Huntsville gazette., 1891-12-26
IN THE ELECTRICAL WORLD

The town of Larne has been illum-
mated with electric light for the first
time. This is the first town in the
north of Ireland which has adopted
electricity for illumination
Some beautiful specimens of tiny
incandescent lights are now made for
surgical uses. The smallest Il m p man
ufactured is only three nm. diameter
and five nm. long. In medical prac-
tice where electricity is acquiring an
ever-growing application this lamp,
owing to its small size, has made it
possible to thoroughly inspect the blad-
der aud stomach, into which it can be
introduced. This application was illus
trated at the centennial exposition by
a fish swimming in an aquarium with
lamp brightly glowing in its stomach.
I'm DR.. Zeroner's apparatus for tan
ming hides by electricity, as exhibited
at Frankfort, the current is alternating,
the alterations being about sixty a
second. The greater the number of
alterations the more favorable is the
action. After the removal of the hair
the hides are suspended from wooden
sticks in tank of the ordinary solu-
tion. The current is applied to two
copper or zinc sheets, which are the
full size Of the tank, and sent through
the solution. The time required is
about one-tenth of that in which only
mechanical methods are used. The
voltage is about twenty-five.
A new material possessing inn
proved insulating properties is an
nounced 1t is composed of sulphur. z
pounds; pipe-clay, ~ pounds; slate
dust, ~ pounds; paraffine wax, 2
ounces, and a variable quantity of OK
ide. The quantity of oxide added de-
pends chiefly upon the color which it is
desired to give the mixture. 1t may
vary from one-half to one-fourth of the
total weight of the other ingredients.
In working up the mixture, the clay
and slate dust are first thoroughly
mixed by grinding, the materials being
heated The paraffine wax is then add
ed and the mixture is incorporated into
a paste. After exposure for a time,
during which it becomes dry and hard,
the mixture is ground to a powder and
of sulphur and metallic oxide.
The grating of gearing and tho
squealing of commutator brushes are
some of the objections against electric
motors for street cars, and inventors
have striven to do without gearing. In
a new gearless motor the number of
bearings is reduced to two, with only
three wearing parts The armature is
of the ring type keyed to a hollow steel
shaft which is epncentric with the axle
of the truck. 1t has eight field mag
nets, four on each side, bolted to the
framework Of the motor, in the center
of which are the bearings for the shaft.
A three-arme6 spider on each end of
the shaft has, for each arm, sockets for
rubber cushions or springs The cush-
ions bear on lugs cast on the car wheels,
and when the armature shaft and spider
revolve the wheels are moved
A report by a committee on cleo
trio motive power for street railways
shows that five years ago the only
street surface cars which were in active
operation anywhere in this country
were horse and cable railways. With
in that time more than 4, 900 street cars
have been electrically equipped, and
more than 5000 miles of track have
been constructed in 800 cities and
towns, on which electric cars are run
ming. Nearly 500 cities in the United
States have street railway systems in
operation More than 500 corporations
are operating street railways. As
many as 80, 900 street cars-horse, cable
and electric-are to-day running upon
the 8 900 miles of street railroads in
this country. carrying 5000, 900, 900 of
people yearly, or 50 times the entire
population of the United States.