The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-29
Edison's Prophecies.
"Is the electrical motor going to be
nucceSs ?b

succeSS?'
''Yes; it is 0 success already, and
we have one which is in demand, but
we cannot supply them, since we have
not power enough to supply our lights
''Shall we ever have successful cleo
trio locomotive engine?"
''Yes. There are successful locomotive
engines now, but people have no conf
dence in them, and, like electric light
ing, the progress in introducing them
will be necessarily slow"
"What became of your enginep"
''It works entirely satisfactory and
has been purchased by large stock
company, which is planning its practi-
cal introduction. The electric engine
of one sort or another must come into
use in the cities. It's cheapness is
enough to bring that about. Three
pounds of coal will produce as much
electrical power from stationary en-
gine, or five pounds of coal on an cleo
trical locomotive, as seven pounds of
coal will produce in steam power on
your present engines. Then your en-
gines are light, your tracks are light,
and the riding is smooth and velvety
and not subject to the constant jolts and
Jars to which travellers now have to
submit. You must remember that
your railway TRACKS are not built for
cars, but for locomotives. The latter
weigh three or four times the former,
have to have heavy and costly tracks,
which at any considerable rate of
speed they hammer with tremendous
force and finally wear out. The same
thing is true in another way of the ele-
waited roads. They rush along the
framework, causing it to constantly
sway from side to side with force
that can only result in cutting off the
bolt-heads. 1t takes two men to run u
steam locomotive, while the electrical
machine requires only one. All these
and many other things make the ulti-
mate introduction of the electrical en-
gine on light roads and in the cities
certain.
''Not on the great roads?"
81 doubt it. That time may come
but it is not in sight; but right here in
New York you would get rid of dust,
smoke, noise. oil-drippings and gas,
and in tunnels you could have light
and ventilation where you are now
stilied with smoke and gas and deafen-
ed by the noise. The locomotive it
self would furnish all the light for the
train. But people are stupid and
won't experiment. They can see and
understand cable, and drum and
rope, talk of cable roads, but they don't
understand the electric locomotive,
and hence have no confidence in it.
Time will bring it all the same"
''Will electricity ever help US to nav
igate the air?"
"Yes, when we can get five or six
times more power per pound of weight
than we now get from the best forms
of small engines. Electricity has not
done that yet. Here is the problem"
tapping his knee stoutly with his fist.
I'VE want to get electricity from coal
direct without the Intervention of
boiler and engine. A good many
people are at work on it, too, tell
you"
"You are not?"
''Ah. | won't say yet! won't say
even that there is any probability
about tive don't see our way at all
to do it; but | will say it is surely pos
sible. Zinc and other metals we can
get into electricity at once, but the
trouble is to do that with coal and car
bon. If we could, we could get six
horse power from one pound of coal,
while with the boiler and steam engine
we get only one-horse power from three
pounds of coal. We can't transmit di-
rcctly the power of carbon. If we
could the ocean steamship could have
all of her boiler-room and great part
of her cOal-bunkers for cargo, while
the motive power would not occupy
more than one-half the room at pres
ent devoted to the heavy engines.
Enormous sums would be saved on con-
struction and the cost of running would
be greatly reduced"
Can you not get power enough by
chemical electricity to run electric en-
gines."
"Certainly-get all we want and util-
ize it."
"Only?" I5.
"Only we can't feed our engines
without money. In fact, it's money we
want, and for that we want the power,
Zinc is just as much combustible in
the battery or jar as coal is in the
furnace. But coal develops seven times
thirty-tiVe times rs much as coal, diff
AclChCO Ill SooC ICA pouiu VI 81" W II VI
"a, 500 per cent"
''But about the balloon?"
"Well, having lightness with power.
we should not need enough balloon for
actual lifting power, and we could at
tain very high velocity. You could
hold tcn-horse-power motor out in
vour hand, and, once in the air. with
five pounds of coal, could the consump-
ton be made direct, the little jigger
could go anywhere. Nobody would
want to ascend to any great heights
where the airs resistance 10 the pro-
peller would decrease, but skim along
over the trees and houses, like a bird
above the water. The rudders could
all be worked, and your ballastlcss bal
loon could be raised or lowered, turned
to the right or left, by the motor itself.
and Il boy could do all the work. Such
an arrangement would scarcely do for
heavy freight, butt would carry paSsen-
gers and mail matter and express par
GELS, and move readily at 80 to 100 miles
an hour"