The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-07
OUR ELECTRICAL GROWTH.

the United States began in a small
way as recently as thirty years ago,
with the manufactures of small ma
chimes for arc lamps, followed about ten
years later with equally modest machines
for incandescent lighting. The ordinary
arc dynamo would carry from 20 to 80
lamps requiring fifty horsepower to drive
it, and the incandescent machine would
feed about 1000 lamps of sixteen candle
power and use one hundred and twenty
horsepower.
We learn from Bulletin 245 of the
twelfth census that the adoption in 1855 of
practical methods for utilizing the alter
rating current, changed the whole aspect
of affairs, and the change first became
publicly apparent in the eleventh census.
AT. that time uS90). in the state of New
York, only 3,34O incandescent lamps in
isolated plants were operated with al
ternnting currents. while of the 1,264 dy
namos in service in central stations, only
lS9 were of the newer alternating type
Now, We have the huge 5000 horsepower
two-DhuSe dynamoS in operation at
Niagara while others of 10, 600 horsepower
the largest ever built, are contracted for
Further, the 5000 horsepower alternators
at Niagara develop current at 2,2O0 volts,
which, by means of transformers, is
raised to loo to 200 volts, and trans
mitted to Buffalo for the trolley lines,
etc.
Since 1890 has developed the vast cleo
trio street railway system, and, more
recently, plants for charging the batter
les OF electric automobiles have sprung
IN, and also the use of dynamos. instead
of primary batteries, In busy telegraph
and telephone offices. In addition, there
is the largo increase in the use of cleo
trio machines for mining and general
power purposes. For electric work gener-
ally, no less than 1859 patents have been
taken ont III the last twenty-five years.
We must also bear in mind the rapid
strides We have made in the last twenty
years in the manufacture and use of cleo
tric apparatus and supplies for our tele-
g"aphs, telephones, stockholders. burglar
alarms and other electrical convenienceS
and necessities.
Speaking of electrical apparatus and
supplies generally, but excluding the
hundreds of thousands Of wood iron or
steel poles, the increase in manufacturing
between 1890 and 1900 eliminates in the
following figures:
Increase
1890. 1900. per ct.
Establishments :. 1S9 $50 2o69
Wage earners, all
kinds ......... %. 49,. 900 45,S77 900 -
Capital ........ SIS, ,s972 $50, 13o,9i3 1916
Yearly wages and
salaries ......... 5,96G,1SS 2i, ,7o3i56 -
Miscellaneous eN-
penses .......... 1,l5i462 6,7S3,3li 4SSO
Cost of materials
used ............. s,sl94ss 4s,9l64io 45i6
Value of yearly
product ........ l9,l147l4 9l,34S, $50 3179
The 80 establishments report 3Si pro-
prietorS exclusive of stockholders. There
We're $40 corporation officers and All SUI
perintendents. managers, clerk and sales
men. These are salaried men, as distinct
from wage earners proper. or the latter,
the number ranged from 50,3s9 to 2,5s2.
averaging 40S30, including 6,l5S women
and 5S2 children under IL years.
Mr. r. q. Martin, the expert special
agent of the census, makes this siSnih-
cant remark: AT least one explanation
Of the rapid rise of the United States to
its present position in international af-
fairs and among the manufacturing ma
tions may he found in the Willingness OF
its people to pay as much for electricity
a for bread-about 81 annually per capita
of the 75,00O,Oa0 population
Another surprising fact Is that the man
uracture of dynamos-electric apparatus
Is carried on I'm no fewer than twenty
states, with New York leading, 1t is
significant that while the average price
per horsepower of the dynamos OF var
ious sizes up TO 1900 horsepower, has been
nearly sl4; the 10000 horsepower dynamos
have been sold at price approximating
only " per horsepower II Shouiu dlso he
noted that though these machines are 10
be built in The United States for an
American company. they are 10 be em-
ployed in Canada, although the Dominion
has excellent dynamo factories of it's own.
Nor was Canada's reciprocity
tariff preferential of one-third in favor of
Great Britain, sufficiently potent to infiu-
ence the business across the Atlantic,
against Uncle Sans superiority in quail
itV, DTiCe and delivery.
The industry does not show excessive
capitalization, for the capital of S3130,-
9l3 is producing IA yearly product greater
than itself by 00D
Walter ]. Ballard.
Schenectady, n. V, oct >.