Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-05-24
SCIENTIFIC TOPICS.
THE PROGRESS OF THE USEFUL.
ARTS,
The Transmi.stOn of Ningnrn's Pow
era New Wind MOtOr-ImprOved
Freezing Method of Shnft Sinking
Smoke Absorption.

One of the most important questions =
Of the day is. How far is it CONNER
cially possible to transmit water powerf
electrically?" T'rof. q. J. Houston arr
A. r. Kennedy have just made a coin
pilation of facts and figures that serve
to define very clearly the present status
of this MOmentous issue, and their "Es-
innate of the Distance to Which Mag
ara Water Power Can Be Economically
Transmitted by Electricity will be
read with keen interest, not only by
electricians, but by the general public.
The question of the long-distancc trans
mission of electricity depends upon two
factors cost. which includes the pur-
chase and maintenance of the ncces-
sary machinery and wires. together
with the annual interest chargeable
thereon, and the electric pr2ssure-the
pressure or voltage ut which the line
transmitting the power can be operated
safely and permanently and with per-
feet protection Of the conductors from
lightning, weather and all disturbances.
Although water power has not Vet been
made available at greater distance
than twenty-five miles, it has been gen-
orally considered that it could be dis
tributed commercially at a radius Of
fifty miles. Messrs. Houston and Ken
nelly show that if reliable machinery
can be bought chaaply enough, and the
conductors can be safely operated at
sufficiently high pressure, there is moth
ing to hinder the falls Of Niagara from
stopping steam engines in New Orleans,
La, by underselling their power. A
point of the greatest importance is the
nature and disposition of the conduc
| tors. Three methods have been advO-
| Gated at different times-the conduit
| method, in which insulated cables are
buried in underground pipes containing
air or filled with oil; the subway meth
cd, in which wires are carried on
brackets in an underground passage,
as between the many buildings at the
worlds fair, and the ordinary aerial
line method. This would be indispen-
| sable in order to secure safety from
accidental contacts With high pressure
conductors; but in the open air the
overhead line is the cheapest and can
| NC AAouCs AAOASOSSAs pANoe oeos.AAAh'" AAsrAA~
ming or sleet The construction was
employed between Lauffeil and Frank
fort, and has been adopted in all the
long distance electric transmissions yet
constructed. After careful analysis
of cost and the possibilities of electrical
machinery it is demonstrated that the
power of Niagara Falls can be trans
mitted to a radius of 200 miles cheaper
than it can be produced at any point
within that range by steam engines of
the most economical type with coal at
So per ton; Furthermore, that given a
certain output, say $4,000 kilowatts, it
might be commercially advantageous to
undersell large steam powers at twice
this distance with no profit in order to
reduce the general expense Of delivery
nearer home. The difference in the
transmission radius between small and
large water powers hinges on the fact
that electrical and hydraulic machines
can be built and purchased much more
economically in large sizes than in
small, SO that the cost of producing
and of maintaining one kilowatt is
very much less for large than fpr small
water powers.