The morning times., 1896-11-15
NIAGARA FALLS IN HARNESS
Power at the Fails Will Be
Utilized.
DREAM OF ELECTRICIANS
Current to BE Conveyed to Buffalo.
Scientific World Interested in the
Experiment to Be Made Today.
Dynamos Marvellous Makers OF
Electrical Energy.

Buffalo, N. Y, Nov. 14.-Unless the in
tervention Of accidents, now unforeseen,
comes to mar or destroy the carefully laid
plans and the years of hard work which
electrical engineers and promoters have
spent upon the project comes to naught, the
dream OF electrical nd mechanical engineers
will have been realized when the huge
transformers at Niagara Falls begin work
tomorrow, and 900 horsepower of cleo
trical energy is transmitted to this city,
where it will be used in the operation OF u
portion OF the system OF the Buffalo Street
Railway.
Marvellous as has been the workings OF
electricity within the past decade the crown-
ing event in electrical science Will have
been reached when means are devised
whereby electrical power can be trans
mitted without the loss Of half, twC-thlrds
or even more of its force, and Tesla is
now working oninventions which electrical
scientists believe will eventually settle the
trouble and permit ofthe lone-distance trans
mission Of power in quantities hitherto ul-
dreamed of. Tomorrow the first Experiment
in this country over a moderate dista ance will
lie made. and great interest is felt in the
result.
Just about the beginning OF the present
decade attention OF capitalists OF the
United States was drawn to Niagara
Falls. and the first of the actual ex-
periIncnts that resulted in the present
mighty plants were begun.
DESERVING OF CREDIT.
The claimants for the honor of being
the first to devise a Harvesting of Niagara
Falls have been many, and to whom the
honor shall be accorded remains a bone
of contention today, and perhaps will al
ways remain so, but to the capitalists COM
Ts.IIr
pany belongs the credit OF having carried
the plans to completion, and to the
Cataract Power and Conduit Company,
composed Of Buffalo business men, the
credit of bringing the first instalment of
the energy to this city.
The great dynamos in the power house
at Niagara Falls are marvellous makers
of electrical energy. Each or the four has
capacity OF 5000 horse power, even
when the turbines below develop an cf-
ficiency of only 10 per cent.
The plan OF generation is known as the
Tesla polyphaso alternating current sys-
tenn Each generator delivers an alter
mating current TO each Of two circuits.
The two currents are so degrees apart,
that is, each current attains its maximum
value when the value Of the other is zero.
The direction OF the current is reversed
5000 times per minute.
HOW IT IS DONE.
The current thus produced is conveyed
through heavy lead-covered cables to the
small transformer house on the opposite
side Of the canalfrom the dynamo house.
Here the wires enter what are called
"step-up" transformers, whence the cur
rent is converted into one OF high potential,
E. g. of 10000 voltage, for transmission.
Then the Current leaves the transformer
ho""n IN a h'''r-- ire and is fairly launched
on its long journey.
This Is .ue process until the "step down"
point at the city line OF Buffalo is reached.
Here another power house is found, twenty
six miles from the source OF the power.
where the potential is reduced and the
current again put ON the wires and carried
into Buffalo to the railway company.
Thus is done the harnessing OF the great
Niagara and thus without the marring
Of a single feature of its wild and grand
beauty, without TIN. destruction of Il single
spot transformed by the fairy fingers
Of nature into a fairyland of beauty and
enchantment, comes the Conquest of the
army OF peace, the conSummation of the
blending Of the useful and the beautiful