St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-13
AN ELECTRIC MOTOR.
Prof. Leo Daft's Singular Railway
Line in New Jersey.
A Visit to the ssW7zard of Newark
Bay''-A Trial Trip with an
Electric LOcOmO.
tive.
New York Tribune. ]

lIN6W 1OTk ITlDuu0.J
A company has been formed in this city to
furnish electric motive power to any and
every one who may have wheel to turn.
The machine it proposes to use is the electro
motor Of Professor Leo Daft, which has sew
eral times been alluded to by the press. IL.
NJ Hawkesworth, the manager Of the COM
pany, was visited by a reporter, and inqui-
ries made of him concerning the scheme.
"See Mr.. Daft" he said 'He can show
more in half an hour than 1 can tell you in
ten days"
The reporter saw Mr. Daft About one
mile west of Greenville, NJ j., nesting in q
grove OF trees is a small frame house of four
rooms, and under its shingled roof was found
the wizard of Newark bay. jumping I'D
from his drawing board with an energy that
he might have drawn from one of his own
motors, he said in CHEEKY tones: "Come, take
a ride"
"Ampere," named from the distinguished
electrician, was brought out from neighbor-
ing shed, saddled and bridled, and the wizard
and his guest got aboard. Cali ready he
crled, and touching a lever, and giving a
quarter revolution to five-inch crank, the
engine moved away. The track, from it's ap-
pearance, might have been built of the debris
OF the flrst experimental railroad in America.
The rails were old and worn and rusty: they
were up here, down yonder; succession of
bumps and hollows; they were on heavy
grade, and the one curve OF 45 degrees was
like turning the corner of a fence. How in
the world any four wheels managed to follow
such track was wonder, but "Amphere''
whirled along it, back and forth without a
groan, and was as docile and quiet as Shet-
Land pony. The engine would sweep along to
within an inch of the ends of the nails and
stop instantly, when on the verge of going
over.
Inc power that moved the engine came
from generator in the factory, through a
mile OF wire, which might as well have been
ten miles or twenty-five miles in length. The
power was transmitted to the engine by
means of a small iron rail, and the current
flowed through it, producing power sufficient
to move "Anpere," and standard gauge
passenger-car with seventy-five people up a
seventy-foot grade, and yet barefooted chill
dren play upon the track unframed.
In the factory close by, small motor that
occupies less room than a sewing machine
operates the saws, lathes, planners and drills
OF woodworking mill and still smaller
one In another room produces 900 revolutions
minute IN thirty-six inch wing fan, and
drives current of air through the building
that would turn windmill Professor Daft
would IL all cases show the haImlessness OF
his machines by diverting the current of
electricity operating them, into his own per
son, and by closing the circuit with hi
tongue; this, Notwithstanding the flash OF
light that opening the circuit produced.
"What is your plan for applying YOU,
moter to domestic usesF he was asked.
eve shall build central stations, at which
we shall generate sufficient power to supply
every demand within radius of two and
half miles We will carry as much of tina
power into your house as you want, ane
measure it out to you, and we will carry it il
way that will afford you no inconvenience
taking up no room and being absolutely safe
We will give you moter of any capacity
it will occupy only one-ffth the room of an
other; will always be ready for instant use
is cleanly, requires no engineer, and Wi
take care of itself. You start and stop it |
quarter revolution OF a three-inch crank