The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-05-29
The Transmission of Powes.

The utilizatiou Of the vast power OF
Niagara Falls, says the Boston Her
aid, is feature Of the first interest ct
the Buffalo Exposition. The power
is employed at short range, but proves
what oan be achieved in the transmits
sion Of force. The consumption of
coal in generating electricity is extra
,vasant, and the more so when the fuel
has to be transported long distances
for use. Water takes it's place at
| Niagara and the supply is not only
less expensive, but is literary mex
haustible. 1t is not diminished in
any degree by use. In California,
again, there is an interesting demon
stration Of how far power SO obtained
can be carried for economical use. At
Oakland the street lars are now oper-
ated by electricity generated by the
Yuba River-140 miles distaut-and
it is stated that the loss in transmits
sion is"not more than 5 per cent. :"
| There would obviously, the Herald
suggests, be vast saving of electric
power instead if coal could be carried
from the coal beds generally of the
country to the places where coal is
now burnt to develop its power, and
this appears to be feasible, and there
is no prospect of exhaustion of the
beds for many years; but it is better
yet, because economical, to utilize
the power Of rivers where the force of
their current and other conditions
makes th;s nractieahle.
That source Of power, doubtless,
will be more and more utilized every
year and to the fullest extent in time.
Many falls and shoals have been "har-
messed" already and are driving thous-
ands Of wheels more or less remote
from the riversides, where the electric
current is generated and sent on its
way to translate the roar Of the rapids
into the hum Of machinery. The ex-
perts are thinking and working night
and day at the problem Of economical
transmission to longer and longer dis
tances, and their success is running
cars in Oakland by force derived from
a river 140 miles away, shows that
they have thought and worked to good
purpose. Their success at Oakland, i,
we may confdentally believe, does not
measure the limit of their possible
achievement. The 40 miles will
presently be stretched to 200, 300
possibly thousand. The effect.
i've range of gunpowder force has been
extended in few years from two or
three miles to twenty miles. Who
shall limit the range of the subtler and
inore powerfulforce?
The present practical view Of the
matter is of as much interest, however,
as the theoretical one. If electric
power can be transmitted in large
volume 140 miles in California so eco.
nomically as to make it available fc.
industrial uses, it can be 80 transmit
ted in other psrts Of the country.
And in such conditions every city OF
town in the country that can command
the power Of q considerable waterful
wishin $50 miles Of its limits will
have source Of cheap and unfailina
power that will be forever available
for it's service, development and en-.
richment. Such power as that q,
Columbia, for example, would be at
@::-iiable for service in Charleston
less than $50 miles distant-as in Co.
lumbia itself, the loss in transmission
being only per cent. With the ex
tension Of the electric range to only
300 miles, any great water power ir
the State would be practically brough,
to our doors for industrial uses.
We suggested, some time ago, that