Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-22

In practice the lamps are lighted and ex.
| tinguished by means of an automatic
switch-a contrivance by which the cur
| rent is turned on one lamp and then an
| other in the series as regularly as tooth
after tooth in the escapement wheel of a
watch is brought into play, and on much
| the same principle 1t Is very ingenious
device. Turning on and off the current by
means of a revolving cylinder whose pc
riphery carries a series of contacts, is sim
pie enough. The complicated part Of the
machine is the oscillating pencil, and this
is mechanical. By arranging the base of
a rod or pencil between a series of rollers
of uneven surface which are in motion n
certain orbit of movement is given to the
free end; and in this case the rolls are so
arranged as to make the orbit correspond
to the lines of the desired letters. The
cylinders are automatically reversed at a
certain point, and this causes the pencil to
retrace the lines which it has seemingly
drawn. No more successful device than
this is to be found in the spectacular part
of the electrical show.
Another very interesting illustration of
what may be done with electricity is
shown near by and it has the immense adj
vantage of being useful as well as pretty
Near the center Of the Electricity building
stands steel mast about forty or fifty
feet high. Hung upon it, at different
nights, are four powerful electric lamps.
First they are all white, then all green or
red. Now one of them only Is white, or
only one is red In few seconds two may
be red and two green, or three green and
one red. The number OF changes which
may be made with four positions and four
| c,,In i.y ypr ia a hy- al.
the combinations which are shown on this
staff in rapid succession. We are puzzled
to know what all this is done for--what
useful purpose it serves, and we press for
ward to investigate.
At the base of the steel pole stands a
young man with a box on a table by his
side. The box il about as big rs a cheese
box, and its top is of glass, and subdivided
into small parts similar to the keys of n
piano or orgSn. Each key is marked with
letter of the alphabet, or with two or
three letters in combination. A little
crank runs over the dial-plate, and we no.
tice that when the man in charge moves
the crank to cover one of the characters he
presses on a key and forces little pin
down upon that piece Of ivory. The effect
is instantly to change the location of the
colors on the staff.
Now we understand 1t. The attendant
in charge offers explanations, but the de-
vice is so simple that explanations are
really superfluous. This box is simply a
switchboard The characters on the keys
are the naval signal code. The steel mast
corresponds to the foremast of man-of-
war, where the signals are displayed
When the attendant places the crank or
switch at the key reading GA" for in
stance Gf my memory fails to give me the
correct letters it doesn't matter. for the
principle of operation is what we are after, a
green light shows at the top, next below it
red, third blue and at the bottom
white. The meaning of this signal is eve
are about to send a boat to you with dis
patches" By simple touch of his finger
the man in charge Of the signal box has
uttered all this in unmistakable letters of
fire, to be read several miles away, if needs
be, by the officer who stands glass in hand
watching for signals.
The operation of this method Of night
signaling on shipboard is so rapid and
simple that an extended conversation can
now be carried on in the time which was
necessarily devoted to the expression Of q
single code sentence under the old plan Of
running up and hauling down lights.
| ways than ore boon on shipboard. Not
only does 1t :, ork the signals, illuminate
the interior IT the ship and fill the search
lights with n powerful radiance which dis
closes the presence of any craft for mile
around, be it is used to strengthen the
magnets Of tie compass on steel ships and
to propel forms of torpedoes against the
enemy who dares approach within strik-
ing distance
The uses of electricity in this electrical
age are marvelously varied. In one corner
Of the big building we see the exhibits Of
| the electrical forging companies. One Of
them Is able to take piece of steel six
inches in diameter and fuse and weld it by
| the heat Of electricity. OF course smaller
pieces are handled with great ease in the
| fierce heat which comes from high pres
sure of the electric current.
| Cooking by electricity is one Of the new
est things. and it Is making quite a sensa-
| tion in the Electrical building. In the
north end of the gallery a western firm ex-
| hibits complete line Of cooking utensils
| for use with electricity as the heat. Here
| Is the baking oven, for instance. 1t is Of
| ordinary size, lined with asbestos and also
with bright tin. There are resistance
plates on the bottom and top Of the oven.
and a switch SO arranged that two tenn
peratures may be obtained, one for quick
baking and the other for slow. A small
| glass door in each oven enables the opera
| tor to watch the process of baking and to
regulate the current accordingly. The
manufacturers of these ovens say it re-
| euires from twelve to fifteen minutes to
| heat the oven to a Temperature OF 30 de-
| grees Fahrenheit, and that then the cur
| rent may be turned off and the baking
| continued.
| Electric pancake griddles are coming
into use in restaurants and hotels They
are just the thing for those restaurants
which make their griddle cakes in their
| show windows as an advertisement OF
their business. 1he electric griddle is neat,
clean and quick, making no smoke or
| bother.
| Broilers are shown in variety. Turn the
| switch on cold broiler ard in about three
minutes it Is hot enough for the meat In
two minutes more your steak is nicely
broiled. Perhaps cooking viii become
fashionable when it may be done by sim
ply pressing the button Who would rot
ike to work in her kitchen when she
may have nickle-plated electric baking
| ovens, broilers, griddles, tea kettles, stew
pans, chafng dishes, coffeo pots. akilietsj
/ Electricity Il pretty good domestic ser
sans already, ard II has only begun opera
lions in the household field. 1t lights and
heats the house, cooks the meals, carries
messages from one part u the premises r