, 1879-03-24
MOVING THINGS.
Electricity as a Universal Motive
Power.
III Elottl.Ele.ators, seNlng.Aa'hiat,, aud Light
Hathlnery 10 n Run W Single
Electric Station.


Electric Station.
San FtnHcsscn Chranfeie.
Whether or mt wc ever fully understand that
Wild nntamcd element Of nature called c1ccirtct-
~ itb usefulness Is bound suon to be fully test
I'd. Not many ycars ago It's ability to tl'nmi-
nate was only tried on n largo scale on rural
landscapes n,d TO slow (lnc effects Of mountain
scenery; now 1t is rapidly supplnntsng Cas.sfght,
MS eas-Iigllt supulanted lntnps anil cand!cs, art
a. lamps AMI cs,ltllcs rclegatch link n,,d rush
light To everlasting darkness. Onca Its power
was displayed In destroying buildings anu buss,-
Ing liaystacks; now It Is used, or wif1.tin-
doubtcdly soon be used, 10 propel ma.
chfnery, and 80 save nn intluitc amount
Of labor nnl nvo!1 the great cx-
pcnsc md the terrible dangcr Of fire ulld steam.
It Is nn elusive spirit tllat Il gradually yielding.
aa f1le 1nost su5lln things In tho universe }'avo
yielded, to tile skill ur,l perseverance 0l tnnit.
San Francisco Is tuktnE the lead In these expert
nlCnts, nnd she is III tie ran Of nrt and on
the sIirm!sh line III all progressive move
mcnts. The availability Of electricity rs mo-
tnr power Is about to bo thoroughly tested by II
SAT- Fsancscan-Stephen ". Field. slr. Field
Is Il ncrl,cw Of Cyrus ". Field, the fatAer Ut
ocean te1egraphy. Electricity seems TO be n net
Of the Fields, al clrctrc current. So 10 speak,
running in III hereditary way through tho whole
family. A Chronicle reporter yesterday alter
1lnon visited TIC nco',ew at the rooms OF the
Electric Light Company, 4f2 Market street. The
room uRcd by the Company Is simple and unat-
tractvc. Its simplicity Is q merit, for II Is but
an evidence Ut how much ca1t be dane with
powerful element with lew .intelLautcaI coli.
trlrances. NJ. Field WAS found bs1"ll1g uown
nvcr Aluase Slencns inaciiine, made Of coils uf
Wire, will cyl!lt'!cF revolving within II, TINT
ruso hut &c" incllc: from the ilour. and looked
IKE Htt!o ffan bnS. let liltrc was Ioree
enous'i =, ~. hssls n.aehlna 70 run several
hotel elevators, twenty or t!!rty sewing
machines, hall HoHcn an!ry'elI'ir's. dozen IN
strntneHts VI denial torture, AMI natett boar.l'
sng-llous9 nsastlent9r; the f'iscnsnF Uttered TO
lnpaTs all tn uselh ihtoEaiatlos! nc 'n@sessen.
"Ihis application nt tl!G nowGr q electricity
Is not exactly new" SAID ar. Fl:t1: " II las
long been ktov that current OF electricity Cen-
Grated III une dynanlo-etcciFtc nat9lfne could br
Transmitted to allotssr. lhs power transferred
!,as hitherto been supposed tn pe heaFy one
nF ' ' II %1Ep'y " GssGas 1S n n 1e ", aont e
the conductors clnployed. VI course, hcyond a
ccrtntn tiissAtcr cltitlct"fs coul'i not pe siaae
:" large As 10 render the Transmission ol po*sr
ltashe. Inc power chn nc conveyed iHnu
W'thotit GitIcats, nfit "lta lhe loss u only ~
ncr CENT "
T1f:sr EXPERIMENT.
"What were your FIRST experiments hcrc1:'
tue reporter n4ed.
ain a,ir orgnas experiments, our little steam
c,lt1lc whtcl YOU see there Il, tho gurlcr intl1.
cn eli two-tfs,r.u power, nf which succeeded IN
rccIain!ng Que aad -fu,frths-hossc power,
rs Indicated By tic weight placed On the elevator
with which We oj,cratei The first experiment
consisted III cou}n, ollI Of t!Ie ts;st,l,lc ma.
t.i1ncs with the Stenlctis machine mil this by
belt nn,l pulley With the elevator, started ,,p
The steam cngtnc, ,nac the electrical connection,
between then perfect. md tl,e elevator uscrnded
lority. That simply Indicated tc existence OF
power without measuring Its strength. The cle-
vattr wns sent back to the first 1lnur, and six
snr,, whose aggregate weight was Mlo pounds,
rot on to tln platform. Ilscse were elevated 70
the top of THO building III iltty-tiyc sccoaIs,
without in tho least reducing the speed OF
thu machines, 1he elevator was acuin scnt
eua,, which was taken up In s1fty-ilvo seconds,
.,ftur that VIC tried making me elevator wortt
both ways, which was easily uruunl, l,si.ed.l .l'y
merely reversing the wires between the twu
1nci1ity."
WAS there ary limit found to tic nu)ollnt
to be rnIsctl mn! lowercl."
None whatever. 1ttH certrlc current wns
fouMt cqua! to auy weight which tl.c ttrength
Of t1's saosalof was nnls ~, 70 oear. !e nhiy Mp
prte1aolc cicct Was u tlle tilhc Occupied ~ tEe
Luz operations ui'ierca W!uely lloih 1llat q ttle
ordtl'nr5 waiar'c!eyators , in rnnl,E wh'c!, ti1e
ta o ,u wi, h ss,a's, ~ o M !"
more tnaa eosihtcTna'aneo ;' ,'la "eient ~ NC
water elAnlnyeu. l1e aclioh oi li,yse ~, 1aGlntcs
y, ~ sonie respcets. oEly en1nariec 10 tllat VI
lHe NStaa'sI run, Wnete one vess Sfliaat pump'
" q ket1es ol Simple l!ipn1ses m,!4 Meeattlnl9'
Ions VI rsn"eF' ne.n WIN n,n. uis ~ ns
powyr tnrGIeh ln sesy slo" .[1I,s nnvemen,'
"What 10 you nroEose oo,iaE, now you Iass
oaeu Ea'4|Gae9 s1 O.! I'LL, ,nS @ Insans " whsh
you ca;, tsanSisst tn's e4eetfFal po"cs 10 aus
taneSi' .,u...,.
I'VE psopose establishing a central station.
from w!'r! tsi.s machine e cai, cGt,'snanl any n',nl-
bet 81 c!esotors ~ta!!l the ran'us " MIS- We
Fiial! !ol otlI} haFe tne po"S9 oFiTHla!S @eh-
trntca ny tlu ee'ltIa!y.pared machine, blt il,u
elevator, , ~ geseohnti's, ~ t'laaf 9wl WslEnl,
Will generate c!cgIseilS anu So eontflote tu t'le
plan'y, Ut the central statlotl VIII bn PLACED
great nnnhcr ~ hFnnuIa-cleetFte haet11lcs
"n!cll "i ne continually " 'ilol'on a.l ealllect-
Gu ~ stcaiIl,cnslne ~ !uts US tiiG M current