Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-05-25
BACK OF NIAGARA FALLS.
Remarkable Sight to Be Seen from
the Tunnel Under the Great
Horseshoe.

Three companies are now working
hard on the Canadian side of the Nj
agara to prepare for generating ele:-
trlcal power from the falls. Two of
these companies are controlled Ey
American capital, and the third exclu-
s1vely by Canadian and English CAP
ital. All expect to sell their product
on the Canadian side, and to distribute
power to points as much as 200 miles
distant from the falls, says the New
York Sun.
Each company has encountered some
interesting engineering problems in
the course of the work One company,
Tor example, has had to plan for roof
OF unusual strength over it's power
house, because it is expected that the
spray from the falls in winter will
thatch the roof with five feet of solid
ice.
No part of the work is more inter-
esting than that undertaken by the
Canadian company. The penstock, or
great trench, of this company, at the
bottom of which will be placed the
turbines that are to generate the pow
er. is 1900 feet from the center of tho
Horseshoe falls
The great trench is to be $50 feet
deep by 400 feet long, and 80 feet wide
| The problem presented was to dis
charge the water from the bottom of
this trench, after it had passed through
the turbines and done it's work
The engineers decided that in order
| to accomplish this tunnel should lie
extended from the bottom of the pen
stock to the center of the Horseshoe
falls. For this purpose a shaft about
ten feet square was sunk on the Cana
dian side little above the falls to a
depth Of about $50 feet.
From the bottom of this shaft was
dug a tunnel to point few hundred
feet above the center of the falls to
meet the line of the 1,900-foot tunnel
that is to run directly from the bottom
of the penstOck to the center of the
falls. When this line was struck the
workmen began tunneling directly to-
ward the penstock.
In order to make the removal of the
debris easy there was dug from the
tunnel leading from the ten-foot shaft
short tunnel to a point beneath the
falls and pretty close to the Canadian
side. One may now stand at the mouth
of this tunnel within a few feet of the
whole mass of Niagara's vast down.
pour, and looking through the roaring
sheet see the dim, transfused light of
day outside. Those who have had this
privilege say it is wonderful sight.
When the tunnel to the penstock
has been completed it will be EXTENDED!
from the point of intersection Of the
working tunnel from the ten-foct
shaft to the center of the falls at a
depth of about $50 feet This whole
1,9O0-foot tunnel will eventually be
horseshoe shape, with a vertical dia-
meter of 20 feet.
The horizontal bottom, paved with
solid blocks of stone, will be IA feet
wide. Along this tunnel the waste
water from the penstock will flow TO
discharge itself into the volume of the
Horseshoe falls some feet above the
bottom
Already a considerable part of tac
tunnel to the penstock has been dug.
and the debris is being daily dumped
at the mouth of the short auxiliary
tunnel opening beneath the falls near
I the Canadian side. 1t will take five
months to complete the tunnel, and
probably a year to get the power sta
ton in running order.
When running full it will generate
10000 horsepower. Engineers from
this city who have seen the work in
progress describe it as Of great inter
est and marvellously ingenious in the
way means have been adapted to the
ends to be accomplished.