The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1902-08-23
Importance of Electrical
Development.

The distance that has Decn 0aveI-
tasdiu-sDnc ten years IN the Aeld of
q Nd y6GEyf Eyf!cItyWp~ds;.=s :. : t3pGel1
striking'y brought out . few weeks
ago by Mr.. George H. Gibson before
the American ASSOCIATION for the Ad.
vancement of Science, which, devoted
to the economic influences Of the elec.
tricaI industries of Pittsburg, made a
splendid generalization Of electrical
development as a whole as measure
Of civilization.
Recurring to his impressive figures,
it may be noted that the total electri
Cal power in kilowatts per 100000
people in the whole world outside the
United States, is 0;--KilOwatt equal
1000 watts and TAG watts equals one
horsepower then 640 kilowatts equal
to 10000 watts this divided by
TAG equals S5S H. p. per million peo
Pile, outside the United Statcs;- in
Great Britain, the highest outside the
United States, 1000 kilowatts, which
IS 1888 horsepower per 100000
persons; while in the United States it
is 26,32O kilowatts equal to 35,2 ,294
| horsepower per 100000 people
26,3 ,320 kilowatts equal to 1924
horsepower per 100000 people.
The total capital invested in eIec'
trical undertakings in the world out
side the United States, is 45c per
capita, and IN the United States
$38 1S. The miles of electrically
operated railway, are, in the whole
world outside the Uuited States, aga
per million people; in Germany, the
next highest of foreign countries,
AIS lilies per million, and IN the
United States, 276,2 miles per mil,
lion.
Even more striking is the fact that
the new plant of the Manhattan Ee
waited Railway, Of New York CITY,
will lave = total power, available Tor
traction, of 10000 kilowatts,- (53, ,619
H. P.) equal to the total electric pow.
er available for traction purposes in
France.
Further, if we take New York City
as unit, the total power now avail.
able, or shortly to be available, will
approximate that at present found in
the German Empire. The five 81
Mammoth power houses on Manhat
tan Island have a total normal rat.
ing OF 322,5 500 horse power, and a
maximum rating Of 478,O00 Fl. p,
This is enough power to lift the whole
population ut the rate of 80 #. pei
minute, or much faster than an athle
tic man can for any length of time
run up stairs. In other words thc
work of these five electrical power
plants is more than could be done 10y
all the people on the island working
continuously.
In the United States is developed
69oIo of all electricity available ir
the world, 76oIo of all that portion
available for traction, 76-!olo Of all
electric railway mileage, and 83 4Ol(
Of all trolley cars.
These are, indeed, profoundly inn
press,ve and suggestive figures, AZ
far as the lighting and power of thi
country are concerned, and nigh
even be carried further. II we taxi
. into account the consumption annual
ly of electrical apparatus IN the Unit
ed States, and adj too it the amount
spent on trolley riding, electric light
ing, telegraphy and telephone service
1t is soon seen that we are spendin,
more as a nation for electricity tha!
fes-dsd+r bread: The sum spent o.
electricity certainly reaches 81 to b
. per head, 40, 100000 people, $3.50
I 900, 900; a figure far surprising an.
| other nation.