New-York tribune., 1904-09-12
ELECTRICITY At ST. LOUIS.

None of the International scientific congresses
whose meetings i'm the United States were ap-
pointed for this month deal more directly with
the practical interests of civilization than the
ore which opens in ST. Louis today In at
least one particular it is of greater importance
than the one held in New-York last week The
chemists listened TO only one address-that of
their nresident-and gave up the rest OF their
time during their stay here to a study of places
Of interest and to social intercourse. Their
technical papers are presented and discussed
at monthly meetings. On the other hand the
electricians, who convene I'm st. Louis this
morning, will be favored with about 10. In
order 10 facilitate the presenta ton and consld-
Grafton of these, the congress viii break up into
eight sections after the opening exercises, and
will remain in session five days
or the various applications OF electricity to
human service the earliest were chemical or
medical, were devoted 10 instantaneous COM
munication between distant points Advances
have been made in all of these departments
oJusefulness. Electroplating has been supple
mented by a number of kindred industries.
among which the refining Of copper and the
production of aluminium are tho most conspicli-
ous In therapeutics a direct application Of
electricity continues in vogue, although there
have been changes both in method and appa
ratus. The most important innovations in this
field Of activity, perhaps. employ the same
agent indirectly. either for the production of
Y rays or Hight After Morse's great invention
was first utilized on land 1t was adapted to
submarine service as we'll. Since that time
telephony and Hertz wave telegraphy have in
creased the possibilities of the exchange of in
teligence. Electric lighting and traction are
of more recent origin than some Of their sister
industries, but they have attained enormous
proportions The transmission of power in the
form of electricity is an oven younger branch
Of engineering, its evolution resulting mainly
from the wonderful achievement of 'harnessing
Niagara" ten or twelve years ago. Each Of
these six special divisions Of electrical science
will be considered by different section of this
weeks congress. two others being occupied, re
spectively, with more general applications and
with electrical theory. One can see at a glance,
therefore, how fruitful the deliberations of the
electricians must prove.
Expectation is heightened by an examination
of the programme. Nearly onehalf of the
papers are contributed by foreigners. although
the authors viii not in every instance present
them in person. Cooperation has come from
England Sweden. Denmark, France Swtzer-
land, Italy and even Japan. Marconis friend
and representative, DIR. Fleming; Sir William
Preccc, formerly at the head of the British tele-
graph service; ]. ]. Thomson, of Cambridge,
whose discovery of particles that are smaller
than atoms has created revolution in physics;
Pousen. the inventor of the teIephonograph
and the wireless typewriter, and Arrhenius.
who won Nobel prize last year by his stud
les of the "lonisation" Of gases, are among the
Europeans who will participate. In the list Of
Americans who will assist we do not find the
name of Cooper Hewitt or Mr. Tesla but there
is fine array Of other talent. Steinmetz, Ken
nelly. Sprague, Duncan, Pupin, Sever, Buck.
Lincoln, Fessenden, DefOrest, B. i. Arnold, E. +.
Nichols, A. g. Webster and host of other mas
ters in electrical theory and practice will share
in this weeks proceedings.