The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-30
Electrical Science.

One of the largest electric plants in
this country will shortly be establish
ed at York Haven, Pa, at a cost of
about two or three millions of dollars.
It will be Of about 10000 horse-pow-
er capacity. H. L. Carter, the pres
ent owner Of the York Haven Paper
Mills of Philadelphia and Mr.. Severy
and Mr.. Einstein of New York, are
supervising the work They have in
contemplation the building of wall
one and one-fourth miles long along
the Susquehanna River, eight feet
wide at the top and fourteen feet at
the bottom. They intend widening
the race about ten times its present
width, which will make this water
course about three hundred feet wide.
and this will feed twenty large water
wheels for the purpose of driving the
large dynamos which are to distribute
the power throughout the nearby
towns, such as Harrisburg, Lancaster,
York, Manchester and all the towns
within a radius of thirty or forty
miles. It is said that the large plant
will be the means of establishing
three or four large mills. Early in the
spring about two thousand men will
be put on the works to hasten their
completion. 1t is thought that it will
take about three years to complete the
plant. About eight or nine linemen
I'll I'll be kept busy.
The introduction into Buffalo of
electric powe from Niagara Falls di-
rects attent; to the economic as
we'll as the scientific features of the
enterprise. The Buffalo Express has
been looking into this. It finds a
large saving thus for producers, and
there is hope of much greater econo-
my with Improvements in the conser-
vation Of energy during transmission.
At the outset the price charged per
horsepower, used for twenty-four
hours in the day, is $36 year. This
is much less, the Express claims, than
the cost of steam generation in places
where it has been reduced to a mini
mum, and where the power is used
only ten hours day. With coal at
50 ton, it is estimated, taking into
consideration everything, including
fixed charges, thatthe steam generation
Of fifty horse. power, ten hours daily,
costs $3.50 a year, or s55 per horse
power. In smaller plant the cost
for each horse power developed would
be much greater Another considera-
tion is that in few cases is the actual
power of steam plant developed.
Ineficiency Of the engineer may result
in much less than the full power ca
pacity, without any saving, however,
in the cost of operation.
The principle Of cataphoresis, or the
driving of foreign substances into
animal tissue by means of electric
currents, has been adopted with great
success in both medical and dental
work. In these capacities it is en-
ployed principally in conjunction with
cocaine or some other anaesthetic for
the purpose Of rendering the flesh or
the tooth to be operated upon insen-
sible to pain. The benumbing solution
is forced into the tissue, and even into
the obdurate sensitive dentine of the
tooth, until no sensation whatever is
possible for the time beng il the
region under treatment. A provision
merchant of Rio Janeiro has hit upon
the ingenious idea of applying this
method to the preservation of meat.
He immerses the meat to be preserved
in 30 per cent. solution Of common
salt and passes through the whole con-
tinuous current of electricity. In from
ten to twelve hours the sailing is said to
be complete and the meats taken out Of
the bath and hung up to dry. For
the guidance of those who might be
disposed to try the method, it may be
added that in working a bath of 5000
litres of brine, in which 1000 kilos of
meat may be immersed, the current
may be of 100 amperes, with an
electromotive force Of eight volts.
The electrodes must be Of plantinum,
since if other materials, such as zinc
or iron, were used the metal salts
formed would be injurious.
An electric locomotive that has been
tested to speed Of 12O miles an hour
has been turned out at the Baldwin
Locomotive Works, working in con-
junction with the Westinghouse
Electrical Company Of Pittsburg. This
product has much the appearance of
an ordinary baggage car. To increase
stiffness, the frame is covered with
one-half inch steel plate on top along
it's entire length. Additional weight
was found necessary to increase the
adhesion, so cast iron plates are bolted
to the floor. The interior of the cab
is open. While not resembling the
conventional locomotive in outward
appearance, this one is considered the
most complete in the world. The
frame is made of ten-inch rolled steel
channels, surrounded by onc-half
inch rolled steel plate, covering the