Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-03

| be encountered on the way. At the point of
| distribution-let US say at Buluwayo, $50
miles from the falls-the transmitted cur
! rent will be passed through another, or
stepdown," transformer, to the disable
quantity CT 10000 volts or less. 1t will then
| be made to operate the motors, which, In
| their turn, operate the machinery in the
mines. In fact. as Engineer Shaw points
out. enough energy can be transmitted
from Victoria Falls to Buluwayo to run all
the machinery required in the gold mines
| Tor the next twenty years.
1t VIII CiviliNe Africa,
The civilizing element in this system
| consists in the fact that power can be
transmitted and utilized in the depths Of
| the wilderness with as much economy as
| though 1t were in New York, London or
Paris The line may be tapped at any
point en- route, and branch lines can be
extended out In any direction and for any
distance At the end of the branch line,
even though 1t be on the top of the highest
mountain or in the middle Of the densest
swamp, thousands of horse power will be at
the disposal of the persons at the head of
such an enterprise. 1t will mean hat the
immense forests of Africa can be cut down
with the most improved machinery, which
under the old system could not have been
removed from the heart of the manufac-
turing center. 1t will mean that machn-
cry can be taken into the wilderness and
made to prepare its products for civliza-
tlon, irrespective of the fact whether coal
De u or $50 a ton. 1t may be that in the
course OF comparatively few years Africa
Will not be such a general point of destina-
ton for the products of the civilized world.
she may not only be able to manufacture
ana prepare for the market her own pro-
ducts, but may be able to manufacture for
her own use those which she must now
import from other quarters of the globe.
Had the United States possessed in its in
fancy such a civilizing factor its growth
q loan
rapid than 1t has been.
The most remarkable feature of the
whole project Is that when Prof. George
Forbes received a letter from a man in
johannesburg asking whether 1t would be
worth while considering the question of
utilizing the Victoria Falls for working the
mines in Mashonalaud and Matabcleland,
ne simply laughed at the idea and sat
down to write answer which would
enectIally point out the absurd lily of the
scheme of his rather progressive CORES
pondent He jotted down some rough
figures to show the writer of he letter the
absurdity of the idea, and in so doing some
new economics occurred 20 him, and a
cheaper means of transit presented itself
ana he came to the conclusion that the
project was really quite business-like This
was made all the more certain after he
had been to South Africa and reviewed
the situati at close quarters. From that
tlne ne mad no fear of the long distance
transmission for certain purposes such as
gold mining, where in many cases ether
power Is costly, and especially as gold
Aiihes require power Tor twenty-four he urs.
Long-Distance Transmission.
AS a matter Of fact, however, the pro-
oectors of the scheme have numerous ex-
amp!es TO point to In the big transmission
systems of the United States and Europe
For instance. Niagara is generating $4,000
morse power and transmitting it 81 miles
away. Sacramento, CAL is receiving H.
'n' morse power from a waterfall ~ miles
away The big plant at Ogden produces
ll,oo horse power. and the distance of
transmission is SO miles. The big Cotton
wood plant has a capacity of 1000 horse
power, and the distance of transmission is
IA miles. The Fresno, Cal, plant produces
2,5o0 horse power, and the distance Of trans
mission is 35 miles These are some Of the
newer American plants, but all over the
Rocky mountains may be found plants,
silver mines which are operated by cleo
trio power. generated by waterfalls, stu
ated miles away. Abroad, the movement
has been undertaken quite as seriously
Switzerland teens with successful install
lations, and Germany and Franco have al
most as many. 1t is proposed to light ST.
petersburg with power developed by the
waterfalls of Finland. Deptford. England
has lo.Oo0-volt plant which transmits cur
rent ii miles to London. The ancient aGue-
ducts of the Romans at Tivoli, Italy, have
been refitted and the water drives powerful
turbines, from which electric plant i-ets
It's force to transmit the current to Rome,
10 miles away. The river Sue, Switzer-
land, transmits electric current over 10
miles of mountainous country. In Mexico
there is an 1S-mile transmission plant at
Guadalajara. Kioto. Japan, has a 4-mile
transmission plant. and Lima, Peru, has a