Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-11
WATER MOTOR.
spokane Mans Invention Designed to
ReVoIutionize Industry.

iialuS AlncS. a pioneer engineer on
the Northern Pacific and the several
other western railre ads. has Just conn
hlet"h a water motor, which he de-
| ciares will entirely rcvolutionize the
power industry OF the country and
| make possible an incNhaustiblc supplv
| of power from thu rivers. streams ana
irrigation bitches Of the country.
Mr.. Anles nas just secured his patent
from Washington on Il claims and i;
expecting the patent from Canada in
Il short time.
The water motor, which by tie way.
Is not the first water motor ever in
vented. IS an appaicntlH simple piece
q. machinery. constructed of n series;
OF paddles working ON ball bearings.
and which, placed in the current of a
stream, Will produce power in good
quantities without the use of Il dam
CT III" IluHeeS now used by the water
power companies. Tho invention also
is claimed t" he designed t. pick
water power out oi the river at one
az hundred points. without impairint-
the river feF power or any Of the other
uses.
In brief, the nv water motor is "A
series - paddles, working on counter
Spr"ck"t Wae"ls. said paddles being
attached ia Il flexible m9nn"r to a
chain n belt. of any desired length.
and 50 arranged to work while in the
current with the least possible re-
sistancr and friction. The working of
these paddles. which produce the de
sired continuous motion. works Jointly
,t1 81. 4,
electricity.
rs Described in the patent papers
Which he has received. tn" principal
objects of Mr.. AEacs' inventions. are .
T. provide q motor adapted To rest
in n nIUN ing stream, to present Il num-
hel of moving blades t" the impact of
the moving water said blades being
connected by Flexible means to and
ratatahly mounted IN 4 rotary shaft a.;
to Rl9Ni6e.f motor adapted t. a shall
low stream. 1t multiplicity of blade:
Ia receive tie compact thereof; IL pro-
vide means of increasing Tic water
lVV"l of the water while p1SSinc
through the motor; to provide means
OF decreasing the water pressure. -
vary the depth of the said blades in
TIN water. to provide Il plurality oil
motor units adapted to be CONSOLE
| daiew 10 provide floating house or
support adapted to maintain the oper-
ative relations cf the motor units cf
the stream and To provide power gen
Grating mechanism within the float
| I'M, structure.
Mr. Amcs declares he has discovered
an economical and conservative way
=. -
dams other than a water alloy OF
shoot for the motor ar necessary,
The paddles nr BLADES working against
the compact of tho stream either in
high or lev water. in swift or SLOW
current, are tie secret, uS the CON
tinuCus motion obtained by these,
working on bearings produce the same
result rs the 35-foot fall ON the mod
era turbine or water wheel. The sc
cr,t also reveals ,htt the river is not
biorkaded nr tn" after flow Of The
river i not blockaded or the after
flow of ,le river lossened or impaired
in any way. and that the motor will
work in an irrigation ditch or a creek
as IL as IN a river BY hNdrauh"
power the entire machine ean be lifted
out OF the water
While there hay been other water
motors invented, Mir. Ames declares
that he has solved u mathematical
Problem. ard has tound WY in tn"
flexible ,aGdI,s or blades. of causing
lttl. or no friction III" los Of ener-
g is estimated to Lc not per cent.
Tic ether water motors mo record
haze developed such high friction
~ 10,
The \mcs motor ii is said, viii b"
able to produc, an incstimablc amount
# horsepower. tn amount of which
will be known only When II practical
test Is mad in TN Spokane river near
the 1catcrWorks in the near future.
Mr.. .\1ncs. the tnN "ntor, is 60 years
old. and his invention is the child of
H. years Of hard thought. economical
labor, aud many uardshipS and trials,
while. he has been working out thu.
mechanism OF the invention. he has
org inizcd n company known is the
American Power and Light company
of Spokane. aud as president Of that
| concern. has had the patent assigned
To Tho company.
Mr.. Nntcs is Il locomotive engineer
by vocation. having been reared at
Hoasicr near Fort Wayne Ind He
served in thu northern army during
the civil var as 4 member Of tho
Elevepth Indiana cavalry, company {.
and has r!n engines practically across
the continent, FROM Georgia to Seattle.
His last runs W.,r,, on the Northern
Pacific and the OR, gon Railroad d
Navigation "ompanys lines il. tn"
81 4