The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-11-21

wells, saw his wood, thresh his grain,
pillow bis land, cut his hay and grain
and at the same time light the farm
house these long winter evenings at
less cost than kerosene oil at 10 cents
per gallon. Aud we have considered
only one of the many powers that might
be used to advantage in tins way. they
are scattered all over our land.
A ID now let us glance briefly at the
losses of power on the rail roads. To
say nothing of the steam that escapes
without being used (Which is consider
able) let us look at the vast amount of
power lost Or wasted in The stopping
of the cars, or, in other words, in oyer
coming the inertia of the moving train.
This alone, were it properly saved,
would be sufficient to light every line
of railroad and every passenger coach
in use on them. But there are
objections to the amount of storage
batteries necessary to save SO great an
amount of power with the present
mode of storing electricity. But, judg-
ing from the advancemCnts made in
the science of handling electricity in
the past few years, may we not expect
in the near future such improvements
in the system of storing electricity as to
to make the saving OF power in that way
a practical way of saving aud trans
porting il?
Thirdly, let us speak of the cheapest
and at the present day very common
power, that of the windmill. Few
people realize the amount of power
available from this source, and when
we consider its cheapness in COMPARE
son with the other principal motive
powers, it seems IA wonder that there
are as few wind.mills at work through
our land as there are. Let us frr "a
moment glance at the cost of wind
power as compared with that of water.
In the first place, the water privilege
must be purchased: then, usually, a
dam built; then tlume, raCe-way or
pen-stock, a wheel-house or pit and the
wheel itself purchased or built and set,
making in all quite all expense in pre-
pairing to use water-power, and some
thing of an expense in keeping it in re-
pair. Whereas, to use wind power,
we have only to build a tower and
place windmill on it, which will
cost, perhaps, one-half as much as a
good water wheel and we are all ready
for business, while the expense OF keep.
ing it in repair is a mere triflc in com
parisOn with that of water or steam.
But wind is so uncertain. Today ii
may blow regular gale and tomorrow
be perfectly still. 1t NAV blow five
minutes and rest ten. These irregu-
larities are in part overcome by the in
genious self-aCting governor of the
mill; but when the wind stops blow
ing the mill must stop, and so it is i'm
possible to procure a good steady power
from a windmill unless we can store
the power and in that way equalize it..
But, with all its tickeness, there are
many uses to which wind power may
be put without causing serious incon-
venience, such as pumping water 0or
which it is now used to considerable
extent, saving wood, grinding feed,
Smelling corn. making cider, churning
aud many other purposes which would
be great saving of time and expense
to farmers, and with the same mill
believe it would be practical to gener-
ate and store electricity enough to light
the honse at night at very small eX-
pense.
There is several other minor motive
powers of which | might speak, but
they are of but little interest to us and
for that reason will not refer to them.