The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-06-02
ELEorR1o1TY BY THE oAN.
Peddled on the Streets of New York
The Electric Man Will Soon Riva
tho Milk Peddler.

Do you want any electricity toda,
ma'am 2" This is a question put
u many New Workers. nowadays; an
when the reply Is In the affirmativ,
the amount asked for is at once deli,
cred from wagons, much as milk
t delivered.
: Not that it is dipped out OF larg
i forty-quart cans with measure, nc
does 1t come In quart bottles labele
/; mo adulteration," but it is put up 1
batteries of assorted sizes, from som
as small as cigarette boxes to other
0 as large as soda water fountain cylin
ders. The trade in canned electricit
is booming, the venders say, and tn
electricity wagons will soon be as com
mon sight as the milk wagons. Un
! like milk, though, it cannot be water
ed, much to the satisfaction of th
consumers;o who, nevertheless, still
manage to find enough to kick about
The business of peddling electricit,
has thriven so rapidly that already
hundreds of business houses and prf
vate residences arefurnished daily will
sufficient motive power to meet theil
various requirements.
The needs of electricity are mani
fold. The proprietors of many hotels
theaters ana even the superintendent:
OF public buildings, find 1t much cheap
er, though perhaps little more both
ersome, to use this canned lightning
rather than to maintain an extensive
electric plant. For the same reasons
owners OF private residences purchase
the needful supply from the itinerant
vender; and so great has the business
grown that the shrewd dealer who first
thought OF peddling power in this
manner now has eighteen routes which
he supplies from as many wagons.
Each morning the eighteen wagons
are loaded with their stores, and start
out on their various ways. At each
place OF delivery the driver grasps a
can containing the amount required
and deposits it on the stOop or in the
area way, where he finds an empty lar,
the contents Of which were used the
day before; this he throws into the
wagon and drives on to the next Gus
toner.
Like the butcher, the baker and cam
dlestick maker, the electric man ia
subjected to all kinds of lectures for
his remissness in delivery of goods, a
remissness which is nearly always
Imaginary on the part OF his patrons.
Some women who buy each day about
a one-sixteenth horsepower can full of
the electric fluid with which to work
their sewing machines or rock their
babies to sleep, frequently complain
that yesterdays supply was not as
much as that of the day before, forget
ting that they sewed longer yesterday,
or that their darling was more than
usually cross and wakeful, and reauir-
ed more rocking accordingly. Women
| do not seem to realize that electricity.
like everything else, has a limit, and
they cannot make four hours worth of
electricity do for eight hours.
The smaller batteries are generally
| purchased by those in charge of insti-
tutions others require battery that
| Is easily transportable. Order for
sizesthat can be carried in the vest
pocket are frequently received, and
are often used by vaudeville perform
ers on the stage of variety theaters to
enhance spectacular effect. Profes.
sional men also find various uses for
them In their Offices, and there are six
wagons catering exclusively to law
yers, doctors, dentists and the like.
Dentists connect these portable bat
ter1es with small motors which furnish
the motive power for machines used
In cleaning and for drilling holes in
the molars of their patrons. They are
also used by dentists for generating
the small lights used in examining
teeth. Surgeons use small batteries
which they carry about in their cases
of surgical instruments to aid them in
performing delicate surgical opera
tions.
But no class of persons use this de-
vice more, or are more dependent upon
1t, than bicyclists. Many rider has
beeh saved from possible nights So
lourn In station house when his light
has suddenly gone out by coming
| across bicycle store where batteries
for wheels are kept in stock These
bicycle batteries are generally charged
with electricity sufficient to generate
bright light for a period OF twelve
hours, and nearly every bicycle store
now keeps large supply Of small bat
teries in stock.
The writer recently accepted an in
vitation of one of the electric venders
to go over the. route with him. The
first stop was at prominent dentists
establishment up town. Taking can
OF electricity about the size of q pint
pail from a rack in the wagon, the
| driver entered the Office. The pro-
| prietor at once commenced vigorous
| kick" because he had been neglected
In the previous days supply. The
driver said nothing until he had re-
turned to his seat, when he said
THAT man wouldn't tumble If a
| house fell on him. II he doesn't settle
up pretty soon he'll be neglected every
day"
The next customer happened to be
In private house. A mOtherly look
ing old lady came to the door in an
swer to the drivers ring, and said:
| hnt hnn L
my Electricity these last few days 1t
doesn't seem to be up to the quality of
that you left when l first began to
trade with you. Why, / can't do any
sewing on my machine. II it doesn't
get better soon shall have to get 1t
of some one else"
| When the driver had resumed his
seat he chuckled and said
"That's the way with all of 'em
They growl on principles. She can't
take 1t from anybody else, because
there isn't any one else to take ii
from"
| And so it was all along the route
AT some places the electric fluid dis
penser was treated courteously, but In
the majority he was accorded the same
treatment as that usually given to the
milkman and other long-suffering ven
ders.
The electric storage battery Is now
used In 90 many ways that is no easy
task to enumerate them, They made
the scintillations on the floats used al
the Arion ball. They furnished the
power that lighted the lamps placed
1 L. III II. ~