The sun., 1898-01-07
NIAGARA'S DAY FOR WORK.
ENORMOUS HORSE POWER SOON TO
BE DEVELOPED 1T THE FAILS.

- ~ DEE IbOfED ~ n hb THLIs5s
| Additions to One Plant which VIII Furnish
| Eiectric Current TO the Amount of 5000
Horre Power-A second Plant TO supply
| 1a.SOO Horse Power nnd Third $4,000.
| NIAGARA FALLS, Jan. G--The Niagara Falls
| Power Company is extending its wheel pit and
power house in order to provide facilities for
developing $50 horse power in addition TO
| the 10000 already I'm use, whilc the Niagara
Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing
Company is arranging for 12.500 additional
horse power, and over on the Canadian side Of
the:river, in Queen Victoria Park, tho Canadian
Niagara Power Company Is making temporary
development OF at least 800 horse power.
The Niagara Falls Power Company's new
pit is 179 feet deep and about 275 feet in length
In this extension seven more 5000 horse power
turbines are to be installed making ten in all,
which will develop 10000 horse power. The
power station, the original section of which
was 40 feet long, has been extended over the
entire wheel"pit, and its total length Is about
42G feet. The outer surface of the extension of
tho building is of limestone of the same quality
as the original section, and the inner walls for
a height of six feet from the floor are of cnanl-
clled brick while above this point they are of
ordinary brick, covered with white enamel
paint. The designs for the original building
were made by McKim, Mead a. White of New
York, and in building the extension the style of
architecture SO much admired in the first
tion has been closely followed. Under the one
roof OF this great power station 10000 clec.
trical horse power will be available soon. This
will make it the greatest electrical power sta
tion in the world, but even this amount of power
will exhaust only onc.half the resources of tho
company. When tho tunnel, which acts as
tail race to carry the water from the turbines,
was constructed, 1t was intended for plant of
100000 horse power capacity, and the addi-
tional $4,000 horse power to be developed in con-
nection with it will be made available through
n second power house TO be built on the opposite
side of the inlet canal The:l Of the roof of
the power station is unbrokCn by chmncys.
This Is because the building is heated through
out by electricity, il being the largest structure
in the world SO heated. The hfty-ton electric
crane installed in the first section OF the power
house Will run tho entire length Of the interior
tonni turbines % in the ' pit s and the additional a
generators in the power house.
A serious danger was discovered in the wheel
pit last summer. This was creeping OF the
walls of the pitt, The great stone sides were
ip found to be GRADUALLY coming together, and
placed between them. About half way down
the pit the rock was beginning, to creep, as
situation confronted the company. The ex-
periencc of eminent engineers was call into
the:creepinE ceased as suddenly as it had begun.
The matter. nevertheless, caused great anxiety.
and led the company to take steps to brace the
walls of the pit. Twenty struts or columns,
each eighteen feet long and thirty inches in
diameter. have been made, and these, will be
will rest on iron bases three feet six inches
square and eighteen inches high. and these
walls. 1t is expected that they will prevent
all future creeping of the rocky walls of the
pit. In orier to make the pit still more sub
stantiHl, II has been lined to a height of about
forty feet from the bottom with brick, which
will prevent the soft stratum of rock under.
frntt a1t tf,tr In, Of
time, after the turbines have been installed, it
is the intention of the company to extend the
section Of the pit viii be similarly treated, it is
understood.
is transmitted to Buffalo over copper cables.
In the transformer house mt Niagara Falls ad-
joining the power station. men are busy in
stalling additional transformers, so that the
voltage Of the power TO be sent TO Buffalo may
be raised from 1000 to 1000, at which
voltage the transmission is more economical.
In nil. these transformers will number ten. each
having n capacity of $50 horse power. The
long, and the number of cables on it has just
been ncrca ed to six. or two three. phase lines.
The three n cables nd Last placed hare are identical with
teen strands, and each is of s50,6oO circular
mills As the length of each cable is about
twcnty-sN miles, the length of the six cables Is
about l5o miles, which requires Il large amount
of copper. At the Buffalo end of the line addi-
tiona stcp-down transformers being in
stalled to reduce the voltage before it is sup
pletl 10 customers.
The men interested in the Canadian Niagara
Power Company Hre PRACTICALLY the same as
Company. and for the rights which they hold
there they pay an annual rental of S2J, 200. Tn
der its agreement the Canadian Niugara Power
Company is TO have completed water connec-
tions for the development OF $4,000 horse power
by Nov next. and to have actually ready for
use. supply. and transmission 1O, 900 developed
horse power by the same date i'y replying to
an actual or fancied demand for power. the
company has arranged for the development of
a.
Falls Park and River Railway, which is now
available, and also for the placing OF !, genera
tor of 1000 horse power capacity III the same
station, the latter power to be available in the
spring the power plant of the Niagara Falls
located at the waters edge in the gorge. Tho
water that operates he turbines is conducted
to bnsn on the high bank. about 800 feet back
from the bluff. For several years the work of
snspf h III sn in hD with bGdS sh
progress. until now the installation is notable
A. the entrance the canal of this company is
$50 feet vide and it narrows to 100 feet in the
first 400 feet of its length. and then to 20 feet.
i Is through this surface canal that the water
supplied with water for power purposes from
this basin, while a short canal carries portion
nearer the edge of the blur, and from which
the water to operate the turbines in tho power
house in , the gorge is taken through huge pen
tion was 60 by 100 feet, and an extension Is now
building Of the same size; making the .dimen;
section of this station there are eight generators
operated by four turbines and IN the new sec
capacity. are to be installed to operate gcner.
atOrs. The first wheel to he installed In this
new section will operate II generator which will
supply electric current for the operation Of tho
National Elcctrolytc COmpany's new choratc
of potash works on the high bank above The
other wheels will be placed as the demand for
power makes their scr icg necessary.
This activity in developing power at Nj
agara is very notable and well pOrtrays the sue.
cess of the several power projects to be found
here. It ais makes clcar how rapidly clec.
tricity is winning its way in competition with
steam power.
Mrs. lydia Gale 100 Years Old.
ENERErT Mig Inn G--NIrs IYlin Gala If