Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-20

ELECTRICITY IS RAPIDLY TAKING
THE. PLACE OF HOT WATER.

The Electric Motor Has Experienced
Wonderful Development During the
Past Few Years-Some of the Many
Purposes for which II Furnishes Power.
The advance madcrby electrical science
and application during the last few years
has been so phenomenal that it is hard to
define its extent and it is only when an
attempt is made TO follow the develop
ments in any particular branch that an
approximate idea of its mighty progress
rs II whole and its far reaching and ever
widening influence in the industrial world
cau be arrived at
From an Investigation Of one field alone,
that Of the electric motor, it at once be-
comes apparent TINT revolution Of limit
less extent is being effected in industry
and manufacture. There can be no doubt
that the electric motor is the most simple
and effective piece Of mechanism yet de-
yised for the transmission and transforms
ton Of energy in a trustworthy and eco
nomical manner for useful work
1t is quite possible that several of those
who read these lines may never have seen
IN electric motor, yet it is none the less
tr'ie that there are today already in opera
tian in this country over 10000 electric mo
tors of various sizes engaged in an endless
variety OF occupations One company
building motors reports that its machines
are now employed in nearly 200 distinct in
dustyics and that new uses are found
daily, This development has been seen al
most entirely within the last three years
GROWTH or ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
From 1880 up to 1887 electrical engineers
and contractors had given their attention
mainly to the installation of electric light
ing plants in American towns and cities,
with the result that there were some 200
central stations in operation supplying the
arc light or the incandcscent light and
sometimes both a great many Of these
stations paid we'll from the start, but it
was soon found that the lighting business
was after all a limited 0nc--that is, it could
only be carried on during the hours Of
darkness, so that u valuable plant often lay
idle sixteen or eighteen hours out Of the
twenty four. Yet the current which such
IA plant could generate would lend itself as
readily to driving i'm electric motor as to
furnishing light in n lamp, and the same
circuit that conveyed it to the lamps would
also convey it to the motors.
It was this fact tn gave great stimu
lus to the electric motor industry about
three years ago, and led to the perfccting
of what had heretofore been n very crude
and cumbersome piece of mechanism. As
is now very generally known, the electric
motor has but one moving part, the rcvoly
ing armaturc, and by means Of apulley
placed at the end Of the armaturc shaft its
ratus or machinery known to the arts.
But up to 1856 nearly all the electric motors
had been badly designed and poorly built,
aud the current that should have been con
verted into power WAS simply wasted in
developing heat, so that the machines rap
idly burnt ont and otherwise became use
less, and were altogether too expensive to
run.
SAVING IN MOTORS.
At the present time, however, there are
several electric motors in the market Of
excellent design ana Workmanship for
which as high an efficiency as over 80 per
cent Is claimed, and there can bc no doubt
that the rate Of efficiency in the smaller
sizes rs we'll as in the larger is the highest
that has yet been attained by any piece Of
power transmission machinery. Thus an
horse power will easily show as high an
efficiency rs that Of another sort of motor
Of ten or fifteen horse power, yet nobody
dreams of expecting u gas engine or Il
steam engine of ono.quartcr or one half
horse power to give anything but small
return upon the fuel applied toit.
Moreover, with the electric motor an
enormous advantage has been the fact that
IL I,n till ,1p
have been made with the circuits connect.
ing it with the central station, it is practi-
eally ready that minnie for work All that
is necessary is the turning of u switch and
the current il instantancously there With
the steam engine even when the steam is
taken from the steam mains in the street,
considerable attendance is necessary, and
in the vast majority OF instances the steam
has TO he manufactured oa the spot, SO that
boilers are necessary, involving the attend
unce of an expert engineer the supply of
water and coal and th, removal of ashes
Such steam plants also occupy consider
able space and throw oti no small amount
of heat,
The idea, however with the electric mo.
tor is to concentrate in n central station
all the inconvenience connected with the
~
energy in the form Of current. 80 that all
the user has ~ do ia to draw off the supply
n he wants it, just as hcwould do in turn
ing tap to procure supply Of water,
THE MOTOR ~ NEW YORK.
New York city, to go no further. fur
nishcs many interesting examples Of the
manner inwhich electric motors have been
applied to variety of uses Wherever the
circuits pass they are tapped FOR power
purposes, and thus the central station,
which furnishes current at night for Light
ing, is supplying current in the day time
for power. In the lower part of the city
large number of motors are in use, These
are generally employed ventilation pur
poses, though not II few may he found ran
ming freight and passenger elevators, \
large number in the section below Cham.
bers street are also to bo found in printing
Offices In that section, too, nua elsewhere
the motors are employed in a variety ol
other work, such rs driving gangs oi sew
ing machines, saw mills, machine shops,
drug mills. pumps ice cream lreezorS and
the like.
in one of the large confectionery factories
the electric motors grind up ali the choco
late aud other raw material, \ large
number Of motors are used 10y dentists 10
run their lathe5 and other small machn-
cry The motors may also often he found
in BARRIERS saloons, where they not only
furnish ventilation, but in some instances
arc used to run the rotary brushes proNid-
ed for the happy customers heads In one
large office in the city the clrrtri, motor is
employed to run "a little stamping ma
chine which stamps thousands aud thou
nf Il