New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-29
ELECTRICAL PRORLEnS-


lecture was delivered a few days ago be-
fore the Institution Of Civil Engineers in Lon
don by Colonel r. E. B. Crompton relative to
the difficulties still encountered in the utilization
of electricity. The speaker has for years been
one of the technical advisers of the British Wax
Office, but he is also widely known an ex-
pert in the department Of applied science to
which the topics discussed on this occasion be-
long. Electrical engineering has come to en-
brace several distinct lines Of work, and nova
days one rarely sees so comprehensive re-
view of the progress being made and the OBJ
stacles still remaining in them all as was af-
fOrded by the address in question.
After thirty years of steady development it
would seem as if the dynamo and electric motor
should be practically perfect but Colonel CrOmp-
ton shows that they are not, the greatest need
for improvement existing in alternating cur
rent machinery. A fundamental feature of
every dynamo and motor is the electromagnetic,
which consists of a core (of iron or steel with a
coil Of copper wire around It, the wire itself
being coated with insulating material before
one turn is allowed to come in contact with an
other. By changing the material for the core
and tho method of making it the evolution Of
what are known as eddy currents in them has
been minimized, but not abolished. These cur
rents represent a waste Of energy and in the
interest Of economy it is desirable to get rid
of them entirely. Perhaps the best way to do
SO will be to substitute for iron and steel
magnetic alloy of other metals. Again, heat is
always generated in the coils when motor or
dynamo is in service, and unless this is radiated
with sufficient rapidity 1t will ruin the insulat-
ing material. At present the cooling process
does not take place rapidly enough to avert oc-
casional injury when the machine is slightly
Overtaxed. When an ideal plan Of insulation
has been found a smaller quantity Of metal will
be required, the first cost Of the machine will
be reduced and there will be a diminutiOn In
the expenditure for repairs.
Colonel Crompton finds no engineer who ex-
poets soon to see freight hauled by electricity.
The revolution in traction which is now in prog
ress will he thinks, be confined for time to
passenger traffic. In time, too, he believes that
long distance work will be performed with an
alternating current, either "series" motor or
a "repulsion" motor being employed for that
purpose. If it then becomes necessary to sub
stitute an overhead conductor for the third rail.
the problem of arranging it is not likely, in
his opinion, to prove formidable.
One Of the embarrassments which beset the
generation of Hertz waves for wireless teleg-
raphy, the production Of a racket like that Of
artillery fire at the spark gap has now practi-
cally been overcome. DIR. Fleming, a COadju-
tor of Mr.. Marconi finds that he can silence the
in a vessel containing nitrogen or carbOnic acid
gas A second problem still remains unsOlved.
1t has been found that short as is the time be-
tween two successive vibrations, only a one
hundreth part Of It is occupied by the creation
of the wave If the operation could be made
more nearly continuous, it is believed that the
efficiency Of the apparatus would be increased.
Colonel CrOmpton suggests that by using some
thing in place Of the condenser which now
desired effect might be produced Lodge and
others have tried a device invented for an en-
tirely different purpose-the Cooper Hewitt
lamp-with gratifying consequences. Other ex-
pedients also give promise of improvement.
Whether a wholly satisfactory one has been
found is not clear, but the search for it is
pronounced highly important In connection
with this subject, Colonel Crompton refers to
Tesla'S scheme for transmitting large quaint
ties Of power through the upper air, saying
that at is difficult to speak of it with certain
ty, or even hopefulness."
Perhaps no device that has been employed by
electricians has received so much just criti-
cism as the storage battery. It's faults have
been so great that some engineers will have
nothing to do with 1t. Colonel 6rOmptOn re-
CARDS that attitude wrong. Within the last If
teen years the lead battery has steadily i'm
proved. The deterioration Of the plates is to-
day much smaller than formerly, and the lect-
urer before the Institution of Civil Engineers
regards it as an exceedingly useful thing. The
most extensive service performed by it is in
power and lighting stations, where it equalizes
the demand upon the generators from hour to
hour, but it is also employed in the operation
Of private and public carriages in London,
Paris and New-York. Colonel CromptOn con-
cedes that the Improvement may be carried fur
Their, but after a specific allusiOn to Mr.. Edi-
sons nickel and steel cell, remarks that 1--WE
"are far from obtaining anything to take the
"place of the lead couple"