The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-22
DIvERTING THE WATER.
Niagara's Great Natural Forces to BE
Wholly Utilized.

Kansas City Star.
II look forward to the time when the
whole water from Lake Erie will find its
way to the lower level of Lake Ontario
through machinery, doing more good for
the world than the great benefit which
now possess in the contemplation Of the
splendid now presented by the wa
terfalls OF Niagara. Lord Kelvin.
One of the most striking examples of
the unitarian spirit of the twentieth CEN
fury is TO be found In the present rate of
water power development at Niagara Falls.
Professor Unwin has estimated the force
of the great cataract at 1000, 000-horse pow
er, or an equivalent to the latent force in
the worlds daily output Of coal. Charters
for the utilization of % per cent. OF this
vast amount have already been granted.
Only 1OOOOO-horse power is as yet avail
able, but work is in progress on both sides
of the river for the Harvesting of 10000
more.
On the New York side the Niagara Falls
Power Company, which represents prob
ably the most famous installation In the
world, and is privileged by its charter to
take 20O,OO0-horse power from the upper
river, Is now increasing its development
posed of New York capitalists, such j.
Pierpont Morgan. John Jacob Aston. W. X.
Vanderbilt and Chauncey NJ. Depew. The
intake canal and power houses are situated
at point mile and quarter above the
falls, where two wheelpits each $50 feet in
depth and 400 feet in length, have been ex-
cavated out of the solid rock. Here the
water is directed from the intake canal
into huge penstocks, through which 1t Is
dropped to the turbines 140 feet below, and
is thence carried off to the lower river by
means of tunnel, mile and a third long,
running beneath the city at a depth Of 200
feet. The water wheels are connected by
means of shafts with dynamos on the
ground floor of the power houses, each
dynamo generating 5.O00-horse power. The
flow of water in each penstock equals 5000
gallons per second. 1t is expected that
the second installation will be completed
soon. At the present time ten dynamos in
power house No. 1, developing 5OOO0-horse
power, and six dynamos in power house
No. 2, producing 3O,000-horse power, are in
On the same side of the river the Nj
agara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manu-
featuring Company develops 4000O-horse
power and is increasing it's plant to utilize
| $1,000 more. The intake is made about
half mile above the falls. and from this
| point the water is conveyed through the
| city in an open canal to the edge OF the
| cliff below the cataract, where IL is dropped
| through the largest steel penstocks in the
world to turbines Just above the level or
| the lower river. This company is limited
| to 100 cubic feet of water per second.
Most interesting of all from an engineer
| ing point of view will be the works of the
| /,
which is the third corporation privileged
TO develop power on the Canadian side. Its
| intake is situated up the stream midway
between those OF the Ontario Power Somr
| Company. Its power house Will be built
out partly over the river, and in order that
| it may not interfere with the works OF the
| other two companies, 1T will eXcavate its
| tunnel tail race under the bed of the upper
| river, beginning at a depth of about $50
| feet below the surface. Although its charter
| was granted only three months ago, IT has
already begun operations to the extent of
| building a cofferdam near the proposed
| situation of the power house. Four years Is
| the extreme limit allowed the company for
the installation of machinery to generate
$4,000 horse power out of the total 600
| that it is entitled to develop. The share
| holders arc all Canadians, and 1t is their in
| tention to transmit most or the power 10
| Toronto The company is to pay the park
| commissioners a minimum yearly rental OF
$4,000.
| 100000 horse power at present available
necessarily abounds in superlatives. AT the
| Niagara Falls Power Company the largest
| transformer in the world is used to transmit
| electric power to Buffalo, twenty-three
| miles away.
Quite the most beautiful use ever made
of Niagara Falls power was the lighting
| at the Pan American exposition. Here 5,OOL
horse power used for the 100000 lights
that outlined the roofs, domes, cornices
and windows of all the buildings, thus Gre
/ d
| been unequaled.
There is little doubt that Lord Kelvin
| prophecy will ultimately be fulfilled, and
/ that the brink OF the great cataract will
| some day be as bare of water as on that
memorable Sunday in March of the present
| year, when the ice jam held back the waters
| above the American falls and left
the edges Of the precipice a safe highway
| for the many foot passengers crossing from
the mainland to Goat island However
the date of this event will depend wholly
| upon the demands of the manufacturers
| The superintendent OF the Canadian park
estimates the amount of power now in pro,
| cess of Harvesting to be sufficient for al
| industrial requirements for the next quarter
| of a century. but no prediction can be made
| with any certainty The present utilization
| of 100000 horse power makes no appreciablt
difference in the flow of water over either
fall but the development of the full p pei
| cent allowed by the charters of the five
companies will certainly cause perceptibls
| diminution in the volume OF the fall.
Until the falls are actually ruined, from
an aesthetic point of view, 1T will be {
comparatively easy matter TO preserve theil
immedite surroundings from the more un
| lovely evidences of industrial activity, a:
the parks on both sides of the river have
a monopoly Of the beautiful scenery. Tbs
New York State reservation comprises Ill