Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-06

including four cells OF Mescos battery. 10
cali the attention OF the man below, all
that has TO be done is to Jerk the life line.
The deck set weighs only about four pounds,
and that carried by the diver adds only eight
ounces to the weight Of the helmet. Needless
to say a great gain in the speed OF diving
operations will be the certain result OF the
new submarine telephone.
EXTRAORDINARY PROGRESS.
During the last two years. when other
branches of business have been standing
still. the electrical distribution OF power
has grown as 1t never grew. before. me
development OF electric always In the
limited States. says the Boston Herald, is
the product Of the last ten years. In 1881
there were only thirteen such roads, with
barely 100 cars. Writing two years ago, an
electrical engineer estimated that there
were then $50 electrical roads, operating
over 1900 miles OF track and 2S,ooo cars;
and representing an Investment OF capital
of over $500. 900, 900. Another professional
authority. writing the other day, places the
present electrical railway mileage at l5,oOo
miles of track, equipped with not less than
20. 600 motor cars. The railway motors at
present in use aggregate fully 100000
horse power, and the generating plants
close to 500, 900. Last years contribution 10
electric railway construction was l,9VV mlies
of track and nearly 5000 motor cars. III
is stated that this increase means an ae-
gregate investment Of something like S3o,-
600, 900, a very respectable sum to be added
to a single industry in a year so little re-
markable for industrial expansion.
The authority last quoted, DR.. Bell oil
Newton Center, stimate the probable to-
tai of stationary electric motors operated
by central or scattered stations and power
transmission plants at $50, 200 horse power
Including railway work, he thinks 1t Is sate
to say that the gross power OF the electric
motors used in the United States is at pres
emit not less than 1,250,0 900 horse power
Comparing such a list with the small group
of power plants that were running nVe
years ago, the strength OF the business that
has scored such gains in hard times Is SELL
evident. The saving secured by the use
of electric power is so considerable that
ordinary prudence has, in many cases, ue-
handed an investment sufficient to secure
an advantage that covered. under such con-
ditions as have recently prevailed, the
whole difference. between profit ana loss.
This has been especially the case in regard
to mining plants situated where coal Is very
expensive and water power plenty. "A sam,
ple instance is cited in which an electrical
installation for mining purposes mas palu
for itself at the rate of 5 per cent a month.
But. remarkable as have been the ad-
vantages already made in the development
by electricity of the natural power resources
of the country, we are still only at the pc
ginning of this movement. Every year
seems to add something to the distance that
can be successfully overcome In power trans
mission, California led the way in this al
vance the long-distance plants from
the generating station IN san Gu an
tonic canyon to Pomona and san
Bernardino being the most I'M
portant of the kind attempted up to 1898.
Two wears ago what is known as the Folsom
Sacramento three-phase plant went into OPP
Grafton. furnishing all the power and light
used in Sacramento, twenty-three miles
away, and making the longest commercial
transmission that had yet been installed.
Still later came the transmission of cleo
trical power over a distance OF thlfty-nVe
( miles into Fresno. This bears the record
t SO far, as the longest commercial transmits
g sion vet accomplished, the line from Nj
t aqara to Buffalo being eight miles shorter.
S OF course, with every new demonstration
= of the commercial possibility OF overcoming
2 long distances the field for the employment
t of electrical power becomes enormously
u widened. This fact has a bearing not only
t on the possibility of utilizing the 5,oOo,oVV
{ hydraulic horsepower available in this coun-
v try, but also on that of converting the great
a anthracite culm heaps into electrlclty' ahu
of making the coal mines themselves the
seat of great generating stations whence
. power might be transmitted over a wlae
area of surrounding territory.
S ELECTRoCUTING THE WHALE.
It II certain accounts received from Nova
Scotia are to be depended upon, whailne
e will soon be deprived of much OF the splce
of danger which has always maze IL sICi
u ar exciting occupation. Hitherto Tie "haI'
n has in the majority of cases taken a yer!
n lively mart in the affair, and has not in
frequently managed to escape from his pur
suers, even after being harpooned, put IL L
now proposed to give the hunted cetaceai
no ouarter. The electric harpoon has loI
some time been talked Of and it is said tina
CAPTAIN Hershell. an old whaler OF HaluaN
10 has at length taken counsel with the elec
tricians and devised a practical apparatu
for the electrocuting OF whales. Inc ap
paratus consists of a dynamo of lO,oO0 Volt
capacity, to which is attached a wire ROPE
heavily insulated, and of sufficient lehgtI
TO be run out for a distance of 10000 Zee
n from the side of the vessel. The harpoo'
attached to the end of this wire Is, OF COURSE
of rubber-covered wood, otherwise the har
: pooner would get the shock instead OF u
-. whale. The insulated wire is run throue
u the center of the wooden harpoon, and tel
~ inmates at the end in a sharp steel spear wv
v, feet long. When a school of whales Is see
\. spouting, the whaling ship is steereu IN thel
e. direction. When within a convenient US
g. lance a boat i: lowered with the crew. u
en- electric harpoon and the 10000 teet OF WIZ
e. fer maintaining the connection win Ia
no shin,s DYNAMO. This wire reels OIL as "a
es boat nears the whale. When WITHIN strlhlh
at distance the harpoonist VIII huri tne spec
In regulation style, but the whale VIII neve
ed iinow what has struck him, for, as the u
nd of the smear touches his body, ne Will |
IL shocked to death.
es PRIZES FOR PLo"lNu'
'ins The Germans are very much in earne
no about electric blowing. Their National a
he ricuItural society has arranged a prize col
netition among power-driven plows' lhtenu,
TX snecialIy to encourage and develop the app
ss cation of electric power to the "orkihs
Or, nIows and other agricultural implement
,rs In the trials nonelectrical plows VIII al
We he tested. so that a. comparison may
IL made of the relative efficiency OF the dlhe
emf systems. Only plows Will be tested,
ire II is considered that the power could cas-
on he applied to other implements with D
ere slight alterations. Special attention VIII
he maid to the conveyance of the outhts ir'
1eld to field. One prize OF 5000 marks a
another of ! 900 marks will be given Tor |
he hest plow driven by any kind OF pow
of and there will be a special prize for the p'
it'll electrically driven pillow. A piece OF hea
es, and a piece of light land will be assign
he for tiuing to each competitor. Points "
is he given for % the time taken TOT I
-ay blowing; ~ the weight OF earth NOV
W. f8) the consumption Of fuel by the moi
lch M the power consumed between the mo
and the pillow; 80 the cost of the plowll
is Including fuel. water, lubricants after
US ance. repairs, interest and depreciation
he
lay Catarrh is a constitutional disease anu
&C. ouires a constitutional remedy ike foo
in Sarsaparilla. which PRIZES the ploou'
: