The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-22
NEW FIELD FOR ELECTRICITY.
To Test It's Efficiency in ProPeninE
Canal Boats.

NEW YORK. Nov 1.-THE program
for the official test OF the efficiency Of
electricity in the propulsion OF canal
boats upon the Erie canal, which is TO
be made by Superintendent Hannah of
the state public works department. was
made public here today The inspecting
party will consist Of Governor Flower.
superintendent Of public works, engineer
and surveyor and several other state
officers, including the controller, also the
superintendent of public works Of the
states of Ohio. Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Besides these there will be
present executive officers Of the Cataract
construction company. the Niagara pow
er company, the Cataract general cleo
trio company and the Westinghouse cleo
tric company, and in addition represent
atives from the banking house Of DreXel.
Morgan s, Co, Brown Bros. Wi4slow,
Lanier & Co. Nermilye a Co. and l..
Van Hoffman & Co, also the celebrated
electrician. Nicola Tesla.
a special train will carry them TO
Niagara falls. where an inspection OF
the great hydraulic tunnel and wheel
pits just completed at cost Of s.. 600 900
and the electrical subwaNs win be made.
This will be the first application Of cleo
trical power to the propulsion of COM
used heretofore only upon pleasure boats.
The method of application is by means
of trolley wires suspended upon either
side of the center of the waterway,
there being both positive and negative
wires suspended from the span wires
attached TO a pole line. The current
is applied to the motor in the stern Of
the boat by means of flexible wires at
tached to overhead travellers. which
move on the upper side of the trolley.
The flexible wire is placed on an au-
tomato reel upon the deck of the boat
and by paying out therefrom the lateral
motion Of the boat is provided for The
motor is attached directly to the pro-
pellor shaft. The equipment is furnished
by the Westinghouse company and viii
be subject TO preliminary test today.
ROCHESTER,, y. ", Nov. 17-Elec.
trical propulsion of commercial boats or
canals is no longer a theory. but a
demonstrated success. Mule and steam
power are alike doomed by the new
power which was successfully tested at
: O'Clock tonight alongside the village
of Brighton, four miles from Rochester,
on a waterway Of the Erie canal The
old steamboat, Ceres. nON the Frank
W. Hawley. named after the promoter
of the scheme, was fitted with an cleo
trical motor by the Westinghouse COM
pany instead of boiler and engine
Taking power from the trolley wire
or hindrance and Mr.. Hawley himself
pulled the lever on the controller and
set the current pulSing through the ma
chinery TO the propeller wheel behind
Governor Flower and retinue, in
Guiding the new state engineer. Camp
bell W. Adams and Superintendent of
Public Works Edward Harmon, arrived
at 4 O'Clock this afternoon.
The electric current was taken from
the Rochester street railway. about five
hundred volts power, and everything was
ready for the test at s o'clock The
darkness was inky but the boat was
poled out from the bank where she was
lying in wait for the summons The
trolley poles are similar TO the ones on
the electric railway cars. but with a
lateral hinge allowing for a DETECTION
of the boat six feet either way. They
are only temporarily used. Later ii is
intended TO use a trolley running over
the top of the wire with a wire drop
from the trolley TO the boat and thence
connecting with the motor. giving plen-
~ of chance for the boat to defect from
her course and still maintain momentum.
so long as there is plenty of wire to pay
out from the boat to the trolley.
The boat was finally placed under the
wires, the lever pulled and away she
sped faster than the law allows. six
miles an hour. There was no hitch. no
break. The blunt prov OF the boat was
pushed through the water as gracefully
as ever swan sailed, swiftly but peace
fully, through landscape gardeners pond.
No drawback occurred. II was a grand
success. Canal men look with disfavor
on the scheme because it will throw
them out of work and do away with the
necessity Of so many men. IL IS claimed
with the new electrical propulsion boats
can be taken TO Buffalo and New York
for two cents mile.
ROCHESTER,, y. Y. Nov. fs.-The first
canal boat in the world 60 be propelled by
electricity plowed through the waters Of
the Erie canal this morning and New York
state added another victory TO progress.
When Governor Flower had seen the eX-
pertinent made and heard the opinion Of
the electrical experts present. that they
considered il feasible, he said: "One OF
the most important steps i'm the march Of
progress has been taken. Increase the
speed and you increase the capacity. If
power can be obtained from Niagara, as
ii Is suggested II can be. 30 cents per day
will get the power for a canal boat that
il takes four mules and two men TO give IL
now. That means cheapening the rates
for carrying freights. IL means that 20
cents will carry bushel of grain from
Buffalo to New York: another 2ih cents
is going to deliver il in Buffalo from On
luth Five cents brings a bushel of wheat
from the wheat fields to the metropolis.
Isn't that going Go beat the Mississippi
route or the Canadian route. any other
route? When this is done wheat is not
going to stop in Minneapolis