Preservation of the Falls 



all the waters now authorized may show that ice, and other con- 1911 

 ditions, preclude the use of a further proportion of Canada's White 

 equity in the waters at Niagara falls. 



We have not been dealing with theoretical quantities nor with 

 estimates of possible actual quantities, but with quantities based 

 upon measurements of flow and upon the percentage of the avail- 

 able power which the companies, who have installed operating 

 power plants, have used under the best expert engineering advice 

 obtainable. 



Power of the Lower Niagara River. — Let us briefly con- 

 sider the power possibilities of the lower Niagara river. From 

 the head of the rapids below the Falls to the mouth of the gorge 

 in the river there is a fall of about 94.5 feet. This is about forty- 

 five per cent of the head available at the locality of the Falls. 

 Assuming that as great a proportion of the available power of the 

 rapids is used as of the power theoretically available at the Falls, 

 and assuming further that all the water of the river is diverted, 

 then we would have about 1,000,000 theoretical H.P. In 

 the portion of the river in which the fall is greatest, viz., from 

 the head of the rapids below the Falls to the foot of Foster's flats, 

 there is a drop of 78.5 feet. This is thirty-seven per cent of the 

 head available at the Falls. Upon assumptions corresponding to 

 those just made above, the river would yield about 830,000 

 H.P., of which Canada's share would be 41 5,000 H.P. 



Obviously the rights to the first 1 0,000 or 20,000 cubic feet of 

 water diverted from the lower Niagara river are very much more 

 valuable, considered from the physical standpoint, then the rights 

 appertaining to any diversions that may subsequently be 

 authorized. 



The Lower Niagara River Power and Water Supply Com- 

 pany, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York 

 and empowered by the State " not to take more water than shall 

 be sufficient to produce 200,000 effective H.P.," has applied 

 to the United States Federal Government for authority to utilize 

 an amount of water not exceeding 40,000 cubic feet per second 



1163 



