St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-02-21
The Future OF Electricity.
From the Scientific American.

as a message bearer, light givor. healt
reStorer, and otherwise, it requires NJ
prophetic vision other than that whicl
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 tU
serve their kind. However numerous
the means devised fer h:rnessinr the
subtle power or great the social changes
brought about by its employment, a in
the telegraph and telephone, the vast
field for the application of electricity TO
human affairs has hardly been entered
upon.
The best proof of This TRUTH is seen in
the varied lines of electric Investigation
and invention developed dHrinm tie
years just past, each with infinite pos i
bilities, and marked by surprising dis
coveries and practical affiliations at II
most every step in adv anre. These
lines of research point every way; uod
it is hard to name direction of thought
or a sphere of practical effort toward
which, or into which, electrical inyc>ti-
cation is not working OF holding out
| promises of great reward to such as will
enter boldly, intelligentIy, and persc-
yeringly upon the quest
Men of middle anc 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 ago il 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 the highways OF
commerce, by sea and by land, had
made possible. To-day even greater
and more rapid revolutions are impend-
ing from the utilization of electricity,
and men now living will probably see
them brought about.
A few weeks ago we had occasion to
speak of the great changes in social and
business affairs already effected, and
the greater in immediate prospect,
through the development of the 1elp-
phonlc exchanges. In every important
town such exchanges are in process of
development, bringing into vocal com
mrnication not only the separate mem
bers of widely extended communities.
but also still more widely separated com
munities.
Since then a novel and import
ant improvement in a special field
of telephone use has been reported from
London. Our readers are familiar with
the principle of Mr. Edison's electro
photograph orloud- 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 Il 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
hand notes to copyists, and transmitting
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 |
ofiice the compositor sits at a
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-
ing no copy to decipher, his whole at
is given to the setting of the type,
and another great saving of time is eff
fected. The indications are that by the
ase of autographs and automatic
Biography Gin conjunction perhaps with
'tenographic typewriters) reports of
public meetings will soon be almost in
'tantly transmitted through long dis
ances and at a fraction of expense which
uch work now involves. By the same
process drawings as well as writings will
'e transmissible quickly and economical
y. Such inventions open up lines of
progress too far-reaching for the bold
st Imagination to follow.
In this issue of the Scientific dnser1can
N account is given of an invention
which, IN quite a different direction.
promises to work great changes in telcg-
Apply. BY substituting dynamo ma
hines for batteries in developing the
used in telegraphing, not only
) a great economy effected in the work
ng of the wires, but the larger part of
be valuable space now occupied by the
arteries is wholly saved. In the CEN
raj building of the Western Union Tele-
raph Company in this city - tons of
take the place of y tons of
artery cells.
The magnitude of the interest affected {
y an invention like this will be appre. {
lated when we call to mind the fact {
lat the Western Union Company alone !!
equires something near 100000 miles l
wire for its connections in this coun- G
y. The telegraph lines of all Europe
i'll aggregate something like half a Q
lillion miles. 1t must not be forgotten I
lat for every mile Of real wire employ T
in telegraphing the introduction of 1
he quadruplex systems gives three miles y
phantom - wire. In other words, b
lie system makes every wire so used c
Iuivalent to four wires under tbs old a
stem: and no one can say how far a
lproyement in this direction is or is s
1t possible.
The future of electricity in the sphere
light giving is daily becoming more I,
oparent. The impossibilities of last d
,ar are the achievements of this year: G.
I'd even if we were compelled to say d
at hitherto the electric light has not O
used beyond the experimental stage, $;
e positive gains made during the past o.
W months are guarantee that in sew n
al directions Dracticaf success il a. al