El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-10-20


for US in our great war in Europe. L
IS one Of the most important Of tbs
industrial assets Of the nation, and
its products affect every soldier thai
goes TO the field and every sailor
that mans our vessels OF war. It has
70 do with every gun that is fired
and every projectile that sactters its
deadly missiles over the trenches II
aids in making the armor plate fol
our battleships and in creating the
fine machinery Of the destroyers
which chase the submarine sneaking
along under the sea. 1t has 20 do with
the fighting airplanes that fly the
skies and with the gas which fills
the diriEible balloons that patrol the
waters along our coasts II enters IN
20 every workshop which IS produc-
ing material 10 be sent across the
ocean and. I might say into almost
everything that has 10 DO with max
snE US equal 20 our mart In this, the
greatest struggle Of history
worlds Greatest Water Power.
Before describe the war industries
OF Niagara I want to tell you some
thing Of the mighty force that moves
them Niagara Falls is the greatest
water power on the face OF the globe
/ have seen the Falls OF Zambesi IN
rama river below the Falls Of Iguazu
in South America. Neither compares
with Niagara IN the force which II
eTerts from one years end TO the other
The Fails OF the Zambesi are twice as
high as those OF Niagara They are
twice as broad, and when at their
flood they drop with q thunder equal
10 that Of one OF the greatest battles
IN France into pit four hundred
feet deep, sending up pillars OF mist
which are visible for 30 miles around
Tt has been estimated that those falls
At their flood exert a horsepower OF
10000 900, but the most OF this dlsap-
pears when the Zambesi Is low.
on the other hand, the Niagara
river has an almost even flow the
year round Only "a miles long and
less than q mile vide for the greater
nart of its course, IL Is the downspout
Of all the Great Lakes, eNcePIlng On--
tario- 1t begins at Lake Erie and
flows from there for a distance OF
about % miles TO the foot OF tho fails,
dropping the water from nelgn
about two fifth Of that Of the Wash
fnEton monument. A part Of this drop
Is ii the rapids above the falls. but
more than $50 feet OF IL IS IN the falls
themselves. The force IS 50 great
that some engineers have estimated Il
as equal TO that Of 100000 horses all
pulling at once
Where the waters pour in from
Lake Erie they rush on ct the rate OF
$50. 600 cubic feet a second. and at the
falls II is estimated that a block OF
water a mile squire and a mile high
droos down every week The amount
IS millions Of tons every hour, and so
much every minute that II IL were put
upon wagons 1-000 900 horses could
rot haul the load. The force has been
variously estimated at from 100000
10 1000. 900 horsepower Take the low
est estimate and see shat II means IN
che coal we used TO produce II. Every
horsepower which comes from water
is said 10 annually save at least ten
tons OF coal II this Is 50. the force
OF Niagara Is equal to 3O,cOOOoO tons
OF coal every year or about one 1lf-
teeuth Of all the coal we are now Us
ing for fuel and power.
Use Only One Sixth Of Power
OF that vast force we are now con
euu1inE not more than one sixth The
amount is 100000 horsepower OF
which more than three fifths are de-
veloped on the Canadian side OF the
falls According 10 our treaty. We
have the right 20 use only 10000 cubic
feet OF the water that goes over the
falls every second and Canada has the
right 10 $4,000 cubic feet By the Bur
ton law our onEress has restricted
the American use to less than 1e,oOo
eeet- Just now all the factories are
short of power and their work tOr
the war is being cut down by the lack
Of cheap water power Some OF our
industrial establishments have been
getting their power from Canada, but
this has been cut off since the war
began in order to make war supplies
for the Canadian troops, and there is I
now a strong demand on the part OF
the manufacturers at Niagara EallH
for more water
Il Costly show.
do not want to argue as to the
zdvisa bility Of taking more water in
such a way a. to injure the beauty Of
Niagara Falls. They are the greatest
show upon earth and they belong 10
Us and the Canadians. It is well, how
ever. 10 know what the show costs
Us The amount is equal 70 $4,000
HORSEPOWER. 1t equals a coal mine OF
25,000.0O0 tons every year. or more
month. year in and year out, to the Z
end Of time That is what We are los
ing
every year. We could nave the most
gorgeous conflagration on earth ana I
we might think Il would pay Us 20 /
keen Il ablsze in order 20 show our
friends and our visitors the magnt- 1
ficent sight. 7 don't know. As It Is
nov only about 20 per cent Of the 4
waters Of the falls are in use and 4
some engineers say that 50 percent /
could be taken and not spoil the q
scenic effect Of Niagara
During my stay here have gone 4
plants which have been constructed a ]
short distance above the falls. The ]
water is taken from the Niagara
river in canals walled with stone, and i
is dropped down through penstocks I
or mighty steel tubes so large that II /
they we're laid upon the ground 4
horse could walk through them and I
his ears would Just Craze the top
Stood upright they are as tall as D
IS story house. and the water drops I
down this great height in such a way /
that it pushes the turbines around. ]
turning the mighty steel shafts which
There are ten or more OF these pen
stocks in each plant. with an equal
number OF turbines below. and OF
dynamOs high above them
DnyamOE Like Giant Mushrooms.
The dynamos are enormous. They
look like giant mushrooms OF black Z
steel. which are turning so fast that
you cannot see them move. They fly I
around at a speed Of a mile and three I
quarters q minute, and each generates n
electricity equal TO more than 5000 4
horsepower. Each dynamo Is about 30 n
feet in circumference. As I looked.
horses galopInE at faster speed 4
than has ever been made upon the I
race track.
Tt is in this way that the 500. 600
horsepower now in use Is developed. n
There are two great powerhouses on II
the American and several on the
Canadian side Of the river. All are Il
connected with hugh factories Of one n
kind or another. and they supply the
cheap power necessary for the indus
tres contributing TO our army and