The record-union., 1896-11-29
Is Il Nearing the Zenith Of Its
Career?
What We Know of It-HOw Far Have
We Progressed? ? How Much
rlOre rlay We Hope For.

\
| love to call electricity, has always been
regarded by the layman as one of the
most incomprehensible of mysteries, but
| it is such only in his estimation. So
| far as theoretical knowledge is con-
cerned, we are not so much in the dark
as may be supposed. We cannot say
that we know all that there is to be
| known in regard to the subject, but we
can say that, as compared with our
knowledge of other forces Of nature,
we are not SO far behind as to justify
| the assertion that we do not yet know
| the A B C's. AS a matter Of fact, we
know fully as much about electricity
as we do about light or heat.
AS to what has been done in a prac-
| tical way, it can, without hesitation, be
| said that if we have not applied it on
as extensive a scale as heat and light,
we at least have made use of it i'm as
great, If not greater, a number of
ways. In a few years it has developed
into an industry that almost rivals one
| that has been growing from prehistoric
| times. These facts, however, fail to i'm
press the average man as they should.
When an electrician says that we
know as .much about electricity as we
| do about heat he is at once asked to
explain what it Is AS he is not able
| to do this the conclusion arrived at is
that the assertion is only a proof of the
exaggerated estimate he has of the
extent Of his knowledge. Such conclu-
sions are drawn, owing to the fact that
| it is generally supposed that we know
about all that there is to be known
| about heat and light. 1t is needless to
say, however, that this opinion is very
far from correct
If we do not know what heat and the
other forces of nature are, we are no
better off with respect to our knowledge
in this direction than we are as regards
electricity. But although we know
nothing of the nature Of heat, we have
been able to make use of it in many
ways, and are finding out new applica-
tions every day, and the same Is true,
within certain limits, with respect to
light If we can do all this with heat
and tight, without knowing what they
are, there is certainly no reason why
we should not be able to accomplish
as much with electricity. This is shown
to be true by what has been and is
being accomplished.
We are in the habit of considering as
the electrical development that which
has taken place within the last fifteen
or twenty years, but this, in reality,
represents only what has been done in
the way of applying the force to GER
tain uses where the transformation of
energy on large scale is desired. To
give an accurate exposition. of the
whole industry it would be necessary
to include all the diverse ramification,
and If this were done 1t would be found
that there are very few lines Of manu-
facture into which it has not found its
way, and that it is the foundation of
number Of the most important enter
prises that engage the attention of
men.
The telegraph is one Of the most i'm
portant factors in the civilized world;
yet we seldom include it in the list of
electrical industries, owing, no doubt,
to the fact that it has been associated
with the affairs of the world SO long
that 1t has almost lost it's identity. The
art of electroplating has been of the
greatest value to mankind, and the
extent of it's application is almost be-
yond estimation.
Electrotyping alone, which is one of
the branches of this art, is very i'm
portant industry, and is SO extensively
used in every line of business that the
world could not very well get along
without it. These various applications
if electricity in the industrial arts rep
resent, collectively, large percentage
of the activity of the whole civilized
| world, more than we would imagine at
first glance, for in addition to the
we must add those who are engaged in
manufacturing the apparatus and ma
terial which they use. Among the va
rious branches Of manufacturing it Is
exceptional to find one where electric
ity is not used in some way. OF late
years electric welding and soldering
machines have come into very extern
sive use, especially the former. There
are many processes Of welding that can
be done by electricity that would be
practically impossible in any other
way. In chemical processes electricity
is Of the greatest value. It Is due to
1t that we are now able to use alumi-
mum on a large scale.
In the field of light and power. which
is generally regarded as peculiarly that
Of electricity, statistics are more easily
obtained, and the data available show
that the amount Of business in every
department is of magnitude that is
undoubtedly far beyond the estimates
Of the majority of those who are in a
position to Judge.
In the electric lighting field, the total
capital invested in the United States,
for example, is given as over $500 000.-
600. The number of plants, public or
private, is over 10000. The number of
motors in use is estimated at about
SOC, 900, and their value at about $780,
100000 The electrical apparatus used
in mining is estimated at 100000, 900,
and the value Of the electric elevator
| industry will probably not fall short
of S15.00OO0O.
The most important of all the cleo
trical industries, however, is that of
electric railways. In this field the In
vestment Is very great and in the
| United States is represented by a capi-
| talization of over $700,0OO,OOO. The
| number Of trolley cars in use is said
| to be over $4,000, and these run ON
over 10000 miles Of track The electric
! railways represent more than 90 per
cent. of all the street and suburban
railroads of the country.
The aggregate of all the capital in
vested in electric lighting, electric rail-
| ways and electric power Is about
81 500. 900, 900, and this does not include
| the value of the establishments that
manufacture the machinery and ap-
paratus. AS many of these are among
the largest industrial enterprises in the
| world, and as nearly all are concerns
Of considerable magnitude, it is very ev-
ident that their combined capital will
run up into large figures.
1t has hapn estimated TINT ~ 1oa ct