The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-22
ELECTRICITY AT PARIS.
RECENT PROGRESS REVEALED By
THE EXPOSITION.
American Exhibits and Service to
the WorId-Yankees Have no occa-
sion for shame.

the official opening of the exposition of
1900 from 95 to rs per cent. of the ex-
hibits are in place. The situation is
rather more backward in the building de-
voted 10 electricity than in any other
perhaps, but another fortnight will doubt
less show everything in place In this inn
portant department
The American who has been taught
aud correctly, too-that the United States
leads the world in electrical science to-
day experiences a little disappointment
when he first carefully inspects his coun-
try's representation here. On the main
floor, which is devoted almost exclusive
ly to the generation of current alternat-
ing ana direct. and where from $500 to
10000 horse power is. or will be, devel-
oped' the visitor discovers a score Of dy-
namos, each of which has a capacity OF
from 1000 to 1850 horse power. But the
monster generators, like the engines that
drive them, all bear foreign names One
is English. three are German one is
Italian, one is Austrian, one is Hungar-
ian, three are Belgian and eight are
French.
Whatever be the true expla ma ton OF this
fact 1t is certainly NOT due 20 the in
ability of the United States to make an
even better show than one sees here. For
instance, America originated the trolley
system eleven years ago. Since then she
has taught the world a new method of
progression. She has practically displac-
ed the horse from street car service at
home, and is now busily engaged in sup
plying foreign cities, notably London.
with equipment for electric roads like her
own. In what happens for the moment
to be the biggest and latest station for
the generation of electricity for traction
purposes-that OF the metropolitan Street
Railway Company in New York-there are
half dozen engines and dynamos, each
having capacity of $500 horse power
and only half the plant is yet installed
And IL may be noted that before the fur
naces of that power house one sees no
piles of coal, as he does in front of the
boilers of the exposition. Automatic
stocking has made that Impossible
But right here at the exposition the
United States makes far better showing
than one might imagine. In the first
place there is an electric road, two miles
long, which encircles the huge quadran-
gle that lies between the chief centers Of
interest, the Esplanade des Invalides and
the Champ de Mars. This road is oper-
ated by Americans and with American
machinery. sub-stauon takes from
some source of power out in the city, a
mile away, nearly or quite 1000 horse
power in the form of an alternating cur
rent, and converts il into direct cur
rent. Westinghouse apparatus is used
for this purpose, and Westinghouse mo-
tors are used on the cars. Incidentally
ii may be remarked that the third rail
system is employed. There are three cars
to a train, one being equipped with a
motor, and the other two being trail
ers." The cars are provided with air
brakes of the latest American design
1 -
one of a Coney Island roller toboggan, but
no accidents have happened And the
way that the trains travel up hill and
down is a marvel 20 those who patronize
the road for the first time.
The Moving Sidewalk.
Parallel with the electric road. but run
ming in the opposite direction, is the NOV
ing sidewalk. This is twofold. one part
moving two and half miles an hour and
the other half five miles an hour. This
institution is also American. II was seen
al Chicago seven years ago on a small
scale. Each sidewalk Is composed of an
endless chain of light cartrucks planked
over on top and running on regular rail-
way underneath. These walks are kept
in operation by electric motors, over go
in number, and mounted, not on the NOV
ing trucks, but on the framework that
supports the whole affair. The motors are
American, and the current comes from
the same sub-station which operates the
electric road. Both sidewalks and railroad
are under one management.
Then there is the Chateau Eau, or Wa
ter Palace which, while not representing
any advance in electrical science, is likely
to prove the most striking feature of the
exposition In a purely spectacular sense.
when, as will probably be the case by the
middle of June, it is in operation. AS one
stands near the Eiffel Tower, with his
back to the Seine and faces down the
Champ de Mars, he sees on his right the
line OF magnificent buildings consecrated
to liberal arts, transportation and chemi-
cal industry. On his left are those de-
voted to mines and metallurgy, textile
fabrics and machinery. Across the gap
between the two, at the further end of the
park, stretches the electricity building.
With its back to the latter. and fronting
the observer, Is pulpitlike proseenium
Of theater. From a lsfty source in this
edifice will issue food Of water, faluling
in widening cascades, A series Of low
dams, concentric with the footlights, ef-
fords nearly dozen changes of level be-
fore the principal basin is reached. These
basins represent fall of about a hundred
feet. The larger and lower-most basins
are provided with scores of water jets,
the majority of them vertical, but not
few horizontal. When the preliminary ar
engagements are complete these fountains
will be illuminated from below and from
the sides with powerful electric lights, va
rious and ever changing In color.
Here again is an American idea. 1t was
tried at the Worlds Fair in 1888. And since
that time Brooklyn and one or two other
American cities have had similar foun-
tains After all, the United States is help
ing her sister republic this year in no
shabby fashion.
1t is in other directions, however, that
one must look for indications of electrical
progress during the last few years. Take
biography. to begin with. and observe II
you please that the land of Henry and
Morse is still contributing to the service
Of mankind. Prof. Rowlaud's "ottuplex,"
which will probably be seen here in the
near future, and which was described in
the Tribune O year or so ago. Is a rather
costly device, but its practicability seems
to have been established 1t is capable of
sending eight messages Of $50 words each
a minute over a single wire, and printing
them in a form that is suited to immedi
ate use in the editorial room. II calls for
no chemical process. like the development
of Pollak and Virags Photographic strip,
and II Is more rapid than Edisons quad"
which must be ma nipulated by hand. Gre
hore and Squier, two other Americans.
have also been identified with a system
OF rapid teiegraphy within the last five
years. but thus far only In an experimental
way. One naturally looks here for Mar
coni's apparatus. As yet IL Is not visible,
but there is a chance OF its appearing In
some OF the vacant space reserved for
England in the electricity building The
Pollak- Virag system will be shown in the