The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-04

A Similar Venture ait Shorter
Range successfully Estab-
lished In Germany.
The Cost OF Delivery Per Horse Power, 1t
the Grounds or the Worlds
Fair,

The Cost OF Delivery Per Horse Power, At
the Grounds OF the Worlds
Fair.
Very few projects now proposed BY sol
entihc men ara denounced AZ chimer1cal.
In the old days ii Was far different, as the
story Of many an inventor tells ua. The
other day q scientific writer in the New
York Times said the proposal to transmit
power from Niagara falls to Chicago was a
project we'll worth the serious considera-
ton of the Worlds fair committees.
II will be recalled that during the past
few years the problem to be solved was thu
utilization of that part of the water Of
Niagara liver which was to be diverted by
means Of a canal and discharged into an
underground tunnel, with a net fall of lao
feet. This canal provided for a flow Of
water representing 125,OOO horse power.
was to be converted into mechanical power
and transmitted to Cataract City (yet un-
built) within a radius of our miles, and to
the city Of Buffalo, distant about twenty
miles.
The commissioners having the matter in
charge called for plans from engineers and
engineering firms with the understanding
that the requirements Of the situation
called for methods that should furnish
power to manufactures and electric light
ing plants; also water power for domestic
and manufacturing purposes, and mir for
power ventilating and refrigerating. A
fair number Of plans were submitted, but
none thus far has met with such approba-
tion as to warrant its adoption.
As bearing intimately on the above
schemes of abstracting power from the
Falls OF Niagara is that one mentioned in
the beginning of this article of supplying
the Worlds fair by mean Of an electric
current produced at the falls.
The transmission OF power by means of
electricity is a subject Of much discussion.
It's history is confined to but few attempts
in recent years, and its practicability,
cent results obtained from using such
power at the electrical exhibition at Frank
fort-on- the Main
The application of the power that can be
transmitted by electricity was first put to
some substantial use in 1878 by q French
man named Fontaine and was due to the
discovery that the Gramme machine was
capnbls of reversion, that is, that the ma
chino will not only produce an electric cur
rent wLen given the power, but that it will
also produce the power when given the cur
rent. -
The success attending the French exhibit
at the Centennial attracted the serious at
tcntion of the industrial world, and tLink
lug men began the consideration of the
possibilities that might underlie the trans
mission of electrical power. Among others
who went into the matter was Sir William
Siemens, then president of the Iron and
Steel Institute of England. He discussed
the subject in public before the members OF
the society, drawing attention to the bril-
liant and unexpected results that would be
sure to follow from using the waters Of
Niagara to serve as the origin Of the power
that would accomplish almost any do
the experience and knowledge Of to-
day, it is easily seen how ignorant people
were at that time of the laws which
electricity. Then even the wisest believed
that by no means could a current be pro-,
duced having q tension OF more than II
hundred volts. q"
Consequently it was admitted that the
conductors must have a maximum tension
of 100 volts, and 60 the conclusion was
reached that 1T was necessary to have a wire
of three inches in diameter to transmit d
force of 1000 horsepower u distance of
thirty miles. Tho weight Of such u wire,
therefore. would be more than 1,50O tons.
Although it was admitted that the trans
lOlLblUR I'll SlEGGIlC lOIGS VI IL uISLHllC8 was
possible, yet it appeared that it would have
to be accomplished under such conditions
as would make it useless from q practical
standpoint. Instead of having recourse to
such means it certainly seemed wiser to
make use of somo other already tried and
approved method, such as compressed air.
With the object of opposing any such
methods and demonstrating the practical
use of electricity in this direction a French
man named Deprez carried ont his idea of
the transmission of electric energy by
transporting power from Miesbach to
thirty miles in length. This was really a
most important step, though it was much
ridiculed at the time because the power
obtained was 30 small, only one horse
power.
Returning to Great Britain, it is found
that some time after the lecture of Sic
mons referred to above Prof. Ayrton, a
man of note, was appointed to call a To-
ference of the British association. The
subject discussed was the electrical trans
mission of power. Prof. Ayrton, being
struck with the grent inconvenience Of
suggested that the difficulty might be over
come by coupling together in q series, after
the manner in which piles are joined, a
number of dynamos. The experiment.
proved a great SUCCESS.
In order to have realized all the results
which he desired in his experiments M.
Deprez would have had to couple up if
teen dynamos similar to those spoken of by
Sir William Siemsns, for the making and
running of a dynamo of 1,500 volts was
then . new move in the direction of the
construction of such powerful machines
and tho beginning of the subsequent devel-
opment Of the business.
Since the timo of theoretical experiment
mentioned above Mi efforts in new con-
atruction have been in the direction of ap-
plying knowledge to practical purposes.
Smaller and better wire has been manufac-
tured and machines of many Thousand
volts have been put on the market, and
thus a motive power of fifty horsepower
has been readily and directly transmitted
with no apparent difficulty.
A most important step in the transmits
sion of power has been brought about by
the improvements in accumulators. There
would seem to be no limits ~now-a-days.
thanks to the constant improvements in
acoumulators, to the employment and
tranEminBion of any amount of electric
power for the immense business of electric
lighting, except such as arc incident to the
insulntors of the conductors.
The most recent and successful attempt
Mt the transmission of electrical power is
that now in service at the Frankfort Elec-
tyical exposition. Here tho power equal to
that exsrted by 300 horses is transmitted
from Lauffen to Frankfort for the purpose
of running the machines of the exposition.
The distance ia 105 miles, and the number
OF volts required at the furnishing station
10 said to be about 3d. 600.
Ihp gchem1 to furnish the mower To drive