Forward! - Niagara Falls Takes Another Grand, Good Step in the Advancement Looked for

POWER HOUSE OF THE STATE

Flour City Manufacturers No Longer Need Fear Interruption to Their Work by Low Water.

THEY WILL HAVE NIAGARA POWER.

Important Amendment Made to the Power Company's Charter Allowing Them to Carry Their Force Through All Civil Divisions of the Great Empire State.

Far and near, in this country and in Europe, the story of the wonderful development of Niagara's energy has attracted the attention of and deeply interested many. Long years ago timid man stood and watched the water of this mighty river flow down from Lake Erie and pick its way gleefully over the sand bars and rocky ledges to the brink of the cataract and there make the mighty plunge and speed on toward old Ontario. The picture was a grand one and it is little wonder indeed that it should have stirred within the minds of many men the grand possibilities before the locality could this mighty engine of force be harnessed to contribute to mankind's welfare and aid in the development that the human mind conceived. When plain "Tom" Evershed turned his attention to harnessing Niagara, little did he think that the idea of power possibilities that his mind conceived would ever make such an enduring monument as those who picked up the string where he left it have partly made and are still building. When the merits of this greatest of power projects were explained by the press, all realized that its benefits to the locality of the Falls would be vast and almost beyond comprehension. The mere consideration of their value to this locality left the average mind dazed as to what the future would bring, and as step by step electrical progress has advanced and the people have kept pace with it so far as possible, they are actually dumbfounded by the bright and brilliant future that stands out so plainly before the city that will give to the world more water power than that of all the other cities of the United States combined.

It has been the pleasure of THE GAZETTE to follow the gradations of the project from its incipiency. Many times this true home newspaper has brought words of good cheer to the people in regard to their cherished power scheme, and in no single instance has it ever been found to err. From time to time as the ideas of the development of Niagara power and its transmission electrically have been extended, THE GAZETTE has told the good news with a cheerfulness that has made it popular. Today it will tell of another progressive step and one that is of greater moment to the people of this city than any other power transmission ever mentioned in connection with Niagara Falls. Much has been said about the transmission of Niagara's force to Buffalo and it has attracted considerable attention, but all this is as nothing as compared with what must now be considered, for from this on Niagara will be known as

The Power House of the State.

In the last legislature a bill was introduced to provide for the construction of a dam at Mt. Morris. This dam was to be used for water storage which was to furnish a power supply for the city of Rochester. Anybody who watched this bill in its course in the legislature know that the bill never reached a vote in either house. The truth is, it was allowed to die. To let such a meritorious measure sink into oblivion there must have been a reason, and that reason THE GAZETTE feels exists in the fact that its promoters had come to understand that it was more than probable that cheap Niagara power would be available by transmission. This belief is supported by the announcement which is made that the Niagara Falls Power Company has made a contract with the Cataract Electric Company of Rochester to furnish power. Read this dispatch:

ROCHESTER, N. Y., May 9. — It is understood that a contract had been made between the Niagara Falls Power Company and the Cataract Electric Company of Rochester, by which the former is to furnish to the latter any part of twenty-five thousand horse power of the electric energy, as soon as the transmission line can be laid from Niagara Falls to Rochester. This power is generated by the waters of the Niagara River through the great tunnel which has just been completed.

This will put Rochester on the same plane with Buffalo, relative to cheap power. It cannot be learned who are the parties interested in the Cataract Electric Company of Rochester, but it is believed to be backed by a powerful syndicate. Preliminary surveys for the transmission line will be made without delay. It is said that the route will be along the line on which the greatest demand is made for electric power. This power can be diverted at any point by the placing of a transformer in the line. Electricity can be used for heat, light and power purposes and can be furnished consumers at a very low rate. The transmission of electric energy for this distance is no experiment as it has been accomplished and is now in actual practical operation, nearly twice this distance with less than twenty-five per cent. loss.

Armed with this dispatch a GAZETTE representative this morning sought an interview with W. B. Rankine, secretary and treasurer of the Cataract Construction Company. The dispatch was handed to him to read and it didn't take him very long to become interested in it. Mr. Rankine read it, and read it carefully. Some parts he re-read and it was some minutes before THE GAZETTE man interrupted him with the remark:

"That seems to be pretty good news for Niagara Falls Mr. Rankine."

