The morning call., 1893-03-31
ELECTRICITY "ON TAP"
The Mysterious, Potent Fluid Handled,
Bought and Sold.

Electricity, once plaything, then a Scen-
iifc study. is now a commercial product
Twenty years ago electrical energy was
generated in the laboratory for expert
mental purposes by a few physicians as a
medicine Of somewhat questionable repute,
and in weak currents by those who APP
piled il to use in the arts. From the cylin-
der Of glass or mastic, excited by friction
to set cork mannikius or pitch balls adam
cling. to the dynamo that runs from one to a
dozen powerful engines is long step, but
one that has been taken within the memory
of men who still call themselves young.
Electricity as a commercial product is to
those that deal in it as commonplace an
affair as eggs or butter. The conditions and
cost Of Its production are positively known,
aud the product may be measured almost
as the clerk with his yardstick measures
dry goods. You may buy your electricity
by specific quantities, and, If you have
the cOnveniences, may carry it home with
you as you would carry any other
purchase. 1t can be sent to YOU by
express, or delivered by messenger, OF
it may be served out over a wire In meas
ured quantity. as gas and va er are served
through pipes. All this seems mysterious
10 those not technically educateG, because
the electricity shops do not count their
product by dozens or measure il by yards
and gallons, but use Outlandish denOmina-
tiOns and a pulling scientific nOmenca-
ture. Nevertheless the shOpkeepers are at
home with the mysterious Timber thing in
which they deal, and they never stop to
think about its mystery, although just be-
yond the small field which their knowledge
covers there lies an unknown area of con-
iec'ure-
Electricity as a commercial product and
handy tool, applicable to anything that
mechanical power can accomplish, is a
thing approximately of only the last ten
years. Before that time its cost made it
mostly matter Of splendid practical possi-
hities. Now, with conditions given. a
skilled electrician can estimate to a hair
the cost Of producing the amount of cleo
tricIty necessary 10 Yield a specified power
i is chiefly question of the cost of coal.
The existence Of TWO simple laws makes
electricity practical power for doing the
world S work One is that when an arma-
tuTe8s caused to rotate within the magnetic
field current Of electricity is excited In
the immature and may be taken up and car
RED out over wire and returned to the
place of beginning. That is what electri-
clans call the law OF the dynamo. The other
law IS that when a current of electricity
is passed through an armature inclOsed
within the magnetic field the armature is
caused to rotate. That Is what electricians
call the law Of the motor. BY the first law
a current OF electricity is set up, and by
Ihe second that current is enabled to estab-
liSh mechanical motion. When these two
ing electricity TO the worlds work mainly
needed for solution only n cheaDening of
processes, such as should make it possible
10 produce a current at commercial
Tales. Every dynamo, whatever its form.
regards the communication of cleo
trical energy, IS essentially an electro
magnet with 2 core of soft iron, the
armature inclOsed within the magnetic field.
which is tine space between the two poles OF
the electromagnetic Every motor, what
ever its form, is essentially the same thing,
with tie cOrs revolving under the influence
of a current from the dynamo in accord
ance with the law Of the MOTOR. The
core of the dynamo revolving under the
influence OF the magnetic field, is a
shaft the current generated is the
belt communicating power to another
snaft. The core of the motor. II is this
transference of power by the invisible
belt from the dynamo to the motor that
makes the trolley cars run, the electrical
engine TeVOlve or any other mechanism
q perform It's work under the influence of
electricity thus generated. The storage
battery IS simply an Isolated reservoir of
electrical energy, for the time being indie
pendent of the generating source. as if
user If water should prefer to fill tank in
the top Of his house once a week rather
than to draw from faucets directly con-
nected with the main source of suDDlV