Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-04
NIAGARA'S BOLTS
To Be Let Loose in Four Places
at the Same Moment.
INTERESTING SHOW AT NEW YORK..

Model Of the Great Electric Plant ut Mag
ara Falls To he Run Ia the Metropolis by
Lightning from the Falls. Which VIII
Maine. California, Minnesota and Louis.
tana-Depew's Epochal Telegram.
New YORK. May 4.-Tonight Governor
Morton will open the National Exposition
of Electrical Appliances in the Industrial
Arts building in this city. Elaborate
preparation has been made for this event.
and It is expected that the attendance
will TO large and include some of the
most distinguished electricians in this
country The convention Is that of the
National Electric Light Association, to
which delegates have been sent represent
ing more than 10000 electric lighting
plants in the United States. whose aggre-
gate capital is in excess of $3.50 U0).00J.
The Industrial Arts building has been
the scene Of great activity during the last
ten days and nights and an enormous
force Of electricians and mechanics has
been at work.
Principal Feature Of the Opening.
The principal feature of the opening OK
ercises will be the turning on of a current
Of electricity generated by the waters of
the niagara river in the great power
house Of the Niagara Power company,
which current of electricity will be trans
mittcd over an ordinary telegraph wire of
the Western Union company. The in.
sulation OF this line is such that no con-
siderable amount of electrical energy for
power purposes can DO transmitted, but
by the use of the recently invented two.
phase Tesla system enough energy will
be transmitted to establish beyond ques.
ton, 1t is claimed, the feasibility of long
distance electric power transmission upon
n commercial basis. This line will be i26
miles In length. The longest line hereto.
fore ever established was from the falls
Of the Nccker to point 40 miles distant.
VIII Use = Historic Key.
The governor will use upon this occa-
sion the gold key with which President
Cleveland put in motion tho wheels Of in.
dustry at the Worlds Fair. Governor
Morton will also. mt tho declaration that
the exposition is open, discharge four
pieces of artillery, one stationed in the
public square in San Francisco; one in
Augusta, Maine; one In front of the city
building ut St. Paul. and the other in a
public park in New Orleans. This dis
charge is also accomplished by current
OF electricity generated in Niagara and
transmitted over the telegraph lines.
Model OF q Costly Plant.
The current of electricity which is trans.
initted from Niagara will be used in put
ting in motion model of the
Niagara power plant recently coz.
structed ut cost Of upwards of
$5,oOO,OOO. This plant consist of a tunnel
5000 feet in length, entered by wheel pit
1S6 feet in depth, ut the bottom of which
arc mammoth turbine whocls operating a
shaft, on the top of which are immense
electrical generators with n capacity of
5000 horse power. The total weight of
turbine wheel. shaft and generator Is
upwards Of 100 tons, This model, which is
shown and operated with the niagara cur.
rent, Is n cross section view of tho tun.
mel. wheel pit and machinery and also
shows n section Of tho city of Niagara
Falls, etc.