A'iaj^'^ara's ll'a/cr Po-wcr. 169 



high bank of the gorge below the falls. Its capacity has 

 been overtaxed. Of the five sources of power, water occupies 

 the second place, steam the first, wind-mills the third, animal 

 power the fourth, the solar engine of Ivricsson the fifth. 

 Water wheels have always furnished, and still furnish, the 

 cheapest mode of producing power at points where power is 

 in great demand at places distant from any waterfall (and 

 demanded al.so in portable form); the engine could in no wise 

 compete with water-power. 



By ofi'ering a ready and commercially practicable method of 

 transmitting power, the modern methods of electrical, pneu- 

 matic, hydraulic and wire-rope transmission of power have 

 enhanced the values of existing water-powers very much. 

 Especially is this true in the case of water-powers hitherto 

 utilized, or which were not hitherto utilized ; and it is largely 

 owing to this modern development of methods of power trans- 

 mission that a beginning has been made in the utilization of 

 some portion of this waterfall. 



Now, that electric motors may be run at a distance of 125 

 miles from the seat of power, it can readily be seen what the 

 result will be. Niagara being in the center of a circle 250 

 miles in diameter, wnll surely be looked upon as the greatest 

 water-power the world can produce, and, with transmission of 

 power at Frankfort and elsewhere, gives promise of much 

 more work of this sort in the future. 



A tunnel has been constructed, 7,600 feet long, to form the 

 tail race to be jointly used by all the mill sites. Large tracts 

 of land were purchased by the company within the city on 

 the river bank. 



The tunnel is for 100,000 horse-power, and is 19 feet wide 

 and 21 feet high inside the brickwork, with which it is lined 

 throughout. The base of the tunnel is 205 feet below the sill 

 of the head-gate at the entrance of the main canal from the 

 river above the falls. This represents the total fall, of which 

 140 feet will be available, the difference being taken up b}' 

 the allowance for clearance from the wheel pits, incline of 

 the lateral tunnels leading therefrom to the main discharge 

 tunnel, and the incline of the latter, which is made at a grade 

 of 36 feet to the mile. The tunnel is lined on the invert and 

 sides a distance of 200 feet back from the discharge point 



