The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-30
Development in Electrical Field

GLIDING op grafton on both sides of the
falls is used at the rate Of $4,000
horse power for electri-chemical pro-
cess, $500 horse power for railway
service, 36.400 horse power for light
ing and 54,5o0 horse power for various
Industrial services, the total being
27S,14e horse power. Since the water
of Niagara Falls represents probably
100000 horse power, it would seem
that only about 5.5 per cent of the
available power is being utilized at
present.
Utilizing Waste Steam.
It has become quite the general
practice to utilize every bit of scrap
and waste about our factories other
wise the annual dividends would
shrink amazingly. No. until very re-
Gently did factory wners understand
that one of the greatest losses about
manufacturing plants was issuing
from the exhaust pipe in the engine
room. 1t remained for the steam tur-
bine engine to demonstrate that
there is almost as much power escap-
ing in the steam exhausted from the
old reciprocity engines as they man
aged to extract from it at high pres
sure.
In the plant of the Indiana Steel &
Wire Company, at Muncie, Indiana,
two large steam engines operate
series of wire fence and wire nal
machinery, receiving steam at pres
sure of 100 pounds. These engines
did not furnish sufficient power te
drive the vile drawing machinery SC
electric power was bought for this
/ purpose. Then, one bright morning
| along came an engineer and took 9
4 look at the exhaust pipe. In five min
utes he was interviewing the mana
ger. telling him how foolish he was
Ito buy large quantities OF electric
mower when more than enough wa'
being wasted from the exhaust pipe
He reduced this waste to dollars anC
4 cents and went away with an orde
for a low pressure turbine in his poe
ket.
i Accordingly. an 500. horse powe
i Curtis turbine was installed takln'
4 steam from the exhaust at one poun'
pressure. This turbine now carrie
i the entire motor load of 800 hors
4 mower. usnig steam that was formerl
allowed to go to waste and this ecor
j omy has been effected without II
L creasing the size of the engine room
the number of boilers, or the numpe
of operators of the plant.
Extracting Fertilizer From the Ar
No longer will this country nave
send abroad for its heterogeneous fer1
lizer since the first electric plant le
ite manufacture. direct from the a.
. has heen put in operation at Nitrole
South Carolina.
The southern Power Company ha
. harnessed the Catawba and Broa
!, Rivers and the surplus electric
energy derived from the falling wa
ers will be used to make feruiize
i Tha nitrogen Is secured from the
nv the aid of high voltage elecfr
currents. This is of the greatest II
nortance to agriculturists as the q
{ mand for nitric acid and nitrate
: lime is now far in advance OF the su
NV. the bulk of this material eomir
i from the saltpetre beds in Chm.
E The nitrogen problem, one OF u
J. most pressing of the twentieth &c
$ tury. is unique from the fact that y
. Waterfall is unlimited the atmospher
nitrogen above one square niue ne !,
II land, amounting to about 22ooo'o'
IONS is equivalent to what the Wor
!. would require in the next fifty yea