View source for Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{short description|Former American power company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company
| image_caption = Westinghouse Generators at Niagara Falls
| founded = {{Start date|1835}}
| founder = [[Caleb Smith Woodhull]]
| defunct = {{End date|1918}}
| fate = Merged with [[Niagara Falls Power Company]]
| location_city = [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| location_country = United States
| industry = [[Hydroelectric]] utilities
| key_people = [[Caleb Smith Woodhull]]<br />[[Jacob F. Schoellkopf]]<br />[[Arthur Schoellkopf]]<br />[[Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr.]]
}}
'''Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company''' was an American company, based in [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]], [[New York (state)|New York]] that was the first company to generate [[hydroelectric]] power from [[Niagara Falls]] in 1882. The company built upon several predecessor companies efforts to construct a canal used for hydraulic mill power. In 1918, the company merged with [[Niagara Falls Power Company]], which later became [[Niagara Mohawk]] and in 2002 was acquired by [[National Grid plc]].<ref name=natinalgrid/>
==Early history==
===Porter, Barton and Company===
In 1805, "[[Porter, Barton & Company]]," which comprised [[Augustus Porter]], [[Peter Buell Porter|Peter Porter]], Benjamin Barton, and Joseph Anim, purchased the [[Niagara River]]<ref name=foran/> and the [[American Falls]] from [[New York (state)|New York]] at a [[public auction]].  The purchase also included the [[water right]]s from above the upper rapids to below the Falls.<ref name="tech"/> The company [[portage]]d goods by land from [[Lake Erie]] to [[Lewiston, New York|Lewiston]] on the [[Niagara River]], then shipped them east on [[Lake Ontario]].<ref name=foran/> When the [[Erie Canal]] opened in 1825, it made the [[portage]] obsolete and plans to develop [[Niagara Falls]] suffered.<ref name=foran/> Augustus proposed a hydraulic mill canal in 1847 and offered the [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right of way]] for the canal to any person ready to build it, but the Porter brothers died before interest in the project led to construction.<ref name="tech"/>
==Company history==
===Niagara Falls Hydraulic Company===
In 1852, [[Caleb Smith Woodhull]] and his associates purchased the land and the water rights from the heirs of the Porter brothers with the intention to build a canal, and in 1853 formed the "[[Niagara Falls Hydraulic Company]]." A grant was obtained from the owners of a strip of land 100&nbsp;ft. wide extending from a point above the upper rapids to the high bank below the Falls.<ref name=History/> The company started with the construction of the canal in 1853 but stopped after sixteen months<ref>{{cite book| last1=Howells|first1=W.D.|last2=Twain|first2=Mark |last3=Shaler|first3= Nathaniel S.| title=The Niagara Book | location=Buffalo | year=1893 | pages=192–225|url=http://library.niagara.edu/about/special-collections/digital-collection-of-niagara-falls-guidebooks-from-the-19th-century/the-niagara-book-by-w-d-howells-mark-twain-prof-nathaniel-s-shaler-and-others-1893}}</ref> because construction costs of the canal significantly exceeded estimates and the company went bankrupt.<ref name="tech"/>
===Niagara Falls Water Power Company===
In 1856, Stephen N. Allen bought the company, which was renamed the "[[Niagara Falls Water Power Company]]." The company completed the entrance and river portion of the canal by 1857,<ref name="tech"/> with the exception of a narrow extension at the south end of the basin which was completed in 1881.<ref name=History/>
===Niagara Falls Canal Company===
In 1860, Horace H. Day purchased the company and renamed it the "[[Niagara Falls Canal Company]]." At an investment of $1.5&nbsp;million,<ref name=foran/> ({{Inflation|US|1500000|1877|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) the canal was finally completed in 1861, but could not be used because of the [[American Civil War]]. After completing the canal project, it was idle until 1875 when the canal's first customer, Charles B. Gaskill's "Cataract City Milling Company", was using the water of the canal to power the milling company's flour<ref name=foran/> [[grist mill]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://myoakwoodcemetery.com/col-charles-b-gaskill/ | title=Col. Charles B. Gaskill | accessdate= January 2, 2014 | publisher=Oakwood Cemetery Association}}</ref>
===Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company===
