Central Powerhouse facts
for serious history buffs
During the first decades of factory operation there were
no large water mains in the neighbourhood and electrical
power was in its infancy. The factory had to be self-sufficient
in producing its own power requirements. A rail-link brought
in coal by the ton to feed huge furnaces in the boiler
room to produce steam, the major source of energy for
the factory.
Steam provided power to a drive shaft on each production
floor. To operate the looms, a belt drive was attached
to the drive shaft, with a series of gears to increase
or decrease the speed as required for each piece of equipment.
Steam was also used to heat the factory in winter.
In addition, steam was used to drive a huge electrical
generator in the generator room built in the 1920’s.
Excess electricity was sold back to the city, making the
factory one of the first co-generation sites in Canada.
Electricity was mainly used to heat the dye kettles, as
well as a small number of electric lights.
Steam also drove a large compression pump used to move
water from a 73,500-gallon cistern under 72 Fraser Ave.
to the fifth-floor sprinkler system in 77 Mowat Ave. The
steam compressor was replaced by an electric pump that
our records show was purchased from Ingersoll-Rand in
1929. The electric compressor is still used today for
its original purpose.
