River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-09
IN TIE ELECTRICAL WORLD.

Electric cabs run on the streets OF
Stuttgart
Many of the explosions in flour
mills have been traced TO electricity
generated by belts.
An arc lamp with four carbons ar
ranged radially in a nearly horizontal
plane, but having. their centrally meet
ing points slightly depressed, has lately
appeared in Paris.
As a result of a war between rival
electric light companies at Waco, Tex,
one of the companies has agreed to fur
nish the city with 80 arc lights at the
ruinous-to the company-rate of 80
cents per month each.
In India a novel application of cleo
tricity has recently been made in ele-
plant catching. At recent capture of
forty of these animals, when the last
one had passed the entrance into the
enclosure, the signal for barring the
exit was given by means OF an electric
current
An interesting and useful applica-
ton of electricity has recently appeared
in a device attached to a steering COM
pass for giving an alarm when a vessel
is off her course. When the circuit is
completed bell is rung which warns
the steersman or the captain that the
ships direction has been changed.
Mr.. Edison made no claims to being
an electrician, it is said. He says that
the experts in electrical science who are
associated with him discover a certain
force, or need of a certain force or
property, and he tries to make a ma
chine or instrument to utilize or pro-
duce such a force Il am a machani-
clan, not an electrician" he said, land |
have no wish to claim the credit due to
the gentlemen associated with me. l
am an inventor, not an electrician"
"A servicable fire alarm has been
patented which consists of small ma
chine somewhat resembling a clock. Ii
can be fastened to the ceiling of any
room and in case a fire breaks out the
alarm is instantly started by the height
ened temperature of the room. In a re-
cent test match was applied TO some
infiammable material in building with
view to reproducing the actual condi-
tons of fire and within fifteen seconds
from the time of ignition the automatic
danger signal sounded the alarm.
Prof Elihu Thompson. according TO
Engineering has recently completed
some very remarkable experiments on
the physiological effects of alternate
currents. He finds that the danger of
the current diminishes as the number of
alterations per second is increased.
Thus it took twenty times as strong a
current to kill dog when the alterna-
tons were 1850 per second as when
they were 100 per second. When the
alterations were 500 per second, the
current was only half as dangerous to
life as when the alterations were 100.
An electrical toy has been intro
duced at Paris to subserve an educa-
tional use. 1t consists of map with
metallic plugs inserted to make the chief
towns. Questions at the sides of the
map ask what are the chief towns OF
the different departments; and also
have a metallic plug for each. A small
electric bell and dry pile are provided.
The child puts one end of the conduct
ing wire over any question plug, and
moves the other end over the town
plugs until the bell rings, when the
town is correctly idicated
-Electrolysis of water-that is, the
division of water into oxygen and by
drogen by means of an electric current
has heretofore been of interest chiefly
as laboratory experiment and for
analytical purposes, but French chem
list. named Renaud, has applied the
principle in the manufacture of oxygen
and hydrogen upon commercial scale
b. the use of water rendered alkaline
by the addition of Is per cent. of caus
tic soda he has been able to substitute
cheap cast iron electrodes for the ex
pensive platinum poles generally used
in experiments. A large cylinder OF
common sheet iron serves at the same
time as the containing vessel for the
electrolyte and as the negative cleo
trode. The positive electrode is per
forated iron tube, fixed on an insulated
lid, which fits Theoretically upon the
top of the containing vessel. The cleo.
trode is surrounded by large asbettos
bag. The gases given off are said to be
pure, and there is no ozone.