The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-19

 spondence. .)-we stood and watched little brass finger running up and down a keyboard of shining brass, chased with lines and marked with figures.
 The support of the little brass finger was square piece of brass running back and forth in a finely oiled groove The little finger slid halfway down the brass plate and hesitated delicately for a few moments. Back and forth 1t ran, uncertain and hesitating.
 Before our eyes 1t sprang forward like a frightened animal and darted to the head of the figured brass plate.
 P. A. Noble, expert electrician and superintendent of the power plant or the Montgomery Light and Water Pow CT Company, remarked casually, as he witnessed the jump of the frightened finger:
 ''rhey are needing more power for the cars in Montgomery. l suppose church has turned out and the cars are well crowded. More power is de- manded to pull the heavy cars up the hill"
 The supposition was reasonable one As we stood watching the weird little piece of brass 1t was few min utes after noon of an April Sunday. We were within the splendidly equipped power house of the Montgom- cry Light and Water Power Company three miles above the town of Tallas- see The roar of the immense volume of water of the Tallapoosa River as it poured over the forty-foot dam was in our ears: our eyes were blinded by the blurring whirr of the immense fly wheels of the generators. The spark ling sunlight of brilliant spring day danced upon a thouuand waves of the river as the troubled waters. from their dash over the stone dam sought to readjust themselves to quietude and placidity for their journey to the sea.
 Great brown rocks. thrust themselves up from the granite bed of the river through the tawny flood. as if, like some amphibian animal, they sought the sunshine.
 It was a reasonable suggestion, this expressed thought of the superintenJ- ent. It was a few minutes after noon in Montgomery as well as upon the banks of the Tallapoosa. No doubt the morning services in the score of churches in the capital city of Alabama were just ended. No doubt the cars that toiled up the hills. on Dexter Ave- nue, on Hull Street. on Court Street and the hills that lead up to Five Points were filled. No doubt the troll ley cars making their way up these hills carried their own loads of return ing churchgoers, but how did the brass finger come to know 1t and to tell 1t?
 The Dancing Little Finger.
 Every demand for more electrical power from the smallest to the great est is shown on this indicator" replied Superintendent Noble to the earnest question of the curious one. T dare say this indicator would tell us of the progress of a single car heavily load ed up the hill either on Court or on Hull Street. The demand for more power Is instantly recorded here. It rushes to the power house in Mont gomery and it is flashed in an instant, through thirty-four miles of wire to the power plant where we stand. The loaded cars need more power than they did when they were empty. The cleo tricity on the wire, the power in short Is partially exhausted. The demand upon here is automatically made and in a moment it is automatically supplied"
 A wonderful little thing is the in- telligent, little brass piece, astonish- ingly wonderful it is I learned before l left the stone power house. The as- tute brass thing is only part of a remarkable piece of machinery called the governor, a thing which governs and controls the great generator with its massive fly wheel. rms governor with its whirling balls controls not only the generator, but 1t has a trained and intelligent arm that reaches be- heath the power house into the big tube through which the water from the pent-up river rushes. In this tube are set two flying turbine wheels, one whirling to the left and one whlrling to the right. These two wheels turn the immense shaft which revolves the generator at lightning speed. The speed of the wheels and the speed of the shaft is regulated by the amount of water that is permitted to flow into the wheels. A gate or valve is al the mouth of the inlet to these wheels, and this gate or valve slides back and forth, measuring the amount of water that shall go in.
 The long arm of the governor is upon this valve and 1t arbitrarily rules the restraining valve. The call for moro power, or for more lights is flashed over the wires The brass finger jumps to record the call. It seems to say: More electricity needed In Montgomery. That's all right, I'll attend to it."
 Whereupon it slides the valve further away from the mouth of the turbine wheels The wheels instantly respond to the increased rush of waters, the shaft whirls faster and the Dlg fly wheel whirs and softly sings with the added impetus.
 III llIic tHe SldCktISt the nn- ger records the fact: the long arm shoves the valve closer to the mouth of the turbine wheels and they instantly lessen their speed.
 There is something weird and uncan- ny about the ability and power of this piece of machinery and 1t seems almost part of the black art. There be many people who to this good day. firmly it superstitiously put their faith In that odd little instrument of occultism call ed Panchette. This Planchette is mystic writing instrument to set down things of Sate and destiny which are of the future or of noting happenings in other parts of the world of which nei- ther the operator nor those that crowd about the instrument may know. It is thin heart shaped piece of wood. with q pencil at the apex, which records the prophecies and statements of Plan chette.
 The faithful stoutly aver that the pencil sets down many strange and wonderful things when the truly gifted operator places his hand upon plan chette and bids 1t do its work. Plan chette may possibly do part of the things which its superstitious support CTS believe it capable of doing, but If if did all the things claimed for 1t. it would not. to the laymens thinking. be a more marvellous instrument than the piece of machinery which instantly re- cords Montgomery's order for more electricity and instantly fills that urder and of fulfillment going on day and ,G~rlk L, hat hna