The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-10-18

TO USE N NEW YORK CITY.
To utilize the vast power generated
by numberless rivers and tide-vays
by transmitting it from regions where
not used to points where il is inyalu.
able, has long puzzled scientists. In
places away from this seaboard and the
great water courses, especially, power
has heretofore been obtained only by
the erection Of expensive machinery.
the constant generation Of steam. and
the consequent consumption of vast
quantities Of coal brought from a dis
tance.
While visiting the mining regions Of
the Sierra Gavada and Rocky AIoun.
tains IN his late western tour. Prof. Ed.
lson was struck with the difficulty there
had by miners in drilling and boarine.
though III many cases in the vicinity Of
rapid flowing mountain streams. Ex-
cept IN "placer" mining, where the ore
is washed ont of the bed or hanks of a
river, or where expensive steam drills
are used, the work Of mining is labor
ions. While watching miners drilling
by hand, means of facilitating this
work evolved itself from Edison's fertile
brain. Turning to his intimate friend
Prof.. Barker, of the University of Penn
sylyania, he exclaimed ,abstractly. +" Why
cannot the power Of yonder river(poin
ing 70 the Carson river on the plain n
thousand feet below be transmitted to
these men by electricity 2p This
thought seemed not to go from Edison's
head, and all the way across the plains
on their journey home he and his friend
'Barky," as he calls him. discussed va.
rious problems for the transmission of
power.
Before starting for the West. Prof
Barker had visited Ansonia. Conn.
where his old friend, Mr.. William Wal.
lace, Is engaged in the manufacture of
electrical machines. Mr.. Wallace has
profound scientific research. and he
sides the mechanical part of his busi-
ness, he devotes himself enthusiastic-
ally to the part of physics that compres
hends electricity, magnetism and the
polarization of light. He showed Pro.
lessor Barker an instrument to which
ne had devoted the best years of his
llte, but which was yet in crude con-
dl1on de IS still experimenting with
It, but he believed he would 80 perfect
1t as to transmit power form one
point to another by means of electric
ity.
When the Edison party had arrived
IN New York, Prof. Barker bethouQht
himself OF the instrument previously
shown him by his friend, and which at
the time he had only cursorily examin-
ed. He invited Prof. Edison to visit
Ansonla with him, an invitation that
was at once accepted. Last Sunday
was the day fixed upon. The party
consisted of Profs. Edison, Barker,
Prof. Chandler of the Board of Health.
and Mr.. Edison's assistant, Mr.. Bach
eller.
1t was an agreeable surprise TO the
party to find that Mr.. Wallace had per
fected bis machine. Being exceedingly
modest and caring not for notoriety,
he had shown the instrument to few,
and these only persons whose lack of
scientific knowledge prevented them
from comprehending its usefulness.
Mr.. Wallace calls it teIemachon, and
he smiled with pride as he pointed to q
number Of these machines, each one
an improvement upon its predeces-
sor, and each having required years
to design and nearly 81 900 to con-
struct.
A1Es Gu4cOu Was ouEApbukbu. ne IalE-
ly gloaied over it. Then power was
applied to the te1emachon, and eight
electric lights were kept ablAze at one
time, each being equal to 4, 900 candles,
the subdivision Of electric lights be-
ing unknown TO science. This filled
up Mr.. Edison's cup of Joy. He ran
from the instrument to the lights, and
from the lights back to the instrument.
He sprawled over table with the SIM
pliesty Of child, and made all kinds
Of calculstions. He calculated the
power of the instrument and the lights,
and probable loss Of power by trans
mission, the amount of coal the instru.
ment would save in q day, week, q
month, q year and the result Of such saw
ing on manufacturing