Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-02

ern applications OF electricity under one
public roof is afforded by the plant Installed
recently In the Central Indiana Hospital for
the Insane Apparatus OF $50 horse power
furnishes current for light, heat and power.
There are no fewer than 5000 incandescent
lights and twenty arcs, but the most inter-
esting part OF the plant lies in the laundry.
A twenty-five horsepower motor runs twelve
washing machines, two sterilizing machines,
four centrifugal cxtractors, two starching
machines, one tumbling machine, large
mangle, skirt-ironers and other appliances.
But this Is by no means all that the current
does. IL Is led by flexible standards and
wires to tables at which twelve operators
work with electric sad-irons. The ironing
boards are arranged radially so that the
women are free to move around their wort
without in any wise disturbing the wires or
interfering with each other. AS each OF the
sad-rons is constantly kept at IN even heat
by the current there Is no delay in chang
ing. Only half as many operators are found
necessary as when 'he irons were heated in
the old laundry by natural gas.
UNDERGROUND TROLLEYS.
1t has taken some years to demonstrate
that II Is possible to construct an under
ground trolley plant which will be service
able and economical, says a New York let
ter In other cities, where service is not
very heavy, such plants have been estab-
lished, but the fear in New York was that
with the great traffic and with the consider
able expense entailed in opening streets, and
the serious Interruptions which might occur
by the filling Of the underground channel
with sleet or snow, the system would rot be
commercially available. But 1t has won the
day. While we cannot have overhead troll
leys in New York we shall have before the
coming year ends a complete system of uu-
dergroGnd trolleys upon two of the chief
surface lines of the city, the Fourth avenue
AMI Sixth avenue. 1t is also the impression
that If this service is found to be satisfac-
tory in every respect, 1t will sooner or later
! supplant the cable system. 1t is believed
that the adoption of the underground trolley
upon the lines paralleling Broadway would
relieve the traffic, which at certain hours is
badly cOngested upon Broadway, as 1t used
to be upon the elevated lines.
ELECTRIC LIGHT AND TREES.
Electric light is killing the trees of Chi
cago This is the discovery which has been
made recently by men interested in botany
and forestry, and an examination has con
vinced the skeptical Of the truth OF the
statement.
Since the city was lighted by the big arc
lights, which are placed at the corners of
the principal streets and in the middle Of
some of the long blocks, many of the trees
have been gradually dying. The decay has
been slow, says the Times Herald, but that
1t has been sure is perfectly true in the opin-
ion OF those who study trees with care and
can note the changes in their physical nealtn
day by day just as a physician can notice
the slow growth of disease in the human
being. OF late the decay has been marked,
so that it may be noticed by the layman
as well as the trained scientist. Dead
branches may be noticed on many trees in
| various parts of the city near electric arc
| lights. The nearer the trees are to the arc
| lights the greater the damage which is done
| them. Most OF the trees, within fifteen feet
of arc lights, which have been placed in
their present position more than a year or
| two ago, are dying rapidly, and are nearly
| stripped to their lowest branches. And
then on the other branches the leaves have
| not been as plentiful in the past.
The nearer the tree is to the light the
| greater the damage and the faster they de-
! cay under the influence of the electric light,
but even those within a hundred feet of the
| arc lights feel their influence, although to a
modified extent
A stroll around the city shows the same
| condition of affairs everywhere, and those
| who have investigated the matter have
| convinced themselves beyond the possibility
OF mistake that the electric light is re-
| sponsible for the injury, and it is not, as
| some might suggest, due to the smoke and
noxious atmosphere of the great city.
scientist interested in the matter has
| been correspoI ding with botanists in other
| cities, and he finds that the same decay
| of trees planted near electric lights is no
tlceu In every city. III is especially evident
| in Montreal and Philadelphia. the two best
| lighted cities on the American continent.
The trees begin to lose their leaves and
| the branches to gradually decay on top or
| on the side facing the lights and gradually
| losing them downward.
The theory of botanists is that the injury
Is due to the fact that light has the same
effect that it would have on a human being
who was compelled to live constantly with
in its glare. The trees are unable to sleep
at night. When they, like the rest of ma
ture need sleep the great glaring electric
lights prevent 1t. Trees are unable to live
in almost eternal day. They are like the
rest of nature, whether animals or plants,
and demand rest.
1t is the theory of some wise scientific
men that the electric light is not only re-
sponsible for injury to plant life in its i'm
mediate vicinity, but that it has an in
furious effect on man. They are said by
some to be responsible for human sight de
fects and nervousness and insomnia. The
glare of the light Injuries the eyes and
makes increased nervousness The lights
themselves often interfere to some extent
with the sleep of those who are in their
immediate vicinity
Rheumatism is caused by Tactic acid in the
blood. Hoods Sarsaparilla neutralizes the