The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-08-23
Naas.ra,s Wst.r Power,

A lively discussion Is going on anon:
electricians on the subject of tile long
distance transmission Of Niagara watei
power. Early in May there appeared
IN leading electrical journal an arti
Gle In which Prof. e. ]. Houston GnG
Mr.. A. e. Kennedy went elaborated:
into the question of how far the wa;c
power Of the falls could be transmi;:c
by electricity. The gist Of their cOnten
don was that the power Of Niagara
Falls can be transmitted to a rntlil
Of 200 miles cheaper than 1t can be rr,
duced at any point within that range
by steam engines of the most economi.
cal type, with coal at s. per ton: fur
thermore that given a sufficiently
large output, It might be commercial
" advisable to undersell 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
but also In lay circles, and was prompt
y noticed by newspapers throughout
the country. DR.. @: e. Emery, an emf.
nent engineer replied to the article
by q series Of figures and statistics
which went to show that Messrs.
Houston and Kennedy had overesti.
mated some Of the points on which
their conclusions were based, and un.
derestimated others. For instance, the
Houston-Kennelly estimate regarding
the cost Of the hydraulic works is ST..
60 per horse power, as against DR.
Emery's $40 per horse power. The
former quotes Prof. Forbes, the cleo
trical engineer Of the Cataract Com.
pany, as testifying that there con be
little doubt that the efficiency of our
dynamos may reach, at least, 90 per
cent" and they commit themselves to
96 per cent. DR.. Emery holds that the
efficiency of the 5000 generators will
be only 90 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 Mt Niagara
Falls and secure the undoubted low
rates that will obtain there.
It IL thought that the first
transmission installation, which
will naturally be for Buffalo
viii cost even more than estimated
above, as time and some tentative
work will be required before the nprli.
cation becomes general. The estimate
makes no provisions for subways
which must be constructed to all points
reached. The costs may rise 50 high
that even the Transmission to Buffalo
will pay ony small percentage IN
the cost, and conditions better than
those assumed must be found before
there will be much Of q 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
furtLauffen plant, where power Ia
transmitted over the conductors to q
distance Of 100 miles, is 95.4 per cent
and the dynamo used in that calcula
ton was only about one-twentiefh OF
the capacity Of those used at Niagara
Another combatant has appeared II
Francis B. Crocker. Of Columbia Col
lege, who calls in question the Houston
Kennedy figures both in the matter Of
percentage for annual interest, deprc
citation and repairs. and the cost o.
generators. motors and transformers
all Of which he says are remarkably
low. He thinks the estimates are moi
conservative" as they are claimed tc
be, and that not enough margin has
been allowed all around, and lie ques
tons whether 1.-THE cause of long dis
lance power transmission will be help
ed by assuming the owast possible
costs and expenses and the highes
possible efaciencies. 1t Is proverbia
that estimates should always he made
with ample margin. and in nine case.
out of ten. 1t is absolutely required
And SO the fight is waging. When sucl
authorities as these take opposite side.
the question in hand is likely to be sift
ed down pretty thoroughly. and III nj
probability before the works Mt Mi.
CARA are in actual operation the thee
retical status, at oil events. of the lon,
distance transmission Of power clectri
cally will have been accurately deter
mined.