The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-02-21
The Future Of Electricity.

Darveltos as hav6 been the applica-
tidls of electricity 9hring recent years
as q message bearef, light giver, health |
restorer, and otherwise, it requires no
vision other than that which !
knowledge gives to foresee an extension
of the uses of electricity in the immedi-
ate future infinitely beyond any thing |
that The multitude anticipate. The |
truth is, men have but barely begun to
suspect the capacity of electricity to
serve their kind. However numerous
the AmtanS devised for Harvesting the
subtleSpoWef orgreat the social changes
brought about by its employment, as in
the-telegv~ph- odd telephone, the vast
field for the application of electricity to
hrhhkA afA35f3 0aS haf6lE 6een9 entered
upon.
The best proof of this truth is seen in
the varied lines of electric investigation
and invention developed during the
yeaqDr Just pastveaeh with infinite posi-
bilitks and laafked by surfA rising dis
beeffcs aud pfactical utilisktions at al
most every step in advance. These
lines of research point every way; and
it is hard to qame adireetion of thought
or sphere Of practical effort toward
which, or into which, electrical investi-
CATION is not working or holding out
proisksesSef gfeAtieWard teSueh as will
enter boldly, intelligently, and perse-
veringly upon the quest
Men of middle age. have witnessed
the more remarkable of the stages of
social revolution which the utilization
of steam has brought about during the
past fifty years. Ten years aaolit did
not seem possible that any power could
ever again enable men to repeat the
giant strides of progress which steam.
in our factories and on heahi6hways.o OF
commerce, by sea and by land, had
made possible. To-day even greater
and. more rapid, revolutions are impend-
my from the utiksation of electricity,
and men now living will probably see
them brought about.
speak Of chan rs "a Social and
business Af6fs AlFeady effeeted, and
the greater in immediate prospect,
through the development of the tele-
phonic exchanges. In every important
town such exchanges are in process Of
development, bringing into vocal COM
munication not. only the separate men,
bers of widely extended communities,
but also still more widely separated COM
munities.' y
Since then a novel and import
ant improvement in special field
of tclephonic use has been reported from
London. {. Our readers are familiar with
the principle of Mr.. Edison's electro
photograph or loud speaking telephone.
BY employing his small electro motor to
turn the chalk cylinder the telephone is
made automatic instruments of this
sort have been placed in, and large
number more are in preparation for, the
London Times newspaper office; and
the reporters of the paper, say in Parlia-
ment, instead of reading their short
hs11 1Arh441b6p secsn &transnitting
the long-hand copy to the printer, as
heretofore, now read them directly to
the telephone, thus saving the time of
copying and carrying the report. In the
printing office the ,compositor sits at a
type-setting machine, and, as the re-
port is delivered to him by the auto
matte telephone; he sets the type as one
would play tune upon a piano. Hav-
lingcR copy Atoud eciphar. lhiS yAole rat
tenti0n is given to the setting of the type,
and another great sayings@ time is eff
fected. The Indications are that by the
uses Hf, aptogaRbie n and automatic
tdd3tApky Tin cd1 junction pdfhaps with
stenographic type-writers) reports OF
public meetings win soon be almost in
stantly transmitted through long dis
tances and at a fractionof expense which
such work now involves. By the same
process drawings as well as writings will
be transmissible quickly and economical
". Such inventions open up lines of
progress toe fsRreachiPg forE the bold
g. fnhfirftb h 30 folleW, FFSR
Gh.tAE tlddol NE &bjntihq 4snrica,'
which, III sddisE siiffsfent' direction,
promises to. work great changes in teleg-
raphy. By substituting dynamo ma
chimes for batteries in developing the
currents used in telegraphing,, not, only
Is great economy Effected sinithe work
ing Of the wires, but the larger part OF
the valuable space now occupied by the
batteries is wholly saved. In fhe CEN
trail building OF the Western Union Tele-
graph Company in this city IL tons Of
msohinery take the place of y tons OF
battery cells. aeq .4s4fq
The magnitude of the interest affected
BY an fnvehsion Hke thiswil be- sppre
ciated when we call to mind the fact
that the Western Union Company alone
requires something near 100000 miles
of wire for its connections in this coun-
Try. The. telegraph lines.of all Europe
Twill aggregate something. like half a
million miles, 1t must not be forgotten
that for every mile of real wire employ
ed in telegraphing the Introduction Of
the quadruplex systems gives three mile.
of"phaNe9m 8 wire. q ~ other words
the'system makes every wire So usei
Fequivalent to four wires under the ole
system and mo one can say how fal
improvement in this direction is or il