The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-08-12

l htOiAS are pul mute witnesses or the
 grim seriousness of their work.
 ''See that?'' As Mir. Value he pointed
 to great mass of twisted and broken
 beams. These beams were set out from the dam upward in the river for the
 purpose of breaking the force of the
 current to assist in making for the safe- tty of the vanguard of workers. But
 shortly the rapids have now washed this
 guard away, smashing and twisting the
 beams as if they were matches. They are caught on rock farther down
 toward the falls. but the first high wind
 comes on they will go to join the daily
 debris of the distant whirlpool. s The work is at all times perilous, but | the climax is reached when Jacques Foisy takes the sounding in advance of
 the dams course. The last sounding IreYealed depth in the rapids of "A feet. There beams were placed out in these rapids, secured by ropes, and Foisy,
 attired in his usual costume, and with
 out even removing his .overalls, leaped out upon them. If the ropes should
 break, if he should slip. if the beams ishould overturn and if one of those angry waves should rise just a little higher, But Foisy thinks nothing of all this. but commences to lower the iron bar that is marked off in feet and inch es. Seizing this bar, the current en- deavors to wrest it from his hand. Un- der the most favorable conditions and with feet we'll planted upon the firnest land, to take the soundings of Niagaras o,aid dS &oclz Io,,f here stands Foisy on three dancing timbers. lowering the rod, much more at ease thangs. the spectators on the dam above. Vigorously he battles with the water, and then the bolton struck he marks the spot and leaps lightly to the crib. Then MT. Thornley finds that the iron bar has been slightly bent by the force of the water. which rushes by at the rate of 25 miles an hour.
 And SC the battle between man and nature goes on right royalty. Along the dam, as fast as it is completed, rails are laid and car after car of stones are hur- ried forward and dropped into the pro- tecting arms of the cribs. But even af- ter all the peril and danger of construc- ton, this dam is but temporary affair, and built, as stated. for the purpose of draining off twelve acres of the river
 bed to the left by the Canadian side just above the falls. When for the first time in the history of civilization this river bed is laid bare, an arm will be built to divert the water within it's area. The water will drop one hundred and sixty feet. into the wheel-pit, which will be excavated in the rick, and through this drop the one hundred and twenty-five thousand horse power will be obtained. The wheel-pit will be four hundred feet long and twenty-three feet wide, and to generate this power ten generators of 12.500 horse power each will be used. The tunnel to carry away the water from this one hundred and sixty foot deep drop will in itself rank as one of the most daring engineering feats of the day. This tunnel will be twenty-six feet high, twenty-thre and one-half feet wide and lie one hundred and 77 feet beneath the riv- CT bed It will be lined with the hard est firebrick and concrete, and the open ing to carry out the water for the Wu6el-pll5 w W1tl Uc @ifldut III tlic WdllS VI rock underneath the falls.
 So the scene is no longer completely one of natures grandeur along the falls. for two companies besides the ones whose plans are outlined are now at work there. But the plan outlined by the New York engineering experts is by far the most startling. Canadian government experts estimate that two hundred and twenty two thousand cu- bic feet of water pass over both falls each second, making a total of $500, 1000 horse power. Pessinists have been de- crying the invasion of the commercial spirit into their scenic spot, but the to- tai horsepower to be developed when all plans are fully crystalized will be less than five hundred thousand dollars and this leaves a tremendous and pie turesque supply of energy, while factor ies and street railways, electric light and power companies within radius of one hundred miles will reap the benefit of the force which nature, now being subdued will finally give to thern.- Buffalo Letter to the Chicago Chronicle.