The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-08-24
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III = EittiEtN iitnt ann itAL
when the world Witnessed the successful
inauguration Of the telegraph two .deas be.
came prevalent in the general mind. the
one that we had about reached the
ultima thule Of communicating mes.
agea to persons at distance,
and the other that post -o@ine
transmissions of letters had seen its bes,
days. Both ideas were entirely astrny.
The telephone now surpasses, as far az it
goes, the telegraph, and on the
other hand the mails are not only
heavier, but postage has been considerably
reduced since The prediction. So, when grs
was first practically introduced II was
thought that the greatest attainment of
Illuminating possibilities at the same cost
had been secured And when portion of
Paris in 1850 or thereabouts, was for the
first time illuminated by gas as product
OF the destructive distillation OF coal and
shortly alterward London also WAS thus
lighted up by a chartered company prom-
Use OF 10 per cent. per annum dividend to
the stockholders being made, II was again
believed that the ultima thne of artificial
light was reached. But right In the face Of
THE ere the same century closes
comes another contestant into the
field and demonstrates that light
OF very low intensity can be procured
by means Of electricity, suitable ut once for
the purposes of interior lighting and street
illumination, and threatens to entirely
supcrscdo the gas works. That this cleo.
trio light produced either by the electric
arc or by the incandesccnce of some re(rac.
tory substance as carbon or platinum, and
It's transmission after a manner desired. is
no larger a problem but Is fixed fact the
only question now being the economical
one, the one of cost, II we compare gas
with sperm candle power, we find that
feet per hour OF Is candle gas will fully sup.
ply the place of Il pair Of sperm candles
costing, say 10 cents for ten hours light.
while gas .at $3.50 per 900 feet would cost
Just about the same figure, but will
yield light times as great. II being
hero estimated that gas burner consum.
Ing cubic feet per hour gives the light of
about 30 sperm candles. Now, for the electric
light II Is estimated that for saga 200 horse
power engine consumption of pounds Of
coal per hour, at say So per ton. The main
tenance for an hour of 200 electric burners,
equivalent to 1909 feet OF gas, will there.
fore cost 20 cents against 22i cents for the
gas. Then when We consider tie deprecia-
ton OF the works, of the mains, the work
ing expenses, labor and coal, etc, il will
DO found that that far the electric
plan is the cheaper OF the two modes of
Illuminating. But when, on tho
other hand, We have regard
TO other items of expenditure
required for the new process, II will be dis
closed that II is really about 20 per cent.
dcarer than the gas. This isa reckonin q,
OF course upon the same amount of light as
basis for our calculations. With only
this difference In favor OF gas we may con-
cludc that the new agent has como to stay,
rssuming that for the future improvements
in the matter Of cost will be in equal ratio
Added to this the other fact that the cleo
trio process has 80 many desirable qualities
not possessed by its older rival, we are i'm
pressed with the conviction that IL will
be the preferred means of illumination
But will 1t superstde gas? We
apprehand not for long time to ZONE. A.
a blanch of the manufacturing industry
coal gag companies employ an immense
amount of capital permanently embarked
aud great number of hands employed in
them. Besides this, they create great de-
mand for coal, lime, etc, and for iron work
brass work gas meters, o,c. Parties deeply
interested IN these branches OF labor will
make rigorous contest aud their bushes.
Intelligence will induce them to care fol
their own as against what they may con
ceiyc to he only as yet tledgcling Tn,
shrcwdcst owners and investors in "a,
works will cautiously take stock in tn,
electric light, companies aud vgilantl,
watch the real progress of development
And 1t is to the interest of those concernc,
, In the new regime to interest those inyoly
cd IN the old, Business sagaciiy suggest
this and honorable dealings with others q
ones community would seem to desire an,
urge It..