The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-02

when. Edison was first running his
distribution station in New York
City, using 22O volts. which then was
apparently the highest voltage that
could be safely used. Because " this
small electrical pressure, heavy COP.
per wire was used, and even then the
current could not 60 far n was
necessary TO have a new station ev-
cry hair mile or 50. with the higher
voltages used now. u is possible to
force small currents along compara- -
lively little conducting material and
yet obtain large electrical energy aud
at the working end Of the line Ivy
reducing the voltage In transformers.
"pf course the actual Size " the
wire Is larger to take care Of the in-
creased pressure, but the conducting
material Is spread around the outside
in the form OF numerous strands
about a steel core In this way the
conducting material does not have TO
be such as can support its own
weight, Tor the steel does the sup
porting Aluminium strands can be
used, and much greater carrying ca
pacity can be achieved with given
weight of aluminium than with an
equal weight Of copper"
Ns' bi hlgh NOlthgrS,
Doctor Steinmetz believes that
high tension currents w!!l serve dif-
fcront purposes In the east and In the
west, I'm California the sources OF
power are inland In inaccessible
places, hidden mostly iu the sierra
mountains. hut the consumers are
mostly on the sea-coast. and the en-
ergy from these sources must bc
brought 70 them. Coal is not as plou-
tiful In the west as In the east. where
~ may be cheaper 20 take coal from
one place to another than to- trans
NIT high tension currents. The pow
cr OF the mountain waterfalls must
be transmitted over long distances.
and this can be done by high-tcuslou
lines But the east is spread out iu-
dustrially, with uo definite contors ot
power and Of consumption. IL an the
power OF the Niagara Falls were hlr-
messed, SO that not a drop ut water
fell unused, all the electricity would
be consumer at centers within n
comparatively short distance and
there would be no necessity for long
distance lu--."
on this side OF the continent Doc
tor Steinmcntz feels that high-ten-
sion lines viii be used to intercon
meet the generating systems Of the
great cities, so that one can support
the other At present It IS necessary
for each city to maintain costly
system aof reserve capacity. $50 that
in case a certain station fails tho re-
serve can be brought into play. Some
day a network Of Cross-country ca
bles will connect one city with an
other. so that II one OF New York y
stations failed those OF Boston OF
Albany could be mRrshaled TO its
support, though many miles distant
However Mr.. SteinmetZ is Of the up-
inion that II viii hc some slime be-
fore million-vOlt lines are establish
cd. not only Tor economic reasons ot
construction, but also because the
attempt To jump from 200. 600 volts
to 100000 would not be possible or
safe without the experience Of in
terveniug gradations II was not a
jump but "A slow process from Edi-
sons 22O volts to the present max
imum. 1000 times greater, which
only now forty years later. IL being
tried out In California.
In the opinion Of David b. Rush
more, chief engineer Of the power
and mining engineering department
of the General Electric company nj
Schenectady, the establishing of L.
/ 00,000-volt lines Is "A problem OF in
sulatiun, of keeping the current al
. that pressure on the wires 1t is the
difficulty OF that problem In thu
handling Of such high voltage tha