The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-07-09
ELECTRICITY No EXCEPTION.
Dangers Attend It's Use just as In the
Case of Other Agencies.

Case OF Othef Agencies
Ever since electricity left its expert
mental stage in the laboratory and be-
came possible source Of energy and
power to man in advancing the COM
mercial progress of the arts and SCI
ences, the questions Of the dangers to
life and property have been brought
prominently before the public just as
the dangers attending the use of steam.
Of rapid locomotion on railroads, of lie
Illuminating gas and of dynamite were
brought to the attention of the world,
when these powerful agencies passed
through their infancy and entered into
the active service of man. In each in
stance there was always a class who
took the partial or narrow view that it
the new agency were dangerous it should
be excluded from the public, Or if ad-
mitted, it should be hampered by such
limitations and exclusions as to render
it almost useless for practical purposes,
as well as to retard it's future progress
and advancement. It is said that upon
the introduction of steam in England
laws were passed limiting the pressure
to thirty pounds to the square inch.
Passengers were allowed to run at the
"high rate of speed of twelve miles per
hour; the suggestion Of thirty miles per
hour was considered ridiculous, a jour
nal of that time stating that the people
would as soon De shot out OF cannon
as to travel at such a "high rate OF We
locity,'' it being considered detrimental
to respiration and the vital parts OF the
body. Great excitement occurred
through the daily press when dynar
mite was first introduced not
long ago, stringent laws being
PASSED in regard to its storage and
TRANSPORTATION, a result of attempting
to evade which caused many more risks
and dangers by carrying and keeping it
in everyday and unsupported places
All manner of objections were brought
against the Introduction of gas as an
il1uminant, such as explosion, impurity
of air by combustion and suffocation.
Nearly everyone remembers, when the
arc lights appeared in New York city,
of the startling account in the papers OF
DANES issuing from the body of 81 horse
that had accidentally come in contact
with one of the light wires.
All the old matters, however, have
settled themselves with the laws of uni.
versal progress and the diffusion OF
knowledge, and we ROW find fewer acct
dents with steam pressure Of one to two
hundred pounds than with thirty then,
and fewer accidents also with sixty to
eighty miles per hour passenger travel
ing, considering the increase in the
number carried, and fewer fires FROM
gas than from candles Or oil. Elec~
tricity thinks we may conclude then
that the power or danger OF any new
form of energy should not, and will not,
dollar it from universal adoption, that
being only q question OF time. Intelli-
gently managed and controlled. the
most powerful and otherwise dangerous
agency may be turned into mans best
and most efficient servant. Thus, in
dealing with the problems concerning
the generation and distribution Of the
electric current, it should not be re-
stricted by unintelligent legislation,
limiting Or fixing certain voltages,
quantities, insulation, etc, but rather
the aim should be to perfect means by
which its full force may be realized,
fostering its growth into a higher
range of intensity and usefulness and
thus to increase its efficiency.