The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-19
NEW USES Foa BLEoTRIC1TY.
An Electric Railroad From Chicago to
st. Louis Projected.

St Louis Projected.
TIooNDERoGA, N. Y, Aug. 16.-In the
tanning of leather electricity is already an
assured fact In a recent number OF the
Scientific American Supplement an estab-
lishment using electricity for tanning is
fully illustrated. The advantage OF tam
ming by this method is two-fold: When the
plant is large the cost is one-fifth 20 one
quarter what it would be by the old method
of using fannie acid; and the time con-
sumed from twenty four to hundred hours
in place of from three to twelve months.
ANY business man can see the enormous ad-
vantage electricity would prove in this
industry.
In the mining industry the electric drill is
attracting marked attention. Electricity in
in this case. possessing many advantages
over steam with its necessary exhaust. aud
compressed air with its difficulty TO cons
vey and the Objectionable noise. Electri-
city Is quieter. safer, more easily handled
and much cheaper.
Within a few weeks electricity has been
fntroductedas means Of propelltng small
boats, the power being received and de-
Hvered by means Of a storage battery. ElecS
trioity in this instance is particularly desir
able because Ii is safe. No chance for ex-
ploslon of boilers, or necessity of carrying a
ioh 10 quohhVJ VI uusUJ huu uLs0BL ooaoAo
fuel.
A syndicate of men propose to connect
st. Louis and Chicago with an air line
electric railroad to be operated during the
worlds fair. The plan Of construction, we
believe will be to carry the load on each
side of an elevated rail, thereby bringing
the load below the center Of gravity, secur-
ing safety in transit ard a high rate of
speed. There is not much doubt but this
M NJ wi N hlxy
developed. Towns and cities on all sides
are being developed by the influence
Of rapid transit, made possible by
electric street railroads. Il is but
four or five years ago that the first electric
street railroad was put in practical opera
ton. To-day there are said to be $50 diff
ferent roads using over 4, 900 cars, operating
nearly 5000 miles of track, and carrying in
the neighborhood of ,000, 900, 900 passengers
yearly. Investment in this branch of bust
ness alone represents over $50 900 900. The
benefit of electricity in this one department
10 illustrated In practical way TO almost
every one.
The city Of Cleveland is to have a manu-
featuring plant covering ten or twelve
acres, which will confne Its operations en-
tirely 10 the manufacture of carbons for
are lights; and the force employed will be
over 1000 men. This is a decidedly prac-
tioal illustration OF the utility of electricity
as an employer Of labor.
just what will be the development OF
electricity in connection with Niagara Falls
it would be hard 20 say. The Developments
in progress at Niagara at the present time
contemplate securing about zoe, 000-horse
power. Experts have stated that this can
be increased to nearly 5000, 000-horse power
without anybody's perceiving diminution
of the flow of water from Niagara Falls.
II this power were developed electrically il
would run 10000 factories, averaging to use
l00-horse power. We may live to see de-
velopment Of electricity more wonderful
than anything Jules Verne ever wrote
about In his wonderful stories. To show
the relation Of Niagara to the whole coun-
try, the census of 1880 gave the entire num-
Der of water wheels in the United States to
be about 10000, with a total horse power OF
l ,l25, 900. Consequently, Niagara fully de-
veloped would represent twice as much
horse power in practical use as the rest of
the United States put together at the time
the census of 1880 was taken.
If any of our readers have the time to
spare we think they can spend few hours
to good advantage by visiting the Edison
electric station, Pearl and Elm streets New
York city. Here they will see the develop
ment Of electrical lighting and electric
power in the most substantial and complies
manner. The engines alone in use in this
station are a wonderful combination of en-
gineering and machine building We will
not undertake to say how many thousand
dollars these engines cost, but the sum is so
large that no one would have dared to think
of such an investment a few years ago when
electricity was so little used
G. B. HANFoRD.