Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-04

by 1890 1t had jumped to $19, 900, 900, and in
1900 it reached the enormous figures of
s91, 300, 900. The general figures do not re-
veal any tendency to excessive capitaliza-
ton, for the capital of $50, 000, 900 10 ac-
lively employed in producing a yearly prod
uct greater than itself in the census period
by $4,000, 900. It should be remembered
that the figures here quoted do mot repre-
sent corporations In the fields Of teleg-
raphy, telephony, electric railways, cleo
trio lighting, etc, in which the apparatus
produced is put into operation. but merely
the output of the establishments devoted
to the manufacturing Of electrical appara-
tus and supplies.
Electric Railways.
The statistics as to the production of
motors for electric railways are striking
and interesting, especially when viewed
from the standpoint Of the returns of
electric railway work gathered by the
eleventh census, when, for the first time
the industry made its appearance in the
national records, none of the roads then
enumerated having been in operation prior
to 1886. In 1890 the street railway COM
papies of the United States in operation
numbered 7s9, OF which 144 were electric.
At that time thers2 were 1855 electric cars
In use out Of 80, sos of all kinds, and 1882
miles of track oufoof 8,123. BY 1899 the
number OF cable cars had declined from
5,0S9 in 1890 TO 1880, and horse cars from
22, 4OS to 1,4s9. but in the meantime cleo
trio cars had increased to the number
Of 90 sos and the number Of miles OF track
to 1889. b stimulus given the industry
is further brought out by the fact that
whereas in 1890 the total capital and
funded debt for all roads appears to have
reached 1868, $50, 900. in 1900 the total for
81 street railway systems, chiefly electric,
was S1,02S, s1s ,9s7 capital stock and $777,-
s62, 571 funded debt. making a total Of
slightly over 1880, 900, 900, or just Ave
times the figures OF ten years before. On
this vast capitalization the returns from
the operation would Indicate a net earning
capacity Of from 4 to 5 per cent.
In the earlier days, such as those Of 1890,
a car with a pair Of small motors of If
teen horsepower each was we'll equipped.
but 1t will be noticed that the average per
motor in 1900 Is apparently only forty
horsepower, while more motors were pro-
dueed than the new cars would require II
equipped with but two motors. each, This
discrepancy is explained not only by the
large exports Of electric railway apparatus,
but by the tendency to renew the old
motors and increase steadily the capacity
of the motors under the newer cars. More
over there was a notable extension Of
rural and elevated railway work, calling
for heavier motors, and frequently involv-
ing the putting Of four motors under each
car, one on each axle.
The popularity OF the small electric fans
for Offices and homes has increased to such
an extent that the demand in the census
year was greater than the supply. The re-
port states that the experiments with
storage battery cars have not been en-
tirely successful. but better results have
attended the construction Of portable
equipments for use in such places as mines,
ETC., where It is dificult or dangerous TO
introduce wires carrying live currents .
Statistics of arc lamps compiled during
the second quarter of 1899 showed 1850
stations owned and operated by private
corporations, reporting 2sO, 400 arc lamps,
2,670,000 direct incandescent and $500, 900
alternating incandescent on their circuits,
with 1,1O0.0 900 horsepower Of motive ma
ehinery in their generating plants. This
does not include the municipal plants.
Telephone Progress.
Referring to the history Of the telephone
in the United States the report says:
EEh AhAuoNA e III SUM- a mgA
violent transition from a centralized con-
troll of production to unlimited manufac
ture Of apparatus than telephony. and the
period OF greatest activity in this field
since 1880 began with the census year 1900
Having aftor tremendously expensive It'll.
cation established the supremacy OF its
patents. the Bell telephone system enjoyed
for some years undisturbed possession OF
the field, but the moment these patents
could be assumed to lapse competition
broke in from every quarter, with the re-
suit that the industry has Of late under
gone an extraordinary development
doubling it's figures from year to year. anC
witnessing a very thorough revolution II
methods, apparatus and rates. Since thu
census year 1s79-S0, no statistics Of tele'
phony have been compiled other than thosI
embodied in the annual reports OF tn
American Bell Telephone company. Twent!
years ago 14s companies and private con
Germs reported 54,3l9 receiving telephones
1888 employees and 34.3O5 miles Of wire
with total liabilities Of SIS. 500. 1876. In 1870
the Bell systems reported about 1900 ex
changes, with 1850, 900 subscribers con
nected. using l.254.2O3 miles OF wire. EN-
ploying $4,000 persons and handling 1000,
600, 900 conversations per year. The capita
for the parent and s~ub-eompanies the
stood at not less than $500. 900 900.
These figures would in themselves indi
cate the stupendous growth Of a distiue
lively modern industry, but they are IA
from revealing the actual conditions. Be