The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-05-14
Harnessing Niagara.
From the rhiladelphIa "a Ledger

From the Philadelphia (Pa.l Ledger.
More than century and half ago
rude sawmill was set up on the banks of
Niagara river to utilize the enormous force
of the great cataract. The idea of chain
ing the power of Niagara has attracted
the attention of inventors for more than
a century, but, with the exception of
few mills supplied with power from what
is known as the hydraulic canal, no at
tempt has been successful. 1t is thought
that before the close of this year great
project to supply about 100000 horse
power will be in active operation. The
amount seems enormous, but it is but n
small fraction of the power which expert
enced engineers declare is going to waste
at the Falls The most conservative esti-
mates place the total power at several mil
lion horse power-at least double the COM
bined steam and water power now used in
the manufacturing establishments of the
United States.
The methods by which it is hoped to
turn to the uses of man portion OF this
great power are by the use of turbine
wheels and dynamo-electrie machines.
The method Of construction is interesting.
From a point below the falls, just above
the water level, great tunnel, mile and
a-half long and 200 feet below the surface
of the bluff ON which the village Of
Niagara is built, has been bored. This
tunnel, nearly 20 feet in diameter, is to
serve as the tail race to numerous turbine
wheels, which will be situated in vertical
shafts of an average depth Of about l4O
feet. The water to supply these shafts
will be taken from the Niagara river by
great supply canal, which has been con-
structed about a mile above the Falls and
which will carry the water to horizontal
pipes connecting with the shafts. The
difficulty of supporting this great weight
of water, together with the weight of the
turbine and the steel shaft which must
carry the power to the surface, is overcome
by the simple, but ingenious device of in
Producing the water below the turbine,
which is thus balanced by the weight Of
the water. 1t is calculated that each tur-
bine wheel will be capable of transmitting
five thousand horse power.
The question Of the utilization Of this
great power still confronts the company.
Some manufactures will be located on the
site belonging to the company, but it is
probable that a large amount of the power
will be conveyed to distant points, and
especially TO the city of Buffalo, by cleo
tricity. This transmission of power by
means of electricity has been successfully
accomplished in Germany, where for some
time power has been conveyed for dis
tace of los miles with comparatively little
loss.
Professor Carl Herring, of this city, in a
recent lecture at Buffalo, gave some very
interesting figures which he had obtained
from firm in Germany This firm pro-
posed to install an electrical plant each
unit of which would represent 5000 me-
chanical horse power. The loss of power
at the dynamo would be only four per cent,
and the efficiency of the motor at Buffalo
would be 81 per cent. of the original
power The firm estimated the cost OF the
electrical outfit at SlS0,000 for each unit
of 5000 horse power, and the cost of
transmission at 10000 This would
make the entire cost a little more than S3S
for each horse power delivered. 70 the
interest on this sum would have to be ad-
ded the cost of maintenance and repair of
the line, and the charge for power by the
Niagara Falls Power Company. The
latter now proposes to charge $40 per
horse power per year on its grounds at the
Falls As the present estimate of the
cost of steam power at Buffalo is now
estimated at the extremely low figure of
s35 per annum, it will be seen how great
an interest the manufacturing interests Of
that city have in the proposed new motive
power.
The outcome of the experiment will be
looked forward to with great interest, for,
if as successful as now anticipated, it will
certainly result in great modification in
existing industries which are within any
reasonable distance of natural source Of
power at once so cheap and so convenient
as is this combination of water power with
electricity.