[[File:Schoellkopf Stations.jpg|thumb|left|Schoellkopf Stations 3, 3-B and 3-C]]In 1877, as the company had only attracted one client, it declared bankruptcy and was auctioned off. The company interests were bought for $71,000<ref name=niagarafrontier>{{cite web|last1=Berketa|first1=Rick|title=Jacob Schoellkopf|url=http://www.niagarafrontier.com/power.html#Adams|website=niagarafrontier.com|publisher=Niagara Falls Thunder Alley|accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> ({{Inflation|US|71000|1877|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) by [[Jacob F. Schoellkopf]],<ref name=foran>{{cite web|last1=Foran|first1=Jack|title=The Day They Turned The Falls On: The Invention Of The Universal Electrical Power System|url=http://library.buffalo.edu/projects/cases/niagara.htm|website=library.buffalo.edu|publisher=University of Buffalo|accessdate=October 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920164511/http://library.buffalo.edu/projects/cases/niagara.htm|archive-date=September 20, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> who in 1878<ref name=History>{{cite book|title=A History of the City of Buffalo: Its Men and Institutions : Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens|date=1908|publisher=Buffalo Evening News|location=Buffalo, NY|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff/page/62 62]|quote=Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power.|accessdate=October 26, 2015}}</ref> formed the "Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company" to use the canal.<ref name="tech">{{cite web |url=http://www.mikalac.com/tech/pow/niagara2.html |title=The Hydraulic Canal |last1=Mikalac |first1=Norman | access-date = January 1, 2014}}</ref> [[File:Whirlpool Rapids Bridge 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Whirlpool Rapids Bridge|Lower Steel Arch Bridge]]]] After the transfer of the property, Schoellkopf finished the excavating, but the canal remained idle for a few years. The work on the power plant began and the canal was enlarged in 1892. By 1896, power plant number two had been completed and was supplying power to different factories about [[Niagara Falls]].<ref name=History/> Many additions and extensions were made to the original plant, and company began to work on a new plant, called plant number three, that when completed, was separate from the original plant around six or eight hundred feet to the north. The workings of the Hydraulic company were entirely below the first [[Honeymoon Bridge (Ontario)|Upper Steel Arch Bridge]].<ref name=History/>
Plant number two, which was one 100&nbsp;ft. by 176&nbsp;ft. in dimensions, generated an average of 34,000 continuous [[horsepower]]. The entire fall of the water in the canal from the [[Forebay (reservoir)|forebay]] to the [[tailrace]] is 210&nbsp;ft. The power canal, which taps the river at a point above Port Day, and runs throughout the city to a point below the [[Honeymoon Bridge (Ontario)|Upper Steel Arch Bridge]], furnished a steady supply of water year round.  Just below Port Day is the beginning of the rapids, with a fall of more than 50&nbsp;ft. in three-quarters of a mile. By cutting across a bend in the river the canal comes out at the cliff below the bridge the entire distance being about 4,400&nbsp;ft.  Built before the era of industrial production of [[alternating current]], the electrical plant generated [[direct current|direct-current]] electricity, and only provided it within a range of two miles from the plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nyfalls.com/niagara/niagara-falls-faq12.html |title=Niagara Falls Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=March 11, 2011 |quote=Although mills have been using diverted water from the Falls as a source of hydraulic power since 1759, it wasn't until 1882 that the Falls was used to generate electricity. The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company, which constructed a canal for hydraulic power generation nearly 20-year prior, began operating a small electrical plant in Niagara Falls, New York in 1882. The plant, which generated direct current (DC), could only distribute current a distance of 2 miles. Despite this limitation, it was a big hit for both its utility and as a tourist attraction. It was this small plant that demonstrated the potential for hydro-electric power from Niagara Falls. ... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714215858/http://nyfalls.com/niagara/niagara-falls-faq12.html |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1898 the company built the [[Niagara Junction Railway]] to encourage industrial expansion in the area.<ref>{{cite book |last=Drury |first=George H. |editor-last=Hayden |editor-first=Bob |date=1985 |title=The Historical Guide to North American Railroads |location=Milwaukee, WI |publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing Company]] |page=232 |isbn=0-89024-072-8}}</ref>
====Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls====
In 1907, the [[New York Public Service Commission]] law was passed which regulated the rights of non-electrical corporations from engaging in the development of electric energy and distribution of it. Therefore, the hydraulic business of "Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company" became the "[[Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls]]"<ref name=Queen>{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Edward Theodore|title=Niagara, Queen of Wonders|date=1916|publisher=Chapple Publishing Company, Limited|location=Niagara Falls, NY|page=[https://archive.org/details/niagaraqueenofwo00will/page/72 72]|url=https://archive.org/details/niagaraqueenofwo00will|quote=Schoellkopf purchase Hydraulic Canal.|accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> and "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" was formed to distribute the power.<ref name=Cliff/> The "Hydraulic Power Company" owned the building itself, the land, the [[penstock]]s, the [[turbine]]s, and the [[water wheel]]s.<ref name=Cliff/>[[File:Niagara Gorge Railroad (1913).jpg|thumb|right|[[Niagara Gorge Railroad]] in 1913]]
The company furnished power to many of the largest factories and industrial companies in [[Niagara Falls, New York]]. Among the company's larger contracts for power is that for the [[Niagara Gorge Railroad]], the [[Alcoa|Aluminum Company of America]], The National Electrolytic Company, and many other large manufacturing interests in [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]].<ref name=History/>
As of 1908, officers of the company were George B. Mathews (president), William D. Olmsted (vice president) [[Arthur Schoellkopf]] (secretary and treasurer), [[Paul A. Schoellkopf]] (assistant secretary and treasurer), John L. Harper (chief engineer). The board of directors was composed of [[George B. Mathews]], [[William D. Olmstead]], [[Arthur Schoellkopf]], [[Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr.]], and J. L. Romer.<ref name=History/>
====Cliff Electrical Distributing Company====
The "[[Cliff Electrical Distributing Company]]," was an electrical corporation organized for the sole purpose of enabling the "Hydraulic Power Company" lawfully to distribute electric power.<ref name=Cliff>{{cite book|title=Documents of the Senate of the State of New York, Volume 20|date=1914|publisher=New York (State) Legislature Senate|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oq0lAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22Cliff+Electrical+Distributing+Company%22&pg=PA110|accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> As of 1914, the main consumers of power from the "Hydraulic Power Company" were:<ref name=Cliff/>
*[[Alcoa|Aluminum Company of America]] – about 70,000 [[horsepower]]
*Cliff Electrical Distributing Company – about 30,000–40,000 [[horsepower]]
Both the [[Alcoa|Aluminum Company of America]] and "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" owned their [[electrical generator]]s and electrical apparatus and the transmission machinery (the [[transmission lines]] which carry the power from the [[Electric generator|generator]]s to the place where they use it) and the "Hydraulic Power Company" owned everything else.<ref name=Cliff/>
In 1914, the directors of "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" were: Peter P. Pfohl, [[Paul A. Schoellkopf]], John Olmstead, [[:de:Hugo Schoellkopf|C. P. Hugo Schoellkopf]], and [[Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr.]] The officers were: Peter P. Pfohl, president; Paul A. Schoellkopf, secretary and treasurer; and [[:de:Hugo Schoellkopf|C. P. Hugo Schoellkopf]], vice president.<ref name=Cliff/>
[[File:Niagara Falls, mill district on American shore, ca. 1900.jpg|left|thumb|500px|Schoellkopf mills along the canal in 1900]]{{clear}}
==Competitors==
===Niagara River Hydraulic Tunnel, Power, and Sewer Company===
[[Jacob F. Schoellkopf|Schoellkopf's]] success in developing millsites led [[Charles B. Gaskill]], of "Cataract City Milling Company", the canal's first customer in 1875, to believe that there would be a growing demand for power. Therefore, in 1886, Gaskill formed the "[[Niagara River Hydraulic Tunnel, Power, and Sewer Company]]" to meet the demand. His company hired engineer, [[Thomas Evershed]], to create a plan to develop power.<ref name=foran/>
