The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-31
POWER FROM NIAGARA FALLS.
1t Exceeds That of the Whole Human
Race Exerted Continuously.
From, the IEIectrical Review

Race Exerted Continuously.
From the Electrical Review
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 Asso-
citation.
"A man considered as an engine and
compared with the vast supplies of energy
available in coal and falling water" said
Mr.. Stilwell, lis capable of but an insig-
nificant amount of work. 1t has been cal
culated that a very strong man, exerting
himself very violently can, for few min
utes, work at a rate approximating one
fifth of a horse power; but we have only
to remember that one-fifth of a horse
power means 5000 foot pounds per minute,
and that this is equivalent to lifting 10
pounds, one foot every second, to perceive
that the calculation does not apply to the
average man performing continuous work
by the hour. Considering work continued
for ten hours per day, I think 1t is safe
to say that the average output Of fifty
strong laboring men, working steadily
and faithfully would not exceed one horse
power, and 1t Is probably no exaggeration
to say that the power of Niagara exceeds
the physical power which the whole hui
man race is capable of continuously exert
ing.
Niagara is a great solar engine Water
raised by the sun from sea and lake and
river is precipitated to the earth by
changes OF tempera ture, finds its way into
the great lakes, and thence, by the Mag
ara 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
of the rapids, a 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
foot 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 esti-
mated (by the United States census Of 1880
to exceed 5,S0O,00O horse power. That is
an enormous amount of power. Let us
see how much coal we should have Il
burn to develop as much.
"A committee of the National Electric
Light Association. several years ago, ma de
a systematic effort to ascertain the econ
omy in the consumption of coal obtained
in electric light stations throughout the
United States. The final report Of this
committee is not before me, but the pre-
liminary report, submitted at the conven-
ton In st. Louis, March i, 1893, showed
that the average consumption OF coal In
these stations per horse power per hour
measured, as / understand, by electrical
AAA1dodl hlS iilbAl uUltnNH Oil lUb bMlIEn-
board, slightly exceeded six pounds.
At this rate, it would be necessary to
burn more than 190,OO0O0O tons OF coal per
annum to develop power equal 10 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 ma
terially exceed the entire amount of coal
now used for power purpose With the
best of modern steam plants, the consump-
ton of coal would still exceed the entire
annual output Of the anthracite coal fields
of Pennsylvania Making all necessary al
lowances for loss In a hydraulic plant the
power OF Niagara Falls, If IL could be utiiiz-
ed as a whole, would supply more than
100000 arc lamps OF 1000 nominal candle
power each. An Idea OF what that num-
Der means may be obtained by imagining
a row of arc lamps on either side OF a rail
way track extending from New York to
San Francisco. Were the number named
available 1900 candle-power lamps might
be located on either side OF the track at
intervals OF twelve feet throughout the
entire distance. Expressed In terms of i6-
candle power incandescent lamps, there Is
sufficient power TO drive 600 generators like
those now installed In the power house
OF the Niagara Falls Power Company,
each of which supplies energy equal to
that required by about 300 5O-watt
lamps, or, to put II IN Stil another way,
the power Of Niagara " used for the re-
ining OF copper by electrolysis, would de-
post more than 1900 net tons per hour.
There Is an important difference be-
tween using the energy 81. coal and util-
izing the energy OF water powers for pow
or purposes. Coal once burned cannot be
used again. Water powers, on the other
hand, are solar engines perennially re-
newed. We may utilize the energy OF Nj
aRara to-day without subtractlng a sin
gle horse power from that which nature
intended not only for our age but for fu-
ture ages. The thought, THEREFORE imme-
diateiy suggests itself that we should. 20
far as possible utilize our water powers
IN the mechanic arts, burning coal only
for our protection from coal for the prep
aration OF food, for necessary metallur-
gical purposes. etc. n this bo impractica-
BILE, we should a. beast SEQ 10 Il that our
utilization Of the energy OF coal does not
involve undue waste.
"Of course. not al OF the power OF Nj
agnra can be utilized Aside from esthetic
considerations which Will perhaps. for
all time prevent the utilization Of a SUM-
Client amount 10 impair the beauty OF
the falls and considering the subject sim
ply as an engineering problem, large de-
ductlons from the figures above named
must be- made 20 cover che difference be-
tween the total and the effective head,
this difference representing the fall IN ca
nails and tunnels conveying water 90 and
from tho wheels. ] suppose that IL would
o. possible 20 deliver about 10000 horse
power 10 the turbines, and Of this amount
horsepower az their rhafts."