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" and "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" was formed to distribute the power. The "Hydraulic Power Company" owned the building itself, the land, the penstocks, the turbines, and the water wheels. 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 Aluminum Company of America, The National Electrolytic Company, and many other large manufacturing interests in Niagara Falls. 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. 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. As of 1914, the main consumers of power from the "Hydraulic Power Company" were: Aluminum Company of America – about 70,000 horsepower Cliff Electrical Distributing Company – about 30,000–40,000 horsepower Both the Aluminum Company of America and "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" owned their electrical generators and electrical apparatus and the transmission machinery (the transmission lines which carry the power from the generators to the place where they use it) and the "Hydraulic Power Company" owned everything else. In 1914, the directors of "Cliff Electrical Distributing Company" were: Peter P. Pfohl, Paul A. Schoellkopf, John Olmstead, C. P. Hugo Schoellkopf, and Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr. The officers were: Peter P. Pfohl, president; Paul A. Schoellkopf, secretary and treasurer; and C. P. Hugo Schoellkopf, vice president. Competitors Niagara River Hydraulic Tunnel, Power, and Sewer Company 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. Evershed planned to use the mechanical power of waterwheels and turbines rather than generating