Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-09-10
POWER FROM NIAGARA FALLS.
IL Exceeds That OF the Whole HUI
man Race Exerted Con.
tinuOusly.

The immense amount OF power
derived from Niagara Falls was clearly
described by L. B. Stillwell in a lecture
delivered before the National Electric
Light Association and published in
tie Electrical Review.
"a man considered as an engine
and compared with the last supplies
of energy available in coal and falling
water" said Mr.. Stillwell, ais capable
of but an insignificant amount of
work, 1t has been calculated that a
very strong man, exerting himself
very violently, can, for few minutes,
work at a rate approximating one
fifth OF a horsepower; but we have
only to remember that one-fifth of a
horsepower means 5000 foot pounds
per minute, and that is equivalent
to lifting ITO pounds one foot every
second, to perceive that the calcula-
ton does not apply to the average
man performing continuous work by
the hour. Considering work continued
for 10 hours per day, think it is safe
to say that the average output of SO
strong laboring men, working steadily
and faithfully would not exceed one
horse power, and it is probably no ex.
aggeration to say that the power OF
Niagara exceeds the physical power
which the whole human race is capable
of continuously exerting.
Niagara is a great solar engine.
Water raised by the sun from the sea
and lake and river is precipitated to
the earth by changes of temperature
finds its way into the lakes, and Themes
by the Niagara river, to the rapids
above the falls, more than 200
feet above the level of the water in the
gorge Immediately below the cataract.
To raise pound Of water from the
river below the gorge to the head OF
the rapids, force of one pound must
be exerted through a distance of, say,
200 feet. Therefore, every pound OF
water at the upper end of the rapids
represents 200 pounds of energy, which
are given up in falling to the lower
level. The rate of flow exceeds 1000
tons OF water per second, and the total
horse power is estimated (by the United
States census of 1880, to exceed g.
100000 horse power. That is an
enormous amount of power. Let us
see how much coal we should have
to burn to develop as much.
"A committee of the National Elec-
trio Light Association, several years
ago, made systematic effort to as
certain the economy in the consump.
tion OF coal obtained in electric-light
stations throughout the United States.
The final report of this committee is
not before me, but the preliminary re-
port, submitted at the convention in
st. Louis, March l, 1893, showed that
the average consumption of coal in
these stations per horse power per
hour meaured, as I understand, by
electrical measuring instruments on
the switchboard, slightly exceeded six
pounds. At this rate, it would be
necessary to burn more than 130, ,OOO,-
600 tons of coal per annum to develop
power equal to that of the Niagara
river from the upper limit OF the rapids
to the gorge below the falls. This
would be substantially one-third the
coal product of the world, and would
materially exceed the entire amount
of coal now used for power purposes.
With the best of modern steam plants
the consumption of coal would still ex-
ceed the entire annual output of the
anthracite coal fields OF Pennsylvania.
Making all necessary allowance for
loss in hydraulic plant, the power OF
Niagara falls, if it could be utilized as
a whole, would supply more than g.
100000 arc lamps of 1900 nominal
candle.power each. An idea of what
that number means may be obtained
by imagining row of arc lamps from
New York to San Francisco. Were
the number named available, 1900
candle-power lamps might be located
on either sides of the tracks at intervals
of IL feet throughout the entire dis
tance. Expressed in terms of 16.
candle power incandescents lamps,
there is sufficient power to drive 600
generators like those now installed in
the power-house of Niagara Falls
Power Company, each of which sup
plies energy equal to that required by
about $4,000 5O-watt lamps; or, to
put it in still another way, the power
of Niagara, if used for the refining OF
copper by electrolysis, would deposit
more than 1000 net tons per hour.
"There is an important difference
between using the energy of coal and
utilizing the energy of water powers
for power purposes. Coal once burned
cannot be used again. Water powers
on the other hand, are solar engines
perenially renewed. We may utilize
the energy of Niagara to-day without
subtracting single horsepower from
that which nature intended, not only
for our age but for future ages. The
thought, therefore, Immediately sug'
gests itself that we should, so far as
possible, utilize our water powers in