The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-06-17
Workshops Around Niagara.

One of the most wonderful work
shops of the world is now under way
around Niagara Falls. The most
beautiful and romantic cascade ever
known is proving to have utilitarian
value that, in time, may eclipse Its
fame for the picturesque. Science has
seized upon this wonderful prodigy of
nature, drawing upon its enormous
stock of ready-made power for use in
all sorts of manufacturing Industries.
The work, 30 far, has been done with
out detriment to the beauty of the
cataract. 1t is to be hoped this mag
nlficent spectacle will never be spoil
ed, but capital and science have seized
upon its marvellous riches, and the
question has not been considered as to
how far they will go. The same
motive has prevailed that converted
the falls ofthe Mississippi at Minneap-
oils into q handmade of the milling
industry. Such may ultimately be
the fate of Niagara. When Lord Kel.
vim, the eminent British electrical
authority, was in. the United States
last year, he paid visit to the power
works Of Niagara, for which he was
one of the consulting engineers. He
was much plea-ed with what be saw,
and made the prediction that the
ultimate exhaustion Of the coal and
oil supplies would result in taking the
power of the future from lakes and
streams. The beginning was made
with Niagara, another great plant has
been built, or is being built, on the st.
Lawrence, and third has been sue
cessfully established in California,
wilhelm the Mysore gold fields of
India and elsewhere other vast enter
prises are under way.
The cheapening OF power that has
already been accomplished gives the
best economic reasons for the work.
Attention has been called to it by the
starting up of the pig iron furnaces of
the Lackawanna Steel & Iron COM
pany at Buffalo. This plant is to be
fully provided with electrical power
furnished blythe Falls, it being the
one concern of the kind in the world
for the present that will have the ad-
vantage of the new force. 1t is assert
ed that this power is valued at SIS or
$40 per horse power per year; cheaper
than it could be made with coal, even
if the coal could be obtained for moth
ing. The amount obtained from the
Falls is now 10000 horse power, and
plans are under way to increase the
output to $50, 900 as soon as possible,
while conservative estimate is that
10000 will be obtained within the
next ten years. The advantage it will
rrtx ic ia, hn
duction of steel products, it is said,
will amount to So or So ton over
Pittsburg production. The plant is
claimed to be as complete as that of
the United States Steel company, it
having a vast amount of ore lands and
every other provision for the raw
material which are to be worked up
into steel products. The plant will
employ many thousand men, and
among its directors and owners are
many of the best known manufacturers
and capitalists in the United States.
The abundance and cheapn' So of the
Niagara power does not stop with the
new steel plant. Most Of the power
is turned to profitable use in electro
chemical processes. For instance,
there is one company there which is
now producing daily 36 tons of caustic
soda and 80 tons of bleaching powder.
Another has an output of y tons Of
soda and % tons of bleaching powder.
A third turns out ten tons of spongy
lead, Il fourth $4,000 tons of metallic
and still others manufac-
ture artificial graphite, emery and
phosphorus.
Science and capital are learning
more and more to control the energies
of nature that formerly found express
sion solely in the beautiful and the
picturesque, An early American poet
who wrote ''The Song of Steam" pre-
dicted much of what men would do
With this then newly discovered
power, but what is steam to electricity
when Dame..Nature herself attends to
the manufacture?