The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-12-03
THE FIRST GENERATOR,

au a polnU QUO rect out In the river, ana so
embankments had to be built out that far.
Work was begun on the canal in 1891 and
was finished early in 1893 An outlet had
to be dug also, and this required "A tunnel
1000 feet long, with fall of 36 feet. This
restored the water to tho river below the
falls. 1t took 200 men three years to
cut this passage through the soft rock. 1t
is 81 feet deep, 10 feet wide and Is lined
with brick masonry. Both tho canal and
the outlet will hold water enough to give
100, 900 horsepower.
The scheme of converting the force of
the cataract into power that can be handled
is wonderfully simple. To place water
wheel out under that immense waterfall
would OF course, be impractical. So the
water is conducted along the bank Of tho
river to place where it is allowed to drop
down through shoots into big turbine
wheels, then 1t Is allowed to slip away
through the outlet and escape into Whirl-
pool rapids This part of the river does
not enjoy the great plunge which the rest
takes, but it has very exciting time of
its own and comes out in just as turbulent
a state.
At the bottom of the great wheel pit are
located the turbines. They are of special
construction, and, although each one is
capable of developing 5000 horsepower,
none of them is more than 8 feet in diam
eter. Upon each of these wheels, however,
descends a column of water 140 feet high,
which Is brought down through penstock,
or pipe, ~ feet in diameter. From the
center of each turbine springs a steel shaft
140 feet long, which supports at the top the
outside shell of one of the great dynamos
IL. 80,
which 1t is attached weigh 40 tons, and the
weight of this great mass rests entirely on
the body Of water which enters the bottom
of the wheel pit between the two halves of
the turbine These shafts have almost as
much work to do as those Of ocean steam
ships. They are 3S inches in diameter, but
are hollow, the walls being only three
| quarters of an inch thick.
At present there are only three Of these
turbines in position, but the wheel pit is
being enlarged so that seven more may he
added, which will utilize just one-half the
water power of the present canal. Up in
| the power house, on level with the river,
are located the great generators which turn
| the force of the falling water into electric.
| ity. These are the largest dynamos ever
constructed, for each will develop 5000
horsepower The biggest generator In the
| intramural railway plant at the World's
| fair developed only 2, 100 horsepower, SO
| you can readily imagine what monsters
these must be which buckle Niagara to the
traces
After the power Is generated it Is con-
Quoted out of the power house by lines Of
| cables and thus distributed to the manu-
featuring concerns which have sprung up
| in the immediate vicinity and to points as
| far away as Buffalo. The present trans
mission line is nearly 26 miles in length,
| but it is estimated that the loss in energy
after carrying the power thus far Is less
than 10 per cent The poles on which the
cables are carried are unusually substan-
| tial affairs and are thoroughly braced and
! guyed. When the cables enter Buffalo,
| they arc lowered and laid in cemented
conduit. Instead of single rod of copper
the conductors have been made of 10
strands, which makes cable three quarters
of an inch thick.
At present Buffalo only receives 1000
horsepower, which is used by the street
railway company. But as electrical power
Is to be delivered in the city to all appli-
cants at the rate of S36 horsepower per an
mum many manufacturers will soon dis,
card steam, and the city will be lighted by
electricity from the falls Power is to be
| distributed at all intermediate points, too,
and great manufacturing district, extend
ing from Niagara to Buffalo, is predicted
for the near future.
| CHARLES WARNER.