The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-06-06
A NEW ERA OF INVENTION.

The inventions Of steam and gas apparatus and
the extensive application Of water to city uses,
have entirely changed the condition Of urban res
idence. 1t Is not possible that we are now ap-
preaching another change quite as smarked-forit
seems to be law Of inventions useful TO society
that they come in groups, which combine to lift
the community In another grade or teneoe, as It
Weie, requiring new habits and methods of doing
business Suppose, for instance, that the new
electric light should realize the hopes of its in
Ventors' The night time Of our cities would then
become entirely different from what II has been
hereIoiore-being rather an anuninterruptedcon
unuation of daylight, greatly modifying all do.
mestic arrangements, and the business amuse-
ment and police regulations Of the cities.
suppose again, that the experiment. which has
been tried during the last winter in heating BY
steam portion Of Lockwood, N, Y, should work
as well on large scale, what q revolution there
would be iu domestic and municipal economyI
II is thought to be proved by experiments that a
district OF four square miles can be economically
warmed from one central point. The steam can
be turned on In any house either as dry steam or
as hot water and thus used at will for heating or
laundry purposes, The cost of fitting UP an ay-
erage sized house for steam apparatus complete is
estimated al Sl35, If this plan succeeds, farewell
to furnaces and their DUST to ranges and water
backs for 1t is even claimed that cooking can be
more easily done by this system than by any other.
Let us have more experiments, however, before
we become too sanguine. The last winter was a
very mild one, and 1t is the cold snaps that
have always been particularly trying to most
steam heaters hitherto. But it is only fair to say
That this Lockport test does raise the presumption
that some method Of heating cities uniformly and
from common point will yet be successfully ap-
piled.
The efforts to prOpel street cars by steam have
not yet succeeded but 1t is said that the working
of them by compressed air is no longer a doubt.
ful experiment. Cars with pneumatc'motors, for
which the air is compressed by stationary en-
CINE at the depot have been running for some
months in Brooklyn, and are now to be intro.
duoed on some of the principal streets of New
York. They are free from the smoke, dirt aud
offensive odors which have added to the allure
of the steam or dummy cars It is claimed that
the economy of compressed air over horse power
is nearly so per cent and that the apparatus when
perfected will attain speed of thirty miles an
hours To this invention. as to all others applies
the homely old maxim about the proof of the
pudding, At this time of the year there are too
many blossoms that never become fruit not to
make the community very cautious even over the
most promising enterprises We merely mention
IN this connection the phonograph, for we have
sufficiently dwelt upon 1t heretofore but taking
all these inventions together it will be seen that
they are surely a wonderful group and that it is
almost impossible butthat something should come
out of them for the change and welfare of the
community Boston Journal