The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-08

go from the foot of the mountain to the
top. and it used to take the stage coach
three or four hours. The precautions
which have been taken to prevent acci-
dents are simple. If the cable should
break an automatic clutch would seize q
support on the track and the car be brought
to halt. 1t used to take all day to go from
New York or Boston to the top Of this
favorite peak of the Catskiils, but after
the cable road was built last summer a
company of capitalists were invited to
make the journey from New York city,
the idea being to make a record for time
In a little over three hours after the train
left the Grand Central station the party
was at the summit of the m fountain. The
road will be continued so that it will de-
scend upon the west slope of the mount
ain, and the engineers have done some
rather complicated work to overcome the
difficulties which were presented on the
west side.
Capitalists ard engineers as well are
talking great deal about the consumma-
ton OF the vast plans for the utilization Of
some of the water power which has hith-
erto gone to waste over Niagara falls.
When the scheme was proposed a few
about investing. 1t had been an old story.
Some engineers were very doubtful
about the practicabi.ity of any plans
10 secure any portion OF that great
power. At last men connected with
what are called the Vanderbilt interests
advanced some money eXperlmentallv,
and were so we'll satisfied that the CAPT.
taiZa.ion of the corporation was COM
pleted few years ago and the great work
begun. 1t is now announced that within
Il few weeks the plant will be finished, and
the company will be able TO furnish 40 900
horse power 10 the city of Buffalo, and
ultimately to serve more distant cities
with sufficient power TO light streets
and run manufacturing establishments.
The development OF electricity as motive
power made the completion of this
Niagara tunnel scheme possible. The
power which the great volume of water
passing through the tunnel will furnish
Is tn be communicated through eiec-
trio dynamoS. thus making It pos
slble 10 distribute this motive force over Il
great territory. On the Canadian side of
the river another tunnel Is 10 be con-
structed speedily, which Is TO provide for
n separate ELECTRIC plant, serving some of
the Canadian cities, but to be chiefly used
as a sort of duplicate for the American
system. Both the plants WILL engineers
say. be able 10 furnish power sufficient to
turn the wheels Of as many manufactur-
ing establishments as can be built be-
tween the Niagara river and the city of
Buffalo, and already propositions have
been received from some great manu-
featuring establishments III different parts
OF the L nited States looking towards the
abandonment OF their present sites and
location here. If the expectations of the
engineers and the company are realized.
there Will he built in this vicinity the
greatest electric manufacturing city IN the
world. Col. Albert ID. Shaw, who was one
of the most Conspicuous consular repre-
sentatiyes of the United States some years
ago. believes that city Of more than
100000 people with Il magnificent yearly
output will be established in this region.
Private advices received in New York
city indicate that the engineers anu sur
veyors sent out by the government OF The
United States and those OF the South
American continent have progressed
much further in their work than the pub
lie realizes. The district IN which they
now are Is the southern portion OF
Ecuador. They have surmounted the
difficult mountain regions OF that coun-
try, and although they are not permitted
10 write much about their work, yet re-
ports have been received III New York
suggesting mat they h We found an En-
tirely feasible pathway over these noun
tains. A firm OF New York bankers IL able
TO Keep pretty close track OF the en- glneeTs
since this firm has issued exchange for
them which have been cashed III some OF
the Ecuador towns. Each monthly mail
brings a new set OF these obligations from
towns considerably farther south than
those from which the bills Of the month
before were received. The engineers are
likely 10 get lRto the region OF the upper
waters Of the Amazon early III the
summer; and il is possible that they may
tnd greater difficulties there than they