612 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



besides those which have already undertaken to go there, to an 

 extent that will make it the foremost power-consuming center in 

 the world. 



The chief piece of work in connection with the power installa- 

 tion has been the construction of what, in almost any other situ- 

 ation, would be termed the tailrace. In this case the head utilized 

 is so great that what is ordinarily understc ;>d by a tailrace would 

 be an artificial chasm of abysmal proportions that would almost 

 require illumination other than the natural to be visible to the 

 bottom at midday. Instead, a tunnel has been excavated, of which 



FIG. 2. OPEN END OF TAIL-RACK TUNNEL. 



the dimensions are so remarkable as to make it unique among 

 engineering exploits of the kind. 



The location of the power house, on account of difficulty in 

 acquiring sufficient adjacent lands and rights of way and for 

 other reasons, is not very close to the falls. The Cataract Con- 

 struction Company has established itself about a mile and a half 

 above the American Fall, and has dug a canal of considerable 

 width, of a depth of twelve feet, and length fifteen hundred feet. 

 Along its edge for a distance of at present one hundred and forty 

 feet is dug a great trench or slot one hundred and sixty feet 



