Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-10-19
.AWlzARD SNEW WONDER
Edison's Electric Motor May
Soon Supersede Steam.
ONE HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR

That Ts the Speed the Great inventor
Claims Can Easily BE Secured on Great
Railroads-His Improved scheme for
Electric Street Car Limos.
NEW York, Oct. 19-Thomas A. Edison.
the electrical wizard, has just completed
two inventions before the wonderful and
iar reaching results Of which all his other
remarkable discoveries are comparatively
insignificant. One is the practical appli-
cation OF electricity to great railroad lines.
oy which speed far beyond anything
achieved by steam may be attained. and
the other the application Of electricity to
the propulsion Of street cars without the
use OF the dangerous, unsightly and in
convenient overhead construction.
Reducing the Voltage.
The general principle OF the street car
invention is that the electric current
passes down through one line OF rails. is
picked up by the car, passes through the
motor beneath il, and goes out on the
other side and returns through the other
ilne Of rails TO the central power station.
The question will naturally occur why the
electric current does not dissipate itself in
the ground. To this no positive reason
can he assigned except the bare statement
that Il does not.
hdison's experiments have all been in
the endeavor TO construct a motor suiii-
GENTLY powerful 20 do the work, IN which
the voltage was reduced 10 SO low a point
that the natural tendency OF the electric
current to fly of 10 the ground and be dis
sipated would be overcome. and the mas
sage through the motor to the opposite
rail would be easier for the current than
70 pass through the ground to the central
station.
To Revolutionize Electric Traction.
The experiments were conducted at the
great laboratory in West Orange. Here
an experimental track nearly quarter Of
mile long was constructed The expert
ments have now been fully completed and
the invention passes out Of the first experi-
mental stage into the second sta0e--its
adaptation TO practical use The voltage
Of the current Will be very low. less than
100 while the average voltage Of the over
head trolly system is am excess Of 500.
From this il will be seen how great a revo-
luton the new invention win effect in
the whole matter Of electric Traction.
The most remarkable feature Of the in
yention Is in the 'pick ups, that take the
current from one line Of rails. A novel
and ingenious mechanism has been 40 ar
ranged that il will work with perfect GER
tainty and effect through six inches Of mud
or slush OF water.
One Hundred Miles an Hour.
Mr. Edison's other great discovery Il To
obviate the difficulty in the attain ment
Of high speed on the ordinary steam rail-
yayi which Is the interference OF steam.
The injection and exhaust Of the steam
into and from the cylinders is so rapid in
ITS alienation that beyond a certain limit
u is impossible to work, and this is an
inherent defect in all steam propulsion.
In the new electric motor this difficulty
vanishes, and the limit Of speed is onlu
that .qt tRe endurance Of the machinery
anu the strength OF the tracks. with tbiS
invention Of Mr., Edison a speed OF 100
miles or more an hour will be more easily
attained than the ordinary speed Of aftv
or sixty miles an hour Negotiations ara
now IN progress for the application Of the
system 70 one Of the long lines of railway