176 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Fig. 13:— Canadian Patent Xo. 96895, and U. S. Patent No. 

 83856i, shows a water-wheel designed to prevent ice from forming upon 

 or adhering to the chutes and gate. 



The chutes and parts of the case in Fig. 13 against which the ice 

 and water flow are shown cored out (in the foundry) so that any heat 

 bearing fluid may be kept in constant circulation through them when 

 frazil is expected. Water-wheel cases are now being built after this pat- 

 tern and it is expected that ice in any form will not adhere to them. 



Besides the above work which is briefly described a number of ex- 

 periments were also made in electrical rack heating. These were carried 

 far enough to show that this method is practicable; 1/50 of 1 horse 

 power-hour of electrical energy broke the bond between solid ice and a 

 piece of iron rack. 



]\Iany engineers of mature experience who at first skeptically viewed 

 the proposal to combat frazil with reasonable amounts of heat are now 

 enthusiastic in regard to its feasibility. Bear in mind that while 1 

 British thermal unit is required for the purpose of raising the tempera- 

 ture of 1 lb. of water 1 degree Fahr. this same quantity of heat will raise 

 the temperature of 1 lb. of iron about 9 degrees ; and, when it is recalled 

 that the temperature of the submerged or otherwise protected metal parts 

 of the hydraulic equipment only require to have their temperatures kept 

 the most minute conceivable fraction of one degree above the freezing 

 point in order to prevent ice from adhering to them it may be seen that 

 this scheme for combating frazil is a most reasonable one. 



While dealing with the frazil question I may be pardoned for di- 

 gressing for a moment in order to briefly mention some other water-power 

 troubles. First there is the annual diminution of the water supply in 

 our streams that occurs towards the latter part of almost every winter. 

 This is, in my opinion, primarily caused by the cessation of surface 

 drainage. In winter time, in the greater portion of this country, atmos- 

 pheric precipitation takes place in the form of snow, instead of rain, and, 

 consequently, many of the sources of our rivers receive no surface drain- 

 age and are dried up. Secondly there is the difficulty of securing a flow 

 of water through comparatively shallow channels into many power 

 plants on account of deep surface ice, to the under side of which frazil 

 has become attached, completely blocking the channels. This condition 

 coupled with the diminution of flow in a river is generally of greater 

 moment than the summer drouth and is often called another " anchor 

 ice " trouble. These troubles can only be relieved by the building of 

 dams and the creation of immense storage reservoirs from which an 

 equable steady flow may be obtained all the year round. Spring floods 

 and summer and winter drouths annually recur. The flood in the 



