Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-11-26
MOTOR VERSUS STEAM.
ELECTRICITY is RAPIDLY TAKING
THE PLACE OF HOT WATER.

The advance made by electrical science
Ind application during the last few years |
has been so phenomenal that il Il hard 10
define It's extent, and II is only when an
attempt is made TO follow the develop
ments in any particular branch that an
approximate idea of its mighty progress
n a whole and its far reaching aud ever
influence in the industrial world
can be arrived at
From an investigation OF one field alone
that of the electric motor, IL at once be-
comes apparent that IA revolution of limit
less extent is being effected in industry
and manufacture. There can he no doubt
that the electric motor Is the most simple
and effective piece ol mechanism yet de
vised for the transmission and transforma-
tion Of energy in "A Trustworthy and Geo.
uomical manner for useful work
II is quite possible that several of those
who read these lines may never have seen
an electric motor, yet il II none the less
true that there are today already In opera
tion in this country over 5000 electric mo-
tors of various sizes engaged in AN endless
variety of occupations One company
building motors reports that its machines
are now employed in nearly 3O0 distinct in
dustries. and that new uses are found
daily. This development has been seen al.
most entirely within the last three years.
GROWTH or ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
From 1890 up To 1857 electrical engineers
and contractors had given their attention
mainly To the installation OF electric light
ing plants In American towns and cities,
with the result that there were some 100
central stations in operation supplying the
arc light or the incandescent light, and
sometimes both, great many OF these
stations paid well from the start, but il
WAS soon found that the lighting business
was after all limited one-that is, IL could
only be carried on during the hours of
darkness, 50 that avaluahie plant often lay
idle sixteen or eigl,,en hours out of the
twenty four Yet the current which such
plant could generate would lend itself as
readily "a driving an electric motor as to
furnishing light in n lamp, and the same
circuit that conveyed II To the lamps would
also convey il to the motors.
II was this fact that gave "A great stimu-
lus 10 the electric motor industry about
three years ago, and led to the perfecting
of what had Heretofore been very crude
and cumbersome piece Of mechanism. As
Is now very generally known, the electric
motor has but one moving part, the revolv-
ing armatue, and by means of pulley
placed al the end of the nrmnture shaft Its
power can be applied to any piece Of appa-
Tutus or machinery known TO the arts.
But up to 1856 nearly all the electric motors
had been badly designed and poorly built,
aud the current that should have been con-
rertcd into power was simply wasted In
developing heat, 80 that the machines rap
idly burnt out and otherwise became use
less, aud were altogether too expensive 20
run.
SAVING IN MOTORS.
At the present time, however, there are
several riectrr motors in the market OF
excellent design and workmanship for
which as hi i an efficiency as over % per
cent is claned. aud there can be no doubt
that the rate Of efficiency in the smaller
sizes as wrll as In the larger is the highest
that has vet been attained by any piece of
power transmission machinery. Thus an
electric motor of one half or one-quarter
horse power will easily show as high an
efficiency as that of another sort OF motor
OF ten or fifteen horse power, yet nobody
dreams Of expecting a gas engine OF a
steam engine Of unc-quarter or one-half
horse power To give anything but small
return upon the fuel applied To il.
Moreover. with the electric motor an
enormous advantage has been the fact that
when il has been installed and connections
have been made with the circuits connect
ing II with the central station, II IL practi-
cally ready that minute for work. All that
is necessary il the turning of a switch and
the current Is instantRneously there. With
the steam engine, even when the steam Is
taken from the steam mains in the street,
considerable attendance is necessary, and
in the vast majority OF instances the steam
has 10 bc manufactured on the spot. 40 that
boilers are necessary, involving the attend.
ance of an expert engineer, the supply Of
water and coal and the removal OF ashes
Sueh steam plants also occupy consider
able space and throw off no small amount
of heat
The idea, however. with the electric mo.
tor is 10 concentrate IN central station
all the inconvenience connected with the
generation OF steam aud to transmit the
energy In the form OF current, so that all
the user has to do Is to draw of the supply
Us he wants It, just as he would do in turn.
ing tap TO procure u supply Of water.
THE MOTOR IN NEw YORK.
New York city, to 70 no further, fur
nishc. many interesting examples OF the
manner in which electric motors have been
applied 10 a variety of uses Wherever the
pass they are tapped for power
purposes and thus the central station,
which furnishes current at night for light
ing, IL supplying current In the day time
for power In the lower part OF the city a
large number of motors are in use. These
are generally employed for ventilation pur-
poses though not few may be found run
ming freight and passenger elevators A
large number in the section below Cham
bers street are also 60 be found In printing
offices In that section, too, and elsewhere
the motors are employed in a variety OF
other work, such as driving gangs Of sew
ing machines, saw mills, machine shops,
drug mills, pumps ice cream freezers and
the like,
In one OF the large confectionery factories
the electric motors grind up all the choco-
late and other raw material. A large
number Of motors are used by dentists 10
run their lathrs and other small machin-
cry. The mniors may also often be found
In BARRIERS saloons, where they not only
furnish ventilation hut in some instances
are used 10 run the rotary brushes provid-
ed for the happy customers heads. In one
large Office In the city the electric motor il
employed to run little stamping ma
chine, which stamps thousands and thou
sands Of documents every day with unerrs
ing regularity New York Sun.
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