Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-04


cited, although not all Of equal i'm
portance.
1t would not be surprising IL, before
long, one of the observed properties OF
liquid air might be turned to account.
says the N. Y. Tribune. While Pictet,
Cailletet, Dewar and Olszewski were
conducting their fascinating expert
ments with the condensation OF gases,
practical men thought: Very pretty,
to be sure; but what does il amount
TOP One highly important but now
comparatively old industry in when
the liberation of compressed gas Gam
monia) has been employed is refrlger-
alton. either in cold storage establish
ments or COMMUNICATING plants.
Now another entirely new use has been
suggested. The recommendation VIII
be of interest chiefly to electricians,
but also to some extent to the general
public, which is being served so extern
sively today by electric light ana
power.
Within the last few years there has
been an enormous utilization Of water
falls in America and Europe for power
that shall be transmitted to a distance
in the form of electricity. The most
pretentous plant of this character IN
the United States is that at Niagara
Falls; but in the number Of such enter
prises and in the distance to which
| power is thus sent over copper WIRE
the Pacific slope at present eclipses the
| East. AS yet, no attempt Is made to
| transmit electricity for light and power
to points more than 80 or 80 miles away
hn tiYp q
possibility of reaching out very much
| further has been seriously considered
Only few days ago the Tribune an
| nounced that an electric TRANSMISSION
line so miles long had been projected in
Southern California. And electrical
engineers have given much attention
to the question of how far away from
Niagara the power of that cataract can
be sent economically enough to COM
pete with steam. Opinions differ. as
might naturally be expected: but 50
eminent an expert as Mr.. Tesla has de-
clared emphaiically that IL market
could he found here in the metropolis
| for a sufficient amount of electricity TO
| warrant the building of suitable line.
il would be entirely feasible to trans
nit current from the Niagara dynamos
| to this city.
| Some suggestions recently made ~
| Elhu Thomson, a leading American
| authority in electrical matters. regard
| ing the possible use of liquid air viii be
more readily understood If the reader
recalls the limitations which hamper
, long distance transmission OF cleo
tricity.
| The first of these restricting circum-
stances Is the cost of the wire. When
electricity goes but few rods. the
metal conductor which guides it on its
| journey would be comparatively mex
! pensive; but when the distance is
| great and the amount of energy trans
| mitted is considerable. the amount of
! copper required becomes formidable.
From Niagara To Buffalo, over a line
that is about twenty-five miles long,
| there have been strung twelve wires,
each nearly an inch in diameter. Each
set of three will be employed to carry
| 5000 horsepower when the new dyan-
mos are ready to supply the whole
/ 10000 horse power that will eventually
be required. The losses by leakage and
resistance are said to be less than 20
per cent. But over line fifteen times
greater. Consequently. to deliver 10000
| horse power in New York, a larger
amount must be supplied at Niagara
than for the Buffalo service. and con-
ductors of greater size must be en-
ployed. 1t will be seen, then. that a
great deal more than fifteen times as
| much copper would be needed in the
one case than in the other, unless some
new factor were introduced.
| Another limitation which bothers the
electrician is the voltage, or pressure.
at which it is feasible to transmit cleo
tricity. The important discovery was
made. a few years ago. that if. by a
piece of apparatus called a transfer
mer.' the voltage of current were
raised the electricity could be sent over
| a smaller wire. To save copper, there
fore. it is the fashion to carry the
voltage up as high as possible. On an
overhead trolley wire. the current is
sent at only 500 volts. and for mean
| descent lamps ITO volts was for many
years the standard. But on the three
phase line from Niagara to Buffalo a
voltage of 11,000 is employed. This is
about the same as is used on most of
the Pacific coast transmission lines
Now there is more or less talk about
doubling the voltage on the Buffalo
wires before long. And if the PROPOSE
ton is carried into effect the result will
be watched with profound interest
The fact is. the higher the voltage. or
pressure. the more careful must the
constructors and managers of such u
line be in regard to insulation. The
current shows a most amazing propen-
sity to hunt out routes of escape which
it would have ignored before. 1t be-
HAYES precisely as steam or water in
pipe would if the pressure were null
tiplied. Although the porcelain insu-
lating supports of the Niagara Buffalo
wires have been tested for a voltage of
10000. yet there is a liability that any
one Of them may give out under a much
| lower strain and let the current leak
down the pole. Electricians have spec
| ulated on the possibility of effectively
| transmitting a current whose voltage
has been transformed up to $4,000; but
at present 1900 or $4,000 is regarded
| about the limit of safety.
Mr.. ThOmsOn'S first MONT is that tba