Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-03

The coherer now used depends upon the
action Of mechanical Taper, which shakes
down the particles OF nickel and silver
fllings within the current OF the relay after
one signal has passed on and makes the
coberer ready to receive the next electrical
Impulse. In this way say ten words
minute on the Morse code can be trans
mitted. Prof Chunder Bose says that when
the coherer has been invented that will
automatically and promptly decohere. wire
less signaling will make just that same ad-
vance upon its present condition that the
steam engine made when automatic valves
came into use. 1t is believed by electric |
ians that the perfecting of such an invention |
will not long be delayed.
Train Lighting.
A new system OF train lighting shows an
enormous advance on all previous methods. |
1t embodes the old idea of generating cleo
trio current by the revolution of the car
axle, but with an effectiveness never before
attained. Whereas In early systems the
current for lighting has been generated by
dynamo In the baggage car, run by power
from the locomotive, the car would lose its
light as soon as 1t was detached from the
train; but now every car carries It's own
light-creating plant, being fitted with a
dynamo and a storage battery. When the
tram is tldnuluB slill lut tdi 10 hbh'V'
from the storage battery, AS soon as the
train attains speed of twelve miles an
hour the dynamo is automatically connected
with the mechanism which transmits the
power Of the revolving axle and the lights
and then fed directly from 1t. This does
not in any way lessen the speed OF the
| train or call for any additional power from
| the engine A whole car full OF lights can
| thus be kept burning all night II need be
| at merely nominal cost, and the ordinary
| expenses of maintenance are saved, as no
| electrician is needed, the dynamo and stor-
age battery both being regulated auto
| matically. minutes inspection OF the
battery every six weeks meets every re-
quirement. The battery will keep seven
teen lights burning for twelve hours IL the
| car s at rest. The objection has been
| raised that IL the train were showed in the
| battery would quickly became exhausted
| and the cars would be left in darkness. 1t
Is pointed out that this objection loses Its
| force from the fact that the number of
lights could be reduced and the cars could
be lighted from the battery alone for over
a week much more brighter than they are
now by lamps or even gas.
| English Telephone Service.
The agitation which has long ragged in
| London for an improvement in the tele-
phone service has borne fruit in several
| ways. Not only has the government de-
| cided to establish system in London TO
| compete with the existing monopoly and to
| grant municipalities licenses to establish
and work their own exchange systems, but
the monopoliet company has been beset on
| every hand by the local authorities, some
| Of whom have refused to renew permission
to the company to continue its wires and
| poles in their districts unless a more salts
factory service is given All these things
have been working together for the good OF
telephonic communication generally, which
certainly stands in need OF cultivation IN
this country, and the company has been
awakened to the seriousness OF its position
for it has begun to give Increased attention
to the interests of the ordinary user OF Its
service, and particularly to the very small
user. 1t has just announced that IL pro-
poses to introduce on January l next g
new rate Of charges, SO that the man Whe
only uses his instrument few times weeh
will not have to pay the same as the mar
who calls UP hundred or so per week. Ir
other words, instead of the prevailing higf
| yearly charge, the Small consumer" viii
be able to pay down yearly fee Hof onl!
$3.50 as a retainer" 90 to speak, ans
| above and beyond this he will pay cent
for each time he carries on conversation
. over the lines. The company announce
. that this alteration can only apply to tn
| provincial towns and districts not to Lon
dom The reason Of this is that the com
a pany has some apprehension as to the et
!. feet upon its London system Of the com
q petitive system now being arranged by tn
v government.
l. Substitute for Copper Wire.
It Aluminium is to have its first importan
o trial as a commercial conductor of electric
r, ity on the Northwestern elevated road 4
J. Chicago The Record of that city report
twenty miles of inch and-a-half cables
k 10000 pounds OF the light weight silver
i stuf-are to be strung along the seven mile
e of steel trestle between Wilson avenue an
e the Wells street bridge, to Distribute tn
k motive power to the trolley rails of tn
n new road. Two carloads of cable woun
k on giant spools have already been receive
IS and stored near the Fullerton avenue powe
r. house ready for laying when the Northwest
a ern structure has been coupled up with th
le Union loop.
10 Aluminium, so recently cassed with th
,e semi precious metals, on account OF tt
l. cost OF it's production, displaces its coppt
J. rival on the new road because of its cheaI
II ness Copper has almost doubled in pri'
De within tWelVemontn Wnlle tne HBnS
is metal has dropped shade in the scale.
,e the Northwestern had equipped its structu
at year ago it would have used copper cabl
IN similar to those which carry the electrici
x on the South Side. Metropolitan and I.al
y, street lines.
by James r. Chapman, the electrical engine
us in charge OF the new road, says aluminu
re will carry the electric load just as well
r copper would and will take less money o
OF the stockholders pockets. He said:
in after copper. aluminium is the best co
he ductor among the cheaper metals. po
at conductor consumes and wastes the cure
i'll as 1t passes through and for that reason
n commercially impossible. An aluminium wi
nd will carry without friction about sixty p
to cent of the current load which copper wi
,rs OF the same diameter will carry. To car
de equal loads the aluminium wire must
ed about two o-thirds larger than the copper co
ST. ductor. The best iron wire would have
,u be six times larger to accommodate the sal
ks current. Now copper weighs three land
ng third times as much as aluminium. so tt
ost an aluminium wire Of any given capac
we would weigh only half as much as copI
to wire designed to carry the same load. w
aluminium at approximately 80 cents pou