Industrial Niagara 



shafts, one in the face of the cliff and two vertical ones, are as *894 

 follows: Length, six thousand seven hundred feet, and sectional 

 area three hundred and eighty-six square feet throughout, the 

 average height and width being about twenty-one and nineteen 

 feet respectively. The cross-section somewhat resembles a horse- 

 shoe. The excavation was much larger than the finished inside 

 dimensions, on account of the subsequent lining with four courses 

 of brick. The mouth of the tunnel has, besides, a lining on the top 

 and sides of iron. The work has been done most substantially 

 and is built to stay. The tunneling was done through strata of 

 limestone and shale, and harder material was met with than had 

 been expected in the beginning, so that the three million cubic 

 feet of excavation has cut a very important figure in the total cost 

 of the power plant. The tunnel has a grade of 0.7 per cent 

 (seven feet fall per thousand length) and runs directly under the 

 city of Niagara Falls to the lower river level. 



The work of excavation was carried on on three benches, 

 dividing the total height of twenty-six feet about into three equal 

 portions. 



The whole undertaking has been so entirely novel in many 

 ways that the engineers in charge have had their resources taxed 

 to the utmost in overcoming the various difficulties that presented 

 themselves during the design and construction of the power house, 

 electrical and hydraulic apparatus, and tunnel. The power-house 

 building is as yet of comparatively small proportions, but is 

 intended to be enlarged as the number of dynamos and turbines 

 is increased. It might be thought, and was thought at first by 

 some of the projectors of the scheme, that the great amount of 

 power that was to be developed would admit of considerable 

 subdivision, not only of the units of power production (each unit 

 consisting of a turbine and generator), but also of the ways in 

 which the electrical power would best be sent out to consumers. 



As already mentioned, a number of manufacturing establish- 

 ments are locating themselves on the property owned by the 

 Cataract Construction Company, and to these it would at first 



949 



