The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-11-16
NIAGARA IN HARNESS.
The Great Power Company Starts
Up Its Business.
POWER TRANSFERRED TO BUFFALO.

Street Cars In That City Being Propelled
The Power to be Increased to Fifty
Thousand Horse Power.
BUFFALO, Nov. 18.-At midnight the
turning of switch in the big power house
at Niagara Falls completed a circuit which
caused Niagara river to flow up hill. so tn
SPEAK, - returning u fraction Of Its re-
siTtless energy, which had already swept
past the gates of Buffalo, back into that
city, twenty seven miles distance. The
harness was bucklcd that bitches the fac
tory wheels of Buffalo to the greatest cat
aract on earth This morning the street
cars of this city started running by Falls
power. Hereafter the Falls must work
enough to earn their living.
The buckling of the harness could have
been done as well twelve hours earlier,
but owing to the fact that the father of
William b. Rankine, of New York. secro-
tary Of the Niagara Falls Power company,
is II Clergyman, and in Difference to his
wishes the Niagara Falls power was not
turned into the transmitting system at
noon, MS had been expected. Tho connec-
lions were made at midnight. The force
of experts having the work in charge were
busy Ill of Saturday night and until late
last evening testing the various connec-
tons and going over the machinery to
make sure that everything was in proper
order. When everything was in readiness
for the switch to be thrown open the cleo
triclans were confident that there need be
no cessation of tho current set flowing
over the wires of the Buffalo Street rail
way system.
The distance covered by the line between
Buffalo and the Falls is twenty-seven
miles, and the expert electricians who
have the work in charge estimate that tho
loss of energy will be less than 10 per
cent. and may not much exceed 5. Care
full testsare to be made in this connection,
the tests covering both night and day in
clear rs well as rainy weather. The cleo
tricians are paying particular attention to
this test rs on tho perfect insulation Of
the carrying line depends much of the fu-
turc success of the undertaking.
The line that has been built to carry
the current bearing wires Is of n most sub
stantnl nature. Unlike the ordinary tel
egrnph line, the poles are placed very close
together, and are braced in such n manner
as to be proof against heavy storms At
curves the poles are set double, and are
guyed to numerous smaller poles to pre-
vent saggng The overhead line extends
from the power house at the Falls to the
city limits of Buffalo, where the wires
enter cement cOnduits. On tho overhead
line glass insulators are found unequal to
the strain and porcelain insulators were
made specially to hold the wires. These
insulators were subjected to n current Of
81, 900 volts before being put in use.
There are at present on tho poles eight
cables each with carrying capacity of
5000 horse power, or 10000 horse power in
ALL The poles are of such IL substantial
character, however, that this number of
cables can be doubled without subjecting
them to IL greater strain than is consid-
cred safe.
The only contract made so far for the
delivery of power in Buffalo by the power
company is that with the Buffalo Street
Railway company for 1000 horse power.
Under the contract with the city the COM
plction Of the undertaking of delivering
power in Buffalo was not obligatory before
next June. 1t was in order to secure the
contract with the street railway company
that the work was hurried through SO far
ahead Of time. Contracts with others de-
string to use the electrical power will now
be made, and it is thought TINT by the
opening of spring tho power will be well
distributed throughout the city.
Since the inception of the undertaking
and during its carrying out the company
have frequently called upon Messrs Edi-
son and Tesla for advice, and thesn famous
masters of electricity have been frequent
visitors to the Niagara Falls power house
to solve technical problems.
The power will sell in Buffalo for $36 u
horse power per annum, and under its
contract with the city the company must
increase its capacity 10000 horse power
per year until the maximum of $1,000
horse power has been reached.
At Buffalo the switches in the street
railway power house were turned on OK
hctly ut midnight by w. l.. r. Emmett,
chief engineer Of the General Electric com
pany. Mayor Jcwett was present, and
held the watch. Everything worked