The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1891-01-17
IN THE ELECTRICAL WORLD.

trlC lBnIlnR pldHG 10 10 run ny tuo CiIy.
There are in Philadelphia over 8, 900
buildings lighted by electricity. So far
the industries have not lost a dollar
from fires caused by the wires.
An invalid's chair propelled by cleo
tricity is among the great novelties.t
The battery is capable of propelling the
chair over an ordinary road for nine
hours at the rate of six miles an hour.
Interest in the proposed cable be-
tween Australia and Vancouver is on
the increase. II laid, the cable will be
on which the British Government will
guarantee a 8 per cent. dividend.
The term electrical was first en-
ployed in 1900 by DR.. Gilbert, to desig-
nate the attraction which amber and
other substances Of its class exhibit
when rubbed and presented to light
bodies, such as bits Of pith or paper.
Travellers who assembled Pixies Peak
during a snow storm report that they
frequently passed through electric
storms. During the storm each snow
flake as it touched the back of a
mule discharged a spark, and electric
sparks were discharged from the finger
tips.
The mills in this section are quite
generally adopting the new electric ap-
pliance for quickly stopping engines and
water wheels in case of accident The
pressing Of any one of a number Of but
ons distributed near the moving ma
chinery will shut down the entire mill
at once. Boston Herald.
"A leakage Of electricity at Detroit,
laughable sight. The current became
connected with the iron steps Of the
Lyceum theater, and the genu-fexions
of the people who passed owe the
steps were as amusing to the specta-
tors as they we're surprising to the per-
formers.
An idea Of the profits in electricity
IL afforded by the statement that the
Thomson-H ouston Company for the first
nine months of the fiscal year shows an
increase Of business over last year of
81, 228, s95. Its profits for this period
over expenses were 81, 631, 715, an increase
Of 1855, 49,. The company's net profits
for 1889 were over So, 500, 600.
The large proportion that the cost
Of platinum bears to the cost of mean
descent lamps is shown by the following
figures: 1t is estimated that during the
year 1891 there will be sold about TO-
900, 900 18-candle power lamps. To man.
ufacture these lamps will require 1876,
900 ounces of platinum, which will cost
about So, 0O0, 900, which Is one-third OF
the sun the lamps will sell for. The
discoverer or inventor Of some substi-
tute for platinum will make q fortune.
TO find out the amount Of slack CIV
en- to electrical cables as deposited in
the ocean at the time Of paying out,
Messrs. Siemens Brothers are using a
steel piano wire, paid out simultaneous.
1y, with q tension sufficient to make 1t
taut over sea-bottom. BY mechanism
on board, which measures the rate OF
paying put cable and wire the necessary
slackness in the cable can be determin-
ed and constantly verified, thus avoid
ing all unnecessary slackness, and say
ing large sums OF money.
The enthusiasts who predict that
use of the electric trolley for towing
canal boats will once more make bust
ness lively on the canals are a little toe
fast. They forget that the fact tina,
prevented the introduction of steam
canal boats was hat the wash of such
boats destroyed tho banks of the canal
much more rapidly than boats towed in
the old way. So far the cable appears
to be the only practicable one OF modern
methods for propeliing the boats, and
this, while 1t works we'll for the draw
ing Of street cars, has not yet been suf'
foently developed to make it commer.
cially practicable for use on canals.
There is now being perfected in this
city an electric tricycle., which promises
great things. The tricycle. is made pos
sible by q recently invented motor,
which weight for weight and bulk for
bulk Is about twice as powerful as those
of the old models. The machine has
now reached a point where it can be run
for q distance Of from fifty to sixty miles
without the storage battery, which fur
nishes the current, being recharged.
Those interested confidently predict that
when the machine is placed upon the
market 1t will be provided with a bat
terry powerful enough to propel the ma
chine for a distance of at least one hun
dred miles. The tricycle. will probably
be offered to the public next spring.