New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24
METROPOLITAN HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT.
They are the largest

I tiOniZed Street raITWay pTdCtICe,
the salient features Of the best motors OF the
present day. 1t disspated every doubt that
| satisfactory motor could be bunt, TOT IL an
| swered every objection to then existing motors.
The fact that there are upward Of 10000 West
| inghouse railway motors In operation to-day, eN
ceeding 650.00O horse power, gives some idea OF
| the work that has been done in trls Drahcn
| OF the electrical field.
| Westinghouse was one Of the first to bring
out the direct connected type OF generator,
machine having its armature mounted directly
on the engine shaft. In fact, a Westinghouse
engine drove the first direct-connected eiectric
generator that appeared The direct-connected
generator. known as the Engine type, re-
duces the number Of bearings and takes up
much less floor space than the old method OF
coupling the generator by belt to the driving
wheel.
| Owing to the enormous increase in the de-
mand for Westinghouse electric products the
company compelled in 1895 to combine the
| factories at Pittsburg, Allegheny and Newark
into one mammoth plant. These new and COM
modous works are located at East Pittsburg.
along the main line of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road, twelve miles from the city OF PittsDurg.
| The works cover more than "a acres, IL OF
which are under cover having n floor space OF
| Is acres The United States Capitol at Wash
ington covers but three and half acres OF
ground This fact gives some Idea of the enor
nous dimensions Of the Westinghouse electric
| workshops
| In this great establishment as it stands to-
day. combining the labor and skill of the EN-
ployes with $50 OF the best modern machine
| tools known to the mechanic arts, are 70 be
| found subjects that interest the ldymdn. eIlEl
neer and manufacturer alike. Such a workshop
requires the greatest diversity OF labor and the
greatest variety of materials. In the same
works find skilled watchmakers turning out
jeweled bearings for sensitive current measur-
| ing instruments, weighing not more than few
grains, and electric cranes handling structures
weighing thousands Of pounds.
| The works are entirely electrically driven. All
| the shafting and machine tools and other work
necessary 10 he performed in such an establish
ment are operated by Tesla induction motors,
| porno IL, cizaf rnt | N
| the manufacturer and engineer this feature is
most striking and Of especial interest.
In these works which have exercised such an
| influence over one of the most important INDUS
tries in the world. are manufactured all the ap-
paratus required for the complete equipment OF
electric railways. electric light and power plants,
| including generators. motors, transformers.
] switchboard apparatus. and all the necessary
auxiliary devices. In fact, everything electric
can be seen there in the process of construction,
and nothing has been spared to make the e5-
ia blishment a model Of the best practice Of the
day.
! In addition to these works the Westinghouse
| Company recently absorbed the Walker Com
pany's entire plant at Cleveland, Ohio, which
will henceforth be used branch department
Of the Westinghouse concern.
A notable Westinghouse accomplishment was
the lighting of the Worlds Columbian EXPOSE
ton at Chicago in 1893
The unequalled facilities which this company
has for manufacturing. owing to the fact that
! their works surrounded ny the most favor
| able conditons-fuel. material, etc.--made
it possible for them to contract for the entire
Columbian lighting plant at price one million
| dollars less than any OF the bids or their com
| petitors.
| This was the largest lighting contract ever
| carried out. 1t required twelve 1000 horse
power generators. having capacity for 2OO.OOO
candle power incandescent lamps.
| To-day machines Of 200 or 300 horse-pOw
capacity are dimiLutive. This Westinghouse
| Company is now building ID generators OF o,OOO
| horsepower each 70, the ST. Lawrence Con-
structon Company III the northern part of New
| York Stite.s
Electricity will be king Of the twentieth GEN.
| tury." says a recent writer. and the Falls Of
Niagara his eternal throne"
| At Niagara there are eight Westinghouse gen.
orators in operation. each having capacity of
| 5000 horse power single one OF which would
supply more than 10000 ncandescent lamps, or
would give motion to 800 railway cars. Each OF
these generators weighs 10000 pounds, of
which 10000 pounds are in the revolving ele
ment which is made up Of the shaft; the driver,
to which the ring Is attached with its pole Pieces
and collector rings.
The Niagara generators represent a greater
proportion of brain work and mechanical skill
than any other electrical machines in operation
They were built without previous knowledge of
machines of such enormous proportions being
several times as large as the largest generators
ever before attempted. One of these units rep
resents a dozen different Inventions back OF
which the engineer in imagination the
genius Of many minds focused upon a single
object-the conversion of the power of Niagara
into electric current
Probably the best judge Of the scientific work
involved in the installation at Niagara is Lord
Kelvin. and what he said regarding this plant,
installed to transmit the mghtiest water power
in the world. Is noteworthy:
at a great thing to see [, Jse turbines
capable of developing 1000 horsepower con-
nected directly with dynamos which trans
formed the power into electric current. |
went down into the wheel pit, thct cavernous
place, and watched the movements Of the tur-
bines. the greatest, so far as l know: that have
Wit no ma which these