The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-11

must be used; but something was nec-
essary to change the small current of
high potential to the stronger current
of practicable voltage The Gaulard
and Gibbs patents were brought to his
notice, and he purchased them for the
United States. Just here we may note
another trait in his character, the
readiness, although an inventor him
self to purchase and use the inven-
tons OF others. With the control OF
these patents he organized the West
inghouse Electric company, which has
grown until it is now one of the great
est manufacturing companies In the
world. The history of the introduction
of acknowledgement machinery Is
truly that of the strenuous life" for
Mr.. Westinghouse. it met with des-
perate opposition from the makers of
direct-current apparatus who tried to
get laws passed in some states forbid
ding its use, and they went SO far as
to secure the Use of a Westinghouse
dynamo for the first electrocution
plant, hoping thereby to make it ap-
pear that the alternating current was
essentially more deadly than direct
current. What a commentary on this
action is the fact that all the great
power plants today are using the al
ternating current
How Tesla Was Aided.
The new form of current lin the sense
that its practical application was later)
had demonstrated it's usefulness for
lighting. 1t remained to develop a
practical and simple motor SO that 1t
could be used for power for the syn
chronous motor needed more skill for
its attendance than could be given in
the ordinary machine shop. Then came
Tesla, who found in Mr.. Westinghouse
a friend and hacker, whose faith did
not weaken while the induction motor,
Tesla's great invention, was perfected.
This solved the problem Of the trans
mission Of power for it gave machine
as simple as grindstone and yet Of
the highest efficiency, and almost "fool-
proof" At the present time the great
majority of industrial plants using
electricity for power are equipped with
these motors.
What has been said would give some
idea of Mr.. Westinghouse steadfast-
ness under great discourag cement, and
the story Of the lighting of the Chicago
worlds fair is another illustration. He
believed this great opportunity to
show what could be done by alternat-
ing current, and made a tender lower
by s1,000,0oO than any other bidder.
Then his troubles began. Competitors
made such charges as to his inability
to carry out the contract that he was
forced to give a bond for the full
amount of the contract. Then he was
enjoined from making the old familiar
glow lamp. He actually had to invent
a new form Of lamp, and to this he
added new air pump. Old employees
tell with much admiration, how at this
time, he worked day after day, in his
shirt sleeves, perfecting the various de-
tails. But the lighting of the fair was
a great success, and, curiously enough,
the only return to the stockholders of
the fair was the S1,OOOO0O dollars he had
saved them.
Growth of the Plant
The present works Of the Westing-
house Electric and Manufacturing
at East Pittsburg were built
in 1895, and consisted then chiefly of two
main buildings $50 feet long, one 230
feet wide, and the other 100. There was |
an almost universal opinion that the |
buildings We're too large ever to be
filled with work. So far from sharing |
this view, Mr.. Westinghouse located |
them SO that they could be extended |
at both ends, and with enough room at |
the side to duplicate them. In 1899 they |
we're extended at one end; in 1900 at the |
other; in 1901 the space between was |
turned into another bay 1900 feet long. |
Now, in 1902, the duplication of this |
already huge plant is in progress.
1t might seem that the work thus far
mentioned would be more than enough |
10 keep one man busy; but meanwhile
his tireless man developed and eX-
plotted the use of natural gas in the
district, selling out his inter-
est after the undertaking had been fully
developed and made a success. TO
show what could be done in electric
lighting with alternating current, he Or
sanized the United Electric Light and
Power company in New York, the AL
egheny County Light company in
and another in Baltimore.
After these had all been made success
ul he withdrew from them to be able
o give more attention to his other great
While out of the chron-
illogical sequence, or it may be men,
Toned here that, under his guidance
md at his expense. the Nernst lamp has
oeen made a commercially successful
lrticle. He is also the hacker Of Peter
Cooper Hewitt in the development of
he mercury vapor lamp.
Works in Foreign Lands.
Besides the plants already mentioned,
here are the great shops of the West
nghouse Machine company at East
for building steam and gas
ngines and steam turbines, of which
ir. Westinghouse is principal owner;
nd there have been for years works
or making air brakes In England,
Trance and Germany, while electric
gorks We're established at Havre in
sos. The most important of the works
utside OF the United States is the
reat plant of the British Westinghouse
Electric and Manufacturing company,
t Manchester, which is almost dupli-
of the works at East Pittsburg
'hese works have attracted marked at
antion from their size and from the
apidity with which they have been
rected.
Long as this list is, we have not men,
loned all the works, for there are foun-
ries at Cleveland and Allegheny, with /:
ew ones OF great size in course of {
rection at Trafford City, few miles |