The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-27

Washington Correspondence Brooklyn
Eagle.
The story Of the phenomenal growth
81 the electrical industry in the United
states. of it's Jump in value from 81
100000 TO close on to S100,O00,OOO within
twenty years, and of the worlds abso-
lutte dependence upon it's agencies for
electric intelligence light, heat, power,
transportation etc, is told in Il bull
letin issued by the census bureau. 1t
forms one Of the most interesting mar
ratives that can be related of the ma
TONS giant strides toward wealth and
power.
Just as the period between 1850 and
1860 was notable for the discovery OF
the telegraph. that between 1860 and
1870 for the beginning Of dynamo COLI
struction; that between 1870 and 1880
for the application Of the science to the
stock 'ticker, burglar alarm and other
electrical conveniences; that between
1880 and 1890 for the development of
telephony and electric lighting. the
period between 1890 and 1900 was mark
ed by the unprecedented adoption OF
the electric motor for power transmits
sion, factories, etc. The report states
that the average annual expenditure
on electricity in the United States for
each individual of population not far
from 75,0OO,OOO was 81. OF this amount
about $1.25 per head would represent
the demand for electric apparatus and
supplies, the income of the electric
traction companies would reach not
less than So per. head: while that from
electric lighting would reach about
sl.5o. The returns available would also
indicate that not less than IS cents per
head would represent the expenditure
on telephone service. and so cents per
head the outlay for telegrams, fire
alarms and kindred work. These val
,es, which are conservatively put, are
rapidly increasing. At least one eX-
PLANTATION of the wonderful rise of the
United States to their present position
in International affairs and among the
manufacturing nations may be found
I'm this manifest willingness of it's peo-
pie to pay as much for electricity as
FOR bread.
The Dynamo Did It.
The development of the dynamo to
suppant the primary battery was re-
sponsible for the sensational advance
s1OOOO0.OO0 annual product Of the cleo
trical manufacturing industry. at least
IS per cent. would have been unavail-
able to the public in the days of the
primary battery. In 1850 there were
but 76 establishments for the r,anufac-
1ure of electrical apparatus and sup
plies, while in the census year 1900, $50
We're reported. The output of these es-
<,,1, I.,1, 90
100000; by 1880 it had jumped to $19,-
900 900. and in 1900 it reached the ellor-
nous figures of S91 100000
The figures here quoted do not rep
resent corporations in the fields OF tele-
graph, telephony. electric railways.
electric lighting. etc, in which the ap-
paratus produced is put into operation,
hut merely the output OF the establish
ments devoted to the manufacturing OF
electrical apparatus and supplies.
New York leads all the other states
I'm the item of establishments OF this
character. having l34, Illinois coming
second with 50 and Ohio ana Penrsyl-
lively. On the other hand, il, gross
value Of output Pennsylvania heads the
list with $20.9o0.000 as compared with
$l7,6Oo,O0O for New York. sll ,60o.ooO for
Illinois and $S0O0,000 for Massachusetts. !
In 1900 the average size of the dyna-
mo produced was about 70 horse power |
the total output for the year Of direct |
nr continuous current-aDparat,, repre- |
senting 9,1S2 machines o. 42S.Gpi horse |
power, valued at s6..9. ,0C0 The aver
age size of the alternating current ina
chine was 254 horse power. ana that of |
the direct current was but a; horse |
power.
Electric Propulsion.
The statistics as to the production OF
motors for electric railways are striK-
ing and interesting, especially when |
viewed from the standpoint of the re-
turns of electric railway work gathered |
by the Eleventh census, when, for the
first time, the industry made its ap-
penrance in the natioIa. records. none
of the roads then enumerated having
been in operation prior to 1886 In 1890
the street railway companies of the |
United States in operation numbered |
=