Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-09-30
VISIT 10 the Electrical ExhIb1taou.

VISIT TO tho Electrical Exhiblilop.
PHILADBIPHIA, Sept. 25, 1884.-A
party Of ladies and gentlemen left Will
mington on the steamer FELTON, to visit
the Electrical Exhibition. The trip TO
Philadelphia along the river banks is
very beautiful. especially that portion
from the mouth Of the Christiana creek
TO Marcus Hook, where the land is 30
hilly,. rolling, highly cultivated and
dotted with such tasteful country seats
OF wealthy residents. No wonder the
boat was crowded with q very pleasant
company Of passengers on such health
ful trips the fare, owing TO the oppo.
sitton OF numerous steamers, Is
only thirty cents for the round trip of
over sixty miles, or but ffteen cents
either way.
Arriving at the Exhibition some of
US stored our gold watches at the
hotel and others deposited them within
the building, receiving checks at the
coat room and pay ing ten cents each
for the care of them. The electricity,
which pervades the whole place, par.
ticu.arly powerful In the vicinity Of
the machines producing 1t, completely
ruins the movements Of watches, but
they can be demagnetized or restored
to their former condition by several pro-
cesses, simple when understood, and
consisting Of subjecting them to a high
state OF magnetism by surrounding
them with electric currents and gradu-
ally diminishing the power when they
are found to be in RAINING order once
more. None of our party knew any
thing OF electricity or understood the
use and objects Of the dynamo ma.
chimes, and this description from such
source will be about like the old song
OF fifty years ago, in which negro at
tempts to describe the then new inven-
ton Of the steamboat to his sweetheart,
portion of which ran, the song, not
the steamer, thus:
And when they want to turn the boat,
And get her around in time,
There is something Ike cellar doer
Swinging on behind
referring to the rudder, is a very good
description, for they did and do yet
| look like overgrow n cellar doors.
The entrance fee Of fifty cents is too
high; twenty-five cents would have
been ample, attracted more people and
cleared more money, but the exhibits
tions lavish and excellent. Numbers
Of machines were running at very high
speed, and each resembles a huge steam
engine. 1t seems they each were
generators of electricity, as fiat copper
strip pressing down ON swiftly re-
volving wheel was luminous with
from your knuckle when you take a
L n Inn N mt vya oh ooha al h0r
electrical machine or touch the scholar 4
flesh who stands on the insulated stool.
IOf the many thousands who visit the
Exhibition very few indeed understand
much about tine subtle fluid, but all car
see how beautifully and clearly it car
be made to light the living rooms o
our homes, and 1t Is safe to say it will
soon come into as general use as ga,
and coal oil is now. The lights in mos
cases seem to be enclosed In a tulip
shaped glass. In one place brigh
light thus enclosed Is burning in thu
midst of the water in q gold fish glob,
less than two feet in diameter, con
tanning 8 or 10 gold fish, and they wer'
as unconcerned as II no light had beel
there.
Such brilliancy you would suppos
would heat the water and kill the fish
but it was asserted that these lights d
not give out heat. 1t was not a scien
tist who 80 informed us, though. Thi
display shows that submarine diver
can carry 80 brilliant a lamp in tn
depths of the sea that every Granny O
q sunken wreck can be readily seen
With divers, their suits and their worl
lour party are more familiar than witt
dynamo machines, having seen much Q
such work.
A funny occurrence took place il
Charleston harbor. Divers were en-
gagged there raising cargo, and on
chap, when putting ON his horrible look
ing helmet TO go down, observed al
up country ex slave, who bad just ar
rived with Loat load of wateI melons
The old colored fellow had never seel
tdivers or their dress, and had not oh
served these. The diver slipped quietl.
ldowD from his attendant steam tug
made his way over to the melon boat
and climbing up on one side, seized ;
fine melon and disappeared unde
water with 1t, but when his immens'
black india rubber and brass helme
with its great google eyes came up owe
one side of the boat, the black man IL
charge of it gave scream and sprani
,oyerboard the other side, belie wing n,
doubt he saw the arch enemy of man
The diver swan back 10 the tug, hand
ed up his stolen watermelon, and de
seer ded to the river depths about hi
work.
They make attempts at fun at the ex
hibition. Many of the exhibitors high
ly charged with electricity the fin,
brass band-railing surrounding thei
enclo- o-ures, and give no notice to thu
public, and slyly await developments
Any person resting hand or arm OF
the railing receives u severe shock
and In some C lses 1t was painfully se
we're.
| Very many are t,icked by it every
day and evening, and the young folk
enjoy it, The girls screaming out ant
nakipg great ado. A gentleman of oul
part, insisted On our touching the rail
ing, but we rtoutly declined to suffel
the pain. While cha fling about it b,
put his penkbife to the railing, and re
ceived good shock, and as our hanG
was touching his arm we caught it too
and bright spark was given off wher,
we we're in contract.
At the Ordnance Department ant
Signal Service exhibits of the United
States, wires run along the railing, fol
the purpose of shocking those who toucl
or lean on the rail, either purposely o.
Inadvertently, and the attendants 81
like spiders waiting for flies, and wheI
any one leans on or touches it, they pu
on the battery and give them a littl'
tingling shock.
| n NAV he all riuht hut we condemn