Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-07

NOTES or ELECTRICAL. PROGRESS

:
mas recently been taken up and studied 4 I
som" length by a Russian government M
peri. '.c says that the Involuntary clos
NJ ~, u, ,i.' eEe-winkinG-is Il sign of
WEAKNESS: sing surfaces illuminated b.,
various lights he counted the invoIrn
iar% movements of the cyclid his results
oclhs mat when canulcliGht was used tho
eyes We're closed 6.S times Il minute: with
saSiiGht winking occurred 2.S times =
minute: with sunlight. the eyes closed y,
times 10
From these fa.;a I've draws the conrIu-
%!ON, which seems to be Corrahorated nv.
"thIr observations, that the electric light
i t"r least Injurious % the clcsight of
aH varieties Of artificial illu,ninants
nciher his relative figures Of cye
fatigue are of value or not they arc n
least, Interesting and probably represent
a FAIR approximation II tho facts
Figures concerning the uucration Of tn
moving w&lkwaN At The Paris exposition
ri "iSj summer nave Just been publish "a
II the technical journals. Curiousiv
enough tn" power required to opcrate
IN" cGnb~ous walkway was less than
ihat required Tor working tha ,lCctr =
railway which paritllolcd il.
q q" VILE way consisted # number o.
hAt cars. practically speaking Joined to-
Ecthcr VITA overlapping platforms ana
"fiNen bN electric motors attached To the
permanent structure underneath. Thn
troilC! car lire. which was of about IN j,
same length a. Ii" waikway and ran
along parali.i with it, was Of the nrli-
nary type WI which w are familiar
on the WAiivIt the snrcd was Mann,
rally much les inan that III tina cicrtrj,.
trains III tI"' tA" latter ACCOMPLISHED
tNtir i"ihd I'll IN about half the time
"t one circuit g. ne valkwdY. In a.
SuSl. when bGtii n ans of communication
We're in regular IS, vice the daIv con-
sumption Of cnrrert o. The walkwav NH.
only about -.31 k.losri4t-ho-lrs while I'M
watt-1uuiS in th., ia,, i'm. 4 rccar
passengers Carti, 4. tlc1p were 4 sol ms
tickcts taken on tHc wIlkwaN ana only
2,6''l,N on tho ri iva.
\ recent invention Tor the benefit of
those WI" hay" trouble in rising in thr
morning consists cf ;,I electric alarm
clock cnnhcc'cd WITH /: Spring switch np-
Grated by the weight w thc sleeper Resin
IN his he'd. III The APP, utcd hour ii rings
ana keeps on rinGiN- t:nt;i the sIecDcr.
SrtS '"t 81 bod and ,C'rdscS the spring.
,Whic!! is hid down Ii ais weight anti
ne takes the courageous step of actually
setting foot on the ilou:
\ new electric fire a!ar. is intended t.
announce the appearanc" OF ire Ia pass
e ,TE outside the tUuiding in which it is
placed 1t consists OF a metallic case con
tanning charge Of Il uyrotcchnic com
pound similar 70 Bengal light ai.i sur
mounted BY small igniting charge in
which IS buried an electric fuse The
Who!c - made Watertight ana is ar
ranged to be put in position on il curnice
or othcT prominent part of the building.
The fuse is connected through thcrrIn-
pcrature in the vicinity Of one OF the
thcrmustats closes the circlit. cxpIodes
the lgnltinS charge and Lights the slow
burning compound. which gives a brI-
liant light and thus attracts Ne att5n-
ton of people in the neGhborhood.
IN Italian physicist, DR. y. TomInaa.np
mas recently laid before the French .AcId-
emy some results attained in the study
Of distant storms by means OF All eIyc-
trio wave apparatus. Tine instrument USED
was Of the greatest simplicity. consist
ing OF some carbon 0rAnllipS Sp.tl,d II j.,
a glass tube with platinum electrodes ami
connected with cell of dry battery ana
a telephone TO a short length Of insulated
wire exposed 10 the outer air.
