Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-09-11

with the battery, is as y cent to 81
| The possibilities of electric energy
through the dynamo are in still great
er proportion over the restricted scope
of the battery. The average power
I Of dynamos has risen to seventy-five
! horsepower. The largest dynamos
are at Niagara Falls, where 10000
horsepower is developed in single
machine. These generate a current
| of $4,000 volts. The increase in the
use of electric power is shown in the
case of one company, the Edison com
! pany reporting total of 50,634 horse
power of motors attached to it's cir
cults, more than thirty times as much
as was used in 1890. The total horse
power in manufacturing estauush-
ments of all kinds in the United
States in 100000 of which only "A
per cent. is electrical Yet the in
crease of electrical power was 1897
per cent. from 1890 to 1900. Most of
this increase was during the last three
or four years. Electric power. there
fore, is coming into use at a marvel
Gus rate.
Electric power transmission is an
other development of the past five
or six years, generally speaking APP
parently waterpower has decreased
from one-half to one-sixth Of the total
power used in manufacturing. but in
fact this water power has been turned
into electrical power and trans mitted
long distances. a small proportion OF
the energy of Niagara is used in fac
tories. Much of it is used to propei
street cars at Niagara Falls, Tonawan-
GA and Buffalo, as we'll as for lighting.
etc. The longest power transmission
in the world is in California. from the
S1erras to San Francisco, a distance
OF 22O miles. The power is used along
the route for mines, lights. street
cars, motors, sewing machines, hoists.
and dozens of other uses.
In 1890 there were 1852 miles of
electric railway tracks and 1896 cars.
In 1900 there were 50,65S cars, and the
number of miles of track had increas
ed to 1860 Cable cars decreased
in number, and horse cars were near
ly wiped out.
During the five years from 1895 to
1900 electric power for automobiles
came into use. This is a new indus
try, but is growing with GREATNESS
rapidity. In 19O0-19C1 the number of
horses in Paris decreased 6 per cent.
and in London 10 per cent.
Electric fans form noticeable feat.
ure in the use of power from lighting
companies. The total horsepower Of
the fans used in this country was r.
766 in 1900. Elevators, also, utilize
electric power largely. Reference is
made to the big elevator in the Wash
ington monument. 1t moved fifty feet
per minute, carrying thirty-five people.
with electricity as motive power the
elevator moves at the rate of 100 feet
per minute, with the same load. 1t
ascends to height of 500 feet.
In speaking of the production of
81 dpullS ny SlSCCIlCIty, Tic DullSllu
says:
In connection with this work
it should be recalled thai
Moissan, the Frenchman, who
has pushed the employment
of the electric arc SO far as to produce
minute fragmentary diamonds in his
furnaces, noted in 1896 the production
of graphite from a diamond heated in
the arc. 1t was. in fact, due to his in
vestigatior in this field that he was
led to his celebrated observations on
the formation of diamonds by the sud-
den cooling in mercury or lead Of mol
ten iron saturated with carbon. In
our modern electrical furnaces diamond
dust has been produced and the steps
leading to the manufacture of larger
crystals will be but sequential.
Notice is taken in discussing arc
and 1ncandescent lighting, of the in
vention of Nernst, whereby a small
white rod composed Of earths, is made
to give cut a steady, white light, with
out being inclOsed in vacuum. This
is the GLOVER" light, already in use in
many places, and for which a much
greater use is predicted.