The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-19
BEATS THE YARNS
IN ARABIAN NIGHTS
Housekeeping Done Simply by Pushing
Certain Electric Buttons.
REGULAR TRIUMPH Of INGENUITY
4 New Workers. Amazing COmbina.
ton Of Electrical Devices to Do the
Work Of OfScrvants.. Elevators, Doors
and Lights That Act in Response
to Distant Hands.


that she might go to fairyland where
she could dream away existence and
have nothing to do. The gnOmes heard
of her foolish desires. and one day while
she was asleep conveyed her to the land
of perpetual sunshine and installed her
in a beautiful palace surrounded 10y
gardens full of fragrant flowers. Here
she found her slightest wish always
anticipated. If she wanted to pluck
flower, il fOrestalled her by dropping
into her hand. If she wished to go to
distant spot, 1t came to her before
she could make movement. Even her
food conveyed itself to her mouth and
saved her the trouble of swallowing 1t.
Everything. in fact, was done at her
slightest inclination. She, however.
soon tired of an enforced inactivity and
was very glad when at last she was
allowed to return to the workaday
world"
According to the Sun. the nearest
approach to the fairyland of the fable
exists in New York city. 1t is the home
of the president of one of the large eX-
changes and 1t is situated on West Sew
enty-tfth street. In this house 1t Is
almost impossible to do stroke of
work or perfoym a series of concerted
actions. Everything is done for you.
apparently by magic, though really by
electricity. 1t is probably the most
elaborate electrically equipped resi-
dcnce in the country. If not in the
world. Everything Is done by the cur
rent, and 1t Is necessary only to reach
out your finger to have it done. 1t
would seem as If the family of the
owner must die of lassitude and the
servants grow so lazy as never to be
hit for work. Most of the servants are
figureheads anyhow; they have so little
to do.
NO CLIMBING OF STAIRS.
The occupants of the house seldom or
never walk up stairs. An electric ele-
Nator carries them from floor to floor
and even up to the private roof garden
fitted out with electrical devices. No
attendant is required to work this ele-
vator. 1t is the perfection Of automatic
action. a single push button on each
landing controls 1t. No matter IL the
ear Is above or below your floor, pres
sure of the button will call it to you.
This Is, of course possible because of
the automatic action of the pole-chang-
ers and switches which are placed at
every floor and are worked by the car
itself. once certain push button has
been pressed, the car passes under the
control OF the person who pressed the
button. and no matter how much the
other buttons are pressed they will not
act until the first one Is released This
is done by means of a commutator
which throws all of the other buttons
out of circuit for If two persons on
different floors should attempt to work
the car at one and the same time IL
might prove fatal to human life. The
car door also is automatic, and the car
| cannot he moved until the door il shut
| GnH .,In.y
by tiny but brilliant electric lamps. and
there is a flexible tube telephone i'm the
car which enables one to speak to any
part of the house
| such Il thing as the ordinary opening
| ana shutting of u door never occurs in
| inns house. Near every door there Is n
push button. Press this and the door
slides into the wall or vice versa. The
pressure of another button locks or un-
locks the door Sometimes it. is not
necessary to be near the door in order
to open or close it. Hanging down be-
sides the beds are what is known in
electrical circles as Observation-Disclosures
ated cords with wooden knobs or han
dies on the ends. In each handle are
four buttons marked successiyely
Asleep. Awake. Shut. and Locked. The
pressure of the first two buttons sends
Il signal to various parts of the house
! that the master or mistress Is asleep
| or awake. The bedroom is approached
by long hall or entry way. Lying in
bed the occupant of the house can shue
and lock or unlock and open the door
at the end "f the fifty-fo passage by
merely pressing the proper buttons
Hanging near the bed Is another flexi.
BILE button which means all kinds OF
anallf'ed summons to the house ser.
| wants.
OTHER CONVENIENCES.
There is no such thing as groping il
the dark in this house. Every room
can be lighted before entering by press
ing button in the hall approaching ,(
Furthermore, you can light at will on,
or dozen or every light in the room
and there is also one switch which en-
ables every lamp in the house b.
lighted at once. Dark closets are un
known in the house. The very act o
opening a closet door automa ticall,
turns on the current and the interio
Is lighted up. All of the table lamp
are electric and in several cases ther
are marble statues holding incandes
cent lamps, small patterns. as it Were
OF Edison's famous statue of the Tri
umph of Electric Light. One of then
which stands i'm the front hallway
| was VII NNIiiDiti'l at lIle NOTIu lall
The roof Of the house with its elec
. trically lighted garden presents
beautiful sight from distance, jus
as the distance is beautiful whe
viewed from the roof. for the Pail
sades lie off to one side with the Hud
son in between. Here the faml
passes its evenings when home in tn
summer time. In the kitchen all tn
cooking is done by the current, and s