The morning call., 1893-02-12
ELECTRICAL PROGRESS.
A Brief Summary of the Advances
Achieved During the Year.

Engineering Magazine.
franklin l.. Pope opens his department
of electricity in the current number by
briefly summarizing electrical progress dur
ing 1892. The year just closed, he says,
has been one of steady and satisfactory
progress in the field Of electrical industries,
though not distinguished by any especially
remarkable discoveries or advances. In the
communication of intelligence the most
notable achievement, without doubt, has
been the successful establishment Of long
distance telephone communication between
New York and Chicago The general pub
lie has no conception OF the difficulties
which have been overcome, the amount Of
patient research and experiment and the
vast expenditure OF money which has made
this result possible. In fact It's accomplish
ment has seemed to the ordinary observer
little more than a matter OF course. The
Western Union Telegraph Company has
added % coo miles of wire and COO stations
to its enormous existing system. bat has
apparently introduced no Innovations of
Importance in its methods OF doing business
\ striking feature Of the past year has
been the increase In the number and fatal
ity of railway accidents. large proportion
OF which baye apparently been due pri-
maTily 10 defective and inefficient tele-
graphic service. The numerous reports of
strikes among the railway telegraphers dur
ing the last half Of the year have made it
but too plain that the important work Of
directing the movement of trains Is largely
ntrusIed TO operators who are too young
and too inadeQuately paid, and who are too
often destitute Of any proper sense of the
responsibilities of their position. On the
other hand, it is gratifying 10 record that
the Introduction Of the automatic and other
electrically operated block signals, and the
extension of such systems where already
introduced, is going on more rapidly than
ever before.
Perhaps the greatest practical advances
OF the year have been made IN the art Of
transmission OF power frSm natural sources
to points more or less distant for CONNER
cial and manufacturing purposes. A large
number OF such power plants, some of no
ncOnslderable magnitude, have been in
stalled in this country and in Europe, and
apparently in ali cases have given satsfac-
tory results. The work at Niagara Falls,
the first section of which is now approach
ing completion, easily takes the lead in all
other projects Of this kind now in progress
in any part of the world and will furnish,
when fully completed, an aggregate amount
of power. available for manufacturing puT-
poses, equaing If no, exceeding the> acgre-
gate amount of steam and water power in
use in all the industries OF the United
States, as reported by the census OF 1880.
The electric street railway motor Car has
made vast strides during the year, both on
only been rendered commercially practical
by the employment Of the electric motor.
Tue success Of electric propulsion in this
particular field has naturally led to a number
Of more or less ambitious attempts to super
sede the steam locomotive on suburban and
other lines OF moderate length. far more
important scheme of this kind, which has
perhaps received in the columns of the pub
lie press.moTe notice than its intrinsic merits
entItie 1t 70, is the projected electric railway
between Chicago and ST. Louis. The peculiar
means which have been employed to exploit
this enterprise, the evident desire and inten-
ton of the authors Of its prospectus to take
advantage OF the illimitable credulity Of the
small investor as TO the possibilities of cleo
tricity; the fact that the name of no cleo
trical engineer Of experience and reputation
has yet appeared in connection with IL can
but engender strong suspicion that it is a
stock jobbing enterprise Very little prog
Tess appears to have been made during the
year in the commercial application of storage
batteries to electric traction. The number
Of incandescent lamps in use and the area
OF territory served by the Illuminating COM
panies have been materially increased dur
ing the past year, although the rate of prog
ress has perhaps been considerably less
than had been anticipated. There Is AN
underlying reason for this state of affairs
which is making Itself more apparent
namely, that the cost of producing the
electric light has been seriously underesti-