Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-02-15
HARVESTING NIAGARA.
Wonderful Machinery Employed In
the transmits sion of the Power
of the Falls.

Miss Gertrude NJ. Bacon describes in
Cassell's Magazine the arrangement by
which power is transmitted from the
falls at Niagara: About a mile from
the falls, on the outskirts of the lite
tie town, stands a handsome gray
stone building known locally as the
power house-the headquarters of the
Niagara Falls Power company. Wait
ing on its threshold the suggestion
arises of being at the entrance of
gigantic hive, for from within there
issues a dull and ceaseless hum as of
bees in swarming time or when the
bloom is on the lines. Entering. this
noise is found to proceed from sundry
members Of the noble brotherhood of
dynamos; ten of them, standing in
regiment down the long wide room;
maybe the biggest dynamos in the
world, as this is undoubtedly the larg-
est electric station-for they repre-
sent horse power of 5000 each, or
grand total of $4,000 between them
Some half of these are at present in
motion, their field magnets spinning
round at a terrific speed, $50 revolu.
tons in minute. If fly could con-
trive, which is inconceivable. to take
its stand on this whirring periphery
he would be travelling at the rate OF
two miles every &C seconds. The out
come of all this tremendous mass OF
machinery is current of 1000 volts.
transmitted, the most of it, along ca
bles, to the town of Buffalo, 20 miles
off, there to light houses, work fac
tories. and drive street cars with a
tiny fraction of the force of the great
&o11 60
its energy to such a distance is one
of the most remarkable features of
this remarkable enterprise, and no cleo
trio station incapable of producing cur
rent at such high voltage" or electric
tension could send its power, without
enormous loss, along the 80 miles of
cable that connects the Niagara power
house with its outlying customers
And now as to how this wonder is
achieved. and how Niagara has been
harnessed to such utilitarian labors,
without, be it noted, showing any visi-
BILE trace of machinery upon it's face;
for it was an all-important part of the
original contract with the electrical
company that it's works should in no
wise disfgure or interfere with the
scenic effects of the falls. Just behind
the power house the visitor may see
the end of a small canal, 500 feet wide
by Is feet deep, dug from here to a
point on the Niagara river some 500
yards distant, which is ~ miles above
the falls. By means of this canal very
small portion of the water that would
otherwise go over the cataract-far too
small a quantity to make any percepti-
BILE differences diverted from its
course and brought to the doors of the
electric station to be employed to best
advantage therein. The current in
this slow-fowing canal is, naturally.
quite inconsiderable and incapable of
performing any serious mechanical
feat, but the potential energy Of the
kwater consists in the fact that it is
| accommodating INCREASINGLY, moment by
moment, at height of 16o feet above
| the level of the river beneath. The
force it would otherwise waste in seek
| ing that level over the falls in the or
binary course it isshefe Obliged to turn
| to useful account, before it is allowed
| to rejoin the Niagara river and aid in
its wild race along the rapids towards
| the quiet shores of Lake Ontario.