The Red Cloud chief., 1885-05-22
THE WIZARD EDISON.
Harvesting New Electrical Thoughts "a
Practical Work.

Harvesting New Electrical Thosshts tn
Practical Work.
! found Mr.. Edison last week in HE
laboratory on Avenue X. and asked him
what was the newest thought that he
had harnes>ed to matter. This he
answered. and called my attention to .
board hanging by n edge to rope.
above u heads. its surface covered
with tinfoil. In further explanation he
said: That solves the question Of tel
sgraphing to running trains. As soon
rs that little device is adopted every
moving train in the country will be-
come a Geographic station. and ANYBODY
aboard the train may be telegraphed To
As easily as il II was standing still.
This will not be done by putting up q
new set Of wires, under the train or nj
its side. but BY using the ordinary tcle-
graph now running by the side Of the
track. 1t is u new. and hitherto un-
known. process of induction. BY which
! make electricity jump thirty-five feet
through the air, carrying the message
without spilling it How's tina, for
lively?"
The inventors faco glowed with
pleasure nj the thought rs he went on:
'.By putting up this tinfoil-covc;cd
board %lengthwise on the top IL each car
l can catch n message from the wire
strung on poles ~thirty-tive feet of. and
can fling an answer back 10 the wire.
1t requires no change in the wires Of
any sort The secret Of il j. 10 the
machine for transmitting. When ] was
investigating what I called the 'c;heric
force. q few years ago ] a accidentally dis
covered certain curious properties 81
static electricity. These | have o
applied. The process is very ~ineSpen.
sive. a three men could equip a road
800 miles long for $1,000 in three OF
four days. II seems certain that IL.
adoption will bc run from headquarters
and every passenger will De accessible
to his friends. What do l call il? ]
haven't named the baby vet"
Mr.. Edison looked exceedingly well.
although he was robed in e gown =
bed-ticking reaching from collar tc
ankles. which was not very picturesque.
At the Edison factory in Goerck street
a new passenger car of the elevos.j
road Is being equipped with the clectrjs
motors which are 20 take the place oi
the present steam locomotive in the
early summer. The car is turned bot
tom upward. and two dynamos weigh
ing about 1900 pounds each are nd.
justed 70 the under side in proximity Ia
the wheels. One dynamo drives the
four forward wheels and the other the
four rear wheels. Every car Is to b.
similarly rugged % ~ to bear It's own
motive power. A train Of four cars. in.
stead Of having one sixteen-ton locomo-
tive. with two great drving-wheels. will
have no locomotive. but c1ery one Of
the thirty.two wheels viii Be . driving.
wheel The eight dynamss Win weigh
about - much - . locomotive. and
they will all respond TO the touch Of D
conductor. Mr.. Bachelor. in charge
Of the work. tells me that one esr can
be al aloneSo the easy hours. while in
the crowded hours ten or . dozen can
be rua in . train. aud TIA; they can
reach . speed of twenty miles IN hour
in the first 80 feet sjtef starting. Mr..
Russell sage. whom I saw yesterday.
feels sure that the electric motors viii
enable the aerial roads TO carry de-
third TO one-half more pisSsenger. thar
they are now doing. and stas the trains
will be much mor safe AID manage
able.-W. A. Crcfni. ~ y. J. World