Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-05-30
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Electricity, oscs . plsything. then 9
scIenti6c study, u now commercial
product. Twenty yeau ago electrical
enerKy Was generlted In the laboratory
for experimental purposes By q few
physicians a. q medicine OF somewhat
Questionable repute, and In weak cur
rents BY those who applied It to use In
the arts. From the cylinder Of glass OF
mastic, excited BY friction to Get cork
manikins or pitch balls . dancing 70 the
dynamo that runs from one to Q dozen
| powerful engines II long step, but one
that has been taken within the memory
Of men who still call themselves young.
Electricity a. . commercial product 10
to those that deal In it a. commonplace
an afair - eggs or butter. The coudi-
lions and cost Of its production are
positively known, aud the product may
be measured almost 90 the clerk with his
yardstick measures dry goods. You
may bay your electricity BY specific
quantities, and, II you have the con-
veniences, may carry Il home with you
a. you would carry any other purchase.
IL can be sent to you BY express or de-
llvered by messenger, or it may be serv-
ed out over wire In measured quantity,
a. gas and water are served through
pipes. All this seems mysterious to
those not technically educated, because
the electricity shops do not count their
product by dozens or measure 10 by
yards and gallons, but use outlandish
determinations and q pulling scientific
nomenclature. Nevertheless the shop
keepers are at home with the mysterious
timber thing In which they deal, and
they never stop to think about Its mys-
terry, although just beyond the small
field which their knowledge covers there
lies an unknown area OF conjecture.
Electricity ~ . commercial product
and handy tool, applicable to anything
that mechanical power can accomplish,
Ii thing approximately Of only the last
ten years. Before that time lie cost
made Il mostly matter Of splendid
practical possibilities. Now, with con-
ditions given, q skilled electrician can
estimate to hair the cost Of producing
the amount of electricity necessary to
yield Q specified power. IL 10 chiefly Q
question Of the cost Of coal.
The existence Of two simple laws
makes electricity practical power for
doing the worlds work. One IL that
when an armature II caused to rotate
within the magnetic field current OF
electricity II excited In the arrrsture and
may be taken up, carried out over q wire
aud returned to the place Of beginning.
That IL what electricians call the law OF
dynamo. The other law 10 that when q
current Of electricity Is passed through
an armature enclosed within the mag
netic field the armature Ia caused to ro-
tate. That Is what electricians call the
law Of the motor. By the first lsw a
current of electricity IL set up, and BY
the second that current IL enabled to
establish mechanical motion. When
these two laws became known the
problem Of applying electricity to the
worlds work mainly needed for solu-
ton only q cheapening OF processes,
such as should make II possible to pro-
duce q current ut commercial rates.
Every dynamo, whatever its form, as
regards the communication Of electrical
energy Il essentially an electrO-magnet
with core Of soft iron, the armature
enclosed within the magnetic field, which
Il the space between the two poles OF
the electromagnetic. Every motor, what
ever Its form, IL essentially the same
thing, with the core revolving under the
influence Of q current from the dynamo
In accordance with the law Of the motor.
The core of the dynamo, revolving under
the influence of the magnetic field. IL a
shaft, the current generated 10 the belt
communicating power to another shaft,
the core OF the motor. II IL this trans
ference Of power by the Invisible belt
from the dynamo to the motor that
makes the trolley cars run, the electrical
engine revolve, or any other mechanism
perform it, work under the influence OF
electricity thus generated. The storage
battery Is simply an Isolated reservoir OF
electrical energy, for the time being In
dependent Of the generating source, rs u
user of water should prefer to I'LL
tank In the top of his house once week
rather than to draw from faucets direct
ly connected with the main source OF
supply.