New-York tribune., 1905-11-30
UTILIZING VICTORIA FALLS.

s.Soutb2 Africa an English periodical, recently
contained an elaborate discussion Of the project
for utilizing the Zambesi River for the develop
ment Of power. The statement was in the form
of an interview with Mr.. H. Wilson-Fox, an Of
fcer of the company which is privileged 10 IN
dertake the work whenever it wishes to do so
and can command the capital required for it.
A wear ago, says this authority, doubts were en-
tertained about the entire practicabiltty Of the
scheme These he says, have now been re-
moved mainly in consequence of advice offered
by four or five experts
The chief if not the SOLE market for the cleo
tricity which it is proposed to generate at Vic
torta Falls would be the Rand If the trans
mission line between them were perfectly
straight it would not be more than 900 miles in
length If as is thought to be WISE it should
follow the railway, 1t would be fully 700 miles
long. To the great majority of electrical engi-
neers this fact alone would seem to offer an in
suDerahIe objection to th9 venture Few lines in
the world have a length of more than 100 miles,
and 200 miles is about the limit. Two considera-
tions regulate the distance over which IT is feast
Bile to send electricity for power. One is the In
creasing loss of energy from the resistance of
the metal and the other is the cost of the con-
ductor The former diminishes the supply, and
the other makes the output increasingly expen-
sve. 1t was long ago found that by increasing
rent than otherwise could be sent over a wire
having given diameter On few transmits
sion lines now in service $4,000 or $4,000 volts are
employed and for short periods $4,000 volts have
proved practicable With every advance in this
direction fresh technical difficulties are encoun-
tered, however and while hopes of reaching
100000 volts have long been cherished no one
vet seems willing to guarantee such per-
formance. --. -.-r.
FTI,,+ o1, hos S{r Enr o,A &c
associates their greatest encouragement is an in
duiry into system devised by Swiss engineer,
NJ Thury. Almost without exception the alter
mating current has been employed for transmits
sion. On q line which supplies Geneva with
electricity, and which NJ. Thury designed, the
direct, or continuous, current is used When it
first went into operation, in 1893, the pressure
was kept down to $4,000 volts, but 1t was in
tended to try 10000 or 10000 in time Though
the maximum voltage on American lines has ap-
parently not been surpassed-it indeed, 1t has
been equalled--M Thury has told Mr.. Wilson
Fox that smaller wire would be required for a
direct current than for an alternating current
and that economy would be insured by adopting
his plan. a French electrician, NJ. Tssot; Pro-
fessor Gisberi Kdpp who fills a chair in the
University Of Birmingham. and one or two other
advisers have led Mr.. Wilson-Fox to regard that
assurance with favor. An American electrician.
Ralph u. Mersnon, is also quoted af saying that
the enterprise could be carried out by either sys-
tenn Nevertheless, We fancy that the vast ma
jority OF electrical engineers will remain uncon-
vinced regarding the expediency OF the undertake
ing The project certainly seems extremely au-
dacious II appeals powerfully to the imagina-
ton, but the imagination is not always a safe
guide in making Investments
An alusion is made in the South Africa in
terview TO a scheme which seems to have origl-
mated with 3ir. John Hays Hammond This is
to establish at some central point in the Rand
itself steam plant whose capacity should be
adequate 10 supplying the mines there with cleo
trio power. Mr., Wilson-Fox processes to have no
fear Of competition from such a source. Well,
the relative economy Of the Two enterprises
should be ascertainabie, ut least approximately
When the Niagara Falls Power Company CON
sidered the adyisability Of constructing line to