Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-26
The FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
eo'ham Stirred to It's Depths by the Subtle
Roofing of Bltc.rolysis.
SOME RECENT SYSTEMS OF TtLEeRAPHy
Express mud Freight Cars on Trolley
Lines-Amcricnn Trolley Cars in
Enginnd-ProGtabIe Indus
try of Town.

Electrolysis, the subtle rooter whose opera
tons created something OF a sensation in
corporation circles In Omaha, few years
ago, is now diligently soaring owners OF
valuable franchises in New York City. The
Herald reports, with suitable score head"
that stray currents are drilling holes in va
rious underground pipes in Brooklyn borough
and giving the Brooklyn bridge a tussle. The
situation has resulted in the Manhattan
Elevated Railway company conducting in
vestigations that have shown the presence
OF the electric current in its Third avenue
system, more particularly between the city
hall station and Roosevelt street, where,
with one Of the pecularities Of the electric
fuid the current leaves tho elevated struc-
ture and Is diverted to power house In
Kent avenue, Brooklyn, The trouble has
also shown itself in the elevated structure
ut Franklin square and in the gas and water
pipes in several localities.
1t is attributable to tremendous leakage
of electricity from the trolley roads over the
Brooklyn bridge. Precautions have been
adopted by the bridge authorities to divert
some Of the excess electricity to prevent
damage to the bridge structure itself.
Throughout Brooklyn damage has resulted
from electrolytic action ever since the intro
duction OF the trolley system, more than five
years ago. Many electrical engineers have
made Investigations, but the full extent Of
the evil has never been ascertaned for the
engineers have acted merely for the NUM-
cipal authorities or for the Brooklyn Union
Gas company, or for the other corporations
whose interests are and may be affected.
There has been no united effort on the
part OF all interested to stamp out the evil
though 1t cannot be said that this is the
fault of the trolley companies. The latter
have retrackcd their whole esytem, practi-
caly, with new and heavier cast welded
nine-inch rails, which have been so Joined as
to form practically a continuous line Of
metal, in order to prevent as far as possible
the escape of electricity.
This action OF the trolley companies cost
a large sum of money and showed that there
was a desire on their part to remove part,
IL they could not remove all, OF the electro
lytic evil.
Recent Investigations have shown that the
large water and gas mains of the borough
have not suffered material damage. The
acids Of the soil, which the escaping elec-
triticy sets free, and which accelerate the
electrolytc action, have been unable, for
some reason now unknown to electrical en-
gineers, to affect seriously the castiron
mains Whether there is something in the
coating OF the mains which saves them Is
not known.
Regarding wrought iron, lead and steel
service pipes the same fortunate story can
not be told. They are the prey OF cleo
trolyss and property owners have been suf-
ferers Electrolysis eats into these pipes
until they are pitted and holes soon appear.
In some places rubber hose has been placed
over service pipes to prevent electrolytic
action.
Some Recent Systems of Telegrnphy.
Several new systems of telegraphy have
been brought out of late by inventors In
both this country and abroad that are de-
cidedly novel and will no doubt in time en-
able messages to be transmitted much more
rapidly than has heretofore been possible
One of these systems is Prof. Rowland's
well known multiplex printing telegraph, by
means OF which eight different messages
may be sent in the same or opposite direc.
tions and which was given a trial short
time ago between Jersey City and Philadel'
phia over a line belonging to the Pennsyl-
vana railroad.
Another system for the transmission OF
messages recently perfected is the invention
of F. Hachmann, an electrical engineer Of
Whitefsh Bay, Wis., which may be said tc
be an electrical typewriter telegraph. The
machine itself is provided with a keyboard
very similar to that of a typewriter, and let
ters being attached to the ends of fiat bars
suspended on a common pivot. When let
ter Is depressed on the transmitter an elec
trio circuit Is closed which operates the cor
responding letter on the receiver. The mes
sages in this system are printed on strips o
paper apparently in much the same way tina
stock quotations are now recorded. Th
principal advantage claimed for this metho
Of transmitting messages is that no trained
operator is required, any person who cal
spell being competent to telegraph.
Still more recently two Hungarian engi
neers are said to have perfected new sys
tenn of quick telegraphy, by means OF whicl
as many as 100, 900 words have actually bee
transmitted in an hour. This would Ger
tainly seem great step in advance, when
is recalled that with what is known as tn
Wheatstone system. now generally in use
the best that can be done is about 24,OO
words an hour. According to the Vienn
correspondent of the New York World, tn
system is reliable and not subject to disorder
The signs OF the Mcrse alphabet reproduce
by photography, so 1t Is stated, can be