Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-10
GIANT CATARACTS
Victoria Falls the Greatest of the
Mighty Torrents
NIAGARA RANKS ONLY THIRD.
The Falls of the iguassu River Hold
Second Place, and These Three Are
IN a Class by ThemseIves-Tho;r
Electric Power Possibilities.

ers were Interesting only because OF
their scenic beauty. and their very OK
is;ence was deplorcd because they OBJ
structcd navigation. But man has
found q way to harness these mighty
power producers ana today they are Of
the greatest value to the commercial
world because the millions of water
horse power can be changed INTO clec-
trlcity and transmitted for hundreds
of mics 10 be used as II reliable sab
stitute for our vanishing coal supply.
When it il remembered that two
cubic feet Of water. weighing 10
pounds. by falling q distance Of only
six feet will produce one horse power
Of energy. it is easy to comprehend
that millions and millions of horse
power are wasted every minute by the
torrents OF water tumbling over Mag
ara. the Victoria falls and the lguassu
river and many lesser falls throughout
the world. This falling water Is guided
by steel and concrete penStOcks TO
powerful water turbines which wlirl
great electric generators. The current
produced in this way Is easily trans
mitted for hundreds Of miles over small
copper wires to the cities n towns
where it is used 10 haul the railroad
trains TO drive the great manufacture
ing plants and to give us light and
heat.
Loyal as we all are 10 our country.
we must admit that even the mighty
torrent Of Niagara ranks only third in
size when compared to the waterfalls
Of the world. The largest Of the earth's
waterfalls. the Victoria falls OF the
Zambesi river in Rhodesia. are 3Sj
feet high and moro than Il mile wide.
ana were discovered by Livingstone in
1876. The water power Of these falls
Is estimated to he fully 3J.0Go,0O0
horse power. two an1 onc-half times
that OF TCuaSsu and five times that OF
Niagara.
South America possesses a waterfall
which excceds Niagara both in width
and in height and is actually the sec
ond largest waterfall in the world.
This little known waterfall is that Of
the Iguassu river. tributary Of the Pa
rama, and. like Niagara. is situated at
the boundary Of two states. each of
which owns half Of it. The total water
power of the Igilassu fall. which is 213
feet high and nearly two miles wide.
Is estimated as about 100000 horse
power This is approximately equal 70
the aggregate water power OF all S%an-
dinavia. which is rich in waterfalls. or
about ten times the total water power
Of Germany.
There Is no other waterfall in the
world which is ut all comparable in
greatness with the ZambeSi, lguassu
or the Niagara. Asia. notwithstand-
ing its colossal mountain ranges. is
comparatively poor in large waterfalls.
which are found most a~bundantly IN
Africa and North America. The lar
gest African streams especially are in
terrurtcd by many falls Of considerable
height. The kongo has several high
falls which owing to the great volume
of the river. about sixteen times that
Of the Nile. may % counted among
the most important sources Of water
powcr on earth. The Stanley falls, in
the middle reach Of the river. consist
OF seven successive falls. of Il total
height Of 1914 feet and a width of near
~ 1000 feet and offer an exceedingly
rich source of power which probably
will 0 0 be exploited.
Still more important IS the total wa
ter power which the kongo develops IN
the ~nun-navigable section extending
from its mouth to Stanley pool. Here
the river, confined in n channel only a
few hundred yards wide and with n
depth OF water Of nearly Q feet.
flows with n velocity of fortv-cight feet
a second. SO that at every point OF the
stream 5000 TO 10000 cubic meters ar
about 100000 cubic feet Of water are
hurled along With irresistible force.
while thirty-two rapids ana waterfalls
lower the level of the stream by SO
feet In Il stretch Of ITO miles.
The lower Nile. in Egypt. possesses
n series Of rapids, the celebrated cata-
racts of the Nile. but no waterfall in
the SlIlCI SENSE VI lHt NPthF iiVN
waterfalls occur on the upper Nile.
the most beautiful Of them NJ The
point where the stream issues from
L.ake Victoria Nyanza. This Rinop
fall is only n few yards In height. but
the volume of water is 50 great that
1t presents a magnificent spectacle.
Comparatively few persons know
which IL the highest waterfall IN Flu
rope. The most volumiuous Of Euro
pean waterfalls. strictly 50 called. are
the Rhine falls, NJ SchHffhausen. but
the highest are the Riaken falls Of the
Mann-Elf river. IN the Norwegian
province Of Telemarken. The princi-
pal fall Is 500 feet high. and the total
height Of the two thief falls with the
Intervening rapids amounts 70 l.S31
feet. while the average How Of water
Is lftv cubic meters. or lTG0 cubic
feet "A second The Riaken falls. with
their total energy Of 210ON horse
power. have been converted 10 indus
trial useS-Electric News.
An Exchange Of Compliments.
Howell-Your head Is pretty thick
a