New-York tribune., 1901-10-20
THE BIG NIAGARA PLANT.
A SECOND GREAT WHEEL PIT AP-
PROACHING COMPLETION.

Niagara Falls. y. y. Oct. 10 (SpeciaD.-The sec
ond great wheel pit Of the Niagara Falls Power
Company is approaching completion. This pit IS
sai6 10 be the greatest slot ever cut in the earth
by II has a length of 463 feet inches, a
depth of 17sIb feet and it is 1872 feet wide 1t is.
indeed a remarkable hole. and the sight It pre-
sents at the present time Is interesting The sides
of the pit have been channelled-that Is. grooves
have been in the sides. giving them the appear
ance Of having lot Of long, narrow shelves eX-
tending along the sides, from top TO bottom. The
pit has reached its full depth and the only excava-
ton yet to be done IS TO cut some Of the checks
for castings Many of the castings for girders
struts etc. have already been placed in the walls
and on them the engineers will place the great
irons that will rest there
In the construction OF this second pit the engi-
neers met the same conditions Of rock and water
that were found IN the construction Of the first pit
From the top TO the bottom the nature Of the rock
changes four times. The inflow OF water through
seams IN the rock was practically the same as was
met in the first pit. This water was caught In a
ring" sixty down and then pumped to the
surface. This ring IS practically reservoir ex
cavated in the sides of the pit 1t is six feet deep
and four and one-half feet high. Into 1t flows all
the water that comes through the rocks above.
When the pit is completed and the installation
placed the that flows the ring" will be
conducted TO point below the turbine deck, and
there pass into the tunnel. and through II the
lower river. In the pit. well in the old.
has been taken TO that the big hole is
carefully drained. II may be recalled that the pit
is 10 be lined with brick from top to bottom. and
the rear course Of brick will be hollow in order
that infowing water may be caught and conducted
10 the tunnel.
Between the old and the new pits, a depth of
1s0 feet from the surface there has been driven a
by 10 in dimensions and 80 feet long.
This connecting tunnel is for the accommodation
Of employees Of the power company in passing from
one pit TO the other. It will be brick lined, and
this lining has been half completed.
The tunnel extension made necessary by the con-
Htruction of the wheel pit has been driven It
IS nearly hundred feet long. and runs in a
same size and shape the original tunnel. which
IS that of a horseshoe. 1t has been lined with
Of vtrihed brick and the other portions of what is
are now connecting the tunnel lining with the
When the second section of the original pit was
built chambers excavated In OF the
sides In these there now installed huge water
pumps and other machinery. The convenience OF
these chambers having thus been demonstrated the
chambers excavated in the west side of ths pit.
Each Of these chambers is Is feet wide. p feet high
pun pumps viii viii be insaed IN them and also the the
ceIs for @ me the mammStn dynaros tnad wlI De oP 3s
feet below the surface.
Already a large portion of the steel skeleton Of
the new power station has been erected While the
original power house has conmanded general at
tenuOn for its beauty Of architecture, this new
station Is likely TO have more admirers It's length
structure Will be OF Queenston limestone, stone
that is a soft gray in color. The roof viii be
tire, thus relieving the long stretch of roof and
sides and adding materially to the beauty Of the
structure.
The capacity OF the station will he $500 horse
power, made Of eleven units, OF 5000 horsepower
each. The turbines in the original pit OF the
twin type while those in the pit will be sin
gle wheels of the Francis inward discharge type
working under a head OF l4j feet. The turbines in
the original pit work under a head of 136 feet
One of the interesting features in connection
with this latest and greatest Niagara installation
IS the construction OF covered forebay the
west side Of the power house. This forebay Will
have length Of 460 feet and it will be 10 feet wide
Its outer wall along the inlet canal. and in
order that the water of this canal may pass into
the forebay tWentyfour arches have been built the
top line Of which is under water. Back about ten
feet from the arches are the racks, and against
the openings of the arches. passing then into the
huge penstock nouthpieces The outer wall OF the
forebay is expected keep back the floating ice in
the inlet canal while the fact that the forebaY Is
covered will be a protection 10 the men employed
there, and also from the severe weather Of winter
time. With the exception of these arches, all the
masonry the big contract has been completed
The forebay has a concrete bottom from one TO two
feet in thickness
Three large cranes employed 10 raise and
lower material o the pit work. In the big iron
buckets operated by these cranes the low
cred 10 their work down in the dark depths Of the
DIT and meal time raised to the surface
Walter McCulloh is the resident engineer of the
National Contracting Company. which is construct
ing the wheel pit while William a. Breckenridge
IS the resident engineer OF the Niagara Falls Power
Company.