River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-01-24
ELEcTRICAL PROGRESS.
Scientific and Practical Advances Ma Is
Daring the Past Year.

Scientific and Practical Advances Ma ds
Daring the Past Year.
Much vet remains To be accom-
plished in electric condition but the
great gains of the closing year. tech
meal aud commercial. are abundantly
apparent
The rate at which electric motors
have been installed fer stationary
power Is scarcely less noticeable than
the development of electric traction
during the year. About the first OF
September il was estimated that 1000
electric motors were driving machin-
cry in the United States. 4 thousand
have probably been added since. II
seems reasonable - estimate the NUM-
Der put in operation for the year at
not much less than 1. 300.
The use of the storage battery as
means of distribution may fairly be
said 10 have made relatively slow adj
vancemcnl, while in many specie, cases
its employment has been Of q eat value
and Importance. Its problems have
had and continue 10 enlist the close at
tention and skill Of many able in
vestigoJOrs and inventors, AID e can
not be doubted that the modern sue
cess thus far attained by this obvious
" important aud necessary means OF
distributing electricity viii be followed
not long hence by such improvements
as will make the accumulation general
and trustworthy instrument in cleo
trical engineering.
The electric light. arc and incau-
descent. has become so familiar 10
every body, even In the far Western
Territories. that its continued rapid
spread no longer attracts attention. II
is expected everywhere; its absence in
any considerable town is moAe noticed
than its presence. Great activity in
the installation Of central station plants
has prevailed during the year, especial
y in incandescent lighting. The sue
cess OF the alternating current method
of distribution in covering large areas
Jf relatively sparse consumption has
largely stimulated the demand for
electFic lighting in the smaller towns
II the country. and has also con-
tributqI not little toward in
citing the companies whose business
is based upon other methods Of distri-
button 10 improving the capacity Of
their apparatus and the seryiceable-
ness OF their lamps. The life Of lamps
has been materially prolonged. while
q reduction has been effected in the
amount OF energy required per candle
power. Whatever may be thought Of
the policy OF competition IN prices,
here can be no question Of the gener-
al benefit Of competition in the eff
cheney and trustwOrthiness Of appara-
tus and lamps. Competition Of the
former kind, while severe, has Grip
pied only the weak. while that Of the
latter sort has resulted in advantage
TO both producers and consumers.
The practical success Of the employ
ment OF alternating currents has re-
acted in the laboratories Of scientific
research. and led 20 the study Of new
qrestions. or old questions IN new
light-siudy and experiment which
have already done much to clear the
path Of the practical electrician in ms
work. and which indicate the early ac-
QUESTION OF further electrical knOwl-
edge Of great significance.
The years scientific and practical
advances are great enough for con-
graduation, but not great enough TO
induce complacent satisfaction and re-
taxation Of effort. - Electrical Engineer.