Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-12-29
WONDERFUL USES OF ELECTRICITY
Growing to Cover Every Field Of Human
Activity.

ACTIVITY.
Some distance from New York there
Is a farm, the mechanical appliances
of which are run entirely by electricity
| The owner has set up a complete electric
| plant, and this produces the current for
/ lighting and heating, as well as for sup
plying the power for other operations con-
nected with the farm.
The farm land obtains it's electric power
/ from a large stream on which are two
falls, one go and the other 100 feet high.
The rush OF the falling water turns huge
wheels which are connected to a motor Of
immense horsepower. which runs several
smaller ones One motor Of 1O-horse-
power works a moving machine, another
I a thrashing machine and third a circu-
| lar saw for cutting logs.
The churns and other appliances in the
farm dairy are all run by electricity, and
the farm itself is lighted by several huge
arc lamps.
Another farm situated In Western
Canada, saves about $4,000 every year by
using electricity for manual labor
Moving machines, chan cutters,
ploughs, harrows, reaping machines and
| the like are run by electric current. The
farmhouse is brilliantly lighted. and the
kitchen supplied with an electrically heat
! ed range, while in the laundry the fat
irons are heated by electricity.
The Americans were the first to utilize
electricity as burglar catcher.
a well known professor Of Chicago at
tached to one Of the universities dis
1 covered that any money he left I'm the
/ pocnets of his overcoat, that was hung
up in lobby during lecture hours, SEEM
ed to disappear mysteriously.
One day he arranged wires that carried
| a generous current inside the pocket Of
4 his coat and this brought the thief to
| realizing sense OF iniquity.
The appropriation of other mems goods
inserted his hand, and the electricity
gave him such twinge that he yelled
vigorously and was caught literally red
| handed.
The professors little dodge resulted in
an effective system OF protection being
| applied successfully to several museums
in America and England Wires convey
ing an electric current were run under
meath the lid Of each case containing
valuable articles.
II the cover was lifted or disturbed in
any way an alarm was instantly trans
! mitted to the Office Of an attendant or
! night Waterman, and several electric
| gongs were sounded simultaneously.
-Four museum pilferers were captured
| in one month in America in this way.
Electric burglar alarms are very COM
mon nowadays. and there is hardly pub
lie institution or palatial residence in the
| kingdom that is not fitted out with one
or two OF them.
Several Of our best orchards are sur
rounded by a net Of fine wire mesh six
or eight feet high, with a couple of copper
| wires, some distance apart stretched
along the top OF II.
Every night strong current Is switch
ed into these. carrying electricity right
through the wire mesh. making IL a per-
feet terror to thieves and others OF that
ilk.
The popularity OF the electrical calcu-
lating machine Is daily increasing in
America, where It was invented. Those
who are using 1t declare that It is three
times simple as the calculating
machine which works by hand.
The latter machine, by the way. became
an essential in the world OF science long
since. and almost every life insurance
and government Office In Great Britain
has one in use.
Eight OF the machines were placed in
the accountants department OF the Bank
of England some years ago and proved an
| Immediate success. Joseph Chamberlain
introduced the invention into the House
OF Commons. where it has been found an
invaluable assistant in drawing up sta
tistics.
\ Whether the electrical calculator will
Gust the mechanical one remains to be
seen. Dr. Hammond. n Washington ply
stefan, has found that sleep can be in
duced by sending a mild electric current
through the sympathetic nerves OF the
spinal column 10 the brain, and he has
placed on the market a small battery, Of
his own design. for the benefit OF those
whose overweight nerves force them to
discover some reliable method of produce
ing sleep artihcially.
BY means OF an electric battery and a
keyboard similar to that OF a piano, the
rector OF Randall rings his church bells
before every service, and also at both
weddings and funerals. This is a new
idea, and II 1t ever becomes fashionable
the majority OF the bell ringers in this
country will starve.
Metal can now be welded by electricity
and no eye could tell where the functions
are made.
George Maxwell one OF the most sue
cessful spectators on the Board OF Trade
at Chicago, was robbed literally by cleo
tricity. One evening while In his office
the telephone bell rang. and in reply to
his "HulloI n masculine voice, rough
and rasping. said:
I'm Thomas Jefferson odell. the
famous burglar. and two of my friends
have gained access TO your house. The
cook, the chamber maid and your wife are
lying here in the drawing room, gagged
and bound. We have disposed OF the
black coachman. and some bundles of
rag and straw, soaked in petroleum, have
been judiciously distributed about the
mouse READY TO De lSnlleu.
You scoundrel!" shouted the agonized
Maxwell
Don't speak so loud" was the calm
retort: you'll smother the instrument!
Now listen TO me. I need a little loan of
81 900 cash. 1t is now $50 o'clock. At
this very moment my confederate has
entered your office to receive the money.
Refuse to pay 1t to him and your house
will be burned to the ground with your
wife and servants in. it."
Mr.. Maxwell, turning around, saw a
stranger. dressed in the height of fashion,
before him.
II have called to collect little matter
OF $4,000 for Mr.. Odell," said the visitor.
Mr.. Maxwell. without a word, went to
his safe and handed the stranger two
packages containing $4,000 in notes. Then
Odell's confederate stepped to the tele-
phone and said:
II have the money. Free Mrs Max
well and the servants, and leave the house
as you found It,"
Then he strobe out Of the office with
the grandeur of a Spanish hidalgo.
When Mr.. Maxwell arrived home he
found his wife as calm as possible, and
after he had finished the recital OF his
adventure he was told by his wife that
nothing had happened in the home as he
described, but well dressed man, calling
himself Odell, had called some time be-
/ fore or hot he