The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-05

many respects typical. There are now.
two separate enterprises on the Aneri-
can side-one above and the other below
It's Horseshoe falls. The plant below the
falls has the water of the Niagara river
brought to it by long canal which taps
the Upper Niagara river, runs through the
city of Niagara Falls, and then. discharges
the waste water at the cliff just below the
first suspension bridge. Here there is
a fall of about 215 feet-consderably more
than at the plant above; but there is the
disadvantage that the turbines and dy-
namos are located in the gorge which the
building dshgure, and that the condl-
tions are not so favorable for the opera
ton of machinery as in a plant at the
surface.
It is the plant above the falls, the cur
rent while used locally in large amounts,
is also transmitted to Buffalo, twenty six
miles distant. This includes short serV-
ice canal $50 feet wide at it's mouth, IA
miles above the falls and intake being
inclined obliquely to the Niagara river
The canal extends inwardly 100 feet
with an average depth of II feet, and
holds water adequate to the development
of over 100, 600 horsepower. On. each side
is a powerhouse. the ultimate capacity OF
each being $4,000 horsepower: The cleo
trio generators are at the surface. and
4 -
| a wheel pit $50 feet under ground. con-
inected by a steel shaft; the water reaches
the wheels through steel tubes. After
the water has delivered up its energy, 1t
is carried off by means Of a tunnel I,oo0
feet. in length, with an average slope OF
| 6 feet in / 600. This tunnel emptles just
under the first suspension bridge, where
the waste water rushes out with a speed
of nearly twenty miles an hour. Inc
Niagara Falls Power company has under
it's charter the right to take sufhclent
water from the, upper river to develop
200. 900 horsepower, and has large iran :
chises also on the Canadian side. The
diversion of water is too small to make
any perceptible difference in the amount
pa ssins over the crest Of the Horseshoe,
+ OF American, falls. The potential power
of the main stream is estimated to be at
least six or seven million horsepower
The American company has already CIV
en- out contracts for a large plant on the
Canadian side, where the current Will be
developed by the largest dynamos IN the
world, built in the United States, and can
| if necessary. be brought across the river
| for use in this country. A large amount
| of Niagara current is employed in electro
! chemical and elctro- metallurgical opera
1 lions. This work, however, is far from
| exhausting it's possibilities. The current
is now used for electric lighting, and abou
! 1000 horse power is also delivered to the
| local trolley system. Factories on the spo
| working up raw material into food, text
| lies, etc, utilize several hundreds of horse
u power, and the current Is also used fo
the manufacture of ''merry- go -rounds,' a
we'll as for operating ventilating blowers il
the public schools. 1t is the transmission
to Buffalo, however, which more particu
! larly justifies the utilization of the energ.
CT the great cataract and illustrates tn
remarkable manner in which electric pow
&c fvY, f1,n otb 0f Aroo rin
| manufacturing and mechanical industries
The current from Niagara to Buffalo
| carried over aerial circuits, and delivere
to transformer stations which lower tn
pressure for local distribution. The Buff
falo street railway system has five c
| these sub stations, so that at all hours c
the day and night, Niagara is transportin
the public of a great city more than TWEEN
ty miles distant.
A number of miscellaneous industries an
manufactures use blocks of Niagara cul
rent at. prices which compete SO favorabl
with those Of steam. oil, and natural an
artificial gas, that the demand is rapid
increasing. Not only is grain ground
flour by electrical power, but it is handle
by electricity. One of the most interestin
: affiliations is that of twenty horse powe
in a bread bakery. In another Sbuildin
three motors operate ice machines twenty
four hours a day to furnish refrigeratio
for market place on the other side
| the street. -" t.-
.- The Pacific Coast.
An advance beyond the utiliza ton
the power of Niagara Falls is that MOI
recently perfected, by means Of which elet
trio current is transmitted from the Sic
ras in eastern California as far as Sa
| Francisco and other cities of the Pacif
seaboard. This constitutes the longe
electric power transmission in the,:worl
the distance being nearly ten times tn;
on the American side of Niagara Falls. n
further striking difference is that wheres
:. the development at Niagara is due to tt
| falling of water in huge Volume under
head of only from $50 to 200 feet, in: Ca
ifornia large enterprises depend upon tt
utilizatio Of relatively small bodies
" water but with heads of from 500 to 81
b feet. In California where fuel is st
q scarce, a great many mining plants la'
been brought within the sphere Of prof
: able working by this electric power tran
r mission, and q large amount of misce
i laneous work through the state is no
r tributary to these long distance TRANSMIT
$ sions. which excel in daring. and in cor
! mercial success anything attained els
q where in the world.
TheSpower plant at Colgate is situate
: at the base of a. 1900 foot hill, down IL
r side of which extend five steel pipes, eat
9 thirty inches in diameter, delivering wat
l to the turbines, Water is brought
q these pipes from the impounded river al
r from remote watershed by means of
r timber fume over seven miles in. leng
. with capacity of $4,000 cubic feet of wa
4 err per minute. This current is deli
s cred to two circuits of three wires eac
. carried upon Oregon cedar poles a
It eraging from twenty five to sixty fe
high, upon which are screwed porcela
: Land glass umbrella insulators .twel
inches in diameter. The transn,issi
II current is carried across the well-llnoy
- Sraits Of Karquines in an enormous sp
" of a, 44S feet. and supported 200 feet abo
r the rapid waters emptying into San Pal
d Bay by means of steel :latticed towers. Z
q efficiency of the transmission system
- lsuch that 900 horsepower at the Colgs
= water wheels nets about $50 horsepoM
t i at San Francisco. 6 per. cent being Ii
y in the generators, 2 per cent in the ste
: up transformers, per cent in the ste
down transformers at the receiving su