Omaha daily bee., 1888-05-20
Dangerous Electric Light Wires.

wire. no matter how far apart, and reach
one to the ground and the other nearly
so, a person standing on the ground and
touching the latter wire will receive the
full charge of the dynamo. 1t was stat
ed that there are many miles of dead"
electric light wires on the poles, rs it
costs as much to take a wire down as to
put it up, and the opinion was exposed
that the underground system was the
only sa fe one.
The verdict of the jury was to the
effect that the death was caused by the
neglect of the United States Illuminat-
ing company in not removing the loose
wire.
Primary Battery Lighting.
a great many reports appear in print,
says the EIectJic World, as to plans and
inventions for electric lighting from
primary batteries, At the present
time two or three promoters are invit-
ing public support for such enterprises.
Now we would like to say that while fn
many of these instances the inventors
and experimenters are honest and we'll
meaning, the odds are against
them. With zinc costing twenty
times as much IA coal, it does
not require much penetration for wen
OuC luilllllliE WILL SlcCJTlCiby W Scc blldG
all batteries consuming zinc have hard
work to compete with steam or water
power in generating current, but the
great trouble is that many who are in
vited to invest do not stop to consider
little facts like these. OF other types
OF batteries, we are personally ac-
quainted with none that have yet
solved the problems involved. We do
not say that the goal will never be
reached; on the contrary, we know of
more han one hopeful line of i~nvesti-
CATION now being followed, and shall be
only too glad to herald success Mean
before the public eye must be charac-
teriZed as rank swindles. They
need not be named. Any prudent MAJ
proposing to put his money into them
can soon find out their true inward
ness.
Wiring Tables For Electric Lighting.
The table for wiring houses, which
we published in a recent issue, has
brought to us a large number OF letters
from correspondents who desire to know
if other rules are accurat which they
give in their letters and which vary
considerably from one another. With
out going into n strict examination of
these rules, which would occupy n good
deal of time, we can say generally that
in most OF the cases they are specific
rules which apply to particular cases,
like the one which we publishd, and
which we were careful tc point out was
Of such a nature hat it could not
be applied generally. In the pres
ent we give space to n communication
on this subject, which We believe eX-
presses in a clear manner the true prin-
ciplcs upon which all rules of this ma
ture ought to be based, AS pointed out
in that article, the true principle rests
merely on the application Of Ohm's
law and it's corollaries. With this as q
basis we may frame formulas which
may apply to any number of specific
cases, and if the principle involved be
always borne in mind, the danger which
such specific formula are liable to
| give rise to in the hands of the mex
perienced will be avoided.
A New Mode of Electric Welding.
1t has long been known that the most
refractory metals are fusible in the cleo
trio arc, says the London Times, and of
| late the fact has been applied TO the re-
duction and welding of metals. I'm the
welding process of Prof. Elihu Thomp-
son of Boston, Mass, the joint to be
welded is traversed by an alternating
current of electricity strong enough to
| fuse the metals together. But in the
new process of DR.. Bernardo Of ST.
| Petersburg a continuous current from n
charged accumulation is employed. The
metals to be welded are connected to
the negative pole of the accumulatOr,
and II carbon pencil, such as is used in
the electric arc lamp, is connected to
the positive pole OF the accumulation.
The consequence is that when the car
bon pencil is brought into contact with
the joint, and then withdrawn, an
arc is started between them, and he
metals Of the joint are fused in its in
tense heat until they run together.
Carbon blocks are in certain cases used
10 retain the molten metal in its place,
and Il little and is also employed as a
hux. BY these means boiler-plates can
be mended in stu, blow-holes in cast
ings filed up, and iron rods joined
together. To weld two pieces to three
eighths inch boiler-plate forty cells of
the accumulation joined ''in series" and
three lin parallel" are taken to supply
the current; and a one-inch carbon
pencil in a portable holder is used to
| strike and maintain the arc. The
| power of the latter is regulated by the
| number of cells employed. The ac-
cumulator of DR.. Bernardo has plates
made of strip lead, he having found
that cells with paste in the plates do
not stand the strong currents which he
requires.
Electrical Notes.
The City of New York, the largest
passenger steamer in use, will be
lighted by over 1000 incandecent
lamps.
The Manufacturer aud Builder de-
clares that there are at present no less
than 10000 electric motors in use
throughout the United States.
Mr.. Magnus Yolk has applied cleo
tricity TO propel a dog cart. The cur
rent is provided by sixteen accumu-
lators capable OF keeping up a supply
for six hoars. This cart travels nine
/ .G,.la on hnan nm aaELhalf