Guests at the Falls

A MEETING OF SCIENTISTS AND CAPITALISTS.

THE VISIT OF TESLA.

THE DISTINGUISHED ELECTRICIAN REFUSED TO TALK.

BANQUET AT BUFFALO

The Scientists and Inventors Were Entertained in a Royal Manner at the Ellicott Club Last Night — Significance of the Visit.

Special Dispatch to Democrat and Chronicle.

Niagara Falls, N. Y., Jan. 12. — A most distinguished party of men were guests in this city to-day. They are the officials of the Cataract Construction Company, and several men noted for their discoveries in electrical science. In the party were Edward D. Adams, president of the Cataract Construction Company; Francis Lynde Stetson and Edward A. Wickes, vice-presidents, and F. W. Whitridge, Charles F. Clark, Arthur H. Masten, directors of that company. As guests there were Nikola Tesla, the world’s most famous electrical expert and inventor; Clemens Herschel, hydraulic engineer and expert; Lemuel Bannister, first vice-president of the Westinghouse company; L. B. Stilwell, electrical engineer of the same company; and M. Terry, the company’s attorney.

The party was met here by W. B. Rankine, secretary of the Cataract Construction Company, and taken to the power house, where a meeting of the directors was held and bids were opened for the building of the addition to the power house over the extended wheel-pit; for the construction of the new turbine wheels and shafting, and for the construction of five new 5,000 horse-power dynamos. The directors referred to the officers of the company, with power, and when they return to New York the contract will be executed for this vast work, which is of so much importance to this section of the state.

The electrical wizard, Nikola Tesla refused to be interviewed. To a question as to whether he had made any recent discoveries in the way of electrical science, he answered with a smile “lots of them. But I cannot tell you anything now.”

The officials and their noted guests went to Buffalo this afternoon to attend the banquet to be given this evening at the Ellicott Club to celebrate the advent of Niagara power in Buffalo. A number of local people also attended the banquet.

AT BUFFALO.

The Successful Transmission of Niagara Power Celebrated by a Banquet.

Buffalo, Jan. 12. — The successful transmission of electric power from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, was celebrated to-night by a banquet at the Ellicott Club, which was attended by about 400 invited guests, among them being many famous electricians, inventors, manufacturers and capitalists. Among the most notable persons present were:

Nikola Tesla, of New York; Elihu Thomson, of Lynn, Mass.; E. J. Houston, of Philadelphia; Charles F. Brush, of Cleveland, inventor of the Brush system of electric street lighting; Elisha Gray, of Chicago, a famous writer on electrical subjects; Charles A. Coffin, of Boston, president of the General Electric Company of Boston; George Westinghouse, of Pittsburg; John E. Hudson, of Boston, president of the American Bell Telephone Company; D. O. Mills, of New York; Edward D. Adams, president of the Cataract Construction Company, which built the power tunnels; Francis Lynde Stetson, of New York; W. J. Arkell, of New York; S. E. Barton, president of the Western Electric Company of Chicago; Frederick A. Nichols, president of the National Electrical Association; Dr. Louis Duncan, president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; C. A. Cutler, president of the Metropolitan Bell Telephone Company, of New York; S. Dana Greene, of Schenectady, manager of the General Electric Company, and many others well known in science and letters.

Francis Lynde Stetson, of New York, acted as toastmaster.