Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-09-11

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have accidentally come to my knowl-
edge which convince me that Edison is
constructing-has in fact constructed
aud is now perfecting-a machine which
will produce electrical power at one
half or one-Quarter its present cost. III
he shall succeed in doing that, imagine
the commercial revolution which will
follow"
"Then he must have discovered just
what electricity tsp"
~ doubt that. | doubt II we shall
ever know any more accurately than we
know at this time what electricity is.
OF course we know all its properties,
principles and phenomena, but we can't
analyze the thing itself. I'll tell you
what Edison says about this-and IL any
one in the world knows what electricity
is he does-Edison says the universe is
full OF terrestrial and solar magnetism,
and that dynamo is simply a machine
which pumps out this magnetism so
that il runs in a stream along given
line,,just as one may pump water out OF
the ocean, and set stream TO running
from it. 1 have myself heard Edison
say this q number OF times in response
TO the question so often put at him,
Mr.. Edison, what is electricity any
way?'
Now, this is what think Edison is
working on. He is building machine,
which is nothing but steam engine. TO
pump magnetism out OF the universe
without any intermediate dynamo and
in immense quantities in proportion to
the power employed. In other words,
instead of a complex and somewhat
costly pump, which produces rivnlet
OF terrestrial magnetism running along
a wire, he proposes 10 open up sort OF
electric artesian well. How, | don't
know-that is Edison'S well guarded Sc
cret-but should not be surprised II
tomorrow, next week or next year the
Wizard were to throw into the lap OF
man plaything which would make
him almost omnipotent, which would
give him command Of forces as yet al
most undreamed OF, and revolutionize
industry, mech nics and transportation
as completely as did the steam engine
itself, only much more rapidly"
"Do you believe the economical trans
mission OF electrical power over long
distances practicable?"
"Yes. We are learning more about
that every day. For instance, In the
electric lighting business we have dis
covered that the heavier the wires the
less loss Of power. All writing done
nowadays-properly done--is with heavy
wires. Builders OF blocks OF houses
who save money by having cheap wires
put in their structures make
great mistake. The heavy wire saves
power for all time to come and pays
for itself hundreds OF times over.
Have you noticed that the arc lights
are burning much steadler than they
did few years ago? They do
not wink and sputter as they did, but
burn steadily hour after hour. That
Is the result OF heavier wiring. The
current is so strong that when a belt
slips on the dynamo, or anything else
occurs to interfere for an instant with
the flow of electricity, the small wire is
without any reserve force, the current
is broken and the light fickers or goes
out. Asheavy wire contains steadier
and stronger supply, enough TO tide
over the temporary failure at the source,
and the lamps burn perfectly and con:
stantly. BY the use OF heavier con-
ductors the cost OF producing electric
ity for incandescent lights has been
brought down to about one-half cent
per hour, as against five-eIghths, and
arc lights can now be kept going for
little more than two cents an hour
against "a with lighter wires.
SIN the opinion OF most electrical ex-
perts the question OF economical trans
mission Of power Is largely one OF con-
ductor heavy enough for the work. We
believe the day is coming when the en-
ergies OF Niagara will run factories and
locomotives hundreds OF miles distant;
when all the great waterfalls In the
land will be similarly used. | believe
moreover that In few years mining,
farming and other operations In the far
west will be carried on largely by means
OF energy taken from windmills and
electrically stored, so that farmer may
pillow or reap miles from his homestead
and his wind engine by the employment
of a wire to carry his power wherever
he may chance to need 1t. Still further,
/ believe sun engines their
power from the fierce rays OF the sun
will be used In all hot, dry countries TO
pump electricity out OF the earth, TO be
stored for use or Immediately distrib-
uted. In other words, we are at tho
dawn of an electrical age, and It's won
ders aud glories no man can foresee.
WAL TER WELLMAY.