The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-13

Water Is flowing for the first time into
the great water power canal or tne Mlcn-
tgan-Lake Superior Power company at
Sault Ste. Marie The canal, just finished
expenditure of five millions, Is regarded
by engineers the most magnlncent
work of the kind in the world.
Like an immense river, 220 feet broad
and deep enough to float the biggest yes
sci that sails the lakes, 1t divides Sault
Ste Marie into city Of two parts, with
the island portion, now for the first time
completely surrounded by water, the busl-
ness section and the remainder OF the
city being given over to the homes OF
its citizens. In the future, when the 500
shall have achieved the greatness 1or
which it is destined, 1t is altogether like
" that every foot of the property IN
cluded in what is already becoming known
as "the island" will be devoted exclu-
sively to business.
The canal is two and a third miles
long, from the mouth Of the intake above
the rapids to the overflow far below the
entrance to the ship canals. The aver
age width is 224 feet, and the depth IS
22 feet. The intake has an area OF more
than $4,000 square feet. through whlch
will flow volume which is estimated to
be 10000 cubic feet a second, with a
velocity of about two feet a second or
about 115 mNes an hour The entrance
is 891 feet wide and IS feet deep. In its
excavation some 100000 cubic yards of
material were removed.
4,1OO Feet of Solid Rock.
At point about 1000 feet east OF the
entrance the intake merges into the canal
proper, the dimensions of which are out
lined above. "A cross, section OF the
canal at this point measures 4,42o square
feet. For a distance of 4,100 feet from
this point the canal is cut through solid
rock. In cutting out the channel through
this rock formation the sides were first
cut out by channeling machines. The
rock was then drilled, blasted and ex-
cavated and the sides wherever rough
were smoothed off with Portland cement
The bed was similarly finished. The i'm
mense labor necessary to accomplish this
can be scarcely comprehended. The ap-
pearance Of the canal bed, before the
water was turned in, was as smooth as
the exterior of a stone building.
For the remainder of the distance the
canal traverses a formation Of sand,
gravel and clay, the excavation Of which
was mot attended by such difficulties.
From the point where the rock formation
leaves off to the entrance to the power
house the sides and bottom of the canal
have been planked with the very best
hemlock timber to be found in north
ern Michigan. AT a point below the
water line the timbering ceases, and the
remainder of the sides is paved with rock.
Above that the banks are beautifully
sodded, and a row of trees recently
planted at the companys expense, borders
each side Of the great water way.
Reduces Friction.
The object Of planking beneath the
water is to reduce the friction, thus Sc
curing as large fall as possible at the
point where the water power is secured.
The lower 5000 feet of the canal Is on a
continuous curve of about three degrees.
The obstruction of the portion of the
canal which traverses earth necessitated
the removal of 100000 cubic yards OF
material and 900 feet OF timber
were used in the flooring and sides of the
canal.
The canal in it's course through the city
crosses thirteen streets and at the pres
ent time is spanned by five steel
bridges, one more is under construction
and others are projected by the city
for the future as business demands them
At the lower end the canal widens out
into the forebay, Nor mill pond, for the
purpose of securing sufficient frontage foI
the uniform distribution of the water tc
all of the turbines which are installed
along the river face Of the forebay in the
power-house. Because of this expans nsior
the water issuing from the canal will al
once disperse and enter the turbines at E
velocity of two feet second.
Powerhouse Cost a Fortune.
The river front of the forebay is closed
by the power-house, the duplicate O.
which cannot be found in the United
States. It is constructed of red sand
stone, is forty-eight feet over quarter
of mile in length, is 100 feet wide ant
1875 feet high. The massive building seti
upon a foundation of piles covered b!
<Aos sills and caps, and covered will
= Portland cement concrete to depth O
three feet. The cost of building thi:
foundation alone represents snug littl'
fortune. The substructure consists
20 feet high and 8 feet thick. Th,
stalls or pits thus formed, aside from
supporting the building, serve to delive
the water from the turbines into th'
river.
The penstocks are all of uniform dimen
%sions, 40 feet long, Is feet wide and Q
feet high. The dynamo floor occupies
space on the same floor on the river sid
of the power-house. The floor above i
used for the machinery, which conver
the energy Of the water into electrical
power.
10000 Horse Power.
. The energy to be developed by this i'm
~mense engineering achievement is esti
mated at 10000 actual horse power de
veloped by 800 turbines of the McCormicl
+. type. Four Of these turbines in pairs ar
placed in each penstock. All of the tur
bines are joined to one high shaft o
pressed steel, and are housed in iro
cases, leaving no openings save for tn
passage Of water. The water enters tn
penstocks at a depth of 13 feet and passe
through the buckets of the turbines
through the draft tubes below each tur
bine, thence into the pits and from ther
into the river. As the rush of waite
passes through the turbines the wheel
revolve, that in turn revolves the bi
shaft, and thus the power is produced t
turn the dynamos awaiting on the foo
above.
The electrical equipment Of the powe
house consists of eighty dynamos con
structed by the westinghouse company
After converting the water power int
electrical power the latter will be trans
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