UTILIZATION OF WATER POWER AT NIAGARA FALLS. I 5 



card and are purely mechanical in their action The governors on 

 units 4 to 10 inclusive are electro- mechanical in their action, while 

 those for units n to 21 were designed by Escher, Wyes & Co. of 

 Zurich and are operated by oil under high pressure. 



To revert to the history of the plant, — the power furnished was 

 so satisfactory and the demand for such power increased so rapidly 

 that on January 22nd 1897 a contract was let for five additional 

 units of 5000 H. P. and on January 25th, 1899 a further contract 

 was made for two additional units, making a total of 50000 H. P. 

 As this amount of power still proved insufficient to serve the pur- 

 pose of local tenants and of the Buffalo load a still further instal- 

 lation became necessary and the important question arose as to 

 where su:h additional power should be developed. As the 

 tunnel was originally built with a capacity of 100,000 H. P. the. 

 water from the future wheels to the extent of 50,000 H. P. would 

 of course be discharged into the tunnel, but the question was 

 whether additional wheels should be placed in an extension of the 

 first wheelpit or in a new wheelpit placed on the opposite side of 

 the canal. After careful consideration, the latter plan was adopted 

 and on November 3rd, 1899, a contract was let to excavate a new 

 wheelpit 468 feet long, 20 feet wide and about 178 feet deep, an 

 extension of the tunnel, 650 feet long, being made to connect such 

 wheelpit with the old tunnel. The plan adopted has many advan- 

 tages, among them being the opportunity to build a power house 

 which should embody the results of the experience gained in ope- 

 rating the first power house, the distribution of current between 

 the two sides of the canal, and the added secufity against interrup- 

 tion of service. In other words, the eggs would not all be in one 

 basket. You know Mark Twain says to "place all your eggs in 

 one basket and then watch that basket" but in spite of continual 

 watchfulness eggs are sometimes broken. This second wheelpit 

 has now been completed and six 5500 H. P. turbines with their 

 shafting and generators are now installed in it. Five additional 

 units are ordered and their installation has now commenced. By 

 next fall such units will be completed and the Niagara Falls Power 

 Co. will thus have a total of 1 10,000 electrical H. P. for sale. 



The turbines placed in wheelpit No. 2 are of an entirely different 

 type from those in power house No. 1. Only one wheel instead of 

 two is attached to each shaft and the water from the wheel case 

 passes in an inward and downward direct'on through this wheel, 

 being discharged, not into the air, but through two draft tubes 

 into the water in the bottom of the wheelpit. These wheels were 

 designed by Escher, Wyss & Co. of Zurich, Switzerland. 



