to represent his country Professor r. MaSear''
of Paris TO represent France; Professor W {. Unwn'
sccrct,ry Twenty five thousand dollars was placed at
the disposal Of this commission for prizes 20 De
awarded for the plans for utilizing and distributing
ms us,wer More than twenty OF the leadlis ell
gnrering firms Of the world competed a..
Tho plans, far adopted, consist mainly OF tne
employment Of electricity u "A distributing agent
A great central station Will be built using turbines
of 1000 horse power each IheNc are .ie insrs s
ever built. They are from designs OF taesch ana
Picard OF Geneva. switzerland. but VIII De buit Ill
mis- country These wheels yin run at go revolu-
tions "A minute and guaranteed TO vary less than
9 per cent. from that standard The necessity OF
using some agent. such Az electricity or compressor
mir for The subdivision and distributor for manu-
featuring purposes OF these enormous agsiomera
lions of power Is apparent when ore renects ulat
I'm ordinary shops about half a horse power Is
utilized each man. one ot these o.ooo horss-
power wheels could consequently run Il factory WIN
10 900 worImcr. such factory would cover ABOUT
fifteen city blocks. OF course the Distribute OF
power over that space by shaftng and betting wouid
be- impossible. There must be Dig electro
th,. lnrr