Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27
HARVESTING RIVERS
Niagara Tanned, and Now a Cali
fornia Stream is Made to Work.
ELECTRIC CURRENTS FROM TIE WATER
Economical Production of Power
From Falling Fluids.
POTOMAC CAN BE UTILIZED

POTOMAC CAN BE UTILIZEI
The "harnessing of Niagara as tn
work of Transforming the vast water powe
at the falls into electric currents is called
has challenged the closest attention on tn
part of the scientific and mechanical world
for 1t is generally conceded that il SO tire
mendous IN engine can be brought int
subsection to the will of man, and be mad
to do the work Of the neigboring commun
tiles with economy, there is really no limi
to the possibilities that lie before manu-
facturers and others who depend upon tn
creation of some form of force. Electricit.
must be caused by some exciting agency
and today the almost universal means is
steam engine, which turns the armature
Of dynamos and so produces the curren
that is then used for various purposes
But this depends upon coal, and it is fear
ed that with the great Drain upon thu
worlds supply, in the multiplication of tn,
forms of producing machinery, there viii
| sooner or later come time when the limi
| of safety as to the use of coal and otheI
natural materials for the production o.
| steam will he reached.
| Hence airy effective and economical
| means of utilizing the probably inexhaust
| ihle force that lies within the great rivers
| that traverse every large body of land IL
| anticipated to be the first and most natura
| solution of the problem, unless a better
method than has vet been devised for the
| transformation of the suns heat into power
and motion can he attained. Niagara is the
| greatest source of water power in America
and, SO far as known, in the world. Its re-
| sources are practically inexhaustible. The
| sole problem there to be solved was the
safe and economical transformation of the
rushing force of the stream, caused by the
\ fail at a certain point in the river of from
! 100 to 10 feet 1t was known that there
We're millions of horse powers going to
waste in the irresistible stream. but how
to check and utilize this energy with safety
and certainty was for long years a ques-
ton apparently beyond the answering of
| human beings.
Difficulties Overcome.
| Years of study have surmounted the diff
culties that nature had placed in the way.
Pits were dug on the banks of the river,
above the falls, and fed by canals running
away from the line of the stream at the
best angles for the transportation of the
water. At the bottoms of these pits were
placed turbine Wheels with shafts con-
Meeting with the machinery above on the
surface of the ground that 1t was desired to
put in motion Steel tubes gave free ac-
cess to the wheels, and outlets for the
water after ii had done its work were
provided. and tunnel carried off the
combined currents to a point below the
rapids of the river.
In this case nature had built a dam, with
the necessary fall of ground below to car
ry off the water after it had been utilized.
The main question was whether the ma
chinery could be constructed strong enough
to withstand the enormous blow of the
millions Of pounds Of water falling such
great distance. This was ACCOMPLISHED
and the first great obstacle was over
come. Then came the question of how far
the power could be put into the form of
electric currents, and how great would
be the loss. The men behind the enter
prise had to consider one main point: The
manufacturer as a rule, cared nothing
for the waste of the coal supply. His chief
and cents. If he could buy electricity
with which to run his engines cheaper
than he could buy his coal. or. in other
words, If he could get a certain amount
of power out of the current at lower
rate than he would have to pay for the
same amount of power derived from his
steam engine plant, he would prefer the
new method of producing power. If not
he would continue to use the old plan of
burning coal. producing steam, and so de-
velopjng power.
So far the experiment has proved sue
cess in that the electric current can be
placed on the market-certainly near the
point of creation, an6 probably at a rea-
sorable distance from it-at a much lower
rate than the old system costs. Already
manufactures have been erected at the
rived from the g1eat cataract, and steam
power is being abandoned. The next step
has been to make possible the transmits
sion Of the current to a distance, and still
be able to underbid the coal fields. This is
being done. to certain extent, though
some reports are to the effect that the pro-
jectors of the electric plant at the falls
are somewhat disappointed, for it has been
round that there is certain percentage of
loss of strength in transmission that vines
out part of the margin between the costs
OF the two powers.
A California Enterprise.
But Niagara is not the only scene of this
great struggle between man and the nat
ural forces of the earth. There has Just
been successfully iraugurated in Caiifor-
MA a plant that is expected to revolution
lie the methods of manufacture and trans
portation. The American river has been
damned, and the water thus collected has
been directed against series of great
wheels below the surface of this artificial
lake, and so the force of the stream has
been transformed into power and then into
electricity, and is finally transmitted over
wires to the city of Sacramento twenty
three miles distant, and is there utilized to
propel street cars, to run the electric lights
and to turn the wheels of factories. This
plant was only recently installed, and the
first tests were made on the morning OF
the 18th of July, so that the Industry Of |
collecting the force in the river and turn
ing 1T into power is yet in its infancy. The |
Sacramento experiment has demonstrated
that the force of the stream can be eco
nomically sent to a distance and there |
used in commerce. The wires have tnus
far carried the current from Folsom, the |
scene Of the dam and initial producing |
plant for twenty-three miles, and there is |
a total loss of but 20 per cent of the power, |
One-half Of this loss is met in the trans |
formation of the power at the dam, and |
the other half in transmission to Sacra- [
mento. How much further the current !
could be carried is. of course. as yet prob
lematical. The Folsom plant now gcner- !
ates 4,sO0 horse power, and it is expected |
that with additional turbines and canals !
running out of the dam at least 10000 |
horse power can be derived from the water
and sent to the city. There is. Of course.
limit to the capacity Of the stream, for af-
Ter certain number of pipes ard wheels
have been installed the total supply of wa
Ter necessary to run each at its full |
strength begins to be impossible of attain
nent, and there is loss in the economical
BOWER derived. Hence it is estimated that