Ky 



THE UTILIZATION OF NIAGARA POWER. 



BY H. W. BUCK. 



[Harold Winthrop Buck, electrical engineer; born New York, May 7, 1S73; graduated 

 from Yale, 1894; Columbia school of mines, 1895; assistant engineer General Electric 

 companj% Schenectady, N. Y., 1895; secured several patents for mechanical and 

 electrical devices; since September, 1900, electrical engineer for Niagara Falls Power 

 company.] 



The utilization of the power of Niagara falls has for years 

 been the dream of engineers and of all those interested in the 

 industrial development of that section of the country'. In the 

 past, many schemes for the purpose have been suggested by 

 inventors and others, but never, until the advent of the modern 

 era in electrical engineering, has the proposition, on a large 

 scale, been able to stand upon a basis attractive to the capi- 

 talist. It may, therefore, almost be claimed that the problem 

 of utilizing the power of Niagara has been solved technically 

 by the profession of electrical engineering. 



The difficult}^ in the past has not been to apply the water 

 to the turning of a water wheel, for manj^ of the schemes 

 suggested would have accomplished this successful^, but what 

 to do with the power when developed at the water wheel shaft 

 was the problem before the engineer. Ob^noush^, here the 

 question of transmission arose as of prime importance. 



Among the numerous early plans will be found extensive 

 systems of pneumatic tubes operated by turbine driven air 

 compressors, the pipes leading to factories located in the vicin- 

 ity of a power house. Each factory was to have its o\vn air 

 motor thus operated. It may be of interest to note that one 

 of these plans contemplated the transmission of power to 

 Buffalo by this means. 



Another plan consisted in lines of countershaft ing brack- 

 eted on columns extending radially from a central power 

 station, this long shafting to be driven by the water wheels 

 through a system of gearing. Factories were to be located 

 along these lines of shafting and were to receive their power 

 supply by clutches connected to these shafts. 



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