New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-18
SCIENCE AND MECHANICS.
THE COST or POWER AT NIAGARA
From The Weekly Trib~ncJ

THE COST or POWER AT NIAGARA.
BUFFALO UNDECIDED WHETHER OR NOT TO Buy
ELECTRICITY PRODUCED At THE FALLS.
The company which has undertaken TO develop
electricity at Niagara a large scale, Tor manu-
featuring and other purposes. mas acquire" more
real estate there than it needs for It's own use IN
order to furnish sites TO such OF its customers az
wish establish their business close to the source OF
their mechanical power supply But the public has
been led TO expect that ia addition to serving
local interests. the company would also furniSh
Electricity places scores. If not hundreds "i
miles away. and there has been much speculation as
TO the feasibility Of carrying such plans mo e.
feet. Owing to her proximity 20 the Fails ana net
great size and Industrial activity, Buffalo has been
REGARDED as the first centre or population. removed
from Niagara. to be provided for. IL is not yet
quite clear whether that c;y feels tina; II IS en-
loving a privilege or comforting a favor in letting
the power company invade its precincts Perhaps
she has not determined that point herself me
matter is evidently still under consideration
In reply 10 some inquiries from representative
Buffalonians tho power company recently offered
the following terms it would let the municipality
or a private corporation come to Niagara take
water from the Power Company's canals at the
rae Of Slo a horsepower. and manufacture us own
electricity: or it would furnish power Off the tur-
hne shafts at S3 or electricity AT the power -house
at SIS But II the Power Company undertook 70
DO anything OF this sort it would not contract 20
deliver less than 10000 horse-p power hence buHaio
must agree take at least that much or none at
all. The Niagara people would not accept iran
chise to operate a line to and in Buffalo for
shorter time than that for which its own bonds
have been issued. No price is given for electricity
delivered a central station in the SUBURBS OF that
city nfeon miles from the Falls, so that the COM
panys own estimate Of the probable waste ana cost
OF transmission is still withheld.
There would be four kinds Of losses Cd In trans
.ba hOu III q A
on the line 80 in transforming down at Buffalo. ana
~ in distribution over street lines TO consumers.
These could not vel amount to less than 20
or 80 per cent altogether ard they might, perhaps.
reach - Co per cent. But II. for example, they
amounted to just one-haf the sis rate at the gem
orator shaft would mean S3j to the consumer. with
adding anything either for interest on the cost
Of the transmission plant, or for operating expenses.
This. however, Is probably an extravagant estimate
The prices actually given. by the way, are for
twenty fourhour daily supply Some establishments
require power. however for only ten or eleven
hours Whether il would pay 10 put in storage
batteries to utilize the surplus is question which
their managers must naturally consider. Richard
Hammond writes to THE Buffalo Courier 10 say
that steam power on "A scale Of 1000 horsepower
for ten hours daily, can be generated in Bufalo,
where coal is very cheap, for SCI per horsepower
The Power Company. however. denies this, and est
mates me at s32. besides quoting various ex
perts as estimating the cost on twenty four-hour
basis a; between $i5 and $50 In some other cities
where coal is more expensive. it is said to be from
$50 to SO.
r. after this discussion. Buffalo decided neither TO
buy the terms offered nor to let the Power Com
pany bring in It's lines and supply the market
more distant cities may possibly be deterreF by
her example from patronizing the Niagara concern;
but as the latter supplies its local customers with
electricity at $50 per horse power, in large quanti-
ties, there may be greater industrial development
at the Falls than would otherwise result.