Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-08-03
Niasnrn's Water Power.

lively discussion Is going on among
electricians on the subject Of the long
distance transmission Of Niagara water
power. Early in May there appeared
In Il leading electrical journal an arti-
Gle In which Prof u. j. Houston and
Mr. A. Il. Kennedy went deliberately
into the question of how far the water
power of the falls could be transmitted
by electricity. The gist of their conten-
zion was that the power Of Niagara
Falls can be transmitted to u radius
Of 200 miles cheaper than it can be pro
duccd ut any point within that range
BY steam engines of the most economi-
cal type, with coal ut So per ton: fur
thermorc that given Il sufficiently
large output it might be commercial
~ advisable to underseh large steam
powers at twice this distance with no
profit. in order to reduce the general
expense upon delivery nearer home
The article attracted wide attention
not only among electrical engineers,
but also in lay circles, and was prompt
ly noticed by newspapers throughout
the country. DR.. G. r. Emery, an emf
nent engineer replied to the article
by series of figures and statistics
which went to show that Messrs.
Houston ana Kennedy had overesti-
mated some Of the points on which
their conclusions We're based, and I'M
dercstimatcd others. For instance, the
Ho,lston- Kennedy estimate regarding
the cost Of the hydraulic works is ST.
go per horse power. as against d.
I.mery's $40 per horse power. The
former quotes Prof Forbes, the cleo
tricsl engineer Of the Cataract Com
pany, MS testifying that there can be,
little doubt that the efficiency OF our
dynanos may reach, at least 9S per
cent" and they commit themselves to
9G per cent. DR.. emery holds that the
efficiency Of the 5000 generators will
be only 30 per cent. He also makes an
estimate which puts the cost of OPERA
ton higher and the efficiency OF trans
mission much lower than those OF the
first estimate. He does not believe, in
fact, that power can be economically
transmitted to Buffalo in the present
state Of electrical engineering. He
says: Mills, paper manufactures, etc,
requiring power for twenty-four hours,
can best be located directly at Niagara
Falls and secure the undoubted low
rates that will obtain there
1t is thought that the first
transmission installation, which
will naturally be Tor Buffalo.
win cost even more than estimated
above, as time and some tentative
work will be required before the appli-
cation becomes general The estimate
makes no provisions for subways,
which must be constructed to all points
reached. The costs may rise SO high
that even the transmission to Buffalo,
will pay ony a small percentage On
the cost and conditions better than
those assumed must be found before
there will be much of a market else
where" To this Messrs Houston &
Kennedy have replied that their fig
ures are correct from first to last and
they mean to stick to them. In regard
to the efficiency of the 5000 horse pow
er generator. they say their own fig
ures of 90 per cent is unjustifiably low
and that the efficiency of the Frank
furt-Lauffen plant. where power is
transmitted over the conductors to a
distance Of 1913 miles, is 95.4 per cent,
and the dynamo used in that calcula-
ton was only about one-twentieth of
the capacity Of those used at Niagara.
Another combatant has appeared in
Francis b. Croker, of Columbia Col
lege. who calls in question the Houston
Kennedy figures both in the matter OF
percentage for annual interest, depre
citation and repairs, and the cost of
generators. motors and transformers,
all of which he says are remarkably
low. He thinks the estimates are not
conservative" as they are claimed to
be. and that not enough margin has
been allowed all around, and he ques-
tons whether "the cause of long dis
tance power transmission will be help
ed by assuming the owast possible
costs ana expenses and the highest
possible deficiencies. 1t is proverbial
that estimates should always be made
with ample margin. and in nine eases
out of ten, it is absolutely required"
And so the fight is waging. When such
authorities as these take opposite sides
the question in hand is likely to be sift-
ed down pretty thoroughly, and in all
probability before the works at Mia
CARA are in actual operation the theo-
retical status. at all events. of the long
distance transmission Of power electri-
cally will have been accurately deter
mined.