Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1893-03-11
DOOM OF THE HORSE.
Electricity the Coming Motive
Power for Vehicles.
Not Only Street Cars, But Wheeled Con-
vcynnces OF All Kinds VIII 10 Pro-
PEELED by the Unseen Force That
Is notwithstanding tho World.

Is notwithstanding the World.
From present indications it will not
be surprising if within few short
years the electric motor will have super,
seeded the horse generally, if not uni
versally, as motive power, says the
Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. With
in three years it has taken it's place On
all tho street railways in the city, with
single exception, that were not using
the cable. The same is true of every
other city in the country. Even coun-
try towns and thickly populated coun-
try districts have electric roads In this
way hundreds of thousands of horses
have been displaced within the last five
years. The cable came first, but it Is
being superseded by the electric motor,
as it is less expensive and more easily
handled.
Many of our readers will be able to
recall the cry against steam railways
that they would do away with stage
coaches and horses. thereby throwing
thousands of drivers, hostlcrs, horse
buyers and tavern keepers out of en-
ployment- It is said that this cry was
so loud as TO keep the Baltimore Sc Ohio
railroad out Of this state. Had it not
been for the turnpike influence the first
line would have come to this city, and
thence to Wheeling, instead of going
over the mountains from Cumberland
to Wheeling. The stage horse was
doomed, however, and had to go. Is it
not possible, or even quite probable,
that the carriage horse and the draft
horse are likewise doomed? Within
two years from the present time car
riages, buggies. and light wagons will
be scudding along our streets propelled
by electricity, and it is not improbable
that the same power may be applied to
hcavier-wheclcd vehicles.
In u recent letter Thomas Shields
Clarke, the artist, who has been in Paris
for some time, says:
''Do you realize that the days of our
equine friend arc numbered? Carriages
propelled by electric or naphtba motors
are already common sight on the
streets of Paris md becoming more nu-
merous every day. Not being a great
lover of horschesh shall be glad when
it is gone. What nice, clean streets we
will have when it ceases to hammer
them to pieces with it's iron shoes.
More capacious carriages can be used
End many men can own their own con-
vcyanccs when propelled by q motor
that only uses few cents worth Of
electricity, in naphtha, per day, and
costs nothing at all for feed or atten-
ton when not in actual use. Every
man may then be his own driver. It
looks very much as if this now order of
things will be established before the
close of the present century"
There arc none, or at least only o
few, who will take issue with Mr..
Clarlls on the subject. The electric
motor md storage battery have been
brought to such perfection that it is
quito safe to predict general if not
universal decline in horse power. Dur
ing the coming harvest a number Of
agricultural machines, such as reapers.
mowers, thrashcrs, plows, harrows and
ral1es will bc operated by storage bat
tcries instead of horses. This is rem
dcred possible by late improvements in
the storage battery. A fivc-horse-powcr
battery, good for ten hours steady
work, occupies box no larger than an
egg case, and weighs no more than one
hundred and fifty pounds. These Gun
be transported any distance, and may
he returned and rccharged at small
cost.
a battery of this size and power will
! propel a farming carriage continu.
| ously for fifty hours, or at. least for ten
days If only used five hours each day.
SO it will not cost nearly 30 much as q
carriage horse, nor require either feed
or attention when not in use. There is
no reason WIN IL Shoul1 not bcct,rnc
very popular.