Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-11-27
THE FIRST GENERATOR.

THE FIRST GENERATOR
takes its leap forward on its course toward
the ocean, a comparatively tiny rivulet
will be diverted and set to turning thou
sands of wheels
When the late Sir william Siemens re-
turned to England 20 years ago, after q
visit to Niagara and told an audience of
English scientists that it would be posi-
BILE not only to put harness on that cata-
ract, but to transmit some of 1t for dis
TANGO of several miles, he was looked upon
as a dreamer, as an enthusiast, and wise
men smiled at his fancy Just 13 years
later the Niagara Falls Power company
was organized and began to put into oper-
alton project much more extensive than
Sicmens had suggested
1t was an immense undertaking, but
since 1899 the work has never Jagged and
has been pushed forward with all the dis
patch possible. In making a start the
power house was located about mile up
stream from the American falls To this
spot canal was dug $50 feet long, $50
feet wide and p feet deep This was lined
with solid masonry, for through it the wa
ter, which was rushing on to leap over the
falls, was to he conducted to the power
house. The entrance to this intake was fixed
at point 600 feet out in the river and so
emhankments had to be built out that far
Work WIS begun on the canal in 1891 and
was finished early in 1898 An outlet had
to be dag also, and this required a tunnel
Z, 900 feet long. with fall of 50 feet. This
restored the water to the river below the
falls. 1t took 900 men three years to
cut this passage through the soft rock. 1t
is q feet deep, 10 feet wide and is lined
with brick masonry. Both tho canal and
the outlet will hold water enough to give
l00. 600 horsepower.
The scheme of converting the force Of
the cataract into power that can he handled
is wonderfully simple. To place water
wheel ont under that immense waterfall
would, Of course, be impractical. So the
water is conducted along the bank of the
river to a place where it is allowed to drop
down through shoots into big turbine
wheels, then IL 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 tho rest
takes, but 1t has "a very exciting time OF
its own and comes out in justas 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 feet in diam
eter. Upon each of these wheels, however,
descends column of water l4O feet high,
which is brought down through penstock,
or pipe, ~ feet in diameter From the
center of each turbine springs a steel shaft
40 feet long, which supports at the top the
outside shell of one of the great dynamos
The shaft and that part of the dynamo to
which it is attached weigh 10 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 38 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 ., 900
hOIStIblMtls ne DlBSeal BeneTduOr III tn6
intramural railway plant at the Worlds
fair developed only ?, 100 horsepower, so
you can readily imagine what monsters
these must be which buckle Niagara to the
traces.
After the power Is generated 1t 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 Tho present trans
mission line is nearly 20 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 are 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
y to be delivered in the city 10 all appli-
cants at the rate of $50 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, extern =
ing from Niagara 10 Buffalo, is predicted
for the near future.
CHARLES WARNER