Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-22

| bonding wire in contact with the bright sur
| faces on the sides and hole of the rail, and
| with close fit in the hole of the rail, so as
| to make waterproof joint Immediately
after the bonds are put in as above specified,
| the whole shall be thoroughly painted with
| the best electrical insulating paint.
1t is required that every third rail be
| "cross-bonded,' and that a supplementary
ground wire shall be run and connected to
the rails every 300 feet. In all cases the
ground or return circuit is to be connected
to the negative bus bar In the power sta
tion. The ground by means of earth plates
or rods in close proximity to water pipes is
prohibited. When it Is shown by test that
any current is escaping to water or gas
pipes. the street railway company shall be
notified. and proper steps shall be taken to
prevent recurrence For every day that
the company neglects or refuses to correct
the fault, it shall become liable to fine of
not less than $25 or more than $500; each
days failure to be separate offense.
The efficacy of the double trolley system in
preventing lectrolysis is recognized by the
provision Of the ordinance which states that
wherever and whenever any electric street
railway company adopts the double trolley
system, or any other system which does not
current to the power house, then in such a
case the requirements as set forth in this
ordinance will not be enforced"
The street railway companies are given
Dix months within which to comply with the
terms of the ordinance.
SMALL PROFITS IN ELECTRICITY.
To the leaders in the sc ence it was as
well known in 1880 as today, says the En-
gneering Magazine. that electric lighting
could never compete with gas on the score
OF economy. Yet the literature given out
by one OF the pioneer companies in mean
descent lighting boldly claimed that gas
lighting was doomed. and with the untruth
carried conviction SO far that a general
panic in gas stocks resulted. Upon these
nat misrepresentation and misconceptions
electric stocks were doomed" to fabulous
prices. one stock in particular selling at
over $4,000 per share on a par value OF 800.
The public seemed ready to buy anything
In the form Of electric securities. It had
been educated to believe that electricity was
synonym for the touch Of Midas and the
education had been conducted by experts
Probably the fundamental cause OF the
large losses of capital with which the record
of the trade has been blackened was that
the commercial men who took control of
the larger companies, In ignorance of the
facts, pushed the business too rapidly, II
few more years had been spent in de-
velcping apparatus before forcing 1t upon
the pubic the results would have been diff
ferent. One of the earliest salesmen In the
trade recently said to the writer: up to
1885 we all knew that, when we had sold a
man a plant he had wasted his money; we
but we had hired to sell the goods, and we
sold them"
The stories of fabulous profits and quick
results attracted an army of adyenturers and
spectators. Scores Of men who had never
made headway In any other undertaking
thought they had found in the electrical bus
iness the long looked for opportunity of maxi
ing money without honest labor. For years
this class was conspicuously in the fore
ground, while the honest and hard working
inventor found 1t more and more difficult TO
secure legitimate reward for his labor. Many
of these promoters and spectators were Of
small mental calber, totally unified for the
conduct Of large enterprises Gradually they
sank to their proper level. but meantime the
money OF the misguided investor was being
spent in extrayagances and bad management.
Notwithstanding the handicap of incompe-
tent business management. the inefficiency
OF the early apparatus and the discourage
ment of pioneer investors. the business grew.
1t could not be prevented from growing, II
is fair estimate that up to today $3.50 ,0OO.-
900 have been invested in electric railway
and lighting plants