Evershed planned to use the mechanical power of [[waterwheel]]s and [[turbine]]s rather than generating electricity. He proposed twelve canals to direct water from the upper [[Niagara River]] to remove power production from the River bank. The canals would feed 238 waterwheel pits with water plunging into the pit, rotating the turbine, and redirected through a huge tunnel into the [[Niagara Gorge|gorge]] below the [[Niagara Falls|Falls]]. It was determined that Evershed's plan was too expensive, so [[Edward Dean Adams]] and others decided to develop hydro-electric power. New plans called for a central generating station and a shortened version of Evershed's tunnel.<ref name=foran/>
===Niagara Falls Power Company===
[[File:Edward D. Adams Station Power Plant 215415pv.jpg|thumb|left|Edward Dean Adams Station Power Plant, [[Niagara River]] & Buffalo Avenue]]In 1889, developers organized the "[[Niagara Falls Power Company]]" and the "[[Cataract Construction Company]]" (incorporated June 12, 1889<ref name=PPDevelop>{{cite web|title=Timeline of Power Plant Development|url=http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/part_1_b.htm|website=buffalohistory.org|publisher=Buffalo History Museum|accessdate=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220155446/http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/part_1_b.htm|archive-date=December 20, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>) to carry out the new plan.  [[Edward Dean Adams]], as president of the "Cataract Construction Company," directed plans to construct a central generating plant and to solve the problem of transmitting electricity over long distances.<ref name=foran/> Adams and the "Cataract Construction Company" began constructing a central power station immediately, however, the problem of how to transmit electricity long distance was not yet solved. On December 20, 1892, the Evershed tunnel and the Edward Dean Adam's [[power station|power house]] [[inlet]] [[canal]] are completed.<ref name=PPDevelop/>
Therefore, the "Cataract Construction Company" sponsored the "International Niagara Commission", which met in [[London]] in June 1890 and was headed by [[Lord Kelvin]].<ref name="Harnessing Niagara"/> The commissioners offered a $100,000 ({{Inflation|US|100000|1890|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) prize for a solution to the problem.<ref name=foran/> The commission received seventeen submissions from experts around the world only to reject them all. The schemes ranged from a system using [[pneumatic]] pressure to one requiring ropes, springs and pulleys. Some proposed transmitting [[direct current]] electricity, including one endorsed by [[Thomas Edison]].<ref name="Harnessing Niagara"/>[[File:AdamsPowerPlant DateUnknown HABS 15 GeneralViewFromSoutheast cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Edward Dean Adams Power Plant]]
On May 6, 1893,<ref name=powerpoints>{{cite web|title=Power Points|url=http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/educ_materials/power_points_timeline.htm|website=buffalohistory.org|publisher=Buffalo History Museum|accessdate=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220162510/http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/educ_materials/power_points_timeline.htm|archive-date=December 20, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> after the commission failed to award a winner, [[Lord Kelvin]] and the commission asked [[George Westinghouse]] to use [[alternating current]] to develop electricity at [[Niagara Falls]].<ref name="Harnessing Niagara">{{cite web|title=Harnessing Niagara|url=https://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_niagara.html|website=pbs.org|accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> The construction lasted for several years and was funded by an interest composed of notable businessmen including: [[J. P. Morgan]], [[John Jacob Astor IV]], [[Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild|Lord Rothschild]], and [[William Kissam Vanderbilt|W. K. Vanderbilt]]. The [[Adams Power Plant Transformer House|Edward Dean Adams Power Plant]], designed by [[McKim, Mead, and White]],<ref name="wea">{{cite web|url=http://www.nywea.org/Clearwaters/pre02fall/303020.html|title=Niagara Falls: from honeymoon to Love Canal and back|author=Richard R. Roll|date=Fall 2000|accessdate=27 October 2015|work=Clearwaters, Vol. 30, No. 3|publisher=New York Water Environment Association, Inc.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822100016/http://www.nywea.org/clearwaters/pre02fall/303020.html|archive-date=August 22, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> first produced power on August 26, 1895,<ref name=foran/> and in November 1896, power generated from [[Niagara Falls]] reached [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]. The first 1,000 [[horsepower]] of electricity transmitted to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] was claimed by the street railway company, with the local power company putting in orders for 5,000 more.<ref name="Harnessing Niagara"/>
