The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1884-09-03
THE ELECTRICAL EXHIBITION.
The. Fifth Of the Kind Ever Held In
the world.

The International electrical exhibition In
West Philadelphia, the NTH OF the kind ever
held, and the frst held In America, was for
mally opened yesterday, In the building espe.
cially erected for the exhibition. Long before
noon, the hour appointed for welcoming the
foreign visitors, the lecture.room, In which
tho reception took place, was packed with
Numbers OF the Franklin institute, their
families and the foreign guesie.
The building, which was specially erected
for the purpose OF the international electrical
exhibition, Is built OF Iron, woodland glass,
feet in height. In general appearance 1t
closely resembles the building known as Agri.
The iron and woodwork are tastefully painted,
and at intervals are shields bearing names OF
States and men Identified with the progress OF
electricity. The entire building is bedecked
The annex, which became necessary long
before half the applications tor space had
Tbiity.second street, In tho brick building for.
merly used by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company as its passenger depot. This struc'
ture has been fenced In, decorated with days
and made very attractive. IL is connected
with the main building by au ornamental GOV.
cred bridge across Thirty second street.
The interior OF the main building Is capable
Of holding 10000 people. About one.thlrd OF
the walls on every side Is glass, while over.
head a central gothic arch, partly OF glase,
200 feet long, with span OF 100 foet, aud two
smaller arches, parallel with aud on either
side OF the main arch, each having span OF
80 feet, form magnificent arcade.
There are broad galleries RAINING entirely
around the main building, which AFFORD lno
view OF the Interior. In the gothic roof each
arched girder, fourteen In number, carries
nine electric lights, each separate lot being
the exhibit OF different electric light com.
paDy. In addition to these the lights soem to
be innumerable, and at night the great hall
Will be Illuminated by nearly 6,000 incandes-
cent lamps and 400 arc lights-a blaze OF light
equal 10 the power OF million candles.
|. Running along the northern side OF the main
building Is the boiler.room, containing steam
generators OF every kind. From this room OK
tends the space where number OF engines
are runnlng-.one large belt on Porter Allen
engine, running at the rate OF nearly q mile
minute-converting the power coal or gas
into electricity. Here are i've Porter. Allen en-.
Sne Sersps from 80 to Lahore poger
horse power, q number OF smaller ones, and
several "gas" and automatic engines. In ad-
dition to these, two freight locomotives loaned
| position and are ready for use In furnishing
boiler capacity. Next TO the engines is long
line OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of magnetic
eleciriciiy-from which run, under the door,
| the network Of wires that conduct the current
TO all parts OF the building.
Among the dynamos is "Jumbo," operated
| by the Edison Company, and the largest
dynamo ever made. Some OF the electric
| light companies display handsomely fur
nished bedrooms and parlors TO show the
| effect OF their light In the illumination OF
| private residences. The United States naval
| ordnance exhibit Is well advanced, and sailors
In uniform, busy putting the last OF the arti.
| cleB In position, added TO tho picturesque
| scene within the building.
The various displays cover the most intrl-
| cate and interesting appliances for showing
the production, measurement and practical
| application OF electricity, including tele.
graphs, telephones, microphones and electric
naval warfare, and to illumination, dentistry,
surgery, photography, electro. plating, min.
ing, blasting, weaving, railways, toys, hatch
aud Tls.Nl eNa
latter Connection tho Electrical World. O paper
published In New York and devoted to the
science OF electricity, Is worthy OF mention.
The publisher has established q branch oiIlce
In the building and will print the World
here by electricity.
In the gallery the large Roosevelt organ is
thirty feet distant from the organ and con-
nected with It only by wire.
| The most picturesque exhibit, perhaps, is
| the grand fountain, situated In the centre OF
| the main building. At night number OF cleo
| trio lights are shown through colored glass In
such an ingenious and effective manner az to
make the falling waters appear as an ever
changing sheet OF parti.colored liquid fire.
Another feature OF the night display Will be
the electric light used by the United states
for torpedoes or hostile approach-a light OF
| 10000 candle power, located In one of the
Hector It projects a Stream Of light, aimos,
| equaliDg that OF the sun, for a distance of two
| miles, and renders the new City Hall, mile
and a half distant, as clearly visible at might
| as at noon time,
In the annex is the heavy machinery, such
as ts applied 10 railways, and other large sized
exhibits. Here also is situated the lecture
room, where popular lectures will BIO given
periodically.
| During the exhibition the public schools
will be closed at intervals and the children
| will be taken to the show In large divisions
To increase their interest, seventy.two prizes
Will be awarded for tho best essays by the
children on "What Saw Mt tho Exhibition
During the next six weeks the mornings
| lectures will be for children.
The historical exhibits in this building
form complete museum OF electrical appli
ances, from the first machines ever expert
mented with down to those now In use.
Another feature OF the annex is the mono
rial library, collection OF works to which
nearly every publisher In America and
number OF publishers and scientists abroat
have contributed. Rare gifts OF this kind ar
still coming In, and the memorial llbrar!
promises 10 be the finest collection OF cleo
trical literature In the world.