The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-17
CANNED ELECTRICITY NOW.
THE SUBTLE FLUID Is PEDDIED
THROUGH TEE CITY STREETS
LIKE MILK.
An Excursion with the VendOr-AIl
Sorts of Queer Uses to which Thi,
Bottled lightning is Put-Hoyv
Some Customers s.FIicIS."

bottled lightning is Put-How
Some Customers 'I1icIz.'
(Copyright)
New York May 13.-"Do you want any
electricity to-day, ma 'am?'' This is a 1ues-
ton put to many New Workers. NOWADAYS.
and when the reply is in the affirmative
the amount asked for it at once supplied
from wagons, much as milk is delivered
Not that it is dipped out of large forty
quart cans with a measure, nor does il
come in quart bottles labelled mo adult
teration," but it is put up in batteries OF
assorted sizes, from some as small az
cigarettes boxes to others as large as
soda water fountain cylinders. The trade
in canned electricity is booming, the ven
ders say, and the electricity wagons viii
soon be as common a sight as the niltg
wagons. Unlike milk, though, it cannon
be watered, much to the satisfaction OF
the consumers; who, nevertheless, stiu
manage to find enough to kick about The
business of peddling electricity has thriv-
en- so rapidly that already hundreds OF
business houses and private residences are
furnished daily with sufficient motive
power to meet their various REQUIRE
ments.
The need of electricity is manifold. The
proprietors of many hotels, theaters ana
even the superintendents of public build-
ings, ma IL much cheaper, though per
maps a little more bothersome, TO use This
canned lightning rather than TO MAIN
tam an extensive electric plant For tha
same reasons, owners of private residences
Rqi1eSSe tne needtui supply from the
business grown that the shrewd dealer
VINO hrst thought of peddling power In
1iil5 manner now has eighteen routes,
Wnlch ne supplies from as many wagons.
Each morning the eighteen wagons ara
loaded with their stores and stapt ont
on tneF various ways. At each place Of
aellVery the driver grasps a can contain4
ing the amount required and deposits h
on the stOop or in the area way where
ne mas an empty jar the contents OF
which were used the day before; this he
throws into the wagon and drives an 10
the next customer
Like the butcher, the baker and candles
SUCK maker, the electric man is subjected
to all kinds of lectures for his remissI
ness in delivery of goods-a remissness
winch IS nearly always imaginary on ths
part of his patrons. Some women who
buy each day about one-sixteenth horse.
power can full of the electric fluid with
which to work their sewing machines Of
rock their babies to sleep, frequently com-
pam that yesterdays supply was not as
much as that of the day before forget4
ting that they sewed longer yesterday,
or that their darling were more than u.s.
ually cross and wakeful, and required
more rocking accordingly Women do not
seem to realize that electricity, like ev4
erything else, has a limit, and that they
cannot make four hours worth of elec-
tricity do for eight hours.
The smaller batteries are generally pur-
chased by those IN charge of Institutions
others require a battery that Is easily
transportable. Orders for sizes that can
be carried in the vest pocket are frequent4
ly received, and are often used by vaude-
Vile performers on the stage of variety
theaters to enhance spectacular effect.
Professional men also find various uses
FOR them in their offices, and there ara
six wagons catering exclusively to law
yers, doctors, dentists and the like.
Dentists connect these portable batter4
les with small motors which furnish tho
motive power for machines used in cean-
ing, and for drilling holes in the molar5
OF their patrons. They are also used by
denUsts for generating the small lights
USED IN examining teeth. Surgeons usd
small batteries which they carry about IN
the cases of surgical Instruments to aid
them in performing delicate operations.
But no class of persons use this dev.cs
more, or are more dependent on it, than
bicyclists Many a rider has been saved
from possible nights sojourn in a sta4
gone out by coming across a bicycle
store where batteries for wheels are kept
in stock. These bicycle batteries ara
generally charged with electricity sufii-
period of twelve hours and nearly every
bicycle store now keeps a large supply
of small batteries in stock.
The writer recently accepted the invi4
tation of one of the electric vendors TO go
over the route with him. Their hrs1
stop was at a prominent dentists estab1
lishment uptown Taking a can of elec-
tricity about the size of a pint pail from
a rack in the wagon, the driver entered
the office. The proprietor at once cons
menced a vigorous kick" because h9
had been neglected in the previous days
supply. The driver said nothing until he
had returned to his seat, when he said:
THAT man wouldn't tumble If house
fell on him. If he doesn't settle up pretty
soon he'll be neglected every day"
Flas No nrrnfo 4 70 HNg "A
private house. A motherly-looking old
lady came to the door in answer to th9
drivers ring, and said:
what has been the matter with my
Electricity these last few days 1t dOesnJ
seem to be up to the quality of that you
left when 1 first began to trade with yout
chine. If it doesn't get better soon l shaIl
have to get it of somebody else"
When the driver had resumed his sea'
he chuckled and said:
That's the way with all of 'em. They
growl on principle. She can't take ~
from anybody else, because there Ism
any one else to take it from"
And so it was all along the route. AZ
some places the electric fluid dispenser
was treated courteously, but at the ma.
jority he was accorded the same treatmens
as that usually given to the milkman ana
other long-suffering vendors. ,
The electric storage battery is now used
in so many ways that it is no easy tash
to enumerate them. They made the scin4
tilations on the floats used at the ArloH
ball. They furnished the power that lights
ed the lamps placed in the foliage at tha
Gould wedding at ST. Thomas church,
They make the photograph talk, INC
Christmas tree sparkle and the automaua
pianos play. They save the eyclist from
taking headers, and at a recent parade oI
the firemen at Troy, with wires running
along the ropes by which it was. pulledi
lighted lamps that sparkled in the mats
of the participants. Every summer shoM9
an increase in the number of pleasure
launches that are propelled by electrlcllyi
and many carriage makers now place ola
in every vehicle which they make. 49,
The batteries are rented at prices Low
enough to place the batteries within th9
reach of nearly all classes. sensaqoIl
was caused a few years ago by the us
covery of an arrangement in a coachmah
high hat at the Shepherds Bay rac5
track, by means of which the owners cY
the turnout a middle-aged man ana
handsome, dashng young woman, were
enabled day after day to send news OF the
races outside the grounds at time When
the. track management were doing all N
their power TO keep the result OF the rac9
from being made known in the city pooh
rooms. 1t was this discovery which OPT
ened the eyes of at least one man 10 Ia
possible uses to which electricity may "a