The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-08-09
A GREAT WORK OF ENGINEERING.

The daily force of Niagara Falls, eStlma-
ted from the flow of water, is equal to the
latent power of all the coal mined in the
world each day-somethng more than
200 600 tons. Professor Unwin has calcu-
lated that the Falls represent theoretically
1000 00ti horse power. Without apprecia-
BILE diminution of the beauty of the Falls
several hundreds of thousand of horse
power could be utilized
| Two classes of men are entitled to spe-
cial mention for the work they have done
in the development of the plant for the
utilization-the engineers who designed
the works and the capitalists who, with
rare faith, supplied them literally with
money to carry out their IDEAS.
The plan contemplated the construction
of a canal extending from point on the
margin of the Niagara river mile and a
half above the Falls 100 feet inland. This
canal was to carry water sufficient to de-
velop 100000 horse power. 1t was to be
pierced at intervals by 10 inlets, guarded
by gates, which would permit the delivery
house. This wheel pit is 11S feet deep
140 feet long and IS feet wide, and may ul-
| timately be extended to 400 feet in len 9Th
1t is connected with a natural tunnel with
the main tunnel, 1000 feet in length, which
serves as a tail race delivering the water
below the Falls. The construction of this
wheel pit and tunnel involving the reno
val of 300, 600 tons of rock and the use of
more than 5000, 900 brick for lining, was
work of great ma agnitude, involving many
engineering difficulties, but was relatively
simple when compared with the hydraulic
and electrical installation
The method to be employed in using the
water power developed was the first ques-
ton to be settled. In ordinary water pow
er installations the water itself is sold At
Niagara The water can be sold or the pow
er can be delivered on the shaft. The us
ual method of transmission has been bv
wire rope, but this is very limited in its
| range and at Niagara electricity is also to
be employed. To what distance it will be
transmitted remains undecided, but it is
dertain that it can be sent to Buffalo, Ton
AMANDA and other places within range
of so miles at a commercial profit The
unit adopted in the installation was 5000
horse power, and turbines and dynamos of
this capacity have been erected. Remark
able ingenuity has been exhibited in their
construction.
They are so balanced as to reduce the
thrust to minimum, and the fields of the
dynamOs, which reyolve instead of arma-
lures, are made to serve as tly-whecls. The
current generated will have in practice a
pressure of about 2l00 volts, the maximum
being 2400 volts, but by the use of step-up
transformers this may be increased to TO-
600 or more volts for long distance trans
mission and then reduced to any desired
number of volts by step-down transform
ers for use on local circuits The current
generated is alternating but rotary trans
formers have been devised to furnish con
tlnuous currents for street railway ser
vices. Every part of the electrical install
lation and nearly all of the hydraulic had
to be specially designed for the Niagara
Falls work. Every part of the electrical
measuring instruments are of special de
sign and construction. Each generators
of 5000 electrical horse power, is more than
II feet in diameter and II feet high. 1t
weighs 10000 pounds, of which 10000
pounds are in the revolving magnetic field,
which is designed to make 2JU revolutions
per minute, giving a tly-Wheel effect of /
100,000,o00
AS to the transmission of power to lonr
distances, that is Il matter for future de
velopment, dependent mainly upon the
cost of copper for conducting wires, which
has been greatly reduced by recent elec-
trical inventions. 1t has been estimated
that the lowest cost for steam power is /.
Sl5 for l0-hour day or $50 for Il 24-hour |.
day per horse power per annum for fuel /,
alone, and also that the Niagara Falls |
Power Company can afford to furnish it |
for Sl5 year in considerable quantities |
For the present the Niagara Falls Power |