Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-22
THURSDAY MORNING. JUNE %. 1898

another. runs the sewing machine and the
clothes wringer. In about . year more
they will have appliances by which II may
be used for rocking the baby TO sleep, cur
rying and brushing horses. sweeping
floors, hoeing In the garden and washing
carriages.
Already my lady may curl her hangs
with electrical tongx For couple Of dol
lars she may buy little nickle-plated
stand about three BY four inches, two
inches high, trimmed with silk cord and
furnished with two sizes Of curling irons,
large and small. The heat Of the tongs Is
under perfect control of the user, and the
whole apparatus may be easily carried in
one compartment Of q small travelling
satehel What . boon this should be to
the woman who worries herself sick
while travelling because her bangs are
becoming anfrixxled and Strengthening
out in long, awkward shreds. At any
time she pleases she may turn on the cur
rent in the little electric heater, warm up
her small-sized tongs and give the recall
cirrant bangs . twist or two right before
the eyes of the passengers, and probably
not one Of them would know what she was
doing.
There are many other novel uses Of cleo
tricity. Suppose gentleman is very par
ticular about his silk hat. He insists that
it must always shine with that glossy lus-
tire which can only be given it by the heat
of the hatter's polishing iron 1t is i'm
possible to go TO halter every hour or
two, particularly while travelling. In lieu
of that our dainty man supplies himself
with little electric hat polisher. He can
carry it in his overcoat pocket If he likes
and take it out at every street corner and
give the nape of his silk hat q few deft,
touches
Heavier irons of the same style are made
for use in hat stores and in laundries for
polishing shirt fronts. All kinds Of press
ing irons are in the market. Tailors'
goose irons weigh from twelve to twenty.
five pounds, and will heat ready for use in
about two minutes. Sad-irons for laundry
and domestic use are offered in three or
four sizes No longer need the housewife
build q roaring fire in the kitchen stove on
q hot summer day merely for the sake Of
heating her sad-irons. All she has to do
in this day and generation Is to take her
sadiron down from the shelf and press a
button. In two minutes 1t is hot enoug b
for business. Moreover, it will remain at
UNIFORM temperature. Norunning back
and forth to the hot stove, changing irons,
burning ones fingers, making the face red
and losing the temper. With electrical
sad-irons ironing will become delight
and even the eldest daughter may be in.
duced to take some interest in the house |
hold laundry operations.
The chief difficulty about all these de. |
vices for cooking by electricity and the ap |
plcations Of the subtle fluid to household !
and light manufacturing purposes is the
cost. 1t is a rather expensive luxury. For
those who can afford it electrical cooking |
and electrical curling irons, glue pots,
sealing wax heaters and all that sort of |
thing are neat and elegant. Nor should |
any one say that because just now they
are rather too expensive for the masses OF
the people this is condition likely to |
for some time. In the electrical |
field progress travels by limited express
trains and within o twelve-month Edison |
Or some of the thousands of other students |
Of the magic current may find method of |
producing electricity at one-half or one
quarter its present cost. 1t looks as IL
electricity will not stop till 1t has pervaded |
all the n rfs and industries