The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-03-18
A Wonderful Power Plant.


A large amount of power can be OBJ.
tained from falling water in two diff.
ferent ways. Pressure on q water
wheel depends both on the volume OF
the fluid and the distance 1t can drop.
At Niagara, for instance, there is an
inexhaustible supply. but head OF
scarcely more than 100 feet. Some OF
the projects for getting power from
the tides have contemplated fall OF
only three or four feet. II, however,
there is an opportunity for a great
change of level, only small quantity
of water is needed. The most striking
illustration that the world has yet
seen of this latter combination is af.
forded at Vouvry, Switzerland, where
provision is now being made to obtain
10000 horsepower from head of only
half mile.
Vouvry is in the extreme western
part of Switzerland, little south OF
the lake of Geneva. Near by is tiny
lake named Tanay, too small to ap.
pear on any but the large maps of the
country. The outlet of that body OF
water flows in an easterly direction
and empties into the Rhone before the
latter discharges into the lake of Ge-
neva. The overflow from Tanay is not
copious, but since the mountainous
character of the region renders posi-.
BILE long as well as steep descent, II
is feasible to obtain striking results
from 1t by following the plan of which
the Niagara plant was the first exam.
pie. In other words, by means OF tur.
bine water wheels and suitable dyna.
mos. power is to be derived in the
form electricity for distribution over
an extensive neighborhood.
Lake Tanay has an extent of about
Ill acres, or less than one-ffth of a
square mile. The drainage area which
fills 1t is not quite three square miles.
At a lower level this would be only a
good-sized pond, capable Of running an
able-bodied sawmill or grist mill, but
nothing more. Tanay is 4644 feet high.
er than the sea, however, and 3117 feet
higher than the adjacent power station
in Vouvry. It's waters, therefore, give
a head Of fully three-fifths of a mile.
When first drawn from the lake by
a horizontal tunnel S5 feet below the
usual level of its surface, the water en-.
ters a big well, 100 feet deep. It is
then conducted through a series of
passages, some called tunnels" and
others known as 'conduits." Alto
gether the distance traversed is about
10000 feet, or nearly two and a half
miles. For the first half of the way
the grade Is a gentle one, the fall cor.
responding to only percent of the
length OF the channel. For the re-
mainder of the distance-636O feet
the descent is very much more rapid,
the difference OF level here amounting
to 1862 feet. The uppermost third of
this second stage OF the fall is con-
Quoted through a steel pipe nearly 20
inches in diameter. The conduit then
divides into two branches, 1874 inches
in outside diameter and 1850 feet long.
The pressure at the lower part of the
system is estimated at 1861 pounds
to the square inch-almost as great as
the force exerted by the explosion of
powder in a cannon. The efficiency of
the water depends upon this. Hence
the pipe along the lower part of the
route possesses exceptional strength.
1t is made without rivet, and by
hand welding, from the best open
hearth steel.
At the power station 1t is proposed
to install 20 500 horsepower turbines
and to employ each one to drive dyn-
amo Of the lame capacity. Four sets
of machinery are already In service,
four more are now being set up, and
the remaining IL will be introduced
gradually as occasion requires.
Asked and Answered.