On the night of May 1, 1893 President Grover Cleveland pushed a button that would illuminate a hundred thousand incandescent lamps. This “City of Lights” as it was called, was the work of Tesla, Westinghouse, and 12 thousand-horsepower AC generation units that were stored in the Hall of Machinery. Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of Electricity, Tesla’s polyphase power generation and transmission AC system was proudly displayed for all to see. More than 27 million people saw first hand what would become the future of power in not only America, but the World. From the end of the fair forward 80% of all electrical devices ordered in America were for alternating current, Tesla’s dream became a reality.
Speaking of dreams, Tesla, as a child, envisioned capturing the power of Niagara Falls, soon that dream would also become a reality. Late in 1893 Westinghouse was awarded the contract to create a powerhouse that would harness the Niagara. Since the first sawmill built next to Niagara Falls in 1725, Americans had been trying to get an honest days work out of the falls. The contract was awarded as a result of a failed competition headed by The International Niagara Falls Commission. Experts from all around the world submitted strategies to harness the Niagara, leading the commission was famed British physicist, Lord Kelvin who was heavily opposed to AC power. That all changed upon his visit to the Chicago Exposition, where he saw Tesla’s ideas first hand and became a strong converted supporter, Lord Kelvin asked Westinghouse to use alternating current to harness the falls.
The project was a nightmare for all involved, engineers, mechanics, and workers were heavily burdened by the project and after years of construction the international collection of investors, some of the wealthiest people in America and Europe, doubted their choice to invest. All doubters were silenced at midnight on November 16, 1896 when the switch was thrown five years after construction began and power flowed to the street railway company in Buffalo, the rejoicing began. The local power company immediately took orders from local residents for 5,000 horsepower of electricity. Within just a few years power lines were electrifying New York City’s streets, railways, subway system, and even Edison’s systems converted to alternating current.
If you remember J.P. Morgan was one of Edison’s dear friends and heavy financial supporters. He was not happy that Westinghouse and Tesla were doing so well and hoped that by manipulating stock market prices he could starve out Westinghouse and buy Tesla’s patents; thanks to Tesla, that did not happen. Westinghouse called upon Tesla to release him from the generous royalty contract that they had agreed on years before. In one of the most friendly business gestures of all time, Tesla promptly tore up the contract releasing Westinghouse from the monetary commitment and thanked him for believing in his ideas when no one else would. Never thinking of personal monetary gain, Tesla single-handedly saved The Westinghouse Electric company to accomplish future triumphs but leaving himself with lifetime financial difficulty.
This educational article was written by Matthew Jorn
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