The morning call., 1893-06-18
THE STILL FORCE.
IS 1t Likely to Supersede
Steam :?
KEITH ON ELECTRICITY.
A Valuable Article From One Who
has Given the Subject
Much Study.

We frequently hear it stated that 'elec-
tricity is the coming power ana that the
electric motor will suppIant the steam
engine. Let US examine into the state of
the art and deduce the probabilities from
the investigation.
More than fifty years ago eXperimen ters.
whose efforts received the careful attention
of the scientific men of the day, before the
laws which govern the conditions Of the
art were as well defined and understood as
they now are, saw in the then recently dis
covered electro magnet and its attractions
means of applying almost unlimited
power by mechanisms which would be
aciuated by electricity from batteries
which developed the electrical energy by
the union of zuc and acid. Ignorant of
the facts that pound Of zinc in uniting
with sulphuric acid can give about two
millions of foot-pounds of energy. and
that there is a limit 10 the attractive power
of electro-magnets of even the best con-
struction, they made their figures lie and
their duDeS waste money N vain Efforts 10
ac complish the impossible.
We now know that the electric battery,
and an electric motor run thereby, is a
combination for power purposes, on any
commercial scale. many times more eX-
enslve than Is the steam boiler and the
steam engine.
We now know that at that time the bat
terlrs and electric motors were far more
inefficient than those now made, because
they did not utilize one-half of the latent
possibilities of the mate rials involved.
lhen the best electric motors had scarcely
20 per cent efficiency, now they have up
ward OF 80 per cent. To he SURF, steam ap-
pilances have also increased in efficiency,
but not in the same degree; except, per-
hans IN the largest installations.
While electric motors have been known
Tor more than fifty years. mechanical gen
orators OF electricity, or dynamos, have
likewise been known nearly as long, but the
fact that either may be the other under ia
voraole conditions is q fact of much more
recent discovery though Pacinotti in 1860
wrote that his electric motor, which was
the progentOr of the modern dynamo,
might be used to generate electricity The
reverSl0ll1ty of the dynamo is the single
TACT upon which rests all the modern ap-
plicalions OF electric power. That is to
say, If we drive dynamo by power it will
give electricity, ana if we give dynamo
electricity 1t Will return power. So if we
Ia ke TWO dynamos ana apply power to one
and conduct the electricity SO produced to
the other the second will run and give off a
portion OF the power applied TO the first.
WHAT the value of this portion is depends
upon the efficiences of the two machines
and upon the energy absorbed by the
wires which are used TO conduct
the electri itv from one to the
other. II the etficencies be 90 per cent in
both cases then the amount of power
thus translate will be 80 per cent of 90
per cent, or 81 per cent of that applied TO
the first machine. THIS last percentage is
subject, however, to reduction for the
! energy absorbed by the conducting wires
As this loss is directly proportional to the
| length OF the wires, and inverselv prOp0r-
tiOnal to their cross-Section, it is evident
that 1t may be made as small as is de-
sIrable.
This last arrangement is all there is to
our present electric power applications. 1t
is simply an as5emblage Of things which
enables the transmission of power nom
| one place 10 another. At a cheap or con-
venitnt source OF power. like a large
drive dynamo as generator of
electricity by that power; and at
other places, be they 100 feet, ter miles
or any intermediate distance, away from
the generator, plaza other dynnmos as
motors and connect the generators and
motors by suitable wires and we have an
electric power plant.
Such plants are displacing steam en-
glnes. and will continue to do so indie f.
nitely. But the engines displaced are the
smaller nneS, while the larger ones are
used. except in the cases of water powers
10 uIlSe tue generators.
The small steam engines have been dis
placed. because the larger ones can b. run
at much less cost for fuel, attendance,
rents. Insurance, etc. even SD much as 20
enable the proprietor to supply power tn
the owners uf the electric motors at less
cost than could he the case by the small
steam enginess, even with the loss of more
than 20 per cent of the original power In
| conversion. transmission and distribution.
As further consideration the owner of
the electric motor l. relieved from the
many discomfortS aud collateral expenses
OF steam engines, which are not ordinarily
considered as costs of steam p0wer, such
as rooms, insurance and constant readi-
ness for operation. 81 far the electric
motor has and will displace the small
steam engine. but the electric generator
has increased the demand for large steam
engines. BY small steam engines | mean
those of 100 horsepower and less. BY large
ones | mean those of over 100 horse-pow g r
even to the capacity OF many thousands of
horse power
There is another factor. however, which
we must now consider and which will
limit The demand for c ven the large steam
engine. This Is water-pOwer. We have
seen how. by the aid of electricity, power
may be transmitted from one place to an
other a very large proportion of the
water-powers OF the world are located in
places unavailable for commercial pur-
poses as long AZ they mad To be applied di-
| rectly to the mechanism of manufacturers.
But by the aid of electricity these powers
are made available in suitable localities,
whether removed sh ort distances or many
| II lies.
w Nater-powerS are natures gift, and
| must supDlant the large steam engines In
all places where expense is a conSldera
tlon and where electricity generated at IL
waler-power of sufficient capacity can be
| conveyed by wire. Electric generators and
| motors can be made Of any capacity, as can
! steam engines, and therefore as fast as
! practicable the large steam engines VIII be
! displaced by large electric motors, driven
! OY electricity, generated at waterfalls at
| distances removed from the factories and
| mines where the power is utilized. This is
not dream of an enthusiast, but a state
lnent OF what is even now in process of
| fulfillment
The steam locomotive will be supplanted
! by the electric locomotive; in laCt, this is
III process OF execution. In witness | refer
| TO the electric railroads throughout the
world. Their application 10 the present
SteaIn-operated railroads may depend in a
great measure on the development OF the
wattr-poweTS along their lines.
| W Ill the electric motor take the place of
me steam engine of the steamship? This
! Is problem which seems to have no
! present final solution. We do not know
now TO get the electricity TO the motor
| which would run the propeller of the Shir.
We can store electricity. to use common
phrase. but the ship cannot carry electrical
storage-oatterieS enough to supply the
| motor Tor a VOYAGE of d2ys. and we cannot