Similar to the "Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls" arrangement with the "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company," the "Niagara Falls Power Company" sold power to the [[International Railway (New York–Ontario)|International Railway Company]] (w.streetcars in Buffalo & Niagara Falls city) which obtained the right to install its [[rotary converter]]s in the Niagara Power Company's [[generating station]], but paid nothing additional (i.e. rent) for the installation.<ref name=Cliff/>
==Consolidation==
In 1918, the "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company," the "Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls," and the "Niagara Falls Power Company" merged<ref name=NYSLegis>{{cite book|title=New York Legislative Documents, Volume 9|date=1919|publisher=New York (State) Legislature|page=479|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_7YaAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22hydraulic+power+company%22+niagara+falls&pg=PA479|accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> due to government pressure for more efficient use of the [[Niagara River]]'s water provided by the [[Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909|Boundary Waters Treaty of 1910]]. The consolidated company retained the name "Niagara Falls Power Company"<ref name=buffalohist>{{cite web|title=Power Points:Timeline of Power Plant Development|url=http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/part_1_b.htm|website=buffalohistory.org|accessdate=October 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220155446/http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/wheels_of_power/part_1_b.htm|archive-date=December 20, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> and issued $26,000,000 ({{Inflation|US|26000000|1918|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) [[capital stock]], common and preferred.<ref name=NYSLegis/> The $26&nbsp;million in capital stock was consisted of<ref name=NYSLegis/>
*$11,515,400 – 7% cumulative preferred capital stock
*$14,484,600 – common capital stock
The $11,515,400 in preferred stock was distributed to the shareholders of "Niagara Falls Power Company." Of the $14,484,600 in common capital stock:<ref name=NYSLegis/>
*$540,000.00 – distributed to the shareholders of "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company"
*$984,566.70 – distributed to the shareholders of "Niagara Falls Power Company"
*$12,960,000 – distributed to the shareholders of "Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls"
On March 2, 1921, the combined "Niagara Falls Power Company," secured a federal license from the [[Federal Power Commission]], issued under the [[Federal Power Act|Federal Water Power Act of 1920]] for a term of 50 years, that authorized the diversion of water for power purposes from the [[Niagara River]], above [[Niagara Falls]], and the return of it below the Falls, all in New York.<ref name=cornell/>
The "Niagara Falls Power Company" later became "[[Niagara Mohawk|Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.]]"<ref name=cornell>{{cite web|title=FEDERAL POWER COMMISSION v. NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP.|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/239|website=law.cornell.edu|accessdate=October 26, 2015}}</ref> which was acquired by [[National Grid plc]] in 2002<ref name=natinalgrid>{{cite web|title=Our History|url=http://www2.nationalgrid.com/about-us/our-history/|website=nationalgrid.cm|accessdate=October 26, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312155733/http://www2.nationalgrid.com/about-us/our-history/|archivedate=March 12, 2017}}</ref> for $3&nbsp;billion ({{Inflation|US|3000000000|2002|r=-3|fmt=eq}}).<ref name=NYTnationalgrid>{{cite news|last1=Banerjee|first1=Neela|title=National Grid Announces Niagara Mohawk Purchase|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/06/business/international-business-national-grid-announces-niagara-mohawk-purchase.html|accessdate=October 26, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=September 6, 2000}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Companies|Energy|New York (state)}}
* [[List of New York companies]]
* [[Peter Buell Porter|Peter Porter]]
* [[Jacob F. Schoellkopf]]
*[[Schoellkopf Power Station]]
*[[List of Niagara Falls hydroelectric generating plants]]
{{clear}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:1853 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1853]]
[[Category:Companies based in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Niagara Falls]]
[[Category:Niagara Falls, New York]]