The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-16
is TO HAVE POWER DELIVERED By
THE QUART, GALLON OR HOGS
HEAD HEREAFTER.
ELECTRICITY FROM NIAGARA
TO SET THE WHEELS OF FACTOR
les AND MILLS TO WHIR-
RING.
FIRST CURRENT rs TURNED ON
Trolley Cars Sent Whizzing Over the
City Lines With UnwOnted
Energy.

BUFFALO, N. Y, Nov. 15.-At mid
night tonight the turning Of a switch
In the big power house at Niagara
Falls completed circuit, which
caused Niagara river to flow up hill,
SO to speak, by returning a fraction of
dts resistless energy, which had al
ready swept past the gates of Buffalo,
back into that city twenty-seven miles
distant. The harness was buckled
that bitches the factory wheels Of Buff
falo to the greatest cataract on earth.
On Monday morning the street cars of
the city will move 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
farther Of William B. Rankin, of New
York, secretary of the Niagara Falls
Power company, is a clergyman, and
in Difference to his wishes, Niagara
Falls power was not turned into the
transmitting system at noon today as
had been expected. The connections
were made at midnight tonight. The
force of experts having the work in
charge were busy all of last night and
until late this evening testing the vari-
Gus connections and going over the
machinery to make sure that every
thing was in proper order. When
everything was in readiness for the
switch to be thrown over, the electri-
clans were confident that there need be
no cessation of the current set flowing
over the wires Of the Buffalo street
railway system. The distance covered
by the line between Buffalo and the
falls is twenty-sveen miles, and the
expert electricians who have the work
in charge estimate that the loss
Of energy will be less than 10 per cent,
and may not much exceed 5. Careful
tests are to be made in this connec-
ton, the tests covering both night and
day, and clear as we'll as rainy wealth
er. The electricians are paying partic-
ular attention to this test as on the
perfect insulation Of the carrying line
depends much of the future success of
the undertaking.
The line that has been built to carry
substantial nature. Unlike the ordi-
nary telegraph line, the poles are
placed very close together and are
braced in such manner as to be proof
against heavy storms. At curves the
poles are set double and are guyed to
numerous smaller poles to prevent sag
ging. The overhead line extends from
the power house at the falls to the city
limits Of Buffalo, where the wires enter
cement conduits. On the overhead line
glass insulators are found unequal to
the strain and porcelain insulators were
made specially to hold the wires.
! These ihsulators were subjected to q
current Of 10000 volts before being put
IN use. There are at present on the
poles eight cables each. The carrying
capacity Of each is 5000 horse power, or
10000 horsepower in all. The poles
are OF a substantial character, how
ever, and the number Of cables can be
doubled without subjecting them to
greater strain than is considered safe
The only contract made so far for the
delivery Of power in Buffalo by the
power company is that with the Buff
falo street railway company for one
thousand horse power. Under the con-
tracts with the city the completion 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 COM
pany that the work was hurried
through so far ahead Of time. Con-
tracts with others desiring to use the
electrical power will now be made and
1t is thought that by the opening of
spring the power will be well distrib-
uted throughout the city.
Since the inception Of the undertak-
ing and during its carrying out the
| company have frequently called upon
Messrs. Edison and Tesla for advice
and these famous masters Of electricity
have been frequent visitors to the Nj
agara Falls power house to solve the
technical problems. The power will sell
in Buffalo for $36 a horse power per
annum, and under it's contract with the
city the company must increase its ca
pacity 10000 horsepower per year until
the maximum of So 900 horsepower has
been reached.
The switches in the Buffalo straight
way power house were turned on ex-
actly at midnight, by w. l.. r. Emmett,
chief engineer of the general electrical
company. Mayor Jewett was present
and held the watch. Everything
worked smoothly.