﻿652 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  through 
  which 
  water 
  could 
  be 
  taken, 
  to 
  be 
  

   discharged 
  upon 
  turbine 
  wheels 
  placed 
  in 
  vertical 
  wheel 
  pits 
  and 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  tunnel 
  at 
  various 
  points. 
  

  

  The 
  Niagara 
  Eiver 
  Hydraulic 
  Tunnel, 
  Power 
  and 
  Sewer 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  of 
  Niagara 
  Falls 
  was 
  incorporated 
  in 
  1886 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  constructing 
  and 
  operating, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  Niagara 
  river, 
  

   a 
  hydraulic 
  tunnel 
  or 
  subterranean 
  sewer 
  for 
  public 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  

   disposal 
  of 
  sewage 
  and 
  drainage 
  and 
  for 
  furnishing 
  hydraulic 
  

   power 
  for 
  manufacturing 
  purposes 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Niagara 
  Falls. 
  

   In 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  service 
  of 
  sewerage 
  and 
  drainage, 
  

   this 
  company 
  was 
  authorized 
  to 
  acquire 
  land 
  by 
  condemnation. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  plan 
  of 
  development 
  is 
  described 
  by 
  Mr 
  Evershed 
  

   in 
  a 
  report 
  made 
  July 
  1, 
  1886, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  main 
  

   tunnel 
  would 
  begin 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  immediately 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  reservation, 
  with 
  its 
  mouth 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  high 
  

   water 
  below 
  the 
  falls 
  would 
  permit. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  to 
  half 
  a 
  

   mile 
  above 
  Port 
  Day 
  it 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  1 
  foot 
  in 
  100, 
  or 
  52.8 
  

   feet 
  per 
  mile, 
  and 
  a 
  section 
  above 
  Port 
  Day 
  equivalent 
  to 
  a 
  circle 
  

   24 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  tunnel 
  gradually 
  diminishing 
  in 
  size 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  mills 
  emptying 
  tail-water 
  into 
  it, 
  

   until 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  area 
  of 
  cross 
  section 
  

   as 
  the 
  connecting 
  cross 
  tunnels. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  matter 
  remained 
  in 
  abeyance 
  until 
  1889, 
  when 
  the 
  Niagara 
  

   Falls 
  Power 
  Company 
  was 
  organized 
  to 
  carry 
  out, 
  in 
  effect, 
  Mr 
  

   Evershed's 
  plan. 
  The 
  actual 
  work 
  of 
  construction 
  w 
  T 
  as 
  under- 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  Cataract 
  Construction 
  Company, 
  composed 
  of 
  

   William 
  B. 
  Rankine, 
  Francis 
  Lynde 
  Stetson, 
  Pierpont 
  Morgan, 
  

   Hamilton 
  McK. 
  Twombly, 
  Edward 
  A. 
  Wickes, 
  Morris 
  K. 
  Jesup, 
  

   Darius 
  Ogden 
  Mills, 
  Charles 
  F. 
  Clarke, 
  Edward 
  D. 
  Adams, 
  

   Charles 
  Lanier, 
  A. 
  J. 
  Forbes-Leith, 
  Walter 
  Howe, 
  John 
  Crosby 
  

   Brown, 
  Frederick 
  W. 
  Whirtridge, 
  William 
  K. 
  Vanderbilt, 
  George 
  

   8. 
  Bowdoin, 
  Joseph 
  Larocque, 
  John 
  Jacob 
  Astor 
  and 
  Charles 
  A. 
  

   Sweet. 
  This 
  company 
  has 
  modified 
  the 
  original 
  plans 
  in 
  some 
  

   particulars, 
  although 
  the 
  general 
  scheme 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  out. 
  

  

  The 
  plan 
  finally 
  determined 
  on 
  comprised 
  a 
  surface 
  canal 
  250 
  

   feet 
  in 
  width 
  at 
  its 
  mouth 
  on 
  the 
  river, 
  1*4 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  falls, 
  

  

  1 
  See 
  pamphlet, 
  Water 
  Power 
  at 
  Niagara 
  Falls, 
  prospectus 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  

   River 
  Hydraulic 
  Tunnel, 
  Power 
  and 
  Sewer 
  Company 
  (1S8G). 
  

  

  

  