Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-27
AHEADIN MACHINERY
The Most Prominent Feature Of the
American Exhibit at Paris.
ELECTRICITY OUR STRONG POINT.
Edison Has the Largest Single Display in
the Exposition.
SCENES IN A REMARKABLE BUILDING


roof has no interior support except 20 great
arches, hinged at the foundation plates and
apex so as to providefor expansion and con-
traction under changes of temperature. TIL e
roof is glazed. The lower panels are deco
rated with heraldic designs. The ends of
the building are filed with toned glass;
Light is abundant and the effect of the
decoration is magnificent. The length of
the building is nearly ], 400 feet its width
$40 feet and its height 170 feet A gallery
80 feet from the floor extends the entire
length on both sides. At the four corners
are steam generators for driving the entire
machinery. The power is communicated
by shafting placed on four rows of trellis
girders lying parallel with the length of
the building and placed in subways. The
engines are now working and there is more
power than is required.
SOME GROWTH.
An idea of the colossal character of the
exhibition may be gained from the fact that
the power available this year is four times
as great as that furnished during the exhi-
bition of 1873. The American machinery
exhibit occupies one-third of the entire
space in this building, and is in all respects
but one more imposing than the exhibit at
anv previous international exhibition.
The exception is in agricultural ma
chinery, in which it does not show progress
corresponding to that manifested in other
lines. We are indeed at a double disad-
vantage in this, for besides exhibiting
nothing notably new, European nations
bave been successfully overtaking US in the
production OF our own machines. This is
especially true of Great Britain, France,
Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In this
respect, as in others of equal importance,
we have supplied Europe with ideas.
In 1867 there was an exhibit of machine
tools by Brown & Sharp, of Providence
They were all sold. To-day tools made after
the Brown & Sharp patterns by Europeans
are universal IN the exhibition. When the
Internal Congress of Civil, Mechanical and
Mining Engineers meets here next month it
is apparent that the chief pleasure of the
American delegation, numbering nearly 3O0
will be TO point out the facility with which
American mechanical ideas have been
adopted by other countries.
USING AMERICAN IDEAS.
These ideas are paramount Within OBJ |
vious limits they relate chiefly to steam en-
gines and compressors, machine tools, ma
chinery for forming sheet metal, for rolling |
metals into reams, for working on rock and |
stone by means of compressed air, for max |
ing wood screws, by rolling instead of forg- |
ing and for cutting the threads, and wood |
working machinery. A Baldwin gas en-
gine, built by Otis Brothers, attracts atten-
tion by employing gas to run dynamo for
the purpose of lighting by means of incan-
descent lamps, the claim being that the |
light thus produced is more economical than
gas itself
Printing House Square" in the Ameri-
can exhibit will be run with electric power
supplied by Pickering for the special ac-
commodation of the presses which are not
easify connected with the shsfting, Neither
Scott nsr~Hoe has any, exhibit, but the
plant, when ready, viii be considerable.
The Campbell and the Golding Companies
exhibits are the most important. Several
type-setting machines are exhibited, in
cluding the Macmillan, the Thorne and the
Meng lthaler machine. This machine is
furnished with phonograph, which die
tates COPY TO the operator.
The only other country exhibiting novel
Improvements in printing machinery is
Great Britain. We have practical monop-
oily OF writing machines, there being nine
American exhibitors and only one English,
one Russian and one Swiss The machine
of none of these compares faYorably with
the best American machine.
ELECTRICITY PROMINENT.
That electricity constitutes an absorbing
problem of mechanical invention and phys-
ical discovery is shown by the prominence
its apparatus occupies. Throughout
machinery hall and in various other parts of
the Exh: :bition there are 500 exhibitors in
this branch. The universally of the study
devoted 10 it is shown in the range of the
countries represented by the apparatus.
These include France, Germany, Great
Britain, America, Belgium, Switzerland,
Algeria, Austria, Hungary, Chill, Den
mark, Spain, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portu-
gal, Russia and Finland. The application
of electricity to machinery and to various
processes is making steady, if not rapid.
progress. The position of Alexander Gra-
ham Bell and Thomas Edison is UNIQUE,
while the great discovery by PRO-. Elihu
Thomson, of the perfect fusion by means of ,
electricity of metals that do not amalpamate
in the forge, adds third American to the I
list of electricians first in the world.
Prof Thomson's discovery is expected to
revolutionize processes and modify methods J
throughout the whole scope of metal work !
ing, from the fine art of the goldsmith to the
colossal undertakings Of the cannon maker {
The Bell telephone is shown in the liberal
art section, not in machinery hall. as the
consent of the French telephone interests !
could not be procured for wires. t
EDIsoN's EXHIBIT. !
The Edison exhibit occupies one-half the
.ntire American frontage, covering 5000
quare feet. 1t is the largest single exhibit
q the Exposition. 1t is devised to illus =
rate in miniature most of the great prac-
ical results Of Mr.. Edison's inventions For
Instance. the lighting of New York City is
hown by subways visible in the flooring &
With charts and apparatus indicating the {,
distribution of lamps and the control of G
orce. n
His entire category Of inventions. num- O
'erlng 4S5, is presented either completely 81
y py lntelllglble suggestion. 1t comprises 81
lls contributions to telegraphy, electric G
lighting, systems of meters. dynamos mo.
ors, transmission of power, railway electro g
motors, telephone receivers and transmit
ers and galvanic and secondary batteries as
Ised in the photograph and milling ma
hines, the electric pen, typewriter shaft
ng, the vocal engine and fruit preserving. u
The phOnograph and the American writ A
ng machines are the popular delight of the Il
Exposition. Every nation will find one of CT
be Photographs speaking its own tongue. a 7
uffieient number of machines being suita-
lv equipped for the performance of this
marvel. Mr.. Edison has made discovery
4 relation to the coating of the phono- u
raphic cylinders which will materially i'm =
rove the quality of enunciation. The new 4
vlinders are on their way here, but the ma v v
ire of the discovery is withheld to insure :. =.
is patent
THE DIFFERENCE.
In the American development Of electric
v commerce predominates; in the French. ;,
iences. especially chemistry and applied
Al L | Va