For a moment Mr. Rankine seemed to be studying words and then in a very careful way he said: "The practical demonstration of the commercial success of transmission of power by electricity long distances both in Europe and this country at the several places which have been mentioned from time to time in THE GAZETTE may well lead one to think that many cities of this State may reap the benefit of Niagara's cheap power, but it is very evident to every one that

The Best Location

for any manufacturer is at Niagara Falls in the immediate vicinity of the power which is being developed. No other city in the State has better shipping facilities, and no other city in the State can offer to manufacturers such cheap, continuous power with such other advantages as can our own city of Niagara Falls."

"Your words are certainly very encouraging Mr. Rankine, but what about the new Rochester contract?" still further queried the reporter.

"I shall not be surprised if Rochester receives the benefit of the cheap Niagara power, but I am not at liberty to give any information in regard to the company which is said in this dispatch to have obtained the right for the city," answered Mr. Rankine.

Beyond this Mr. Rankine would say nothing. He was as firm as adamant in his decision not to affirm the facts in the dispatch, but the reporter also noticed that he did not deny them. On the contrary he stated that "he would not be surprised if Rochester received the benefit of the cheap Niagara power;" and THE GAZETTE cannot say any more than that it would not be surprised, either.

As they did not fully understand its meaning it is probable that few of the readers of THE GAZETTE paid but little attention to the amendments made to the charter of Niagara Falls Power Company and which were printed in THE GAZETTE on Wednesday, May 3. Section 2 of the amendment reads as follows:

Section 2. The Niagara Falls Power Company, its successors and assigns, is hereby authorized and empowered in any manner not expressly prohibited by law or by lawful local ordinance to conduct, convey and furnish the waters of the Niagara River, but not in excess of the amount heretofore expressly authorized by law, or any power, heat or light developed therefrom, to, in and through any civil division of this state, and to sell, furnish and deliver the same to any and all bodies or persons, public or private, wherever situated and for any such purposes said corporation from time to time may enter upon any private property for which it may obtain such right, or upon any public bridge, or street, highway, land or water and may use the ground thereunder, and it may use and occupy any portion of any such street, highway or road or any such public land or water in such manner as shall from time to time be permitted by the local or public authority having control or supervision thereof, subject, however, to all private rights therein including any right to compensation for any such use and occupation.

This bill was approved by Governor Flower on April 25, and is, therefore, now a law. This neatly worded section in the bill of but three sections does nothing less than give the Niagara Falls Power Company the right to "conduct, convey and furnish the water of the Niagara river, but not in excess of the amount heretofore expressly authorized by law, or any power, heat or light developed therefrom, to, in and through any civil division of this state, and to sell, furnish and deliver the same to any and all bodies or persons, public or private, wherever situated." There is no law in the state that prohibits the conduct of water, light or heat and therefore the Niagara Falls Power Company has the great Empire State as its field to operate in. In their original charter their field of operation was confined to Erie and Niagara counties, but all this has been changed and Niagara's force may yet shed light on the ballot of Kings county.

The Niagara Falls Power Company can furnish Rochester with power if Rochester wants it. They may go beyond this and supply Syracuse, Utica, Rome, Schenectady, Albany and New York. To Rochester the power of the Falls on tap will be a great blessing. When the spindles of the mills of the Flour City are first twirled by Niagara's constant power then, from that time forward, all fears of a forced cessation of manufacturing by low water will have been ended for all time. Of late years Buffalo has been distancing the Flour City, but now Buffalo will recognize that Rochester will regain her former prestige as a rival of the Queen City through the instrumentality of cheap Niagara power. Lockport will also have this force of ours on tap, probably before she has a street railroad to operate. Its presence in the Lock City will relieve the Lockport Water Supply Company from the necessity of constructing its proposed canal. In Medina and Albion Niagara power will be used in place of the present costly steam to quarry stone and for many other purposes. All the cities and towns will be lighted by force developed here at the Falls, which, so far as we know today, will be transmitted by wire. The time may come, however, when the fond dream of Nikola Tesla will be realized when electricity will travel without wires, riding the heavens and the earth in response to the conquering will of man, carrying its winged messages over land and sea by means simply of the mighty power now slumbering in earth and space. To Nikola Tesla's mind, Niagara is destined to be the marvelous center of electrical force for America for enough force can be secured to supply all the needs of the human race twice over.

Above all, however, it is plain that a child in arithmetic would be able to state that power cannot be supplied as cheaply in any part of the state as at Niagara Falls — the source of development.