Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-11-19
ELECTRICITY FOR HEATING.
A simple Illustration of the Workings Of
the Current. tl ifi

Electric lighting, heating and cook
Ing may be illustrated in very simple
way, If you put a poker in a hot fire
the heat-motion of the fire will start the
iron particles into heat-motion and
make the poker hot. At first it remains
black, although even then it gives out
heat; presently, in very hot iire, 1t be-
comes white-hot, and gives oAmush
light as well as heat that you can read
by it in the dark; If it gets still hotter
it will melt. But if the poker is hol-
low tube and has water in it, the heat
will be conducted through the iron into
the water and the water will boil. Or,
If the hollow iron is connected with
other pipe and water lasred through,
the heat will be carried off by the water
flowing through without its boiling;
and if the tube is removed from the fire,
instead of being white-hot it is only
warm. Now, when electricity flows
through sufficiently large wire, the
cufrentisc conducted awaywithout heat
ing. When it flows into wire too small,
the current heats the wire, and unless
the heat is carried off by radiation, the
wire melts. If carbon is used instead
of wire, it becomes whitehead, and we
have the electric light. In one case the
heating is external, from the, fire with
out; in the other it Is internal, from the
current within-and this is chief diff
| ference.
Electric heating is the simplest thing
In the world, and when electricity be.
comes cheap enough all Of US who can
get it will do our cooking and warming
by it. If an overcharge of electricity is
passed through wire the electric force
Is converted into heat force, as above
stated, and the wire becomes hot. II
40 provision is made. for carrying of
the heat, the wire melts, but by EN-.
bedding the wire in an enamel of such
q kind that it expands just about as the
wire does, and so does not crack, the
electricity is confined to the wire, but
the heat is carried Off through the
enamel. If this wire is wound round
and round tealiettle, or coiIed Under
meath it. protected by such enamel, the
heat is conveyed through the kettle to
the water and the water boils, Just az
if the heat came to it from glowing
Goals in a stove. If it is coiled around
an oven, the air within becomes hot,
and roasts or babes. If 1t is strung
across like gridiron, the hot strips
will broil; if it is coiled within "flat-
iron" that becomes hot enough to iron
with. If it is woven in with asbestos
fiber it makes an electric blanket or
bed warmer. If it is arranged in raliat-
ing plates, electric foot warmers. ~ IN
large sizes, room warmers, heat e Up
A spiral of such wire properly arranged
can be put in any vessel, and will heat
water for shaving or other purposes.
If a very large volume of current is sent
through two bits of metal pressed to.
gether the electric current passes from
one to the other, making the joined
metal intensely hot, so that the two
parts weld together more firmly than
blacksmith can weld two pieces OF
metal by the heat of his fire and his
hammer. These are but few of the ap.
plications of electric heating, which
in the future will become innumerable.
-R. r. Bowller, In Harper's Magazine,