Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-08
THE FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Significance Of the Absorption of the Bell
Telephone Company,
RELIEF FROM BAY STATE RESTRICTIONS
Facts About New Yorl's Mig Power
House-TeIcphoning from Moving
Trnins-ProErcss In other
Lines.

Dispatches from Boston announce that the
American Bell Telephone company has de-
Siueu TO turn over It's assets to the American
Ieiephono and Telegraph company recently
organized under the laws of New .Jerspy.
and remove the headquarters OF the porent
company from Boston to New York. The
reason for the change is given officially as
follows:
The substance OF the action of the
directors is that the assets of the Amer
lean Telephone company are to be taken
over by the long-dstance company. CAmer-
lean Telephone and Telegraph company
1T is to be recommended that two shares
OF long distance company stock be cx-
changed for one share of American Bell
Telephone company stock. The balance OF
tl9,OOO,OOO or $2O,OOO,OOO of long distance
company stock will be held for the benefit
Of the long distance company"
For many years past the Bell company
has chafed under the restrictions imposed
by the laws Of Massachusetts 1t could not
increase its capital stock without official
sanction. When permission was given few
years ago the authorities insisted that the
increase should be devoted to betterment,
not as an extra dividend. With earnings
steadily growing, dividends as high as 25
per cent and the surplus pilng up the only
feasible means of absorbing the increment
was by increased capitalization That re-
suit is secured by the transfer to the new
company without interference from the au-
thoritles of Massachusetts. and doubling
the capital stock.
Big Power House.
New York papers claim that the new
power house Of the Third avenue street rail-
road in that city will be the largest in the
world. This great plant is designed to fur
nish the motive power for every car On
the lines owned or controlled by the Third
Avenue company, not excepting the Union
Railway system, that network of lines that
spreads like a spiderweb over the entire
Bronx district.
Some idea of the requirements of this
plant may be gained when it is stated that
by the time Of it's completion there will be
an average of 1900 cars running daily over
the various lines, with an average carrying
capacity Of forty passengers, so that, be-
sides the immense weight of the rolling
stock. the dynamos in this plant must be
capable OF moving at least $4,000 persons
at given moment AS a matter Of fact
this plant is designed to Go far more than
this when necessary, for the company nat
urally intends to increase it's business, and
such plants cannot be built every day. even
by corporation.
The building will be 800 feet long and 246
feet wide, running lengthwise north and
south For a distance of twenty feet above
the concrete foundation the walls will be
of granite The remainder of the walls as
viewed from the exterior will be of brick
with terra Gotta dressing, but the main body
of the building will be of iron and steel in
order to support the enormous weight and
sustain the vibration to which it will be
subjected.
The structure will tower 100 feet from the
sidewalk to the coTnice work around the |
upper edges and at each corner will rise a
parapet about twenty feet higher. Rising 100
feet higher still will be four great steel
chimneys each fifteen feet in diameter
There will be only one floor an immense |
area 800 feet long by 246 feet in width, and
stretched along its entire length will be !
sixteen great dynamos, each with a capacity |
of 5000 kio-watts and each driven by a |
vertical cross compound two-cylinder en-
gine. Each engine will be capable of de-
veloping 1000 horsepower, making t-tal
engine capacity of liz, 900 horsepower. The
dynamos will be huge affairs, each weighing |
many tons. The basement CT the big build |
ing will be taken up with the many pumps |
and the great wilderness of auxiliary ma |
chinery used in the operation of the plant.
The cost of the plant, it is said will be in !
the neghborhood OF $4,000, 600 Tho expense /
of operating such huge plant will be very |
large, but not so great as might at first be |
imagined. BY the use of the automatic coal |
ing chutes for feeding the boilers the fire.
room force will be largely done away with. |
Every part OF the machinery will be fitted !
with automatic oilers and many other labor |
saving devices will be employed, but with !
all that hundreds of artisans will be re-
qulred. The coal consumption of the plant
will be 450 tons per day.
TeIephoning from moving Trains.
Prof. dAzar has been experimenting on
telephoning without wires between moving
trains and stations. While the results OF
these tests appear to be more sensational
than scientific some suggestive points were
brought out which arc likely to incite fur
ther investigation into the subject The tel
ephones which were recently put into the
motor cars of a Minnesota line for communi- /
cation with the main office are said to be
giving such good service that similar equip
ments have been ordered for other lines In
case of accident when the cars are out in
the country it is important that the mot'r-
man should be able to communicate quickly
with the home office, For that purLos each
car is supplied with telephone placed in
the front vestibule. The Instruments are so
adjusted on springs that the joltng of the
car does not impair their efficiency. The
motorman can plug" in his te e h ne at
the feeder poles which are a quarter of a