The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-01-30
IN THE ELECTRICAL WORLD.

Recent delicate experiments with
kites show that the amount of cleo
tricity in the air is proportional to the
height above the earth's surface. A
galvanometer placed in the circuit
showed at once the changes in eleva-
tion, or whether the kite was rising or
falling
Many valuable high mountain
mines, which could not be worked
profitably owing to the expense of
transporting fuel to the engines, are
now being operated by electric motors,
whose power is furnished by another
motor in the valleys which uses water
power.
An electric system of heating rail-
way cars, used on French lines, pro-
vides for the use of lead gratings of
high resistance, through which cur
rent from dynamo is passed The re-
sulting heat is transmitted to radiating
coverings with which the lead gratings
are provided, and is thence diffused
through the car.
An electric corporation in Oregon,
where coal is dear, has had recourse to
sawdust and sawmill refuse for use
| under its steam boilers, and so success
full has the experiment proved that not
only is light and power furnished as
demanded, but arrangements have been
made to supply power for the opera
| tion of two street car lines.
The longest electric railway in tho
world is to be constructed in Russia
The very audacious project is being
considered of constructing line from
ST. Petersburg to Arkangel, a port of
the White Sea, a distance of more than
$40 kilometers (49s miles, The elec-
trio current is to be furnished by Sc
ries of generating stations, distributed
along the line Paris La Nature.
The electric railway from Worces-
ter to Spencer, Mass, is said to have al
ready proved itself financial success
1t is operated by the Worcester, Leices-
ter & Spencer Street Railway Co., and
was opened for travel as far as Leices-
ter, August 1S, and to Spencer two
weeks later. In the first 80 days over
$4,000 passengers were carried, and in
two months from the date of opening
the number had run up to over 200, 900.
| An electrical exhibition is to be
held at st. Petersburg, Russia, which
will be opened the middle of December,
and will close March Is, 1892. The ex-
hibition buildings will be located in the
center of the city. For the first time in
the history of Russia foreign firms have
been granted the imperial permission
to exhibit. The principal object of the
| a W h h &c 10 1>1 %, IL
Russian government to choose the best
| system, with the view to the inaugur-
alton of comprehensive electric light
ing scheme in the principal towns of
Russia.
-Ploughing by dynamite is the new
est thing in agriculture at the south.
The dynamite is put into holes two or
three feet deep and five feet apart,
making 1,6oo to the acre, and the whole
are connected with wire leading to an
electric battery. When these are ex-
ploded by the electric current the
ground is lifted in many places two or
three feet, and the soil to the depth of
80 inches is thoroughly loosened, as
well as between the holes This
method is said to be more effective than
the usual method of trenching and to
allow of greater absorption of moist.
ure, which is SO essential for sustaining
vegetation during drought
One of the important recent inven.
tions in connection with electric street
railways is the Shaw radial truck, by
the mechanism of which the DETECTION
OF the forward truck from straight
line-that is, on curve, is communi-
Gated lnversely to the rear truck, caus-
ing the latter to assume position on
the line of the curve, be the radius
what it may. This is effected by a
simple, yet ingenious mechanism, con.
sisting of two parallel bars attached at
one end to the forward truck, and al
the other to a vibrating lever central
between the trucks, the latter being
again attached to the rear truck by two
diagonal bars which cross each other
This is an important invention, for,
while it will save most of the wear and
tear of rails and machinery in round
ing curves, it will also call for much
less power to effect that object.