Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-17

tract during the past year for q long cross
country road to be operated by the alter
mating current. namely. that between Wash
ington, Baltimore, Annapolis, etc, while
analogous work Is in hand In other parts
also. Hilbert in America, and with but
one or two exceptions in Europe, all cleo
trio railway work has been done with
direct current. although this has often been
generated as alternating and transformed
to direct at sub-stations for use.
Now. II the newer methods win out, the
advantages OF the alternating current for
high pressures, long distances and small
wires will be enjoyed without all the ex-
penslve transformation paraphernalia and
losses. 1t is a development devoutly to be
wished and closely to be watched.
New Inventions.
Electric lighting has pursued a quiet
course OF expansion and has little 20
record but prosperity and the annexation
OF new territory. The only new devices
OF great value put on the circuits are the
mercury vapor lamps Of Peter Cooper
Hewitt and the glover lamps OF Nernst.
both affording illumination that fts into
specific fields Of utility, and, while adding
to the resources Of the art, bid fair to in
crease the revenues of the central stations.
Heating appliances have also improved and
increased in variety and the difficulty Of
getting coal to the private house has made
many a man study the feasibility OF doing
more Of his cooking and warming with such
clean and dainty domestic accessories.
But the greatest increase in central sta
tion income has come from plain light and
power. The New York Edison company has
signalized a year when everything went up
In price by reducing its rate for current,
although its fuel cost more, and one result
OF such an action has been to reduce the
number OF isolated plants which in New
York, as elsewhere. have thriven while the
cost Of current is high.
AS to electric power, the growth In 1902
was simply phenomenal, so that the COM
pany just mentioned is doing thirty times
as much of it as it did ten years ago. The
opportunities In this direction are virtually
illimitable and none the less real because
Of their magnitude. The census statistics
show that in 1900, of all the power used
in American manufacturing establishments,
barely 4 per cent was then electrical.
The margin of possible occupation thus
presented is such as few industries have
ever had opened up to them and Is enough
to explain the intense activity Of factories
producing electric motors. Another ex-
PLANTATION lies in the astounding fact that
in America, home of Invention and ingenu-
ity, land of machine processes and intensi-
fed methods, two-thirds of the shops out
Of over 500, 900 depend on hand labor. An
enviable arena Of opportunity lies there,
and under a regime of electric power posi-
bilities Of production on a colossal scale
loom up. while giving to every workman
his chance at individual expression In his
wares. 1t is a significant fact that in 1902
the output of small motors for Just that
kind OF use was unusually large.
Power Transmission.
Power transmission, whether associated
with or separate from electric railway OF
lighting work, has absorbed large sums OF
money during 1902. and the coal strike
marked up the values Of waterfalls in q
most extraordinary manner. Those sources
OF energy may, suffer from drouth, but are
not subject to the caprice OF walking dele
gates. Aside from the long distance work
exploited out in California or in the
province OF Madras, India-with circuits
spanning 22O miles-the notable illustration
is still to be found at Niagara. z
The last year saw extensive operations
there on both banks Of the river, and wit.
messed upon the Canadian shore the be-
ginning OF u plant WHICH Will buelleT tue plB'
gest dynamos yet built. These machines nov
being put together in New York state will
have a capacity of over 10. 1000 horse power
each, generating current at a potential o
70, 600 volts for the line. Three of them arr
to be set up at once. And while all arounC
4 Niagara itself such power is being con
sumed in increasing quantities steps hav,
been taken the last year to deliver it Al
far AWAY as Toronto. seventy miles OF
across the lake.
'Telegraphy is not altogether dead, nor !
1t sleeping, even II for the bulk OF its worl
II adheres to the time-honored key an
sounder. and unfortunately looks askanc
at machine telegFaphy which alone cal
cheaper It. While wireless methods ar
coming in for a great deal OF work hilbert
done by submarine cable. 1t is memorabl
that 1902 saw an all-American cable lait
In the Gulf Of Mexico, $40 miles in length
and that an American company began lay
ing a Pacific cable that will Join San Fran
cisco with all the cities Of the far east.
Wireless telegraphy has. however. a trad
OF its own to foster. whether 1t cross tn
Atlantic or not for regular service, an
last year as much as $500 was picked up o.
single trips from the passengers on oceai
liners sending or receiving Marconigrams
Better yet, the suspicious STOCK JODDlnB i
the new art has ceased. and patient merit |
slowly coming TO it's own.
There are so many branches Of electriea
endeavor one cannot note them all, an
some are in less hopeful state than others
Thus the wild speculation in automobil
stocks has seen market paper values G
sos. 600. 900 authorized and S45. 000, 900 out
standing reduced to about 81, SOC. 900 at pres
ent quotations.
Yet electric autos are multiplying all tn
same. and there is a strong current Of hope
fitness about them. whether with existln
storage batteries or the better ones prom
Used. Telpherage. the new art OF aeriS
conveyance on overhead wire or girder ra
OF freight and supplies. by travelling motoI
is remarkably active, and, although a nov
city in 1902. a great number OF useful plant
were installed all over the country. Will
arrangements were made by leading cor
Germs in Europe to take Il up there.
But all this more novel extension OF cleo
trical ideas and methods Is we'll summed U
in the little facts that last month the eft
of Chicago found It necessary to appoint q
X-Tay expert TO watch cases where his ev
dence would be helpful. and that one OF II
items Of a large and growing export ele'
trieal trade was the delivery by a Philade
phia firm to the Japanese government OF Q
N-ray outfit, 10 be used in the national mil