With such an apparatus the electrical
disturbances accompanying a storm as
much as leo miles away become distinctly
audible as cracking and roaring noises
in the telephone. Some of the results at
tanned were very Interesting. and the sys-
TEN is doubtless destined to play Il part
Of no little Importance III future weather
observations.
Capt t.nrico Stassann's electrical sm"it-
ing process for the reduction Of iron orc3
and The production of alloys of iron
'steels' with chromium. tungsten. nickel.
manganese. &c. has been put in Opt ra-
non on Il practical scale, according to the
Italian engineering journals JnfortU-
natcly, no details Of the process are
given, except tho fact that the OUTPUT Of
the first furnace started was 40 pounds
OF very pure iron an hour with Il con-
sumption of ~" electrical horse power.
The plant is situated At waterfall on
the River DerZo. at Darfo. where about
1900 horse power is developed. Publica-
ton of the details Of the method en-
poyed is awaited with much interest. as
there are many places whore an electrical
process for iron reduction would b. of III
very highest commercial utility. In Italy
especially, where there is no coal. ami
water power is abundant, SUCH process
would 10 almost surely Successful.
With its accustomed thOroughnCss the
German government is condu,.t,@S eNper-
imcnts with fast electric traction, primal
lily Tor military purposes, hut Incidentally
for application to the many lines Of stag
railways in that country. On tho eXper-
fncntal line at lichtcrfeld" ii has been
found possible to convey directly to tn
locomotive currents OF very high tension
which are transformed to the required
working pressure on board tn" locomotive
itself. while the train is running al
speed Of $50 kilometres Cti niles an hour.
Under the management Of General IA
rector Of Railways Rathenau experiments
will Ne made this year On the Marion
dorff Zehl"ndorff line. about fourteen
miles long. The cars Will be ei2hty-scVe.
feet long with sixty seats ard Will
weigh seventy tons current Will he
taken from trolley wires at the enormous
pressure Of 12,UD volts. threc-phaSe. AMI
Will h" transformed To about 1000 volts for
/ use in the motors. From 1900 to 2F0 horse
power will be developed on the car, which
is expected to make d speed Of 10 miles
an hour.
1t is believed that this equipment at
least foreShadows that which will, one
day be applied to a large njmbCr Of rail
! ways belonging to the German military
system.
| Much attention has been drawn wiihIn
| the last week to tho sale to the American
! Telephone and Telegraph Company OF Or
! NJ. /. Pupin's patents on @, circuits LOT
| lonE-distancc telephony, which, il Is pc
| i"ved. will permit telephone cnnEefsl-
tons to be carried on at long distances
| ANA through long cables. possibly thfou5n
| the transatlantic cables. The eSSenilal
! principle underlying the brilliant inNth-
! zion covered by these patents is oil the
greatest simplicity ..
| Every electoral circuit possesses IL Ii
| properties, which are c2llcd rests aIite
lrapacity and self-inductioE. ne ffst y
! these. resistance, interposes an eNetI
! closely ANALOGOUS 10 friction to me pa
| age o. electric current through tne ttt
| call. 70 understand the others II ~ nc
| essary to regard an electric circuit q
| something like 4 flexible elaStlc MI
| filed with heavy, incompresslple Iinu,m
| Sclf-induction is much the same iiatu a., :
as the inertia effects that WoGld p1 81
| tountered if the fluid were to be Sutuc,tiif
| started or stopped in its course th!ou'oi ~
| The tube: capacity is like the elaSt Guy 20
! The tube: resistance is like the lfict'oh y
| it,, sides against the fuid. .,l ;,
/ If. in such a tube. it were attT!hp ,;I,,;d
! send short waves or puffs OF tht NV ~,
! through from one end TO the 81 ha +,
! effect Of the elastic walls woplu ~ ,bn
/ cause Ire waves TO drag Out, anu - nf
| lube were long enough Succes'.On ,rl