The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-03

at hand when by electric railway
il viii be possible 10 go from New
York TO Philadelphia distance
of ninety miles--in Ihree-uuarters
of an hour. and from New York 10 Chicago
in about seven hours time. Mr.. Willard
and Mr.. Sterne are inclined to think that
an electric motor, either receiving electric
power from beneath through the tracks. OK
else by highly developed storage battery.
teen or twenty years. running st speed OF
from seventy-five 70 100 miles an hour. and
with as much safety as is now maintained
upon any OF the fast railway lines. OF
course, 1t Is easy TO see thar such adeyelop-
naent IS this would have vast influence
both socially, politically and financially
upon the people, and would tend 10 revoiu-
tlonIze civilization almost as greatly as the
Introduction of railway travelling did.
Professor Forces declares that the stor-
age battery has not Vet come. vet he as
serts that it is entirely feasible and is
bound 10 be developed. When il does
come revolution viii be sure to follow.
especially IN steamboat navigation. street
car travel. as well as II numerous smaller
but. perhaps. not less important ways.
With perfect storage battery il is
reasonable to expect that within the
next twenty-five years electricity Will
have furnished the motive power for
ocean steamships instead OF steam.
1t Is reasonable to expect according TO
the electric experts. that within the next
twenty-five years electricity will be made
common servant, especially in the cities.
and 10 q considerable extent in the small
villages. To illustrate: Mr.. Carly says
that in q city Ike New York coal will only
be burned by 1925. probably AZ various sta
tions here and there throughout the city.
and il will be burned simply 10 develop
electricity. which will be conveyed into
houses exactly IS gas Is. Within a house
electricity will perform many duties. Il
will serve for light and viii be utilized for
heating Il viii heat 8 single room just
as an electric light lights single room.
or will heat the whole house Just as
the owner desires. II will take the
place OF coal for cooking. Already cleo
trio ovens and brollers are on the market,
which do the work Of the cook stove per-
fectly. and which have not been brought
as yet into general use because OF expense
Il will serve 10 run elevators and Will be
utilized for vast number of the employ
ments Of the household which now re-
guire many hands and much drudsery.
This IS no chimera, no Bethany vision,
but IS sure, according 10 Mr.. Carly and
many other experts, TO be as common an
occurrence soon after the next century
has opened as Is the use of gas and water
from = common supply now.
The electrical experts believe that when
the perfect storage battery is developed il
Will. 10 considerable extent. take the
place OF horses, not only as motive
power for street cars, but for private
vehicles. Small batteries will be built and
attached TO vehicles, or even 20 so small a
thing IS bicycle or tricycle.. 1. is en-
tlrely feasible. and with good roads, which,
by the way. are sure 10 be one Of the de-
yelopmentS of the near future. may TO a
certain extent supplant the private car
rlage or the public omnibus As & social
question this has been discussed By cleo
trlclans in a speculative manner. and
many Of them believe that with such de-
velopment there will follow a reaction from
the present tendency Of people 10 congre-
gate in great cities.
AS AN AMUSEMENT.
It is reasonable to expect, also. that one
of the dreams OF Bethany may prove
reality before many years in the next GEN.
tury have passed. II is quite probable
that in many houses there viii be placed
telephone with audiphone attachment.
which viii make it possible for those col
lected IN 3 parlor 10 listen at their ease 20
a concert or an opera. Electricians do not
speak, excepting IN 3 speculative way, OF
the possibility OF reproducing not only the
sounds, but the spectacle of an opera, a.
though Mr.. Edison says this can and
WIZ &c Oole- DuE IN tniS article II IS
designed 10 refer simply 10 those things
which may reasonably be expected.
The telephone already is used to carry the
melody Of a concert into private parlors.
and IL is 4 mere question of expense tha.
prevents general use Of this sort. The
expense is sure 30 De so materially reduced
IS 70 make such use as cheap as opera or
theatre tickets would De for 8 family party.
Scientific electricians are convinced that
the possibilities OF the future development
OF the phonosraph are enormous, although
in this respect the commercial electricians
are not IS yet quiet ready 10 agree with
them.
THE GREAT PROBLEM
In chatting with men OF authority on
electric subjects one finds that they speak
with something Of awe OF one Of the great
problems which may possibly be solved
before the first quarter Of the twentieth
century has passed. That is the problem
Of producing or utilizing directly the heat
and power which are stored in coal. But
the Imagination OF man is unable 10 con-
ceiye of the mighty consequences which
will follow such discovery. Il will revo-
luiionize civilization; it will change the
political and social relations of men: il
will make great cities unnecessary; il
will give aerial navigation; il
will reduce 20 = minimum all labor with
tle naDuS, soI II IL Goes NoI tSlt 20 pro-
duce that state OF socialism which is the
dream Of the theorists, then Edison is
mistaken.
The problem may be solved at any time.
Some OF the aeutess inteliects engaged in
electric research are giving il thought.
Edison himself turns 70 IL 81 times really
ing that in the solution of the problem lies
the mastery OF the os. powerful force Tor
procuring the happiness of men that the
world contains and he believes thstiryill
be solved, and if il is in the near future,
then the celebration Of the l5oth snuiyer-
sa-y Of the nations birth will De of 4 na-
ture and delight Of which Il is impossible