The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-25
,orss ~ s,se,sral rsoossss.

W rNfH1Sfn mlNufsf'uF1Ns sstsNlsfWfN's Pm
s'ss. snd con p~,l,ob ts,sssn them tscoms, r'ots
h.re, w, Nv ptcdur. ~ ,h,lf sou are sspsfsny
studied carefully ~ md n they Contain sisrstis
~ ,alps. ~ Il. the sane sith s%isc,'lr tishuhs Atd
fsli~sy powsf stations, ~hieh fo' = lnhs irs rssi
hay. ,fi,d " md soms ouis' iof ihsl' su'plp, rov,f
and spns sats lot thsit vsus products Il.rt'c
fans and .lseiflc mo,ofs 'nr VAfous pufpsss have
tltsn an Quite, ff the surplus ~ Their product. but
n has only Iis, besun 10 no fesIiisd that such pos,r
stations hs,. a valuable b. product In N. exhaust
steam which escapes from ,hsm amer II has done
duty In ibeit engine.
Thi. steal II still hot, though 81 a pr,Ssui. ilttls
u any IN tsoess Of that of the atmosphere and II uv
nj ~ . sourcs Of steam heat ~ ooufs' the mark"
iof s,ear, hes, IL risidly limited by SEASONS and ell
mates. but In certain PLACES The al. 81 steam slr'adj
one. used has been found 70 pay nearly AL the run
nlns sapenSes ~ the station, although limited H.
a f,v months In ths rear. Elaborate sysbns of
piping have been laid In . number OF cities IN the
Northwest for tks outeyanoe Of the steam. and u
Il IN that pat OF the United states that the market
Ing Of heat from electric stations has most vogue
Buildings a. far a. q mile from the station have been
heated economically. and wherever. In that climate,
III, scheme has been tried ~ has met with the greatest
favor.
Wind power has been utilized for the electric light,
ins Of the town Of wit,kitl In Schlesvig. which II
situate q, the entrance Of a narrow ford running In
IrDm tns EdlVV III n paw NutI' '"' VIM ~ 'e's
constant The experimental plant, for the install
lston Is. as yet. little more ,hnn an experiment. con
sists OF a windmill Of peculiar design. a dynamo,
and . considerable battery Of Accumulaton. No
less than ZOO square fee, Of wind surface Is exposed
by the windmill vsnes The apparatus runs al a
normal SPEED Of eleven revolutions a minute. which
Is governed BY shifting the angle OF slant Of the wind
vanes automatically and develops about thirty horse
power. a dynamo is so geared to the windmill as
IN run n 200 reyolutiOns a minute. furnishing lO
amperes Of current at 100 volts when the wind We
locty exceeds eight feet a second one pole OF tie
dynamo Is permanently connected with the terminal
OF the storage battery, the other being connected with
the switch OF the regulator mechanism which au'
tomaucally takes care OF the charging OF the battery
on the discharge circui, which runs about the town
the pressure Is maintained AZ ITO volts. and from
these wires q number Of motors As well as electric
lights Of various kinds are operated Its thought
tina, the plan, will be very successful, in which case
anumbet Of others will be Installed in the same neigh
borhood
In mos, districts where wires are no, underground
s noticeable feature OF many pole lines Is big cables,
conta ming each a large number Of telephone wires
These cables are made up ~ small copper wires, gen
ersly a llt,le smaller than the wire OF the familiar
halrpin, which are insulated with thin paper and,
after being twisted together In pairs, are laid up in a
bundle containing from nifty 10 $50 wires and the
whole covered with a thin coating Of lead forced on
In the same way that lead pipe Is made. Na,ur.
ally such cables are somewhat heavy. thelr weight
running mp IN about two and a half pounds to the
linear foot. and a, the "a me tine they are mechanically
too weak 10 support their welg hi In long spans. For
this reason they are generally suspended from strong
wires or wire ropes stretched from pole 10 pole. the
cable being hung In sllnss OF supports every two or
three feet
large number Of Importers for cables have been
devised, the conditions necessary 10 be fulfilled by
a successful appliance OF This sort being so dirNcul'
that great trouble has been encountered In Ending
one that would meet them. A. one time tarred ratline.
OF small hemp yarn. was used, the yarn being spun
from a cnniriyance made for the purpose about the
support wire and tine cable ~ that the latter hung
IN a great number OF loops OF the soft yarn from the
former. The d.rcul,y with this method was that
in the course OF time the railinc would naturally rot
and allow the cable 10 fall. Metallic sings Of va
rloIs kinds have been made, and while some Of them
have been successful, most OF them either grip the
cable 10 tightly as TO weaken or In !pre Il or else hold
+, so loosely as to let II slip down hill on inclined lines
OF toward the lowest point OF she Ss between poles.
4 new type Of cablrcl!p grasps the cable BY means
OF q soft metal band encircllng II and ughtened by
the weight OF the cable Itself. much In the same way
as the buckle Of a patent shaw strap Is worked.
4 new method for hardening and Increasing the
lie Of storage battery plates hs, ius, been patented.
It consists In dipping IN. plates alternately In acidu-
lated water and a dilute solution of pyridin. which
Is a complex chemical substance derived synthe'i-
caliy from cosliar r.sdues. In the pyrttin solu.
ton Is a small quantity Of alcohol, and Il Is asserted
that the combination Of all the agencies concerned
results In greatly strengthening the plate mechsn'-
cany and also. BY highly ~o1idlHing the plate, in max.
ius t, OF considerably higher capacity than u would
BE- without this treatment.
Protection for unders round metals against elsc-
iroly tic action has been more or less anNiously sought
ever since q vas discovered that the return current
%o'troiey roads IS eating up pipes In a number OF places.
4 novel device for the purpose Is described In a patent
lately granted. The pipes or other metals 10 be pro
tecird are painted with some compound ,ha, will
Itself conduct electricity, but which does not suffer
%electroly Sis. Among such things are mixtures Of
graphite and ~pararine. powdered anthracite coal,
g.latnous compounds OF silica. and a number Of
other cheap ana Easily handed substance. II Is
believed tina, The r-i.f afforded by such treatment,
vii he considerable, since the current leaving buried
metals a. Is the leaving. no, the entering, current
tia, hurts, will be spread over a much larger surface.
and thus local excessive flows will be abolished.
The power transmission line between Snocuslmie
Falls and Seattle. Wash. has been looped 10 make
a drcui, more than $50 miles long. and power has
been successfully transmitted over this great dis
tance with the commercial a apparatus at hand. While
this experiment may have no immediate result In
practice. IL IA OF deep Interest as showing the possi-
biites of electrical power Transmission with modern
apparatus and under pressn, day conditions. Every
such demonstration on a practical scale 10 another
step toward the general distribution OF the power OF
catarscts and other natural sources 10 cities within
q considerable radius. IL has often been asked II II
Is, today. practicable TO transmit Niagara Falls power
to New York city. The proposition to DO 50 would
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