The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-04-10

"a striking illustration of the prog
ress being made in the use of hydrau-
lie power for the generation of elec.
tricity is furnished by the recent clos
ing of negotiations in Canada for a
| new transmission line" says the New
York Tribune. "It will start from
Niagara, run westward to Dundas (fif.
ty miles away. and there divided in.
to three branches. Ore will extend to
Toronto, second by way Of Guelph
to Straitford, and the third by way
| Of London to st. Thomas Some day
the last may be carried on to Wind
sor opposite Detroit, but no such
plan is in contemplation at present.
From the starting point to the end
of the longest branch the distance
will be 10 miles. The whole system
now put under contract, has a length
Of 800 miles. The wires will be OF
aluminium and will be carried on steel
towers. They are expected to con-
vey 10000 horsepower, to be suppli-
ed by one Of the Canadian corporal
ions, already doing business.
"The notable feature of the install
lation is the high pressure (1100OOl
at which it will transmit the current
When the industry of conveying pow
er in the form Of electricity to a point
remote from it's origin was in it's in
fancy, the limit of skill and safety
was 1900 volts. Electrical en-
gineers knew that the high
er the pressure they used the
smaller was the metallic conductor
which would serve their purposes
The feasibility of any project of the
kind depended largely on the cost of
the copper wire required. and there
was seen to be point beyond which
II would not pay to employ it. Hence
there was a desire to use the highes.
possible pressure, and energetic ef-
forts were made SO to improve IN
Sulators that they would not permit
leakage. 1t was paratively easy
to raise voltages, but difficult to pre-
vent the escape Of current when they
had been developed. Leakage not
only meant the loss of power. but il
threatened disastrous accidents
| along the line.
"By degrees, however, remarkable
| gains have been effected. In 1893 the
| first transmission line from Niagara
to Buffalo, employing voltage OF
1000. went into operation. The Sc
| cond between those points began it,
| service in 1901. with 81 pressure twice
| as great Two years ago there were
six CT eight lines in the world us:ns
| 4 voltage of 10000, and at least one
| carrying 72,00O volts. Some oe the
| older lines in California were design
| ed to work at $4,000 to $4,000 volts,
| but the experiment did not give per-
| feet satisfaction at first, and the at
| tempt was temporarily abandoned. A
| Michigan company, which has sup
| Piled Grand Rapids with currony AT
| 1000 volts for about three years. is
| SAID to have opened a parable, line
| for the last cew months at 100000
volts.
''W )nderful as are these advances,
| they have been largely developed by
| the pioneer work done at Niagara un-
| del the guidance Of scientific advisers
| Of international reputation. Scarcely
| Lore than a dozen years have elaps, d
| since the colossal task Of ha messing
| The greatest cataract in America
| reached 4, stage which fully demon
| ~tiated its success. The installat'oI
| Of 600-horsepower dynamos, driven
| by turbines. was far bolder etecir.
| cal undertaking when it was llitiated
| than any the world has since witness
ed. Yet So carefully had every de-
| toll been studied that the first t.:
| twcnty-pne generators worked u a
| charm at the outset. The cap
/ italists who had the courage to carry
the project through in the face of
| almost universal skcpticism did a far
| greater service to industry than any
| OF their imitators has done. The com
panies which have profted by that
historic object lesson number many
! scores"
-----------
|. A WOmanS interest in "A divorced