The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-02-11
Recent Electrical Devices.

Recent Electrical Devices.
In view of the present rapid develop
ment of speed in ocean steamers it is in
teresting to note on which still greater
improvements is looked for. Oberlin
Smith, in recent lecture, has pro.
pounded the idea that the ships of the
future will probably be driven by elec-
tricity by means of simple rotating ar
mature fixed on the shaft of the screw
itself.
The source of the electric current for
driving the motors of the prospective
three or four day Atlantic liners, MIR.
Smith considers, would probably be
storage batteries planted in the extreme
bottom and along the whole length of
hold, where they will serve as excellent
ballast, or else the current will be genera
ted by some process from coal or other
fuel, either burned or otherwise
chemically disorganized during the
passage.
All is notgold that gliiters, and many
and wide spreading as are the benefits
conferred upon mankind by the electric
light, it appears that there are conditions
under which its use is fraught with
grievous Inconvenience and distress.
This has been shown by the institution
of a recent suit against an electric light
ing company by householder.
Two arc lights of the company threw
their bright beams all through the night
over the show windows ofa store on the
ground floor of the house. The lamps,
however, Gil with food of light the
rooms of the fiat above, in which the
suitor resides, much to his disgnst.
A third nuisance consisted in the my
riad of moths, bugs and insects which
the intense light attracted. The suitor
claimed that he had suffered tortures
during the hot weather. If the windows
we're left open to admit the cool evening
air, clouds of insects drawn by the
bright light. swooped into the room. If
the windows were closed and the blinds
were pulled down to keep out the light
and the moths the room became hot
and almost intolerable.
The extent to which electricity is being
used in legitimate medical practice is
rapidly on the increase, and many of the
new devices for applying it have distinct
merit. A recently invented apparatus
for the cure of deafness comprises bat
terry, belt, an electrode supporter on
the belt aud shaped to rest on the ear, an
opening on one side to receive the ear
and connections between the electrode
and the battery. This provides q conve-
nient and efficient mode of receiving the
current, which can be applied in finely
graduated strength.
Dentistry owes much to electricity for
having largely added to its possibilities
in the way of skillful and scientific prac.
tice. It Is found that many oftbe flaws
which mark incipientsdecay in teeth are
90 minute as to be invisible in ordinary
light. The importance of being able to
detectthese minute and telltale indica'
tions before serious mischief bas been
worked by decay is evident, and for
means of accomplishing this the dentist
has had recourse to the electric light.
By this means the dentist is enabled to
explore with tboroughness every corner
of the mouth, and 40 perceive instantly
the slightest shade of change from the
normal color Of thu teeth.
One of the greatest enemies of the
sugar planter is darkness, or the imper'
feet light in which most of the operations
incidental To the night work of taking
of his crop ara necessarily carried on.
In the boiling house where the juice
of the cane is boiled down to sugar, the
overseer keeps watch and ward day and
night, knowing that if he relaxes his
watchfulness even for a moment the
negro laborers will promptly take ad'
vantage of the chance and fill their bas.
kets and pans with sugar or boiling
"liquor," and the estate will suffer by that
amount.
All the strain on the resources of
sugar estate is to be removed by the in.
PRODUCTION Of electricity. The enter.
prising proprietor of down South plan.
tatiou is the first to realize the impor-
tance of this weighty actor, and be is in.
stalliDg plant which will give him
light wherever he wants it. Twenty
FIVE lamps will be used for lighting up
the sugar house and ths field and the
works will be as light as day.
The farmer has had another resource
added to the list of devices for controll-
ing Wild or refractory stock. All he now
has to do to insure the safety OF cattle
is to connect all his wire fence to an in.
duction coil and primary battery. A
vigorous current is thus maintained, and
if any of the cattle should touch the wire
with the idea of breaking the fence or
otherwise they will experience new
sensation, which will insure caution SO
far as future negotiations with the wire
fence are concerned.-PhiladePhia Press.